Amora Bain Carson was 13 months old when she moved into a mobile home in Rusk County, Texas, with her mother Jessica Carson and her mother’s boyfriend, Blaine Keith Milam.
Amora passed away, and the couple reported her de*ath to 911 on December 2, 2008. Amora’s body was covered in bite marks from human bites and blunt force trauma injuries when the authorities arrived. The couple stated that they had attempted to exo*rcise Amora because they thought she was under a demonic possession.
Background
When Jessica Carson and Blaine Milam first crossed paths in 2007, they were 18 years old. They quickly moved in together and got hitched. Jessica was previously involved with Christopher Carson, an Army soldier, and the two had a daughter named Amora.
Jessica was a devoted mother who loved Amora, according to her family and friends. But Blaine’s family and friends claim that he was an abusive and domineering partner who kept Jessica away from her friends and family and shaped her religious views.
Despite growing up in a Pentecostal church, Blaine developed an interest in demonology and occult practices. Jessica was persuaded by him that they possessed unique abilities and could speak with angels and God. Along with that, he persuaded her that Amora was controlled by a demon called “Martha” who desired to murder them.
The Crime
Jessica and Blaine went to a pawn shop on December 2, 2008, to sell some household tools in the hopes of making enough cash to pay a priest to perform an ex*orcism. They went back to their mobile home and chose to carry out the ex*orcism themselves after failing to do so.
They hurt Amora with a hammer, a screwdriver, pliers, and their teeth in the hopes that this would chase the demon away. They also used a variety of objects to sexually assault her.
Amora endured several hours of torture, during which she sustained multiple skull fractures, eighteen rib fractures, a lacerated liver, a broken arm and leg, and copious bleeding beneath her scalp. She also appeared to be in danger of strangulation. The couple asserted that Amora died as a result of the exorcism and that they had no intention of ki*lling her.
Both of them were taken into custody and accused of capital murder.
The Trial
In January 2009, the couple received a capital murder indictment. They entered a not guilty plea citing insanity. Because of the pretrial publicity, they were tried separately in different counties. In January 2010, Blaine’s trial got underway in Montgomery County. The prosecution produced documentation of Amora’s wounds along with the opinions of forensic specialists attesting to the fact that she sustained them from blunt force trauma and human bites.
Along with Blaine’s domineering behavior toward Jessica, the prosecution also provided evidence of Blaine’s interest in occult practices and demonology. Blaine’s paranoid schizophrenia and delusions, according to the defense, led him to think that Amora was under a demonic possession. After less than an hour of deliberation, the jury rejected the insanity defense and found Blaine guilty of capital murder. He received a de*ath by lethal injection sentence.
March 2012 saw the start of Jessica’s trial in San Augustine County. Along with Jessica’s police confession that she witnessed Blaine kil*l Amora during the ex*orcism, the prosecution used similar evidence to that of Blaine’s trial. Additionally, the prosecution provided proof of Jessica’s lack of regret and compassion for her daughter’s passing.
The defense contended that Jessica’s abuse and manipulation by Blaine caused her to suffer from battered woman syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder. Additionally, the defense claimed that Jessica did not fully understand what was happening during the crime because she was under the influence of drugs. After less than two hours of deliberation, the jury rejected the insanity defense and found Jessica guilty of capital murder. She received a life sentence without the possibility of release.
