Trial wraps for Georgia teacher accused in 2-year-old son's death

ATLANTA (CN) — Jurors began deliberating Wednesday over whether a former Georgia high school teacher killed her two-year-old son, Karter Ambrose, in 2020.

Kianna Davis had pleaded not guilty to seven charges, including malice murder, felony murder, second-degree murder, cruelty to children and aggravated assault. Ambrose died after Davis brought him to a pediatrician Nov. 17, 2020, after the child had been throwing up and complaining of stomach pains.

Without any direct evidence or eyewitnesses, state prosecutors attempted to portray Davis as a negligent mother, but still told jurors that Ambrose’s death was not accidental.

“Yes, this is a circumstantial case. But there are plenty of pieces to this puzzle,” Assistant District Attorney of Houston County, Justin Duane told the jury on the third and last day of the trial.

The 35-year-old Davis took the stand Wednesday to deny the accusations. She said that she never saw Ambrose fall or injure himself and claimed her son had been hospitalized before and suffered breathing issues.

She testified that her boyfriend, Kiyon Benton, would never harm Ambrose. Benton has also been charged in the case and pleaded not guilty, but will be tried separately.

Davis’ attorney, Jeffrey Grube, noted she was not arrested until three years after her son’s death when an autopsy report determined a blunt force injury to his abdomen fatally resulted in a lacerated liver. A medical examiner determined the injuries occurred within 72 hours of when Ambrose was admitted to his pediatrician’s office.

Duane said Davis and her boyfriend were the only ones who had custody over the child at the time the fatal injuries occurred.

Casey Cochran, a nurse practitioner at Primary Pediatrics, testified Tuesday the child came in lifeless with his eyes rolled back. She attempted CPR and called 911, but the child was pronounced dead after he was taken to a nearby hospital.

Prosecutors also questioned why Davis left Benton to take Ambrose to the pediatrician alone, claiming she was trying to point the blame elsewhere.

Duane grilled Davis on the stand over why she didn’t immediately seek medical help for her son when he was continuously throwing up and complaining of stomach pains the day before his death, arguing she was downplaying the severity of Ambrose’s symptoms.

“When your two-year-old child is in that much pain you have a responsibility to seek medical care. And she did not do that,” Duane said during his closing arguments.

He also questioned why Davis told Ambrose’s father he could no longer see or speak to their child on the day before his death.

Kadeem Ambrose testified Tuesday that when he last saw his son five days before to take him to daycare, the toddler was fine. He said Davis blocked his number that weekend and that they were having a dispute over how child support payments were to be made.

Kadeem Ambrose affirmed that his son had issues breathing. However, Daniel Brown, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiner who performed the autopsy, testified he did not find any evidence of respiratory disease or an acute asthmatic attack.

Brown said the injuries were not accidental and Ambrose’s death was ruled a homicide. The medical examiners found six external injuries on the child’s body, as well as other internal injuries, including a hemorrhage to the back of the child’s right scalp that indicated some type of trauma.

Davis’ grandfather, James Kennedy, said she and Ambrose were at his house the weekend before he passed away. He testified that the child seemed happy and healthy, with no noticeable injuries.

Shirley Tharpe, who often took care of child since he was 9-months-old, testified she never noticed any visible bruises or scars on him and that he appeared normal that Friday when she saw him last.

A verdict was not immediately reached and Houston County Superior Court Judge Katherine Lumsden told jurors to return to court Friday morning to resume deliberations. Davis faces a potential life sentence if convicted.

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