Sheriff Richard Roundtree took the unusual step Wednesday of defending his agency’s decision to arrest a Hephzibah mother whose son drowned in a pool over the weekend.
In a lengthy statement, the Richmond County sheriff released a timeline of events in the case, providing evidence of child cruelty suspect Domonique Murray leaving her son unsupervised at a friend’s pool for over a half hour. He provided a probable cause statement that shows 2-year-old Justus Hyman played outside at the pool alone for 10 minutes before falling in, and floated in the pool for 20 minutes before his mother discovered him there and pulled him out.
The sheriff’s statement, shown below, comes amid outcries from the public about Murray’s arrest while a Burke County swim instructor has not been charged in the death of a boy under her care. In that case, 4-year-old Israel “Izzy” Scott died earlier this year during swimming lessons.
Samantha Boyd said this on Facebook: “So your telling me y’all are quick to arrest a mother with such a tragic accident but no arrest has been made in the horrible neglect with the swim instructor who let a innocent baby boy #IZZY drown and she is out living her life?”
LaWanda Michelle agreed, saying, “Another example that proves the racial injustices that still exist today. This story’s very similar to little Izzy’s. Why was this mother charged and the swim instructor was not? Why was that story deemed as a horrible accident? They did not care about justice for Izzy, but now arresting in this case.”
Roundtree said he has no jurisdiction over how another county decides on charges. He expressed sympathy for the child’s death. He did not address criticism from Murray’s family that she was not allowed to be at the hospital before Justus was taken off life support except to say a judge denied her bond.
Below is the sheriff’s full statement:
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, along with our community, mourns the loss of a precious two-year old’s innocent soul. We are aware that there have been many comparisons to the drowning death of this child to the drowning case of a child in another county. We have no jurisdiction as to how another agency decides to pursue or not pursue criminal charges based on their investigation. We can only proceed by the facts and circumstances presented to us at the time of our incident. This is still an active investigation so all the details cannot be revealed at this time; however, as a matter of public record, we wanted to provide the probable cause we summited to obtain an arrest warrant in this case:
“On October 16, 2022, Domonique Murray, along with two of her children, Justus Hyman and Unique Hyman, arrived at 34XX Merrimac Ave to hang out with Domonique Murray’s friend. At 3:12 pm, Justus Hyman exits the rear door of the living room, which lead to the back patio and pool area. Justus Hyman is unsupervised for ten minutes as he walks around the pool and throws miscellaneous items into the pool. At 3:29 pm, Justus Hyman falls into the shallow end of the pool and was not discovered by anyone until 3:50 pm, when Domonique Murray pulled him out of the pool and began chest compressions.
First Responders arrived on scene and Justus Hyman was transported to Augusta University Medical Center via ambulance, where he remains in critical condition. Justus Hyman suffered a brain hemorrhage and his injuries are considered life-threatening.
Justus Hyman was in the care of Domonique Murray, his mother, at the time of the incident. This incident occurred at 34XX Merrimac Avenue in Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia.”
Domonique Murray was charged with Cruelty to Children in the 2nd degree and committed to the Charles B. Webster Detention Center. She subsequently appeared before a Magistrate Judge and her bond was denied pending an appearance before a Superior Court Judge. This investigation is still active and its final outcome has not been determined. (End of statement.)
Greg Rickabaugh is the Jail Report contributor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at greg.rickabaugh@theaugustapress.com
