Bizarre courtroom scene as lesbian lovers collapse and wail after hearing they will serve life for murdering three-year-old girl

By Laurie Whitwell


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Hyper-ventilating: Erica Mae Butts, one of two women sentenced to life for killing Serenity Richardson, 3, gets wheeled out of court after collapsing


A Charleston courtroom was the setting for a bizarre scene when two lesbian lovers collapsed, wailed uncontrollably and hyper-ventilated after hearing they would serve life for killing a three-year-old girl.

Erica Mae Butts and Shanita Latrice Cunningham had to be picked off the floor by court officials and held in chairs as they were wheeled out of the room.

The mother of Butts was physically thrown out by three staff members after shouting loudly at her daughter to, 'Get up!' then screaming, 'I can't leave my baby like this, my baby is out!'


Passed out: Shanita Latrice Cunningham fell to the floor when Judge Deadra Richardson said she would serve life for the murder

Panic: The pair lie on the floor as staff hurry to sort out the unexpected reaction


As sobs echo from the gallery, a clerk can be heard to ask, 'Do we have any EMTs in the building?' while others try to get a panting Butts to slow down her breathing.

Butts and Cunningham, both 25 from Summerville, South Carolina, were told on Friday they will spend the rest of their lives in prison for beating Serenity Richardson to death in 2009 while the toddler was in their care.

Serenity was visiting Butts, her godmother and her mother's best friend, and Cunningham, who was Butts's lover, for two weeks at their home in Summerville, South Carolina when the abuse took place.

'It is nearly impossible for words to accurately describe what these women did to that poor little girl,' said Elizabeth Gordon, assistant managing solicitor for Charleston County.

'They beat her repeatedly both with a belt and with plastic coat hangers. You can see the outlines of the strikes on this child's body. There is not one area of this child's body that was unharmed except for the soles of her feet.'

Murderers: Erica Mae Butts, left, godmother of the victim, and Shanita Latrice Cunningham, right, beat and whipped the three-year-old to death and both will now serve life in prison


Butts admitted to Summerville police on Thursday that she whipped Serenity with a belt for urinating on the floor.

Serenity's mother, Ieshia Richardson, a childhood friend of Butts, lives in Detroit.

'The explanation they gave (for the beatings) was that Serenity had a potty accident,' Ms Gordon said. 'Their explanation is "we didn't know what we did would kill her."

'They knew what they did was wrong.'

By the time paramedics reached Serenity, she was already dead and had been placed on ice and exposed to bleach in desperate attempts to revive her.

Circuit Court Judge Deadra Richardson said nothing had ever affected her as strongly as the photos of the little girl's battered body.

In August, Butts entered an Alford plea, meaning she maintains her innocence but acknowledges that taking her case to trial would likely result in a conviction. Cunningham pleaded guilty.


Escorted out: A woman believed to be Butts' mother had to be physically ejected after shouting and screaming


Butts had been in the hospital with Ieshia when she gave birth to Serenity, her only child. She had been the only person Butts confided in after she was raped at age 15.

'I was responsible for some things, but I would never kill her,' Butts said, according to the Post and Courier. Then, practically screaming through her sobs, she turned to Ieshia and said, 'I will always love you no matter what. I just want to tell you I'm so, so sorry.'

During the hearing, Cunningham's attorney said her client was less culpable than Butts in little girl's death.

Butts' attorney instead portrayed Cunningham as the 'controlling and aggressive' partner in an abusive relationship, while describing Butts as a 'meek' woman, the Post and Courier reported.

Sentencing the killers, Judge Richardson said: 'To ignore what must have been excruciating sounds that came from that child is more than disconcerting to this court.

'As such, the court finds it appropriate that each be sentenced to the state department of corrections for a period of life.'

Her words sparked the outpouring of emotion.




source:dailymail