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Thread: McKenna Faith Belcher Sentenced to Life in Prison in 2019 AR Slaying of 3-Year-Old McKinley Cawley

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    McKenna Faith Belcher Sentenced to Life in Prison in 2019 AR Slaying of 3-Year-Old McKinley Cawley


    McKinley Cawley





    Miller County prosecutor seeks death penalty in death of 3-year-old


    Stepmom charged with capital murder pleads not guilty


    By Lynn LaRowe
    Texarkana Gazette

    Miller County Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Potter Barrett said Tuesday that her office will seek the death penalty for a stepmother accused of capital murder in the death of her husband's 3-year-old daughter.

    McKenna Faith Belcher, 26, appeared before Circuit Judge Kirk Johnson for arraignment with Adam Chandler and Andrea Stokes of the Arkansas Public Defender Commission at the Miller County jail courtroom Tuesday afternoon. Stokes entered pleas of not guilty to charges of capital murder and second-degree domestic battery on Belcher's behalf. Belcher's domestic battery charge involves her alleged abuse of Cawley's 2-year-old son.

    Johnson asked the defense lawyers if they could be ready for trial July 29. Stokes and Chandler said they have recently received discovery, or copies of the state's evidence, and need more time to prepare for trial. Johnson scheduled the case for a status hearing in August and set an October trial date.

    Belcher's husband, Everette Cawley, 23, pleaded not guilty earlier this month at a hearing before Circuit Judge Brent Haltom to two counts of permitting the abuse of a minor involving McKinley and her 2-year-old brother.

    Cawley's case is scheduled for jury selection before Haltom in late August.

    Husband and wife were arrested in April after Cawley's daughter, McKinley Cawley died, allegedly from physical injuries caused by Belcher. McKinley died of blunt force injuries hours after her father ran through the emergency room doors of a Texarkana hospital carrying her unconscious body. The gravely injured child was airlifted from CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System to Children's Medical Center in Little Rock where she died less than 12 hours later.

    Hospital staff immediately suspected abuse was to blame for the youngster's dire medical condition and contacted police when she was brought for treatment at about 4:30 a.m. April 2. McKinley's suffering included a traumatic brain injury and "excessive bruising to the face and torso which is far beyond any over-active child and patterned to suggest use of a rigid object," the affidavit states. Belcher allegedly threw, kicked, stomped and beat McKinley in the days and hours before her death while Cawley allegedly failed to protect her, according to authorities.

    External injuries similar to those seen on McKinley were found on the 2-year-old boy's face, torso and legs, which doctors hypothesized they were caused by a "blunt type instrument/object" and are described as bruising all along his face and limbs. A search warrant affidavit identifies an attempt by Texarkana, Ark., police investigators to recover a wooden bed slat allegedly used to strike the girl.

    Belcher and Cawley allegedly confessed.

    The couple's infant, born Jan. 30, was in need of medical attention as well. The girl had a severe yeast infection "under her neck skin fold," which was bleeding at the time she was taken into state custody.

    Cawley faces five to 20 years if found guilty of permitting the abuse of a minor resulting in death as he is charged in connection with McKinley. If found guilty of permitting the abuse of his son, Cawley faces up to six years in prison. Belcher faces five to 20 years in prison if found guilty of second-degree domestic battery involving her stepson. If convicted of capital murder, Belcher faces life without parole or death by lethal injection.

    Belcher is being held without bail. Cawley's bail is set at $1 million. Both are being held in the Miller County jail.

    https://www.magnoliabannernews.com/n...penalty-death/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    SWAR stepmother facing capital murder charge in court

    By Heather Wright
    Texarkana News

    MILLER COUNTY, Ark. (KTAL/KMSS) – The defense for a woman facing the death penalty in the death of her young stepdaughter wants to stop anyone from making statements to the media prior to trial.

    A judge granted that motion Tuesday morning in the case of McKenna Belcher, who is charged with capital murder and domestic battery in the death of McKinley Cawley, 3.

    Belcher has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    In June, Miller County Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Potter Barrett said, “From the evidence that has been presented to the prosecutor’s office, this wasn’t a one-time event. This is beatings that occurred over a course that showed the child had been tortured by Miss Belcher, and that is the reason that the prosecuting attorney’s office is seeking the death penalty in this case.”

    Tuesday, the judge also granted a defense request to obtain all hospital and DHS records of all defendants and children involved in the case. Police have alleged that Belcher abused her stepson, 2, as well. The young boy, along with an infant, were taken into state custody after McKinley Cawley’s death in April 2019.

    McKinley’s father, Everette Cawley, is charged with permitting abuse of a minor in the case.

