A 48 Hours Search: The Tragic Case Of Amari Hall
8-year-old Nicole Amari Hall lived in Gwinnett County, Georgia. She had always liked to go by her middle name, Amari, and her grandma described her as the smiliest, most vibrant child. They loved to cook together and playing dress-up, and being in the kitchen was her favorite thing to do. She adored her younger brother and sister and was always so affectionate with them.
Amari, along with her brother Jakari, and her 6-year-old sister Zaire, lived with their mother, 27-year-old Britney, and Britney’s girlfriend, 29-year-old Celeste Owens. Britney and Celeste had been together for a few years and recently moved into an extended stay hotel, Hometown Studios. They had been there for about 3 months, and the children were being homeschooled.
Sunday, November 21st, 2021. At 9:00 a.m., 911 answered a call from Britney Hall. Amari was missing. Britney had last seen her in the hotel between midnight and 1:00 a.m. She had dead bolted the hotel door, but when she woke up, the door was cracked open, and Amari was gone. Britney had looked around the whole building before calling 911.
The 27-year-old told the dispatcher that Amari had autism, needed daily medication, and had never been out alone before, but she was holding out hope knowing that her daughter was really switched on. Britney said, “She is very, very smart. Even though she’s autistic, she is very aware of things. She’s very observant. This hurts.
” Britney and her children had no family in the area, so she wouldn’t have gone to anyone’s house unless forced there. And when the dispatcher asked if Amari had ever run away before, Britney said no, but they had been having some behavioral issues with her, so it wasn’t an impossible theory. Britney told dispatchers that if Amari had left the room, she likely wouldn’t have shut the door behind her because the latch made a noise and could wake everyone.
Right now, the desperate search continues to find 8-year-old Nicole Amari Hall, who vanished from this Hometown Studio Hotel here in Peachtree Corners. Investigators say she’s been missing since early Sunday morning. Amari’s family tells us the 8-year-old is autistic and in need of daily medication, adding to the urgency of the search.
I woke up yesterday morning, and my daughter wasn’t here. The door’s cracked. I went outside. I went to go around the whole place. I went twice. I did not see her. I called 911. Britney’s girlfriend, Celeste, said she couldn’t help. She’d met her sister, and they had been with their grandma that night. She got back at about 4:00 a.m. and went straight to bed, only to be woken by Britney yelling at her that Amari was missing.
And with this, 3 hours after she was reported missing, Amari’s description and information was all over local media. 8 years old, African-American, 4 ft 10 in, weighing about 80 lb, last seen wearing a blue Tweety Bird jacket with a blue and white pajama set. She also had her glasses on and rainbow shoes that lit up when she walked.
They started with Britney and Celeste’s room, but every other room in the hotel was pulled apart, too. K9 teams were soon in the area, and helicopters were working their way further afield still. Nearby buildings and businesses were turning in their CCTV footage, and it was all hands on deck to find the 8-year-old.
A few hours into the already pretty big search, at 4:30 p.m., Gwinnett police said they did not have any significant leads, but still did not believe there were any signs of foul play. They said Ms. Hall is new to the area, so she doesn’t have a lot of friends or family she would reach out to. Officers are just patrolling the area, searching the woods, searching different businesses, trying to find out where she could have gone.
Wherever she is, I trust that the public, alongside the police department and our resources, we can locate her and try and give the family some answers. Interviews with Britney, Celeste, Jakari, and Zaire continued on, too. The reason we’re asking you all these questions is we’re trying to get specific, every detail. It’s not because we’re like, “Ooh, what’s Celeste doing?” No, it’s not me.
It’s It’s because we’re trying to figure out how at some point this child has gone missing. >> Right. And the best way for us to figure that out, even if it seems doesn’t doesn’t make sense, like, “Why are they asking this? What’s this have to do with that?” >> We want to know every specific detail for for every moment that you went through in the last like 72 hours.
We can put everything together and we can figure out, “Okay, so where’s the 8-year-old? What’s going on?” But in order for us to build this crazy picture to be able to try to figure that out, we got to know everything. Um how do the kids know you? Like, do they call you Celeste? Do they call you Mom number two? Like, what They call you Dad? Okay.
And what time was that you got back yesterday? It was around I want to say cuz I came I came back before she went to the store. And when she came back, I left. And then I got back around I want to say 4:00-ish close to 5:00-ish. I’m not sure. So, when you got When you got back from Grandma’s house, you said that was 4:00 5:00 p.m.? No, 8:00 a.m.
>> Now, when you get back around 4:00 5:00, could Did you notice if the kids were in their bed or I didn’t Well, it’s like I mean, think to notice that she would go home. So, you just you just got in the bed. You weren’t really like checking to see if they were in there or not. You just assumed they were.
And was Britney Britney was home when you did that? When you got in? Okay. I was asleep, and that’s when Britney woke me up and said, “Hey, you know, we can’t find her. We got to I’m like, “What what what happened? What’s going on?” And then that’s when she went outside and started looking. When When was the last time you actually saw Nicole? Saturday. Mhm.
