Absolutely agree, this piece of @!$%# deserves to be tortured the exact same way!

Grandmother is the paternal grandmother, not mother of the step mother.

Good. They are not messing around in Alabama. The proper charge for their act; and it should not be too difficult to prove.

I agree....have those two fat pieces of SH** run while holding 30 pounds of weight and when they collapse, swing time, from the nearest tree!

These 2 should rot

I agree run her till she drops, don't forget she needs to be carrying atleast 10 plus pounds of firewood

Mr.Jack,

How about 10 pounds of chocolate?

Completely Agree!!!!

Lawyers are asking to LOWER their bonds? Really? After seeing pictures of the grandmother and the mother, it looks like they could have stood to run a few of those laps with that poor little girl.

Couldnt agree more, I do not tolerate torture, but when it comes to over controlling phycopath killing a little girl this way I say deprive her of water, wait till she is dehydrated then run her till she drops. People like that deserve no better.

Amen!

they should kill these mofos make them run 10 miles then kill them by eletric chair and choke them with a rope on their necks

My only thought when I look at the picture of that beautiful little girl: Poor baby, my heart aches for you.

Trent - I was in the military for 8 years. The difference is that this little girl was NINE YEARS OLD. And she didn't volunteer for this. Saying what this little girl had to go through is nothing compared to the military is one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever read on the internet. And that's saying something.

Oh, trent, your post makes you look like an $ss. This isn't about adults in the military!!! It's about a 9 year old girl, and your post is just ridiculous. Oh, but guess that's why you posted it. If the mother and grandmother hadn't made her run that way she wouldn't be dead. Why not read the story and stop posting garbage?

Trent, school is to prepare you for a generalized version of your professional life, not the military version. I was successful in school, and was very active well into my 20's, but I wouldn't ever have been able to pass the physical tests the army puts people through. Personally, I blame the school for not teaching you to spell correctly, or at least teaching you to put forth the effort to run your comment through a spell checker...

As for the punishment, I'd like to put them on an elevated treadmill with a noose around their neck. If they fall off the back, they die. Sadly, this is not an approved method of execution...

trent-2358408

considering that they probably had to run too make sure that she didnt stop running.... you do realize that in the military you have too run several miles at full speed...beleive me, running for three hours carrying 10 pounds is nothing compared to what our military does. I blame the school for not makeing the kid run in school. If they did, this kid wouldnt be dead.

This was a little girl, not an adult in the military. Big difference! And no, I don't believe those women ran with that child. I saw pictures of those women and they sure don't look like runners to me.

People CAN die from running,especially if you are young and have medical issues. I have been in the military and I know what they go through. Tough training for an adult, BRUTAL for a 9 year old girl. If the mother and grandmother KNEW she had medical issues and made her run 3 miles anyway, IT IS MURDER!!! STICK A NEEDLE IN THIER ARM< lights out bitches

I am sorry the Little girl died the way she did. No Grandmom would do that to her Grandchild. The Mother and GM are both sick, need to be locked up for life and the key thrown away. My Prayers are with the Little Girl!

The Justice System should do whatever it has to do to get rid of the subhuman women; running their granddaughter, and daughter until she died?

It was not a matter of Savannah Hardin being allergic to chocolate, but the fact is they did it. They did not want her to have caffeine! How much caffeine is in choc. Total sick heads.

The 2 of them are far worse off; assuming they are mentally ill, alcoholics, and illegal drug feeders.

Just get rid of them---more scum on this beautiful earth. Who had these 2 anyway---it must have been another monster womb with a bad crazy helping on the other side.

Poor young girl. She was the innocent child, who nobody cared about.

I agree with Alison. White trash. Who does that to their kid?

@ D-1519975

Haha...I love your post and agree 100%

I only wish you were able to correct Trent with a RED ink pen!!

Trent--one other little detail the military does, is make sure their troops have salt tablets. Dehydration and lack of electrolytes from abusive treatment are not something you can be trained for. I'm too polite to properly insult you over your statement, however, much as it deserves it.

Trent, What planet do you come from? This was a little girl who did not volunteer for this physical abuse. She was FORCED into it. The only way for you to understand this is to go through the same situtatiion under the same circumstances with much more wood to carry. Oh yeah. Since you are a man, I know you will be able to do the ten hours you were talking about with no problem. Yeah right!!

Alison. You hit the nail on the head.

I tend to agree with bscol and noah on this one. The kid was forced, in some way, shape or form, to run. From what I've previously read, it sounded like she may have had to run hills; presumably, she had to carry the wood in a backpack while running. Definitely not military by any stretch of the imagination. Certainly a couple of drill sergeant wanna-be's with a combined IQ of maybe 70 who are big on teaching lessons to people. I don't see a capital murder charge sticking because there has to be a pre-determined intent to kill, which would be very difficult to establish in this case; what I do see is reckless stupidity which a reasonable person would conclude could cause significant injury or death, meaning this is a fairly cut-and-dry voluntary manslaughter charge. The obvious intent to teach the kid a lesson by putting the kid in danger falls far short of a pre-determined intent to kill.

OK first.. Grandmother had to be aware of any medical conditions she had. That only adds to the fact that they are to blame for this tragedy. Plus, they ran her WITHOUT HYDRATION.. Something we see even with NFL players. They are always suckin on gatorade on the sidelines when they break from running up and down the field. Anyone who thinks these two are not responsible for this girls death are blind to the facts. That is all!!

