Adolphus Kimrey II N.C man pleads guilty to murdering Mariah Woods so he could get high after girl wouldn’t go to sleep. Plea deal spares him from death penalty as he will now spend life behind bars without the possibility of parole.
‘I am deeply sorry for the pain and grief I’ve caused.’ These are the words a 37 year old man uttered Monday at a North Carolina courtroom prior to being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering his then live-in girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter in 2017.
Adolphus Earl Kimrey II pleaded guilty to all the charges against him, including first-degree murder and felony child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury for the death of Mariah Woods. Woods was found dead in a creek in Pender County, about 30 miles from her home in Onslow County, where she was reported missing a week earlier, WRAL reported.
The guilty plea and life sentencing follows the boyfriend previously reporting the disappearance of his then-girlfriend’s 3-year-old child, sparking a search across multiple counties in eastern North Carolina involving hundreds of people, before eventually capitulating and admitting he was responsible for the girl’s disappearance and subsequent murder.
An autopsy determined Woods died from chloroform poisoning. Woods’ mother said she put her daughter to bed and found no sign of her the next day. Kimrey is believed to have used the chloroform to get the toddler to sleep, according to WECT.
The night before Kimrey reported Woods missing, he was spotted loading something into a van and leaving his home. Woods’ body was placed in three plastic bags that were tied up and wrapped in a couch cushion cover and tossed into the creek. A large item, possibly cement from a curb, was also located inside the zipped cushion cover.
‘Consumed and dominated by need for drugs’
During trial proceedings, the defence had argued the girl’s death was an accident.
‘My client accepts full responsibility for what happened to Mariah,’ said Walter Paramore, Kimrey’s lawyer. ‘[Kimrey] has wept about her. He cared for her, and he panicked.’
The autopsy of the girl’s retrieved body indicated that there was no sign of sexual abuse, with a coroner determining that Woods had bruises and scrapes on her face.
On Monday, authorities revealed Kimrey telling two inmates having used chloroform on Woods to get her to sleep so he could use meth. Woods’ mother was unaware of chloroform being used on the toddler, WCTI reported.
Chloroform according to the CDC an be used as an anesthetic in small doses, but it can be toxic in large amounts. Among its other uses, the volatile chemical is used in the production of Teflon and in refrigerants for air conditioners.
Kimrey was arrested two months after Woods’ murder. He accepted a plea deal that spared him from the death penalty.
According to The Daily News, Kimrey said in court on Monday, ‘It was not my intention for this to happen. I am so sorry to family, friends and everyone involved.’
‘[Kimrey] was consumed and dominated by need for drugs, his mind and brain significantly impaired,’ Paramore said of Kimrey. ‘He spent $60 to $100 a day on drugs.’
