Judge grants murder suspect court-appointed attorney, to consider setting bond

Published 5:00 pm Monday, December 5, 2016

Star Photo/Abby Morris-Frye  Demetrius Covington, seated at left, speaks with Assistant District Attorney Mark Hill during his first court appearance on Monday morning.

Star Photo/Abby Morris-Frye
Demetrius Covington, seated at left, speaks with Assistant District Attorney Mark Hill during his first court appearance on Monday morning.

A Carter County man charged with murder in the death of his 3-year-old stepson made his first appearance in court on that charge Monday morning.
Demetrius Deshawn Covington, 28, of Elizabethton, appeared in General Sessions Court where he was arraigned on charges of first degree murder and aggravated child neglect.
Covington filled out an application seeking a court appointed attorney. Following a brief interview with Covington, Judge Keith Bowers Jr. appointed the Public Defender’s Office to represent Covington.
Assistant Public Defender Greg Norris requested to be allowed to confer with his client privately and Bowers granted the request.
Upon returning to the courtroom with Covington, Norris announced his client was waiving his right to have a preliminary hearing within 10 days.
“We’re going to ask you to give the Public Defender at least four to five weeks to prepare for that hearing,” Norris said.
Bowers granted the request and set the case for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 13, 2017.
Norris then asked Bowers to consider setting a bond for Covington, who has been held without bond in the case since his extradition back to Carter County after he was captured by federal authorities in Ohio on Nov. 23. Norris said they understood that any bond set by the court would likely be substantial.
Assistant District Attorney Mark Hill said the state opposed a bond being set for Covington, citing the seriousness of the charge against him and the fact Covington fled first to Virginia and then to Ohio where he was ultimately captured.
“I think a defendant in any case, regardless of the offense, is entitled to at least a chance at bond,” Norris said.
Bowers said he would take the matter under consideration and issue a ruling on bond in court on Tuesday morning.
The charges against Covington stem from an investigation by the Elizabethton Police Department that began on Nov. 18 when a woman called 911 to report her son was having difficulty breathing. While driving her son to the hospital, the child’s condition worsened so the woman pulled over and began performing CPR. The child was taken first to Sycamore Shoals Hospital and then later to Niswonger Children’s Hospital where he was placed on life support. The child later died at the hospital on Nov. 22 as a result of his injuries, which according to court documents were considered to be non-accidental trauma and were not self-inflicted.
The woman told investigators she had left her son in Covington’s care while she was at work. According to police she said Covington called her at work and asked her to come home, saying the child may have fallen in the bathtub.
According to court documents, the child suffered numerous bruises over his face, neck, torso, back, bottom, legs and foot. Court documents also state medical tests revealed the child had internal injuries, including swelling in his brain and a subdural hematoma, which is a collection of blood outside of the brain usually caused by severe head injuries.

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