Deontray Flanagan, 25, from Texas, is facing one count of felony murder for the death of his two-year-old daughter, Zevaya Marie Flanagan according to law enforcement in the Houston area.
Kairsten Watson, the child’s mother, reported to Fox affiliate KRIV that her daughter had “her face covered in blood” and that Flanagan had “hit her with something really hard” before showing her the murder over Facetime.
It is reported that on Monday, March 20th, Flanagan took his daughter out of daycare and then entered a Walmart where he confronted Watson and demanded her phone, passcodes and other related information.
An HPD spokesperson stated that Flanagan threatened to hurt the child if Watson did not comply. Watson attempted to rescue her daughter, however, was not able to and was allegedly struck by Flanagan multiple times in the face.
Flanagan then fled in a red Camaro with the girl and both phones. Law enforcement quickly tracked one of the phones and a 45-minute high-speed chase began, where Flanagan drove in the wrong direction and crashed into other vehicles. During the chase, the defendant continued to contact Watson and her mother over Facetime, asking for login information. Watson’s mother, Curtis Watson, reported to KHOU that she had hoped for a peaceful ending despite seeing her granddaughter’s lifeless corpse over Facetime.
The SWAT team eventually stopped the car and the girl was taken to the hospital by helicopter. However, she was pronounced dead on arrival. Flanagan was unharmed and initially held on a $1 million bond, which was increased to $2 million by a judge on Wednesday. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office stated that additional charges could be pending the autopsy results.