Grandmother, Stepmom Accused Of Running 9-Year-Old Girl To Death

[Dakota]

I once took too many cookies from the cookie jar despite being told not to. I had my Gameboy taken away for the weekend. Even at my worst,resorting to torture was never part of my parent's displince plans.

Although, I bet at the time you thought lack o' Gameboy was pure torture.

 

[Ninja0980]

Although, I bet at the time you thought lack o' Gameboy was pure torture.

Indeed it was,especially since I was close to beating the end of Super Mario Land.

 

[Marv]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2106370/Savannah-Hardin-9-run-death-lying-eating-candy.html

[...]

Authorities say Savannah's life ended in exhaustion earlier this month when she was forced by her paternal grandmother, Joyce Hardin Gerrard, to run for three hours, while her stepmother, Jessica Mae Hardin, did nothing to stop it.

The grandmother prodded her along cruelly, and the stepmother didn't intervene until Savannah collapsed in an unconscious heap, investigators say.
[...]

Jessica Mae Hardin's attorneys, Morgan Cunningham and Vince Pentecost, said in a statement Friday that Hardin was 'incredibly devastated over Savannah's death' and they would prove her innocence.

'Unfortunately, whenever a child passes away, our society wants to place blame, our media wants to sensationalize and our elected officials want to make grandiose statements that are not based in fact,' they said.

A defence lawyer representing the grandmother said she will be cleared of any crime.
'Even then, Joyce Garrard and her family will continue to grieve over the loss of their beloved Savannah,' Dani Bone said.
[...]

Sometime during the afternoon of February 17, Joyce Hardin Gerrard allegedly forced Savannah to begin running in the yard outside their trailer. Barton said the grandmother was running the little girl 'like a drill sergeant,' pushing her to keep running by saying things like 'Move it, move it, move it! Go, go, go!'

Barton said there is some evidence that the girl also was picking up sticks and other items in the yard and placing them in a burn pile. A large pile of unburned sticks and other items could be seen Friday behind the family's mobile home.

The stepmother, Jessica Mae Hardin, didn't intervene and call 911 until after the girl collapsed about three hours into her ordeal, Barton said. Savannah was taken to an area hospital and then later transferred to a hospital in Birmingham, where she was put on life support. Her father made the decision to disconnect her, and she died Monday.

So granny was out there with her, prodding her along to exercise for the 3 hours. She wasn't out there alone, running around until she died. Someone was there, watching, pushing. Dear ol' granny.

And it was her paternal granny. It hadn't clicked with me, not even with the name Hardin Gerrard. I thought it was the step-mother's mother. The fact that she had an actual genetic link to the child somehow makes it worse. Savannah was her actual blood grandchild, and her son had trusted his mother to look after his child while he was out of the country.

Fuck those bitches.

 

[Dakota]

The murder charge against Joyce Garrard has been officially upgraded to capital murder, Etowah County District Attorney Jimmie Harp said in a statement released Thursday.

"A capital murder warrant was served today on Joyce Garrard, 46, of Attalla, in connection with the death of her granddaughter Savannah Hardin," Harp said.

A charge of capital murder carries the possibility of either life imprisonment or the death penalty.

http://www.wtvm.com/story/17058320/grandmothers-charge-upgraded-to-capital-murder

A woman accused of running her 9-year-old granddaughter to death as punishment for eating chocolate was captured on a school bus videotape saying she planned to run the child ''til she can't run no more,' a prosecutor told a judge Thursday in announcing capital murder charges.

Joyce Hardin Garrard, who faces a potential death penalty if convicted, made the threat as she yanked Savannah Hardin off a school bus that was equipped with a surveillance system, said Marcus Reid, an assistant district attorney in Etowah County.

Angered by a supposed lie the child told, Garrard told the driver: '"I gonna run her `til she can't run no more,"' Reid said.

'That's exactly what she did,' said the prosecutor, calling Garrard a 'drill sergeant from hell.'
[...]

Reid said after taking the child off the bus, Garrard forced Savannah to run and carry firewood until she collapsed in exhaustion in her yard. Autopsy photos show marks on the girl's arms from where the logs dug into her skin, Reid said, and a debris pile of limbs and large logs was visible outside the house the day after charges were filed against the women.

The child's father, Robert Hardin, sat behind the defense table during the hearing in apparent support of Garrard, his mother, and Hardin, his wife. Other relatives and friends sat around him, occasionally mouthing words to the two women.
[...]

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.

While Reid said Hardin spent time on her laptop and talking on a cellphone while her stepdaughter was forced to run, defense lawyers said the younger woman was busy caring for her 3-year-old son and didn't know what was happening.

