A Mississippi woman will spend the rest of her life behind bars after killing a child she was trusted to babysit.
Makallie Elizabeth Durham, 25, of Iuka, pleaded guilty Friday to capital murder and four counts of felonious child abuse. Durham was previously charged for the September 2022 death of a 2-year-old boy and the abuse of his little sister, who was left with serious injuries.
Following the plea hearing, Circuit Court Judge Chip Mills sentenced Durham to life in prison without the possibility of parole or early release. He also tacked on an additional 40 years for the child abuse.
Deputies with the Alcorn County Sheriff’s Office and emergency personnel responded to a Corinth residence on County Road 380 on Sept. 13, 2022, after a child was reported unresponsive. Upon arriving, they found a 2-year-old male with multiple bruises and marks. They also found an 11-month-old female inside the residence with multiple injuries.
Both children were transported to Magnolia Regional Hospital before being transferred to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. When the boy died two days later, a warrant was issued for Durham’s arrest, and she was charged with capital murder.
In November 2022, a grand jury handed down a five-count indictment that said Durham had hit both children “in the face or head” multiple times over the course of a four-day period in which they were under her watch. While the boy died from the beatings, the infant sister managed to live but suffered from various injuries.
Durham will remain in the Alcorn County Jail until she is transferred to the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.