A court has granted bond to a 19-year-old El Paso woman accused of purposely placing her 7-month-old baby inside a laundry basket with stacked clothing compressed on the baby.
The court set a bond of $800,000 for Johnnette Dukes, who is accused with capital murder. On May 8, Dukes contacted 911 to report that she awoke from a nap to discover her 7-month-old baby gone.
Authorities said they investigated the area around the residence in the 3600 block of Johnson Ave. in downtown El Paso and discovered the infant on the inside of a laundry basket beneath stacked garments.
According to police, officers performed CPR on the infant, but he was subsequently declared dead at a hospital.
The medical examiner’s officials determined that asphyxia was the cause of death.
According to the arrest document, police think Dukes purposefully put the infant in the laundry basket and the stack of clothes on atop.
Investigators say Dukes tampered with mobile phone logs by removing her recent messages and calls. A security camera showed Dukes entering at the house with the infant and no one else appearing until law enforcement officers came.
A acquaintance of Dukes who used to babysit the child stated the child couldn’t walk and was only starting to crawl. Before taking a nap, Dukes said she put the infant into a car seat inside of the apartment, according to the affidavit.
The infant, according to investigators, was not capable of unhooking himself and moving around. When the baby was discovered, investigators say Dukes displayed no emotions, no concern, and no questions.
Source: KFOX
