SAVANNAH HARDIN - 9 yo (2/2012 )/ Convicted: Grandmother; Joyce Garrard - Charged: Stepmother; Jessica Mae Hardin - Gadsden AL

At a doublewide trailer along a dirt road in rural Alabama, authorities say 9-year-old Savannah Hardin was forced to run for three hours as punishment for having lied to her grandmother about eating candy bars. The severely dehydrated girl had a seizure and her death days later was ruled a homicide.


Her grandmother and stepmother who police say meted out the punishment are in jail, facing murder charges Wednesday.

Witnesses told deputies that Savannah was told to run and not allowed to stop for three hours on Friday, an Etowah County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman said. The girl's stepmother, 27-year-old Jessica Mae Hardin, called police at 6:45 p.m., telling them that Savannah was having a seizure and was unresponsive.

Neighbor Roger Simpson said he saw a little girl running at around 4 p.m., but didn't see anybody chasing or coercing her.

"I saw her running down there, that's what I told the detectives," Simpson said from his home on a hill overlooking the Hardins. "But I don't see how that would kill her."

Authorities are still trying to determine whether Savannah was forced to run by physical coercion or by verbal commands. Deputies were told the girl was forced to run after lying to her grandmother, 46-year-old Joyce Hardin Garrard,about having eaten the candy, sheriff's office spokeswoman Natalie Barton said.

Savannah Hardin died Monday at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. The sheriff's release says the autopsy report showed the girl was extremely dehydrated and had a very low sodium level. A state pathologist ruled it a homicide.

The sheriff's office received calls from concerned citizens who had witnessed the running. No other details were released.

Gail Denny and her husband Phil, live just up a dirt road from the home.  They've known the family since they moved to the area in northeastern Alabama seven years ago.

The Denny's say they were used to seeing Savannah and other neighborhood children out waiting on the school bus in the morning. Gayle said her grandson had a crush on Savannah.

"My grandson asked her to be his girlfriend on Valentine's Day, and she said 'yes,'" Gail said before dissolving into tears.

The trailer where Savannah lived was surrounded by a wooden fence, playground equipment and toys. Neighbors say they never saw children playing in the yard. Her father, Robert Hardin, was filing for divorce, but neighbors said they saw him there with the kids at times.

They tell The Associated Press that Garrard owned a lot of property along the road and much of her family lived in homes on that property.

"It seems like a very happy extended family around here," Denny said. "There are mothers, grandmothers, kids. It sounds like a punishment that got out of hand."

Denny brought a candle to the Hardin property and lit it beside a stuffed animal surrounded by roses.

Garrard and Jessica Mae Hardin are being held in the Etowah County Detention Center, each on a $500,000 cash bond.

Court records show that Robert Hardin filed for divorce in August of 2010. In his complaint, he asserted his wife was bi-polar and had alcoholic tendencies. He accused her of previously having run off with the couple's own child.

In her response, Jessica denied all of Robert's allegations.

Five months after filing for divorce, the two asked a judge to dismiss their case.

Savannah Hardin was a third-grader at Carlisle Elementary School. Superintendent Alan Cosby said her desk had been turned into a makeshift memorial where her classmates could leave notes and mementos. He said counselors and social workers were made available for students.

"This is obviously a very tragic, devastating, heartbreaking situation," Cosby said. "Nothing like this has ever happened before."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-02-22/alabama-girl-running-death/53213828/1

There's one less desk in Mrs. Fox's third
grade classroom today at Carlisle Elementary School. Only Savannah
Hardin's chair remains there and that too will soon be moved.

Savannah's desk has been turned into a
memorial, placed in the school lobby where children have
written Savannah messages and left hand-drawn pictures for her.

For Principal Donna Johnson there's not a moment Savannah's absence goes unnoticed.

"I think the hardest part is seeing that one
class line up and there is one missing...even her teacher counts every
time they go to the restroom...they come back and see if everybody is
out. It's a reminder that Savannah is not there and that's very hard
thing for her. I can just see it on her face," Johnson said.

Savannah's teacher Mrs. Fox didn't want to go
on camera but she did show FOX6 some of Savannah's work. She said that
Savannah was a wonderful, happy student who had a love for horses.

