What Charges Does Darion Smith Face?

Charges were officially filed against 33-year-old Darion Smith, the chief suspect to be tried for the killing of a four-year-old girl, D’Onya “Bella” Walker on Friday.

Twenty-nine-year-old Astonya Walker, Bella’s mother, and the girlfriend of Smith,  faces other charges of her own.

After they were hauled to court, they were not allowed to answer the charges, were denied bail and remanded to the Bahamas Department of Corrections until December 17.

Here’s a look at the charges:

Murder

This is the charge for Smith for intentionally causing the death of Bella. She suffered blunt force trauma to her body which caused broken ribs and punctured her internal organs resulting in massive bleeding.  The autopsy revealed the child suffered from old fractures that healed by themselves.

This charge can only be reduced to manslaughter if Smith was extremely provoked or any other excuse.

Smith can face the death penalty, which has become a controversial issue in the country, to be determined by the Privy Council if it is considered “the worst of the worst.”

Cruelty to children

This is the charge for both Smith and the girlfriend. They had custody of Bella. She was handed over to them by the child’s paternal grandparents when she was exposed to assaults, ill-treatment and neglect, causing unnecessary suffering and injury.

Smith and the girlfriend can be fined not exceeding $5000 or face two years in prison or both, or upon conviction before the Supreme Court, to a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars or imprisonment for five years or both.

Exposing Child to Grievous Harm

This is the second charge for the girlfriend. She is accused of exposing or abandoning Bella which resulted in harm to the child. This charge carries seven years.