BROWNWOOD, TX - Yesterday, in the 35th District Court, a 24-year-old Brownwood woman, Dedra Crider, learned she will spend 20 years in prison for injuring her infant son.
Visiting Judge James Morgan heard testimony about Crider injuring her 4-month old son in August 2014 during a bench trial that lasted about a day and a half.
According to a local news source, medical personnel are hopeful the child will make a full recovery.
The indictment in the case noted that Crider caused serious bodily injury to her son on Aug. 21, 2014 "by shaking the child, or throwing the child, or causing blunt force trauma to the child."
Court and jail records noted the Crider was arrested in December 2014 on the indictment, and was released on a $10,000 bond. The state also filed a motion to increase her bond on Sept. 1, 2015 because Crider had used marijuana while she was pregnant with another child.
District Judge Steve Ellis approved this request, and raised Crider's bond to $25,000. She was arrested on Oct. 1, 2015 and freed on the increased bond a day later. However, she remained under house arrest and an ankle monitor.
On April 1, 2016, the state filed a new motion for increased bond on April 1, alleging Crider had violated bond conditions by using marijuana and methamphetamine. She also left her home for purposes other than visitation with her children or gaining employment.
Judge Sam Moss, serving as district judge, raised Crider's bond to $75,000 on April 22, and the woman was re-arrested.
During the hearing, Prosecutor Elisha Bird asked Morgan to sentence Crider to 45 years in prison. She said there had been a "moment's difference" between injury to a child and a grave. According to the news source, the baby's life was saved by a neighbor who had performed CPR, and because of the quick response of paramedics.
"But for the grace of God, this was almost a capital murder," Bird said.
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