A mother who admitted repeatedly “slamming” her baby girl on to concrete has been sentenced to life in prison for her murder, without the chance of parole.
Makaylia Jolley, 21, from Mississippi, took her two-month-old daughter Khalysie “by the ankles, slammed her into the pavement multiple times, and then left her”, assistant district attorney Kathryn Newman was quoted as saying by NBC News affiliate WLBT.
The incident in the city of Pearl took place on 12 May 2022, with witnesses telling police the child was left lying in the road.
Jolley then ran into nearby woods where she was arrested.
Khalysie was taken to hospital but died from her injuries two days later.
She suffered brain swelling and bleeding, extensive skull fractures, fractures to her left thumb and right, abrasions, and haemorrhages to her eyes.
Her death was ruled a homicide due to blunt force injuries to her head.
A mental evaluation had found her competent to stand trial.
On Monday, Jolley pleaded guilty to capital murder – a crime that has only two possible outcomes: the death penalty and life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Madison-Rankin district attorney Bubba Bramlett had initially sought the death penalty but instead offered Jolley a plea deal – one reason was to prevent witnesses, family and authorities from having to relive what happened, WLBT reported.
Mr Bramlett said: “Those men and women will forever be affected by what they saw on 12 May 2022.”
Jolley allegedly confessed to police she hurt her baby but said it was an accident and she didn’t know why she did it.
Authorities said she had used drugs on the morning of the incident, WLBT reported.
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Mr Bramlett said it was an “unexplainable and heinous crime against an innocent child”.
He added: “Makaylia Jolley will die in prison where she belongs for committing these crimes against her daughter.”
He told the news station that she would “never get out of prison, under any circumstance”.