HOUSTON — A Houston couple is now facing a capital murder charge for the death of the mother's young son.
In March 2021, 25-year-old Kayla Holzendorf called 911 claiming that her 8-year-old Keyontae had drowned in a hotel bathtub. The little boy was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
According to the Harris County District Attorney's Office, however, Keyontae had multiple injuries on his body that didn't support his mother's story.
“The way this little boy died is almost unthinkable and absolutely horrifying” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. “We believe he was handcuffed, bound at the ankles and legs with ligatures and duct-tape, had his mouth taped shut and was beaten so severely that he either died from blunt force trauma or suffocated on the blood from his broken teeth.”
RELATED: HPD: Mother, husband charged after child's death at hotel that was initially reported as a drowning
A woman spoke to KHOU 11 reporter Jason Miles in November 2021 saying she called police at one point to help Keyontae. Nihil Jackson said she saw the boy selling muffins around a month before his death. She called police after noticing cuts and wounds on his face, neck and ears.
She recorded the incident when officers showed up but the boy and his mom said he fell off a bike.
According to the District Attorney's Office, Holzendorf and her common-law husband, 29-year-old Dominique Lewis, had her son selling muffins from H-E-B and claiming that she made them. The couple allegedly admitted to police that Keyontae had not been to school in almost two years and didn't have any friends.
If convicted, Holzendorf and Lewis could face the death penalty or a life sentence without parole. The DA's Office said the decisions to seek the death penalty are generally made by a committee of senior prosecutors.
Editor's Note: The following video was uploaded in March 2021