Background: Kadaris Maddox can be seen in a framed photo during a memorial held for him (WKRN/YouTube). Inset: Cheyenne Maddox (Clarksville Police Department).
This week, a Tennessee mother faced trial over allegations of starving her 13-year-old son to death, as prosecutors unveiled the distressing details of the suspected abuse.
Cheyenne Maddox, aged 35, is on trial for first-degree murder and aggravated child neglect in connection to the 2022 death of her son, Kadaris Maddox. Under Tennessee law, a conviction could result in a life sentence or even the death penalty.
Emergency responders were called to the Maddox family home on Virginia Terrace in Clarksville on July 6, 2022, where they encountered a grim scene. Kadaris was declared deceased shortly thereafter, as noted by the Clarksville Police Department.
The residence was in a state of chaos, with an officer reporting that the floor was completely covered in trash, according to a report by Clarksville Now. Kadaris’ room was sparsely furnished, containing only a mattress, pillow, comforter, drying rack, and some electronic devices. In the yard, a detective noted the presence of a “weathered” wheelchair.
Kadaris, who had cerebral palsy, was reported by Nashville’s ABC affiliate WKRN to be cognitively sound and hopeful about his future, as shared by one of his doctors.
During the trial, prosecutors highlighted that Kadaris weighed 47 pounds at his last doctor’s visit, but by the time of his death, his weight had plummeted to approximately 35 pounds. Clarksville police officer Joshua Clegg, the first to reach the scene, testified that the boy was “just skin and bones.” He recounted that several other children in the household allowed him entry into the home.
As Law&Crime previously reported, Cheyenne Maddox was initially charged with five counts of aggravated child neglect because of the living conditions for the other kids. While she posted a surety bond for the child neglect charges, she was later charged with murdering Kadaris.
“He died of malnutrition and he died of starvation,” Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Mary O’Connor said in court. “It was almost [as] if his skin was wrapped around his bones.”
Dawn Maddox, Cheyenne’s mother and Kadaris’ grandmother, told Clarksville Now a month after her daughter’s arrest that she knew her grandson died because of parental mistreatment.
“It’s hard to say how I feel because that is my daughter and I love her. How could she do something like this? Because he was a good baby,” she said.
A memorial was held for Kadaris in November 2022. Dawn Maddox said on that day that “there was a lot of people that loved him because he brought so much joy into the world,” per WKRN. “Just to look at him, when he smiled, his eyes, he just lit up a room. An angel was taken the day he passed away.”
The trial has taken an emotional toll on many involved. As photos taken during Kadaris’ autopsy were shown in court this week, multiple jurors reportedly had to wipe tears from their eyes. The trial resumed on Wednesday morning.
