Jury convicts a couple from Newton County in the murder of an infant girl | State News



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Caliyah McNabb

Caliyah McNabb

COVINGTON – A couple in Newton County accused of murdering their young daughter was convicted of all counts Tuesday, about an hour after the start of the jury's deliberations.

The authorities accused Courtney Marie Bell and Christopher McNabb of smoking methamphetamine before murdering her 15-day-old daughter Caliyah in 2017, hiding her body in nearby woods and reporting her disappearance.

In final argument, defense attorney Anthony Carter, McNabb's representative, said, "The worst thing that can happen to Chris is that he loses his child and that 39 he goes to jail for killing him while he's not done it. "

Defense lawyers told the jury that they might not like the tattoos on McNabb's face, McNabb's beating of Bell or the couple's drug abuse, but that does not make them happy. not guilty of murder.

The defense attorney, Bryan Frost, who represents Bell, said: "Nothing my client caused this death, you all know what caused the death of this child. not what my client could or could have prevented. "

The defense claimed that someone had entered the couple's mobile home on the morning of October 7, 2017, while they were sleeping and took away the girl and bag belonging to McNabb in which the body of the Child had been found.

But prosecutors have painted a different picture.

District Attorney Layla Zon said: "All these false tears that he made during the talks about the fact that he loved his children a lot and that he did it in the audience hall are a joke.

Zon told the jurors that all the evidence indicated that McNabb was the murderer. The prosecutor added that although the state did not believe that Bell had physically murdered his child, they thought his negligence contributed to his death.

Zon argued that McNabb was manipulative and did not like Bell or Caliyah.

Zon said, "This child did nothing else than to need love, and his father killed him."

The jury began its deliberations shortly after 3 pm and delivered his verdict just after 16h

Judge John M. Ott immediately went to the stages of sentencing.

Prior to his conviction, McNabb continued to claim that he was innocent and that it is not because he abused Bell that it does not mean that he abused his children and that he never hurt his children and Bell in front of them. He stated that he did not understand how the jury found him guilty of getting a 15-day child, but he did not do it.

Ott then asked McNabb what, in his opinion, was worthwhile, and McNabb said that when they discovered the murderer, he should be "thrown under the prison."

McNabb was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole, plus 10 years in a row.

Prior to her conviction, Bell cried that she had not done so and stated that she had tried to be a good mother.

Ott replied that her version of what is a good mother was so far from the norm of what she actually is that there is no excuse for it.

Bell was sentenced to 30 years in prison, the first 15 being served in detention.

FOX 5 Atlanta contributed to this report.

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