Murder trial surrounding baby’s 2021 death begins in Boone County
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The trial of a Fayette woman charged with felony murder and endangering the welfare of a child in the 2021 death of an 8-month-old girl began Monday.
Columbia police arrested Jennifer Johnson in April 2021, after being called to a home in the 1000 block of Elleta Boulevard in north Columbia. She is accused in the death of Hannah Kent.
The mother found the child around 8:30 a.m. unresponsive and cool to the touch after returning home, and immediately noticed bruising. The parents then took the child to the Women's and Children's Hospital, where the infant was pronounced dead.
Johnson allegedly told police that she last saw the infant alive at 2:15 a.m. after giving a bottle to the child. According to court documents, Johnson took a call from the parents saying the baby had died and the parents wanted to see Johnson.
Two people who knew Johnson brought items that Johnson had at the home to Columbia police. Investigators found baby formula on Johnson's clothes, and a swab of the same shirt tested positive for blood, according to court documents in previous reporting.
Johnson’s family, however, maintains she is innocent, saying the families were close and that there are inconsistencies in the timeline.
The trial opened at 9 a.m. Monday with jury selection from a pool of nearly 70 potential jurors.
During the selection process, Johnson’s defense asked for a mistrial after a potential juror made a favorable remark about a law enforcement officer slated to testify. Judge Brouck Jacobs denied the motion, saying the remark was harmless and would not influence the jury.
Johnson’s defense indicated during jury selection that she would not testify, asking prospective jurors whether they could still find her not guilty if she did take the stand.
The prosecution delivered its opening statements, with Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Risa-Nicole Perkins arguing, “It was the defendant’s responsibility to care for them, feed them dinner, put them to bed, and ultimately ensure they were alive when their mother returned.”
The defense opted to reserve its opening statement to avoid telegraphing its theory of the case.
Hannah’s mother, Lanetta Hill, was the first witness to testify. She described Hannah as a “happy baby” with no prior medical issues. Hill said that on the night of the incident, she was at the home of Hannah’s father, Roy Kent, in Gilliam.
Hill testified that she and Johnson had been friends for more than a decade after Hill moved to Fayette and that she had previously allowed Johnson to watch her children. She said she asked Johnson to watch her children the night of the incident, noting it was the first time Johnson had cared for Hannah.
Hill said when she returned home the next morning, Hannah was cold and unresponsive. Concerned that emergency responders would take too long, she decided to drive Hannah to the hospital herself. As she was leaving the house with Hannah, Hill testified that Johnson said she did not know what happened and asked whether she would still be paid.
The defense responded by asking about a previous incident at a hotel room where Hannah had fallen off a bed and hit her head, and also raised questions about her CPR methods.
Lanetta’s sister, Vernetta Hill, was the next witness. She testified that Johnson called her around 8:50 a.m. the day Hannah died. Vernetta described Johnson’s voice as “cracked” and said she repeatedly told her, “The baby’s gone, she hit her head, I don’t know.”
Medical personnel, including a nurse, also testified that Hannah was unresponsive and had no pulse when she arrived at the emergency room.
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