ALCORN COUNTY, MS – A former babysitter from Mississippi has been sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison for allegedly beating and killing a 2-year-old boy.
Makallie Elizabeth Durham, 25, of Iuka, pleaded guilty last Friday, December 13, 2024, to capital murder and four counts of felonious child abuse. The incident occurred in September 2022 and involved the abuse and beating of a 2-year-old boy and his 11-month-old sister, who sustained serious injuries.
Reportedly, the Alcorn County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a residence on County Road 380 in Corinth on September 13, 2022, regarding an unresponsive child. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a 2-year-old boy with multiple bruises and marks. Inside the residence, they also discovered an 11-month-old girl with multiple injuries.
The injuries to both children were determined to be non-accidental.
Both children were transported to Magnolia Regional Hospital before being transferred to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The boy died two days later, prompting a warrant for Durham’s arrest, and she was charged with capital murder.
In November 2022, a grand jury issued a five-count indictment stating that Durham had struck both children “in the face or head” multiple times over a four-day period while they were under her care. While the boy succumbed to his injuries, his infant sister survived but suffered various injuries.
Last Friday, Circuit Court Judge Chip Mills sentenced Durham to life in prison for capital murder and an additional 40 years for child abuse. She will not be eligible for parole or any form of early release.
The indictment accused Durham of hitting the boy “in the face or head” on September 9, 12, and 13, 2022. She was also accused of beating the girl “in the face or head” over three consecutive days, from September 11 to 13, 2022. The final count of the indictment was for capital murder related to the September 13, 2022, beating that led to the boy’s death.
Durham will remain in the Alcorn County Jail until she is transferred to the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections to begin serving her sentence.
