TEXARKANA -- A woman accused of capital murder in the death of her 3-year-old stepdaughter will be held in jail without bail while her case proceeds, a Miller County judge ordered Friday.
McKenna Cawley, 26, appeared Friday morning before District Judge Wren Autrey for an initial appearance on the capital murder charge and a charge of second-degree domestic battery involving her 2-year-old stepson. Her husband, Everette Cawley, 23, also appeared before Autrey, who set his bail at $1 million.
McKenna Cawley faces life in prison without the possibility of parole or death by lethal injection if found guilty of capital murder in the death of her stepdaughter McKinley. She faces five to 20 years in prison if found guilty of second-degree domestic battery involving her stepson.
Everette Cawley faces five to 20 years if found guilty of permitting the abuse of a minor resulting in death. If found guilty of permitting the abuse of his son, he faces up to six years in prison.
Everette Cawley rushed his daughter McKinley to the emergency room at Christus St. Michael Health System in Texarkana, Texas, at about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Medical personnel suspected child abuse and contacted police, the affidavit said. Everette Cawley told Texarkana, Texas, police that the girl had been visiting her biological mother in El Paso, Texas, until two or three days before, and he initially blamed the biological mother for the girl's injuries.
Doctors determined the child was suffering from extensive internal and external trauma, and she was airlifted to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, where she died less than 12 hours later.
The child suffered a traumatic brain injury and "excessive bruising to the face and torso which is far beyond any over-active child and patterned to suggest use of a rigid object," the affidavit said.
Hospital staff also noted lacerations to her kidneys and pancreas "caused by extreme high-force events," and cuts and bruises on the girl's lungs, "caused by a shearing mechanism, which would suggest the victim sustained blunt force blows/slams to a flat surface," according to the affidavit.
The Texarkana, Ark., police department is conducting the investigation because the couple and two other children -- their 2-month-old infant daughter and Everette Cawley's 2-year-old son from a prior relationship -- were living on the Arkansas side of Texarkana.
External injuries similar to those seen on McKinley were found on the 2-year-old boy's face, torso and legs, the affidavit said. The couple's 2-month-old daughter was in need of medical attention as well.
McKenna Cawley told Texarkana, Ark., detectives that McKinley bit her thumb and that her response was to throw the young child to the floor and strike her in the face, the affidavit said.
"McKenna later said that, during this incident, she had also kicked McKinley in the legs," the affidavit said. "Crime scene detectives collected a pair of steel-toe boots belonging to McKenna."
Everette Cawley told detectives that McKenna Cawley violently beat McKinley on March 30 or 31 after the girl bit her on the thumb, slamming the girl into a cabinet, throwing her to the floor and "stomping" on her feet and legs, the affidavit said. Everette Cawley said that while he was at the store March 31, McKenna Cawley further injured the girl but he didn't know exactly how.
"Everette said McKenna told him that she had disciplined McKinley in his absence," the affidavit said.
Everette Cawley gave Texarkana, Ark., detectives a different account than he gave at the hospital, according to the affidavit. Everette Cawley said he was awakened in the early morning hours Tuesday by the sound of his wife yelling at McKinley for using the bathroom on herself, the affidavit said. Everette Cawley said that when he walked in the room, his wife was standing over McKinley as she lay unconscious on the floor. Everette Cawley said he attempted CPR before taking the child to the emergency room, the affidavit said.
State Desk on 04/06/2019