25-year-old Daveeta Walker has been accused of abuse, torture and murder in the death of her 4-year-old daughter. The child’s death is said to have taken place on her 4th birthday.

According to police reports, on March 26th at about 9:30 am, officers responded to a 911 call at an apartment in Kalamazoo. There they found Kharisma Richardson in her bedroom, unresponsive and not breathing. In another room, officers found three other children watching a pornographic movie. Kharisma was declared dead at the scene.

In an interview with the media several days after Kharisma’s death, Walker said “I just woke up and she was dead. I went to pick her up and she was stiff. I just laid her back down and called police.” But the autopsy results revealed a somewhat disturbing picture of how Kharisma died. According to the medical examiner’s office, she had suffered blunt force trauma, along with several bruises and burns, and blisters on her feet.

In her interview with police, Walker explained that the blisters on her daughter’s feet were from when the little girl had run herself a bath and the water was too hot. She also said that the bruises came from another family member, a cousin who had watched the girl the night before. But the cousin denied these allegations in an interview with police.

But those explanations aside, Walker did admit to officers that she used physical punishment on her daughter at least six times per week, sometimes more. She described this punishment as “whooping,” which she said happened because Kharisma wet herself and “mouthed off.” She also admitted to using a belt during these instances.

In later interviews, Walker broke down and explained to officers that she had never meant to kill her daughter. She told police that she was suffering from depression and was very frustrated that her daughter wasn’t properly potty trained. She admitted to punching the child in the chest for stealing water from her bedroom, and with regard to the burns, told officers that she didn’t think they were that bad. “I never meant to try to and kill her.” she said, “it was just discipline.”

With regards to her other children, three boys aged 6, 5, and 2, Walker says that when they need discipline, she punches them in the chest. These children, who officers discovered watching porn when they arrived, have since been removed from Walker’s custody. A parental rights termination trial has been scheduled for August 16th in family court.

With regards to the death of Kharisma, Walker has been charged with two counts of felony murder, and single counts of first-degree child abuse and torture. If convicted, she is looking at the very real possibility of spending the rest of her life in prison.

As attorneys, we know this instance is horribly tragic, and cases like this do exist. But for those falsely accused of child abuse, nothing is more horrible than being arrested and going to jail, losing access to your children, and being prosecuted for a terrible crime that you never committed. In those instances, you have no choice but to seek help from defense attorneys with years of experience dealing with false allegations. You need us. So contact us immediately. It is critical that you don’t delay. We can help you.