Malikah Diane Bennett was arrested in May 2021 on charges of first-degree murder, child abuse inflicting serious injury, and destruction of a body/concealing an unnatural death after her daughter’s body was found buried in the backyard of their Charlotte home on Braden Drive.
Malikah Diane Bennett, a 33-year-old woman from North Carolina, has been sentenced to over two decades in prison for the murder of her 4-year-old daughter, Majelic “Jellie” Young, in the summer of 2020
Majelic had been reported missing for several months and was last seen alive in late August or early September 2020. According to witness testimony from Majelic’s teenage older sister, revealed in warrants released by the police, the girl died from severe abuse by Malikah Diane Bennett. The 13-year-old daughter stated that her younger sister was subjected to punishment by being forced to stand continuously in the laundry room without breaks or the ability to sit down. After three days of this torment, Majelic’s breathing became labored, and she fell out the back door, hitting her head on the ground and dying.
The older sister further disclosed that Bennett then made her assist in concealing the crime by placing the deceased child in plastic bags, storing them in the trunk of their SUV, digging a hole, and burying Majelic’s body
The case has been deeply disturbing to law enforcement officials involved, with Lt. Bryan Crum of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department expressing disbelief at how a parent, Malikah Diane Bennett could commit such a heinous act against their own child. Subsequent autopsy results revealed that Majelic had suffered serial abuse and malnourishment, and she had traces of acetone and ethanol in her system.
In court, Malikah Diane Bennett pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder. In connection to the case, Majelic’s grandmother, Tammy Taylor Moffett, was also arrested and charged with concealing a death and accessory after the fact. Moffett rejected a plea deal and pleaded not guilty to her charges. Meanwhile, Malikah Diane Bennett received a sentence of 25 to 31 years in state prison after accepting a plea deal, with the remaining charges against her dropped.
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