Sister of slain Ala. child testifies at trial

The Associated Press

A man who is on trial for capital murder in the beating death of a 5-year-old boy intially told police he was responsible but changed course after police said they could not guarantee the boy's mother would not be charged, officials testified Thursday.

Authorities contend Kevin Andre Towles killed Geontae "Gee" Glass at the boy's Mountainboro home in rural Etowah County on Dec. 3, 2006, and along with the mother, Shalinda Glass, staged a fake abduction outside a convenience store at Albertville the next day.

Etowah County Sheriff's Office Chief Investigator Michael Jones and FBI Special Agent Brenn Tallent testified they interviewed Towles, 34, a few hours after the child's body was found.

Both testified that Towles said he was responsible for what happened to Geontae and asked for an agreement in writing that Shalinda Glass, his girlfriend, would not be charged with a crime.

The officers said they could not make that promise and testified that Towles then told them two masked men came out of the woods and wanted him to have his son come outside.

Towles said the men asked for money and he gave them $15,000.

Jones testified that Towles' story did not seem "plausible" and the interview was terminated when he became agitated as the officers asked him questions.

The jury was shown photos of the boy's body, which was found Dec. 5 in the trunk of a car parked behind Towles' home. The mother is awaiting trial.

Deputy District Attorney Marcus Reid said the body was covered in bruises with injuries on the sides, arms and legs. His upper thighs and buttocks had been beaten so badly investigators could see the imprints of a piece of wood, later identified as bloodstained 2-by-4 board found in Towles' yard.

The boy's 10-year-old sister testified Wednedsay that Towles was upset with her brother, took him outside her home and, when they returned, the boy wasn't moving.

"He had his head on his shoulder, like he was sleeping," said Shaliyah Glass, who was 7 at the time of the murder.

During opening statements, Towles' attorney, Dani Bone, said Towles was falsely accused and some issues in the case will be disputed.

Shaliyah Glass testified Wednesday that Towles was "a little mad" and told her brother he was going to pay, prior to taking him outside.

In testimony reported by The Gadsden Times, the girl said the next morning, Dec. 4, she was put in the passenger side of the car and Gee was put in the back, "half laying down and half sitting up."

Towles was not with them, and authorities contend he got a friend to drop him off near the convenience store, where Towles drove off with the boy's body when Shalinda Glass and the girl got out of the car to use the bathroom. The mother called 911 and authorities initially thought it was a case of a vehicle being stolen with a child in the back seat.

Officials testified that an SKS rifle, a bulletproof vest and about $33,000 were found during a search of Towles' Shady Grove Road home.

Rob Savage, commander of the Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit, said the unit was involved in a search of Towles' home when officers in Marshall County discovered the address of the Shady Grove Road home on an electric bill at a house in Albertville where Towles had been staying.

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Information from: The Gadsden Times, http://www.gadsdentimes.com">http://www.gadsdentimes.com