A former America’s Got Talent contestant is facing a first-degree murder charge after his 4-year-old nephew drowned in a Tennessee apartment pool while allegedly left without proper supervision.
Deshundre Vinson, 22, was arrested Wednesday, Sept. 2, and charged with first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated child abuse, according to Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office jail records.
His bond was set at a staggering $750,000.
The charges stem from the Aug. 16 drowning of Vinson’s young nephew at an apartment complex on Central Avenue in Chattanooga.
Police were already at the complex handling an unrelated incident around 5:40 p.m. when officers suddenly heard screaming coming from the pool area, according to local reports.
When they rushed over, they found people performing CPR on the unconscious 4-year-old after he had been pulled from the water.
The boy was taken to a hospital, where he remained in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for approximately five days before tragically dying.
But investigators say surveillance footage from the pool painted a disturbing picture of what happened before the child was discovered.
According to reports, the footage showed the 4-year-old moving from the center edge of the pool toward deeper water while holding onto the side. He then appeared to slip, struggle and eventually disappear beneath the surface.
Authorities allege the boy remained underwater for approximately nine minutes before someone finally noticed him, pulled him out and began CPR.
Police later determined Vinson had been babysitting the 4-year-old, the boy’s 6-year-old brother and other children that day.
Investigators also allege Vinson allowed the two young brothers to walk roughly 0.2 miles to the apartment swimming pool without an adult accompanying them.
The investigation reportedly uncovered messages between Vinson and the child’s mother in which he allegedly acknowledged the lack of supervision and his delayed response to the drowning.
Vinson became known nationally as a member of the R&B trio Citi Limitz, which appeared on America’s Got Talent and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The shocking case now has the former reality TV performer facing the most serious charge of his life.
Vinson is scheduled to return to court Tuesday, Sept. 8.
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