AMARILLO, Texas — A young mother in Texas has been arrested and charged with murder after she allegedly killed her 7-month-old son. Adding to the shocking nature of the case, she then created a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for his funeral expenses. The arrest has brought attention to the dark side of crowdfunding platforms and has sparked concerns about potential misuse.
In a tragic turn of events, Angel Lynn Marie Varner, 20, is facing charges of murder in the death of her infant son, Jackson Knight Blackmon. According to court documents, Varner’s roommate reported that the baby had been crying early in the morning, prompting Varner to enter the living room and pick him up. However, shortly after, a loud noise resembling a “thud” was heard from Varner’s bedroom.
After her arrest, Varner confessed to throwing the baby onto the bed, swaddling him with blankets, and applying pressure to his abdomen until he stopped crying. She then proceeded to throw him onto the floor. Shockingly, instead of seeking immediate medical assistance for the infant, Varner went back to sleep.
Varner’s subsequent social media posts implied that the cause of her son’s death was unknown, but police quickly connected the dots. Following the incident, Varner launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for the funeral, memorial, cremation, and the purchase of jewelry containing the baby’s ashes. However, the page has since been taken down, according to GoFundMe.
Angel Lynn Marie Varner is currently being held at Potter County Jail, with no scheduled court appearance announced yet. The case highlights the need for increased vigilance in preventing the misuse of crowdfunding platforms and calls for stricter regulations to protect the public from such exploitative practices.