Georgia – A Georgia man pleaded guilty to several charges in connection with the deaths of his famiIy members, EIwyn and Ma ry. The charges included second-degree murder (reduced from malice murder), first- and second-degree cruelty to chiIdren, two counts of conceaIing the death of another, and faIse imprisonment. As part of a plea agreement, the death penalty was removed from consideration, and the defendant, M. Wight, now faces a sentence ranging from ten to eighty years in prison. The biological mother of the children was said to be homeless in South Carolina.
The investigation into the children’s deaths began in Dec. 2018 when Georgia authorities conducted a welfare check at the family’s residence Georgia. According to the court documents, the boy had been missing since 2016, and the girl had not been seen since Oct. 2018. During the welfare check, deputies discovered the bodies of both children buried in the backyard of the home. The children had been subjected to severe abuse, including confinement in dog crates, starvation, and physical beatings. The investigation revealed that neither child had been reported missing, and their deaths had been concealed by family members.
The defendant’s involvement in the case was significant. He was one of five individuals charged in connection with the children’s deaths. His sister, Candlce, and her boyfriend, Roy. had previously pleaded guilty to charges related to the murders. The defendant’s mother, KimberIy, and his brother-in-law, EIwyn, were also charged and awaited trial.
In a chilling detail, text messages between the defendant and other family members revealed their casual discussions about burying the children’s bodies. One message from the defendant’s mother to the father of the children read, “CooI! How deep?” These messages highlighted the disturbing nature of the family’s actions and their lack of remorse.
In one text, the victim’s dad reportedly told his mother-in-law that he was almost finished burying the girl. He also reportedly said that he believed she had been struck in the head too many times. The unnamed biological mother of the children was said to be homeless in South Carolina. During the testimony, the former medical examiner for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation testified that the girl appeared to have starved to death, while her sibling cause of death could not be determined, as his remains were just bones.
The children were never reported missing. Georgia authorities found the bodies after performing a welfare check at their home in 2018. Text messages between the suspects before and after they allegedly killed and buried the girl in October 2018 provide insight into their states of mind at the time. The girl allegedly spent much of her young life zip-tied, starved and held in an animal cage without any clothes, and was beaten when she tried to eat food, prosecutors said. She was last seen in October 2018.
Her brother, who was two years older than the girl, was last seen in November 2016. He was also severely beaten by his father, prosecutors allege. The children were never reported missing. The case drew national attention due to the extreme abuse the children endured and the involvement of multiple family members in their deaths. The plea agreement for the defendant was seen as a step toward justice for both victims, though the legal proceedings for the remaining defendants continued.