People, please!!! Yes, the Mother & Grandmother suck. That's clear, and they should pay. Seems like so many folks want to torture, maim, hang, electrocute these skel. That's being as f'ed up as the white trash that allowed this little girl to die. Don't get me wrong, I have no love for these low-lifes, but I'm not gonna wish them dead. They'll get there's one way or another. Either the system will get them, or life will even out the lumps these two skanks caused by destroying such a young life.

@ Pault-1969856- lol @ the system or life serving any kind of true justice. It's not being as f'ed up, it's an eye for an eye. Once monsters like this are proven guilty, what purpose do they serve to humanity or society other than being a drain? Life isn't a fairy-tale where fate deals them their come-uppance either. As peers, it's up to us to draw a line somewhere-some acts are too heinous, and those who commit them deserve death.

Unfortunately, rodentwarrior may be right. Their intent appears to be punishing her, not killing her. Sadly, the death penalty may not hold up, as much as I would like to see it.

I agree with everyone that says they should be run for 3 hours with no hydration carrying logs in a back pack and see how they like it. There are so many more effective ways to teach a child right from wrong, it sounds like to me these two pigs were just too freaking lazy to try and figure out what one of those alternatives could have been. My question is this, where is the father of this child? Where is the natural mother? I am the mother of a teenage daughter who over the years has done some things that got her into trouble. NEVER has it EVER crossed my mind to subject her to such a treacherous punishment as this little girl had to endure. Regardless of color, economic status,etc. it is wrong, ALL CHILDREN deserve the right to life and these women took that from her. Because of their evil actions, they deserve to go straight to HELL with alcohol drawers on!

What these two did is completely reprehensible, but I think that going for the death penalty is a bit overboard. The prosecution is going to have a hard enough time proving intent to get a murder conviction. These two definitely deserve to spend a very long time in prison, but to me this is an inappropriate use of the death penalty statute.

these women were peed off because they wanted the candy bar . what type of life did the little girl have before they murdered her .

give them life with no parole .

Trent...what can I say that hasn't been said already? You are more than an a$$. You are an ignorant a$$! I pray that you do not have children. I beleive that gene pool needs to end with you! By the way, I have three kids, all of whom play sports. They are fit, very active, and participate in a conditioning class outside of school. None of my kids could run for three hours straight without water or a break.

Noah... really? If it was dehydration, what do you think caused it? Oh let's see...could it be running for three hours carrying ten pounds of wood? I say it was child abuse, child endangerment AND murder!

I beleive in an eye-for-an-eye! We are supposed to protect our children. Why do people lose sight of this? It is beyond me!

ANYONE who cannot see this old bat and her step sidekick intended bodily harm, needs to move to Florida with the Anthony jury. Who, in their right mind, would force this kind of punishment? If the child was not supposed to have chocolate, then WHY was it where the child could get it? If you leave something out and a nine year old doesn't have the self control to leave it alone, who's fault is it? Most people (not all) KNOW to lock up things that might hurt a child... like guns, alcohol, etc. I hope BOTH of the nasty hags are locked up for the rest of their lives.

I hope the prosecutors have a back-up plan. Capital murder kind of requires intent, I would suspect, or for the death to have occurred during the commission of a felony. While making the girl run was cruel, in the way they did it and for the reason they did it, it was not a crime in and of itself, and it is doubtful the child's death could have been a foreseen occurrance. I am not sure they can make the capital murder charge stick (I am an attorney) but I would think they could win on a lesser included homicide that includes depraved indifference as an element. No way will they get a death penalty out of this either, but I bet the grandma ends up with 10 years or so. If we are lucky, more, but don't count on it.

alison-506550 I agree. Furthermore, I wish there weren't trials for some people but rather automatic sentencing; such trials would be a waste of money especially for a case like this where guilt is already proven. May the granddaughter's soul rest in peace...my goodness...such a shame.

noah-4078447

Health and nutrition classes you must have slept through. It is easy to die from dehydration and low mineral status especially sodium and potassium. Happens quite often to marathon runners who are not careful. A very common and dangerous side effect of over-exercising.

People, just take some basic first aid classes or nutrition so tragedies like this don't happen. A lot of ignorance over health in America. No one should die of say strep throat or dehydration, but they do because of ignorance. Heck, you can drink too much water and dilute your mineral concentration and die.

Allison: don't feel bad for saying they're white trash--I'm white, and god-forbid I should treat any child like that! That's ridiculous--I would've taken her to the hospital, and then yes, after she's released and all is well, she would've been grounded for a month (if not longer) for eating something that was dangerous for her to eat.

So yes, I support your vote--let both the old bat and her daughter run, while carrying wood, and don't let 'em stop running 'til they both drop dead. That's what the two of them deserve.

That grandmother should be tortured. How could a grandma do that?

Trent, you are an idiot. A little 9 year old is not able to handle running for 3 hours without water. I don't think anyone could. I was in the military and we at least got to have water from our canteens. so I say again, you are an idiot.

