Georgia teacher on trial in son’s death as prosecutors seek murder conviction

Opening statements began July 13, 2026, in Perry, Georgia, as prosecutors asked jurors to convict Kianna Davis, a Georgia teacher accused in the death of her 2-year-old son, Karter Ambrose. Davis, 35, has pleaded not guilty to seven charges, including malice murder, felony murder, second-degree murder, cruelty to children and aggravated assault, and she faces a potential life sentence if convicted.

Houston County prosecutor Justin Duane told jurors that Karter was brought to Primary Pediatrics on Nov. 17, 2020, wearing only a diaper and a T-shirt. The child’s pulse was fading, he was cold to the touch and his eyes rolled back as doctors tried CPR and called 911. Karter was then taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy later found blunt force injury to the abdomen that caused a lacerated liver. Prosecutors told the jury they would also hear evidence of injuries to the toddler’s torso, genitalia and head. The indictment charges that Davis and Kiyon Devoy Benton beat Karter with an unknown object between Nov. 15 and Nov. 17, 2020, causing cruel physical pain and the fatal liver injury. It also charges them with first-degree cruelty to children and felony murder tied to aggravated assault.

Karter appeared healthy at daycare and during a family visit in the days before his death, but he began vomiting and complaining of stomach pain during his final two days before he became unresponsive. Duane used his opening statement to argue that this was a homicide, not a medical collapse.

Davis’s defense took the opposite view, telling jurors the boy was sickly and that a history of medical problems, including asthma, could explain the emergency. Her attorney said the state, not the defense, carries the burden of proof, and argued prosecutors cannot show who caused the injuries or exactly how they happened. Davis gave several explanations for Karter’s condition, saying he fell off a couch, fell from a bed, had diabetes, or was hurt on a bicycle.

Davis and Benton were indicted on Oct. 18, 2023, for an offense window listed as Nov. 15 through Nov. 17, 2020. A Houston County judge later set Davis’s bond at $15,000 on Nov. 9, 2023, with house arrest and a no-contact order involving Benton, whose charges remain pending and who is expected to be tried separately.

At the time of her arrest in November 2023, Davis was working as a teacher at Seckinger High School in Gwinnett County. Gwinnett County Public Schools opened a human-resources investigation after her arrest, and a substitute had been covering her classes for nearly two weeks.