Pretrial conference for woman accused of killing toddler set for next week
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A woman accused of killing a toddler had a court appearance this week and “the matter of competency was taken under advisement,” according to the Cole County prosecutor.
Quatavia Givens, 30, is charged with first-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child, abuse or neglect of a child, and abandonment of a corpse in relation to the death of 4-year-old Darnell Gray in 2018.
A pretrial conference is set for Friday, Aug. 18. In February, jury trial dates were announced. A jury selection from Pulaski County will begin 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, and is expected to be completed Sept. 8. The trial will begin at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 11 at the Cole County Courthouse.
Givens -- who has been previously described as a caretaker -- was accused of killing Darnell Gray in October 2018. Court documents say she initially reported Gray as being abducted or that he had run away from her house in the 1100 block of Buena Vista Street in Jefferson City.
The boy was missing for six days before he was located by local law enforcement in the 2100 block of Louis Circle in Jefferson City.
A Grand Jury's indictment charged Givens with first-degree murder when it was revealed that Gray had been suffocated.