Evil 'grandma' and stepmom (unclear of involvement) will pay the price for this disgusting abuse that caused a beautiful child to die. God knows what else was done to this little girl. Punishment should not be sitting in jail for the rest of her life wasting taxpayers' money, but instead having the pleasure of enjoying the same experience, but with 30 lbs attached to her and running until death parts her from this world. Monsters don't belong here.

there are just a Lot Of MEAN/ CRUEL & NASTY people OUT THERE..where is Kindness & understanding people anymore..from GREEDY OIL CORPORATIONS, to the CORRUPT Politics and every thing else in between..WE ARE DOOMED, GOD SAVE US !! NOBODY CARES ANYMORE !!!.. they ALL want their Hands in YOUR pockets, before and after death........

"... too run several miles at full speed...beleive me, running for three hours carrying 10 pounds is nothing compared to what our military does"

Not on your worst day tubby.

When are they going to outlaw running shoes?

There was intent. While picking up the little girl from the bus, and they have this in the bus surveillance tape, said that she was going to run her until she dropped or until she couldn't run anymore. I too was in the Army and yes we ran and ran and ran. My drill sergeants made sure we had water. We were adults. If we dropped out we got remedial training. We were never forced to run until we were dead. Heads would have rolled if that had happened. My boys were asked to run up ahead of us and back to tell us how far the trail was. We did it to wear out my ADHD kids. But I am talking about 3 to 5 minutes spurts with extra water or juice. These women need to run till they never get up again. The little girl is at last fee to lay down and rest in a peacefull place.

noah-4078447

This is a tragedy but people simply do not die from running. She obviously had some other medical condition going on. Perhaps it was dehydration? Abuse, Child Endangerment = YES! Murder = NO!

They ran this little girl until she passed out from dehydration and lose of electrolytes, not until she started to convulse did they call 911. By the time she got to the hospital her electrolytes were so low that she suffered massive internal organ and brain damage.

These 2 backwater hillbilly bitches need to be executed for this and a message sent to all who would contemplate such actions.

At ten years old the girl couldn't have weighed all that much. Wonder how much ten lbs. is compared to her body weight. Carrying a load, denied water for 3 hrs. In what temperature?? Dehydration for a young child wouldn't take too long. In fact dehydration is one of the fatal four conditions that can cause death, at least in people with disabilities. Any DRs., nurses, personal trainers out there that can weigh in on dehydration and how long it would take for a ten year old to succumb to it???

A lot we don't know here. Where was the father? Biological mom?? What kind of relationship did the grandma, father and step mom have with this girl???? Any reports from neighbors or her school on potential abuse or neglect?? Any signs of previous dehydration, malnutrition etc..??? What was this alledged medical condition??? Pretty poor reporting when we get no facts!!!!

I don't what kind of adult would not understand how abusive they were being. I guess some people just enjoy causing others pain. And the step mom! No guts to stand up to the grandmother?? Or did she just go along for fun?? Intent to kill probably can not be proven so death penalty probably won't happen. But at the very least they should get voluntary manslaughter, depraved indifference like the attorney posted, any and every charge, abuse, neglect whatever the prosecuters can possibly put out there. Wonder if these women have any money for an attorney?? IF they get a court appointed then good. From what I've heard court appointeds don't really bother to fight all that hard, won't spend much money developing a defense, and would rather just do a plea bargain with the DA and be done with it. Hopefully they will get this type of totally indifferent attorney. And for those court apointed that do work hard and care, thanks and sorry didn't mean to offend. When these women hit prison the other inmates will likely show these women what they think of baby killers.

Major Tom: there is a special place in hell for women like these two--or at least that's my hope!

I don't know about Alabama, but in Washington State abusing a child to death makes the killer eligible for the death penalty. They don't have to have meant to cause death. I would think that if Alabama has such a law, it would certainly apply in this case.

Tent, that is the STUPIDEST thing I have ever heard. She was 9!! Running in school would not have made a difference to a little girl who was made to run for 3 hours with no water holding 10 lbs of firewood. And you are comparing her "workout" to a military workout? There's a reason 9 year olds aren't in the military!

Military training? Really? She is 9 years old. She had a medical condition which is why she wasn't supposed to eat the chocolate. So make her run for 3 hours while carrying 10 pounds? Punishment is appropriate for disobeying, but this was beyond riduculous! How about losing a privilege? How about having to do some age appropriate research and write a paper about why she shouldn't eat the chocolate? How about anything appropriate for a 9 year old with a medical condition?

trent-2358408 Comment collapsed by the community

considering that they probably had to run too make sure that she didnt stop running.... you do realize that in the military you have too run several miles at full speed...beleive me, running for three hours carrying 10 pounds is nothing compared to what our military does. I blame the school for not makeing the kid run in school. If they did, this kid wouldnt be dead.

Seriously Trent? Seriously?? Comparing a nine year old girl to a soldier? The victim was NINE. People in the military are aged 18 years and older. People in the military are post high school; the girl was in the THIRD GRADE.

Blaming the school for this child's death? I am so tired of fools blaming the education systems for everything. When are people going to take responsibility for themselves?

I counted more than a dozen spelling and grammatical errors in the sixty-eight words you wrote. I blame your parents for not making you study.

I blame the school for not making the kid run in school. If they did, this kid wouldn't be dead.

Trent you are a complete and total waste of DNA. Why not have your child run for three hours with 10 pounds of wood and no nourishment. See how long he lasts.

noah-4078447

This is a tragedy but people simply do not die from running. She obviously had some other medical condition going on. Perhaps it was dehydration? Abuse, Child Endangerment = YES! Murder = NO!

