The grandmother of Erica Bell, the woman charged in the death of three-year-old Brook Stagles, spent much of the day on the stand during this, the third day of testimony in the trial.
Bell is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Brook, who was Bell's boyfriend's toddler daughter. The girl died in November 2016, with bruises covering her face, arms, legs, abdomen and back.
Debbie Smith testified that two days before Brook died, Erica called her and asked her grandmother to take them to the hospital, but Bell then changed her mind, instead asking Smith take her to buy drugs. Smith said that next they went to a baby shower and never ended up getting Brooke medical care.
Smith testified that she saw bruises on Brook and later, on a phone call from jail, the court heard Bell say she punched Brook three times. On the call, when Erica was finally told that Brook is dead, she was in disbelief and kept asking, "how did this happen?" and "It's not like I beat her every day." She then asked over and over how much prison time she may face.
"Guilty guilty guilty," said John Geer, Brook's grandfather. "She knows, she kept asking, 'what's Mike saying? What's everyone saying outside? What are they saying about me? Has anyone named my name? Tell Mike not to take her to the hospital.'
"That was hard, hard to hear that."