This week, a grandmother from Louisiana is on trial, accused of first-degree murder after prosecutors claim she compelled her 4-year-old granddaughter to consume a deadly amount of whiskey as a form of “punishment.”
Roxanne Record, 57, appeared before the court as prosecutors recounted the tragic final hours of her granddaughter, China Record, in April 2022. They alleged that the young girl was forced to kneel and drink an entire bottle of Canadian Mist whiskey, while her mother, Kadjah Record, allegedly observed without intervening.
In her opening remarks, Assistant District Attorney Dana Cummings highlighted the stark contrast between the typical grandparent-grandchild bond and the relationship China endured.
“China was deprived of the usual warmth from her grandmother, who never showed her affection and treated her differently than her other grandchildren,” Cummings stated, as reported by The Advocate.
Roxanne Record, 57, was taken into custody in April 2022 after the passing of her granddaughter, China. (Baton Rouge Police Department)
Prosecutors portrayed a “pattern of cruelty” within the Baton Rouge residence, claiming that China’s siblings were led to view her as a “thief” when she sought essential items like food and water.
Prosecutors said the punishment began when China took a single sip from a whiskey bottle left on a kitchen counter.
They allege Roxanne Record then forced the child to consume the rest of the 750ml bottle — approximately 1.6 pints of 80-proof liquor.
Kadjah Record, Roxanne’s daughter, is also charged with murder after watching Roxanne punish her toddler without intervening. (Baton Rouge Police Department)
First responders found the child unresponsive at the family’s Wallis Street home. An autopsy later revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.680 — more than eight times the legal limit for an adult driver.
The Baton Rouge Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
“She… just went on with daily life while she died,” Cummings told the jury.
The toddler was unresponsive when police officers first arrived on the scene and was pronounced dead two hours later. (Getty Images)
Meanwhile, defense attorney Caitlin Fowlkes countered that while China’s death was a “tragedy that nobody should have to endure,” it was also an accident.
She argued Record attempted to save the girl with CPR and said the state cannot prove the “specific intent” required for a first-degree murder conviction.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Roxanne Record faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The child’s mother, Kadjah Record, is also charged with murder and is expected to stand trial later this summer.
