According to the police officials, the 52-year-old woman, Cheri, who was the sole person caring for the 5-year-old child at the time, reportedly admitted to authorities to striking the victim about five to 10 times in a clapping motion. Per reports, the child then went to lay down immediately afterward and was later found by the woman unconscious. The 52-year-old woman will appear in court on January 22, 2024.
Cheri, who was charged with first-degree murder and child abuse, called 911 and told the dispatcher about an unresponsive girl. The responding officers found the child unconscious and not breathing. The girl, Annabelle, was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead the following day.
During an interview with investigators, the 52-year-old babysitter reportedly said that the child fell down the stairs. But, the girl’s injuries were not consistent with her story. Eventually, the woman admitted to striking the girl several times in the head. She told investigators that she ‘clapped with her hands, with the girl’s head in the middle.’
The day before, she also beat the girl, prosecutors said. Shortly after Cheri’s arrest, a witness reportedly told investigators that the 52-year-old woman ‘hated the little girl’, The witness also told authorities that Cheri ‘was sick of the child and just wanted to kill her.’ The medical examiner told investigators that the child was covered in cuts and bruises.
