Nationwide — Demeria Hollingsworth, an 8-year-old African American girl from Nashville, Tennessee, was reportedly found dead after her 12-year-old cousin suffocated her while she slept. The horrifying act allegedly happened after the two got into a dispute over an iPhone while at their grandmother’s house.
The disturbing video also captured the younger girl struggling to survive during the attack.
Following the attack, the older girl is seen attempting to “clean up” and rearrange the body to make it seem like she was just sleeping.
“No words can describe it,” District Attorney General of the 28th Judicial District Frederick Agee said. “It’s unimaginable.”
Demeria was found unresponsive in her bed in their grandmother’s home. And it was only 2 days later — after a tip led to the discovery of the video — that the details of the crime came to light. The evidence points to charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Their family is struggling to understand the tragedy, which allegedly stemmed from an argument over an iPhone. Demeria, who was visiting from Nashville, and her cousin, from South Carolina, were known to be very close. Their grandmother mentioned that the two girls were inseparable.
The suspect, who is turning 13 years old in a week, is currently being held at a juvenile detention facility in Rutherford County. She is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, where Agee plans to request her transfer to adult court. This would allow for a longer sentence and could better address the severity of the crime.
“This is intense. It’s just not something that happens here,” Agee said. “I consider this to be one of the most disturbing violent acts committed by either an adult or juvenile that my office has prosecuted.”
Meanwhile, a memorial with balloons in Demeria’s favorite colors, along with her cherished stuffed animals and nail polish bottles, has been set up in front of the grandmother’s home.
Moreover, Hollingsworth’s mother, Rayana ‘Rayy’ Smith, set up a GoFundMe page to help fund her funeral service. It has so far raised more than $17,000.
“The pain I’m feeling is unbearable,” Smith wrote. “I have to now live life without her in this crazy world. But I have another child who’s depending on me, and I have to be strong for my baby because she lost her big sister also.”
