Parents Who Kill: Alexandra Tobias Killed Her 3 Month Old Son When He Interrupted Her Facebook Game
77A Murderous Mother's Mugshot
3 Month Old Dylan Was Shaken To Death For Interrupting Mommy's Facebook Time
22-year-old Alexandra Tobias does look like your average murderer at first glance, and she's not. The Jacksonville, Florida woman had given birth to her first child only 3 months prior to the incident, and while she was a young, inexperienced first-time mother, no one would have predicted that she would end up killing her own child for such a ridiculous reason. Unfortunately, these kinds of deaths involving inexperienced, unprepared, and negligent parents seem to be on the rise.
It was January of 2010, and 3-month-old Dylan Lee Edmondson had just celebrated his first Christmas, which unfortunately would turn out to be the only Christmas this sweet little baby would celebrate in his short life. Dylan's young mother, Alexandra, called paramedics after her son stopped breathing. Unfortunately, despite the phone call, as we already know, poor Dylan did not survive.
The Facebook Game Alexandra Would Kill Her Son Over
What Happened & Why? He Wouldn't Stop Crying.
Little 3-month-old Dylan Lee Edmondson was rushed to the hospital with head injuries, and a broken leg. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries, and died. His cause of death was described by doctors as "abusive head trauma".
When Alexandra was first questioned, she told police that a dog had knocked baby Dylan off the couch, and that he had hit his head when he fell. After more questioning, she later confessed that she had lost her temper with the infant. She was playing "Farmville" on Facebook, and he was distracting her because he wouldn't stop crying. "Farmville", one of Facebook's most popular games, is a simulation farming game. Players act as virtual farmers, planting and harvesting crops. When Alexandra couldn't concentrate on her game, she became angry. She described to police how she had shaken her baby son, then went to smoke a cigarette to try and calm down, before returning and shaking him again. She said it was possible that he hit his head while she was shaking him.
The Trial, Verdict & Sentencing
There isn't much to say at this point about the aftermath of the murders. Alexandra had confessed to killing her infant son Dylan, and she did not go to trial. Instead, on October 27th, 2010, she pled guilty to second degree murder charges. She remains in jail while awaiting sentencing.
She is set to be sentenced in December of 2010. She could face life imprisonment, but there is a possibility that she will receive a lighter sentence.
You Might Be Interested In...
Other articles I have written in my "Parents Who Kill" series;
Elaine Campione Drowned Her Daughters
or articles in my "Murderous Children" series;
12-Year-Old Jasmine Richardson Murdered Her Parents & 8-Year-Old Brother
11-Year-Old Serial Killer Mary Bell
15-Year-Old Alyssa Bustamante Brutally Murdered a 9-Year-Old Girl
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Thanks for your comment. Yes, I find myself drawn towards these cases a lot. The different dynamic involved with familial murders fascinates me. As a society, we teach our children from a young age of "stranger danger", so we end up growing up with a fear of people we don't know violating or attacking us. It's shocking and disturbing when we discover that sometimes, it's those closest to us that we really needed to fear.
This is a horrible story. In my opinion I think the mother was too immature to be raising a child. If farmville was more important than the needs of a living breathing baby. I do have one question though, as I was reading this article I wondered if she was a single mother. I've reached many articles on young single parenting and my concern is that she was a single mother. Raising a child and trying to achieve a steady income by onesself can be frustration. Having pressure like that on someone can trigger rage. I do believe though that she should do prison time and also get some counseling.
The mother being too immature, or not ready to raise a child tends to be the situation in a lot of the cases when a mother kills her baby.
I'm not sure if she was a single parent. I read an article that stated she called the baby's father right after she did it. They had both also been arrested and charged not too long beforehand for fighting with each other. So, she was at least still in touch with the father, though it's unclear if he was helping to take care of the kid.
