A teenager has been found guilty of murdering a baby boy by violently shaking him to death. Elijah Shemwell, who was just four months old, died on 5 January 2022, three days after he was discovered pale, limp, and drowsy at his mother’s home in Belper, Derbyshire.
Carl Alesbrook, who was 16 at the time of the incident, was in a relationship with Elijah’s mother, India Shemwell, and had been alone caring for the child in her flat. Alesbrook, now 19, denied harming Elijah but was convicted after a trial at Derby Crown Court.
Elijah Shemwell suffered a catastrophic brain injury and bruises along with rib and limb fractures
Jurors reached their verdict on Thursday after nearly 10 hours of deliberation. Alesbrook, of Upper Greenhill Gardens, Matlock, was also found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent.
The court heard that Elijah, known as Eli, suffered whiplash-type injuries and multiple bone fractures. Prosecutors argued that Alesbrook, who had been smoking cannabis, became angry because Elijah was unsettled and crying, leading him to shake the baby, and causing catastrophic brain injuries that resulted in his death. It was also revealed that Alesbrook had caused rib and limb fractures to Eli one or two days before the child was admitted to the hospital.
After the verdict, the jury was informed that India Shemwell, 23, had earlier admitted two charges of neglect in relation to her son. The trial previously heard that Shemwell had left Elijah in Alesbrook’s care while she went out to the shop.
Jurors were told that Eli had bruises and fractures to his torso indicative of forceful gripping. Alesbrook had denied ever shaking Eli and claimed that Shemwell must have caused the injuries. Prosecutors, however, stated that although Shemwell was “a thoroughly inadequate mother who neglected Elijah,” it was not their case that she caused any of his injuries.
Shemwell, of Rose Hill Street, Derby, both generally and specifically neglected Eli and failed to seek prompt medical attention for him on both 1 and 2 January. The trial heard that Alesbrook had met Shemwell seven weeks before he caused the fatal injuries to Eli and that they had started a sexual relationship.
Jurors were told that Shemwell’s ongoing sexual relationship with her baby’s father, from whom she was separated, may have caused Alesbrook “some understandable frustration at the uncertainty of the status of his relationship” with her.
The prosecution also suggested that a toothache suffered by Alesbrook at the time contributed to him “losing his temper” with Elijah. Alesbrook denied this, stating that he enjoyed looking after Eli.
Judge Jeremy Baker stated that Alesbrook and Shemwell would be sentenced at a future date yet to be determined. He told Alesbrook: “There is only one sentence that can be imposed, but part of that sentence will be a determination of the minimum term that you will have to serve.
After the verdict, Det Ch Insp Greg McGill of Derbyshire Police said: “Carl Alesbrook, for reasons that only he knows, decided to shake Elijah, causing him a fatal brain injury. While only 16 at the time of the incident, he can have had no doubt about the potentially deadly force he was using on Elijah. Elijah’s final hours would have been unbelievably painful, and as a father, it is inconceivable how anyone could behave in such a way to a defenceless child of just four months.”
