MEMPHIS, TN – A 13-year-old girl has been indicted by a Gibson County grand jury for allegedly suffocating her 8-year-old cousin in Humboldt, Tennessee. La’Quvanah Parson from Columbia, South Carolina, faces charges of First-Degree Murder and Tampering with Evidence. The victim, Demeria Hollingsworth from Nashville, Tennessee, was found dead at their grandmother’s house on July 15.
Parson’s case was moved to adult court following a transfer hearing on September 24. Humboldt Police responded to a call at the Mitchell Street home just before 2:10 p.m. and discovered Hollingsworth’s body in an upstairs bedroom. Authorities pronounced her dead at the scene.
District Attorney Frederick H. Agee stated that video evidence shows Parson, then 12 years old, using bedding to suffocate Hollingsworth. The footage also depicts Parson cleaning blood from Hollingsworth’s face and repositioning her body.
“Demeria Hollingsworth was asleep in bed when she was violently attacked by her cousin Parson,” Agee said. “We will continue to work to seek justice for Demeria and hold Parson accountable for taking her life.”
Hollingsworth’s mother revealed that the girls were staying with their grandmother for the summer and that the incident stemmed from an argument over an iPhone.