"Her daddy called her princess. Every day she
would come in the school and just be a little light. Every day she
would always say, 'Hello Mrs. Johnson you look beautiful today.' She
would always say, 'Yes ma'am, no ma'am. Can you do this for me. Yes
ma'am, no ma'am.' Always respected authority," Johnson said.

She went on to say that Carlisle Elementary had lost a shining star.

"All that I can hold on to at this point is that many people loved her and that she knew Jesus loved her," Johnson said.
http://www.myfoxal.com/story/16997747/savannah-hardin-remembered-by-classmates-teacher

It never ceases to amaze me how asshats can devise new ways of killing those who need our care the most.
All this, over a freakin' candy bar... unbelievable

OMG Tom, this is such a horrible tragedy. I can't believe her mother and GRANDMOTHER did that to her. I watch my grandchildren quite often and can't imagine anyone doing that to a child, let alone an adult. I have a hard time saying no but if my grandbabies don't like something, it goes in the trash and we try something else. Of course I was different with my own children, but I intend for my grandbabies to be happy when they are with me.

Poor sweet Savannah. Her last few hours on this earth must have been so lonely and heartbreaking. RIP sweet little girl.

I am stunned. You're right Tom, they just keep thinking up new ways to murder these precious children. A candy bar. Uneffinbelievable.

I just cried for this little girl when I heard the news! Imagine how scared she was...where is the humanity in todays world! Children are our gifts! I hope tbey throw the book at these horrible women!

Me too Possum. With a bladder infection she must also have been in great pain.

Some people don't think children are human. The people who think this are themselves not human.

Welcome to our blog.

Thanks for the welcome twinkle! I watch these cases on Investigation Discoveryshow... also props to Nancy Grace for calling these monsters out!

UPDATE: Stepmom charged with murder gives birth

TOWAH COUNTY, AL (WBRC) -


The stepmother charged with the
murder of her nine-year-old stepdaughter in Etowah County has given
birth in a Gadsden hospital while under the guard of sheriff's deputies.

Jessica Mae Hardin is charged in the death of
her stepdaugher Savannah Hardin. Savannah was allegedly "run to death"
by her grandmother as punishment for eating candy on a school bus,
Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin said Wednesday in a news conference.

Savannah apparently ate a candy bar while on
the school bus Friday, Feb. 17. She apparently had a bladder condition
that could have been worsened by eating the candy, according to the
sheriff.

Entrekin says the girl's grandmother, Joyce
Hardin Garrard, allegedly punished Savannah for eating the candy and
lying to her by making her run without stopping around the house for
about three hours. The incident happened at a residence at 20 Carlisle
Acres Drive in the Carlisle community.

Around 6:45 p.m. Friday, Savannah's stepmom,
Jessica Hardin, called 911 to report that her stepdaughter was having
seizures and was unresponsive. Savannah was taken first to a hospital in
Gadsden and then airlifted to Children's Hospital in Birmingham.

Savannah's father was working for the
government overseas when he was notified about his daughter's condition.
He took eight flights to get home and made it to the hospital four
hours before Savannah was taken off the ventilator. Savannah died at
approximately 12 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20. Her body was taken to Huntsville
for an autopsy and ruled a homicide by a state pathologist.

The preliminary reports show she was severely
dehydrated and her 65-pound frame was in a condition similar to a
marathon runner without water, Entrekin said. She also had low sodium
levels.

"Basically she was caused to undergo physical
exertion to the point in time where she just got dehydrated and her
electrolyte levels got to the point where she couldn't survive life,"
Etowah County District Attorney Jimmie Harp said.


Savannah's grandmother, Joyce Hardin Garrard,
46, and her stepmother, Jessica Mae Hardin, 27, have both been charged
with murder in her death. The stepmother, Jessica Hardin, was considered
Savannah's primary caregiver since her father was away working
overseas. Hardin was apparently home at the time of the incident and
was consequently given the same murder charge as Savannah's grandmother
for not stopping the punishment.

Both Garrard and Hardin are in the custody of the Etowah County Detention Center on bonds of $500,000 each. A source on the MyFoxAl.com Facebook page
said Hardin had given birth to a baby Wednesday afternoon. The Etowah
County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Hardin was being guarded by
deputies at a local hospital.

