Gloucester Township Man Sentenced In Death Of 3-Year-Old

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Gloucester Township man who admitted to killing his live-in girlfriend's 3-year-old child and committing a series of armed robberies faces 30 years in prison, according to authorities.

Travis Graham pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in the death of Charlette Dawkins on June 28, according to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and must serve 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. The state recommended 10 years for each count of robbery, to be served concurrent to each other, but consecutive to the 20 years on manslaughter, for a total of 30 years in prison.

He has been in jail since he was arrested last July in connection with three armed robberies. He was later charged with murder in the death of the child, who he had been watching on March 13, 2017, according to authorities. He rejected one plea deal previously, but accepted another shortly before his trial was scheduled to begin in July.

Graham brought his live-in girlfriend's daughter to Kennedy University Hospital in Stratford on March 13, 2017, according to authorities. The toddler was airlifted to Cooper University Hospital where she was later diagnosed with a severe traumatic brain injury.

Doctors noted that the child had multiple bruises to her body, extremities and head, as well as multiple healing rib fractures, according to authorities. They noted that "the history, physical examination, and diagnostic studies are diagnostic of child physical abuse to a medical degree of certainty."

She died the following day. An initial autopsy determined the cause of death to be blunt head trauma, but the manner of death couldn't be determined.

At first, Graham told authorities she fell while she was watching her, and he caught her before she hit the bottom of the steps. When he was unable to wake her up later on, he brought her to the hospital.

According to the complaint, it was about three hours between the time Graham sent a text to the girl's mother telling her the child fell down the steps and the time he ultimately took her to the hospital.

Graham was arrested after police received tips from members of the community linking Graham to the armed robbery at the Pine Run Deli.

Seven days after his arrest, he told police that on the day he had been watching the girl, she refused to take a nap. He said she pinched him, so he "backhanded her in the forehead," according to the probable cause statement.

He said he hit her so hard, she spun around and fell down the steps face first. He said she was unresponsive at the bottom of the steps, and that he changed her clothes and brought her to the hospital within five minutes of her fall down the stairs.

The robbery Graham was arrested for took place when Graham walked into the deli wearing an "Atco Dragway" hooded sweatshirt. He covered his face with a bandanna before pulling out a knife and demanding money from the clerk, police said.

He then fled the store and ran around the back of the deli, toward Lower Landing Road. The next day, police released images and video of Graham from the scene.

After he was arrested, Graham was connected to two other armed robberies. He is accused of serving as the getaway driver in an armed robbery that took place at the same deli on Jan. 24 of last year.

In that incident, 32-year-old Brian Smith, of Washington Township, stands accused of robbing the Pine Run Deli while wearing a Joker mask. Police said he robbed the store using a black semi-automatic handgun. Smith was arrested in April, after Gloucester Township police received tips from the community.

Graham was also charged with stealing money and cigarettes from the Pantry One in Glendora on Feb. 3, 2017. Gloucester Township police worked with New Jersey State Police to resolve these cases.