Grandparents accused of ‘beating five-year-old granddaughter to death’
A five-year-old girl was found dead after allegedly being beaten to death by her grandparents.
Klent Elwoods, 62, and his wife, Lisa Jones, 57, were both arrested and charged with first-degree murder on Sunday after their granddaughter, Jada Moore, was found unresponsive at their home in Chicago, Illinois.
Officers were called to the couple’s home at around 10:50pm on Friday night, after Elwoods called 911 and admitted to abusing Jada.
Despite attempts to administer CPR to the girl by first responders, she later died around 9am the next morning after being airlifted to Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago.
Elwoods and Jones both admitted to physically abusing Jada during interviews with detectives, Park Forest PD (PFPD) reports.
A medical examiner said the bruises, abrasions, and scars on the girl’s body were consistent with a pattern of ongoing behavior as the wounds were in various stages of healing.
The little girl also suffered a subdural hematoma, and a belt was recovered from the scene.
During a bond hearing on Monday, prosecutors said Elwoods took Moore home to live with him in Chicago after visiting her mother in Georgia and claiming she had fallen on ‘hard times’ and needed someone to care for the youngster.
In a statement released on its Facebook page on Sunday, the PFPD said: ‘It is with heavy hearts that we share the death of Jada Moore, a five-year-old girl from Park Forest…The child’s grandfather, Klent Elwoods (62 years old), called 911, admitted to abusing Jada, and told dispatchers she was unresponsive…Jada exhibited signs of recent physical abuse as well as older indicators.
‘Park Forest Detectives interviewed Elwoods and Jones who both admitted to physically abusing Jada…The men and women of the Park Forest Police Department wish to express their deepest sympathy to Jada’s family and friends and grieve the tragic loss of this child’s life.’
News outlet CBS2 spoke with a former girlfriend of Elwoods outside of court on Monday, who said the graphic details were upsetting, and she could not fathom him being responsible.
‘Sometimes, you can fall into a dark hole, and I believe somewhere down the path, they fell into a dark hole,’ said Joyce Miller, Elwoods’ former girlfriend.
‘For whatever reason, you don’t know. Only God knows and it’s a shock.’
No bond was ordered for either the grandfather or his wife.
Elwoods has a prior robbery and carjacking conviction which saw him sentenced to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Both defendants return to court next month.
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