Religion News Blog — The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the conviction of a man found guilty in the 2008 beating death of his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter.
In May 2010 Blaine Keith Milam, who was 20 at the time, was sentenced to die by lethal injection for killing 13-month-old Amora Carson, the daughter of his girlfriend, Jessica Carson.
The child, Amora Bain Carson, was beaten with a hammer, sexually assaulted, and bitten more than 20 times.
Too many injuries
During Milam’s trial forensic pathologist Dr. Keith Pinckard testified there were too many injuries suffered by the 13-month-old to give a definitive cause of death.
The Tyler Morning Telegraph said
Pinckard testified Amora’s injuries constituted the worse case of child abuse he had ever seen.
The doctor told jurors Amora had 18 breaks in her ribs and at least 24 human bite wounds covering her body.
Dr. Pinckard said it appeared she had been strangled as well as having suffered multiple skull fractures, brain injuries, a torn liver, her arms and legs had been twisted to the point of breaking, her retinas detached and internal injuries from apparently being sexually assaulted with an object authorities believe was a pipe wrench.
The Longview News-Journal says that though his conviction was upheld Milam still has other appellate avenues, including a Write of Habeas Corpus pending in the 4th Judicial District Court, and he may seek a direct appeal as far as the U.S. Supreme Court.
Jessica Bain Carson
In April last years Carson received an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole after a jury convicted her of capital murder.
Defense attorneys contended at the time that Carson was dominated by Milam, and that he convinced her the child was possessed by a demon. However, special prosecutor Lisa Tanner said the exorcism was Carson’s idea, rather than the product of brainwashing by Milam.
The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported that the couple bludgeoned the little girl to death with a hammer and other objects and bit her more than 20 times in the most grotesque murder the seasoned officers can remember.
Officers found the girl after they responded to a 911 call regarding a child that was not breathing.
The couple told detectives multiple stories of how the child suffered the injuries — ranging from a car accident to an attack by the family’s dogs. Milam and Carson also told officers someone must have harmed they child when they had left it unattended, and later said the child beat itself on the head with a hammer.
Officials said Carson then told them Milam was performing an exorcism that went badly and then the two drove to Henderson to pawn some items to afford a priest to exorcise the child. Investigators determined the child was already dead when they two left their home.