    Another hearing for Belcher is set for September 16.

    https://www.arklatexhomepage.com/new...arge-in-court/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Gag order issued in child-abuse case

    Pretrial hearing held for woman accused in 3-year-old stepdaughter’s death

    By Lynn LaRowe
    Texarkana Gazette

    TEXARKANA -- A Miller County circuit judge ruled Tuesday that neither the prosecution, defense nor law enforcement can comment publicly about a capital murder case involving a stepmother accused in the death of her husband's 3-year-old daughter.

    McKenna Faith Belcher, 26, appeared Tuesday for a pretrial hearing before Circuit Judge Kirk Johnson with Little Rock lawyer Andrea Stokes.

    Johnson addressed a number of defense motions in the death penalty case, including one for a gag order intended to limit pretrial publicity that could influence or prejudice potential jurors.

    While Johnson granted the motion for a gag order, he denied defense motions asking the court to rule that Arkansas' capital murder statute and the death penalty are unconstitutional.

    Johnson considered a number of other defense motions Tuesday, most of which are filed as a matter of course in capital cases. Among the motions was one seeking preservation of law enforcement notes and digital files, which Johnson granted.

    Belcher is accused of beating McKinley Cawley to death in April. McKinley's father, Everette Cawley, was carrying his unconscious daughter when he ran through the doors of Christus St. Michael Health System about 4:30 a.m. April 2.

    The hospital staff immediately suspected abuse in the girl's dire medical condition and contacted police.

    Doctors determined that McKinley was suffering from extensive internal and external trauma that required her to be airlifted to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, where she died less than 12 hours later. McKinley's diagnoses included a traumatic brain injury and "excessive bruising to the face and torso which is far beyond any over-active child and patterned to suggest use of a rigid object," the affidavit stated.

    Also noted by the hospital staff were lacerations in McKinley's kidneys and pancreas "caused by extreme high-force events" and cuts and bruises to both sides of the young girl's lungs "caused by a shearing mechanism, which would suggest the victim sustained blunt force blows/slams to a flat surface."

    McKinley's head was shaved, and doctors theorized that this was done to conceal that the girl was "missing hair (scalp) that appeared to have been removed by force," the affidavit stated. "It should be noted that responding detectives found long tufts of hair in the residence, as well as in the underwear of the victim."

    The affidavit stated that McKinley's elevated liver-function tests could have been caused by a prolonged period of oxygen deprivation and impaired circulation, and that there was likely some delay in seeking medical care for the child. When the girl was admitted to Children's Hospital, doctors expressed pessimism regarding her chances of survival, given that she'd gone without oxygen for a substantial amount of time.

    The couple and their 2-month-old daughter and Cawley's 2-year-old son were living in a Texarkana duplex in the 3800 block of Linden Street.

    External injuries similar to those seen on McKinley were found on the 2-year-old boy's face, torso and legs, and doctors theorized that the injuries were caused by a "blunt type instrument/object." The injuries were described as bruising all along his face and limbs.

    The couple's infant, born Jan. 30, was in need of medical attention, as well. The baby girl had a severe yeast infection "under her neck skin fold," which was bleeding at the time she was taken into state custody.

    Texarkana police detectives reported that Belcher said McKinley had bit her thumb and that her response was to throw the young child to the floor and strike her in the face.

    Belcher "later said that, during this incident, she had also kicked McKinley in the legs," the affidavit stated. "Crime scene detectives collected a pair of steel-toe boots belonging to McKenna," the affidavit said.

    Cawley told detectives that Belcher beat McKinley on March 30 or 31 -- after the girl bit her on the thumb, slamming the girl into a cabinet, throwing her to the floor and "stomping" on her feet and legs, authorities said in documents. Cawley said that while he was at the store on March 31, Belcher further injured the girl but he didn't know exactly how, according to documents.

    Cawley "said McKenna told him that she had disciplined McKinley in his absence," the affidavit stated.

    A search warrant affidavit stated that investigators looked for a "wooden slat" and another item from the child's bed that were suspected of being used to beat the girl.

    Belcher faces death by lethal injection or life without the possibility of parole if convicted of capital murder. Belcher is charged with second-degree domestic battery in the injuries found on Cawley's son. Second-degree battery is punishable by three to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.

    Cawley, 23, is facing two counts of permitting the abuse of a minor. The charge involving the death of his daughter is punishable by five to 20 years in prison and a $15,000 fine. The charge involving the injuries to his son is punishable by up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Cawley is scheduled to appear before Circuit Judge Brent Haltom for a pretrial hearing later this month.

    https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/...abuse-case-20/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Stepmom accused in 3-year-old’s death appears in court

    By Field Walsh
    TXK Today

    A stepmother accused of capital murder in the April death of her husband’s 3-year-old daughter was in court Monday for a pretrial hearing.

    The state is seeking a death sentence for McKenna Faith Belcher, 26. Circuit Judge Kirk Johnson addressed motions filed by the defense concerning experts and digital evidence.

