June 3, 2016
The stepmother of Savannah Hardin pleaded guilty this afternoon to aggravated child abuse in the 2012 death of the Etowah County nine-year-old.
Jessica Hardin, 31, appearing before Judge Billy Ogletree, had originally been charged with felony murder. Her plea deal was agreed to after consultation with the parents of Savannah Hardin, prosecutors said.
According to the terms of the guilty plea, Hardin was sentenced to twenty years in the state penitentiary, according to Etowah County District Attorney Jody Willoughby.
That sentence was split, providing for a period of three years to be served. Hardin received credit for time she served in the Etowah County Detention Center prior to posting bond in the case, and the balance of the split sentence was diverted to the Etowah County Community Corrections Program.
Officials said Hardin will be considered a state inmate, but allowed to remain out of physical custody so long as she abides by certain rules and conditions. The split sentence will be followed by a period of five years supervised probation.
Savannah Hardin died on Feb. 20, 2012, days after investigators said she was forced to run for more than three hours as punishment on a Friday afternoon. Investigators said Jessica Hardin did nothing to intervene on the child's behalf during the punishment, which came after the child lied about eating candy bars.
Jessica Hardin, who was pregnant at the time, gave birth to a son the same day of her arrest.
Prosecutors said Jessica, as the stepmother, was responsible for Savannah's well-being. However, she abused the child when she did not intervene as Garrard punished the child by having her run around the yard of their Etowah County property, toting wood, they said.
The investigation led prosecutors to believe Hardin was intimidated by her mother-in-law, "to the point of being frightened for her own safety," Willoughby said.
"From the beginning of the investigation in 2012, it was clear that Jessica Hardin was afraid of Joyce Garrard," Willoughby said. "While meeting with witnesses during preparation for Garrard's trial, we learned that Garrard had a history of threatening, overbearing and intimidating behavior toward other people as well.
"Taking that information into consideration, as well as information from the ongoing investigation, the State ultimately reached the conclusion that while Jessica Hardin was not blameless in this situation, her actions, or lack of actions, were not sufficient to support a conviction for felony murder," he said.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Marcus Reid said the punishment was appropriate.
"Each of us believed that this plea of guilty by Jessica Hardin would represent justice for Savannah," Reid said.
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