14 DAY TRIAL // Joyce Garrard, a woman from Etowah County in Alabama, US, stands accused of having killed her 9-year-old granddaughter by forcing her to keep running while carrying heavy sticks in her arms until exhaustion and dehydration got to her.
The incident occurred in February 2012. However, it was only this past Monday that the woman's trial began. If found guilty, the woman, now 49-years-old, risks being sentenced to life behind bars or even being handed the death penalty.
The prosecution's account of the child's death
In its opening statement, the prosecution told the court of law handling this case how, that February, 9-year-old Savannah Hardin lied about eating a few candy bars. To punish her, her grandmother had her run around carrying heavy sticks in her arms.
It is understood that the girl was subjected to this treatment for about three hours. During this time, the young girl complained about being too tired to keep going on several occasions. Word has it that she even pleaded with Joyce Garrard to let her be.
The woman disregarded the child's complaints and urged her to keep running. Eventually, the 9-year-old collapsed to the ground and started vomiting while trying to balance her body on her hands and knees. When she was finally rushed to a hospital, she was in very poor health condition.
According to the prosecution's opening statement, the girl passed away just 3 days after having been hospitalized. When they autopsied her body, coroners found clear signs of dehydration and identified bruises that the prosecution says were left on the her body by the sticks she was forced to carry.
In a video, 49-year-old is seen talking to one Rayann Holmes, Savannah's school bus driver, and telling her that she would punish the girl for eating the candy bars. “She's going to run till I tell her to stop. She's gonna learn. I don't play with her,” her exact words were, as cited by WBRC.
The defense says the girl's death was nobody's fault
Addressing the court of law, the defense argued that Joyce Garrard never intended to harm the young girl and that 9-year-old Savannah Hardin's death was simply a mishap. The defense also said that underlying health trouble contributed to the child's death.
As mentioned, the 49-year-old could be sentenced to life in prison or even death if found guilty of having killed her granddaughter. It is understood that the girl's stepmother, who witnessed the entire affair but did nothing to save the child, is also facing murder charges.