The one-time boyfriend of a DeKalb County mother accused of murder in her 8-month-old daughter’s death is no longer facing criminal charges, prosecutors said.
The DeKalb County District Attorney’s office has dropped all charges against Edward Wilson, though the case against the child’s mother, Shavone Whitehead, is still headed for trial, a spokeswoman for District Attorney Sherry Boston told Channel 2 Action News.
“Subsequent to a detailed investigation, we have determined there is insufficient evidence to proceed with charges against Edward Wilson in connection with this case,” spokeswoman Yvette Jones said Thursday in a statement.
The charges against Wilson, 35, of Brookhaven, were dropped on April 27, nearly 18 months after indictments were handed down in the case.
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Whitehead, 26, will stand trial for felony murder, battery involving family violence and three counts of first-degree cruelty to children in the August 2016 death of Kamonie Whitehead. Kamonie died two weeks after she stopped breathing in a Brookhaven motel room on Aug. 1.
Police officers responding to Wilson’s 911 call found the baby unresponsive in the middle of a filthy room at the Microtel Inn. He told emergency dispatch that Whitehead tried to perform CPR.
The bruises on her legs and buttocks were the first things officers noticed about the lifeless child, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
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She was placed on a ventilator while police continued their investigation into her injuries. Kamonie also had injuries to her chin and arms, multiple rib fractures, a hemorrhage and a possible skull fracture.
Prosecutors initially accused Whitehead and Wilson of using force to discipline the child because she was "crying all the time." Sometimes they used a belt, Whitehead allegedly admitted to police.
Whitehead was denied bond and has been held in the DeKalb County Jail since her August 2016 arrest.
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