Earlier this month, Texas mother Lexus Stagg was charged with criminal negligent homicide for hitting her 3-year-old son with her SUV during what prosecutors described as a game of “chicken.” After being released on a $1,500 bond this past Friday, the 26-year-old is now back in custody.
What We Know:
- According to a press release by the Houston Police Department, Stagg allegedly drove toward three of her children in the parking lot of their apartment. The death was captured on surveillance footage which shows Stagg driving toward her three children. She initially told police that she thought she had “hit a speed bump” while backing up her car. However, the video shows that Stagg continued to drive over him with the front and rear tires. Two of her three children were able to move out of the way, however, her 3-year-old son Lord Renfro was not. Renfro later died at the Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital.
- ABC Houston station KTRK reported that authorities initially described the child’s death as an “unfortunate accident,” but was later determined it wasn’t. If convicted, Stagg could face between two and ten years in prison.
- Stagg made her first court appearance on Monday since bailing out. A judge set her bond to $25,000 after prosecutors argued that her previous bond, which was set by a magistrate judge, was too low for the crime she’s being accused of.
- Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg told KTRK that “every parent has an obligation to protect their children, even from themselves.” She continued, “Cars aren’t toys and playing chicken with your kids isn’t a game.”
Part of Stagg’s three bond conditions include no contact with her children, no driving and no drugs or alcohol.
