A fourth family member has been arrested in connection with the tragic starvation death of 7-year-old Deonte Atwell, who weighed only 7 pounds when discovered dead on Christmas Day in Florida last year.
Jeremy Graham, the victim’s uncle, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with one count of aggravated manslaughter of a child, neglect of a child causing great bodily harm, and failure to report child abuse, according to records reviewed by Law&Crime.
Deonte’s mother, 37-year-old Michelle Doe, his brother, 21-year-old Tyreck Irvin, his grandfather, 70-year-old James Graham.
Two Medicaid home care defendants, 33-year-old nurse Cassandre Lassegue and 47-year-old Samaritin Home Care Provider, Inc. owner Mirlande Moltimer, are also charged with his death.
Deonte, who had thoracic spina bifida and hydrocephalus and required “around-the-clock” care such as feeding and breathing tubes, was discovered dead inside his home on December 25, 2023.
Following his death, authorities discovered “264 unopened bottles” of “feeding formula” at the family’s Fort Lauderdale home on Southwest 11th Street, according to the Broward County State Attorney’s Office.
According to authorities, the evidence shows Deonte’s “bones were protruding through gaping holes in his skin,” that he “died of severe malnutrition” during a “scheme to defraud Medicaid” of more than $10,000, and that he may have been “dead for quite some time” before a 911 call reporting respiratory distress.
The charges stated that the victim, a’medically complex child’ with thoracic spina bifida and hydrocephalus, required round-the-clock skilled nursing care. They also emphasized the abundance of feeding formula in the residence.
Deonte’s mother, who launched a GoFundMe campaign in January, alleging that her “baby son passed away at the age of 7 due to his birth defects” and a difficult life, is now facing charges that, if found guilty, could result in lifelong imprisonment or worse.
Doe faces charges of first-degree murder, a capital felony, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter in a child’s death, and neglecting two boys, ages nine and sixteen. Tyreck Irvin, Deonte’s brother, is facing the same charges.
The grandfather, like Graham, faces charges of aggravated manslaughter, child neglect, and failure to report abuse.
Each of the charges against Lassegue and Moltimer includes third-degree felony murder, Medicaid provider fraud, child neglect, and aggravated manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of three decades in prison if found guilty.
Detectives charge Lassegue with first-degree murder, alleging that he neglected the victim for six months to a year and that the nurse stopped visiting the home, despite claiming to have done so in writing.
According to records, the Broward County Jail is currently holding Graham on a $121,000 bond.
