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Collegeville woman charged with lying to police after her son killed her daughter, DA says

Daisy Vasquez, 31, initially told police she had accidentally killed her daughter earlier this month.

Jasiyah Vasquez died after being shot inside her home on March 19, police said.
Jasiyah Vasquez died after being shot inside her home on March 19, police said.Read moreJESSICA GRIFFIN / Staff Photographer

A Montgomery County woman whose son fatally shot her daughter earlier this month faces criminal charges after prosecutors say she lied to detectives investigating the homicide.

Daisy Vasquez, 31, was charged Monday with endangering the welfare of children, hindering prosecution, and related offenses. She was released on $50,000 unsecured bail after an arraignment over Zoom. There was no indication she had hired an attorney.

Vasquez’s son, Jah’sir, was charged with third-degree murder March 19, after police say he shot his 12-year-old sister, Jasiyah, with his mother’s handgun. Surveillance footage from the family’s home in the township’s Collegeville section shows Jah’sir pointing the 9mm handgun at his sister just before it goes off, according to court records.

» READ MORE: Collegeville boy, 13, charged in shooting death of his sister, 12, Montgomery County, authorities announce

The boy, 13, later told detectives that he didn’t remember pointing the gun at his sister, that it went off accidentally, and that he hadn’t wanted to hurt her.

The children’s mother initially told police she accidentallyshot Jasiyah while unloading her gun, according to the affidavit of probable cause for her arrest. After detectives confronted her about inconsistencies in her statement, Vasquez admitted that she lied to protect her son and that she had told the boy to take her gun from her car just before the shooting.

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, whose office is prosecuting the cases against Vasquez and her son, said the shooting was a tragedy that easily could have been prevented.

“A parent has a legal responsibility to protect their children, and a handgun owner has a legal responsibility to keep their guns out of the hands of children,” Steele said. “This defendant failed on both counts.”