L.A. County Authorities Allege the Child Was Fatally Injured Inside a Broadway Apartment
Prosecutors have charged a Santa Monica mother with murder and felony child assault resulting in death following the killing of her young daughter earlier this week.
Carmen Anita Degregg, 24, is charged in Los Angeles County Superior Court with one count of murder and one count of felony assault on a child under the age of 8, causing death, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Bail has been set at $2 million. Her arraignment was continued to January 9 in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
“The allegations in this case describe extreme violence against a child who was entirely vulnerable and unable to protect herself,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “When a parent is accused of causing a child’s death, our office has a duty to act decisively and to seek the maximum accountability permitted by law.”
The charges stem from an incident reported around midday on January 6, when Santa Monica police responded to an apartment in the 2000 block of Broadway after being notified by UCLA Police. Authorities said an adult woman had been detained on the UCLA campus after making statements indicating she had harmed her child and left the toddler inside the apartment.
Santa Monica officers located the child inside the residence with significant injuries. Santa Monica Fire Department personnel transported the toddler to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Degregg was taken into custody and booked at the Santa Monica Jail later that day. The child was between 15 and 17 months old, according to law enforcement and court records.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of death of the child.
If convicted as charged, Degregg faces a potential sentence of 25 years to life in state prison. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney MacKenzie Teymouri of the Family Violence Division’s Complex Child Abuse Section.
Detectives with the Santa Monica Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division are continuing to investigate the case. Police said preliminary information indicates the incident appears to be isolated and that there is no ongoing threat to the community.
Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact Santa Monica Police Detective Isaac Reyes at isaac.reyes@santamonica.gov or the department’s Watch Commander at 310-458-8427, available 24 hours a day.
