Alethea Mitchell was sentenced to 15 years, suspending all but nine years, with five years of probation upon release
Baltimore, Md. (June 10, 2025) - Today, the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City announced that defendant Alethea Mitchell has pled guilty to Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Reckless Endangerment after her 10-year-old granddaughter fatally shot herself with the defendant's unsecured, illegal firearm. Mitchell was sentenced to 15 years, suspending all but nine years, with five years of supervised probation upon release. Special Victims Unit Chief Jesse Halvorsen and Assistant State's Attorney Jerome Perez prosecuted this case.
"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 State's Attorney Ivan J. 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 Saturday, January 25, 2025, the Baltimore Police Department's Northwest District Patrol responded to the 3500 block of Ingleside Avenue in reference to a call for service. The caller, identified as defendant Alethea Mitchell, stated that she responded to the location and found her granddaughter suffering from a gunshot wound to her head. The victim was ultimately transported to Johns Hopkins Pediatrics and listed in critical condition. After several days, she succumbed to her injuries and was removed from life support on January 28, 2025.
The defendant initially told the responding officers that her ex-boyfriend owned the weapon. A short time later, she said to officers that she had moved the gun from underneath her granddaughter’s body and put it in the rear bedroom under some clothes. The defendant's son was also at the scene and advised officers that he had responded to the location after receiving a frantic call from his mother. A search and seizure warrant was executed at the location, and a small pink Diamond Arms 9mm handgun was recovered from the rear second-floor bedroom in a clear tote underneath folded clothes. Located beside the handgun was a black magazine with four live rounds, and recovered from the front second-floor bedroom was one live 9mm round located on the bed where the victim was found, as well as a projectile that was recovered from the wall. A check on the serial number of the gun showed it was reported stolen during a Burglary in North Carolina in 2017.
The defendant waived her Miranda rights and told detectives that she and her granddaughter had come home on Friday, January 24, 2025, at approximately 11:00 p.m. The defendant stated that she left her home at around 7:45 a.m. to go to work on Saturday, January 25, 2025, while her granddaughter was asleep on the couch in the living room. The defendant stated that her granddaughter got up around 10:30 a.m., which was confirmed by home security camera footage. Her granddaughter spoke through the camera to the defendant, noting that one of the dogs scratched her on her face at approximately 12:45 p.m. At 1:59 p.m., the defendant texted her granddaughter asking if she was hungry, but received no response.
At 3:02 p.m., the defendant arrived back home with lunch for her granddaughter when she located her on the second-floor bed, lying in blood. She attempted to wake her granddaughter but got no response, so she moved her and discovered the handgun underneath her body. The defendant called 9-1-1 for assistance. Prior to the arrival of EMS, the defendant moved the handgun and the magazine to the clear tote in the rear bedroom under some folded clothes.
When asked whether she moved the gun before or after calling emergency services, the defendant stated that she called 9-1-1 first. She then stated that she called her son to tell him she needed him to come to the house. When asked about the weapon, the defendant stated that it belonged to her ex-boyfriend. The defendant has a prior conviction that prohibits her from possessing a firearm.