A Franklin County, Tenn., jury on Friday found a Whitwell woman guilty of reckless homicide and aggravated assault in the 2015 beating death of a 5-year-old.
Holly Rutledge was 30 when she was arrested on Feb, 5, 2016, on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in the death of Lucas Dillon. The jury began deliberations Thursday night and reached a verdict mid-afternoon Friday. She was not found guilty on the first-degree murder charge.
Assistant District Attorney Steve Strain, who works out of 12th Judicial District Attorney General Mike Taylor’s office, said the state rested its case Wednesday afternoon. The defense’s witnesses included a forensic pathologist and a biomedical engineer.
The boy’s father, Nathan Dillon, left the house around 6:30 a.m. the day of the incident and Lucas was fine, but at 10:42 a.m., Rutledge called 911. The boy was unresponsive and ambulance personnel arrived to find he wasn’t breathing and had no heartbeat, Strain said of trial testimony.
According to testimony, Rutledge told investigators that after Lucas’ father left, Lucas had played and Rutledge gave the boy a toaster strudel and something to drink, Strain said. Lucas told her he was sleepy and lay down.