GUILTY AL - Savannah Hardin, 9, forced to run til she died, Etowah Co., 17 Feb 2012

[JoeFromLB]

A prosecutor called the grandmother the "drill sergeant from hell."

She faces the possibility of the death penalty.

"Savannah was also allegedly made to carry about 10 pounds of wood while running, according to new information revealed at the hearing, Alabama's13.com reported."

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2...-capital-murder-charge-in-girls-running-death

 

[JoeFromLB]

I'd like to hear what the father has to say. I'm not taking a defense attorney's word on if the father is supporting his wife and mother.

I can't imagine that he would, but in many of these cases of parents murdering their children, we see other family members blindly lining up behind the killers. It's a real mystery to me.

 

[LinasK]

I can't imagine that he would, but in many of these cases of parents murdering their children, we see other family members blindly lining up behind the killers. It's a real mystery to me.

It's called denial. He wants to be absolved of the guilt he feels for making bad choices by leaving her with these two. Seen it before in the Zahra Baker case, the Powell family, Casey Anthony's family, and others on TV crime shows where it's obvious to everyone else that the father (or other perp) did it, yet the family supports them.

 

[Belinda]

My heart truly breaks for all the children murdered by the very ones they should have been able to trust with their lives. I grew up in an abusive home and I know some of the terror these children feel. Obviously, I wasn't murdered, but things were pretty rough. I'll never forget the terror. It makes me feel for these children all that much more.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

It's called denial. He wants to be absolved of the guilt he feels for making bad choices by leaving her with these two. Seen it before in the Zahra Baker case, the Powell family, Casey Anthony's family, and others on TV crime shows where it's obvious to everyone else that the father (or other perp) did it, yet the family supports them.

I know this happens but we have not heard him defend them.

We have only heard the defense attorneys for the accused say he is standing by them.

So, until I hear him say it, I'm taking that info with a huge amount of salt.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Prosecutors told an Etowah County judge they have surveillance video from a school bus video which shows Joyce Garrard threaten to punish her granddaughter, Savannah Hardin.

Assistant District Attorney Marcus Reid said Garrard told the school bus driver "I'm going to run her, I'm going to run her 'til she can't run no more."

http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-prose...avannah-hardin-case-20120301,0,6078127.story#

PREMEDITATION!

 

[JoeFromLB]

Prosecutors told an Etowah County judge they have surveillance video from a school bus video which shows Joyce Garrard threaten to punish her granddaughter, Savannah Hardin.

Assistant District Attorney Marcus Reid said Garrard told the school bus driver "I'm going to run her, I'm going to run her 'til she can't run no more."

http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-prose...avannah-hardin-case-20120301,0,6078127.story#

PREMEDITATION!

Grandma got her wish, and will spend the rest of her life in prison with the memory.

 

[lowens1975]

I'd like to hear what the father has to say. I'm not taking a defense attorney's word on if the father is supporting his wife and mother.

Wonder if they will ask for a change of venue? Gadsden doesn't even have a population of 50,000 but NG is all over this. At least they will have to pick a town in Alabama, they really don't want Pinellas County Jurors, lol!!

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Wonder if they will ask for a change of venue? Gadsden doesn't even have a population of 50,000 but NG is all over this. At least they will have to pick a town in Alabama, they really don't want Pinellas County Jurors, lol!!

I stayed in Gadsden once at a lake house the week of the Talladega race.
Beautiful part of our country.

I think the attorneys have been screaming for a change of venue since they got the case.

 

[MsFacetious]

Bone acknowledged about two dozen friends and family of the suspects who came to show support for the accused, including Savannah's father.

Robert Hardin sat in the front row as prosecutors spoke about how his mother and wife murdered his daughter.

...........not only was Savannah forced to run for over three hours, she was required to carry pieces of firewood ranging in weight from eight to 15 pounds.

He said the 65-pound girl had cuts on her arms from the wood, and fell to the ground, vomiting due to exhaustion.

http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-prose...avannah-hardin-case-20120301,0,6078127.story#

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2...-capital-murder-charge-in-girls-running-death

Lily's father supported his wife.... and his girlfriend did too. That won't surprise me. :waitasec:

Now... if this about the wood is true? Then I have another issue. I haven't raised an issue with the neighbors...
Because I thought that a child running around a house could be seen as innocent, even if they were alone.

But if this girl was carrying WOOD while running around the house... that is totally different and I would have been calling the cops for sure.
I will have an issue if the neighbor saw her running while carrying wood, but the neighbor did not intervene.

 

[ThoughtFox]

I think this must have happened to Savannah before, and she knew the penalty for not cooperating was something horrible. I'm sure the child was threatened with something far worse than running or carrying wood - beating, strangulation, burning, God knows what - and that kept her going. She was in fear for her life, even while not realizing she could die if she continued to run. No way out. Just incredibly sad.