Noah all I can say to you is just shut up please.

skrewdworld

After 3 hours of running with no food or water this little girl passed out and not until she started to convulse did they call 911. The sheriff's release says the autopsy report showed the girl was extremely dehydrated and had a very low sodium level. A state pathologist ruled it a homicide. That's right the state pathologist looked at her blood sodium levels and saw just how low they were and said this is a homicide.

Without enough sodium in your body, your cellular function and neural communication shut down. This little girls sodium levels were so low that her heart, brain and other organs shut down and she died.

These 2 backwater Hillbilly Bitches ran this little girl to death and in my book that's murder. Let them hang from the highest branches and let justice for this little girl be done.

Lkessler

Major Tom: there is a special place in hell for women like these two--or at least that's my hope!

Yes indeed, they get to sit on the devils lap while he breaths white hot fire in their faces, and he sticks his white hot Johnson where the sun don't shine. They can never pay enough for taking the life of that innocent child, no child deserves to die like that.

@Noah - people most certainly die from running. There have been several adult marathon runners who have died from hyponatremia (not to mention the original marathon runner, phidippides), the same thing Savannah died from (low sodium). In addition she DID have a medical condition, and the grandmother KNEW this and made her run anyway.

That grandmother was an evil person but I don't think the state should have the right to execute people. I think the death penalty is unjust and we should only sentence her to life imprisonment if she is found to be guilty.

This was an attempt by the grandmother and stepmother to inflict cruel punishment without leaving any visible marks on the poor child's body. Coming up with this much "smarter" way to hide physical evidence of abuse makes me think they've done it before.

As a Drill Sergeant for the Army we may run long distances in basic. (This has actually been changed recently where long distance runs are being shortened. As well as you are not allowed to carry weight such as a rucksack or body armor while on a run.) TRADOC 350-6

But while we do run in the dead of winter to the hellish heat of summer. We do what we can to hydrate the soldiers. Use a wet bulb to determine heat index which determines how hard we can push soldiers throughout the day and also determines breaks. We have ice sheets in case of a collapse or someone exhibiting signs of heat stroke, cramps, etc.

When a soldier drops and is hospitalized for any heat or cold related injury. The drill sergeant or sergeant's are investigated. Risk assesments are checked to make sure everything was in place and could have been done. (Usually the soldier not drinking water is the highest cause of soldier injuries due to heat.)

I can be pretty certain that these two did not take precautions. Did not allow her to drink water. Or know the signs and symptoms of any type of heat injury. Or how to properly treat someone that was exhibiting signs.

Unit PT when you get to permanent duty is a very different story from basic. Though the same policies apply so when a soldier is injured or dies from some type of heat or cold injury. The command is investigated and punished if found to be negligent. So using the military as an example that it isn't the fault of the two responsible is ignorant. Or that somehow schools having a better physical education program would've somehow improved her chances of survival. Some of the fittest persons have dropped dead on a run despite having perfect health.

Major Tom-I hadn't had a chance to see any other articles on this except this one. The pathologist weighing in probably will carry a lot of weight in the courtroom towards a death penalty, or a life sentence. Hope they get at least life. And thanks for the info. This site always has very incomplete info and I do like to read other more informative articles. I once had critcally low potassium and if not for a blood test at the right time I would likely not be here today. For a month kept getting sicker and weaker and was hospitalized twice with IV potassium running into me. Was told my heart could have just stopped at any time. Had no idea though that it could happen so quickly. These women are beyond belief. So sorry this innocent life was taken.

a Grandmother with the help of another woman would run her 9 year old, innocent Granddaughter to death! You should be! If either of these women have ever had a shred of decency in their character they will find the means to hang themselves in their cells while awaiting trial but since they have pleaded not guilty and are represented by counsel I doubt that they will do the honorable thing and will do everything that they can to convince the jury that the child was to blame for her own death. There is no hell hot enough to satisfy the punishment that these two monsters deserve. The little girl, obediently submitting to her torture, had to feel her little life ebbing away but was too afraid of her own family to seek help. This is simply abhorrent behavior and like with Casey Anthony who murdered Baby Kaylee, there is a chance that these two will be acquitted. But like Casey, they will never be able to live freely in society because there are too many people that have the means, motive and will take the opportunity to dispense parental justice to these miscreants. Now is a good time to remember baby Kaylee and bring Casey to mind again so the passage of a little time does not give her sanctuary or relief from the certain knowledge that her life is forfeit if she strays from her hiding hole.

after seven week's of hard physical training in boot camp in late sixties, lot of running,also in place,marching, anything physically imaginable we did at the beckon call from any D.I. we were always giving salt tabs little short on water some times. only after these very hard seven week's of training were we then made to take a twenty-five mile forced march. with two canteen's each. however there were salt for the taken but it was rationed as well for you can take to much salt all at once. medic's on hand in ambulance for those who fell out. some kind of discipline to be learned in the total eight week's. might have to go to a war oh lets say south east asia. we were taught all these various things for a reason. I CANNOT BELIEVE OR UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAPPENED, Seem's these days we are living in it's always the children who are killed or murdered for some unknown reason, breaks my heart daily always in the news some where. my true feelings about people like these two, it is my civil duty to hunt them down and BLOW THEM IN HALF!!! problem is i would then be no better then the sick S.O.B.'S WHO DO VARIOUS HARM TO ANY ONE BUT TO HARM CHILDERN IN THESE WAYS. "GOD" help us all.

