Man Arrested For Killing Girlfriend And Their Infant Son

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An 18-year-old mother and her baby were found dead in an apartment along 14th Street West on Sunday morning when a firefighter on his way to work saw smoke. Investigators are calling the deaths suspicious and are now investigating them and the fire.

It’s always so hard reading a headline such as this one. You often wonder what on earth could have driven someone to harm someone close to them like a family member, let alone a baby. What events could lead up to such a heartless crime? Are there no warning signs beforehand to prevent it?

This is exactly what happened in the case of a 20-year-old man who has now been charged with killing his girlfriend and their 8-month-old son in Bradenton. This is according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

The 20-year-old Larry Bernard Williams faces two counts of murder and one count of arson in the deaths of Diamond Shelman, 18, and 8-month-old Jeremiah Shelman.

Shelman and her baby were found dead in their home at Avalon Square Apartments, 3506 14th St. W., early on Sunday morning.

A firefighter who was driving along 14th Street West on his way to work shortly before 7 a.m. Sunday, noticed flames coming from a downstairs apartment at Avalon Square, says to the sheriff’s office.

The firefighter called for help, and crews from Cedar Hammock Fire Rescue responded to the call. The victims were found inside the apartment.

Two women who pulled up to the scene are speaking with deputies. pic.twitter.com/7NXO6Jcfri
— Sara Nealeigh (@saranealeigh) August 27, 2017

A homicide investigation began because Diamond Shelman’s injuries were not consistent with a fire, said Dave Bristow, a spokesman for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials on Sunday were reportedly waiting for the Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the causes of death.

The investigations into the deaths by Police and detectives and the cause of the fire by the State Fire Marshal’s Office are ongoing. Authorities were still at the rainy scene as of Sunday afternoon.
Neighbors have described a bustling scene of fire trucks and EMS crews early in the morning. By 11 a.m., the fire engines were gone however an ambulance and the sheriff’s mobile command unit were parked behind the crime-scene tape strung up around the building.

Gloria Harp who lives in the neighboring building of the complex, said she usually feels safe, the worst thing that happens here is someone’s car getting towed.

She cried as she heard Sunday morning’s victims were a young woman and her infant child.

“My heart goes out to (the family), wow, I didn’t know,” Harp said through tears. “That’s heartbreaking.”

Anyone with any information on the incident should call the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at 941-747-3011.

Investigators with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office are working to find out what lead to an 18-year-old woman and her infant son’s deaths Sunday morning at the Avalon Square Apartments on 14th Street West. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is also investigating a fire that occurred in the apartment, which was how the bodies were discovered.