The charges against Garrard and Hardin could be upgraded, possibly to capital murder, as the investigation continues.


Another child, Savannah's three-year-old stepbrother, was also in the home when the incident occurred.

The Etowah County Sheriff's Office became involved in the case when concerned citizens called to report what they had seen.

"It's sad when a family is grieving over the
death of a daughter and granddaughter and so soon to find out that the
death could have been prevented. My thoughts and prayers are with the
family," Entrekin said.

Jimmie Harp, the Etowah County District Attorney, called Savannah's death "a very tragic situation."

"A very, you know, unnecessary act. From what
we can tell, taking of a candy bar turned into [an] all-day marathon,
so to speak, type physical PE type exercise until the point of time she
just collapsed. We're very disturbed by that," Harp said.

Prior to Savannah's death, Alabama Department
of Human Resources was already looking into abuse allegations. They
released the following statement in response to our enquiry about abuse
complaints:

"The Department has one pending investigation
concerning Savannah Hardin that allegedly occurred in another state
involving an alleged perpetrator that resides in that state. We are
working with law enforcement in the other state to conduct interviews in
that state," Barry Spear with Alabama DHR said.

Robert Hardin and Savannah's biological
mother divorced in 2006. Court documents obtained by FOX6 News show
Robert and Heather Hardin shared joint custody. Heather served as the
primary custodial parent. In May, Savannah's father filed a petition to
have that agreement changed. Robert Hardin said he could provide a more
stable environment for Savannah, claiming her mother's lifestyle was not
fit for custody of a child. Custody was eventually granted to
Savannah's father. In those same court records, Heather says she lost
custody because she could not afford an attorney to fight for custody.

Savannah was a third grader at Carlisle
Elementary School. Grief counselors are at the school helping her
classmates cope with her death. Her desk at school has been turned into a
memorial.
http://www.wlbt.com/story/16990061/sheriff-nine-year-old-run-to-death-by-grandmother

"The Department has one pending investigation
concerning Savannah Hardin that allegedly occurred in another state
involving an alleged perpetrator that resides in that state. We are
working with law enforcement in the other state to conduct interviews in that state," Barry Spear with Alabama DHR said.

This poor little girl had a sad, hard life.

The prior abuse makes the abuse that killed her all the more abhorrent.

This is horrifying! Is the other toddler that was in the home I wonder belong to the ex wife of the husband?
Will the baby be put in state custody? Since there was a previous child abuse case and who knows if father knew about it!

Oh...i just read step brother for the 3 year old....
Please protect these children!

The 3 year old is the child of the step mother, Savannah's step brother according to news reports. .

The father sued the mother to take custody of poor little Savannah claiming he could provide a better environment. The mother didn't have the money to fight it.

He wasn't even there, he was overseas and should have let Savannah live with her mother. Why did he want custody when he didn't even live with the girl but left her in the care of her step monster? Probably didn't want to pay child support.

These men who take children away from their mothers and then allow the step monsters to murder them really piss me off.

What is surprising is the grandmother is the mother of the father. How could he do this to her own little grand daughter?

She had the same damage a marathon runner without hydration would have.

How do you think the father feels about his decision that he could provide a better home environment while living thousands of miles away? Wonder if he will stand by his wife.

IMO he bears some responsibility for this senseless murder.

I bet the step monster treated her own child like an angel and didn't care about poor Savannah. What is even sadder is that her grandmother is the one to actually cause her to die. I'm just horrified by that and can't imagine a grandmother being so cruel. So I guess we can call her the grandmonster now. This whole situation is totally sad. The step monster just had another baby so I guess it and the 3 year old will be in foster care. And Twink it's just awful that the father took Savannah away from her mom only to leave her with an uncaring step monster. This is just one big monster family. At least Savannah is with the angels now. I hope all these idiots are punished to the full extent of the law for what they did.

Ala girl's short life full of turmoil before death

ATTALLA, Ala. (AP) — Savannah Hardin's life was in turmoil long
before police say the 9-year-old was run to death by her grandmother and
stepmother for allegedly lying about some candy she ate.


