The Carroll County father accused of leaving his twin 15-month-old daughters to die in a hot SUV has been indicted on two counts of second-degree murder, the District Attorney said Thursday.
Asa Martell North was also indicted on two counts of cruelty to children in the second degree and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, District Attorney Pete Skandalakis said. Ariel Roxanne North and Alaynah Maryanne North died Aug. 4 after their father left them in the backseat parked outside of the family’s Carrollton home, according to investigators.
The indictment charged North in each child’s death, saying he “caused cruel and excessive physical pain to (her) by placing her, a child under the age of two years, in a car seat and leaving her unattended in a hot motor vehicle.”
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, she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
But in reality, Ariel and Alaynah had somehow slipped North’s mind and were trapped in their car seats in the back seat 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 that day while his daughters were trapped in the car. The results of toxicology tests have not been released.North was initially charged with two felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of reckless conduct, both misdemeanors, in the twins’ deaths.
Police and the district attorney previously said the charges against North could be upgraded depending on the findings of the investigation. The suspect has been held without bond since the day 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.
“I was just very grateful, ” Ellis said of Perry’s gift. “This has shown me that everyone has to love one another. We can always forgive, but we can never forget.”
About the Author
