A Bartow County mother accused of beating her 1-year-old daughter to death was granted a $1 million bond Tuesday. But the mother’s boyfriend, who is also accused in the infant’s death, was denied bond, the Bartow County District Attorney said.
Brandy Ann Boyd and Austin Levi Payne, both of Cartersville, were charged with murder in February after an autopsy was completed on Journey Ann Cowart, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. Bartow Sheriff Clark Millsap said Journey had been beaten more than once in her short life.
“A fractured skull, blunt force trauma to the stomach,” Millsap said in February, describing Journey’s injuries. “The child had healed ribs that had previously been broken. And she also had a femur that had cracked and had already healed.”
On Jan. 21, Journey was not breathing when she was driven to Cartersville Medical Center, where she died in the emergency room, the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office previously said. She had celebrated her first birthday 11 days before her death.
Boyd and Payne were arrested and charged with first-degree cruelty to children and aggravated assault three days after Journey’s death. Charges were later upgraded against the pair.
Journey’s father, Blake Cowart, was found dead in the Etowah River in May 2013, more than a month after he was reported missing.
Boyd was still being held late Tuesday in the Bartow County jail, where Payne also remained.
About the Author
