In 2021, TikToker @leeshmarie45’s world was turned upside down when her one-month-old son, Liam, was brutally murdered by his own father while she was away at work.
“I’m going to continue telling my son’s story until I have enough support to raise awareness and to make sure that his father gets what he deserves, which is life in prison,” she said.
The devastating tragedy happened in Jacksonville, North Carolina. At the time, she received a lot of death threats and harassment from people who thought they knew the whole story, so she is terrified to speak about it on such a public platform.
Still, she is determined to tell the world and get justice for her son, whose life was stolen from him much too soon.
The father of her son was sentenced to 10 to 13 years in prison, but since he has already served four years, it is now down to six to nine years. She believes that his punishment is nothing more than just a slap on the wrist and that he is getting away with the crime.
According to his lawyer, he has been attending college classes while being in jail and will continue to do so. The judge stated that he needed psychiatric help. TikToker @leeshmarie45 couldn’t help but point out the irony in that.
“Now, I’m all for everybody getting mental health assistance because our mental health in this world is terrible, and we deserve all the help we can get,” she said.
“But tell me why they were so quick to throw that at a murderer who took a one-month-old away, but not quick to throw it at the victims who have suffered through such a loss?”
She is currently paying over $100 a week for therapy because of someone else’s selfish and cruel choices. She is confused about who is paying for him to take college classes and go to therapy since she is being forced to pay for her stuff out of her own pocket.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
It has been four years since her son died, and she is still grieving. The system has failed her son and the victims of similar crimes.
“You’re going to throw six to nine years at somebody for murdering an innocent child, you’re going to throw therapy at them, you’re going to throw free schooling at them so they can get a degree and better themselves,” she said.
“I’m stuck here living in the real world, paying and working my butt off just to afford therapy to learn coping mechanisms and to sleep better at night because I am struggling with severe night terrors.”
Though her grief is still heavy, her voice is louder than ever. She is turning her pain into purpose, fighting to make sure that Liam’s short life continues to make an impact, and won’t stop until justice is served.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