Divorce and custody documents filed in family court over a period of
several years reflect a history of fractured family relationships, with
Savannah's divorced parents fighting over her welfare; claims of mental
instability and abuse between her father and his second wife; medical
problems that required frequent doctor visits; and counseling for the
girl who still somehow managed to remain among the top students in her
third-grade class.


Authorities say Savannah's life ended in exhaustion earlier this
month when she was forced by her paternal grandmother, Joyce Hardin
Gerrard, to run for three hours, while her stepmother, Jessica Mae
Hardin, did nothing to stop it.


The grandmother prodded her along cruelly, and the stepmother didn't
intervene until Savannah collapsed in an unconscious heap, investigators
say.


Now, Hardin Garrard is in jail and Savannah's stepmother is being
held in police custody at a hospital after giving birth to another
child. Both have been charged with murder.


Jessica Mae Hardin's attorneys, Morgan Cunningham and Vince
Pentecost, said in a statement Friday that Hardin was "incredibly
devastated over Savannah's death" and they would prove her innocence.


"Unfortunately, whenever a child passes away, our society wants to
place blame, our media wants to sensationalize and our elected officials
want to make grandiose statements that are not based in fact," they
said.


A defense lawyer representing the grandmother said she will be cleared of any crime.


"Even then, Joyce Garrard and her family will continue to grieve over the loss of their beloved Savannah," Dani Bone said.


Neighbors and classmates created a small memorial for Savannah,
depositing stuffed animals and flowers and attaching balloons to a
wooden fence surrounding the trailer where she lived with her family off
a dirt road. Included in the informal memorial was a white wooden
cross hung with a ribbon and to which a poem had been attached. A
neighbor of Savannah's family, Gail Denny, held back tears as she placed
a candle and a stuffed animal at the site Wednesday. She noted that on
Valentine's Day, her grandson had asked Savannah to be his girlfriend,
and she said yes.


"I just can't believe it," she said of Savannah's death.


A few miles away at Carlisle Elementary School, students placed
written letters and hand-drawn pictures on Savannah's desk, which was
brought into a main hallway.


"Savannah was an excellent student, earning A's and B's in her school
work," said a statement released by school Principal Linda Johnson.
"Her favorite subject was math; she enjoyed reading books to earn points
in the Accelerated Reader program — and was very proud of always
meeting her reading goals. ... Savannah was a happy child at school. She
always wore a smile, and often brightened the day of teachers and
administrators with her kind comments."


Many who knew Savannah described her as normal and happy. She played
and laughed with other kids at the bus stop, and sometimes rode a
four-wheeler with her dad when he visited, they said. She loved horses
and her favorite colors were lime green, hot pink and ocean blue,
Johnson said in her statement.


Court documents filed by Savannah's father, Robert Hardin, last May
show she attended counseling sessions every other week but seemed well
adjusted.


But the records also tell a different story, that of a brief life rocked by tumult.


Robert and Savannah's biological mother, Heather Hardin, divorced in
July 2006 when she was 3, the records show. The former couple shared
custody of the girl, but the mother was her primary caregiver.


Each one of the parents later moved separately to Florida, according
to a sworn statement by Robert Hardin. Hardin claimed that Heather
Hardin was unfit to care for Savannah and that the child began living
with him in October 2009. He said they moved northeast of Birmingham in
January 2010. Hardin later married Jessica Mae, with whom he had a son,
now 3.


Hardin works for the U.S. State Department and lived outside the
country, so Jessica Mae and Joyce Hardin Garrard cared for Savannah and
the boy, said a spokeswoman for the Etowah County Sheriff's office,
Natalie Barton. Hardin and Jessica split in July 2010, court documents
show, with him claiming she had bipolar disorder and alcoholic
tendencies. She, in turn, accused him of mental and physical abuse,
including pushing her against a wall and throwing her onto a sofa. She
also accused him of transferring ownership of the mobile home to Hardin
Gerrard to prevent Jessica from getting it in the divorce. Despite
claiming they could no longer live together, the two reconciled by late
2010.


Court documents also show Savannah had an unspecified medical
condition that required continuous medication and treatment, including
monthly visits with her regular doctor and trips every few months to see
a urologist in Birmingham, about 60 miles away.


