Grandmother Faces Capital Charge in Death of Alabama Third-Grader

Amaury · Mar 14, 2012

Well, this is really sad. A grandma forced her granddaughter to run around the house for three hours for lying about a chocolate bar. How stupid can parents / grandparents get?

Source: CNN

Date and Time of Publication: 3/14/2012, 6:36 AM PDT / 9:36 AM EDT

CNN said:

Alabama prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a grandmother who authorities say forced her granddaughter to run as punishment for eating chocolate, an official said Tuesday.

Joyce Garrard, 46, is facing a capital murder charge in her granddaughter's death, said Heather Rickles, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office in Etowah County, Alabama.

Authorities say Savannah Hardin died last month after her grandmother and stepmother forced her to run around the family's house for three hours as punishment for lying about taking a chocolate candy bar.

A grand jury also indicted stepmother Jessica Mae Hardin, 27, on a felony murder charge, Rickles said. That means she will not face the death penalty if convicted.

Dani Bone, an attorney representing Garrard, told CNN affiliate WBRC that the allegations were false.
'Run to death' case angers Nancy Grace

"I think it makes for good newspapers, it makes for good television. It think it's absolutely unfair to this family who again have lost a child, a grandchild and now they have two family members who were falsely accused and wrongly incarcerated," Bone said.

Last month, attorneys for Hardin said she was devastated by her stepdaughter's death, and urged the public to disregard rumors and assumptions.

"Unfortunately, whenever a child passes, our society wants to place blame, our media wants to sensationalize and our elected officials want to make grandiose statements that are not based on facts," attorneys Morgan Cunningham and Vincent Pentecost said in a statement.

Authorities said the girl had a bladder condition that could have been worsened by eating the candy, according to WBRC.

"It is alleged that the grandmother was out in the yard with Savannah, and she was encouraging her with the words, 'Move it! Move it! Move it!' -- much like a drill sergeant," Natalie Barton, spokeswoman for the Etowah County Sheriff's Office, told CNN last month.

At one point, prosecutors say Savannah was crawling, crying and begging to stop, WBRC reported.

Barton told HLN's Nancy Grace, "That young body simply could not take it. That is child abuse. (Garrard) overstepped (the) line."

At about 6:45 p.m. that day, Hardin called 911 and said Savannah had suffered a seizure and was unresponsive, Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin said in a news release.

Savannah died last month at Children's Hospital in Birmingham. A state pathologist ruled her death a homicide. "Preliminary reports show Savannah was extremely dehydrated and had a very low sodium level," the release said.

Several people had seen the third-grade student at Carlisle Elementary School outside in her yard running, but at first they didn't suspect anything, said Barton.

"In the initial reaction, who thinks that it's a punishment when you see a 9-year-old out in the front yard running?" the spokeswoman said. "It was a beautiful day here that day, she was probably just simply outside playing.

"(Neighbors) didn't start putting two and two together until they saw the medics arrive at the house."

Marcus Reid, assistant district attorney in Etowah County, called Savannah's death "one of the most serious cases we've ever had."

"We've had too many children die because parents and stepparents and people responsible for them don't do what they should do," he said last month.
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Saxima · Mar 14, 2012

This is a few weeks old, I read it a while ago. Of course, this makes it no less appalling. I fail to see how you could even pass running as a decent punishment for a person who's not involved in any sort of athletics.

I find the punishment suitable, but I frown at how no one wondered why the girl was running and running. I mean, sure, kids run, but they don't run for more than an hour.

Sanya · Mar 14, 2012

"Unfortunately, whenever a child passes, our society wants to place blame, our media wants to sensationalize and our elected officials want to make grandiose statements that are not based on facts"
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So true.

This case is really... bizarre. Making her run with a condition was probably not the best idea, but murder charges seems rather extreme. I would say child abuse charges would certainly be mandatory though.

Mixt · Mar 14, 2012

It is sad and cruel, yes, and I do believe that it deserves punishment. But calling it a murder case? I guess this would be an applicable case of the felony murder rule, but I still have trouble grasping this as an actual murder. To me this looks like child abuse and manslaughter. The death appears to be an accident even if it was caused by abusive behavior. And it doesn't sit right with me that the step mother's case is thrown in there like a side note. If she was involved then she should be mentioned on the offset and not further into the article, if she wasn't involved then why be accused at all.

Also what exactly did cause the death? Obviously there was dehydration from the running as mentioned, but three hours of exertion shouldn't kill her. With older people it may cause a heart attack or the like, but at a young age you would just pass out before fatal damage is done (Not to say it wouldn't be horrible for your health, just that death is unlikely). Especially being nursed back to health in a hospital I suspect there is more to it. The article mentions a bladder problem, and then an ambulance was called to respond to a seizure before then the medical release quoted dehydration and low sodium.

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Grandmother Faces Capital Charge in Death of Alabama Third-Grader

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