"Baby" COPELAND - 21 months (2010) - Hobbs (SE of Roswell) NM

Police responding to a medical call in Hobbs Friday morning found a
21-month-old child dead and later arrested the infant's mother and the
man who was with her. Melinda Copeland, 21, and Christopher
Elliott, 27, are both charged with child abuse resulting in death and a
separate charge of child abuse related to a 3-year-old child of
Copeland's, according to the Hobbs Police Department.

Police and
medical responders were called to a home in the 400 block of West Alton
Street after someone called 911 around 6 a.m. saying a child was not
breathing. The child was pronounced dead at the scene by a
representative of the Office of the Medical Investigator, police said in
a news release. Further investigation led to the abuse charges,
police said. Additional details of the investigation, the gender
of the children and Elliott's relationship to Copeland have not been
released. Elliott and Copeland are being held in the Hobbs City
Jail.

Man Pleads Guilty to Child Abuse Charges


Staff Report
NewsWest 9

HOBBS, N.M. - An abrupt ending to a shocking case of child abuse out of Hobbs where a man accused of killing a toddler throws in the towel and pleads guilty to the crime.

It was day two of jury selection in the trial of 28-year old Christopher Elliot.

He was charged with abusing 21-month-old Braxtin Kuykendall to death.

According to Lea County prosecutors, they were going through their third round of jury selection when Elliot asked to speak to his lawyer.

After that, he changed his plea to guilty.

The move surprised the prosecution because there was no plea deal offered or on the table.

Elliot said he didn't want to put anyone through a trial.

Elliot was arrested back in May, along with his girlfriend Miranda Copeland, after police were called to a home on west Alston when Braxtin stopped breathing.

According to the police report, Braxtin had burns and bruises all over his body.

His three year old brother also suffered bruises.

Both Copeland and Elliot were arrested and charged.

He'll spend the rest of his life behind bars.

No trial date has been set yet for Copeland.

twinkletoe wrote:The mother is still awaiting trial for this murder.

---Yes, she is. Our standard operating procedure in the NewsRoom has always been, when there are more than one suspects in a case, we move the topic to Adjudicated when one or more take a plea or are convicted, to await the outcome of the other defendants.