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Sugar Cookie

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The parents of a 3-year-old Texarkana girl have been arrested and charged with 1st Degree Domestic Battery in a case of alleged child abuse.

Early Tuesday morning Texarkana Arkansas Police responded to St. Michael’s hospital in reference to a toddler unresponsive with suspected injuries sustained by alleged abuse.

After receiving initial treatment, the victim, a 3-year-old female, was transported, via helicopter, to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas due to extensive external and internal injuries.

At this time 26-year-old McKenna Belcher-Cawley and 23-year-old Everette Cawley have been arrested and charged with Domestic Battery in the 1st degree.

Two additional children, one infant and one toddler, were removed from the home and in DHS custody.

The victim is currently in serious critical condition at Arkansas Children’s hospital.
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She was a beautiful baby girl. Such a smile. I will never understand those evil people that can look at a child and cause them pain. How can you profess to "love" your child, and beat the very same child to death? She, was only 3 years old, everything in life was new, and you evil, disgusting excuses for "parents" made her world an endless nightmare! Death is too easy for the like of you, may you endure unending pain and betrayal for the duration of your life.
 
A police affidavit says McKenna Belcher told detectives that she became angry when the girl bit her thumb and that she slapped the child and threw her to the ground.

McKinley's father allegedly told detectives that Belcher inflicted extensive injuries, including by "stomping" on the girl's legs. The child later died at a hospital.

The father, Everette Cawley is being held on a charge of permitting the abuse of a minor resulting in death.
 
Interesting

Everette Cawley told Texarkana, Texas, police that the girl had been visiting her biological mother in El Paso, Texas, until two or three days before, and he initially blamed the biological mother for the girl's injuries.

External injuries similar to those seen on McKinley were found on the 2-year-old boy's face, torso and legs, the affidavit said.

Everette Cawley gave Texarkana, Ark., detectives a different account than he gave at the hospital, according to the affidavit. Everette Cawley said he was awakened in the early morning hours Tuesday by the sound of his wife yelling at McKinley for using the bathroom on herself, the affidavit said. Everette Cawley said that when he walked in the room, his wife was standing over McKinley as she lay unconscious on the floor. Everette Cawley said he attempted CPR before taking the child to the emergency room, the affidavit said.
 
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The father and stepmother of a 3-year-old that died from alleged child abuse injuries had their first court appearance Friday morning.

McKenna Cawley, the child’s stepmother, who has been charged with capital murder and domestic battery in the 2nd degree had bond denied by Judge Wren Autrey. The child’s father, Everette Cawley, who has been charged with 2 counts of permitting the abuse of a minor had bond set at $1 million. Both were appointed public defenders.

According to police the investigation led detectives to an overwhelming amount of abuse of not only the deceased but also of her 2-year-old brother who is now in custody of the State of Arkansas.
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Are any of those tears for the child that was murdered?
 

"Everette Cawley allegedly told investigators that McKenna Cawley kicked and beat McKinley with a wooden slat from a bed. Investigators seized a pair of steel toe boots belonging to McKenna Cawley and noted there were clumps of hair discovered in the couple’s Texarkana, Ark., duplex when it was searched and clumps of hair were found in McKinley’s underwear.

McKinley’s head had been shaved when she arrived at the hospital and investigators theorized this was done to hide that clumps of her hair had been ripped from her head."

There truly are demons walking among us. RIP princess ♡
 
Is the legal team working this case blind...why isn't the father being charged with murder also or accessory??? Aside from standing back and letting it happen He kept changing his story and took the time to drive to a hospital farther away from their home so he and mackenna could blame the baby girl's mother. as well they shaved the baby's head and changed her clothes trying to cover up what they had done to collaborate their first claim of the baby's mother hurting her. Please let the team working this case get real justice for that sweet innocent baby girl by charging both adults for the horrific harm they both put that baby girl through.
 
A father accused of failing to act as his wife allegedly inflicted fatal injuries on his 3-year-old daughter is being charged as an accomplice to capital murder.

Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Potter Barrett recently signed an amendment to the charges

Everette Cawley, 24, and his wife, McKenna Belcher, 27, were both arrested in April after the death of McKinley Cawley.

