PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga. — A mother in Peachtree Corners, Georgia has been handed a life sentence in prison, along with an additional five years, for the brutal murder of her 5-year-old son. Azaria Shante Burton, 23, pleaded guilty to several charges including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, arson, and tampering with evidence in connection with the October 2023 incident. The Gwinnett County District Attorney condemned the senseless killing, stating that it deviated from the natural instincts of motherhood.
On the morning of October 19, 2023, firefighters responded to reports of an apartment fire on Spring Lane. Upon arrival, they discovered the lifeless body of Jayveon Pruitt, who had suffered 22 stab wounds to the chest. Investigators later determined that Pruitt had died before the fire engulfed the apartment. Burton was apprehended by Gwinnett County Police in a nearby wooded area behind the apartment complex.
In her statement to the police, Burton revealed that she was under immense stress at the time of the incident. She claimed to be pregnant and facing eviction, explaining that the pressures of life had become too overwhelming. Burton admitted to premeditating the act, purchasing sterno cans from a local Dollar Tree store and rehearsing setting the flammable gel inside them alight in her own trash can. On the day of the fire, she sent a text message to her boyfriend, informing him that she had left his belongings and money in their shared car. The text ended with a final goodbye and a declaration of love.
The chilling details of the crime emerged during Burton’s plea hearing. She confessed to spreading the flammable gel across various areas of the apartment, including her bedroom carpet, her son’s bunkbed mattress, the kitchen trash, the laundry hamper, the living room, the master bedroom closet, and even the shower curtain. Burton made no attempt to deny starting the fires, nor did she show any emotion or remorse throughout the court proceedings.
Assistant District Attorney Marlene Oldeen prosecuted the case, with support from investigator Brad Wiley and victim witness advocate Korinne Haskins. The Gwinnett County Police Department and the Gwinnett County Fire & Emergency Services played crucial roles in the investigation.
The devastating crime has sent shockwaves through the local community, leaving loved ones and neighbors grappling with the tragic loss of an innocent child.
As the trial concluded, the judge sentenced Burton to life imprisonment and an additional five years.