The Carroll County father accused of leaving his twin 15-month-old daughters in a hot SUV has been indicted with second-degree murder, the District Attorney said Thursday.
Asa Martell North has also been indicted with two counts of cruelty to children in the second degree and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, DA Pete Skandalakis said. Ariel Roxanne North and Alaynah Maryanne North died Aug. 4 after their father allegedly left them in the backseat, according to investigators.
The twins’ mother, Breal Ellis, left the girls with their father while she went to Grady Memorial Hospital to visit her sister, who had been critically injured in a car wreck.
During the day, Ellis checked in with North to ask about the girls, and he told her they were fine. But in reality, Ariel and Alaynah had somehow slipped North’s mind, and he left them in their car seats in the backseat of his Nissan Rogue, according to Carrollton police. By the time North found the girls, it was too late to save them.
North, 24, admitted to officers he had been drinking before realizing the sisters were still in the car. He was initially charged with two felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of reckless conduct, both misdemeanors, in the deaths of his daughters. Police and the district attorney previously said the charges could be upgraded depending on the investigation findings. North has been held without bond since the night his daughters died.
Entertainment mogul Tyler Perry paid for the funeral for the girls after seeing an interview with Ellis on Channel 2 Action News.
