‘You’re a monster:’ Local mom sentenced for murder

CLEVELAND (WJW) – A Cleveland mother who admitted to killing her 3-year-old son last year was sentenced on Monday to life in prison with the first eligibility of parole after 31 to 35 years for the murder of her three-year-old son.

In June, Timmeka Eggleton, entered guilty pleas to several charges, including murder.

Cleveland police said Eggleton killed her 3-year-old son , Curtis, in June of last year.

Curtis was in foster care for 2.5 years and doing well. In March of 2023, however, Cuyahoga County Juvenile Judge Allison Floyd terminated supervision and gave Curtis back to his biological mother permanently, even though an attorney hired to represent the child expressed concerns . Four months later, the child was killed.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death a homicide, saying he died of blunt force trauma.

His foster parents and his biological aunt tell the I-Team they too expressed concerns about Eggleton getting custody.

On Monday, ahead of sentencing, Curtis’ Aunt LaTorya Witcher, told the judge, “She is a disgrace as a mother, she is a disgrace as woman, as a black woman within our community because I can’t understand how could you just take the life of a child.”

In a tearful statement read in court, Curtis’ foster mother, Michelle Moody, looked to Eggleton and said, “You are no mother, you’re a monster.”

“I think about his last minutes of life, how scared he must have been. The pain and abuse he endured that day and probably months before then. I just pray that God took him quickly,” said Moody. “The system failed him once and it can not fail him again.”

You can listen to more of Curtis’ Foster Mother’s statement in the video below:

The foster parents tell the FOX 8 I-Team that Curtis was loved by their entire family. They said, Curtis loved to camp and blow bubbles.  His foster mother said they had a memorial for Curtis and planted a tree in his memory.

Curtis’ biological aunt and father also had a protest in front of the Juvenile Justice Center last fall and a memorial service as well.

On Monday, signs in court called for justice in the case.

Eggleton’s attorney encouraged the judge to consider the “full picture” when sentencing. He said, Eggleton was neglected as a child, entered the foster care center at an early age, and was subjected to “horrific physical, mental, and sexual abuse.”

Eggleton spoke in court ahead of sentecning, and told the judge, that she felt pressured to take back custody of her son.

“I should have never gotten him back because I wasn’t fit to be a mother, I knew that,” said Eggelton.

After learning her sentence, the judge said, “this sentence gives you an opportunity for reflection and remorse.”

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