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After taking a break Thursday, jurors will report back to
the Etowah County Judicial Building today to resume the capital murder trial of
an Etowah County woman accused of running her granddaughter to death.
49 year old Joyce Hardin Garrard, 49, is charged with
capital murder after the death of 9-year-old Savannah Hardin. The Carlisle
Elementary School third-grader died days after collapsing following a prolonged
period of physical exertion.
Retired state pathologist Emily Ward told jurors Wednesday
that the girl died from a seizure disorder caused by low sodium. She said her
autopsy found contributing conditions of prolonged physical exertion and heat
exhaustion.
Under cross examination by defense attorney Sam Bone, Ward
said the condition that caused Savannah’s death was “more toward dehydration.”
She said she would have seen signs of the girl having too much water in her
system in the soft tissues of her body, but she did not.
Prosecutors say Garrard was punishing Savannah for lying
about eating chocolate candy by forcing her to run and pick up sticks.
Garrard told investigators that Savannah had bladder reflux
and was not supposed to eat chocolate.
The girl also had attention deficit hyperactive disorder, according to
questions from defense attorneys. Bone asked if medications for ADHD could make
it more likely for someone to suffer a seizure.
Ward said she believed the “literature” about those
medications indicates that if someone already has seizures, the medication
might make the person more likely to have seizures.
Testimony resumes today.
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