FL - Cheyenne Eairheart, 4, beaten to death, Port Charlotte, 20 Dec 2006

[STEADFAST]

Thank you Steadfast. This case is very close to my heart. Holli will be going on trial on March 4 2008 and I hope and pray she gets convicted.

You're not alone in that, Retired!

 

[Retired in NH]

I have a serious problem with letting a baby killer out on bond...:banghead:

Why should her bond only be $550,000 and other who have murdered adults have no bond. It makes me soooooo angry:furious:

 

[Lisahas2cats]

To jog people's memory, "Holli was arrested because, according to a police report, she abused Cheyenne by taping her eyes shut when she refused to sleep and smearing feces on her face as punishment for soiling herself. Cheyenne was in Holli's care the day of her death and sustained a fractured skull that could not have been self-inflicted,"

I can't bring myself to read the links, reading the quote was enough.

Nobody can be more frustrated than I am at this very moment with a no-napping, mostly-potty-trained preschooler. I need this child to take a nap so I can shut my brain off for a while. No dice, and I'm ready to bang MY head on the wall. What I CANNOT imagine, even for a moment, is taping her little eyelids shut!! And as for the feces in the face .......even in my frustration last night with poopy underwear, *her* unhappiness/discomfort with the situation was primary, and made it so I could honestly say to her "Baby, you know what the great thing about poop is? It washes off! Even when it's on your clothes, it washes off, and that is a very cool thing".

Why can't people just step back from themselves for a damned second, get a grip, and stop fracturing their kids' skulls and killing them over dumb that does. not. matter?!?!

 

[RiverRat]

Thank you Steadfast. This case is very close to my heart. Holli will be going on trial on March 4 2008 and I hope and pray she gets convicted.

I noticed a picture of the twins in the newspaper last week and haven't been able to get their family out of my thoughts since then. Then I accidently found this thread......thank you for the update and welcome to Websleuths.

 

[Jeana (DP)]

I've merged the two threads together here for easy reading. Does anyone know if this trial will be televised?

 

[RiverRat]

I've merged the two threads together here for easy reading. Does anyone know if this trial will be televised?

Thank you, Jeana. It makes it much easier to be able to go back and review. The high amount of murders here in Charlotte County was the #1 News Story of the year and we will also have Yana's murderer meet his fate in March, so I know that at least, maybe now two, members will be able to give reports from this small town in addition to any local coverage which I will keep everyone updated on.

 

[Retired in NH]

I have a start date of March 4 for and to the best of knowlwdge it is still a go. i am hoping to be at the trial and will be able to report. If it changes any I will not be able to attend due to I will be moving out of state.

 

[Retired in NH]

Thanks RR.. The last time I saw the twins I could not get over just how cute they are. The look just like their daddy... Lets get hope they get justice for their big sister who they will never get to play with or have a relationship with because their mother was jealous of her. Jealous of a 4 year old..It makes me so mad! I pray she gets life so that she will have to remember why she is in jail!!

 

[Retired in NH]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeana (DP)
I've merged the two threads together here for easy reading. Does anyone know if this trial will be televised?

Thanks for the merge. i didnt know the thread was already here

 

[RiverRat]

Thanks RR.. The last time I saw the twins I could not get over just how cute they are. The look just like their daddy... Lets get hope they get justice for their big sister who they will never get to play with or have a relationship with because their mother was jealous of her. Jealous of a 4 year old..It makes me so mad! I pray she gets life so that she will have to remember why she is in jail!!

Per the Clerk's Office:

COURT ORDER/NOTICE/MINUTE SET FOR TRIAL 3/4/07 @ 8:30 W/ JUDGE BLACKWELL

I hope that there will not be a continuance as I can tell that it is important for you to be there at the trial.

And yes.....the babies are more than prescious and it is very hard not to feel Wesley's pain, especially when it shows so in his face.

 

[Retired in NH]

I know RR. He has a lot of pain. He loved that little girl with all his heart and soul. March 4 is a long way off and a lot of things can happen from now to then as we know. Lets keep our fingers crossed

 

[RiverRat]

http://www.sunnewspapers.net/articles/llnews.aspx?articleID=8870&bnpg=0

PUNTA GORDA -- The woman accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend's 4-year-old daughter will stand trial Monday.

Jury selection for Holli Lyn Baty will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Charlotte County Justice Center, followed by opening arguments.

Baty, 26, was charged in January 2007 with murder and aggravated abuse for reportedly hurting Cheyenne in ways that contributed to her death.

 

[RiverRat]

http://www.sunnewspapers.net/articles/pnnews.aspx?NewsID=422961&a=newsarchive2/092308/ch3.htm&pnpg=0

"This is the story of the sad life and violent death of daddy's little girl ... a little girl named Cheyenne," Smith said while addressing the freshly-picked jury, consisting of six jurors and one alternate. "In the course of the trial you will see photographs of this little girl. She was 3-and-a-half-feet tall, she weighed 37 pounds -- still flashing her baby teeth."