Send them to see Ole Sparky in Atmore, AL.

Don't HURt the Children, stop hurting the Children, EVil Evil Women rot in jail

noah-4078447

This is a tragedy but people simply do not die from running. She obviously had some other medical condition going on. Perhaps it was dehydration? Abuse, Child Endangerment = YES! Murder = NO

Are you really that dense? Why don't you go run for 3 hours w/o water or rest. Then tell me it won't kill you. Dehydration kills. Look it up.

She was severely dehydrated. She was also 9 years old and weighed maybe 70 lbs? and carrying 10 lbs of weight.

This was definitely murder.

What no one is commenting on is WHY this girl ran until she dropped. What healthy, well-adjusted 9 year old, will follow a punishment like that? They won't. Which means likely this girl was tortured psychologically for years to make her terrified enough of stopping that continuing to run seemed the better option than stopping. I hope that comes out in the trial. If you shoot someone and say "Oops, I didn't EXPECT them to die from it" that doesn't make it any less murder. Running a child for hours, with no hydration, far beyond their tolerance level, IS murder, whether you meant it or not.

I could not agree more.. This was not a well adjusted child and clearly abused for years. My mother was abusive as well, but, in my case, there were other adults present to keep a "lid" on her. A child like this tries to "please" the abuser and will do anything to gain their acceptance. I know....Fortunately, I escaped and created a successful life but, not without many scars I bear and deal with to this day. This poor little girl had nobody to rescue her from these two cruel women. They need to be shown the "error of their ways" and "reeducated". This small helpless angel should rest in peace.

I think the reeducation of the stepmother and the grandmother should consist of the death penalty. I'll bet then they would never do it again. Zero recidivism.

WTF are you talking about? Child abuse is running rampant in our society? You must be one of those people that thinks spanking your kid is child abuse. Or even yelling at them. I got my ass beat when I was growing up and I'm just fine, so is my brother. People like you is why we have to deal with screaming crying kids when we're eating dinner (or just in public in generla) because the parents can't slap their kids straight.

There was differently something wrong here. That girl was SO scared to stop running that she basically ran till she was dead. That isn't something that gets in your head with one instance. That certainly shows a cycle of abuse.

Hmph I heard this lame excuse before every time. And yet that same person almost always either end up being two things, Super agrressive and insulting or super passive and weak.

Sounds like to me you're the former..Of course I'm sure i'm going to hear some crap about 'oh I did all kinds of volentering and a whole buch of community service, I was in the army ,blah,blah,blah' garbage. Don't bother I already heard it.

And of course it's no longer running rampart anymore. We have systems in place now to help prevent that and I can safetly say that a heavy number of these abuseive scenarios always starts with that 'I was beaten when I got in trouble and I came out just fine' attitude these parents have.

Feel free to flame me or wuss out and attack my grammar and spelling. I can take it.

Meth tends to do that to people.

I hope she loses more than sleep over this.

Wow, that's tough alex. You hope she loses sleep over this? That's it? Unbelievable.

Joe-she said "more than sleep". Why try to start an argument?? Do you need people to say all kinds of horrible ways these sub-humans should die to make you happy?? Plenty of posters have already done so. NO need for what you said.

Domestic horses or sled dogs only run themselves to death when humans are forcing them to. Another topic entirely, but just as cruel and heartless.

Prey animals will run as far and as long as they can when being chased by a predator, including man. They want to live just like every other living being on the planet.

It strikes me as a failure when adults who are supposed to be caring for children run them to death. This isn't an evolutionary fail except that those people reproduced.

Amen, ram!

Are you brain dead? She did not hit the kids in the head with a hammer. Sure she made a very bad decision and she needs to be punished. This is not a case of murder and I highly doubt either will be convicted on that charge. It is manslaughter at best.

and people wonder why christians are such a joke, calling for someone's death goes against your religion even if they deserve it.

Not only hitting people with a hammer or killing them with a knife is the only way to kill someone! What she did was crue and insensitive from a human point of view, but from a legal point of view, it's murder. I find it hard tobelieve that her common sense didn't tell her at some point, that running under the sun for three hours, while carrying 10 pounds of wood or whatever, would be sadistically extreme for anyone. Specially someone with a medical condition. Insentive and crue! That's child abuse.

Child abuse, yes, but murder? No way. What law school did you go to? She did not intentionally kill the girl.

@Noneofyourbusiness1970 - In most states (including Alabama, I believe), capital murder/first degree murder can be charged for a death of a child (due to negligence), regardless of how the crime was committed. Obviously it wasn't their intent for this child to die, but it was their negligence and cold hearts that caused this to happen and they should pay the full price. For this girl to continue to run for 3 hours, she must have been scared about what would happen if she stopped.

There was intent...She intended to make her run...she intended to make her run for 3 hours...She intened on making her run for 3 hours and carry 10 pounds of firewood. How is this not intent??? You mean because grandma and step mom are now crying through all 5 teeth between them....They didnt intend for her to die? Bull....They weren't just trying to run off those chocolate calories!!! And is ADHD a medical condition??? Yes, but it's not like the child was a diabetic and could suffer greatly from chocolate. Idiots who deserve the death penalty......but unfortunately will never get it!!!

