Shanteari Young does not flinch when asked about the night she pulled the trigger. Nearly four years after she shot her then-husband twice inside a Washington, D.C., hotel room, after learning of allegations that he sexually abused children at her daycare, Young is free—and unapologetic.
“I want to show people that something catastrophic can happen to you, but you can rebuild and you can move on,” Young said in a recent interview. “I’m trying to change this into a positive situation and help people.”
The Night That Changed Everything
It had been almost three and a half years since Young, the owner of Lil Kidz Kastle Daycare Center, confronted James Weems Jr. in his hotel room. The allegations she had just learned—that Weems had sexually abused children at her business—sent her over the edge. She shot him twice.
Weems survived. He was later arrested and charged with sexual abuse of a minor and related crimes.
Young did not run. When police arrived, she surrendered.
No Regrets, No Hesitation
In D.C. Superior Court, Young pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and carrying a pistol without a license. She was sentenced to four years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. She completed the final portion of her sentence in home confinement.
Throughout the legal process and since her release, Young has expressed no regrets about her actions—only about the circumstances that made them necessary.
“Out of prison, she has no regrets,” those close to her say. The statement is not defiance; it is conviction.
On December 17, 2025, Young walked into a halfway house for what she expected to be a routine appointment to have her ankle monitor removed. The entire visit lasted 10 minutes.
When employees took off the device, she kept asking if she was really allowed to leave.
“When I got in my car, I started crying,” she recalled. “Because it was just like, ‘I’m finally done.'”
Now free, Young is not looking back—except to draw strength for the work ahead. She is employed at a residential recovery house and has found a new mission: advocating for children who have experienced sexual abuse.
Her journey from daycare owner to convicted felon to advocate has been unconventional. But Young sees her path clearly. The same protective instinct that led her to act in that hotel room now guides her toward helping others heal.
The daycare she once ran is closed. The marriage is over. But Young’s sense of purpose remains intact.
“Something catastrophic can happen to you, but you can rebuild and you can move on,” she said. For Shanteari Young, rebuilding means standing firm in who she is, what she did, and why she did it—without apology.
