8-month-old girl dies; capital murder, sexual torture charges filed against Decatur man

Eric Fleischauer, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
·2 min read

Feb. 15—An 8-month-old girl who police say was beaten by a Decatur man died today after brain activity ceased and she was taken off life support, according to the Morgan County coroner.

The girl had been in critical condition at Children's of Alabama in Birmingham since early Wednesday morning after Decatur police say she was assaulted late last Tuesday night by Cameron Almen Elliott, 22, 1839 Brownstone St. Elliott was charged with second-degree assault and various drug charges, and was initially being held in Morgan County Jail on $260,000 bond.

Elliott is now facing capital murder, sexual torture, first-degree possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance charges, according to Decatur police. Elliott is now being held without bond at the Morgan County Jail.

Morgan County Coroner Jeff Chunn said the girl's time of death is being listed as 9:45 a.m. today when brain activity ended, although it was a few hours after that when she was removed from life support and died.

Before being removed from life support, Chunn said, at least two EEGs had confirmed she was brain dead.

Chunn said the girl's body is being transported to the state Department of Forensic Sciences office in Huntsville for an autopsy.

"It's my understanding that the child is not going to survive," Anderson said Monday at about noon, before life support ended. "From our standpoint, that means this defendant will absolutely be charged with capital murder."

The murder of a victim less than 14 years old is capital murder under Alabama law. The penalty for capital murder is death or life without parole.

Read more in Tuesday's edition of The Decatur Daily.

— eric@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2435. Twitter @DD_Fleischauer.