Better Get Your Baby Before the Alligators Do

Summary: In 2006, Charles Edward Tyson threw his 9-month-old son, Charles Jr., out of the car onto the dirt after his girlfriend broke off their relationship. He then drove to a bridge and threw the baby into the canal. Charles Jr. died from the fall. He told the baby's mother and his girlfriend, with whom he was angry with, "you better get your baby before the alligators do." Charles was arrested and charged with murder. He could've faced life in prison or even the death penalty, but Shameka asked for leniency in the case. Tyson took a plea deal sentencing him to 40-years in prison.

Story

It was 1:45 a.m., April, 2006. 17-year-old Shameka Mosley and her boyfriend, 20-year-old Charles Edward Tyson drove from the hospital with their 9-month-old son, Charles, Jr. who had just been treated for diarrhea. The baby was asleep in his car seat.

Shameka and Charles began to argue. They argued often and Charles had a bad temper. He got angry very quickly. The couple had split before but always got back together. This time, she told Charles that she was leaving him and this time, it was "for good." This infuriated Charles. He accused Shameka of cheating on him. She responded by telling him that Charles Jr. might not be his baby. The argument continued. Tyson's loud screams woke up the sleeping baby, only further infuriating him. Enraged by Shameka's words, Tyson pulled over to the side of the road and held the infant outside the passenger side window, threatening to kill him. She talked her boyfriend out of hurting the baby, but seconds later, things escalated again.

Suddenly, Tyson grabbed the baby and threw him out the car window while stopped at a traffic light. The baby hit the dirt face first. Mosley began struggling with Tyson but he overpowered her, picked CJ up by his leg and slammed him into the hood of the car with enough force it dented the car. Mosley grabbed the baby and placed him in the front passenger seat. She attempted to get in the car, but Tyson drove off. He stopped at a bridge and threw the baby into the canal. He turned around, picked up Mosley and said, “I threw your baby in the lake.”

He drove Mosley to the bridge then walked to his grandmother’s house. She tried to find the baby but could not locate him. Police found CJ’s body floating on the canal 300-feet south of the bridge at 2:52 a.m. He had been in the water approximately 20-minutes.

Mosley and Tyson were not supposed to be near each other at the time of the incident. After repeated violent attacks, Mosley’s mother had filed a court injunction that barred Tyson from contact with her daughter except for two hours on Friday night.

Tyson Arrested; Accepts Plea Deal

Tyson was sitting on the couch waiting for police when they arrived to arrest him. He was taken into custody without incident. He later told family he remembered throwing the baby in the water but nothing before that.

Mosley said that he loved the baby and was just angry at her. She appeared at his trial and sentencing hearing. Mosley and her mother requested a sentence lighter than life in prison. Shameka said that Charles loved his son and was just angry. She said that she was a Christian who believed in God and forgiveness, but would never forget what happened. Taking this request into consideration, the judge presiding over the case offered Tyson a plea deal and sentenced him to 40-years in prison.

During the service, Shameka Mosley's aunt, Janet Clark, read a letter Shameka wrote to her child: "Mommy loves you. ... Daddy loves you, too. He just has a problem. ... Forgive your father, please, son. He doesn't know what's wrong."

Information:

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2006-05-05-0605050068-story.html