Mississippi babysitter who beat 2-year-old boy to death is sentenced

CORINTH, Miss. (TCN) -- A 25-year-old former babysitter will spend the rest of her life behind bars for abusing two young children in her care, causing the death of one of them.

The First Circuit District Attorney's Office announced Dec. 13 that Makallie Durham pleaded guilty to capital murder and four counts of felonious child abuse. A judge subsequently sentenced her to life in prison with an additional 40 years without the possibility of parole.

According to an initial press release from the Alcorn County Sheriff's Office, on the night of Sept. 13, 2022, deputies and emergency medical personnel responded to a home to a report of an unresponsive child. First responders located a 2-year-old boy with multiple bruises and marks, as well as an 11-month-old girl, and they were transported to a hospital.

According to the sheriff's office, during the investigation, Durham was taken into custody for a misdemeanor warrant. On Sept. 15, the 2-year-old boy succumbed to his injuries. The girl was in stable condition.

Investigators determined Durham hit the boy "in the face or head" on Sept. 9, 12, and 13, 2022, which led to his death, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports. The defendant also reportedly beat the girl for three days straight around the same timeframe.

MORE: