Givens pleads guilty in Jefferson City child murder case
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A woman accused of killing a Jefferson City child in 2018 pleaded guilty Friday in a Cole County courtroom.
Quatavia Givens pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, child abuse, and abandoning a corpse in the death of 4-year-old Darnell Gray. She had been charged with first-degree murder, child abuse, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and abandoning a corpse in relation to the death.
The agreement included a life prison sentence for murder, 15 years for child abuse, and four years for abandoning a corpse, to be served concurrently.
Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson says that under the agreement, Givens will be eligible for parole.
“It is an 85% offense in Missouri, basically at 30 years,” Thompson said. “That is what they calculate, a life sentence, so to speak, to be in Missouri. They will have the option, though, to keep her beyond that.”
Before opting to withdraw her not guilty plea, Givens was scheduled to go on trial in Pulaksi County on July 23.
Givens was deemed mentally competent to stand trial last year after initially being found unable to assist in her defense in August 2023.
After being read her rights on Friday, Givens told the judge she was taking medication from the state hospital but was in a clear state of mind and understood and admitted to the charges.
“I think that there were a few unique circumstances that kind of caused us to get to where we are here today. For one thing, it took a significant amount of time for the autopsy report to come back, took close to a year, which is highly unusual,” Thompson said. “That obviously caused a delay in the case, and then the finding of incompetence to proceed a couple of years ago, and then the delay in Miss Givens getting to the Department of Mental Health. That put the case at a standstill for some time.”
When asked why it took so long to get the autopsy report, Thompson said that the examiner wanted to do studies on Gray’s brain to check for neurological damage and that they would not send him a complete report until they got the results back. However, Thompson said that it was the longest he has ever had to wait to see an autopsy in his career.
Several of Gray's family members and community members who helped search for him attended the sentencing, many holding back tears as Givens was sentenced.
“This case represents one of the most painful tragedies our community has faced and the loss of an innocent child whose life was taken far too soon,” Thompson said. “But in the days, months and years since Darnell's death, Jefferson City has also shown what it means to care for one another, to stand with a grieving family, and to speak for a child who could no longer speak for himself.”
Members of Gray’s family politely declined a request for an interview, but Thompson said the family felt “a sense of relief that this is done.”
Court documents say Givens allegedly struck and smothered Gray, resulting in his death. Gray's body was found in the 2100 block of Louis Circle after several days of searching, involving police and volunteers. Givens, who was caring for the boy at the time, initially told police he was missing, according to court documents.
