Sherrilynn Hawkins appearing in court in October 2025 (WPVI). Inset: Tylim Hatchett (WPVI).
A 43-year-old mother in Pennsylvania will spend several decades behind bars after admitting to her role in the death of her 21-year-old special-needs son, who wasted away and starved, weighing just 59 pounds when he was discovered dead in the family”s home last year.
Sherrilynn Hawkins pleaded guilty Monday to one count each of third-degree murder, neglect of a dependent care person, theft by deception, and conspiracy to commit theft by deception in connection with the death of Tylim Hatchett, authorities announced. Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Wendy G. Rothstein subsequently ordered Hawkins to serve 25 to 50 years in a state correctional facility.
According to a news release from Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, investigators are still searching for 40-year-old Vernon Hatchett, Tylim’s father, who is facing multiple felonies stemming from his son’s death, including neglect of a dependent resulting in death, abuse of a dependent, and conspiracy to commit involuntary manslaughter. Authorities are offering a $7,500 reward for information leading to his arrest. Anyone who believes they’ve spotted Hatchett is urged to call 911.
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Prosecutors said Tylim Hatchett died from prolonged neglect at the hands of his parents, as well as another woman, Loretta Harris. Harris was a friend of Hawkins. Both women accepted funds from a home health care agency to work as the 21-year-old’s caregivers, but would leave him alone for hours on end, sometimes for as long as 24 hours.
Montgomery County First Assistant District Attorney Ed McCann on Monday told the court that Hawkins’ lack of remorse was apparent in how she downplayed her actions, claiming she had been a “great care provider” for her son until she became overwhelmed toward the end of his life.
“I had hoped that she would come in and make a true expression of remorse for killing this child, for murdering this child, and perhaps give some explanation as to why she did what she did, but we clearly didn’t hear any of that today,” he said, according to a report from Philadelphia ABC affiliate WPVI.
Harris, who previously pleaded guilty to neglect of a dependent person, will be sentenced in December.
As Law&Crime previously reported, police at about 7:50 p.m. on Sept. 18, 2024, responded to an apartment complex in Dresher, Pennsylvania, regarding a report of an unresponsive person. Upon arriving at the address, first responders said they found Tylim Hatchett “severely emaciated and lying on the floor.”
He was pronounced dead at the scene. Vernon Hatchett was at the apartment and allegedly told officers that he’d found his son about two hours before he got around to calling 911.
A subsequent autopsy performed by a forensic pathologist at the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office determined that the cause of death was complications due to cerebral palsy in the setting of neglect. The manner of death was determined to be a homicide.
According to a previous press release, police, with the assistance of the Montgomery County Detective Bureau, conducted an investigation and found that in February 2024, Tylim Hatchett weighed 91 pounds, meaning he had lost 31 pounds — more than one-third of his total body weight — over the course of just seven months.
Investigators also found evidence showing that Hawkins and Harris were both submitting hours and receiving money from Aveanna Healthcare to be compensated for their time, even though the women were not actually caring for the victim.
“A review of cell phone records found that Hawkins and Harris would ‘clock in’ as a caretaker for Tylim Hatchett at times they were not actively with him, leaving him alone for upwards of 24 hours at a time,” the release states. “Between Sept. 1, 2024, and Sept. 18, 2024, Tylim Hatchett was left in the apartment by himself for 356 of the 425 hours, translating to 82% of the time within those 18 days.”
According to authorities, Tylim Hatchett’s medical records also listed several medications he was supposed to take every day. Those medications needed to be prepared and provided by a caregiver as the victim was “unable to self-medicate.” However, investigators said that Harris had not given Tylim Hatchett any medications at all when she visited.
The victim’s parents also appeared to be well aware of the danger their son was in.
“Throughout September, Hawkins messaged Vernon Hatchett multiple times about their son’s deteriorating health yet continued to leave him alone without providing him food or medicine,” the release states.