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

 

[Chinchillazilla]

she planned to run the child ''til she can't run no more,'

She got what she wanted. Hope she's really happy.

 

[Tundratot]

Apparently the whole family is behind their actions. It sounds like the bus driver ratted the girl out to her grandmother, too. I wonder if we're going to hear from her friends and teachers.

 

[Marv]

Joyce doesn't exactly look like a kind and loving granny in that photo. Imagine that wild, crazy-eyed glare on her face as she screamed at that 9yr old child to ''keep running!''. No wonder the child was too scared to stop for a rest and just kept running 'till she could ''run no more''. She looks like she is wishing Savannah was still alive so she could kill her for getting her in this predicament.

Jessica looks like a pouty teen who is sulking because she is grounded.

And if Robert Hardin is supporting his wife and mother, then he is a first class prick. ONE KILLED YOUR DAUGHTER, AND THE OTHER ONE LET IT HAPPEN. So, fuck you too, Robert.

 

[Jerri Blank]

2 women plead not guilty in girl's running death

Two women have pleaded not guilty in the death of a 9-year-old Alabama girl who authorities say was run to death as punishment for lying.


Wednesday's arraignment of the girl's 46-year-old grandmother Joyce Hardin Garrard and 27-year-old stepmother Jessica Mae Hardin took place in Etowah County Circuit Judge William Ogletree's courtroom.


Authorities say Savannah Hardin collapsed and later died after being forced to run and haul debris for three hours as punishment for a lie about candy. Attorneys for both women say they are innocent and predict they'll be vindicated. [...]

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/21/4355992/2-women-plead-not-guilty-in-girls.html

 

[Tundratot]

Not surprised at all about the not guilty plea. But . . vindicated?!!! Seriously?!! Amazing.

 

[Shadow]

2 women plead not guilty in girl's running death

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/21/4355992/2-women-plead-not-guilty-in-girls.html

Please Jury,
Find these two bitches guilty and hang them! This is the only justice for this dear lil' girl! Think about this, what if it were YOUR daughter? Wouldn't you want justice for her?


~shadow

 

[Dakota]

Not surprised at all about the not guilty plea. But . . vindicated?!!! Seriously?!! Amazing.

She's already been "vindicated" by my reckoning.

A woman accused of running her 9-year-old granddaughter to death as punishment for eating chocolate was captured on a school bus videotape saying she planned to run the child ''til she can't run no more,'

She has been shown to be right on that one... Savannah won't be running no more.

 

[Tundratot]

No way was she right to run that girl for three hours, or to death. If she thinks that running the girl for three hours was a reasonable and non-threatening punishment, she will not be vindicated. However, if she at any time stated (to her son or her dil) that she would kill that child, then she might be.

 

[Dakota]

A flurry of Facebook posts about the Alabama grandmother and stepmother charged with running a 9-year-old girl to death as punishment could potentially put the case in jeopardy.

A judge has warned prosecutors and defence attorneys not to discuss the murder case, and so far they have obeyed. But experts say the hundreds of posts that appeared on Facebook since Savannah Hardin's death in February highlight the challenge of making sure witnesses and jurors are not tainted.

While most posts are fairly innocuous, some address how the child died, which could be considered evidence.
[...]

Both women remain in Etowah County's jail without access to computers. But as in other high-profile court cases, Facebook pages dedicated to the case appeared soon after Savannah's death, with some honoring the girl's memory or denouncing her caretakers, while others supporting the two women.

Many of the posts simply express sympathy for one side or the other, but some go further. In a post last month, a person posting as Johnny Garrard disagreed with a claim about what killed the child, concluding: 'I have the Death Certificate and that is not what it says.'

A few other Facebook users suggest they have knowledge about the case that has not been made public in court. In one post, a person who claims to have known Jessica Hardin for two decades says Savannah ran herself to exhaustion by trying to finish chores too quickly.

Court files do not indicate whether Judge William Ogletree, who is presiding over the case, is aware of the way the it is playing out online.

Although he publicly admonished lawyers during a hearing in March to avoid making comments on the case, it did little to slow down the Internet chatter.

Law professors agree that it is unlikely a judge could prevent people from posting information on Facebook, where jurors, witnesses, lawyers and even judges could 'friend' each other or see the latest gossip on ongoing cases.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...lying-jeopardize-trial.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

 

[Dakota]

A judge refused bond Friday for an Alabama woman jailed for nearly two years while awaiting trial on charges she killed her 9-year-old granddaughter by making the child run until she collapsed and died.

