MADISON, W.Va. — The mother of Kyneddi Miller broke down on the witness stand Friday when describing her 14-year-old daughter’s 2024 death.
Julie Miller told the jury she had planned the night before her daughter died to take her to the hospital.
“I thought to myself, I said, ‘As soon as she gets some sleep she’s going to the hospital’ but she didn’t wake up,” Miller told the jury as she broke down in tears.
Miller’s mother Donna Stone is on trial in Boone County Circuit Court. Stone is charged with murder by child neglect and child neglect causing death. Miller pleaded guilty earlier this year and was to 15 years to life in prison.
Prosecutors allege Stone is just as guilty as her daughter for not getting Kyneddi the help she needed before she died of malnutrition. Stone denies the charges.
Miller was called to the stand by defense attorney Tim Gibson. She said Kyneddi was a good kid.
“I couldn’t imagine a better kid. The best kid you could ever think of,” she said.
But according to Miller covid hit in 2020 it changed her daughter and the whole family.
“We would watch on the news where they were loading bodies up in New York and we thought we were going to die. We thought the world was gone,” Miller said.
She testified Kyneddi didn’t want to return to school after covid. Miller said her daughter didn’t want to get a covid shot so she agreed with Kyneddi to homeschool her.
Miller said as the months went by Kyneddi told her she wanted to be a vegetarian. Miller said she would get her daughter a lot of vegetables to eat. Miller later said when Kyneddi fell several months later she picked her up and noticed she was very light and she felt a bone in her back sticking out through the robe she was wearing.
Miller said she decided her daughter needed help.
“When I told her that she was going to the hospital she threw a fit on me and she said, ‘Mommy, I will do whatever you want me to do.’ I said, ‘Honey, you have to eat right.'”
Miller said her daughter then started eating meat and appeared to be doing better. So she decided not to take her to the hospital.
“What made you change your mind about calling an ambulance and letting her go to the hospital?” Gibson asked.
“Because she was doing so good. She was eating. She was taken vitamins and drinking those drinks and stuff,” Miller said.
Julie Miller lived next door to her parents. Kyneddi lived with her grandparents.
Miller testified the morning Kyneddi died she had walked to her parents to cook breakfast.
“I was getting ready to cook and I heard mom yell her name really loud,” Miller said, crying uncontrollably, “And I knew something was wrong.”
Miller said several times under direct examination from Gibson that she made all of the decisions about her daughter and her mother didn’t. But under cross-examination Miller admitted Kyneddi had lived with her grandparents for seven or eight years. When she told Boone County Prosecutor Dan Holstein she was still the primary caretaker, Holstein pressed.
“So you’re telling this jury that you all are living with your mom for years and want them to believe that your mother shared no caretaking responsibilities?” Holstein said.
“I’m not saying that at all,” Miller answered.
“She voluntarily accepted that role of helping take care of Kyneddi (didn’t she)?” Holstein asked.
“Yea,” Miller said.
Holstein also pressed Miller on what Stone said about taking Kyneddi to the hospital.
“What was her advice?” Holstein said.
“I got her advice but I made the decision not to. She really didn’t know what to do, what to say or what to tell me,” Miller said.
Holstein reminded of Miller of her conviction on child neglect causing death charges and that she admitted she neglected Kyneddi.
“I realize that now, she died of my own neglect,” Miller said.
Testimony resumes Monday.