Kilah Anne Davenport

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kilah’s mother Kirbi Davenport, was at work and left Kilah  in Houser’s care. Davenport had been married Joshua Houser for about ten months and was pregnant with Houser’s child when the attack happened. Four year old Kilah Davenport was beaten so severely by her stepfather that she was left with permanent brain damage. Doctors had to remove part of Kilah’s skull to relieve swelling and bleeding in her brain. Kilah was unable to walk or talk and was confined to a wheelchair following Houser's attack. Kilah died three weeks before her 5th birthday from complications relating to the attack by her stepfather, who fractured her skull by ramming her head through a wall after the toddler soiled herself. 

 

Houser had claimed that the damage to the wall occurred after he punched it in frustration when a 911 operator couldn't understand the address he was giving as he sought help for Kilah. He said that after she had soiled herself, he told her to go to the bathroom but he heard her fall. He claims he ran to her and put her on a bed. He called 911 when she seemed to be unresponsive. Prosecutors said two strands of Kilah’s hair were found on the wall.

 

Joshua Houser was convicted of felony child abuse and inflicting serious bodily harm on Kilah. Houser was sentenced to between seven and ten years for the brutal attack.  He was not held accountable under Kilah's Law, which went into effect in December. That law requires anyone convicted of a felony child abuse to face 25 years to life in prison. The family said they are now pushing lawmakers to require convicted child abusers to register similar to the way sex offenders do.

 

http://www.kilahdavenportfoundation.com/