Daycare owner, 50, pleads guilty to shooting her ‘child molester’ husband in the leg and neck in DC hotel after being told he was abusing children – wrote that she wanted to ‘paralyze’ spouse after horrific discovery
- Shanteari Weems, 50, of Randallstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty to four charges on Monday and faces up to two years in prison
- She shot her husband James Weems Jr., 57, at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in July after a mother told her he had abused her child at Shanteari’s daycare
- Her lawyer claimed she shot him in self-defense and had brought her gun to the hotel because she knew he had his as he was working security at a DC event
- She said he became aggressive when she confronted him and shot him out of fear, but police said the notes she left behind determine it was premeditated
- James is currently in custody in Baltimore for more than 30 child sexual abuse charges that involve at least four victims
- Stanteari will be sentenced on February 3 and her lawyers are pleading for a lower sentence
A daycare owner has pleaded guilty to shooting her ‘child molester’ husband in a Washington DC hotel after he was allegedly abusing children in her care.
Shanteari Weems, 50, of Randallstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty to four charges on Monday and faces up to two years in prison for shooting her husband James Weems Jr., 57, in the leg and the neck at the former Mandarin Oriental hotel in July.
Her lawyers are asking for less time, claiming she shot her husband in self-defense after a mother told her James had assaulted her child at Lil Kidz Kastle, the daycare she owned.
Shanteari’s attorney, Tony Garcia, said she had taken her 9mm handgun to the hotel for protection, because her husband had his own gun with him as he was working private security for a National Urban League convention in DC.
She claims her husband became aggressive asked about the alleged assault, and she shot him in fear.
However, police said the shooting was premeditated, as she left a journal at the crime scene where she wrote that she didn’t want to kill her husband, just ‘paralyze’ him.
She remains in jail after being denied pre-trial release.
Shanteari Weems, 50, of Randallstown, Maryland, (pictured) pleaded guilty to four charges on Monday and faces up to two years in prison for shooting her husband James Weems Jr., 57, at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in July
Her lawyers are asking for less time, claiming she shot her husband in self-defense after one of the children’s mothers told her James had assaulted the little one at Lil Kidz Kastle, the daycare Shanteari owned
James (pictured), a retired Baltimore City cop, is also in custody on child molestation charges and has to use a walker to get around after getting a metal rod surgically placed in his leg
Garcia told DailyMail.com in August that he found it ”ironic that they think she is a safety risk when the only reason she’s in jail is that she was trying to protect the safety of children.’
She also said she wanted him to ‘pay’ for what he had done to the kids, and her only regret was ‘not putting a bullet through his head.’
James, a retired Baltimore City cop, is also in custody on child molestation charges and has to use a walker to get around after getting a metal rod surgically placed in his leg.
James faces more than 30 counts of child sexual abuse and assault in connection to four victims, according to court records.
Prosecutors have also said they plan to seek enhanced penalties against him based on the ages of the victims.
James had been accused of child sexual assault shortly before the allegations that prompted Shanteari tracking him down at the hotel. Her business was closed down after the first accusations.
Shanteari is ‘cooperating’ with Baltimore authorities, where her husband is locked up, to assist with his case.
Shanteari was taken into custody (pictured) in July and said she brought her handgun with her because she knew her husband was armed, who was in DC working security at an event. When she asked him about the allegations, he became aggressive, she said
She shot him inside the Mandarin Oriental (pictured) and left behind a journal saying she didn’t want to kill her husband, just ‘paralyze’ him and that she wanted him to ‘pay’ for what he had done to the kids, and her only regret was ‘not putting a bullet through his head’
Baltimore police said they had been investigating James prior to the shooting after being ‘notified’ of his alleged abuse.
Garcia said the shooting was a ‘tragedy’ and that they are ‘not asking anyone to feel sorry for her, but we are asking people to have empathy for her.’
Her friends and family worked successfully to have her released and had set up a GoFundMe, which has since been taken down, to help raise money for her defense.
‘Shanny and I have been friends for 32 years…for the last few years, she has supported my student-workers and Baltimore Clean Streets program.
Police claimed the journal showed the shooting was premeditated against James (pictured with his wife)
‘Shanny provided catered lunch and holiday stipends – $75/student-worker x 30 – each of the last two years,’ Sean Stinnett, who runs the program, told DailyMail.com in August.
Shanteari’s attorneys said that she has never been violent in the past, and that if freed, she wouldn’t be a risk to society.
She is scheduled to be sentenced on February 3.
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