An Ohio home day care operator could spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of murdering a 5-month-old child he called “fussy.”
Franklin County Judge Bill Sperlazza prisoner Tammra R.Straughter He will be sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole on Wednesday, Oct. 7, in connection with the 2024 murder of Kashan R. Crawford-Chatman. Straughter, 54, will be eligible for parole after serving at least 15 years in prison.
He was sentenced to less than a month in prison in August after a jury found him guilty of one count of murder and one count of child endangerment. After learning of his sentence, the court attributed to him the 54-day period already served for remaining in custody following his conviction.
The incident that put Straughter behind bars occurred on October 9, 2023, when Crawford-Chatman’s mother Crawford StationShe dropped herself off and her twin sister, who was born prematurely in April 2023, at the day care she ran at Straughter’s home in Reynoldsburg, according to criminal and civil court documents reviewed by Law & Crime.
A few hours after Crawford dropped her sons off at day care, Reynoldsburg police called to tell them that Crawford-Chatman briefly stopped breathing at the day care and emergency workers arrived to help him. He was later told he was breathing again and was fine, the civil lawsuit said.
Following the incident, Straughter told Crawford that “after he choked on formula, Kashan hit him on the back, went to help another child, and when he returned, Kashan appeared to be having trouble breathing.”
Crawford then took her son to an urgent care facility to be checked, and his breathing stopped again.
The child was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, but they did the “coding” while they were on the road. He was soon transferred to the National Children’s Hospital for treatment, and staff “immediately noticed the bruises on Kashan’s body.”
“He also suffered two jaw fractures and bruises all over his body,” the lawsuit said. “They told Ms. Crawford that Kashan’s injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome and that his brain was swollen.”
Crawford-Chatman was pronounced dead less than a week after being hospitalized.
In light of the findings, hospital staff reported the injuries to Franklin County Children’s Services and an investigation into possible physical abuse was initiated.
The Franklin County Medical Examiner’s Office ultimately determined Crawford-Chatman’s death was a homicide caused by “closed head trauma consistent with shaken baby syndrome.”
He noted that in Crawford’s case, Children’s Services later found evidence of physical abuse by Straughter, and authorities found no evidence that the boy’s parents had abused him.
Both the lawsuit and prosecutors argued that Straughter violently shook Crawford-Chatman, causing injuries that led to his death.
Straughter was arrested in February 2024 on charges of murder and child endangerment. The woman told police at the time that the child had been “agitated” during the day and did not explain how her injuries occurred, according to WBNS.
Authorities also searched Straughter’s phone, and he reportedly deleted messages in which he complained about the twin boys’ “mess.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text the Child Helpline at 1-800-422-4453.