BEDFORD – A jury of 12 men and women will begin hearing testimony this morning and will later determine if Cheyenne Hill had a hand in causing the death of her 20-month-old daughter.
Hill, 33, is facing a Level 1 felony charge of child neglect after the death of her daughter, Elliaunna (Elli) M. Plummer. She has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Lawrence County Superior Court I jury will begin hearing testimony at 8:30 a.m. Judge John Plummer III will preside. More than 23 witnesses are expected to testify during the trial.
Judge Plummer told potential jurors that he was not related to or knew the victim even though both had the same last name.
Hill was arrested in September 2023 in Michigan and transported back to Lawrence County to face charges.
According to a probable cause affidavit, on November 23, 2022, at 12:16 p.m., officers were requested to go to IU Health Bedford Hospital by the Department of Child Services caseworker who reported that Elli had been flown by a medical helicopter to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.
The baby had suffered a brain bleed, a broken collar bone, and had head and facial bruising. She also had a swollen and deformed head with bruising to her forehead and the left and right sides of her face.
On November 26, 2022, Elli was pronounced dead at 4:35 p.m.
A post-mortem examination conducted by Pathologist Doctor Amanda Paul concluded the manner of death was a homicide and that the injuries would have occurred after November 21, 2022, and the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
