A Texas mother will serve decades in prison for killing her boyfriend’s 4-year-old daughter in 2019, officials said.
On April 3, a Harris County jury convicted Shawna Hooey, 33, of murder and sentenced her to 50 years in prison, according to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg in a press release dated April 5.
“We have to work together as a community to protect our children who are particularly vulnerable to abuse from violent adults,” according to Ogg. “We are thankful to the jurors who recognized that this was not a single incident, but a pattern of abuse and rightfully sentenced this woman to spend decades behind bars.”
Hooey was caring for 4-year-old Jakyzia Alexander, as well as her own five children, when she took her to a 24-hour emergency room on September 7, 2019, the day she died, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said the girl’s father had sole custody and worked evenings. After he began dating Hooey, he and Jakyzia relocated to Tomball, Texas, to live with her family.
“Because of his work schedule, Jakyzia’s father stayed with family members who lived closer to his job and seldom saw his daughter,” according to the announcement. “He did not see her for at least two months before her death, except through video calls.”
According to the announcement, when Hooey rushed Jakyzia to the ER, her body was “already cold” and she had a visible black eye and other injuries.
Prosecutors said Hooey informed medical professionals and authorities of several tales about what happened to the girl. She claimed Jakyzia needed to be woken up because she was taking heavy, laborious breaths and acting strangely, so Hooey drove her about in a heated car to attempt to get her to breathe normally. Hooey then drove home, changed his clothing, and took Jakyzia to the emergency clinic.
Hooey’s numerous explanations of what occurred to Jakyzia included her running into a doorknob and the youngster throwing herself against a toilet paper holder in the bathroom, according to prosecutors. According to Hooey, the injury occurred two days before she took Jakyzia to the ER, and the girl had been acting normally before then.
During the trial, witnesses stated that Jakyzia behaved regularly the day before she was transported to the emergency hospital.
“Further examination showed that the girl had signs of repeated past abuse, including injuries that were fresh, some that were resolving and others that were healed,” according to a release. “An autopsy revealed that Jakyzia died of blunt force injuries to the head. The injury that killed her would have caused convulsions, vomiting, and bewildered behavior almost instantly.”
Hooey was ultimately charged with murder following an investigation by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Jakyzia’s family confronted Hooey at her sentence hearing, delivering heartfelt testimonies.
“My niece weighed barely thirty pounds. So how she could create major bruising in her skull and separate her spine from her body, I’ll never know,” said April Alexander, Jakyzia’s aunt, according to ABC 13.
“It is hard. “For four years, it’s been just miserable,” the girl’s grandma, Vonda Harris, told the site.
Assistant District Attorney Gilbert Sawtelle, who prosecuted the case, stated in the press release that child abusers frequently try to hide symptoms of abuse by keeping children away from other people or dressing them to conceal injuries.
“Child abuse does happen, and when we see it, we need to call it out and notify the police and child protective services,” Sawtelle told the crowd. “This girl was wearing long sleeves in the summertime—and if someone had noticed her injuries and intervened, she would probably still be here today.”
Prosecutors said Hooey must complete at least half of her prison sentence before being eligible for release.