O.C. Sued by Mother of Slain Baby Boy

A Laguna Niguel woman who was acquitted of murder in the death of her son three years ago has filed a $25-million lawsuit in federal court, alleging that overzealous prosecutors and sheriff’s deputies violated her civil rights.

Shantae Molina alleges that Orange County sheriff’s deputies intimidated her throughout their investigation and that county prosecutors were malicious and unfair during the trial.

Armani Shyloh Contreras was 8 months old when he was shot in the head Oct. 16, 1998. Molina told deputies she thought she’d heard a prowler outside her parents’ home and fired four random shots with her stepfather’s handgun. One bullet struck her son in the head, and he died seven hours later after two surgeries.

Jonathan Rivers, one of Molina’s attorneys, said that when his client’s son was in surgery, investigators took her aside and forced her to disrobe so they could check for signs of a possible struggle between Molina and her son.

“This girl, while she was not under arrest and her baby is struggling for its life, was stripped naked [by deputies],” Rivers said.

Though Molina said she was shooting at a prowler, prosecutors argued during the trial that she had been depressed and suicidal over her breakup with the baby’s father.

Tori Richards, spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney’s office, said the prosecutors on the case did nothing wrong.

Molina said she wants to see those who treated her unfairly out of a job.

“It is very horrible what they did to me,” Molina said Thursday. “It is very hard for me to live day by day. They lied about me; they’ve been prejudiced toward me and my family. I don’t know why.”