'Looked like a skeleton': Dad who was 'playing video games' while 3-month-old starved to death in motel room filled with weapons is sentenced

A 27-year-old antheral successful Texas volition walk decades locked up for fatally starving his 3-month-old son, who authorities said looked "like a skeleton" erstwhile helium was recovered dormant successful a agrarian motel 2 years ago.

District Judge Susan N. Kelly connected Thursday ordered Charles Devin Harris to serve 40 years successful a authorities correctional installation for his relation successful the decease of Jacob Jeremiah Amon Harris.

Kelly sentenced Harris aft helium reached a woody with prosecutors and pleaded blameworthy to charges of wounded to a child, endangering the payment of a child, and possession of methamphetamine. In speech for his plea, prosecutors dropped an further complaint of murder.

Specifically, Harris volition service 40 years for the complaint of wounded to a kid and 2 years for each of the remaining charges, which volition tally concurrently. He volition beryllium eligible for parole aft serving a minimum of 20 years.

Harris' condemnation mirrors the condemnation Kelly handed down to the victim's mother, Skylynn Tuerk, earlier this year.

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"Our bureau is grateful to beryllium capable to resoluteness the 2nd of the 2 cases stemming from this child's decease without the request for a achy trial," the McLennan County District Attorney's Office said successful a statement to Waco ABC affiliate KXXV. "Bringing closure to this tragic concern tin hopefully acceptable everyone affected connected the way toward healing."

As Law&Crime previously reported, the probe into Harris and Tuerk began connected Nov. 29, 2023, astatine the New Road Inn motel successful the 4000 artifact of North Frontage Road successful Waco, which is astir 100 miles southbound of Dallas.

Police responding to a petition for a payment cheque connected a kid astatine the motel said they discovered Jacob — who has been wide referred to arsenic "Baby JJ" successful section media accounts — dormant owed to prolonged starvation. Officers astatine the country said the babe appeared "starving" and "looking similar a skeleton," according to tribunal records obtained by Waco-based CBS and Telemundo affiliate KWTX.

Police rescued Baby JJ's then-3-year-old sister from the room, which they said was filthy and infested with cockroaches. There was besides earthy meat, knives, swords, and drugs that investigators said were easy accessible to the children.

The probe into the household was brought connected by a 3rd enactment making a study astir the child's payment to Child Protective Services.

The CPS caller expressed concerns Baby JJ had not enactment connected capable value since his commencement and described Tuerk arsenic "nonchalant" astir the issue. Meanwhile, Harris is alleged to person been "playing video games the full time" the different idiosyncratic was successful the room.

Arriving the adjacent time — and by past excessively precocious — officers described the household arsenic surviving successful "unclean and dangerous" conditions, noting the bladed weapons were "within the scope of the 3-year-old girl."

There was nary "real nutrient for the children" wrong the unsanitary country and "no babe look for Jacob," constabulary reportedly wrote successful a probable origin affidavit. The lone nutrient oregon drinks that appeared to beryllium for children were foodstuff boxes and immoderate packages of effect snacks.