To all saying, "Not murder..." OK... Can we say reckless endangerment, abuse and definitely MANSLAUGHTER of a child occurred. Hello, anyone????

If it was your kid abused in this manner to death, what would YOU say!? Knuckleheads (being VERY polite I might add).

Big G-2259350 ... forcing a child to run with no water for three hours is one of two things intent, or negligence, either way she killed a child and deserve much worse.

This case will come to how many parents of young children sit on the jury. As a parent (and a male, not overly emotional one at that) these two women need to fry for what they did to that poor little girl.

BIG G needs to turn in that community college law degree he has and get some real schooling on how law works, especially concerning child-welfare and protection...

Nuff said...

where was the dad? Where is this girls biological mom?

Who in their right mind let these two care for her? They deserve some form of punishment for sheer stupidity!

Dad was in Afghanistan and bio-Mom and Dad are divorced... It's called Step-Mom was married to Bio-Dad, therefore had custody while Bio-Dad was away... It's not rocket science lady...

The difference between voluntary manslaughter and murder is "intent". That is if you and I get into an arguement that leads to a fist fight, I hit you in the chest a couple times and unbeknowst to me you suffer from a heart murmer, you die from the impact this would likely be voluntary manslaughter. I didn't think a general fist fight would kill you. Drunk driving is another good example that typically leads to a manslaughter charge. If you had a vendetta against me and you broke into my house walked straight to my location and shot me in the head, this would be murder - a fully intentional killing. The state will have to prove that they had the aforethought that this would kill the little girl. Most likely these two idiots thought that this would severly punish her but not kill her. I am surprised that they are charging them with murder...not because I am against it...but because according to the law they have a much better chance of making voluntary manslaughter stick. Maybe with the child's pre-existing medical conditions they should have known and the state has more info than us. That's just a guess. I hope they don't blow their case. This being said I am from Maine and requirements of the law may be different in Alabama.

This is not murder. Stupid, yes, but not murder.

Ignorance gets you nowhere in life jewls. Soldiers can run for hours carring over 30 pounds of gear. A 9 year old girl should be able to run for three hours carrying only 10.

The girl probably died from heatstroke, not from the running. Thats what happens when you dont drink enough water. I think schools need too teach that.

Trent, just go away. You say such bizarre things and I think schools need to teach you the difference between a 9 year old girl and a soldier. I hope you have no children.

Trent, let's see you run non-stop for three hours, non-stop, no breaks and no water and see how far you get... Your remarks are completely asinine and cruel to say the least.

By your logic, this little girl should have trained, been already hydrated and on stand-by for a marathon call-up.

The charges are dependant upon the laws in Alabama.

It is reasonable to assume that forcing the child to run even a few laps is abusive. To make the child run until she drops shows malicious intent to cause physical harm...which, in this case resulted in death.

This child supposedly had a medical condition. These women chose this form of punishment for consuming chocolate and lying about it. If chocolate affects the child's medical condition...why would they insist on such a physically exhausting punishment?

I think Trent is deliberately trying to provoke people with his comments. He knows full well a child is not capable of running for 3 hrs straight while carrying wood. If he is truly sincere in what he's posting then I feel sorry that he's so obviously without much reasoning capability.

@Frustrated-3932798

Now imagine a jury with 12 Trents. Oh, and two or three alternate Trents. Freaking scary isn't it?

Big g child abuse, not murder? really? several others have made similar statements and feeble attempts to back there words up with law. If in the process of commiting a crime someone is killed, it is 1st degree murder. That is the law. Since child abus is a crime and someone died durring the commision of that crime, they are guilty of murder and should rightfully be put out of our misery. As for coments about capital punishment not being christian, might I suggest you read leviticus in the old testament. Lastly, for all of you who wish to "pray" for this little girl I ask WHY? do you think God doesn't know what happened to her? Do you think your prayers are going to change gods mind and bring her back to life? What exactly are you praying for? just curious.

Big G

She intentionally did'nt care if the child died. She deserves whatever she gets. In prison the female population does not take kindly to child molesters or child abusers. I hope both of them stay in jail long enough to receive some good old jail justice.

trent=troll. Figure it out.

Trent, you do understand you are comparing a CHILD to grown MEN and WOMEN, right? I was in the Marine Corp and have been on plenty of runs with tons of gear. I was 18 at the time and in the best shape of my life and they were still no easy task. On many of these runs grown MEN would collapse from dehydration and other things. Your comparison is rediculous.

I'm willing to bet you can't run for 3 hours carrying 10 pounds.

@Trent - soldiers also carry water with them when they run, they used to carry it in canteens, now they wear those water backpacks. Even marathon runners are given water at several points along the race. The fastest marathon was won in just over 2 hours, the average time is around 3 - 4 hours. Soldiers and marathon runners are also adults who have trained to run these distances, they also old enough to know when to speak up when something is wrong with them. This girl was offered NO water over that 3 hour time she was forced to run. She was being punished and was probably afraid to speak up. The step-mom and grandmother only reacted with the girl colapsed. Dehydration was part of the reason she died. I was in the military and once I suffered from dehydration and everyone around me knew something was wrong because I was pale as a ghost. These women totally ignored this little girl, making her run for their own demented pleasures because they could. Now stop being such an idiot!

