A mother from Georgia has admitted guilt to a murder charge in connection with the death of her eight-year-old daughter in 2021, as confirmed by authorities on Wednesday.
Brittany Hall, aged 31, received a life sentence after being found guilty of felony murder, 11 counts of child cruelty, concealing a death, and making false statements, according to the announcement by the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office.
Hall and her partner Celeste Owens, who was previously convicted on 20 counts and sentenced to life plus 235 years in December, subjected Hall’s three children to abuse, resulting in the death of one child. The deceased child’s emaciated body was later found in nearby woods.
On November 19, 2021, Hall and Owens reported the disappearance of eight-year-old Amari Hall, while they were staying in a hotel with Hall’s three children. They claimed that Amari had gone missing from the room while they were asleep, according to the district attorney’s office.
Authorities grew suspicious of their account after discovering indications of child mistreatment. Surveillance footage from inside the hotel room captured the couple physically assaulting all three children, as detailed by the district attorney’s office.
Further investigations uncovered alarming internet searches on Owens’ mobile phone, including queries like “What to do when a child doesn’t listen,” “Lakes near me,” “How do sewers on the streets work,” “Why do kids run away,” “How do I report someone missing,” and “U-Haul: Customer Account.”
CCTV footage depicted Owens renting a U-Haul truck and driving it to DeKalb County, located east of Atlanta, where Amari’s body was eventually located.
Authorities revealed that Owens repeatedly struck Amari on the head, with Hall assisting in covering up the crime. A medical examiner who testified during Owens’ trial disclosed that the girl weighed only 54 pounds at the time of her death and exhibited visible signs of abuse, including a lacerated liver.
Dr. Jamie Downs stated in December, “Something struck the outside of Amari’s body and crushed her liver against her spine.” Gwinnett County crime scene investigator Kia Jimenez added, “She was found with three white bin bags around her. One had been slipped over her head and ended around her abdomen. The second covered her legs and stopped just short of her hips, and there was a third bin bag wrapped around her abdomen and torso area, tied with a black rope.”
Owens was convicted on 20 charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and child cruelty.
Sabrina Nizam, the deputy chief assistant district attorney, expressed, “The images that we have seen we will never be able to unsee, we will never be able to unhear the things that we did during this trial, and it is by far the worst case involving a child I have ever seen,” to Atlanta News First.
Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson commented on Hall’s sentencing, saying, “This mother failed to protect her children and joined in the abuse. This ended tragically. We continue to pray that her siblings can heal from the abuse they endured and that this plea brings closure to them and their extended family.”