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CLEVELAND (WJW) – A 27-year-old Cleveland mother has been sentenced to at least 14 years in prison for attempting to drown her six-year-old son in a bathtub.

According to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley, Dazshea Watkins attempted to drown her son in a bathtub at their east side Cleveland home in August 2019.

Watkins, who was reportedly upset with the child’s father, held the six-year-old underwater by his neck and yelled “obscenities” at him while he gasped for air.

Officials say Watkins recorded the incident on her cellphone and sent the video to the child’s father. She then took the boy to a bedroom and attempted to suffocate him with a pillow.

The child’s aunt arrived at the home, found the boy, and took custody.

The incident was reported to the Cuyahoga County Department of Child and Family Services, resulting in the issue of a warrant for Watkins’ arrest. She was taken into custody on September 4.

She pleaded guilty to the following charges:

  • One count of Attempted Murder
  • One count of Kidnapping
  • Two counts of Endangering Children
  • One count of Domestic Violence
  • One count of Felonious Assault
  • One count of Pandering Obscenity Involving A Minor

On Thursday, Watkins was sentenced to 14 — 16 ½ years in prison.

The Ohio Department of Corrections will review Watkins’ case and behavior after she has served 14 years and will make a determination as to whether she should be released.

“This mother committed unspeakable crimes against her own child,” Prosecutor O’Malley said in a press release. “She has earned every day of her sentence.”