Prosecutors said the woman, later identified as 53-year-old Cherri, was found guilty of first-degree murder and child abuse for her role in beating 5-year-old chiId, who was in her care, to death. According to the court documents, the woman, who was the sole carer for the girl, AnabeIIe, at the time, initially told investigators that the child fell down the stairs. Jurors didn’t believe that and convicted the woman, who is now facing maximum possible sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
According to the court documents, the woman reportedly killed the child by hitting the little girl’s head between her hands. In 2022, the 911 called told the dispatcher about a 5-year-old girl that was not breathing. The responding officers found the child not breathing and rushed her to the hospital. Due to the severity of her injuries, the girl was pronounced dead the following day.
During an interview with investigators, the babysitter reportedly said that the 5-year-old girl fell down the stairs. But, the medical examiner revealed that the child’s injuries were not consistent with the story she told investigators. In a follow-up interview, the woman reportedly said that she struck the little girl’s head between her hands at 5-10 times. The woman also said that the girl lied down after the hitting.
During the trial, an associate of the defendant, reportedly testified that the 53-year-old babysitter reportedly told them that hated the 5-year-old child and ‘wanted to kill her’. During the trial, the medical examiner reportedly testified that the 5-year-old girl suffered severe injuries, such as: bIeeding brain, broken neck and other injuries.