Mother gets 5 years’ probation in baby’s murder by ex-boyfriend

By Elise Franco | May 13, 2011 at 12:09a.m.

Shannon McBride

Youngstown

Shannon McBride, whose 23-month-old baby was beaten to death by an ex-boyfriend, was sentenced to five years’ probation for her involvement in the crime.

McBride, 23, who appeared Thursday before Judge Maureen A. Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, was emotional and difficult to understand as she spoke quietly in court.

She told Judge Sweeney that she knows she’s not the only person still hurting from Makenzie McBride’s death. Makenzie died April 6, 2010, after she was rushed to Akron Children’s Hospital with a skull fracture and severe bruising on her face. Her death was ruled homicide by the Summit County coroner — blunt-force trauma to the head.

Shawn Davis, 26, entered guilty pleas April 6 of this year to one count of aggravated murder and one count of domestic violence before Judge Sweeney. As a result of his plea agreement, a death-penalty specification was dropped. Davis is in prison without the possibility of parole, according to court records.

Part of the agreement stipulated that the prosecution would recommend Shannon McBride receive probation instead of jail time, said Assistant County Prosecutor Rob Andrews.

Atty. Ron Yarwood, who represented McBride alongside Atty. Rhys Cartwright-Jones, said McBride understands and regrets what happened to her daughter.

“She understands the wrongdoing by Mr. Davis and feels a daily regret for what occurred,” Yarwood said. “She still carries a tremendous amount of guilt and feels tremendously responsible.”

Judge Sweeney adopted the recommendation of the prosecution, sentencing McBride to the maximum of five years’ probation, 200 hours of community service during each year of the probation, family counseling and an evaluation at Turning Point Counseling Services in Youngstown.

“If you violate any of these terms, you could end up in prison for 15 years,” Judge Sweeney told McBride.

McBride, of North Navarre Avenue, entered a plea agreement June 4, 2010, to obstructing justice and permitting child abuse, according to court records.

McBride was present during at least some of the incident that killed Makenzie and did nothing to stop Davis, according to police records. Davis was not Makenzie’s father.

In the plea agreement, an aggravated-murder charge against her and the death-penalty specification accompanying it were dropped, and she agreed to testify truthfully against Davis — her co-defendant and former boyfriend.

McBride was released from jail after her plea because she was pregnant. That baby, fathered by Davis, and another child are in the custody of Shannon McBride’s mother.

Another daughter is in the custody of her own father, Louis McBride, who was Makenzie’s father and is Shannon McBride’s ex-husband.