Updated with reaction and sentencing details.
CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – After two days of deliberation and three days of testimony, Cheyenne Dawn Maddox, charged with the murder of her disabled, 13-year-old son was found guilty of a lesser charge of reckless homicide.
On July 6, 2022, EMS responded to a call in her home, where they found the body of Kadaris Maddox. The autopsy report states that his death was the result of malnutrition. Cheyenne Maddox was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child neglect.
On Friday, the jury found her guilty of the lesser charge of reckless homicide, and guilty as charged of aggravated child neglect.
State prosecution: ‘He starved to death’
“A mother is responsible for the care of her child,” O’Connor told the jury in closing arguments. “Cheyenne Maddox failed.”
O’Connor outlined how Cheyenne failed to provide adequate nutrition, leading to severe malnutrition and eventually, her son’s death. O’Connor reiterated how Cheyenne’s actions were documented by various witnesses, including medical professionals and caregivers, who reported her neglect and refusal to seek help.
“You heard Dr. (Gary) Griffieth,” O’Connor said, referring to Kadaris’ pediatrician. “Kadaris was cognitively intact.”
She explained how Kadaris understood more than people thought and communicated in his own way. She then presented the jury with a picture of Kadaris’ lifeless body as it was found by police.
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“She (Cheyenne) is the one who was a parent,” O’Connor argued. “She was the one who had custody. She was the one who was responsible for feeding him. She is the one who let him look like this and linger like this, without enough food.
“He starved to death, according to the medical examiner,” O’Connor said, and repeated it again. “He starved to death, according to the medical examiner.”
Defense attorney: ‘Emotions aren’t facts’
“Emotions aren’t facts,” Smith told the jury. “When you first get here, sit down, you read it over and the judge tells you what to kind of expect, you kind of think, ‘Oh, man, what is this going to be about?’ But emotions aren’t facts.”
Smith criticized the state’s repetitive use of Kadaris’ autopsy and crime scene photos and emotional witnesses to sway the jury. He highlighted Cheyenne’s long-term care for her child, the lack of signs of abuse during DCS involvement, and the normalcy of her other children’s health.
Smith argued that the Maxim Healthcare scheduler “manufactured” records. There were five Home Health Missed Visit Forms dated from May into July that all read the same reason: Cheyenne declined to have a temporary home nurse take care of Kadaris and wanted a permanent one. However, all of these forms were filed on July 25, 2022, nearly three weeks after Kadaris’ death.
“You have to look at contradictions,” Smith said. “You have to look at what’s consistent. You have to look at why.
“What proof have you heard from all those issues? And it’s the state’s job to prove it. That’s why they bring three DAs with them here today,” Smith told the jury. “It’s why they have all these people piling in, getting questions from the audience. But I think you need to really look at all of the proof and ethics – not emotions.”
Verdict and sentencing
The jury began deliberations Thursday before stopping for the day, then resumed Friday morning, with the verdict at around 11:30 a.m.
Dawn Maddox, Cheyanne’s mother, said following the verdict that she felt sad and numb.
“We shouldn’t be here,” she told Clarksville Now. “If other people had done their jobs, and stepped in … all my grandkids are gone now, because now I get to see none of them.
“I do know my daughter did something she shouldn’t have done, but there’s a lot of circumstances that led up to it,” Dawn Maddox said. “I miss my daughter. I love my daughter. And I miss my grandson, and I’m never going to get him back.”
Reckless homicide is a Class D felony that carries a sentence of 2 to 4 years. Aggravated child abuse is a Class A felony that carries a sentence of 15 to 25 years. Sentencing will be Jan. 14.
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