Prosecutors Have New Witness In Kelsey Smith-Briggs Case
CHANDLER, Okla. (AP) -- Prosecutors in the trial of a woman facing child neglect charges in the death of her daughter have disclosed a new witness in the case.<br/><br/>Raye Dawn Smith's trial on charges
Tuesday, July 3rd 2007, 4:07 pm
By: News On 6
CHANDLER, Okla. (AP) -- Prosecutors in the trial of a woman facing child neglect charges in the death of her daughter have disclosed a new witness in the case.
Raye Dawn Smith's trial on charges of child neglect and enabling child abuse is to start in Bristow on Monday.
Documents filed with the court indicate the witness, Eugene Snider, will testify that during the summer of 2005 he saw Smith yell at and spank 2-year-old Kelsey Smith-Briggs before throwing her over the front seat of a car into the back seat.
The child died of blunt force trauma to the abdomen on Oct. 11, 2005, four months after she returned to her mother's home near Meeker. She had been removed from her mother's care in January of that year because of abuse concerns.
Smith's former husband, Michael Porter, 27, originally was charged with first-degree murder but accepted an agreement and pleaded guilty in February to one count of enabling child abuse. Porter is serving a 30-year prison term.
Smith, 27, denies hurting her child and denies that she let anyone else hurt her.