BRONX WOMAN INDICTED FOR MURDER, ARSON AND OTHER CRIMES IN CONNECTION WITH THE DEATH OF A NEIGHBOR’S TWO YEAR OLD BABY

Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced today that a grand jury has indicted a 42 year old Bronx woman for murder in the death of a two year old baby girl whose parents were the defendant’s upstairs neighbors.

Sharon Scott, of 64 Jesup Place, was indicted on two counts of Murder in the 2nd degree, one count of Attempted Murder in the 2nd degree, one count each of Arson in the 1st and 2nd degrees, two counts of Assault in the 1st degree, one count of Assault in the 2nd degree, one count of Reckless Endangerment in the 1st degree and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 4th degree. She is facing a maximum penalty of up to life imprisonment if convicted of murder, the top count in the indictment. Scott is to be arraigned in State Supreme Court, Part A, on Wednesday, March 21, 2007.

Scott has been charged with causing the death of Amanda Adjivon under two different legal theories. The grand jury charged Scott with murder “in a manner evincing a depraved indifference to human life.” Scott has also been charged with “felony murder” in that she allegedly caused the baby’s death during the commission of another crime when she started a fire in an effort to kill her husband, James Hicks. Hicks, with whom Scott had been arguing, was asleep when she allegedly set fire to their bed causing Hicks to suffer burns and other injuries. The fire burned out of control creating a heavy smoke condition that caused the death of the two year old baby who lived in an apartment upstairs. The fatal fire was set on January 31, 2007.

There are two counts in the indictment, Assault in the 2nd degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 4th degree, that are unrelated to the fire. Scott was charged by the grand jury with stabbing Hicks in the leg during a domestic dispute that occurred in the same apartment a year earlier on January 6, 2006. When Scott failed to keep a scheduled court appearance on those charges in March 2006, the judge issued a bench warrant for her arrest.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney David Birnbaum, Trial Counsel, of the Domestic Violence Bureau.