*Former daycare worker Shanteari Young had her ankle monitor removed on December 17, 2025, marking the conclusion of roughly three and a half years of incarceration and supervised release. According to The Banner, Young had served a sentence stemming from the 2022 shooting of her then-husband, James Weems Jr. Now free, she says has no remorse for what she did.
The chain of events began when Young confronted her husband, James Weems Jr., after learning he had allegedly sexually abused children attending her daycare, Lil Kidz Kastle. She shot him twice in his Washington, D.C., hotel room, though he survived the attack. Following the incident, authorities arrested Young, and she later accepted a plea deal in D.C. Superior Court, admitting to aggravated assault and carrying a firearm without a license.
Young received a sentence of four years in prison with an additional two years of supervised release, finishing the final portion of her term under home confinement after her time at FMC Lexington in Kentucky. While behind bars, she finalized her divorce from Weems and testified against him in a 2024 Baltimore County trial. He was convicted on multiple charges tied to the sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl who had attended the daycare, resulting in a life sentence.
Judge Michael J. Finifter remarked that Weems leveraged his experience as a retired Baltimore Police officer to “perpetrate these heinous crimes.”
Scroll to continue reading
“Child sex abuse usually doesn’t occur with a lot of witnesses around. This is a crime that just doesn’t happen that way,” Finifter said. “I think that the public is in danger of this man if he is out in the community.”
Since her release, Young has taken a position at a residential recovery house and expressed a desire to advocate on behalf of child sexual abuse survivors. She is supporting legislation introduced by Del. Sean Stinnett that would mandate specialized abuse recognition and reporting training for child care providers.
“I want to show people that something catastrophic can happen to you, but you can rebuild and you can move on,” she said. “I’m trying to change this into a positive situation and help people.”
Young is also authoring a book titled “My Protector” and has registered a nonprofit under the name Opened Umbrellas 4 Lil Kidz LLC.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Young, Black, Female, and On L.A.’s Sidewalks
Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
