PHOENIX (AP) – An Arizona woman charged with murder in the 2011 disappearance of her daughter badly mistreated the 5-year-old before she eventually killed the girl and disposed of her body by hiding it an a suitcase and throwing it in the trash, a prosecutor said Wednesday as the mother’s trial began.
Jerice Hunter, 41, is accused of keeping her daughter Jhessye Shockley in a bedroom closet at the family’s suburban Phoenix home, depriving her of food and water, and beating her.
Authorities believe the child is no longer alive. Her remains were never found.
“The defendant threw her away like trash,” prosecutor Jeannette Gallagher told jurors.
Hunter has maintained her innocence.