Detroit Father Sent to Prison
Kevin Washington, 37-year-old father to two now-deceased sons, has been sentenced to prison for their deaths. 4-year-old Damien Washington and 1-year-old Mekhi Williams were killed in a fire that engulfed their Detroit home.
According to court records, firefighters responded to the blaze near Prairie St and Livernois Ave on December 6th of last year. But by the time they were able to get to the two children in an upstairs bedroom, it was too late. They were pronounced dead shortly thereafter at a local hospital.
The two boys had been at home with only Washington, as their mother was gone, having been arrested for a probation violation the day before. Washington claims to have left the boys only for a short time to pick up his car in Highland Park.
But this story differs from the one he told the media on the day that his house burned down. At the time Washington claimed to have only stepped out for a cigarette when the house caught fire, but had not been allowed to go back in to rescue his sons. “Everybody threw me down. Nobody would let me get close,” he said.
The fire was ruled accidental, but according to the prosecution, it was Washington’s negligence that caused the boy’s deaths. “Children left home alone have been glorified and celebrated in movies, but this case is a prime example of the real consequences of children left home by themselves.” said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
“Small children and babies require constant, constant attention,” said Wayne Circuit Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway in court on Tuesday, June 24th. “At a moment’s notice, when you’re not paying attention to the children, something tragic can happen!”
Washington was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter and second degree child abuse, but he agreed to plead guilty to two charges of involuntary manslaughter in exchange for the prosecution dismissing the child abuse charges. He will now spend between 3 and 15 years in prison.