Older sisters testify against their younger sister in Tippecanoe County murder trial
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Josie Cox refused to even look at her sister, Crystal Cox, while testifying Wednesday against her during Crystal's murder trial.
"She would have anger issues with him," the older sister testified about Crystal's behavior towards Zeus, Crystal's 3-year-old son, who died July 5, 2021, from several blunt-force injuries while in Crystal's care. "She would grab his arms, or she would look at him and say mean words."
To clarify, Tippecanoe County Deputy Prosecutor Cassidy Laux asked if by "mean words" Josie meant profanity.
She did.
Prosecutors charged Crystal Cox, 31, with murder, neglect of a dependent, aggravated battery and battery with death. Her boyfriend, Jermaine Garnes Sr., faces the same charges. His trial is scheduled for next month.
Josie testified that Zeus stayed with her and her mother during 2021. Sometimes, Crystal stayed there, too.
When Crystal had custody of Zeus, Josie, as well as Crystal's other sister, Cynthia Emery, noticed bruises and marks on the boy's face, arms and back.
"There were injuries on his arm, on his back and on a couple of occasions on his face," Emery testified.
"There were inconsistent stories as to how it happened," Emery said, noting Crystal Cox explained the bruises and cuts to falls or that Zeus dropped a sippy cup on his face.
Both sisters did not want Zeus to go with Crystal when she moved out in June 2021.
"I did not feel comfortable with her taking care of him," Emery testified.
During the presentation of evidence on Tuesday, jurors watched a video of a detective interviewing Crystal Cox at the police department.
She initially said she only disciplined Zeus with an open hand spank to his bottom. She also said that Garnes never disciplined Zeus without her consent, and he never used anything other than an open hand.
But when confronted with Garnes' statements to detectives that he disciplined Zeus with a belt, Cox began changing her statements to police.
"I'm telling you the truth," Crystal Cox said. "I would never let anyone hurt my child.
"I would never do anything to harm my child," she insisted during the interview with police. "I would never let anyone harm my child."
Yet while in Cox and Garnes' care, Zeus suffered a ruptured kidney and four ruptures in his small intestines, which caused him to bleed to death while lying in his mother's bed, according to Tuesday's testimony form forensic pathologist Dr. Darin Wolfe.
Describing the force use to inflict cause these ruptures, Wolfe testified that he typically sees these type of blunt-force injuries in victims of fatal high-speed car accidents.
Late Wednesday morning, the prosecutors rested their case, and Crystal Cox's attorney, Kirk Freeman, rested the defense's case without calling a witness.
Closing arguments are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday. After closing, the jury will begin deliberations.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Older sisters testify against their younger sister in murder trial
