Mom Accused of Killing Baby With Pepper Overdose
A woman accused of stuffing her 5-month-old son’s mouth with pepper to stop him from sucking his thumb was held without bond today after being charged with first-degree murder.
Elizabeth Jewell, 25, was charged Tuesday with killing her son, Michael.
Police Lt. Darrell Kitrel said Jewell and her husband, Edward, 39, reported Friday that the infant accidentally ate pepper and died.
But an autopsy showed the child died of asphyxiation from swallowing “a whole lot” of ground black pepper.
The mother changed her story after questioning by police, saying she had been sprinkling pepper on his hands to teach him to keep them out of his mouth. She said she sprinkled pepper on his tongue when the pepper shaker’s top came loose.
Authorities said, however, that no accidental spill could have caused the large quantity of pepper to accumulate in the child’s throat.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
