Attorneys appointed for two accused in death of child
Two unrelated high-profile murder cases were set for hearings Monday and two defendants in one case were appointed attorneys while the third in a different case will undergo a mental evaluation.
Annette D. Harvey, 51, of New Jersey, was charged in January with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of Robin Leonard. The stabbing happened Jan. 29 at Leonardâs home and she died 11 days later.
Harvey appeared with her attorney, Jeff Johnson, before Criminal Court Judge Lisa Rice. Johnson asked the judge to approve a mental evaluation for his client, which she did.
A prosecutor said last week it was ârank neglectâ that led to the death of a 19-month-old girl during the last four months of her life after being returned from foster care to her parents.
Deputy District Attorney General Dennis Brooks made the comment during a preliminary hearing last week for the childâs parents.
Sapora D. Walton, 20, and Jeremiah T. Crater, 22, both of 293 Austin Springs Road were arrested in December 2020 on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse/neglect of their daughter, Samiah.
âThis child was so malnourished by these defendants that the child was eating its body to survive. I cannot imagine the profound neglect that led to this child dying being any greater than those numbers and what they represent.â
Here are some of the high-profile local public safety stories in chronological order from 2020:
April 12: Adam Joseph Decker, 34, told investigators that a 9 mm weapon he was holding went off accidentally while he and Kristi Breland were cooking dinner on Easter Sunday. Decker told 911 dispatchers he had accidentally shot his live-in girlfriend at 107 M Coffey Lane, located in southern Washington County just below the Nolichucky River near Erwin. Deputies arrived to find Breland, 30, dead in the kitchen and Decker in the dining room. The couple had friends over earlier in the day for some target shooting. After the friends left, the couple went back into their residence and got into an alcohol-fueled argument, authorities said. Decker told police he decided to go to bed and when he picked up his pistol, it went off.
Skeletal tot dies of head injuries four months after being returned to parents
Tragic 19-month-old Samiah Crater weighed just 12lbs when she was found dead at her parents home in Tennessee. Sapora Walton, 20, and Jeremiah Crater, 22, are charged with murder
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Authorities say Tennessee girl killed after being returned to parents Sapora D. Walton, 20, and Jeremiah T. Crater, 22, were arrested Wednesday, charged with murder and aggravated child abuse. (Source: Washington County Detention Center) By Associated Press | December 18, 2020 at 11:31 AM EST - Updated December 18 at 11:39 AM
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) The parents of a 19-month-old Tennessee girl have been charged with murder and aggravated child abuse after a medical examiner determined the toddler had been killed, authorities said.
Samiah Crater died in February, four months after being returned to the custody of her parents, Johnson City Police investigator Joe Jaynes wrote in arrest affidavits, according to the Johnson City Press.