I understand that raising a child, especially as a single parent, can often be frustrating, but I just wish that when these mothers felt like they were incapable of dealing with it and in over their heads that they would give the baby up for adoption. Instead, they end up getting so angry and frustrated that they hurt or kill their child instead. There are so many people who can't have children who would be happy to take these babies into their home and care for them.
A horrifying story! I've heard of farmville, of course, as I get multiple invitations to play it just about daily on facebook. I always say that it seems like a waste of time to me, and time is something I already have too little of. I couldn't imagine hurting my baby (5 months old now) or any of my other children over a game--or anything else for that matter.
It's so hard to read about things like this. No matter the outcome of her sentencing, there will never be a happy ending.
Thanks for your comment nell79.
Yes, this is just a sad story no matter how you look at it. She obviously wasn't prepared to be a parent, and lacked a considerable amount of maturity. Yet many people have children at a young age when they weren't prepared, and still manage to be good parents. In reality, 22 is really not that young to be having a child, but she strikes me as being less mature mentally than the average 22 year old is.
It's really hard to hear stories of parents who can't handle the responsibility of being a parent, and who lose their temper over the crying and screaming, and hurt or kill their child. I always wonder why, if they are so overwhelmed, they don't seem to consider putting the child up for adoption. I understand how hard that can be, but if raising the child is really putting that much strain on you, and is too much, it's better than getting so overwhelmed you freak out. Instead, they wait until they get so angry and upset and lash out at the poor defenseless child.
that mom was so immature kill her own baby over a game! what kind of mother is she she shouldnt even have another baby if she just wants him to die and have a short life
That,s really ridicilouse i,m not a mother but i,m an auntie 7 and i,m only 10 my birthday,s coming soon yeahhh but still her son Darron wasnt gonna know any better than her at the age of 3 month,s ofcourse he was gonna cry she should of just put him in a cott or hug him cuz that,s what i do or just get some 1 2 calm me down or speak 2 myself about it cuz i can loose my temper sometime,s and that,s what i do and then thing,s are better parent,s and kid,s are preciouse and inocennt but you cant really say anything about this mother apart from saying she had a innocent child .
This is ridiculous!!!! There are people in this world who want a child so badly and some don't even have the option. Then there are people who do things like this...
Each day,the age for young pregnancies gets lower and it's making immature,unjust things like this more and more common. It's not fair,and people seriously need a wake up call.
I'm a big fan of your writings,keep up the good work and keep spreading awareness for those of us who still have hope for some of humanity:)
Well i have read a lot of your article s and a lot of them I really agree with you strongly on, however this I dont. I dont believe that is due to immaturity that some mothers kill their children, I believe if a mother does that shes either craving a very sick attention, or shes been pushed over the edge, I believe a mothers instinct comes naturally to most mothers but to some it doesnt, some find it a particularly traumatising time of their lives also, and post natal depression occurs a lot, and was that every looked into with this woman, Ive a baby myself and would never harm my child, nor could I excuse any woman that does harm their child for any reason whatsoever, but for you to just put it down as immaturity I disagree.
There is no hope for humanity, those that still think there is go and have a look at the site 'God Bless Our Lost Angels' then come back and tell me if you seriosuly think there is still hope. This MONSTER killed her baby(yes a monster, not a mother, as a true mother would NEVER do such a horrific thing to her own child!) she took the life of a baby, OMG a baby that cried, gees thats news to me a crying baby. He cried for his mother to pick him up,change his nappy, feed him, love and care for him and she KILLED him and for that as far as I'm concern she should get the death penalty to fast track her pathetic excuse as a human being straight to hell or life in prison where hopefully she get some prison justice. Harsh you think? I'm only thinking of what this little baby boy went through in his last mins by the hands of his own mother... no excuse to killing a baby. millions around the world are single parents, stress, they dont kill their child. I guess this is just wishful thinking on my part she would get any prison time , most likely spend less than 5 years in prison if at all.
Scribelady55 18 months ago
Informative...and disturbing. Your research/writings on familial murders presents a wealth of information on this disturbing issue.