FORT WORTH, Texas - A Tarrant County jury convicted a 47-year-old Mansfield woman of capital murder for suffocating her 9-year-old niece with a pillow while the child slept at a family gathering in 2019.
Mercia Michelle Sneed was found guilty of Capital Murder and Injury to a Child Causing Serious Bodily Injury in the death of her niece, Melodi. She was sentenced to two life terms, including life in prison without the possibility of parole for the capital murder conviction.
The verdict comes seven years after Melodi was killed inside a home on Eagle Drive in Mansfield.
"Today is about Melodi," Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Charlie Boulware told jurors during closing arguments. "Melodi's family has waited seven years, seven long years."
Prosecutors Say Sneed Used Body Weight to Suffocate Child
The killing occurred on July 27, 2019, while Sneed was staying at her brother's new home in Mansfield.
Family members had gathered at the residence to help unpack and celebrate the move. Late that night, relatives were sleeping in different areas of the house while Sneed was in a game room where Melodi had fallen asleep on a couch.
According to prosecutors, Sneed first instructed her then-13-year-old son to leave the room.
After he went down the hallway, Sneed picked up a blue and white pillow and pressed it over Melodi's face for several minutes, using her body weight to prevent the child from moving.
Prosecutors said the pillow muffled Melodi's attempts to scream as she struggled.
"She fought. She screamed. She tried to stay alive," Assistant District Attorney Victoria Lydahl told the jury. "But she was only nine."
When Melodi stopped struggling, prosecutors said Sneed removed the pillow, wiped her niece's face and took the pillow out of the house.
Hours later, Melodi was discovered unresponsive and police were called.
Sneed's Son Told Police What He Saw
The investigation took a significant turn when Sneed's son told officers that he had witnessed his mother smothering his cousin.
Sneed later admitted to suffocating Melodi, according to prosecutors.
"It's extremely cruel and criminal and there's only one person to blame," Boulware told jurors.
Boulware and Lydahl prosecuted the case for the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office. DA Investigator Matt Hardy and Victim Coordinator Elizabeth Garcia also worked on the prosecution.
The District Attorney's Office also credited the Mansfield Police Department for its investigation of Melodi's death.
