An Augusta woman was charged with first-degree cruelty to children and murder after her 12-year-old son died, according to multiple news reports.
Jasmine Camp, 32, originally was arrested Saturday for cruelty to children but was charged with murder Monday after her son, Derrick Camp, died Sunday night at AU Medical Center, The Augusta Chronicle reported.
After obtaining new evidence, investigators also arrested Camp's boyfriend, Clarence Arkee Brown, 37, and charged him with murder and four counts of cruelty to children in the first degree, WFXG reported.
According to affidavits, Brown allegedly struck Derrick multiple times with an extension cord, phone-charging cord and small tree branches, WFXG reported.
Officials said Brown also struck Derrick in the stomach with a closed fist and forced him to do military-style squats while holding a book and do push-ups until he collapsed, the TV station reported.
Derrick was brought to the medical center by emergency medical crews Sunday, according to the Chronicle.
Camp punished her son after finding photos on his phone, the Chronicle reported, citing a Richmond County Sheriff’s incident report.
According to initial arrest warrants, Camp struck Derrick multiple times on his body with an extension cord, slammed him into a wall at least twice causing his head to hit a wall, and slammed him into a corner of a door frame by his hair, the Chronicle reported.
Derrick began to vomit and a rattling was heard from his chest while he breathed, the Chronicle reported. He was taken to the AU Medical Center and was placed in critical condition before he died Sunday night, the newspaper reported.
Derrick suffered a head injury and had several noted healing injuries, the Chronicle reported, citing the Richmond County Coroner’s Office.
Camp was calm at the outset of her conversation with deputies, according to an incident report, but became irritated by the deputy asking questions about what happened before she called 911, the Chronicle reported. She told deputies the boy fell off his bunk bed and she had tried to help him after she noticed something was wrong with him, the newspaper reported.
After talking to other deputies, investigators and doctors, Camp was taken into custody, the Chronicle reported.
Derrick’s body was sent to the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy, according to the newspaper.
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