A Louisiana mother was found guilty this week of killing her four-year-old son and abandoning her baby near I-10 in 2024.
Jury deliberations lasted around three hours before they convicted 28-year-old Aaliyah Jack, of Lake Charles, of second-degree murder and child cruelty, KPLC reported. Jack’s 4-year-old son, Legend, was found drowned near the Vinton Welcome Center on July 8, 2024. A truck driver discovered her 1-year-old son, Kingtrail, alive and crawling along I-10 a few miles away the following morning.
Prosecutor Jacob Johnson told the jury not to back down if they concluded, based on the evidence, that Jack is guilty of second-degree murder, according to the report. He argued her intent to harm her children is enough for her to spend the rest of her life behind bars.
“The choice to leave him alone is the intentional mistreatment of him… He died as a result of that choice,” Johnson said in his closing statement.
Public defender King Alexander argued her actions were not enough for her to be convicted of murder.
“No harm was certain to occur by anything that she did,” Alexander said, further arguing that the state was stretching its definition of murder to shuffle the case toward a certain outcome.
Johnson rebutted Alexander’s opinion and said intent to kill is not required for a murder conviction. Ultimately, the jury convicted her of second-degree murder, rather than choosing the lesser charges of manslaughter or negligent homicide, per the report.
In Louisiana, second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence. Jack’s sentencing is scheduled for November 5.
Jack reportedly confessed to the local news outlet that she killed Legend and abandoned baby Kingtrail while “under the influence of drugs.” The judge in the case denied a motion from Jack’s attorneys to suppress the video of the confession at trial.
Dion Polk, the paternal grandmother of the boys, said the case outcome feels like justice for her grandson, Nola.com reported.
“I felt relieved,” Polk said of the verdict. “I felt like justice was served for Legend because that’s what it was about. It was about Legend and Kingtrail.”
She said she hopes Kingtrail will have the opportunity to grow up and live a normal life, despite the early tragedy.
“That child needs to grow up, and when he’s old enough, competent people need to explain to him correctly what happened when he asks questions,” Polk said. “I want him to go to college, get married, have a family and just live his life.”
Chasity Gray, Legend’s cousin, broke into applause in the courtroom after the guilty verdict was read and left the courtroom with tears streaming down her face, according to the report.
“Aaliyah just stole his whole life from him,” Gray said. “She stole everything that he could have been.”
Polk and Gray said Legend was a normal 4-year-old who loved Ninja Turtles and Sonic the Hedgehog and was “looking forward to going to school.”
“He was supposed to go to school the next month, but he passed away in July,” Gray said at the time.
Polk recalled seeing Legend’s body after his death and said he was very afraid of the water and the dark.
“To see my grandson — to see him laying on that pallet, swollen,” Polk said. “I’m thinking to myself, ‘He was yelling for you to help. You just left him. He was screaming for help.’ I know he was because he was terrified of water.”
Gray said she wants Legend to be remembered for more than how his life was stolen.
“I don’t want his death to be the only thing people know about him,” she said. “He loved puppies. He loved playing with kids. He was just your normal 4-year-old kid.”
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