Babysitter booked into jail for murder of 3-year-old Armani Lyons
Barbara Edwards (Courtesy of Fulton County Sheriff's Office)
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - One of the suspects in the Easter Sunday shooting death of a 3-year-old boy in southeast Atlanta is now in custody.
What we know:
According to jail records, 71-year-old Barbara Edwards was booked into the Fulton County Jail on April 14. She is charged with murder, second-degree cruelty to children and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Atlanta police previously identified Edwards, who was a babysitter, and 35-year-old Jermaine Hardeman as suspects in the death of 3-year-old Armani Lyons. The child was found dead Easter Sunday at an apartment in the 900 block of Washington Street.
Investigators have not released details about what led up to the fatal shooting. Hardeman has not been taken into custody as of Tuesday morning, according to police.
Family members had been pleading for arrests in the days following the child’s death, expressing frustration and grief as they waited for justice.
Edwards was arrested around 8:13 p.m. Monday in the 2900 block of Landrum Drive.
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Dig deeper:
According to police, this is not the first time Edwards has been arrested. She was previously arrested for drinking in public and possession of narcotics in 2009.
Hardeman also has an arrest on his record. He was arrested in 2024 for simple assault/domestic violence.
No other information was given by police about the suspects.