A woman from Indiana is facing the possibility of imprisonment, although not in state prison, after she confessed to being legally responsible for a violent hammer assault that left her 10-year-old son critically injured.
In October 2023, Bethany Joy Fleming, 33, faced legal consequences for charges related to a serious incident involving attempted harm and neglect of a dependent. Following an incident involving harm to her son and herself, the defendant’s actions were deeply troubling.
The incident was described briefly in a chilling emergency call.
The mother reportedly admitted to 911 dispatchers that she had attempted to harm someone, possibly causing their death, and had also injured herself in the process. “My name is Bethany, please.”
On October 3, 2023, officers from the Fort Wayne Police Department responded to an incident at the Tyler Terrace Apartments on Ralph Avenue in Fort Wayne, situated approximately 120 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, first responders discovered Fleming and her son, who were described as having “life-threatening injuries,” and promptly handed the case to the police department’s homicide unit. The woman was first taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment before being placed under arrest.
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Authorities discovered the child in bed, emitting distressing cries and thrashing about.
According to court records, Fleming had previously shared her concerns with emergency dispatchers about someone intending to take her and her son away and involve them in a sex trafficking ring. She mentioned that she took action to defend herself by striking the person with a hammer.
After sustaining a severe neck injury, Fleming reportedly continued to express her belief about sex slavery to law enforcement at the scene, despite bleeding heavily.
During the investigation, the mother was questioned about the incident involving her and her 10-year-old son. In a state of confusion and distress, she admitted to striking her child in the head with a hammer, believing it was her only option.
The defendant reportedly admitted to officers that they had harmed their baby.
The boy suffered severe injuries, including a fractured skull and a brain bleed, due to the hammer attack. The child’s condition was initially described as critical and life-threatening. Despite initial uncertainty about the child’s survival, he is currently alive at the time of this update.
As part of a plea agreement obtained by Law&Crime, Fleming pleaded guilty to a level 3 felony of neglect of a dependent, after prosecutors dropped a more severe charge. The plea was made on the basis of mental illness.
Overall, Fleming’s sentence would amount to a total of 12 years, with seven of those years being suspended. Additionally, three years would be served in Allen County Corrections Residential Services, while the remaining two years would be spent under home detention.
A plea deal was recently offered and accepted by the defendant, as announced by the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office on Monday. The agreement, however, is not finalized; Allen Superior Court Judge David Zent will make a decision on the plea deal during a sentencing hearing scheduled for Sept. 30.
