DENVER — Susan Baffour, 62, pleaded guilty Monday in Denver District Court in the death of her 8-year-old great-nephew in June 2022.
Baffour was accused of beating Dametrious Wilson to death with a wooden back scrubber. Police were called to an apartment in the 1900 block of Ulster Street on June 3, 2022, after Dametrious was found unconscious. Baffour said she did it as a form of "discipline," according to the arrest affidavit in the case.
She pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death. Other charges were dismissed. She faces 16 to 48 years in prison when she's sentenced Nov. 27.
Baffour was given parental rights to Dametrious and his older sister in 2017 after the kids were removed from their mother's custody.
According to records reviewed by 9NEWS, after many unexplained absences in the months before his death, teachers tried to warn the Department of Human Services (DHS) of abuse in the home, but those calls were “screened out” without any follow up.
Baffour was originally charged with:
- First-degree murder - victim under 12 - position of trust
- Child abuse - reckless causing death
- Child abuse - causing injury
The first two counts were related to the death of Dametrious. The third count was related to his sister.
Outside of court, Candance White, Dametrious' aunt, said she hopes for a "max sentence" but believes that won't be the final word.
"We're satisfied with any sentence that she gets, because we also all believe this is not her last judgment day," White said.
Finding the Gaps: The Death of Dametrious Wilson