 

[waltzingmatilda]

There are some adorable photos of Savannah at this link! Bless her precious little heart.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...tor-hell-grandmother-faces-death-penalty.html

When Reid called Garrard the 'drill sergeant from hell' and pointed at her, Garrard's lawyer Dani Bone, who jumped up between Reid and Garrard, crossed his arms and yelled at Reid to quit pointing at the woman.
'That's inappropriate!' Bone said.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...mother-faces-death-penalty.html#ixzz1ny2WvuWu

Well Dani, if the shoe fits.......

MOO

wm

 

[jjenny]

Adorable child. What this grandma was thinking is beyond my understanding.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

I'd like to hear from Savannah's father.

I'd like to know if he is, in fact, supporting these women.

So far, two people have said he is. Both of those people are defense attorneys for the accused women.
I'm sure they want the world to think the women have a lot of support.

He may be. I don't know.
I'd like to hear from him.

 

[AnaTeresa]

Bone acknowledged about two dozen friends and family of the suspects who came to show support for the accused, including Savannah's father.

Robert Hardin sat in the front row as prosecutors spoke about how his mother and wife murdered his daughter.

...........not only was Savannah forced to run for over three hours, she was required to carry pieces of firewood ranging in weight from eight to 15 pounds.

He said the 65-pound girl had cuts on her arms from the wood, and fell to the ground, vomiting due to exhaustion.

http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-prose...avannah-hardin-case-20120301,0,6078127.story#

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2...-capital-murder-charge-in-girls-running-death

Lily's father supported his wife.... and his girlfriend did too. That won't surprise me. :waitasec:

Now... if this about the wood is true? Then I have another issue. I haven't raised an issue with the neighbors...
Because I thought that a child running around a house could be seen as innocent, even if they were alone.

But if this girl was carrying WOOD while running around the house... that is totally different and I would have been calling the cops for sure.
I will have an issue if the neighbor saw her running while carrying wood, but the neighbor did not intervene.

I thought I read in a news article that one of the neighbors called CPS? At least one mentioned seeing her run around carrying sticks and was concerned. I'll see if I can go back and figure out which one.

 

[lowens1975]

Bone acknowledged about two dozen friends and family of the suspects who came to show support for the accused, including Savannah's father.

Robert Hardin sat in the front row as prosecutors spoke about how his mother and wife murdered his daughter.

...........not only was Savannah forced to run for over three hours, she was required to carry pieces of firewood ranging in weight from eight to 15 pounds.

He said the 65-pound girl had cuts on her arms from the wood, and fell to the ground, vomiting due to exhaustion.

http://www.whnt.com/news/whnt-prose...avannah-hardin-case-20120301,0,6078127.story#

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2...-capital-murder-charge-in-girls-running-death

Lily's father supported his wife.... and his girlfriend did too. That won't surprise me. :waitasec:

Now... if this about the wood is true? Then I have another issue. I haven't raised an issue with the neighbors...
Because I thought that a child running around a house could be seen as innocent, even if they were alone.

But if this girl was carrying WOOD while running around the house... that is totally different and I would have been calling the cops for sure.
I will have an issue if the neighbor saw her running while carrying wood, but the neighbor did not intervene.

I have a problem with Grandma going too far as to dish out that kind of punishment over a lie. I was raised by my grandmother for most of my early childhood. And she was from that same area of Etowah County. She had a 'thing' for 'hickories', but most of the time opted for making me get on my knees and pray for forgiveness. lol! I was on my knees 90% of time :floorlaugh:

 

[Kimberlyd125]

ETOWAH CO. - The case of a grandmother and stepmother accused of running a little girl to death could go before a grand jury this week.

http://www2.alabamas13.com/news/201...ury-could-examine-savannah-hardin-ar-3346829/

 

[waltzingmatilda]

This link shows pics of the perp walk and also some info that I didn't know.

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20120301/NEWS/120309993/1084/NEWS?p=1&tc=pg

Garrard, who apparently intended to punish Savannah for eating chocolate candy bars on the school bus the day before, got on the bus to talk to the driver when the bus stopped in the neighborhood to let other kids off.

Savannah, a third-grader at Carlisle Elementary School, had not ridden the bus that day. She already was running in the yard at their home on Carlisle Acres Drive in the Mountainboro area when her grandmother got on the bus.


And then there's this.....

Reid said Savannah also was made to carry firewood weighing up to 15 pounds.

“It was so heavy it cut into her arms,” he said.

Reid said Savannah was crawling and begging for mercy when her grandmother asked her, “Did anybody tell you you could stop?”

“She was a drill sergeant from hell,” he said.

Jessica Hardin cried as Reid talked about her role in Savannah's death.

“A lady she called mother did nothing to stop it,” he said. “She looked to the woman that she viewed as her mother and her grandmother said ‘Don't look at her. She won't help you.'”


I cannot even begin to imagine the torture this precious little girl endured!

wm

 

[Belinda]

That makes me cry waltzingmatilda. How can people be so incredibly cruel? My heart is broken for what Savannah went through. It is so unfair.

 

[Lovejac]

waltzingmatilda, it just keeps getting worse doesn't it.

That poor child, begging for someone to help her