    Belcher’s lawyer, Andrea Stokes of the Arkansas Public Defender Commission, filed a motion seeking to have communications between Belcher’s defense team and experts assisting in building her defense declared privileged and not subject to rules that require both sides to share evidence. Stokes said she isn’t asking for privilege to include experts the defense expects to call as witnesses at Belcher’s trial or reports, such as a psychological evaluation, created by defense experts.

    Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Potter Barrett said she believes the identities of experts and their reports must be shared with the state. Stokes said she would give reports or the names of potential expert witnesses to the state.

    Stokes also said that if the defense intends to raise the issue of Belcher’s competency or pursue a defense based on mental illness or intellectual deficiency she would give the state notice in a timely manner. If the defense raises those issues, the state has the right to have Belcher examined by its own expert.

    Johnson agreed to give Stokes 10 days to respond to a response Barrett filed Monday to the defense motion concerning experts and privilege.

    Stokes said the defense is also requesting original copies of any digital evidence. She said copies of photographs the state turned over to the defense contained in a PDF file are missing the “meta-data” which should be embedded with information concerning where and when the photos were taken.

    Barrett said she will determine if the photographs in the state’s possession contain the meta-data or if they were received without it by her office.

    Johnson scheduled the case for another pretrial hearing next month.

    If Belcher is found guilty of capital murder she faces death by lethal injection or life without parole. She is also charged with second-degree battery in connection with injuries found on McKinley’s younger brother.

    Belcher’s husband, Everette Cawley, is charged with two counts of permitting the abuse of a minor for allegedly allowing the abuse to occur and doing nothing to stop it.

    Everette Cawley brought McKinley to St. Michael’s Hospital in Texarkana, Texas, in the early morning hours of April 2. The girl was unresponsive and medical staff immediately suspected child abuse.

    McKinley was airlifted to Little Rock and died in a hospital there the same day.

    Belcher is being held in the Miller County jail without bail.

    https://txktoday.com/crime/stepmom-a...ears-in-court/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Father charged as accomplice to capital murder in 3-year-old’s death

    By Field Walsh
    TXK Today

    The father of a 3-year-old girl who was allegedly beaten to death last year by her stepmother has been charged in Miller County as an accomplice to capital murder.

    Everette Cawley, 24, and his wife, McKenna Belcher, 27, are both facing charges in the April 2 death of McKinley Cawley. McKinley died April 2 in a Little Rock hospital.

    Belcher is facing a charge of capital murder and the state has announced it will seek the death penalty. Belcher is also charged with battery for injuries found on McKinley’s younger brother. Everette Cawley is charged with two counts of permitting the abuse of a minor and as accomplice to capital murder, according to Miller County court records.

    Prosecutors have not announced whether Everette Cawley will face the death penalty. Accomplice to capital murder has the same punishment as capital murder, death or life without parole.

    According to a probable cause affidavit, Everette Cawley ran through the doors of St. Michael’s hospital emergency room around 4:30 a.m. April 2 with McKinley in his arms. She was found to be suffering from numerous blunt force injuries which medical staff suspected were the result of child abuse.

    Everette Cawley allegedly admitted to investigators that Belcher had beaten the children. He is accused of failing to protect his children from a prior relationship.

    https://txktoday.com/crime/father-ch...ar-olds-death/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Edited:

    Father charged as accomplice to capital murder in 3-year-old’s death

    By Field Walsh
    TXK Today

    The father of a 3-year-old girl who was allegedly beaten to death last year by her stepmother has been charged in Miller County as an accomplice to capital murder.

    Everette Cawley, 24, and his wife, McKenna Belcher, 27, are both facing charges in the April 2 death of McKinley Cawley. McKinley died April 2 in a Little Rock hospital.

    Belcher is facing a charge of capital murder and the state has announced it will seek the death penalty. Belcher is also charged with battery for injuries found on McKinley’s younger brother. Everette Cawley is charged with two counts of permitting the abuse of a minor and as accomplice to capital murder, according to Miller County court records.

    Prosecutors have not announced whether Everette Cawley will face the death penalty. Accomplice to capital murder has the same punishment as capital murder, death or life without parole.

    https://txktoday.com/crime/father-ch...ar-olds-death/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Edited:

    Trial over toddler's death postponed | Defense needs more time to examine documents, still waiting on test reports

    Trial in a death-penalty case involving a woman accused of fatally beating her husband's 3-year-old daughter last year has been postponed

    By Lynn LaRowe
    Texarkana Gazette

    TEXARKANA, Ark. — Trial in a death-penalty case involving a woman accused of fatally beating her husband's 3-year-old daughter last year has been postponed.

    McKenna Faith Belcher, 27, is charged with capital murder in the April 2019 death of McKinley Cawley. The case was scheduled for jury selection later this month before Circuit Judge Kirk Johnson.

