A two-year-old girl was strangled to death in her cot by a Burmese python belonging to her mother and her mother's live-in boyfriend. Shaiunna Hare was killed by 'Gypsy', the 8-foot 6-inch albino Burmese python owned by Jaren Ashley Hare and Charles Jason Darnell.
Details of the Incident
Jaren was 19 at the time of her daughter's death in July 2009, while Charles was 32. The family lived in Bushnell, central Florida, USA. Charles' two children, aged 12 and seven, also lived in the single-storey house.
The five-year-old python crushed Shaiunna to death, with the cause of death recorded as asphyxiation. According to the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, Charles discovered the snake coiled around Shaiunna's head and body after it had escaped from an unsecured 200-gallon aquarium covered only with a quilt, while the couple had been sleeping.
Medical Findings
The medical examiner found snake bites on the two-year-old's head and arms. The post-mortem revealed one bite on Shaiunna's upper right arm, one on her upper left arm, and a third on her forehead.
According to a medical examiner who gave evidence during the trial, the albino snake was severely malnourished and underweight, weighing merely 13 pounds, when a healthy reptile of that size should have weighed approximately 150 pounds. The snake had not been fed for a month, and the medical examiner confirmed it was attempting to consume the baby girl, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Sequence of Events
Charles told detectives that the snake was in its tank when he went to bed that night. An hour later, he discovered the python in the hallway, placed it in a mesh laundry bag with a small hole, and returned it to its tank. He then covered the unsecured tank with a quilt held on by safety pins, believing this was sufficient to secure the exotic pet.
The following morning, Charles found the snake wrapped around Shaiunna's head with its fangs embedded into her forehead. Jaren told deputies that Gypsy had escaped from the tank and the laundry bag at least 10 times in the two months before her daughter's killing, and said she had intended to make a locking lid for the tank.
Charles then called 911 and could be heard saying, "She got out of the cage and got into the baby's crib and strangled her to death. I'm going to kill the b****," in the frantic recording, as he reportedly stabbed their pet snake with a knife and meat cleaver. Shaiunna tragically died at the scene.
The aquarium was kept in the living room, where Charles' two young kids slept on a sofa bed. Fortunately, both children were unharmed.
Background and Legal Proceedings
Tampa Bay Times reports that in May 2009, Charles was arrested and charged with driving with a suspended licence, criminal mischief, and possession of cocaine and pain pills. He was also accused of tearing a mirror from his ex-wife's car. During that same month, a complaint was lodged with the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), alleging the couple were habitual drug users who neglected the young children in their home.
Snake breeder Eugene Bessette gave testimony during the 2011 trial, stating the python was severely underfed and malnourished. According to NBC News, Eugene claimed the snake's aquarium was wholly unsuitable: "It's totally and impossibly incapable of housing a python. It has no way to secure the animal. It's impossible. You can put fish in there if it doesn't leak."
WTSP reports that Gypsy had been Jaren's pet since she was 14 years old, while Charles assumed responsibility for the python's care. During the trial, Jaren's defence attorney Ismael Solis Jr stated she had owned the albino python for five years, arguing that "this snake was no different than a family dog. The snake is like a little puppy to her."
Jaren and Charles were both convicted of third degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect for the July 2009 death. After the sentencing, Shaiunna's biological father, Joseph Gilkerson, said: "Justice was served. I'm happy it was served."
Jaren and Charles both received and completed a 12-year prison sentence. State records indicate Charles was freed in January 2021, while Jaren was released nine months afterwards. The pair appeared to have sustained their romantic involvement while imprisoned and allegedly stated they intended to wed following their release, even though they were ordered to stay on parole until 2026.
In a separate matter, Joseph filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Children and Families for wrongful death, claiming the agency failed to protect his child after a DCF investigator had observed the python in the property. The lawsuit was subsequently settled following a confidential agreement.
Jaren and Charles became the first people in Florida's history to be convicted on criminal charges for a snake killing, according to the state attorney's office. In the wake of the tragedy, the Florida legislature overhauled state regulations to impose a sweeping ban on the ownership of Burmese pythons and other large snake species.