Authorities say the grandmother became angry when Savannah allegedly
ate chocolate, because it contains caffeine, and the girl was not
supposed to ingest caffeine given her condition.


Sometime during the afternoon of Feb. 17, Joyce Hardin Gerrard
allegedly forced Savannah to begin running in the yard outside their
trailer. Barton said the grandmother was running the little girl "like a
drill sergeant," pushing her to keep running by saying things like
"Keep going!"


Barton said there is some evidence that the girl also was picking up
sticks and other items in the yard and placing them in a burn pile. A
large pile of unburned sticks and other items could be seen Friday
behind the family's mobile home.


The stepmother, Jessica Mae Hardin, didn't intervene and call 911
until after the girl collapsed about three hours into her ordeal, Barton
said. Savannah was taken to an area hospital and then later transferred
to a hospital in Birmingham, where she was put on life support. Her
father made the decision to disconnect her, and she died Monday.


While court documents show the girl's biological mother, Heather
Hardin, hadn't been able to see her in months, an ex-husband said the
woman rushed to Alabama from Florida in time to see Savannah in the
hospital before she died. Authorities said an autopsy showed the child
was severely dehydrated and had an extremely low level of sodium, which
is necessary for the body to prevent seizures and dehydration.


With both Joyce Garrard and Jessica Hardin in police custody, state
welfare officials said a relative is now caring for Savannah's younger
half-brother. The same person will care for Jessica Mae Hardin's
newborn, they said.


Friends and strangers alike have posted scores of messages on a
remembrance site set up on Facebook, with many of them saying they
wished something could have been done to save Savannah's life.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/feb/24/ala-girls-short-life-full-of-turmoil-before/

Guess the initial news reports were incorrect. The 3 year old is the half brother of Savannah.

The father used his daughter to punish and hurt his ex. Now this little girl is dead. Does he feel any responsibility? No telling what they told her about her mother.

This is so awful I'm still stunned.

GADSDEN, ALA.— A woman accused of running her 9-year-old granddaughter to death as punishment for eating chocolate was captured on a school bus videotape saying she planned to run the child “’til she can’t run no more,” a prosecutor told a judge Thursday in announcing capital murder charges.

Joyce Hardin Garrard, who faces a potential death penalty if convicted, made the threat as she yanked Savannah Hardin off a school bus that was equipped with a surveillance system, said Marcus Reid, an assistant district attorney in Etowah County.

Angered by a supposed lie the child told, Garrard told the driver: “’I gonna run her ‘til she can’t run no more,’” Reid said.

“That’s exactly what she did,” said the prosecutor, calling Garrard a “drill sergeant from hell.”

VIDEO: Girl, 9, dies after being forced to run

Garrard, 46, and Savannah’s stepmother, 27-year-old Jessica Mae Hardin, are both charged in the child’s death last month. Authorities say the older woman made the child run for three hours as punishment, and the younger woman — who was nine months pregnant at the time and has since given birth — did nothing to intervene.

The defence contends neither woman did anything intentional to cause the child’s death, which they blame on an unspecified medical problem. Court documents in an unrelated custody case show the child had health issues and made frequent trips to doctors.

Reid said after taking the child off the bus, Garrard forced Savannah to run and carry firewood until she collapsed in exhaustion in her yard. Autopsy photos show marks on the girl’s arms from where the logs dug into her skin, Reid said, and a debris pile of limbs and large logs was visible outside the house the day after charges were filed against the women.

The child’s father, Robert Hardin, sat behind the defence table during the hearing in apparent support of Garrard, his mother, and Hardin, his wife. Other relatives and friends sat around him, occasionally mouthing words to the two women.

District Judge William D. Russell did not immediately rule on a defence request to lower the women’s bonds, now set at $500,000 cash each. State law doesn’t law bond for capital defendants, and prosecutors said the might also upgrade charges against Hardin by next week to capital murder.

District Attorney Jimmie Harp said a grand jury that begins meeting Monday will likely consider the case.

Authorities say medics responding to an emergency call found the child having seizures at the family’s mobile home Feb. 17. Her father, who was overseas working as a State Department contractor at the time, rushed home and made the decision to remove the girl from life support three days later.