    Last week, Belcher's defense team filed a motion seeking a continuance in the case. The motion notes that the defense has just recently received thousands of pages of documents and two videos from the state, which it needs time to review. The motion further argues that reports on testing from physical evidence haven't been received by the state or defense and that the defense needs more time to conduct a "mitigation investigation" in advance of trial.

    In a death-penalty case, the defense is obliged to conduct an in-depth investigation into the accused's past. The goal is to find evidence that might lead a jury to choose a sentence of life without parole rather than death by lethal injection in the event of a conviction.

    Johnson scheduled Belcher's case for a status hearing next month. A firm date for jury selection has not been rescheduled.

    https://www.texarkanagazette.com/new...eports/815201/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Woman who beat husband's daughter takes murder plea | Father will face charges as an alleged accomplice

    A woman who beat her husband's 3-year-old daughter to death using steel-toed boots and a wooden bed slat in 2019 was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison as part of a plea agreement in Miller County circuit court

    By Lynn LaRowe
    Texarkana Gazette

    TEXARKANA, Ark. — A woman who beat her husband's 3-year-old daughter to death using steel-toed boots and a wooden bed slat in 2019 was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison as part of a plea agreement in Miller County circuit court.

    McKenna Faith Belcher, 29, avoided a possible death sentence with her plea of guilty to first-degree murder though she will spend the remainder of her days in an Arkansas prison for taking the life of young McKinley McCawley.

    "It just doesn't seem fair that McKinley gets death and McKenna Belcher gets life," the victim's grandmother said as she addressed the court Tuesday morning. "What could a 3-year-old little girl have done to deserve this? It breaks my heart knowing what was done to her but the nightmares I have are nothing compared to the nightmare McKinley lived."

    Belcher appeared at the hearing before Circuit Judge Wren Autrey with Andrea Stokes and Jeffrey Chandler, both of the Arkansas Public Defender Commission. As Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell provided the court with a factual basis for Belcher's plea for the official record, members of McKinley's family, court staff and a Miller County correctional officer wiped at their eyes.

    Mitchell recounted that McKinley was flown via helicopter from a Texarkana emergency room to a hospital in Little Rock the morning of April 2, 2019. Mitchell noted that McKinley was found to have suffered bruising all over her small body as well as severe internal and head injuries from which she would die later the same day.

    McKinley's aunt and great grandmother described seeing McKinley motionless in a hospital bed with tubes and machines keeping her alive for a short while.

    "She had a laugh, a laugh that went to the biggest smile on anyone's face," McKinley's aunt said. "I wish that when I dream of her I was surrounded by that laugh instead of touching that lifeless little hand."

    McKinley's grandmother lamented that the "vibrant, joyful, little 3-year-old" who was mercilessly beaten to death would never have the "firsts" in life that benchmark a human lifespan, such as the first day of school.

    "She was more than a victim. She was a little girl. A human being," the grandmother said.

    McKinley's grandmother referred to a necklace she wears to feel a connection to McKinley.

    "We should get to hug her but instead we're left with tiny vials of her ashes," the grandmother said.

    As the hearing wound to a close, Autrey looked from the judge's bench to the grief stricken faces of McKinley's family.

    "There's nothing I can say that will make this any better," Autrey said.

    Mitchell said that, as part of Belcher's plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop a charge related to child abuse injuries found on McKinley's younger brother.

    "I am pleased we were able to resolve this matter with the family's support. With the defendant's plea, there is no appeal. McKinley's family can begin the healing process and mourn the loss of their daughter, granddaughter and great granddaughter," Mitchell said. "In Arkansas, with a sentence of life in prison, there is no parole without an act of the governor. With the circumstances surrounding the death of McKinley, I cannot envision any circumstances under which a governor would commute her sentence to a term of years."

    McKinley's father, Everette Cawley, is facing criminal charges in Miller County as well. Pending against him are two counts of permitting the abuse of a minor involving McKinley and her brother and a count of accomplice capital murder.

    Belcher threw, kicked, stomped and beat McKinley in the days and hours before her death, while Cawley allegedly failed to protect her. McKinley's head had been shaved before she was brought to the hospital and clumps of hair were found in the couple's Texarkana, Arkansas, duplex and in McKinley's underwear. Investigators with the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department concluded that McKinley's head was shaved to conceal that clumps of her hair had been yanked from her scalp.

    External injuries similar to those seen on McKinley were found on her 2-year-old brother's face, torso and legs, which doctors hypothesized were caused by a "blunt type instrument/ object" and are described as bruising all along his face and limbs.

    If convicted, Cawley faces five to 20 years on each of the permitting abuse charges and death or life without parole on the charge of accomplice capital murder.

    He is scheduled to appear next month for a pretrial hearing.

    https://www.texarkanagazette.com/new...mplice/870785/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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