Everette Cawley was initially charged with two counts of permitting the abuse of a minor on accusations of failing to intervene when Belcher allegedly physically abused McKinley and her younger, then-2-year-old brother. Everette Cawley's new charge, accomplice to capital murder, is punishable by death by lethal injection or life without the possibility of parole.

That is the same punishment Belcher faces if convicted of capital murder in McKinley's death. Barrett previously announced that her office is seeking the death penalty for Belcher. No announcement has been made regarding the punishment the state will seek for Everette Cawley. He is scheduled to appear next week before Circuit Judge Brent Haltom.
 
Trial in a death-penalty case involving a woman accused of fatally beating her husband's 3-year-old daughter last year has been postponed.

McKenna Faith Belcher, 27, is charged with capital murder in the April 2019 death of McKinley Cawley. The case was scheduled for jury selection later this month before Circuit Judge Kirk Johnson.

Last week, Belcher's defense team filed a motion seeking a continuance in the case. The motion notes that the defense has just recently received thousands of pages of documents and two videos from the state, which it needs time to review. The motion further argues that reports on testing from physical evidence haven't been received by the state or defense and that the defense needs more time to conduct a "mitigation investigation" in advance of trial.

In a death-penalty case, the defense is obliged to conduct an in-depth investigation into the accused's past. The goal is to find evidence that might lead a jury to choose a sentence of life without parole rather than death by lethal injection in the event of a conviction.

Johnson scheduled Belcher's case for a status hearing next month. A firm date for jury selection has not been rescheduled.


The couple is also facing charges in connection with injuries found on McKinley's younger brother. An infant born to the couple in January 2019 was found to be in need of medical attention as well and was taken into state custody April 2, 2019, the day McKinley died.

Cawley is facing the same possible punishment as Belcher if found guilty of being an accomplice to capital murder. At a hearing last month Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Potter Barrett declined to say whether the state will seek a death sentence for him. Barrett announced last year that her office will seek the death for Belcher.

Both Belcher and Cawley are being held in the Miller County jail.
 
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The stepmother of a Texarkana toddler who died after suffering what investigators described as severe abuse has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, avoiding the possibility of facing the death penalty.

McKenna Belcher-Cawley, 28, was awaiting trial set for June on capital murder and domestic battery charges in the death of three-year-old McKinley Cawley in April 2019. Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty. due to the extreme nature of the child’s injuries.
Miller County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell said the young victim’s family was in agreement with the sentence.

“The benefit of a plea to life in prison versus a trial where a death sentence may be imposed is, with a plea, there’s closure, there’s no appeal from a plea of guilty. Had this matter gone to trial and she’d been given a death sentence or even life in prison, there would’ve been an automatic appeal and those appeals can drag on for years and years and years, and the family just does not have the closure that they need,” Mitchell said.

The child’s father, 25-year-old Everette Cawley, is charged with being an accomplice to capital murder. While Cawley is not accused of abusing the little girl himself, prosecutors say he failed to intervene as his wife delivered the beating that caused extensive external and internal injuries and took her life.

Everette Cawley ultimately brought McKinley to St. Michael’s Hospital early on the morning of April 2, 2019, where staff called police about the child, who was unresponsive with suspected injuries sustained by abuse. The little girl was rushed to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock for treatment, but she died that afternoon.
 
A man who failed to protect his 3-year-old daughter from beatings by her stepmother was sentenced to 46 years in prison.
Everette John Cawley, 26, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and two counts of permitting the abuse of a minor involving his daughter, McKinley Cawley. McKinley died April 2, 2019, at a Little Rock hospital of traumatic head injuries, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Cawley’s wife, McKenna Faith Belcher, 30, is currently serving a life sentence. She pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in May 2021. Belcher used a wooden bed slat and other objects to beat the girl. When the child was carried into a Texarkana emergency room by Cawley early on the morning of April 2, 2019, she was unresponsive and her head had been shaved. Investigators believe the girl’s head was shaved to hide the fact that Belcher had ripped large chunks of hair from the child’s head.
Cawley was sentenced to 40 years for murder and six years on each of two counts of permitting the abuse of a minor. Cawley also failed to protect his son, one year younger than McKinley, from Belcher’s abuse. The two six-year sentences will run together but consecutive to the murder charge.

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PE/TE Date*
03/31/2048

Total Time*
46 yrs.

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PE/TE Date*
Life
 
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