Authorities said an autopsy revealed the girl was severely dehydrated and had extremely low sodium levels. They compared her condition to that of an athlete who ran a marathon without drinking any water.

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1139125--prosecutors-upgrade-murder-charge-in-u-s-girl-s-running-death

Snipped from artice above:

"The child’s father, Robert Hardin, sat behind the defence table during the hearing in apparent support of Garrard, his mother, and Hardin, his wife. Other relatives and friends sat around him, occasionally mouthing words to the two women."

Lord have mercy! The idiot father is supporting his monster mother and wife that ran his 9 year old child to death. This is unbelievable. I don't care if it were my husband, son, or whatever relative they were. I would not support them if they killed my child by abuse. He needs to be prosecuted too in my opinion.

An Etowah County grand jury today handed down indictments against two
women charged in the death of 9-year-old Savannah Hardin, District
Attorney Jimmie Harp announced tonight.Savannah died Feb. 20 at Children's of Hospital where she was taken Feb. 17 after collapsing when she was made to run non-stop for three hours, authorities have said. Savannah was made to run as punishment for lying about eating a candy bar, authorities said.
Savannah's
paternal grandmother, Joyce Garrard, 46, of Attalla, was indicted on a
charge of capital murder. Savannah's stepmother, Jessica Hardin, 27, of
Attalla, was indicted on a charge of felony murder.
Garrard is currently being held without bond and Hardin is being held on a $500,000 bond.
Garrard was originally charged with felony murder on Feb. 22. Court records show Garrard was charged with capital murder on March 2.
Harp and Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin will hold a press conference about the indictments Monday at 10 a.m.
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/03/etowah_county_grand_jury_hands.html

GADSDEN — Etowah County District Attorney Jimmie Harp said his
office will seek the death penalty against Joyce Garrard for her role in
the death of her granddaughter, 9-year-old Savannah Hardin.


However, during a press conference Monday morning, Harp
said he would not seek the death penalty against Savannah’s stepmother,
Jessica Hardin.



Both Jessica Hardin and Garrard were indicted by an Alabama grand jury last week.
Jessica Hardin, 27, was indicted on felony murder in the February death of Savannah.
Garrard was indicted for capital murder.
Harp said the capital murder charge carries a minimum sentence of life without the possibility parole or the death penalty.
He said both cases could be on the docket sometime in the fall.
“In
consulting with investigators in this case and looking at relevant
facts and circumstances under Alabama law, currently we expect to seek
the death penalty in the case against Mrs. Joyce Garrard for the death
of Savannah Hardin,” he said.
Prosecutors charged Hardin with
felony murder but charged Garrard with the capital offense because
Savannah’s death happened during another felony, child abuse.
Authorities said Hardin didn’t intervene when Garrard punished the girl for lying.
Authorities
say the older woman made the child run for three hours as punishment,
and the younger woman – who was nine months pregnant at the time and has
since given birth - did nothing to intervene.
The defense
contends neither woman did anything intentional to cause the child’s
death, which they blame on an unspecified medical problem.
Court documents in an unrelated custody case show the child had health issues and made frequent trips to doctors.
Prosecutors
said after the child was home from school, Garrard forced Savannah to
run and carry firewood until she collapsed in exhaustion in her yard.
Autopsy
photos show marks on the girl’s arms from where the logs dug into her
skin, and a debris pile of limbs and large logs was visible outside the
house the day after charges were filed against the women.
Harp
said that to be charged with capital murder, a defendant has to intend
or have reasonable knowledge that what he or she is doing is going to
cause the death of someone else.
“As far as Jessica Hardin, she
had a duty to check on her stepchild. Under Alabama law, she had a duty
to do that, and she didn’t do that,” Harp said.
The child’s
father, Robert Hardin, sat behind the defense table during a recent bail
reduction hearing in apparent support of his mother and his wife. Other
relatives and friends sat around him, occasionally mouthing words to
the two women.
Both women are being held in the DeKalb Correctional Facility on $500,000 bond each.
Hardin and Garrard both are being held in the medical unit inside the Etowah County Detention Center.
Sheriff Todd Entrekin said Garrard, who is being held with no bond, is in the unit on suicide watch.
Hardin, who is being held on a $500,000 cash bond, is in the unit after having given birth days after Savannah’s death.
Entrekin
said “you will hear defense attorneys and everyone else say officials
are jumping to judgment after getting the case to a grand jury in two
weeks.
“Well, by golly, we’ve done a good job in this county on
this case,” he said. “Everybody has, to make a difference in this
child’s life. Nobody else cared about her, but we do.”
Authorities say medics responding to a 911 call found the child having seizures at the family’s mobile home Feb. 17.
Her
father, who was overseas working as a State Department contractor at
the time, rushed home and made the decision to remove the girl from life
support three days later.
Authorities said an autopsy revealed
the girl was severely dehydrated and had extremely low sodium levels.
They compared her condition to that of an athlete who ran a marathon
without drinking any water.
http://www.sandmountainreporter.com/news/local/article_7a76f842-6c89-11e1-8502-0019bb2963f4.html

