The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has said that Shanteari Weems, a Maryland daycare owner who shot her husband in July 2022 in Washington, D.C., over claims of child sex abuse has been released.
She formally changed her last name to Young after divorcing James Weems, according to CBS News. The 53-year-old was relocated from the Federal Medical Center (FMC) in Lexington on Tuesday to community confinement, which is controlled by the BOP’s Washington, D.C. office. This implies that Young is either in home confinement or a halfway home.
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According to WJLA, she is scheduled to be released from BOP custody on December 17.
In April 2025, her 60-year-old ex-husband, James Weems Jr., received a life sentence for sexually abusing children at Lil Kids Kastle Development Center, Young’s daycare in Owings Mills. He was the one who drove the childcare van.
James was convicted in November 2024 of rape, sex abuse of a minor, and displaying obscene material to a minor. James was a retired Baltimore City police officer.
Young shot James on July 21, 2022, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, located in the 1300 block of Maryland Avenue, Southwest. She had briefly locked herself and James inside the hotel.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrived at the shooting site, detained Young, and charged her with assault with the intent to kill.
They later learned the motive for the domestic shooting: Young had learned her husband was sexually abusing children at her daycare and confronted him. According to court records, James also admitted to watching pornography while driving the daycare’s van. At the time, the couple had been married for five years and lived in Randallstown in Baltimore County.
When police approached the room in which the shooting took place and asked Young if someone had been shot inside, Young responded, “f— him, he’s a child molester,” court documents detail.
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Baltimore County police later issued an arrest warrant for James on the child sex abuse charges. The Weems’ trials took place over three years, ending in April 2025, when James was sentenced.
Young received a 48-month jail term in February 2023. She had no remorse about testifying for the prosecution in her ex-husband’s case. According to CBS, she was not authorized to reveal to the jury that she had shot him.
“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 to WJZ.
Young told the outlet that she is trying to restore her life while remaining positive.
“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,” Young said.
“One of the things I really want to say is I thank everybody for the support that they have given me,” Young said. “It has really helped me get through my prison sentence, and I’m just really thankful for that.”
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