Left to right: Demetres Givens and Jamie Thompson (Stark County Sheriff”s Office). Center: Berko Givens (GoFundMe).
An Ohio boy died as a result of his adoptive parents’ neglect, which they admitted to in court.
Demetres Givens, 43, and Jamie Thompson, 38, both pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment in connection with the death of 3-year-old Berko Givens. According to courtroom reporting by local news outlet The Repository, Thompson and Givens, who was Berko’s uncle, were aware that the little boy had medical issues and had previously brought him to doctors. But when told to bring Berko to the emergency room or a specialist if he did not improve, prosecutors said, “They did not do that, for whatever reason.”
Berko died of starvation on May 5, 2025.
According to court documents obtained by local NBC affiliate WKYC, police were called to the home where Givens and Thompson lived in Canton at 9:30 a.m. on May 5, 2025. Thompson told 911 dispatchers that when she tried to wake Berko up, he was “not breathing at all” and was surrounded by vomit in his crib.
Berko was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Thompson reportedly told police that Berko had issues with food and that she and Givens had reached out to Stark County Job and Family Services for help. According to the criminal complaint, police later found out that the couple were told to bring Berko to a pediatrician, but “refused to engaged with medical professionals and cancelled multiple appointments over a several-month period.” The complaint further stated that the couple “cruelly tortured” Berko by “refusing to properly feed and care for him.”
Police obtained arrest warrants for Thompson and Givens on charges of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment, but they were nowhere to be found. They were eventually apprehended outside Stark County by U.S. Marshals and surrendered.
Both Thompson and Givens pleaded guilty to the charges against them. During their sentencing hearing on Feb. 20, both defendants expressed remorse for their actions, or, as Thompson’s defense attorney Jacob Will described it, their lack of action. Will told the court, “This was a crime of omission, not a crime of commission.”
Givens’ defense attorney Keith Warstler told the court that Berko’s condition was birth-related, and Givens had expressed “extreme remorse” over what happened to his nephew.
Assistant Stark County Prosecutor Daniel Petricini said Berko was the biological son of Givens’ sister, Myracle Givens, who lost custody of the boy when he was born. Givens lobbied for custody of Berko while he and Thompson had children of their own. Petricini told the court, “I can understand being overwhelmed,” but added that “they were also aware that there are social services available. There are resources available in the communities to help families who are struggling, and that could have helped them.”
In an interview with WKYC, Myracle Givens said, “If they diagnosed [Berko] with malnutrition and his appointments were being canceled after the fact…. I don’t understand. Like, why weren’t these people turned in? I don’t get that.”
Before handing down her sentence, Stark County Common Pleas Judge Kristin Farmer told the couple, “At some point, each of you ignored or disregarded medical advice and basic intuition and chose to let the victim suffer.”
Thompson and Givens were both sentenced to eight to 12 years in prison.