Garrard and attorneys allowed to visit crime scene

Apr 10, 2012 10:25 AM


Joyce Garrard walking into court on April 9,


ETOWAH COUNTY, AL (WBRC) -
For the second time, a motion to
reduce bond for Joyce Hardin Garrard has been denied. The grandmother
accused of running her granddaughter to death appeared in an Etowah
County court Monday for a hearing.

Garrard is being held in the Etowah County
Detention Center on capital murder charges in the death of nine-year-old
Savannah Hardin.

Garrard's attorney also filed a motion asking
for permission to take Joyce back to the crime scene where Savannah
collapsed after investigators say she was run to death as punishment for
eating a candy bar. Judge William Ogeltree granted the motion, but said
he is concerned about Garrard's safety and the possibility of a third
party person "doing something insane" and seeking revenge while Garrard
is visiting the home with her attorneys.

The state and sheriff's office also expressed
reservations, saying that if the public learned of when the field trip
takes place, a crowd of people might show up outside the Garrard home.

Garrard's attorneys say their client has the
support of family and community members, and they are not worried. They
have asked that deputies who come for security purposes be kept at a
distance to keep from overhearing anything Garrard discusses with her
attorney during the walk-through of the home.

All parties agreed that deputies will be
present for the visit, but will be unable to discuss anything they
potentially overhear between Garrard and her legal council. The
sheriff's office will be responsible for setting up a perimeter around
the home to secure the property, and they will have the right to cancel
the field trip if they believe Garrard is in any danger.

The time and date of the proposed trip back to the crime scene has not been disclosed.

http://www.wsfa.com/story/17368286/garrard-to-visit-family-home-with-attorneys

Judge reduces Jessica Hardin's bond on murder charge

By Andy Powell, Times Staff Writer
Published: Friday, January 4, 2013 at 7:17 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, January 4, 2013 at 11:12 p.m.

Etowah County Circuit Judge Billy Ogletree on Friday reduced the bond for Jessica Hardin, who is charged with murder in connection with the February 2012 death of her 9-year-old stepdaughter, who prosecutors say was run to death.

Authorities say Joyce Hardin Garrard, 47, forced her granddaughter, Savannah Hardin, to run for about three hours as punishment for a lie, and Jessica Hardin failed to intervene. The girl collapsed and died three days later. Both women have entered not guilty pleas.

Jessica Hardin is charged with murder, which carries a possible life sentence, while Garrard is charged with capital murder, which could result in a death sentence. Garrard is being held with no bond set.

Ogletree in his ruling said the $500,000 cash bond that originally had been set for Jessica Hardin was “excessive and not reasonable,” and that bond in other non-capital cases usually is set as a property bond in the $50,000 to $150,000 range.

He set a $150,000 property/surety bond and said Hardin, if released, would be placed on house arrest and would remain in her residence unless granted permission to leave by her Community Corrections officer.

As of Friday night, Jessica Hardin remained in the Etowah County Detention Center.

Ogletree ordered that should she make bond and be released, she is to be monitored by the Community Corrections office in accordance with its pre-trial release program, and will be required to report weekly to that office and follow its directives. He directed the Community Corrections office to provide the conditions of her release to the court and supply weekly notifications of her compliance with those conditions.

The order said Hardin “shall surrender any passport in her possession and shall not move from the residence provided to this court without permission from the court.”

