Okmulgee Woman Found Guilty In Foster Child's Death

NewsOn6.com

OKMULGEE, Oklahoma -- An Okmulgee woman is facing four years in prison after being convicted of killing her 3-year-old foster daughter.

Sharon Whitecloud, 62, was found guilty of 2nd degree manslaughter in an Okmulgee County Court Wednesday.

Prosecutors say the foster child, Kyra Zubah, was killed in 2009, while in the care of Whitecloud who was taking care of four other children at the time. 

Prosecutors say Whitecloud, under the influence of a sleeping aid, dropped Kyra on her head twice and shook her. Kyra died just days after the incident.

News On 6 talked to Carol Willis, who's the former foster grandmother of Kyra Zubah. She says her family is not happy about the verdict.

She says prosecutors "proved without a doubt" that Whitecloud was guilty of murder. Willis called the jury's second degree manslaughter "insulting."

She went on to say she the District Attorney and his team "hit this out of the ballpark" and she can't believe the way it turned out.

"This is not justice," she continued. "All we wanted was to see justice done. And it wasn't."

Kyra spent her first two years in one foster home, but was placed in Whitecloud's home because of her Native American heritage.

The Department of Human Services closed Whitecloud's tribal foster care home after Kyra's death.

10/31/2011 Related Story: Trial Begins For Okmulgee Woman Charged With Death Of Child