A 21-year-old Baltimore woman who admitted that she killed a toddler she had been watching last year was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison.
Shardae Denise Coles of the 1300 block of Harlem Ave. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in March. Prosecutors said that Coles had been watching 16-month-old Zion Treyvon Clemmons at her apartment May 7, 2006, while his mother sought drug treatment.
Coles admitted becoming frustrated with Zion and throwing him into the edge of a sofa, prosecutors said. According to a charging document, Coles took the baby to a neighbor about 30 minutes after throwing him, and the neighbor noticed he had no pulse. An autopsy showed Zion died of blunt-force trauma.