A Connecticut mother and son were charged with conspiracy to commit manslaughter in connection to the April death of 17-year-old D’Nazia Uzzle, according to reports.
New London police have arrested a mother and her son in connection with the death of D’Nazia Uzzle, a 17-year-old New London high school student.
New London police found Uzzle unresponsive in a home on April 15 and she was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The 17-year-old suffered blunt injuries and died suddenly during a physical altercation, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and her death was ruled a homicide.
She was just a few months shy of her high school graduation.
Two other people found in the home, Uzzle’s 19-year-old boyfriend, N’shon Cherry and his mother, 40-year-old Erica Cherry, were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening stab wounds, according to police. On Thursday, police said they have filed charges against both of them.
Erica and her son N’shon have been charged with accessory to commit manslaughter in the first degree, accessory to commit strangulation in the first degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree, assault in the third degree and cruelty to persons. Both were held on $250,000 bond and will appear in court on Oct. 18.
According to an arrest warrant, Erica and N’shon told officers the 17-year-old assaulted and stabbed them. N’shon and Uzzle were dating, and the mother told police that she heard the two arguing upstairs. That’s when she said she went upstairs and saw Uzzle hit her son.
The mother alleged that Uzzle went downstairs and had a knife. She told police that Uzzle stabbed her son in the shoulder, so she tried to disarm her and was stabbed in the thigh, the mother told police.
Police received conflicting stories from both the mother and son about what happened.
While at the scene, an officer saw the mother go upstairs and when she returned, she was holding a small folding knife. It was later reported that the mother and son had dragged Uzzle down the stairs after the argument, according to the warrant.
The warrant goes on to say that N’shon told authorities that he and his girlfriend were at a party, and she appeared to be drunk. He said Uzzle had looked through his phone and found out he had been talking to another girl. That’s when the argument happened, and the 17-year-old got angry, according to the warrant.
When the mother got involved, N’shon told authorities, he tried to put her on the couch and she dozed off, but he thought it was because she was “very drunk.” He told police that he noticed she wasn’t breathing when the ambulance arrived, the warrant states.
After being transported to the hospital, it was determined that Uzzle was in cardiac arrest and had major bruising all over her body, according to the warrant.
The warrant states that testing determined that there was DNA from the mother, son and 17-year-old on the knife. After initial interviews, the mother reported that she may have grabbed the teen’s hair and pushed her down the stairs, but also said she fell.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ultimately determined that Uzzle died by blunt trauma to the head, neck and other parts of the body. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Family members of Uzzle packed the court Thursday wearing shirts that said “Justice for Nay.”
There were tense moments between the two families in court, including one outburst the judge addressed them about. The judge talked about how emotional of a case it is.
Uzzle’s family would like to see more charges and said they understand there is a long road ahead.
“A little bit of relief. It won’t bring my granddaughter back, but it gives us a little bit of peace,” Uzzle’s grandmother Linda Lorenzo said.
The teen’s family said Uzzle had a bright future ahead of her, and she will be remembered for her laugh and love of helping others.
When N’shon appeared in court, his attorney said he was not guilty. Erica did not enter any kind of plea. Both are being held on bond and have court dates next month.
Anyone with information is asked to call the New London Detective Division at 860-447-1481 or submit tips through the New London Tips 411 system.
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