Kentucky mother charged in death of infant daughter requests change of venue
Erica Lawson, 21, was charged after her daughter died at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in July.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Kentucky mother charged in the death of her 17-month-old daughter requested a change of venue for her trial, claiming the Knoxville media market, which includes Bell County, Kentucky, has altered public opinion.
Erica Lawson, 21, was charged after her daughter died at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in July. At the time, officials said they had never seen a case of child abuse so severe, due mostly to the child’s age.
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“This is one of the most severe cases of abuse, specifically because the baby was 17 months old,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Lisa Fugate.
Police said family had tried to report the abuse in early July last year, but they could not locate her.
“There was a report made earlier. The uncle contacted us, and we could never find the kid. The uncle did not know where the kid was at the time,” said Police Chief Petie Gilbert.
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In the request, Lawson’s representatives included social media posts, pictures of signs in Bell County and more showing the public’s opinion of Lawson.
Lawson was indicted with murder, failure to report child dependency neglect or abuse, first-degree criminal abuse and first-degree wanton endangerment.
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