Episode 103: Heaven Watkins (Part 1)

Suffer the Little Children

Suffer the Little Children Pod

True Crime, Social Sciences, Science, Society & Culture

4.6 • 937 Ratings

🗓️ 9 March 2022

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When eleven-year-old Heaven Watkins was found dead in her family’s Virginia home on May 18, 2018, her mother, Latoya Smith, and the woman’s live-in boyfriend, Demont Harris, told neighbors the little girl with autism and cerebral palsy had died from natural causes. In truth, Heaven’s death was anything but natural, and Latoya and Demont were charged with murder, accused of beating Heaven so severely that her small intestine ruptured.

This is the story of a little girl well known to the child protection system in her home state of Minnesota who completely fell off the radar when her family moved to Virginia. It’s also the story of a child whose completely preventable death has paved the way for more vigorous child protection laws in Virginia, and, with any luck, nationwide in the near future.

In my next episode, you’ll hear my conversation with Heaven’s aunt and kinship caregiver, Dr. Sheronda Orridge, an incredibly accomplished woman who has never stopped fighting for her special niece.

This is part one of the tragic story of Heaven Watkins.

Links discussed in today’s episode:

Kimberly Flower on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KimberlyFlower0111

Tammy Risen’s book, In the Best Interest of a Child: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Interest-Child-Chronological-Perspective-ebook/dp/B08F7K12QW

H.R.485 - Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/485/text

Heaven’s Law (Virginia): https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?191+sum+HB1671

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Oh, he's cute. Mr. I can never sleep when I'm traveling. He's hugging his pillow like a sloth on a branch.
0:10.0	He couldn't sleep before. Now listen to him. Sounds like an elephant with a chest infection.
0:15.0	Well, they call him a dreamer. And now they're right.
0:19.0	All aboard, Mr. I can never sleep when I'm travelling find all the comfort you need in the quiet
0:25.5	lounge Piando ferries that is another way this podcast contains descriptions
0:31.8	of violence against children and adult language and is not suitable for all audiences.
0:37.0	Listen or discretion is advised. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Hi everyone and welcome to suffer the little children the true crime
1:22.0	podcast giving voices back to the victims of child abuse, and shining a harsh spotlight on the parents, guardians and caretakers who silenced them.
1:30.0	I'm your host, Lane, and this is episode 103, Heaven Watkins, part one.
1:37.5	When 11-year-old Heaven Watkins was found dead in her family's Virginia home on May 18th, 2018, her mother Latoya Smith and the woman's
1:46.0	live-in boyfriend, Demont Harris, told neighbors the little girl with autism and cerebral palsy
1:51.4	had died from natural causes. In truth, Heaven's death was anything but
1:56.2	natural. Latoya and Imant were charged with murder, accused of beating Heaven so severely
2:02.4	that her small intestine ruptured.
2:05.0	This is the story of a little girl well known to the child protection system in her home state of Minnesota,
2:10.0	who completely fell off the radar when her family moved to Virginia.
2:15.0	It's also the story of a child whose completely preventable death has paved the way for
2:19.2	more vigorous child protection laws in Virginia and, with any luck, nationwide in the near future.
2:25.8	In my next episode, you'll hear my conversation with Heaven's Aunt and Kinship Caregiver,
2:30.3	Dr. Sharanda Orridge, an incredibly accomplished woman who has never stopped fighting for her special niece.
2:36.0	This is part one of the tragic story of Heaven Watkins.
2:40.0	Before I jump in, I'd like to thank my newest patrons, Susie A from Bullsbrook,
	...

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