Photo Courtesy of Baton Rouge Police
A Louisiana grandmother and mother are being charged with first-degree murder after a four-year-old girl was forced to drink whiskey. She succumbed to alcohol poisoning.
China Record died on Thursday after her grandmother, Roxanne Record, 53, allegedly forced her to finish off half a bottle of whiskey.
Officers revealed Record was upset that her granddaughter had taken a sip from a bottle of Canadian Mist Whiskey that was left on the kitchen counter. She punished the little girl by making her finish the rest of the over half-full bottle.
In a statement, Baton Rouge police said the child’s mother, Kadjah Record, 28, stood by and watched. She then put her child in a tub and only called for help when China stopped breathing.
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China’s blood-alcohol level was reported to be .680, which is eight times the legal limit for adults who drive with alcohol in their system, which is –is 0.08.
Baton Rouge detectives said the grandmother took full responsibility for what happened.
“(She) stated that this went too far and that she ruined everyone’s lives but refused to elaborate on her actions,” detectives wrote.
Neighbors who learned of the incident were appalled.
“It’s not like you gave a sip of wine,” said one neighbor, according to KTBS. “What did you think it would do to her? One shot would knock me out, and I’m in my late 30s. Imagine what it’s doing to a 4-year-old.”
Another neighbor said, “That’s ignorance. All I thought of was ignorance. I’m a mother myself, and there’s no way I’m going to punish my child by (doing that). That’s like a child sticking a hand in fire, and you say, ‘Oh, put it back in there to learn your lesson.’ No, that’s not how you teach a child.”
Rest in peace, China.