Failure to abide by the terms set by Community Corrections and the court would result in revocation of the bond.

An attorney for Hardin last year filed a motion seeking a bond reduction, but Ogletree did not rule on the request until Friday.

Ogletree has issued a gag order barring anyone involved in the case from talking to the media.

Savannah Hardin died Feb. 20, three days after she allegedly was made to run for three hours by her grandmother for eating chocolate candy bars on the school bus and then lying about it. Prosecutors say she was made to carry firewood weighing up to 15 pounds while running. An autopsy showed the girl died from dehydration similar to that of a marathon runner.

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20130104/NEWS/130109929/1084/NEWS?p=1&tc=pg

Woman bonds out of jail in death of step-daughter

Published: January 7, 2013 5:30 PM EST
Updated: January 7, 2013 5:30 PM EST

The Associated Press

Authorities say the 28-year-old woman accused of failing to intervene when her 9-year-old step-daughter was forced to run until she collapsed and died has bonded out of jail.

WBMA-TV ( http://t.co/NZRqRsdx) reports Jessica Mae Hardin was released Monday after her bond was reduced late last week from $500,000 to $150,000.

Hardin is charged along with 47-year-old Joyce Hardin Garrard in the death of 9-year-old Savannah Hardin, who was ordered to run for three hours for lying about eating a chocolate bar without permission in February of 2012.

Hardin Garrard, the girl's grandmother, is being held without bond on a capital murder charge. Authorities say Hardin Garrard became angry when Savannah ate chocolate, which she was not supposed to eat because of a medical condition.

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130107/APN/1301070941

Report: Father of Savannah Hardin, girl forced to run, sues over medical care

By William Thornton | wthornton@al.com
on February 20, 2014 at 6:33 PM
updated February 20, 2014 at 7:51 PM

GADSDEN, Alabama -- The Gadsden Times is reporting that the father of Savannah Hardin, the Etowah County girl who eventually died after authorities say she was forced to run for three hours, has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit alleging the child's medical care contributed to her death.

Robert Lee Hardin, the paper reports, has filed suit against Gadsden Regional Medical Center, alleging a doctor and nurse did not properly diagnose and treat the child when she was brought in Feb. 17, 2012.

Circuit Judge William Ogletree last year set a trial date of June 23 for Joyce Hardin Garrard, who is accused of making Savannah, her 9-year-old granddaughter, run around their Etowah County home for about three hours for lying about eating a candy bar. The girl collapsed and died three days later.

The girl's stepmother, Jessica Mae Hardin, faces a charge of murder. Both women say they are innocent.

http://www.al.com/news/anniston-gadsden/index.ssf/2014/02/report_father_of_savannah_hard.html

Woman accused of running granddaughter to death to go on trial

 
Associated Press
Joyce Hardin Garrard is accused of forcing Savannah Hardin to run non-stop for three hours.

 10 hr ago  By Verna Gates  of Reuters


BIRMINGHAM Ala. (Reuters) - An Alabama woman accused of running her 9-year-old granddaughter to death as punishment for eating forbidden chocolates and lying about it was set to go on trial on Monday.

Joyce Hardin Garrard, 49, stands accused of forcing Savannah Hardin to run non-stop for three hours in February 2012. Authorities say the girl collapsed, went into seizures and died days later at a Birmingham hospital.

Hardin died from dehydration and low sodium, a condition common in marathon runners, Etowah County Sheriff's spokeswoman Natalie Barton said.

Hardin suffered from unspecified medical issues that resulted in frequent doctors visits, according to court documents.

Defense attorneys have said that it was the girl's medical condition, and not the punishment, that caused her death.

Hardin's stepmother, Jessica Mae Hardin, is also charged in the case, with witnessing the punishment and failing to intervene.

Defense attorney Dani Bone did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

The girl lived with her father, whose mother is accused in her death. He frequently traveled for work and was out of town at the time of the incident, authorities said.

A third grader, Hardin was a successful student, said Alan Cosby, superintendent of the Etowah County Schools.

"She was a very pleasant, nice young lady," Cosby said.





http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/woman-accused-of-running-granddaughter-to-death-to-go-on-trial