Turning down defense arguments that the 48-year-old grandmother is in poor health and unjustly charged, Etowah County Circuit Judge William Ogletree ordered Joyce Hardin Garrard to remain in custody and scheduled a June 23 trial.

Ogletree also said he would hold a hearing Feb. 21 on Garrard's request to dismiss a capital murder charge in the 2012 of Savannah Hardin, whom prosecutors say was forced to run for three hours outside her rural home as punishment for a lie about eating a candy bar.

Defense lawyer Dani Bone called the charges a "travesty of justice," arguing that Garrard is sick and could better assist with her defense if out of jail.

Medical forms filed in court show Garrard complained in September and October of numerous maladies including severe headaches, chest pains and knots in her groin and a breast. The health issues had been going on six months at the time, according to a form completed by Garrard.

"There's no doubt she has health problems," Bone told the judge.

District Attorney Jimmie Harp opposed bond, which is rare in capital cases in Alabama, and said the only travesty in the case was the girl's death.

Ogletree also refused previous requests to set bond for Garrard, but he did allow the release a year ago of the child's stepmother, who also is charged in her death. She is free on $150,000 bond.
[...]

Savannah's stepmother, Jessica Mae Hardin, is charged with murder for allegedly sitting by without intervening as the child ran until exhausted. Hardin, who does not face a capital charge but still could receive life imprisonment, maintains she is innocent.

Defense lawyers maintain the girl had health problems that led to her death.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765645372/Bond-denied-trial-set-in-Ala-girls-running-death.html

 

[Abroad]

I think it sounds like grandmother should be made to run until she is exhausted. That always works for treating health problems :sarcasm:

 

[Dakota]

A judge has once again refused to set bond for Joyce Garrard, the Etowah County grandmother charged with capital murder in her granddaughter's death.
[...]

Defense attorney Dani Bone requested again that Garrard be freed on bond just like her co-defendant, Jessica Hardin, and also that the case be dismissed. Etowah County Circuit Judge William Ogletree denied both requests.

In his argument for the bond, Bone raised allegations that are also found in a civil lawsuit that was filed this week in Etowah County Circuit Court by Savannah Hardin's father.

Robert Hardin's malpractice lawsuit against Gadsden Regional Medical Center alleges the hospital failed to properly treat Savannah for dangerously low sodium levels, when she was admitted that February night two years ago.

Garrard's attorneys also requested a change of venue for her trial due to the advance publicity of the case. Currently, her trial is set for June 4 in Etowah County.

The judge told lawyers on both sides he will let them know which way he is leaning in that decision by early next week.

http://www.myfoxal.com/story/247877...joyce-garrard-accused-in-granddaughters-death

The brief court session, which lasted less than 30 minutes, occasionally grew testy. Dani Bone, Garrard's lawyer, began arguing that Hardin suffered a seizure and that she did not receive proper medical care when she was carried to a Gadsden hospital. She was later taken to Children's Hospital, where she died.
However, as Bone began making his argument, District Attorney Jimmie Harp and Chief Deputy District Attorney Marcus Reid objected, saying that the dismissal motion should be based on some "rule of law or rule of procedure."

After Bone attempted to respond during Harp and Reid's arguments, Ogletree instructed Bone to allow them to finish.

"Why am I getting interrupted?" Bone demanded.

"Stop!" Ogletree said, and instructed Harp and Reid to finish.

Bone's argument to dismiss, as well as his argument for bond, are based on a contention born out in a lawsuit filed by Hardin's father, Robert Lee Hardin, against Gadsden Regional Medical Center. The suit alleges a doctor and nurse did not properly diagnose and treat the child when she was brought in Feb. 17, 2012.

"Records show procedure was not followed by Gadsden Regional," Bone said. "Blood samples were taken and not followed up on. Had Gadsden Regional followed their own procedures, Savannah Hardin would be alive today.

"Joyce Garrard didn't cause her death. She actually didn't cause her natural death, and we'll show that," Bone said.

http://www.al.com/news/anniston-gadsden/index.ssf/2014/02/judge_denies_dismissal_bond_mo.html

 

[China]

Good. That bitch needs to stay put.

 

[Krysti]

In one post, a person who claims to have known Jessica Hardin for two decades says Savannah ran herself to exhaustion by trying to finish chores too quickly.

What the FUCK?! What child is going to do that?? That is literally the dumbest shit I have ever heard in my life.

I hate these bitches with a passion. This is the second story in two days to bring me to tears!

