The discovery of an antipsychotic in 3-month-old Skylar’s blood led investigators to her grandmother and a felony homicide conviction.
NORFOLK, Va. — The death of a 3-month-old girl was initially examined as a possible unsafe-sleep tragedy, but laboratory testing later uncovered a fatal dose of prescription medication and redirected the case toward the grandmother who had prepared the baby’s last bottle.
That toxicology evidence became the central link in the prosecution of Alvetta Juanita Haskins, 51, who was caring for her twin grandchildren when Skylar became unresponsive in April 2024. More than two years later, Haskins was ordered to serve 12 years and nine months in prison after pleading guilty to felony homicide. Norfolk Circuit Court Judge Jamilah D. LeCruise imposed a 30-year sentence and suspended 17 years and three months. The judgment also includes five years of supervised probation, five years of good behavior and a restriction barring Haskins from providing child care without added supervision.
The case began shortly before 12:20 a.m. on April 22, 2024, when police and medical crews were sent to a home in the 100 block of Suburban Parkway. Haskins had been babysitting the twins at the apartment she shared with her boyfriend. She told authorities she had awakened and checked on the babies after midnight. Skylar was limp and had vomit on her face, according to accounts of the investigation. Haskins called 911 and tried to resuscitate her granddaughter. Paramedics transported the infant to Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, but she could not be revived.
Nothing known about Skylar’s condition before that night immediately explained the death. Prosecutors said the child had shown no signs of illness or distress. An autopsy was conducted on the day she died, and doctors initially considered whether unsafe sleep had caused the fatal event. That early assessment did not end the inquiry. Samples collected during the postmortem examination were submitted for toxicology testing, a process that can take longer than the physical examination because laboratories must identify and measure drugs or other substances in the body.
The later results revealed quetiapine, commonly sold under the brand name Seroquel, in Skylar’s blood. The prescription antipsychotic is used in the treatment of certain mood disorders. Authorities said the drug level showed that Skylar died from an overdose. Testing also detected an over-the-counter antihistamine used in some cold medicines. The medical examiner ultimately classified the manner of death as homicide, meaning the death resulted from the actions of another person. That classification describes how a death occurred and does not by itself determine which criminal charge, if any, should be filed.
Detectives then had to determine how medication intended for an adult had entered an infant’s system. They reviewed Haskins’ medical records and confirmed that the Seroquel found in Skylar’s blood had been prescribed to her. Investigators also conducted several interviews. According to prosecutors, Haskins admitted that she had put some of her prescription antipsychotic medication into the baby’s bottle and had given the infant over-the-counter cold remedies. Authorities said the bottle contained powdered formula, prescription medicine and cough syrup.
The reason for adding the substances remained less certain than the physical evidence. The Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said it appeared Haskins may have been trying to quiet Skylar, but prosecutors did not claim to have established a definite motive. Haskins gave an account centered on an attempt to treat what she believed was a stuffy nose. She said she had no children’s Tylenol and believed she was adding adult Tylenol to the formula. At sentencing, she maintained that she did not know she had used the wrong medicine until later conversations with a detective and her daughter.
Her statements were not consistent throughout the investigation. Local reports said Haskins initially acknowledged providing several medications but denied administering a prescription drug. Prosecutors also said she failed to mention the prescription during a later police interview. Haskins and her defense maintained that she did not remember the act at first and that the poisoning was accidental. She told LeCruise that she stored her prescriptions together in the same container. She also said she had been arguing with her boyfriend while preparing the bottle and that her hands were trembling.
Those explanations shaped the dispute over how to understand the fatal act. The defense did not contest that Haskins’ conduct caused Skylar’s death once the case reached the guilty-plea stage. Instead, the defense emphasized the absence of an intent to kill. Prosecutors focused on the danger of placing adult prescription medicine in an infant’s bottle, regardless of whether the death was planned. The final charge reflected both points: Haskins was not convicted of intentionally murdering Skylar, but she accepted criminal responsibility for an unintentional killing that occurred during felonious conduct.
Police arrested Haskins on Jan. 1, 2025, after the toxicology findings and interviews gave detectives the evidence they needed to proceed. The Norfolk Police Department announced that she had been charged with second-degree murder and was being held without bond. The more serious murder accusation remained pending until plea discussions produced an amended charge. In October 2025, Haskins agreed to plead guilty to felony homicide, and LeCruise accepted the agreement. The negotiated terms limited the amount of active incarceration the judge could impose under the state sentencing guidelines.
Virginia’s felony homicide law applies when a person is unintentionally killed during the commission of another felony that is not separately covered by the state’s capital or first-degree murder provisions. In Haskins’ case, prosecutors identified felony child neglect as the underlying conduct. Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi said that if Skylar had survived, Haskins could have been prosecuted for felony child neglect. Because the infant died from the medication, he said, felony homicide was the proper charge. The legal theory did not require the prosecution to prove that Haskins wanted her granddaughter to die.
At sentencing, Haskins apologized and spoke through tears. She said she wished she could undo the events and referred to Skylar as her family and her blood. The prosecution urged the court to impose a punishment that recognized the child’s vulnerability and the seriousness of administering medicine without medical direction. Fatehi said babies should never receive prescription medication unless it has been ordered by a doctor. He said adults entrusted with infants must act carefully and must be held responsible when their dangerous behavior causes harm.
LeCruise’s sentence balanced a lengthy stated term with substantial suspended time. Haskins must serve 12 years and nine months, while the remaining 17 years and three months could carry consequences if she later violates the conditions of the judgment. After prison, she will be supervised for five years and required to maintain good behavior for an additional court-ordered period. She may not undertake child care without another supervisor. The court did not treat those conditions as a substitute for incarceration but as continuing safeguards after the active sentence ends.
The toxicology results remain the pivotal development in the case. Without them, Skylar’s death might have remained associated with an initial theory of unsafe sleep. Instead, the laboratory findings identified the drug that caused the overdose, connected it to Haskins’ prescription and gave investigators a basis to reclassify the death and file charges. Haskins’ guilty plea means those findings will not be tested at a criminal trial. She is serving her sentence, and the case is now in its post-conviction stage.
Author note: Last updated July 26, 2026.