A teenager and her boyfriend have both been charged in connection with the death of her 8-year-old brother.
Texas teen Kara Walker, 17, was arrested by the Violent Crimes Apprehension Team on Wednesday, Aug. 27, for her involvement in her younger brother’s death — five months after her boyfriend, 18-year-old Nolan Stallings, was charged in the same case, according to ABC 13, FOX 26 and KHOU 11.
Neither Walker nor Stallings faces homicide charges, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Instead, both are being charged with injury to a child, a felony.
On Feb. 10, Walker and Stallings brought the boy, who was unresponsive, to Baytown Methodist Hospital in Harris County, ABC 13 reported. The child had injuries consistent with abuse, according to FOX 26, and he died five days later.
At the time, Stallings reportedly told Sheriff Ed Gonzalez that the boy had been injured in a fall. Hospital staff told law enforcement that the teens’ story didn’t match the child’s injuries. An autopsy later showed that the boy died from blunt force trauma.
Court documents reviewed by KHOU 11 and ABC 13 said the boy was “abused and tortured over several days,” leading to his death. The abuse is believed to have occurred at a home in the 100 block of Greendell Street in the Highlands area, according to the sheriff.
Stallings was arrested in March and charged with the felony of injury to a child. He was processed through the county jail, where Walker was also booked on Wednesday. FOX 26 reported that Walker’s bond is set at $100,000, while Stallings’ is $1 million.
Although neither faces homicide charges right now, injury to a child is still a serious felony.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office told ABC 13 that the five-month gap between Stallings’ and Walker’s arrests was based on evidence collected during the investigation, but they did not provide further details.
