Woman charged with murder, allegedly gave prescription drug to baby

A woman who gave her month-old son a fatal dose of a prescription drug told Washington detectives she did not think it would harm him, an affidavit said. Tisheena Louise Brown, 31, said her son, Hakeem Brown, was not keeping food down. She put a small amount of the drug Phenergan on his tongue Sept. 18, even though she was warned the drug, which carries the generic name promethazine, should not be given to children less than 2 years of age. The medication, to treat allergies and nausea, was prescribed for her use. After the boy was hospitalized she claimed she had given him only an over-the-counter gas relief medication, but admitted she had given him the drug after the child died and a medical examiner found promethazine in his system, the affidavit said. The child's death was ruled a homicide, and Brown was arrested Sunday on charges of felony murder and first-degree cruelty to children, the Washington Post reported. She appeared Monday in District of Columbia Superior Court and was ordered held until another court appearance later in the week, authorities said.