Two Newton County parents claimed they weren’t responsible for their 2-week-old daughter’s violent death. A jury convicted both Christopher McNabb and Cortney Bell in May, deliberating for just an hour.
The Bells are now seeking a new trial, according to court documents. McNabb and Bell have until Nov. 22 to file amended motions and a Dec. 10 hearing is tentatively scheduled.
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On May 14, McNabb and Bell were convicted of killing little Caliyah Claire in October 2017. McNabb was sentenced to life in prison without parole; Bell to 30 years with 15 to serve.
On a Saturday morning, Bell reported the baby missing, and that evening, McNabb angrily demanded her return in front of television cameras. But by then, it's likely Caliyah was already dead, left in a drawstring bag in the woods, a short walk from the family's home. The child died from blunt force trauma and had multiple skull fractures, a GBI medical examiner testified during the trial.
Credit: WSB-TV McNabb family
Credit: WSB-TV McNabb family
McNabb was indicted on eight counts, including malice murder, felony murder, second-degree murder, aggravated battery and concealing the death of another. Bell was indicted by the grand jury on second-degree murder, child cruelty and child deprivation charges. Both were convicted on all charges.
“I’m innocent. I didn’t do it,” McNabb told Judge John Ott before his sentencing. “If you ever find out who did it, they deserve to be under the jail.”
But Ott had harsh words for the couple, who failed to protect their newborn and her older sister from their violent, drug-using lifestyle.
“Like most criminals, you have a version of what a good mama is that is so far from the norm,” Ott told Bell.
McNabb is currently serving at Hays State Prison in Trion, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections. Bell is housed at Pulaski State Prison in Hawkinsville. A relative has custody of the couple’s older daughter.
