An Alabama woman convicted of capital murder
in the running death of her 9-year-old
granddaughter died Friday less than a year into
her life-without-parole sentence for the killing.
Joyce Hardin Garrard, 50, died five days after
being stricken at the state's women's prison,
prison spokesman Bob Horton said.
The cause of death wasn't immediately
available, but defense attorney Dani Bone said
Garrard apparently suffered a heart attack
Sunday minutes after visiting relatives at the
state women's prison. She was taken from the
prison by helicopter ambulance to a Montgomery
hospital where she was placed on life support
and eventually died.
"This is another loss for a family that already
has lost so much," Bone said.
Last year, an Etowah County jury convicted
Garrard of killing 9-year-old Savannah Hardin by
making her run as punishment for a lie about
eating candy in 2012. Evidence during the trial
showed that girl ran for hours outside Garrard's
home in rural northeastern Alabama.
Garrard testified that she never meant to harm
the girl but stayed outside running and picking
up sticks with the child as they talked about the
importance of telling the truth. Garrard also
claimed she was coaching the girl in how to run
faster in school races.
"If she was running, I was running," Garrard said.
But jurors convicted her of capital murder, siding
with prosecutors who called the woman the "drill
sergeant from hell" and described the child's
death as agony imposed by a woman she loved
and trusted.
"She was tortured," prosecutor Carol Griffith told
jurors in closing arguments.
The child's stepmother, Jessica Mae Hardin, is
set for trial in June on a murder charge for
allegedly failing to stop the punishment. Hardin,
who is free on bond, has pleaded not guilty.
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