"America's Got Talent" alum Deshondre Vinson (Dre Vinson) has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his 4-year-old nephew.
On the 5th (local time), Page Six reported that 22-year-old Dre Vinson, a contestant on "America's Got Talent," was arrested and is facing felony charges.
Page Six reported, "According to online booking records from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, Vinson was arrested on Sept. 2 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of child abuse."
According to booking records, Vinson's bond was set at $750,000 (about 1.01 billion won), and he is scheduled to appear in court on the 8th.
Local outlet Chattanooga.com reported that Vinson was arrested in connection with the drowning of his 4-year-old nephew that occurred on the 16th of last month at an apartment complex swimming pool. According to the report, at about 5:41 p.m. that day local police, who were responding to a separate incident, heard screams in the apartment complex pool area, and when police arrived CPR was being performed.
The child appeared to be unconscious and was rushed to the hospital, but after receiving treatment in the pediatric intensive care unit for five days was pronounced dead.
The outlet added that police at the scene said they did not find an adult who knew who the boy's parents were or who the boy had been with at the pool.
Surveillance footage from the apartment complex showed the child slipping from the edge he had been holding onto after entering the water and drifting toward the deeper part of the pool, appearing to be in distress before sinking underwater. The boy was reportedly submerged for about nine minutes before being rescued.
Investigators determined that Vinson was responsible for supervising the boy, his 6-year-old brother and additional children at the time, and that he allowed the children to walk about 320 meters to the pool without adult supervision.
Local media reported that Vinson was not at the pool before, during or after the incident. Police also confirmed messages exchanged between Vinson and the boy's mother acknowledging the lack of adult supervision and addressing responses to the tragedy.
Vinson appeared last year on "America's Got Talent" season 20 as part of City Limits with his twin cousins Amari and Amarion, advancing as far as the quarterfinals. They also appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2019.
[Photo] Dre Vinson SNS.
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