• Shawna Hooey, 33, was sentenced to 50 years in prison after being convicted of murdering her boyfriend’s 4-year-old daughter Jakyzia Alexander
• Prosecutors said Hooey took Jakyzia took an emergency room on Sept. 7, 2019, but gave medical staff and authorities various accounts of what happened to the girl
• An examination determined Jakyzia died of blunt force trauma and had other injuries in different stages of healing

A Texas woman will spend decades in prison for killing her boyfriend’s 4-year-old daughter in 2019, prosecutors announced.

After nine days of trial, a Harris County jury convicted 33-year-old Shawna Hooey of murder and sentenced her to 50 years in prison on April 3, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in an April 5 press release. 

“We have to work together as a community to protect our children who are particularly vulnerable to abuse from violent adults,” Ogg said. “We are thankful to the jurors who recognized that this was not a single incident, but a pattern of abuse and rightfully sentenced this woman to spend decades behind bars.”

Hooey was taking care of 4-year-old Jakyzia Alexander along with her own five children when she took the girl to a 24-hour emergency room on Sept. 7, 2019, the same day she died, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, the girl’s father had sole custody and worked nights. He and Jakyzia moved in with Hooey and her four children in Tomball, Texas, after he started dating Hooey.

“Because of his work schedule, Jakyzia’s father stayed with family members who lived closer to his job and seldom saw his daughter,” the release states. “He did not see her for at least two months before her death, except through video calls.”

When Hooey took Jakyzia to the emergency room, the girl’s body was “already cold” and she had a visible black eye and other injuries, the release states. 

Hooey told medical staff and authorities different stories about what happened to the girl, prosecutors said. She claimed Jakyzia had to be woken up and was taking deep, labored breaths and not acting normally, so Hooey drove her around in a hot car to try to get her to breathe normally. Hooey then drove home, changed clothes and then took Jakyzia to the emergency clinic.

Hooey’s various accounts of what happened to Jakyzia included that she ran into a doorknob and the girl threw herself against a toilet paper holder in the bathroom, prosecutors said. According to Hooey, the injury occurred two days before she took Jakyzia to the emergency room, and the girl had been acting normally since it happened.

During the trial, witnesses testified that Jakyzia acted normally the day before she was taken to the emergency room.

“Further examination showed that the girl had signs of repeated past abuse, including injuries that were fresh, some that were resolving and others that were healed,” the release states. “An autopsy showed that Jakyzia died from blunt force trauma to the head. The injury that killed her would have resulted in seizures, vomiting and dazed reactions almost immediately.”

Hooey was eventually charged with murder after an investigation by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

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Jakyzia’s family faced Hooey at her sentencing hearing and gave emotional statements.

“My niece was barely 30 pounds. So how she could cause deep bruising in her head and make her spine come unattached to her body, I’ll never know,” said April Alexander, an aunt of Jakyzia, according to ABC 13.

“It’s hard. For four years, it’s been just miserable,” Vonda Harris, the girl’s grandmother, added, per the outlet.

Assistant District Attorney Gilbert Sawtelle, who prosecuted the case, noted in the press release that child abusers often work to hide signs of abuse by keeping children away from other adults or dressing them to cover the injuries.

“Child abuse does happen, and when we see it, we need to call it out and notify the police and child protective services,” Sawtelle said. “This girl was wearing long sleeves in the summertime—and if someone had noticed her injuries and intervened, she would probably still be here today.”

Prosecutors said Hooey must serve at least half of her prison sentence before she is eligible for parole.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.