CANTON, New York (WWNY) – The 40-year-old mother of Treyanna Summerville, the teen who was found beaten and starved in her Gouverneur home more than a year ago, has been indicted on murder and manslaughter charges.
A St. Lawrence County grand jury returned the indictment Thursday and, for the first time, we’ve learned what allegedly happened to the 18-year-old victim.
Lashanna Charlton faces the following counts:
- second-degree murder
- first-degree manslaughter
- second-degree manslaughter
- endangering the welfare of a child
According to the indictment, Charlton subjected her daughter to “prolonged physical abuse” between June 16 and 22, 2020.
Charlton is accused of striking Summerville with a hammer, severely injuring her knee, which caused an infection and sepsis.
The indictment says Charlton failed to seek medical attention for her daughter.
In addition, Charlton is accused of giving Summerville large amounts of diphenhydramine, an antihistamine, which caused diphenhydramine intoxication.
The indictment also says Charlton failed to feed her daughter, leaving Summerville with “severe malnutrition.”
According to county District Attorney Gary Pasqua, Charlton will be ordered to appear at arraignment on a date which has yet to be determined.
“This is just the first step in the process. The indictment is simply an accusation at this point. Now the rest of the process has to play out,” said Pasqua.
Charlton, who was charged in July 2020 with second-degree manslaughter, is currently free on bail. Pasqua said he has no idea where Charlton now lives.
Bail documents show Charlton lives in South Boston, Virginia.
In 2020, Isiah Samuels, Charlton’s stepson, has said he and Treyanna endured years of abuse at Charlton’s hands and that authorities did little.
Earlier this month, a murder charge against Summerville’s 14-year-old half-sister was dismissed.
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