POSTED: Wednesday, December 3, 2008 - 7:11pm
UPDATED: Friday, October 19, 2012 - 2:10pm
Investigators say it was the most gruesome scene involving a child they had ever seen.
RUSK COUNTY - An East Texas couple appeared in a Rusk County court this morning, accused of bludgeoning a 13-month-old girl to death with a hammer.
Investigators say it was the most gruesome scene involving a child they had ever seen.
According to authorities, they received a 911 call Tuesday morning from 18-year-old Jessica Carson, the baby's mother. Carson, whom authorities say graduated last year from Longview High School with honors, told the dispatcher she and her live-in fiancé Blaine Milam, 18, briefly left the baby at home. They said upon their return to the house on County Road 2125 in Henderson, the child, Amora Bain Carson, was not breathing.
That was just one of many stories the pair would tell authorities including the fact that dogs bit her, a car wreck occurred and the child killed herself with a hammer.
Deputies say when they arrived, Amora was on her back in the bedroom, beaten to death with some kind of object, which they believe was a hammer.
"She also had 15-20 bite marks on her body," said Lt. Reynold Humer with the Rusk County Sheriff's Dept. "I’ve seen a lot of (murder scenes) in my 30 years but this is worse I've ever seen."
Officials believe Amora may have been tortured before her death with the bite marks and then later killed with the hammer or another tool.
Lt. Humer said authorities became immediately suspicious of the couple and Carson eventually broke down to Texas Rangers.
According to the arrest report, Carson “admitted to Ranger Kenny Ray that she was present when the defendant performed an exorcism of the demons possessing the body of their child, Amora Bain Carson. The defendant went on to say after her husband killed the baby, they drove to Henderson to a pawnshop to pawn items to pay for an exorcism service and officers were able to confirm those transactions. The defendant Carson said they then made up a story about leaving the baby alone and returning home and finding the baby dead.”
The blonde-hair, blue-eyed baby was described by family members as “a happy toddler, full of life, who never cried.”
Bond was set at $2 million dollars each. If convicted, the couple faces the death penalty.