Los Angeles, CA — Trinity Love Jones, a 9-year old girl who was found dead and stuffed inside a duffel bag, had been reportedly badly bruised and abused for months leading to her death last year, according to new evidence. Her mother, Taquesta Graham, and her mother’s boyfriend, Emiel Hunt, are both facing murder and torture charges in connection to the crime.The evidence that was recently presented included text messages that indicated Graham, who is 29-year old, and her 39-year old boyfriend, Emiel Hunt, had repeatedly beaten and starved the little girl over a period of months.
For example, her mother allegedly texted Hunt, “Trinity is going to get it” as punishment for peeing on herself. In another text message, her mother asked Hunt to tell Trinity that “We were talking about giving you a burrito… you messed up.”
Superior Court Judge Mike Camacho ruled that the case should proceed to trial, citing the evidence that showed “systematic abuse and neglect.”
“It’s clear that these were intentional acts and the defendants acted with conscious disregard,” Camacho said.
Meanwhile, Graham and Hunt told investigators different stories on the circumstances that might have led to Trinity’s death.
Graham told investigators that Trinity suffered from congestion and had a seizure on February 28, 2019. She then went to work, but when they came back to the hotel where they are staying, she noticed that her daughter wasn’t breathing. She said she believed Hunt placed a pillow over the girl’s face.
Hunt, on the other hand, told investigators he noticed Trinity wasn’t breathing when he woke up around 3 AM on March 1. He and Graham “freaked out” because they had criminal records but eventually told each other that “we didn’t do anything wrong.”
The girl’s body was found on March 5, 2019 partially stuffed inside a duffel bag near a Los Angeles area hiking trail. She was eventually identified by her relatives.
According to police, Graham and Hunt were also seen on surveillance footage carrying what appears to be a body wrapped in a blanket from the Budget Inn in Santa Fe Springs. A video from Walmart showed the couple buying 2 shovels, a blanket, and a lighter, and another video from another store buying a duffel bag identical to the one Trinity was found in.