Mother who smothered baby to death sentenced

WICHITA COUNTY (KFDX/KJTL) — The mother of a 7-month-old boy was sentenced to 18 years in prison for smothering her baby to death in 2021.

Akilah Boone, 22, of Dallas, accepted a plea agreement in 30th District Court on Friday, June 28, 2024, to reckless injury to a child; the second count of intentional injury was dismissed.

The first is a second-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 20 years, and the second is a first-degree felony with the possibility of a life sentence.

Boone was arrested in August 2023 in Dallas County after being charged with two counts of felony murder. On January 21, 2021, medical personnel responded to a home in the 2100 block of Avenue H for an unconscious child.

They found a dead child inside the residence, which was extremely hot, with the thermostat set at 90 degrees. There was also a space heater in the child's bedroom while the temperature outside was 50 degrees.

According to the affidavit, Boone told authorities she drove the baby's father to work, returned to the residence and put the baby down for a nap. She said when she later removed the covers from the baby, he was face down and unresponsive, and she called 911.

Family members and other witnesses said they warned Boone about her habit of covering her baby with blankets and pillows to avoid suffocating him, but she said her baby liked to sleep in the dark. Other witnesses said the baby was sometimes left unattended by both parents.

An autopsy was performed after the child's death. During the autopsy, the medical examiner found numerous scars and cuts on the baby's head as well as bruising on the ear, lip and scalp.

Dr. Suzanne Dakil, a pediatrician who specializes in child abuse at Southwestern Medical Center, said the cause of death could have been suffocation, heatstroke or something else, and that the injuries likely indicated child abuse.

The CPS also reported on a previous investigation and a home visit during which the parents received education about sleep safety and were warned not to put too many blankets on the child.