Natashay Ward

Case record: Natashay Ward

The offence

Natashay Ward was charged in connection with the deaths of her three children: Shanieka Y. Ward (11), Latricia (Latricia L.) Ward (9), and Christopher O. Ward (8). Huntsville police said the children were starved to death. The state conceded that Ward starved her children to death. Prosecutors said Ward prayed for her children as they starved to death in her apartment and stayed with them for at least a week after they died.

Ward pleaded not guilty to capital murder charges because of mental disease or defect in 2006. Ward later pleaded guilty to three counts of reckless murder.

Investigation

Wendell Johnson, public affairs administrator for the Huntsville Police Department, said that when the children were found, "they did appear malnourished." Johnson also said investigators would not elaborate on the details of Ward's confession at the time.

Sgt. Ed Cain, supervisor of the major crime unit for the Huntsville Police Department, said officials were waiting on autopsies to determine the time and cause of death, and that the Huntsville Police Department worked with the Madison County Coroner's office and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences to determine when and how the children died. Cain said it would take up to two weeks for a full autopsy report.

On February 6, 2005, police said Ward had confessed to starving her children to death.

Arrest

Ward was charged with capital murder Friday in connection with the deaths of her son and two daughters. She was being held without bail.

Trial

The courts were preparing to start jury selection to see if Ward was competent to stand trial.

Ward accepted a plea agreement with the District Attorneys office on the morning of February 8, 2007. Ward was offered a chance to make a statement after her plea agreement but said she had nothing further to say.

Sentencing

Ward pleaded guilty to three counts of reckless murder on February 7, 2007. She was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences by Circuit Judge Loyd H. Little Jr.

Ward was 32 years old when she was sentenced. According to Alabama Pardons and Parole guidelines, Ward would be eligible for parole in 42 years. Another account said she would be eligible for parole in 45 years.

Outcome

Ward pleaded guilty to three counts of reckless murder and received three consecutive life sentences.

Aftermath

Ward's children—Shanieka Y. Ward (11), Latricia L. Ward (9), and Christopher O. Ward (8)—were discovered on February 4, 2005, in her southwest Huntsville apartment. Investigators said the children had been dead for at least several days when they were found.

A prosecutor said Ward stayed with her children for at least a week after they died. Ward's family was not in the courtroom during the plea agreement or sentencing phase; they were in the office of an attorney and said to be in prayer that Ward's life would be spared.

Leetha McCaulley, who managed the apartment complex until October, said Ward was single and "took care of her kids," and that after her car broke down last year, Ward "used to walk the kids to school every day." McCaulley said, "It was just her and those kids," and that Ward was "quiet" and "Paid her rent on time."

Relatives told police they had been trying to visit the family for weeks but Ward would not open the door. Utilities in the apartment had been turned off since Jan. 12, and the children had not attended school since the holiday break. Workers with the Alabama Department of Human Resources had tried to visit the apartment in December but Ward refused to let them in. A representative of the city school system had also tried to visit the apartment in December, but Ward refused to let them inside.

Cain said authorities received a call at 2:56 p.m. Friday from the children's grandmother, whose name was not immediately available.

Wendell Johnson said managers of the apartment complex had been preparing to evict the family. Cain said the children were found on the floor in three separate bedrooms of the apartment on the city's southwest side, fully clothed. Cain and Johnson stated that investigators were trying to determine when the children had last been seen.

Quotes

Sgt. Ed Cain said:

"We're waiting on autopsies to determine the time and cause of death," he said.

Wendell Johnson said:

"they did appear malnourished," Johnson said.

Leetha McCaulley said:

"It was just her and those kids," she said. "She was quiet. Paid her rent on time."