The 4-year-old girl was found not breathing in her bedroom on Dec. 20, 2006, where Smith said it was evident not all was well.

"Daddy's little girl was in the fight of her own survival, a fight against her primary care provider, her unofficial stepmother," he said.

The unofficial stepmother Smith was referring to is Holli Lyn Baty, a 26-year-old woman on trial for second-degree murder and aggravated child abuse against Cheyenne Eairheart, the daughter of her former boyfriend, Wesley.

Baty was arrested in January 2007 after reports from the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office stated the woman had allegedly abused Cheyenne by smearing feces on her face as punishment for soiling herself and taping the child's eyes shut when she refused to sleep.

Authorities also reported that Cheyenne sustained a fractured skull that could not have been self-inflicted.

 

[RiverRat]

http://www.sunnewspapers.net/articles/llnews.aspx?articleID=8912&bnpg=0

PUNTA GORDA — Cheyenne Eairheart's death wasn't an accident, according to the medical examiner who performed her autopsy.

Dr. Riazul Imami testified Tuesday about the skull fracture the 4-year-old sustained prior to losing consciousness Dec. 20, 2006. The impact was so great, Imami said, Cheyenne's brain swelled and her eyes hemorrhaged.

Holli Lyn Baty averted her gaze as the prosecution displayed autopsy photos of the little girl she is accused of abusing and murdering.

The prosecution finished its witness list Tuesday, which included expert testimony from several doctors regarding Cheyenne's fatal contusion.

Imami, the district medical examiner, told the court that Cheyenne's 3 1/2-inch skull fracture wasn't the result of a sudden fall, but rather significant trauma to her head.

"My opinion is (the fracture) was inflicted," he said.

Cheyenne, Wesley Eairheart's daughter from a previous relationship, was found not breathing at the home Baty shared with her then-boyfriend.

Micah Carpenter, a former Department of Children and Families investigator, testified that Baty was argumentative when asked about the child's death, and her account seemed rehearsed.

"It was almost as if she was reading a book out loud," he said.

A Charlotte County Sheriff's Office detective said Baty admitted to clashing with Cheyenne, and even admitted it was hard to love a child who wasn't her own.

 

[RiverRat]

http://www.sunnewspapers.net/articles/tsnews.aspx?ArticleID=423051&pubdate=9/25/2008

Holli Lyn Baty was found guilty of third-degree murder and aggravated child abuse Wednesday, ending an emotional week for a family devastated by the death of 4-year-old Cheyenne Eairheart.

The six-member jury needed only two hours to deliver the verdict, which carries a less-severe penalty, compared with the second-degree murder charge the state had requested.

No one complained.

Cheyenne's mother, Leslie Justice, sobbed uncontrollably outside the courtroom, trading hugs with family and friends.

The girl died Dec. 20, 2006, from a skull fracture so severe it penetrated two layers of bone and caused her brain to swell, according to expert witnesses.

"We got justice for Cheyenne," said her grandmother, Lori Eairheart. "It's a long time coming."

Wednesday's proceedings featured expert testimony from two doctors, who offered differing views about the fatal skull fracture.

Dr. James Lauridson, a forensic pathologist from Alabama, contended that Cheyenne's wound was characteristic of a fall, although he said the chances of it being accidental were very low.

A brain specialist concluded that it would take significant force to cause this type of fracture, as it went through two layers of bone and crossed the suture line of the skull.

Baty, 26, also took the stand Wednesday.

Her voice cracked with emotion as she spoke about raising Cheyenne, although she wasn't her mother.

"She was a good kid," said Baty, a North Port resident.

Prosecutor Ron Smith painted a different picture, describing Baty as jealous of the attention Cheyenne received from her father, Wesley Eairheart.

"Cheyenne was walking around with a target on her back," Smith said.

The state argued that Baty's rage against Cheyenne stewed until she erupted with one last "whooping" the day the girl was found unconscious in her bedroom.

Baty admitted during her testimony to smearing feces on Cheyenne as punishment for putting it all over the bathroom. In another instance, Baty said she taped one of Cheyenne's eyes shut because she wouldn't go to sleep.

Baty's attorney, Mark De Sisto, sat on a bench outside the courtroom following the verdict, disappointed, but at the same time relieved the ruling wasn't worse.

Third-degree murder and aggravated child abuse are each punishable by up to 15 years in prison. A sentencing date has yet to be determined.

 

[MagicRose99]

Rest in peace baby Cheyenne

 

[RiverRat]

http://www.sunnewspapers.net/articles/llnews.aspx?articleID=9826&bnpg=0

"Holli Lyn Baty, the woman who killed her ex-boyfriend's daughter, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Baty was found guilty of third-degree murder and aggravated child abuse of 4-year-old Cheyenne Eairheart on Sept. 24. She received 15 years for the murder and 25 for the child abuse, but the sentences will run concurrent.

The girl died Dec. 20, 2006, from a skull fracture so severe it penetrated two layers of bone and caused her brain to swell, according to expert witnesses."