Frankencline- If you don't beleive in God or prayer, if your an atheist, I don't care. But, if belief and prayer helps others get thru the bad crap in life more power too them!!! They aren't effecting you in anyway that you should get so upset about so why don't you let it go and stick to the story???

It's probably right on that Trent is just looking for a reaction to his ridiculous posts so how about everybody just ignore him?? It's more than he deserves but we can't kick his anonymous butt.

I hope we all can witness the execution, then burn her body, just so we can feel better about how are supposedly making the world safer. It is sad that this child died though.

Soldiers sign on for a job. I have two "sisters" who did the work for 25 years. They had work to do and did it faithfully. This little girl had no chance. Adults are capable of deciding to run weighted down with water and swim with packs full of rocks. This is training for them. This child was a complete victim. I am fairly sure the adults involved were basically ignorant of the concequences of their actions however, they are guilty of depraved indifference. They were responsible for the wellbeing of this child and they both failed miserably. This is an awful example of "parenting". I would not run my female doberman wthout rest periods and water breaks. We have never run anywhere for three hours. This is a no brainer. These women lost their tempers and their judgement. The result was a tragedy for which there is no redemption. To think her father is off in that hell-hole we call afghanistan fighting for a better life for her. My heart is broken for him and his little lost baby.

Big G and Trent - In Washington state a person who abuses a child to death is eligible for the death penalty. They don't have to have meant to kill the child. The consensus seems to be that this child was abused. There is no question that the child died as a result. I don't know about Alabama, but in my state that entitles the abuser to a one-way ticket out.

The step-mother may have had nothing to do with this, or have been bullied by the grandmother: "It's my house,and you'll do what I say or I'm going to throw you and that baby you're going to have in a few hours out into the landfill."

ElkMeadow...what you say is indeed possible...the step-mother was also in her ninth month of pregnancy and gave birth days later if memory serves me right...this pregnancy was possibly a factor in her failure to intervene and over-rule her mother in law...that dad who flew back from working in India must be simply becide himself...!!

Does anyone know what exactly, her "condition" was? Was it life threatening, or was the child ADHD, or simply hyper and the grandmother and evil stepmother didn't want to have to deal with her extra energy from the caffeine?

(I admit, I haven't read all the reports or stories. I've been studying for a certification exam, and catching bits and pieces, here and there...like right now.)

I have to wonder just how long they would have made her run if she didn't collapse and die.
And the extra 10 pounds is hard to carry for hours when you're just walking, much less a child having to run with it.

I'm with the others. The death penalty isn't strong enough for what these two did to that poor little girl.

No way in hell can anyone defend or make excuses for either of these women.
They both should be tried for murder.

America - innocent until proven guilty. You would prefer sentencing before the hearing?

Defense lawyers are paid to defend the people who are being put on trial. The lawyers have no choice and the defendents have the right to an attorney. All lawyers are doing is their job. This would be the same as saying that if a doctor's patient dies, kill the doctor.

America - The presumption of innocence...so many assume that presumption is a law, or a given right. It is merely an indulged assumption.

As for the defense attorneys...I'm not sure I could put my own morals aside...all for the almighty dollar.

You have already convicted these women and you don't even know if the charges are true. It's scary how judgmental Americans have become today. The news convicts alleged criminals based on a headline, not the facts.

If they made this little girl run for 3 hours until she died, they are terrible, horrible people who deserve to go to jail. If they didn't, I hope the jury isn't as narrow minded as you.

cms5 sometimes attorneys have to go ahead and defend slime because if they can't get a lawyer to do so the case would be thrown out. I guess you would just have to hold your nose and deal with it. They don't get particularly big bucks for public defender cases. (and I am no fan of lawyers, but let's be fair.)

Wether or not, dam this is a child i have dogs that piss me off but i don't kick them or notr feed them or even let them go without water. Yes they should burn in hell i have 7 grandkids two i haven't spoke to in almost a year but they are still my flesh and blood. all of you that fell that these two pieces of trash should go free need to take a good look at yourself and think before you say let them go

outotlunch

I agree, which is why I could never be a lawyer.

I don't beleive they will be acquitted. Enough charges out there that can be used against them something will stick and they'll do some time.

thoughtful-4412579

You have already convicted these women and you don't even know if the charges are true. It's scary how judgmental Americans have become today. The news convicts alleged criminals based on a headline, not the facts.

What facts do you need?

1. Fact - Thery ran this little girl for 3 hours without food or water, there are witnesses and their own admission.

2. They ran this little girl until she passed out, the grandmother stated that that was her intent. They waited after she passed out until she started to convulse before they called 911. There is no doubt, that if they would have put their hand on this little girls head, that they would have noticed that she was burning up.

3. The little girls autopsy revealed that she was extremely dehydrated and had a very low sodium level. A state pathologist ruled it a homicide. Her blood sodium levels were so low her cellular functions stopped and her brain, heart and other organs shut down and she died.

I don't know about you, but that makes them guilty in my book.

Teamdirtdogs,

Don't put her in the catagory of a witch. I think witches are much nicer people and she would give them a bad name.

I agree with you though, she lasted 3 hours. How much longer was she going to make her run, all night?

