Change of venue requested for Kentucky mom charged in daughter’s death

MIDDLESBORO, Tenn. ( WATE ) — A change of venue has been requested for the trial of a southeast Kentucky woman who faces charges in connection with her daughter’s death .

The defense representing Erica Lawson filed a request to have the trial moved out of the Knoxville media market on April 30. In requesting the move, Lawson’s defense argues that social media shows “vitriolic hate” for the defendant. The attorneys wrote in the request that “Social media groups consisting of tens of thousands of users clamor for Erica’s death. TikTok accounts with millions of views and ‘likes’ have documented the immense disdain for Erica.”

In addition, the attorneys pointed to the coverage of the case on the local and national level claiming makes it incredibly unlikely that a potential juror in Bell County could be unaware of the case and put aside any preconceived notions.

Finally, the defense explained that they had a Defense Investigator seek out Bell County citizens to determine “the state of public prejudice as it pertains to the matter being litigated.” According to the request, the investigator found that while several people said everyone deserved a fair trial, “they would not act to support that right for Ms. Lawson.”

Lawson was indicted by a Bell County grand jury in August 2023 . She has been charged with murder, failure to report child neglect or abuse and endangerment. This investigation started in July 2023, when a 17-month-old was taken from Middlesboro to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. The child died from her injuries two days later and Lawson was arrested on the same day .

In March 2024,  Middlesboro Police Department released that the 17-month-old’s cause of death was determined to be non-accidental blunt force trauma . The department also reported that after an extensive investigation, the Kentucky State Police Forensic Lab found a lack of male DNA in their analysis.

In September 2023, Bell County Commonwealth Attorney Lisa Fugate shared that the Commonwealth would seek the death penalty in this case. However, a motion to dismiss or to strike the death as an available penalty was filed in January 2024. It claims that the case against Lawson was rushed and that there is “zero evidence that any person sexually abused the child .”

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