Three years after Lincoln Davitte died, the man accused of causing the toddler’s fatal injuries is standing trial in Columbia County Superior Court.
Charles Michael Sconyers, 34, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and cruelty to children in Lincoln’s death. Lincoln was just short of 2 years old when he was pronounced dead on May 4, 2019. Sconyers has been free on bond since July 2019.
Sconyers was the last person with Lincoln before Sconyers called 911, saying Lincoln was unconscious after falling. On May 1, 2019, Sconyers, the boyfriend of Lincoln’s mother, picked the boy up from day care at 6:20 p.m. He called 911 at 6:36 p.m. Sconyers reported he let the boy out to play, heard a scream then found him unresponsive.
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Sconyers told seven versions of what happened to Lincoln, Assistant District Attorney Natalie Paine told the jury in her opening statement Monday, April 9. None of his explanations accounted for the severity of Lincoln’s brain injury, Paine said.
But Lincoln’s mother, Chelsea Finch testified that Sconyers didn’t know how Lincoln was hurt because he didn’t see it. Sconyers and she both stayed all night at the hospital with Lincoln. Sconyers was there when she discontinued medical treatment, and he was at Lincoln’s funeral, she said.
Finch and Sconyers are now engaged, Finch said. She hasn’t had custody of Lincoln’s sister since Lincoln died.
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Finch told co-workers that Lincoln hurt himself sleepwalking. Carey Story testified that Finch told her she was going to have to take Lincoln to a counselor because he was fighting with Sconyers, that Lincoln falsely accused Sconyers of hitting him because he was jealous, Story said.
According to a civil lawsuit filed by the child’s father, Lincoln had had several injuries in the spring of 2019 — a black eye on April 29 and two black eyes on March 11. In addition, his teacher swore in an affidavit Lincoln also had pinch marks on his body, a bruised ear and once what she thought was a handprint-shaped bruise on his back.
Finch told the jury the March 11 black eyes happened when she and Sconyers were in the bathroom when Lincoln hurt himself sleepwalking. The April 29, 2019 injury occurred when her mother was watching Lincoln and he fell while climbing on his highchair, Finch testified.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
