By CELESTE M. HART
“Call my daddy, call my daddy,” mimicked Darius Young, of his daughter, Meigellic Young, aged 4, found deceased in September 2021, after a visit with her mother, Malikah Bennett. Darius said he knows his baby girl, known as, Jelli, repeatedly, with her own attitude, told Bennett, to ‘call my daddy.’
Judge Karen Eady-Williams, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Superior court, told Bennett, ‘bond denied,’ in a court hearing, held March 17th, with Young, Antoinette Austin, the only mother Jellie knew, a teen brother, and friends of Darius, in attendance.
“A human being tortured her daughter to death. Pure torture. Innocent little soul, the photos are bothersome. Pictures of busted lips, bruises all over her body. You forced her sister to help bury her in a shallow grave. Statements from the 13-year-old sister describe, you hit Meigeillic, punched her and threw her up against the wall, made her hold large jars of drink in each hand while standing in the laundry room,” said Eady-Williams.
A recording, between Bennett and her current boyfriend, submitted by Mecklenburg County jail officials, played during the hearing. Eady-Williams asked Young to leave the courtroom due to the disheartening nature of the brief tape that judge said many hours available. Austin stayed, during the listening, she bent over, trembling and broke down in tears. Her son and only child, Damontae, 18, was killed eight months ago, July 2021.
“Jelli was crapping everywhere and wouldn’t eat,” said Bennett to boyfriend. “Get your g–d–m ass up. Get the f–k up and f—-g eat,” hollered Bennett to Jellie.
Judge Eady-Williams said Bennett told her boyfriend she placed a chair against the laundry room door where detectives reported Jelli was held for several days, fell, hit her head, and died. She told boyfriend Jelli was dead and she cancelled Jelli’s food stamps.
“You covered up her death, You lied to multiple family members…you even accused your current boyfriend of killing Jelli,” said Judge Eady-Williams.
Jelli, buried in a shallow grave in Bennett’s backyard, for approximately eight months after her birthday visit with Bennett, had no contact with her mother since she was three months old, according to Young. He said Jellie always asked why she did not have a mother like her friends. Jelli enjoyed meeting her mom and siblings, Eady-Williams read from a statement. The 13-year-old sister helped bury Jelli and Bennett coerced the other siblings to call her, ‘a nasty dog and a b—h.’
Judge Eady-Williams read the 13-year-old’s statement, ‘mom washed her (Jelli) body, wrapped her in trash bags, and put her in the car.’ For months, the van parked over the grave also where a Mother’s Day cook-out food table sat over. She said there are pictures of Jellie wearing her 4th birthday button, August 11, and pictures of Jelli, alive, dressed in a plastic bag in late August 2020. Police reports state Bennett killed her daughter in September 2020.
“Jelli’s father is my 17-year-old son’s father. He has always been the best dad. All of her (Bennett’s) children had been removed. She has several pending child endangerment cases. Our families did not know because we had no contact with Malikah or her children. Darius should have been notified. The system failed Jelli, her dad did not. I ask you to deny her bond,” said Tarickia Jackson pleading to Eady-Williams.
Bennett’s charges include, first degree murder, felony child abuse, inflicting physical injury and felony concealing a death. In a previous hearing, December 2021, the death penalty was removed from the table, she faces life in prison with no parole. Bennett’s next court date, April 7, room 5310, morning session.
“I do not wish death on Malikah, I just want her to see darkness for the rest of her life,” said Young who since moved into the home where Jellie was last and buried. “I find my peace there.”
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