Brittany Horn

The News Journal

A licensed Delaware nurse has been charged with the death of her 3-month-old infant at a Maryland home in mid-December.

Aja M. Terry, 26, of Edgewood, Maryland, and Keith D. Griffin, 26, also of Edgewood, were charged with first-degree homicide, first-degree child abuse and first-degree assault after Terry's child died the morning of Dec.16, according to Maryland court documents. Terry faces one count of first-degree murder, two counts of child abuse and four counts of assault.

Both she and Griffin, who prosecutors said was her boyfriend, have been held without bail. Terry remains in police custody at Harford County Detention Center.

Police were called at about 9:40 a.m. Dec. 16 to the 1800 block of Eloise Lane for a report of a child in cardiac arrest, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office. Initial reports indicated the child was choking, and officers found the infant, later identified as Aaman Perez, unresponsive upon arrival.

Police began treatment on the 3-month-old boy, and medics from the Joppa Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company took over when they arrived. The child was taken to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead at 10:25 a.m., according to police.

An autopsy performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner deemed the cause of death as head trauma, triggering the ruling of a homicide.

Both Terry and Griffin fled the scene that day, according to police. Terry was later taken into custody in Newark. Griffin was also found and charged.

Two other children belonging to Terry – Aaman's twin bother and a 5-year-old boy – were placed into Child Protective Services following the charges, according to police.

Terry's registered nursing license in Delaware also was issued an emergency temporary suspension as of Dec. 31, according to documents from the Delaware Board of Nursing. She was employed at MeadowWood Hospital, a psychiatric and addiction treatment facility near New Castle, according to the suspension document.

The crimes she is charged with are "substantially related to the practice of nursing," according to the suspension.

Terry awaits a preliminary hearing scheduled for Jan. 19 in Bel Air, Maryland.

Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.

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