 

[Lemont Cranston]

Awwww, Grandma Joyce has health problems. That's so sad. Grandbaby Savannah doesn't have any health problems because stupid ass Grandma Joyce killed her. Bitch, suffer. Maybe Abroad is right. Her headaches, chest pains and groin issues can easily be alleviated by running her. Tie her ass to a treadmill and put in on high. Go granny go!

 

[DamagedGoods]

So far, I really like this judge.

Dani Bone, Garrard's lawyer, began arguing that Hardin suffered a seizure and that she did not receive proper medical care when she was carried to a Gadsden hospital. She was later taken to Children's Hospital, where she died.

You know what can cause seizures fucktard? Over-exertion. She never would have NEEDED to go to the hospital if not for your client.

 

[Chinchillazilla]

Whoa, you're telling me that fugly old bitch up there is only 48???

 

[AZmomof3]

What the FUCK?! What child is going to do that?? That is literally the dumbest shit I have ever heard in my life.

I hate these bitches with a passion. This is the second story in two days to bring me to tears!

Their supporters are dumber than a box of rocks! A child won't run themselves to death doing chores.

 

[Benighted]

Oh so now it's the hospital's fault... even if there was anything to that claim, which I sincerely doubt, I'm guessing these two wastes of oxygen didn't tell the doctors and nurses anything resembling the truth about why Savannah had to be brought in which isn't going to make diagnosis and treatment any easier.

 

[Tundratot]

Robert Hardin's malpractice lawsuit against Gadsden Regional Medical Center alleges the hospital failed to properly treat Savannah for dangerously low sodium levels, when she was admitted that February night two years ago.

Well, I have to wonder if they told the attending what she'd been doing to cause her collapse, or if it went something like this: "Well, she was just out playing most of the afternoon. Nothing unusual, you know."

"Joyce Garrard didn't cause her death. She actually didn't cause her natural death, and we'll show that," Bone said.

Sorry, I don't think you can blame the hospital for the death of someone who was brought to them injured by someone else's hand. If you stab someone and take them to a hospital as they bleed out, it's your fault they died. It's not a natural death, either. And, just because she wasn't bleeding or bruised doesn't mean you didn't cause her injury.

 

[cubby]

I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but aren't low sodium levels more related to heat strokes or people falling out when they've been working outside when it's very hot? In February even in Alabama I'm sure no one at the hospital suspected that they'd see a heat stroke related death in a child. It's really not the first thing they look for in FEBRUARY! Those two bitches killed this child, they know it, and they don't care. Blame everything and everybody but the ones that did it.

 

[mybum62]

She had low sodium levels cuz she sweated it out being run to death...it caused a cascade of levels to go out of whack and health issues to present leading ultimately to her death. Can't believe they are trying to use the low sodium thing as a way to get grandma out of jail??!!

 

[KJkaris]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-oks-medical-workers-testimony-in-girls-running-death/

A victory for the prosecutors trying to get a conviction in the the murder case of Savannah Hardin.

A judge yesterday refused to place broad limits on the testimony of emergency responders and hospital workers. The judge still hasn't ruled on whether medical workers will be allowed to testify about what they hear Joyce Garrard say about Savannah's collapse.

Joyce Garrard's trial is set to begin in September.

 

[TheMorningStar]

An Alabama woman accused of running her granddaughter to death has asked an appeals court to dismiss a capital murder charge against her, citing potential autopsy problems and legal delays.

Lawyers for Joyce Garrard Hardin, 49, have filed papers with the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals saying they found numerous problems with the state's autopsy of 9-year-old Savannah Hardin in 2012.

The defense contends the child died because of long-standing health problems, adding testimony about the girl's physical condition and the autopsy could be vital at trial. Those lawyers have asked the appeals court to order a circuit judge in Alabama's Etowah County, William Ogletree, to throw out the charge.

Hardin has pleaded not guilty but faces a possible death penalty if convicted. Her trial is set to begin Feb. 12 in Gadsden; two previous trial dates were pushed back.

A petition filed by the defense contends the girl's autopsy was performed by a doctor who was later fired over allegations that included possible falsification of documents and dereliction of duty. The physician has since failed to testify in other cases and may not be available to testify in Hardin's trial, the defense argued in the document.

https://news.yahoo.com/running-death-grandmother-wants-charge-dismissed-095916295.html

 

[Abroad]

It would be very unfortunate if the forensic examiner's failings cause this case to tank.....

 

[Tundratot]

The defense contends the child died because of long-standing health problems . . . .

Which in no way excuses the actions of the defendants. That's a really stupid defense strategy IMO and I hope it's an indication of the their legal capabilities.