Fort Worth Mother Shawna Bieber Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison For Trying To Suffocate Her Baby

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - A judge in Tarrant County sentenced Shawna Renae Bieber to 12 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to a second-degree felony charge of attempted injury to a child with serious bodily injury.

Shawna Renae Bieber (Tarrant Co. Sheriff's Office)

Bieber was arrested in 2019 after cameras at Cook Children's Medical Center captured her twice squeezing her 7-month-old daughter so tight that she was deprived of oxygen, the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office explained in a news release Wednesday, Dec. 16.

"Any time you suffocate a baby, you deserve to go to prison," said Katie Owens, an assistant criminal district attorney in the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Special Victims Unit. "Justice was served for Lonna, who is happy and healthy now. We are grateful to the Sheriff's Department for conducting a thorough investigation."

This is the latest alleged local case of what is commonly called Munchausen by proxy, a disorder in which a person exaggerates or creates medical symptoms to another person to gain attention.

Bieber has signed over her parental rights to the child.

MORE FROM CBSDFW

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.