On Monday, April 19, 2021, 49-year-old Michelle Lynn Boggs is scheduled to face the music.

Michelle, who is riddled with health issues and requires full-time oxygen use, is charged with felony death of a child by a parent, guardian, or custodian in the death of her grandson, 5-year-old Keaton Boggs, who died on March 20, 2019.

Keaton was airlifted from United Hospital Center to J.W. Ruby Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia on March 18, 2020, suffering from a catastrophic brain injury that proved to be fatal. Keaton died on March 20, covered with injuries in varying stages of healing, including bleeding on his brain, ear injuries, and bruising to his head, the right side of his face, his neck, and his collarbone, in addition to a 1.5 inch laceration on his penile shaft and injuries to his testicles and inner thigh. 

According to Harrison County Assistant Prosecutor Gina Snuffer, when asked about the genital injuries, Michelle told medical staff that Keaton was constantly touching himself, and “she told him she would cut it off if he didn’t stop playing with it.”

Michelle was appointed as Keaton’s legal guardian after the death of her son, Keaton’s father Christopher Boggs, in June of 2019. Christopher’s sister, Michelle’s daughter Chasity Wodzinski, and her husband, PJ, were appointed Keaton’s legal custodians, making them legally responsible for Keaton’s finances, including any assets he inherited from his father. It is speculated that the family took Keaton in for financial reasons rather than allowing his biological mother to take custody of him.

All three were charged with the same crime. In March, 33-year-old PJ Wodzinski was convicted of knowingly allowing child abuse. He has yet to be sentenced.

30-year-old Chasity Wodzinski’s trial has been delayed due to the appointment of a new lawyer on her case, James Hawkins Jr. 

Michelle was seen in court via virtual hearing on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, by Harrison Circuit Judge James A. Matish. Also in attendance at the hearing were Michelle’s attorney, Dreama Sinkkanen, and Prosecutor Gina Snuffer.

According to both sides, the trial should take no more than three days, and jurors will be asked to determine if Michelle committed or allowed the abuse that killed Keaton. No plea deal was offered to any of the three defendants.

I will provide updates on the trial as I receive them.

Click here for my previous coverage of Keaton’s story, and listen to my episode about him on Suffer the Little Children Podcast. 

Sources: WV News