Federal prosecutors charged a soldier and his girlfriend with murder after alleging they allowed their baby and three dogs to starve while living in on-base housing at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Ladarrion McCray, 23, and Emma Bradshaw, 22, face eight charges, including felony murder by child abuse, making false statements and aggravated animal cruelty, according to a July 15 announcement.
Prosecutors allege the couple “willfully deprived their son of necessary sustenance” for roughly two weeks in January. The child, identified in court documents as “L.M.,” died on Jan. 28 as a result of the alleged neglect.
According to investigators, McCray had recently been transferred to Fort Benning, and Bradshaw joined him a short time later while pregnant with the child.
Court records do not specify the child’s age or when the family moved into on-base housing.
Army investigators executed a search warrant at the home the day the child died and found two dogs — a male hound and a female Doberman — that “appeared severely malnourished.”
Both animals were taken to a shelter, where veterinarians determined they suffered from “severe malnourishment and significant muscle wasting.”
During interviews with investigators, McCray and Bradshaw said their son had shown no signs of illness before his death. They also said they had buried a third dog, a dachshund that died from an illness, at a park off base.
Investigators instead found the dachshund discarded in a trash can behind the home. A necropsy determined the dog died of starvation.
Court records show both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges on June 11. They were released on bond and placed under pretrial supervision.
McCray, who is currently the subject of discharge proceedings by the Army, was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation. Once separated from the service, he is to report to his parents’ home in Georgia. Bradshaw was authorized to reside at a women’s shelter in Alabama.
Neither defendant is permitted to possess pets while awaiting trial, although McCray’s release conditions were modified because his parents own dogs.
Their next court appearance is scheduled for July 22 in federal court in Columbus, Georgia. If convicted, they could be sentenced to life in prison.
Daniel Terrill is a contributor to Military Times. He’s been reporting on military issues, the gun industry, and the outdoors for nearly two decades. Although writing is his passion, he’s been a Marine, police officer, and, perhaps the most dangerous job of his career, a substitute teacher.
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