A Virginia woman who fatally beat her 11-year-old daughter so severely that it split her stomach open was sentenced to 30 years in prison this week. Latoya Smith, 35, pleaded guilty to felony homicide and child abuse or neglect in the May 2018 slaying of Heaven Watkins. WVEC reported that she was sentenced on Friday …
Prosecutors have dropped second-degree murder charges against a jailed Virginia couple who allegedly beat the woman’s disabled 11-year-old daughter to death in May. The Virginian-Pilot reported that murder charges were changed to felony homicide charges on Thursday. Commonwealth’s attorney spokesperson Amanda Howie told the newspaper that both charges carry a maximum sentence of 40 years but declined …
A Virginia couple charged in the beating death of the woman’s young disabled daughter forced the girl to stand up for hours and fed her only bread and water in the days leading up to her death, a prosecutor said. Latoya Smith, 33, and Demont James Harris, 43, were denied bond as they face murder and …
A Virginia woman and her fiancé are accused of beating the woman’s 11-year-old daughter so seriously that the child’s stomach split open days before she died. Latoya Smith, 33, and Demont Harris, 43, are charged with second-degree murder for the May 18 slaying of Heaven Watkins, who relatives told WSET had autism and cerebral palsy. …