What a disturbing story.

teamdirtdogs -

I wholeheartedly agree with your statements. However, if you would like people to read your posts and find your point of view credible, I would suggest you use better spelling and grammar to present your opinions.

Umm, team, the key word here is trained. Also, you prepare for races and you don't just eat some chocolate, not hydrate and prepare, and run carrying weights for 3 hours...especially if you are a 9 year old girl.

umm, Ram. perhaps you should read someones post before commenting on it. teamdirt was not defending these women. he was using his experienc as an example of how cruel what they did was. Amen teamdirt, well said, spelling and gammer not withstanding. Couldn't agree more.

ram-762581, he was making a point about running to death, not just the girl. the girl still good for her age,not that i support theevil stepmother.

Who cares about Teams spelling and grammer. He has real knowledge of running as a sport and trains people in how to do it properly. He knows and understands what the consequences of running unprepared are and shared it with us. Thanks TEamdirtdog-appreciate your post.

Senseless tragedy. Shows children do not have a voice..only through adults.. That horrific death should set example to inhumane people that the little girl had to live under. Do we not have a constitution for childrens' rights? Right now... this is one is buried.

Hate to say it but to a good number of aduts(especially some parents) T=they don't think kids deserve them. I'll admit i'm a bit amazed I don't see a lot or people form the last board I was at here.. hmm.

I have a feeling that the medical condition that prevented the girl from eating chocolate was grandma's obesity.

oh my god....that is spot on

They did not have it in the house. The girl obtained it on the school bus.

.

They did not have it in the house. The girl obtained it on the school bus.

So now someone is going to charge the school district too.

I'm just wondering if the claim that she wasn't supposed to have chocolate was indeed, actually diagnosed by a doctor, or was it just a claim by Grandma Chocolate-Nazi?

Buffaloe51 .Best comment I have read. Even if they don't get tortured by fellow inmates they most certainly will have to sit and think about it for the rest of our lives and all of us commenting here, will have moved on.

But people want the guy that kicked the cat to get the death penalty. Most of the posters on here are just plain stupid.

Ted- I have the same concern. As Casey Anthony's trial demonstrated, Murder 1 can be a hard charge to stick. I'm sure these women's laywers will do their best to say they didn't know that would kill the girl and had no intent. Which is BS (I mean, how long would they have kept running her if she hadn't collapsed? 5 hours? 10? They likely would have run her til she died regardless of how long it took), but I'd rather see them locked up on negligence/child endangerment than let go because prosecutors get over-zealous.

...or perhaps they can make her run around the prison yard until she collapses?

I think both woman ought to carry 25 pounds of wood in their arms and 25 pounds of wood in a backpack and run and run and run and run and run.... I think any parent or guardian who harms a child they each ought to carry that weight and run until they drop like flies. We all need to be loved unconditionally. What monsters they are.

"We all need to be loved unconditionally"? but you want them to drop like flies? I'm appalled at what happened too but, you're just not making any sense. Just saying

The prosecutors are reaching way too far to call it capitol murder and go for the death penalty. She did not intentionally kill the girl. Poor judgement with tragic consequences, yes, of course, but not murder at all. She should be punished, but all you with your pitchforks out and torches lit will be mad and screaming at "the idiot jury" when she's acquitted of murder. They need to seek a more provable charge.

It was murder.
It is apparent that you don't have kids or grand kids.
"Poor judgement" my ass.

Casey Anthony was found innocent, what makes you think another jury won't do the same with these women?

Ms. Anthony was found 'not guilty'....she's a convicted felon...far from 'innocent'. All they need is a jury that has at least two people who are competent and are able to apply logic and common sense.

Imagine this: not all the facts have been presented in a court of law. All that has happened so far is information the media deems of interest has been put out for public consumption. Perhaps these women are not "innocent." But, it's up to the court and a jury to figure that out.

cms5: so true about Ms. Anthony. Not guilty is very different than innocent.

this story is all over the place and if you read a little more than what is written above, you will find that this was in fact the father's mother. it was her paternal, blood related grandmother who issued the punishment. the step-mother is in trouble because she didn't stop it. at 9 months pregnant, maybe she was lying down, taking a nap and didn't realize what was going on or how long the girl had been running. none of us could possibly know what really happened because we weren't there and all of the information is clearly not available.

i agree with everyone that this was a tragic incident. it's amazing to me though, how many people jump to conclusions and say horrible things about people without any idea what the facts rally are. no, all of the facts are not available, but there is definitely a lot more to this story than what is provided in this short article.

and another thing, have any of you ever seen someone on meth? some of you have said the grandmother was obese or that she had a weight problem, then go on to say she's on meth. this drug is a real problem in the area that i live in and i can tell you that people on meth do not typically have weight problems - unless the problem is that they are underweight.

does it matter WHO'S mother it was??

If all this does turn out to be true, I hope the grandmother and step mom get what they deserve. Karma!

LoriLea --- The grandmother refered to IS related by blood to the little girl. She is the PATERNAL grandmother, not the mother of the stepmother, but her mother-in-law! This point has been made repeatedly.

Good reason for you to stay above it.

Good reason for you to stay above it.

Yep, especially when you torture children

The Tea Party desire to turn the rest of the country into lower Alabama. Obama got 1 in 10 votes in these areas. Intolerant and redneck unfortunately is the best description of most of the human population.

You are a freak.