A north Georgia woman is facing a new trial involving the death of a 2 year old girl, as well as prison for a cruelty charge involving the child.
Clara Louise Edwards of Ringgold is scheduled to be retried in August for felony murder in the December 2013 death of Saharah Elise Weatherspoon. This week, a Superior Court judge granted the motion for a new trial after a mistrial was declared last month when a jury failed to reach a consensus. Also, Edwards was acquitted of a charge of malice murder, which in Georgia means that an alleged killer intended to take a life, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.
Edwards reportedly told investigators that she found Weatherspoon unconscious in the toddler’s bedroom. Edwards said the child slipped down the stairs earlier that day, but she thought the child was fine, according to the newspaper.
Edwards took the girl to a children’s hospital, where doctors found two blood clots on her brain, one recent, one from weeks or months earlier. Also, doctors found bruises on the girl’s stomach, back, arm and face.
The attorney for Edwards argued in court that the injuries didn’t necessarily mean that Edwards hurt the child. The attorney said the girl had developmental delays and struggled to walk.
Felony murder occurs when someone kills somebody while committing another felony, even if the alleged killer did not intend for the death to happen.
