A granny has been convicted of fatally poisoning her 4-year-old granddaughter by forcing her to drink half a pint of whiskey.
Roxanne Record, 57, was found guilty of manslaughter Friday in the death of the tortured tot, China Record, after a three-day trial at a courthouse in Baton Rouge, La., WAFB reported.
China died after she was made to chug the rest of a bottle of Canadian Mist whiskey as punishment for taking a sip, the jury heard.
The little girl was forced to her knees and made to finish the bottle by Roxanne, while her mother, Kadjah Record, looked on and did nothing, prosecutors told the jury. The mom has been charged separately in the case.
The child’s blood-alcohol content was 0.680 when she died — more than eight times the legal limit for an adult driver — and her cause of death was ruled alcohol poisoning by the East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office.
China had a gray complexion and wasn’t breathing when someone in the house called 911 and paramedics arrived, reported the Advocate.
Prosecutors said China was treated “differently” by her grandmother compared to the other children in the house.
“Her grandmother never, ever took to her, never liked her, treated her differently than she treated the other children,” prosecutor Dana Cummings told jurors Wednesday.
Roxanne accused the young child of “stealing” food and water, and frequently punished her, Cummings said.
The callous grandmother “just went on with daily life while [China] died,” the prosecutor added.
Record had originally faced charges of first-degree murder and cruelty to a juvenile in relation to the child’s death at the family home in Baton Rouge in April 2022.
Roxanne was cleared of murder after the state was unable to prove that she had intended to kill China.
Her lawyer argued that the granny tried to perform CPR on the child while on the phone with 911, characterizing the death as a tragic accident.
“That little girl is gone, and it’s a tragedy that nobody, no family, nobody should ever have to endure,” Roxanne’s lawyer, Caitlin Fowlkes, told jurors, as reported by the Advocate.
“But tragedy is not the same as murder. Accidents are not the same as intent. And grief is not the same as guilt,” the lawyer said.
Roxanne is expected to be sentenced later this summer.
Kadjah, who is Roxanne’s daughter, was arrested on charges of first-degree murder and cruelty to a juvenile at the time and is being charged separately.
Her next court appearance is scheduled for June 29.
