A Baltimore County daycare owner has been released after serving most of a four-year prison sentence. Shanteari Young shot her ex-husband after discovering he was involved in sexual abuse at her facility. Now living in a halfway house, she’s beginning the next chapter as she adjusts to life after prison.
RELATED: Ex-Baltimore Cop James Weems Jr. Sentenced For Sexual Abuse At Ex-Wife’s Daycare
Details About Shanteari Young’s Prison Release
Shanteari Young, formerly known as Shanteari Weems, stepped into a halfway house in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. This comes after she served nearly four years behind bars, despite public outrage over the judge doubling the requested sentence. In an exclusive sit-down with WJZ’s Mike Hellgren, Young confirmed she’s working toward returning to Maryland. However, she’ll likely remain under home confinement until her sentence ends in December 2025. And, she revealed that rebuilding and healing are her priorities, as she attempts to put the past behind her. When speaking about the support she’s received from people following the case, Shanteari said:
“One of the things I really want to say is I thank everybody for the support that they have given me,” Young revealed. “It has really helped me get through my prison sentence, and I’m just really thankful for that. I’m glad to be out and at the halfway house, and I’m just looking forward to rebuilding and giving back to the community like I was before.”
Shanteari Young Speaks On Her Ex-Husband
Young seemingly has no regrets about testifying for the prosecution in her ex-husband, James Weems Jr.’s case — even though the jury wasn’t told that she was the one who shot him. She kept it real, saying:
“I’m definitely glad that the justice system saw what happened, and he was sentenced to what he got. And that everybody can start trying to rebuild and move on,” Young said.
Shanteari also spoke on raising awareness around child predators, adding: “It’s a good thing that we’re able to start helping children and bring more awareness to sexual predators who are out there—even those that have on the blue uniform or are within certain areas where we would’ve assumed that these people wouldn’t have done anything.”
What To Know About The WILD Case
Young was convicted of aggravated assault and illegal firearm possession after confronting her then-husband—retired Baltimore City cop James Weems Jr.—in a D.C. hotel in July 2022. She shot him twice after accusing him of molesting children at Lil Kidz Kastle Daycare Center. Additionally, she later divorced Weems and officially changed her name.
The case took a darker turn in April 2025 when Weems Jr. was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of multiple counts of child sexual abuse—spanning rape, molestation, and more—in his wife’s daycare from 2020 to 2022. Four children testified, including a 10-year-old girl who said he showed her pornography and molested her. Prosecutors uncovered that Weems had visited adult websites near elementary schools—an FBI finding used during the sentencing. Young’s supporters decried her initial four-year prison sentence, arguing she acted to fill the void left by a system that took too long to respond.
