By: Richard L. Smith
A Passaic County grand jury has indicted two Paterson residents in connection with the death of a 4-year-old girl earlier this year, according to a press release from Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes.
Authorities said 21-year-old Ashanti Givens has been charged with first-degree murder, multiple counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and hindering apprehension.
Her boyfriend, 21-year-old Givenchy Stewart, the child’s biological father, was also indicted on child endangerment and hindering charges.
Police responded to Pearl Street and Carroll Street on May 6, 2025, where the child was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center.
An autopsy revealed she died from blunt force trauma, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Investigators determined the child had been left unattended in a Paterson apartment on multiple occasions. Prosecutors allege Givens inflicted the fatal injuries.
Both she and Stewart were arrested on May 12, 2025, and later detained.
The pair remain in custody and are scheduled for arraignment before Superior Court Judge Marybel Mercado-Ramirez on September 8, 2025. If convicted, Givens faces up to life in prison.