Elmore County mother convicted in 'starvation death' of her newborn

WETUMPKA − An Elmore County mother has been convicted in the “starvation death,” of her newborn child, District Attorney CJ Robinson said.

“The infant starved to death, plain and simple,” Robinson said. “No rhyme, no reason, never taken to a doctor, no underlying medical condition. He was just simply neglected until he died.”

After a trial this week in Wetumpka, a jury found Shirley Matthews guilty of aggravated child abuse which caused the death of her two-month-old son, Karson, Robinson said.

Karson Matthews was born in July 2018, weighing six pounds, two ounces, and in September 2018, he was taken unresponsive to Elmore Community Hospital weighing four pounds, 13 ounces, Robinson said.

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“An autopsy determined Karson’s cause of death to be negligence and the manner of death to be homicide,” Robinson said. “In an interview with law enforcement, Shirley admitted to having never taken Karson to the doctor after being released from the hospital after his birth. She claimed to be feeding him regularly and thought he would eventually gain weight.

“However, the jury heard overwhelming medical testimony about the child’s malnourished condition which led to his death.”

Matthews is facing 10 to 99 years to life in prison. Sentencing is set for Sept. 19.

“Evil is real,” Robinson said.  “Society can attempt to sugarcoat evil in a variety of ways, but there is no excuse or justification I am willing to accept for starving an infant to death and refusing to seek medical treatment as they wither away. We imagine these types of things happening in third-world countries when people have no resources and no avenues for help.

“But there is absolutely no reason this should happen in Elmore County today. Certainly, we expect a parent do more for their child, but really for anyone... when it comes to just being a human, we are better than that.”

Karson’s father, Kristopher Matthews was indicted for the same charges as his wife, Shirley. His case is still pending, court records show.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Elmore County mother convicted in 'starvation death' of her newborn