For the second day in a row, a co-defendant in the A’Kyri Bell case has pleaded guilty in the middle of the trial and agreed to take the stand for the prosecution.
Darnell Dearmus, 20, walked into a Horry County courtroom on Wednesday, Oct. 21, and pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful conduct toward a child. As part of his deal with the state, he agreed to testify against Camisha McGaskey, the woman on trial for murder in the 11-year-old’s death.
Second plea in two days
Dearmus’ plea came one day after his girlfriend, Alexandria Thomas, did the same. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, Thomas pleaded guilty to unlawful conduct toward a child and also agreed to testify against McGaskey.
Dearmus has not been sentenced. Under his agreement with the state, Judge David Caraker, the same judge presiding over McGaskey’s trial, will handle his sentencing.
What his warrant said
According to the arrest warrant, Dearmus was in the home on several occasions when McGaskey is accused of physically abusing A’Kyri. The warrant says he saw the abuse and did nothing to stop it, and that his failure to act put the child at ongoing risk and contributed to the events that led to her death.
The warrant also states that Dearmus’ own young child was in the home at the time.
McGaskey on trial for murder
McGaskey is on trial for murder and obstruction of justice in A’Kyri’s death. The trial began this week in the 15th Circuit Court and has now entered its third day.
Prosecutors have described the case as part of a human trafficking operation. Several other adults have also been charged in connection with the scheme and the child’s death.
McGaskey has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
We’ll continue to follow the trial and update this story.
Source: Court proceedings and arrest warrants, as reported by WPDE
