Jailed mother of Alabama brothers killed in separate abuse cases asks to attend son’s funeral
The jailed mother of two young Alabama boys who died several years apart in alleged abuse cases is asking to be allowed to attend her son’s funeral.
Jessie Taylor McCormack, 6, died Friday at Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham. His father, 29-year-old Joshua D. Clark is charged with capital murder in his death.
Jessie’s younger brother, 18-month-old Enzo McCormack, died in 2019, three days after he was gravely injured while in the care of his mother’s boyfriend, authorities have said.
The boys’ mother, 28-year-old Samantha McCormack, and her boyfriend, Robert Elmore, are charged with capital murder out of Blount County in Enzo’s death.
McCormack is also charged with aggravated child abuse in injuries Jessie sustained about the same time his brother died. Charging documents state Jessie at that time had bruises under his ears and his chin, and a skull fracture similar to the one that contributed to his baby brother’s death.
McCormack’s attorney on Thursday filed a motion in Blount County asking permission to be allowed to attend Jessie’s funeral on Friday at Anniston Memorial Funeral Home.
“Defendant respectfully prays this Honorable Court will allow her to attend her son’s funeral service,’’ wrote her attorney J. Robert Bentley.
The Blount County District Attorney’s Office is opposing the request.
“The decedent is the victim of one of the aggravated child abuse charges,’’ wrote Assistant District Attorney Scott Gilliland.
Gilliland argued that the nature of the charges against McCormack and the “likelihood” of conviction make her a flight risk.
Also, the prosecutor wrote, “There has been no evidence presented that (McCormack) would be welcome to attend,’’ the funeral.
A judge has not yet ruled on McCormack’s request.
On Jan 18, Anniston police officers were called to Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center on a child abuse case, said Lt. Tim Suits.
They arrived to find the medical staffing treating the unconscious Jessie.
The boy was transferred to Children’s of Alabama with critical injuries. Clark, his father, was interviewed by detectives and charged with aggravated child abuse.
Jessie died on Friday. At that point, authorities obtained the capital murder warrant.
Jessie was in the custody of his father at the time of his death.
Clark and McCormack married in 2018, and separated just two months later, court records show.
They had three children together, first Jessie, who was born in April 2016, and then Enzo and his twin sister, who were born in 2018, four months before their parents got married.
Enzo died after McCormack told authorities she was home with the children while they were eating, and she went into the other room to use the bathroom.
It was then, she said, she heard something fall and returned to the children to find the 18-month old was choking and had fallen. She told lawmen she cleared his mouth and he quit choking.
She noticed he wasn’t doing well so she bathed him and decided to take him to the hospital. She waited until her grandmother came from Oneonta to take care of the other kids.
Authorities learned the boy had been wrapped in a Hunt Brother’s pizza bag when he had arrived at the store, and then the hospital. He also learned the siblings were being brought to the hospital to be examined for possible abuse.
He noted in the charging documents that Elmore told several stories about the events of that day. He first denied hurting the boy, and then said basically that he accidentally dropped him while he was getting him out of a play pen. Once he realized the boy was hurt, he said, he messaged McCormack who said to wait for her to get home from work. He said he was keeping the kids because he had lost his job several months ago.
Doctors determined the boy’s twin sister had no injuries, but said Jessie, then a 3-year-old. also had bruises behind his ears and under his chin and had a skull fracture similar to his little brother’s.
Enzo’s twin sister is the only surviving sibling and is in DHR custody.
McCormack and Elmore have been held without bond since their 2019 arrests. Their trials are set for later this year.