JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville couple was sentenced in Duval County court Friday morning for abusing and killing a 5-year-old girl in 2018.
Jonte Harris, 31, was sentenced to mandatory life in prison on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse, while Michelle Cannimore, 31, was sentenced to 30 years for aggravated manslaughter on her child, Zykerria Robinson.
Harris 'tortured' and called Zykerria the 'devil'
Cannimore had first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse charges dropped after she entered a plea of guilty on Nov. 29, 2019, which came with the condition that she would have to testify against her boyfriend, Harris, in order for them to be dropped.
During trial, prosecutors said Harris "tortured" and ultimately killed Zykerria in their home on Jacksonville's Westside after months of abuse.
Medical examiners said Zykerria died from head trauma. In 2018, examiners found adult bite marks on her body along with other injuries including black eyes and bruising, signifiers of long-term abuse.
Prosecutors said 911 was not called for hours after Zykerria was struck. They said she had a broken clavicle, and showed photos of her injuries to the jury, including one of her face while she was in a coma.
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Witnesses had to pause several times when describing Zykerria's injuries during the trial. The doctor who treated her and took her off life support, and one officer who responded to the home, had to take a moment to collect themselves during their testimonies when they got emotional. The judge ordered a brief recess during Cannimore's testimony when she broke down crying on the stand.
Defense attorneys argued that Cannimore is the one who killed Zykerria and that there was no direct evidence linking Harris to Zykerria's death. They claimed Google searches related to her injuries were done in an effort to protect Zykerria, not hide her injuries, and that abuse had been going on before Harris moved in with Cannimore.
Prosecutors said when the "fatal blows" took place, Harris was home alone with Zykerria. Text messages between Harris and Cannimore were read in court and prosecutors said Harris' words show a motive and convict him. They said in some of the texts, Harris refers to Zykerria as the "devil" and tells Cannimore to keep Zykerria in an empty room and not feed her.
The jurors were all women except for one man. Harris appeared solemn throughout the trial, as some of his immediate family members attended the trial.
Couple's sentencing
Before Harris and Cannimore were sentenced, Judge Mark Borello denied a motion that was requesting Harris to have a new trial, as Harris now wants to file an appeal for insufficient counsel.
Next, victim impact statements were read by a representative of Zykerria's grandparents.
"Thank you to all for the well wishes and prayers that we have received over the years," the family representative said. "It's been very difficult at times, but we find our way to get through it by the grace of God. To lose a child, [it] is one of the hardest thing[s] my wife and I ever had to deal with, but we find a way to manage."
The state then played a slideshow of images of Zykerria for the courtroom; Harris' sentencing followed.
The defense called three character witnesses on behalf of Cannimore to the stand: John Tensill, her father, Tiffany Harmon, her sister, and Johnette Gassit, her "best friend." Tensill asked the judge for leniency, saying that Cannimore is timid.
"Out of all my momma children, no way I would've thought this would have been her," Harmon said. "I just need her home with me, she's not a bad person I promise, she was just in the wrong situation, which as a best friend, I wish I was there for her... I wish I was there more than I was," Gassit added.
When Cannimore gave her statement before she was sentenced, while tearful, she told the courtroom that she was three classes away from graduating with her GED. She said that she learned in classes how to be a better mother and notice warning signs, and regrets not going to her family when she needed help.
The statement Cannimore read was in part, an apology to Zykerria for not protecting her from Harris.
"I'm so sorry for what happened to you, I wish I could take it all back... and do things differently," Cannimore said. "Mommy loves you," she said as she continued crying.
Cannimore also read a poem about her children entitled My Life Dedicated to My Girls while she was still on the stand.
In the end, Burrello imposed Cannimore's sentence, saying, "you had a choice to make, and you made it."
