Lakewood parents charged with murder of 2-month-old boy; bails set at $1 million
Two Lakewood parents are accused of causing serious injuries to their 7-week-old baby boy, which led to his death this week.
Prosecutors charged Mark Anthony Labaco Clamor, 21, with two counts of second-degree murder. The child’s mother, Alyssa Jade Vanderbeck, 19, was charged with one count of second-degree murder.
The parents are accused of causing the death of Nakoa Michael Clamor. The cause and manner of the child’s death are pending, according the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office’s public portal.
Clamor and Vanderbeck appeared for arraignment at Pierce County Superior Court on Thursday afternoon. They both wore green anti-suicide smocks. Vanderbeck appeared to be emotional at the beginning of the hearing and was crying when she entered the courtroom.
Deputy prosecuting attorney Robin Sand said during Clamor’s and Vanderbeck’s individual hearings that additional charges might be added once the child’s pathology report comes back. Prosecutors believe Nakoa died from abusive head trauma, she said. The full extent of his injuries is unknown, but Sand said multiple ribs were in healing stages.
Sand argued for a $1 million bail for both defendants and said they were both flight risks. Sand said that before Vanderbeck’s arrest she called Clamor and indicated he needed to pay rent so she could get an Airbnb.
Jeffrey Hoon Kim, the public defender for the hearings, requested Vanderbeck be released on her personal recognizance because Clamor allegedly confessed to causing the majority of the physical harm on Nakoa.
Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set both bails at $1 million. Clamor and Vanderbeck are not allowed to contact one another.
Details from charging documents
Officers in Lakewood were dispatched March 5 to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma for a child-abuse incident. A social worker reported that an infant boy was taken to the hospital by fire department personnel for a life-threatening emergency the day before, according to charging documents.
Clamor made the first 911 call made at 2:21 p.m. to report his child was not breathing. Documents show Nakoa was not expected to survive and died Monday, which was also the day Clamor was arrested. Vanderbeck was arrested Wednesday.
Officers were told Nakoa had significant brain hemorrhaging, specifically a subdural hematoma that might have been caused by being shaken, documents show. The child also had multiple injuries, including anoxic brain injury and a possible healing rib fracture. A conclusion of the autopsy later reported the tentative cause of Nakoa’s death appeared to be homicide due to abusive head trauma, according to court documents.
Vanderbeck and Clamor, officers learned, left the hospital and went back home. When they returned, officers “found their demeanor to be unusual considering the gravity of the suspected offense and the condition their child was in.”
Clamor told police that he fed Nakoa baby formula twice. During the second feeding, Clamor said, he picked the child up because he became “fussy,” documents show. Clamor said he made a “jerking motion” and saw the child’s head “jerk back pretty hard.” He then later realized he jerked the child’s in a rough manner.
He told police Vanderbeck was napping when that occurred. When he described the incident again later, Clamor said he did not know how much formula Nakoa drank, but it appeared he was not drinking it. He said Nakoa looked normal and was not crying.
Documents show Vanderbeck and Clamor took a shower together after she woke up and left the child in his bouncer in the bathroom. After the shower, they noticed he appeared abnormal and made irregular grunting noises. Clamor said he tried to burp him, but contacted a nurse before calling 911 when Nakoa’s symptoms did not improve.
In the interview with police, Clamor was reportedly emotional and appeared exhausted. He spoke about ongoing stress related to finances, housing, unemployment and exhaustion from childcare. He also said he was afraid for his son’s life. When police asked if he’d speak again for a follow-up interview, Clamor said it would depend on if Vanderbeck wanted to.
Documents show Vanderbeck was interviewed separately. She said after their shower, she saw Nakoa was breathing abnormally and at one point she “really forced his eyes open” when trying to rouse him up. She also alleged she and Clamor shook him in a panic.
Vanderbeck told police she recorded a video of Nakoa and sent them to family and friends for advice. Documents show the videos were filmed in different areas of the home and showed Nakoa in serious distress. His breathing was labored, and he was grunting. One eye was partially open and the other partially closed. Detectives believed at one point Nakoa appeared to have stopped breathing.
She said it took them about 30 to 60 minutes before they realized they should call the fire department for help. Charging documents show that through a review of Vanderbeck’s text messages and videos, and based off interviewing the parents, about one hour passed before they called 911.
