MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX- A jury in the 221st District Court of Judge Lisa Michalk found 26-year-old Shikeith Dwyan Deere guilty of first-degree felony Injury to a Child,and handed down a 40-year sentence
On Wednesday, August 9, 2023, Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office Special Victims Division Chief Shanna Redwine and Assistant District Attorney Tamara Tyler began presenting testimony in the State of Texas vs. Shikeith Dwyan Deere for the first-degree felony charge of Injury to a Child. The prosecutors presented evidence that on August 1, 2020, Deere physically abused a three-month-old boy resulting in the child’s hospitalization for a week. The prosecutors proved to the jury that the child victim suffered extensive brain trauma and multiple rib fractures following the abuse by the defendant.
Prosecutors presented statements from the defendant where he repeatedly complained the baby often cried and was difficult to console. Detectives and deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, a forensic analyst formerly with the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, a doctor from Texas Children’s Hospital, deputies from the Harris County Pct. 4 Constables Office, and the Harris County Fire Marshall’s Office, representatives from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and CASA Child Advocates of Montgomery County, and other medical professionals and civilian witnesses all testified during the trial.
At the close of evidence on Friday, August 11, 2023, the jury convicted Deere of Injury to a Child. The testimony provided by all the witnesses gave the evidence necessary to bring justice to this young child.
During the punishment phase, the jury considered Deere’s assaultive behavior while incarcerated in the Montgomery County Jail and his prior criminal history. Assistant District Attorney Tamara Tyler asked jurors to consider the devastating consequences the child will face in his future as a result of the injuries he sustained at the hands of the defendant. The jury quickly returned a verdict of 40 years in the Texas Department of Public Safety-Institutional Division. The defendant will not be eligible for parole until after serving at least half of his sentence.
Prosecutor Tamara Tyle said, “Children are our community’s most fragile and vulnerable members, and they deserve our utmost protection. This jury understood the importance of their decision when assessing punishment in this case, and their sentence reflects what truly matters.”
District Attorney Brett Ligon weighed in, saying, “A man willing to violently abuse a baby is a clear and present danger to our entire community. My office stands between violent defendants and the children in our county, and we are grateful that Montgomery County jurors continue to join us in this important cause.”
