Mom accused of beheading baby had hellish childhood

Dan Horn | The Cincinnati Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption 911 audio: Ohio baby decapitated Police in Cincinnati, Ohio released 911 audio recorded as the family of a woman charged with decapitating her 3-month-old baby discovered the grusome scene. Meanwhile, the suspect, Deasia Watkins, appeared in court for a bail hearing. (March 20)

CINCINNATI — De'asia Watkins went through hell long before she claimed to speak to demons.

The young mother was charged last week with beheading her baby after suffering from psychosis so severe she heard demonic voices. Yet for much of her early life, Watkins was the child who was in danger, court records show.

Born to a mentally ill mother and an absent father, Watkins, now 20, bounced from home to home for years, enduring neglect that was severe enough to get the attention of authorities.

The first years of Watkins' life were spent in conditions unfit for children, according to Hamilton County court records that The Enquirer obtained Tuesday:

• She was routinely left alone or in the care of strangers in a dirty apartment.

• She didn't have enough food or clothing.

• She was verbally abused and neglected.

• Her mother drank alcohol and used drugs.

Once, a teenager was raped in the family's apartment while babysitting Watkins and her older brother, records show.

"There are reasonable grounds to believe the children are in immediate danger," a prosecutor wrote in 1998, when Watkins was 3 years old.

For the next 10 years, Watkins became part of juvenile court proceedings that would involve dozens of hearings, countless reports from therapists and social workers, and stints in at least five homes, including an emergency shelter for kids.

Her father, Terrance Watkins, was imprisoned for at least part of Watkins' childhood and was absent for the rest of it, records show. Her mother, Tina Johnson, was diagnosed with depression, mild mental retardation and schizoaffective disorder, a condition in which a person suffers from hallucinations and other symptoms similar to schizophrenia.

"Tina Johnson showed significant deficiencies with respect to parenting and intellectual functioning," a psychiatrist wrote in 1997.

The dysfunction in the home took a toll. Watkins suffered from grief and abandonment issues, according to her therapist, and barely spoke for the first four years of her life.

"She has no vocabulary," a social worker said at the time.

Even when others tried to step in and care for Watkins, records show her mother argued she should retain custody and went to court repeatedly demanding that her daughter return home.

Juvenile Court magistrates took custody of Watkins and her brother in 1998. Because the two children had different fathers, each went to live temporarily with a different relative here.

For a little while, Watkins' home life improved and social workers believed she was "happy and well-cared for." But the aunt who was acting as her temporary guardian said personal problems made it impossible for her to continue to do so.

When the aunt gave up custody, a family friend agreed to take in Watkins. She was 5 years old.

Barbara Owens, who had raised 10 children of her own, said Tuesday she thought she could give Watkins a stable home. Plus, Owens had a lot of grandchildren she could play with.

Watkins was smart and seemed like a normal kid in many ways, but Owens said the girl's tough childhood weighed on her.

"De'asia probably was going through a hard time," Owens said Tuesday. "You could tell she was holding stuff in."

By late 2002, social workers concluded that Watkins was thriving with Owens, who provided "a caring and nurturing environment for the child."

Yet Watkins continued to ask about her mother, even during long absences.

"Do you think she thinks of me?" she asked her therapist during one session.

In 2005, Watkins' mother jumped back into the picture. She petitioned the court to regain custody of her children and accused Owens of neglecting her daughter.

Johnson, who could not be reached for comment, had a lot to overcome. She repeatedly had failed to do what the court had asked her to do before losing custody, including dropping out of drug treatment, missing appointments for supervised visits, not paying her bills, and skipping her daughter's therapy sessions with a counselor.

On the day of her custody hearing, Johnson didn't show. She explained her absence in a written plea to the magistrate:

"I am a good mother. I love my children with all my heart," she wrote. "I missed the bus, ... so I had to wait for the next one and that was an hour wait."

Johnson kept up her court fight, even after her complaint against Owens was dismissed, and continued to see her daughter during supervised visits.

The therapists' reports to the court say the constant turmoil was hard on Watkins. Her grades in school started to suffer and she struggled with her loyalty to her mom and Owens.

A year later, records show, Owens gave up custody, saying the constant harassment from Watkins' biological relatives was too much. She said she called the girl's social worker, who took her to the Lighthouse shelter.

Watkins was 12 years old and without a home again.

Another relative, Michelle Johnson, stepped in and took temporary custody of Watkins.

Social workers say she provided a good home for Watkins, but Watkins' mother went back to court to once again demand custody. Her custody claim was dismissed — for the last time — in December 2008 when she failed to show up for her court hearing.

The juvenile court record ends there. Watkins was 14.

Watkins' next contact with the court system came March 16, when police found her in bed, covered in blood. Her 3-month-old daughter, Jayniah Watkins, was dead on a kitchen counter. She had been stabbed at least 15 times and was decapitated.

Prosecutors said she suffered from severe postpartum psychosis. The baby's father told authorities she had been "acting crazy" and talking to demons.