An Amarillo mother has been charged with murder following the death of her seven-month-old son, according to court documents revealed on Friday. Angel Lynn Marie Varner, aged 20, stands accused of the horrific act after her baby boy, Jackson Knight Blackmon, died in November from what was officially ruled as homicide.
In a chilling instance of apparent neglect, authorities allege that instead of seeking help when she realized her son wasn't breathing, Varner simply went to sleep. This accusation emerges in the wake of an investigation started by the Amarillo Police Department, when officers answered a call to the 3200 block of Center Avenue on Nov. 6, 2023 concerning an unresponsive baby. The first responders arrived only to confirm the child had died, as reported by MyHighPlains.com.
The indictment details a heartbreaking scenario – Varner allegedly threw her son onto the floor after swaddling him and applying pressure to his abdomen until he stopped crying, FOX San Antonio reported. An autopsy later determined that young Jackson died from blunt force trauma.
Adding to the gravity of the accusation, it was revealed that Varner had established a GoFundMe page seeking donations to cover funeral expenses the day before her arrest. If convicted of first-degree felony murder, she could face a sentence ranging up to 99 years or even life imprisonment. The sad reality, as painted by court filings, indicates that Varner acted with reckless disregard for her child's well-being, which led to the tragic outcome.
