By Ray King
Formal charges have been filed against a Jefferson County woman accused of killing her daughter, who died at a Little Rock hospital on March 1.
During a court hearing Wednesday, Pine Bluff District Judge John Kearney read the allegation against Shelette Strong, 30, of Tucker.
The allegation was based on an affidavit from Sheriff’s Investigator Sandra Harper who reported that on Feb. 27, deputies and ambulance personnel responded to a house at Tucker where they found Ciara Roberts, 14, unresponsive. Roberts was taken to Jefferson Regional Hospital, then flown to Children’s Hospital at Little Rock where she died March 1.
Harper reported that on March 28, Colin Robinson, 9, the younger brother of Ciana was interviewed and said his mother and sister got into an argument and the mother started choking his sister, then threw her on the floor and sat on her back.
He went on to say that his sister was screaming that she could not breathe and kicking her feet. He said he told his mother “Mama please don’t kill her” and she did not respond and told him to leave the room.
An autopsy determined the cause of death was compressional asphyxia and the manner of death was homicide.
Strong will be held without bond and told to come back to court Sept. 19. She said she would hire her own attorney.
