'Babies are not adults': Grandmother gave infant granddaughter prescription medication for mood disorders and killed her

A Virginia pistillate volition walk implicit a decennary down bars for fatally poisoning her babe grandchild with big medicine medication.

In November 2025, Alvetta Juanita Haskins, 51, pleaded blameworthy to 1 number of felony homicide.

On Friday, Norfolk Circuit Court Judge Jamilah LeCruise sentenced the suspect to 30 years – with 17 years and 3 months suspended; successful total, she volition walk astatine slightest 12 years and 9 months successful prison.

The underlying incidental occurred successful April 2024, erstwhile Haskins was babysitting her duplicate grandchildren, including her 3-month-old granddaughter, Skylar, astatine an flat she shared with her fellow connected Suburban Parkway successful Norfolk, according to The Virginian-Pilot.

"At immoderate point, Ms. Haskins added her medicine antipsychotic medicine arsenic good arsenic cough syrup into her granddaughter's babe vessel and fed it to her," the Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney's Office wrote successful a press release past year. "While it remains unclear wherefore she did so, it appears that she did truthful to quiescent the baby."

To perceive Haskins archer it, however, she believed Skylar had a stuffy chemoreceptor and lacked immoderate children's Tylenol – truthful she thought she was mixing big Tylenol with powdered babe formula.

But that was not what she had mixed.

Sometime aft midnight, the suspect woke up to cheque connected the babies. Skylar was limp and had vomit connected her face. The pistillate called 911 and attempted CPR – for naught.

Paramedics arrived and took the babe to the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, wherever she was aboriginal pronounced dead.

In July 2024, a toxicology study came backmost that showed the girl's origin of decease was Seroquel – which Haskins had been prescribed for anxiousness and depression. Her humor besides showed the beingness of an over-the-counter antihistamine commonly utilized to relieve acold symptoms.

In November 2024, instrumentality enforcement interviewed the suspect a 2nd time. Prosecutors said she failed to notation the medication.

Haskins, personally and done her attorney, has said she did not retrieve the medicine astatine archetypal and that it was an accident.

"I privation I could instrumentality it each backmost but I can't," the convicted pistillate told the courtroom done tears connected Friday. "That was my family, my blood. I didn't cognize it was the incorrect medicine till the detective and my girl told maine so."

During the sentencing hearing, Haskins elaborated earlier the tribunal – saying she was arguing with her fellow portion she was administering the medications connected the nighttime successful question. She besides said she keeps each her prescriptions successful the aforesaid bottle.

"I was trembling," the suspect told the judge.

The authorities powerfully admonished the defendant.

"Babies are not adults, and they should ne'er beryllium fixed medicine medicine but by a doctor's order," Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi said successful a statement. "Had her granddaughter lived, the due complaint against Ms. Haskins would person been felony kid neglect, but since her granddaughter died, the due complaint is felony homicide. Anyone who takes work for watching children, particularly babies, indispensable bash truthful with attraction and indispensable look the consequences if they prosecute successful unsafe behaviour specified arsenic this."

In January, aft a 3rd interview, Haskins was arrested.

"Regardless of the condemnation I pronounce, her granddaughter volition ne'er beryllium capable to bask life," Judge LeCruise said portion issuing the sentence.

As the suspect was led retired of court, her household members – including her girl – told her: "I emotion you."