8-year-old suffocated in bed, officials say. Now, 13-year-old cousin from SC indicted

A 13-year-old from South Carolina was accused of suffocating her 8-year-old cousin to death while she slept in a top bunk. Now, the teen has been indicted in Tennessee.

On Sept. 30, a grand jury charged La’Quvanah Parson of Columbia with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, according to the Office of the District Attorney General for the 28th Judicial District of Tennessee.

McClatchy News could not locate Parson’s attorney information Oct. 1.

The indictment comes about a week after a judge ordered Parson to be transferred from juvenile court to adult court at the urging of prosecutors, who described the killing as a “disturbing” and “horrendous” act, officials said.

On July 15, 8-year-old Demeria Hollingsworth of Nashville was found dead in an upstairs bedroom of a home in Humboldt, where the cousins were visiting family, according to officials and McClatchy News’ previous reporting.

As investigators worked to figure out how the child died, they learned security cameras in the home had captured the incident, according to prosecutors.

Demeria went to sleep in the top bunk, then Parson, who was 12 at the time, is seen using her full body weight to smother her cousin with bedding, District Attorney General Frederick Agee told WMC.

The 8-year-old struggles in the video, then goes still, Agee said. He added the now-teen got some tissues and wiped blood off her cousin’s face before positioning the body underneath the covers.

Demeria’s mother, Rayana Smith, told WZTV she cries when she remembers getting the news of her daughter’s death.

“It replays in my head constantly. The phone call, the words,” Smith told the outlet after the indictment.

She described her daughter as bright and outgoing.

At the time of the death, the district attorney said his office would petition for Parson to be tried as an adult.

“Demeria Hollingsworth was asleep in bed when she was violently attacked by her cousin Parson,” Agee said. “We will continue to work to seek justice for Demeria and hold Parson accountable for taking her life.”

Smith told WREG the girls had an argument over an iPhone while staying at their grandmother’s house.

“When they told me about that, I should have just gone to get my kid,” she told the outlet. “But they were having fun for the summer and I didn’t think she would kill my baby.”

Humboldt is about a 100-mile drive northeast from Memphis.

This story was originally published October 1, 2024 at 1:29 PM with the headline "8-year-old suffocated in bed, officials say. Now, 13-year-old cousin from SC indicted."