Khaleesi case: One suspect convicted of murder. Candi Royer headed to trial next month.
STAUNTON — After the guilty verdicts were read last week in the case of Travis Brown, a Waynesboro man convicted of aggravated murder in the 2021 killing of 3-year-old Khaleesi Cuthriell, tears were shed by family members, law enforcement and others in Augusta County Circuit Court following the conclusion of the emotionally draining three-day murder trial.
The convictions, which essentially sealed Brown's fate to life in prison with no chance of parole, were two years in the making, the result of countless hours of investigation and preparation by the Augusta County Sheriff's Office, the Augusta County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office and many, many others involved in the case that stretched from Augusta County to South Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
And although those involved could breathe a collective sigh of relief at the end of Brown's trial, the reality is everyone involved will have to gear up and go through the process again next month as Brown's co-defendant and former live-in girlfriend, Candi Jo Royer, 43, heads to court for a scheduled five-day jury trial. Also facing a charge of aggravated murder, along with several other charges, Royer will be represented by Jessica Sherman-Stoltz, a Waynesboro attorney who watched Brown's trial from the courtroom gallery.
Royer has past convictions for robbery, drug possession, grand larceny, credit card fraud, worthless check and shoplifting, according to online records. Previous evidence showed that she and Brown, 31, were in a relationship for about eight years, and the two share a young daughter.
Royer's actions leading up to the death of Khaleesi, whose body has never been found, will be placed under the microscope just as Brown's actions were scrutinized during his trial.
Evidence at Brown's trial showed the toddler was healthy and in the 90 percentile before being placed in Royer's care in 2020, meaning she weighed more than 90% of the children her age. Royer took the child into her home after Khaleesi's mother, Amanda Arey, was going to jail after violating her probation and had nobody to watch her child while she served her sentence.
Arey tried placing Khaleesi with a relative but the move was blocked by Child Protective Services, a division of Shenandoah Valley Social Services, evidence showed. Instead, Arey opted for Royer. After a police officer and a CPS employee took Khaleesi to Cattle Scales Road in October 2020 and handed her over to Royer, who was on court-ordered home electronic monitoring following a criminal conviction, CPS never again checked on the toddler's wellbeing. The CPS employee was also not aware that Brown was living at the home.
Khaleesi would be dead in less than three months, authorities now believe.
Shortly after Khaleesi arrived, Royer posted pictures of her on Facebook, where it appears the toddler had already lost some of her hair in mere weeks. Soon, other signs of abuse and torture — cuts, bruising, a thinning frame and burns — would begin to emerge from numerous photos and video Royer reportedly took of the toddler, which was later confiscated by investigators.
"Travis is always posting pictures of new automobiles or motorcycles as the newest addition to our family, but I would like to introduce the newest addition to our family… khaleesi [sic]" a Facebook post by Royer said Nov. 8, 2020.
A Facebook friend asked who the child belonged to, prompting Royer to respond, "At the moment mine. Until her parents are able to care for her we will."
With Royer filming, her voice was prominent in at least two recordings that were presented as evidence at Brown's trial. In a video filmed a little more than a month after Khaleesi's arrival, it showed the toddler being teased by Royer and Brown, who already have her referring to them as "Mommy" and "Daddy," as the two threaten to kick her out of the house before her third birthday and Christmas. Royer also tells the toddler that "nobody likes you, Khaleesi."
In another video taken Jan. 12, 2021, perhaps her last day alive, according to Augusta County Commonwealth's Attorney Tim Martin, it showed a frightened, confused and weakened child being verbally berated by Royer while being made to stand naked in a dry bathtub amid her own feces. Missing most of her hair by this time and covered in cuts and bruises, the toddler could be seen shaking during the ordeal.
Royer and Brown were eventually caught at a Knights Inn motel in South Greensburg, Pennsylvania, in September 2021, the same month Khaleesi's mother reported her missing to a jail official. Days later, Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith announced Khaleesi was dead.
Questioned by Augusta County investigators, Brown made outlandish comments such as the child "liked to be smacked" and acted like she was "possessed." Brown also claimed he woke up one night to find Khaleesi choking his daughter. He said she was sexually aware, was prone to falling, and said the toddler was suicidal.
After lying and telling investigators that a CPS official in a state car had permanently taken Khaleesi in January 2021, Brown eventually admitted she was dead by claiming the toddler killed herself by purposefully slamming her head into a doorframe.
"It's what she did, man," Brown said. He told investigators he attempted CPR on the toddler but was unsuccessful. "I tried so hard, dude."
A drug user at the time, Brown said he passed out while the child's body was still on the floor. The next day, Brown said he wrapped the child in a blanket and dumped her body in a garbage can.
An expert on child abuse and torture testified at last week's trial and said Khaleesi — who had two ulcerated blisters on the inside of her mouth that were indicative of burns, along with numerous bruises, cuts and swelling — was tortured.
Royer is facing numerous charges, including aggravated murder, murder and child abuse. Her trial begins Oct. 16.
She is being held at the Rockingham-Harrisonburg Regional Jail.
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Candi Royer, charged with murder, goes to trial next month
