Nakira Griner: NJ mom who faked kidnapping of 23-month-old son before killing him gets life in prison
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BRIDGETON, NEW JERSEY: Nakira M Griner, the mother who killed her 23-month-old son Daniel Griner, burned his body, and hid the remains, claiming he was kidnapped is now sentenced to life behind bars without parole on Tuesday, February 21. The 28-year-old mother who beat her infant to death faces first-degree murder charges, according to the Cumberland County police.
Griner also received a seven years sentence to be served consecutively over charges of second-degree desecration of human remains. Other charges convicted by jurors against her included fourth-degree tampering with evidence, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and second-degree false public alarm, reported Law and Crime.
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Why is Griner sentenced to life?
Griner was sentenced to life for the brutal murder of her son and has turned down a plea agreement for 30 years in jail previously. According to her attorney, she did not “knowingly and purposefully cause" her son's death.
The 28-year-old mother dialed 911 several times on February 8, 2019, informing them that while she was pushing her son in his trolley, a man attacked her on her way to a deli, reported The Daily Journal, a New Jersey outlet. Griner also explained she had Daniel strapped to a holster placed on her chest. She also said that the man attacked and kicked her repeatedly and ran away with her son and the stroller while Griner was on the ground.
What happened to Daniel Griner?
Responding to the 911 calls from Griner, the recording of the calls revealed that the operator found it difficult to comprehend her panic-stricken call. The dispatcher said, "I’m really trying to understand you, but it’s really difficult while you’re crying. Try to take a deep breath, slow your breathing down and tell me what’s going on so I can help you," to which she responded, "I’m hiding." Before she ended the call, the dispatcher asked, "Who are you hiding from?” and told her story about the attack when the operator dialed back.
However, the truth behind her version of the incident faded over time following the search for her son as she did not get through a polygraph test at the time. After the family home was searched by investigators, they found the burned remains of Daniel who was dismembered. The authorities found the remains stuffed in Griner's purse and buried it under a shed in the backyard, as per the Law and Crime report.
A prosecutor stated that Daniel was severely burned as investigators found it difficult to immediately figure out what happened to her 23-month-old son whose death was concluded as a homicide by an autopsy report that revealed blunt force trauma as the cause of death. Daniel suffered multiple bone fractures leading to his horrifying death, according to the report.
The mother later admitted that she had to beat her son saying
he "would not eat nor listen to her." Prosecutors said that in the calls Griner made from jail, she stated that her son fell down the stairs and suffered his injuries, adding that to cover up the injuries on Daniel's body, she "did what she did to him."