Toddler dies after couple
In a devastating tragedy, a two-year-old girl was strangled to death in her cot by a Burmese python belonging to her mother and her mother's live-in boyfriend.
Shaiunna Hare was killed by 'Gypsy', the 8-foot 6-inch albino Burmese python owned by her mother Jaren Ashley Hare and her mother's partner, Charles Jason Darnell.
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Jaren was 19 years old at the time of her daughter's death in July 2009, while Charles was 32, and the family resided in the town of Bushnell in central Florida, USA. Charles' two children, aged 12 and seven, also lived in the single-storey house alongside them.
The five-year-old Burmese python Gypsy crushed Shaiunna to death, with the cause of death recorded as asphyxiation. According to the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, on that fateful day in July 2009, Charles discovered the 8ft 6in snake coiled around Shaiunna's head and body after the reptile had escaped from an unsecured 200-gallon aquarium that had nothing more than a quilt serving as a lid, while the couple had been sleeping through the night.
The medical examiner discovered snake bites on the two-year-old's head and arms, with the post-mortem examination revealing one bite on Shaiunna's upper right arm, one on her upper left arm, and a third bite on her forehead.
According to a medical examiner who gave evidence during the trial, the albino snake was severely malnourished and underweight, weighing merely 13 pounds, when a healthy reptile of that size should have weighed approximately 150 pounds, reports the Daily Star.
The snake had not been fed for a month and the medical examiner confirmed it was attempting to consume the baby girl, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Charles told detectives that the snake was in its tank when he went to bed that night, and an hour later he said he discovered the python in the hallway, after which he placed the deadly creature in a mesh laundry bag with a small hole, and returned it to its tank. He then covered the unsecured tank with a quilt that was held on by safety pins, telling authorities he believed this was sufficient to secure the exotic pet.
The following morning, Charles reportedly discovered the snake wrapped around Shaiunna's head with its fangs embedded into her forehead.
Mum Jaren told deputies that Gypsy the snake had escaped from the tank and the laundry bag at least 10 times in the two months before her daughter's killing, and said that she had intended to make a locking lid for the tank.
Charles then called 911 and could be heard saying, "She got out of the cage and got into the baby's crib and strangled her to death. I'm going to kill the b****," in the frantic recording of the call as he reportedly stabbed their pet snake with a knife and meat cleaver. Shaiunna tragically died at the scene.
Notably, the aquarium was kept in the living room of their house, where Charles' two young kids, aged 12 and seven at the time, slept on a sofa bed. Fortunately, both children were unharmed.
Tampa Bay Times reports that in May 2009, in two separate incidents, Charles was arrested and charged with driving with a suspended licence, criminal mischief, and possession of cocaine and pain pills.
He was additionally accused of tearing a mirror from his ex-wife's car. During that same month, a complaint had been lodged with the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), alleging that the couple were habitual drug users who neglected the young children residing in their home under their supervision.
Snake breeder Eugene Bessette also gave testimony during the 2011 trial, stating that the python was severely underfed and malnourished. According to NBC News, Eugene further claimed the snake's aquarium was wholly unsuitable for the reptile: "It's totally and impossibly incapable of housing a python. It has no way to secure the animal. It's impossible. You can put fish in there if it doesn't leak."
WTSP reports that Gypsy the snake had been mother Jaren's pet since she was 14 years old, while Charles assumed responsibility for the python's care.
During the trial, Jaren's defence attorney Ismael Solis Jr stated she had owned the albino python for five years, arguing that "this snake was no different than a family dog. The snake is like a little puppy to her."
Jaren and Charles were both convicted of third degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect for the July 2009 death of Jaren's daughter Shaiunna. Following the verdict being read out, Charles was observed trying to comfort his distressed girlfriend.
After the sentencing, Shaiunna's biological father, Joseph Gilkerson, said: "Justice was served. I'm happy it was served."
Jaren and Charles both received and completed a 12-year prison sentence, with state records indicating Charles was freed from prison in January 2021 while Jaren was released nine months afterwards.
Despite the appalling tragedy, the pair appeared to have sustained their romantic involvement while imprisoned, and allegedly stated they intended to wed following their release, even though they were ordered to stay on parole until 2026.
News 6 allegedly contacted a number linked to Charles, and Jaren refused to comment, according to Click Orlando.
In a separate matter, Shaiunna's father Joseph filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Children and Families for wrongful death, claiming that the agency had failed to protect his child after a DCF investigator had observed the python in the property. The lawsuit was subsequently settled following a confidential agreement between Joseph and the department.
Jaren and her partner Charles became the first people in Florida's history to be convicted on criminal charges for a snake killing, according to the state attorney's office. In the wake of the tragedy, the Florida legislature overhauled state regulations to impose a sweeping ban on the ownership of Burmese pythons and other large snake species.