Phoenix mom charged with first-degree murder in son’s July death
Sep 26, 2018, 9:31 AM
Donielle Joyce King (MCSO photo)
(MCSO photo)
PHOENIX — A Phoenix woman has been charged with murder after her baby son was left alone in an apartment for up to eight hours and found dead back in July.
Court documents released on Wednesday showed that Donielle Joyce King, 32, was charged with one count of first-degree murder.
The charge came one day after Phoenix detectives upgraded the charge against King from one count of child abuse after they found probable cause.
Bond was set at $50,000 for King at her initial court appearance on July 19. She remains in jail.
Police said they were called to the apartment in the area of 17th Avenue and Mountain View Road on July 17 and found the 1-year-old boy unresponsive on a bed.
The child was declared dead at the scene.
Police said King told officers she left her son home when she left for work because he wasn’t eligible for daycare and a friend who was going to babysit didn’t show up.
Authorities noticed several bruises on the boy’s ankles and face and police developed probable cause for child abuse.
King’s four other children were removed from the home and placed in state custody.
She will appear in court next on Oct. 3 for a status conference.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
