Adam Thompson is a digital content producer for CBS Baltimore.
A Baltimore woman pleaded guilty to charges related to her 10-year-old grandchild's self-inflicted shooting death in January 2025, the State's Attorney's Office said.
Alethea Mitchell was sentenced to nine years in prison, followed by five years of supervised probation. She pleaded guilty to charges of felon in possession of a firearm and reckless endangerment.
The Baltimore State's Attorney's Office said the child, identified as E'vaa Mikel Sewell, fatally shot herself with Mitchell's unsecured and illegal gun at a home on Ingleside Avenue in Northwest Baltimore.
"With a case like this, you can not help but acknowledge the incredible importance of rigorous gun safety practices when you own a firearm," said Baltimore State's Attorney Ivan Bates. "I implore every parent and guardian to utilize the information readily available, especially during Gun Violence Awareness Month, to double and triple-check that your firearms are safely secured. My heart aches for the loved ones of E'vaa Mikel Sewell, and I am grateful to my Special Victims Team working together with the Detectives from the Baltimore Police Department for securing some measure of justice for them."
On January 25, 2025, Mitchell told 911 dispatchers that she had found her grandchild suffering from a gunshot wound to her head. The child was taken to the hospital, where she died three days later.
A search and seizure warrant was issued for the home where a small pink Diamond Arms 9mm handgun was located in the rear second-floor bedroom in a clear tote underneath folded clothes. Next to the gun was a black magazine with four live rounds.
A live 9mm round was found on the bed where the child was found, as well as a projectile that was recovered from the wall, court records showed.
The handgun used in the child's shooting was reported stolen during a burglary in North Carolina in 2017.
The grandmother later told police she left for work on the morning of January 25 while her grandchild was asleep on the couch. Mitchell said she last heard from the child through a home security camera around 12:45 p.m.
Around 2 p.m., Mitchell told police she texted her granddaughter, but received no response.
An hour later, according to court records, Mitchell returned home with lunch when she found the child on the second-floor bed, lying in blood. She said she found the gun underneath the child's body.
Court records reveal that Mitchell moved the handgun to a clear tote in the rear bedroom under folded clothes.
Mitchell told police that the gun belonged to her ex-boyfriend, according to court records. She has a prior criminal conviction that prohibits her from owning a gun.