A Virginia man will serve 20 years in prison after his 2-year-old son, who had been placed in a Pack ’n Play with snakes, died with cocaine in his system.
Cinceir Croxton, 25, received the sentence Monday for the death of Cinceir “CJ” Croxton Jr. He pleaded guilty last fall to second-degree murder, child abuse, and drug-related charges.
According to local ABC affiliate WRIC, CJ died on Dec. 7, 2023. Croxton and the child’s mother, Kahleighya Coleman, were arrested months later.
CJ and his parents had been staying at an Econo Lodge in Spotsylvania, partly to avoid scrutiny over the child’s care. Croxton called 911 after finding his son unconscious. CJ was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Doctors alerted authorities after CJ tested positive for cocaine. Deputies from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office searched the hotel room and found cocaine on a PlayStation and in an unlocked safe, along with a gun in a clothes hamper. Investigators seized about 70 grams of cocaine and $4,000 in cash.
Authorities also discovered a Pack ’n Play containing a reptile cage with snakes. CJ tested positive for salmonella, which snakes can carry. When doctors attempted to treat him, Croxton and Coleman refused care, according to reports.
CJ also had sickle cell disease, which required treatment every two months, but he did not receive that care.
Child Protective Services had begun investigating the family when CJ was 6 months old after receiving a complaint that Croxton would leave the child alone in a car seat with loud music when he cried because he could not “tolerate him crying.”
Croxton later moved the family, making it difficult for CPS to locate them, and the case was marked incomplete.
Coleman pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder and child abuse and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to WRIC.
At sentencing, Croxton said he loved his son “dearly,” but Judge William Glover said CJ’s living conditions “inevitably” led to his death.
“None of these actions were accident,” Glover told Croxton. “It was a series of choices you made.”
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