Inset: Roxanne Record (Baton Rouge Police Department). Background: The home in Baton Rouge where Record allegedly killed her 4-year-old granddaughter (Google Maps).
A 57-year-old Louisiana grandmother is on trial for allegedly killing her 4-year-old granddaughter by forcing the child to drink more than half a pint of whiskey as punishment, a case prosecutors say reflects a pattern of cruelty inside the home.
Roxanne Record faces charges of first-degree murder and cruelty to a juvenile in the death of China Record.
If convicted, the grandmother faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Kadjah Record — Roxanne Record's daughter and China's mother — is also charged with murder for allegedly watching the fatal punishment take place and failing to intervene. She is scheduled to appear in court later this summer.
At the start of trial, prosecutors laid out a disturbing account of the child's final hours, arguing the killing was the culmination of long-standing abuse, according to a report from The Advocate. Assistant District Attorney Dana Cummings told jurors the case was about a grandmother who cared for some of her grandkids while demonizing others.
Speaking about the love and safety typically associated with grandparents, Cummings said China "didn't have that."
"China never had that because her grandmother never, ever took to her, never liked her, treated her differently than she treated the other children," she reportedly said.
Several other children in the house had also been conditioned to view China's consumption of basic necessities, such as food and water, as "stealing," according to Cummings.
"The way that the children referred to it, the way that everybody in that house referred to it, was that it was stealing," Cummings told jurors. "In fact, you will hear the kids' interviews where they say, 'You know she stole. She stole all the time.' What did she steal? Food, water. Stole water at her own home."
As Law&Crime previously reported, the punishment on the night in question came in response to China allegedly taking a sip from a bottle of Canadian Mist whiskey that had been left on the counter. When Roxanne Record found out, she allegedly "had [China] get on their knees in the hallway, finish off that alcohol, and then just went on with daily life while she died."
Police responded to the family's home in the 12000 block of Wallis Street in April 2022 a short time later and found China unresponsive. She was pronounced dead within two hours of being forced to drink the whiskey.
Officials said her blood alcohol content measured .680 — more than eight times the legal limit for adult drivers in Louisiana.
Defense attorney Caitlin Fowlkes reportedly countered that the state would be unable to prove the specific intent required for a conviction on first-degree murder, calling the child's death a tragic accident rather than a deliberate killing.
"That little girl is gone, and it's a tragedy that nobody, no family, nobody should ever have to endure," Fowlkes said. "But tragedy is not the same as murder. Accidents are not the same as intent. And grief is not the same as guilt."
Fowlkes pointed to inconsistencies in witness accounts, particularly from the child's siblings, arguing that "no two witnesses say the same thing" about what happened. She also said Record attempted to save the child by performing CPR while on the phone with 911 and suggested her behavior afterward reflected trauma, not guilt.
Police also alleged that the child's mother witnessed the incident but failed to intervene, later giving inconsistent statements to investigators. Roxanne Record herself allegedly admitted she "went too far" and "wanted to take full responsibility" for what happened.
Family members later described a history of abuse within the household. In an interview with WAFB, the child's aunt, Ebony Record, said relatives had long been aware of troubling behavior but did not report it.
"We all failed. We all failed," she said. "I know what type of person my mom is. I know how my mom felt about China."
She alleged the abuse extended back years and affected multiple family members, adding that fear kept them from speaking out sooner.
"We were never going to tell. Now it's sad that it took a body for people to know what's going on over here," she said.
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