Last time I saw her was when before I left that previous before um Britney came back and before I left. That was the last time I saw So, Britney gets back from the BP as you’re leaving with your sister, and you do see Nicole. You see her there. You know she’s there. When I got back from the store, I didn’t know for sure.
But before she left the store, she was there. But when I got back at early that morning, I didn’t look to see. >> No. Okay, so so before you Before you left with your sister >> That was the last time I saw her. So, when when you were When you were leaving to go with your sister to Grandma’s house, that’s when you saw her there. She never like Then even even if she wants to go outside, she’ll always ask both of us.
She’ll always ask one parent. She’ll ask both of us. Do you know where Nicole is? No, I don’t. Did you take Nicole from the home? I did not take Nicole. Did anything happen with to Nicole within the last 24 hours that you’re aware of that caused her any type of injury? No. Is Nicole alive that you’re aware of? I am aware of it. Is she dead that you’re aware of? No.
No. Okay. Do you have any reason to believe that she would not be okay? When you leave this one around the house, I I assume the worst. Okay. Do you know anything about her whereabouts? No, I said the same thing we’ve been saying 20 times today. We’re going to step out for a second, and we’re going to go talk to uh Britney for a little bit, and then we’ll be back with you, okay? All right. Okay.
Celeste said she thought that Amari had run out of the hotel, but someone had then seen her and snatched her. What Now, if you’re also thinking, what do you think happened with Nicole? I’m telling from my personal experience, 2 years ago when I got back with um Britney, because we were together before, but before she had kids.
And then we separated, and then I came we came back together. Um my one-on-one issue with her was she was a sweet child, but the only thing was her behavioral problems. So, so what do you think happened last night? What I think? I think more probably got super mad. But like, it could be a thousand reasons.
I don’t really don’t know what goes through I’m not the mother. Okay. So, I really don’t know what goes through this girl’s mind. I’m still learning her and still getting her to accept, you know, me because she does realize that it’s just her and her mom, and now I came into the picture. So, I don’t know if it’s probably was different for her, like, “Who is this person?” and trying to understand what happened.
>> get into it with you when she gets upset? No, she just told She just tell me, “Leave me Leave me alone.” And I’m like, “I’ll leave you alone.” And then when she’s done, probably a hour later, she’ll probably come back and be like, “I’m I’m I apologize.” And I’m like, “You know, it’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay.
” So, what what do you think happened there? I would just say she just God forbid, but I really think that I really think that she just of course ran away, but I really think that God forbid somebody snatched her up. We want to know where Nicole is. There’s not an if we find Nicole. We’re going to It’s a when we find Nicole.
We’re going to find her. If If it’s within the next couple hours, if it’s the next couple days, we’re we’re going to find her, okay? It’s just a matter of when. We know something happened. We know she’s somewhere, and I think that you know where she is. It’s just how you We got to This is This is just what we got to do.
We got to just We got to talk to everybody. I’ve been in this predicament before with someone or another, and they didn’t come at me like this. When they sat me down, they just let me write everything, and they just went off that. But it’s like it’s just I’m just being real with you. It’s not how you come at me with this.
Well, we got to We got to We got to view this as I know I I think you know where she is. It’s like If you think I know them, what are you If you think I know them, what are you trying to get me to say? At the 24-hour mark, detectives brought in a homicide team. Also breaking for you right now, the search continues for that missing 8-year-old girl in Gwinnett County, who police say is in danger tonight.
This is the second cold night that Amari Hall from Peachtree Corners has been away from her home, away from her mother. John Shirek is live for us tonight from outside the mother’s extended stay hotel. John. Gwinnett County police have suspended their search for Amari until daybreak, although the investigation into her disappearance continues.
Gwinnett County police conducting a grid search of these woods between the hotel where Amari lives with her mother and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. >> We are working every lead, and we are looking at every angle. >> Gwinnett County Police Sergeant Jennifer Richter says the mother and Amari moved to the hotel a couple of months ago and have no relatives living nearby.
Among the searchers, volunteers from Alpha Team K9 Search and Rescue. Amari wears eyeglasses and may be wearing rainbow light-up shoes. Gwinnett County Police are saying that it is more urgent by the hour that someone find her soon and they’re hoping everyone involved in this investigation is hoping that someone will spot her soon and call 911.
All right, John. Hoping for a safe, quick recovery. Thank you so much. Temperatures were now dipping below freezing, which hindered the search even more. County Police Sergeant Jennifer Richter said at this point we’re doing absolutely everything that we can to try and get any leads that we can come up with.
We’re going to go back and re-interview any people that we need to re-interview and talk to anyone. But certainly with this much time having elapsed, it is becoming a critical incident. It is very concerning. But very quickly things would change when investigators told the media they already had their suspect in Amari’s disappearance custody and they felt strongly that they were looking for Amari’s body, not for her to be coming home safe and well.
And then another shocking announcement. For breaking, the mother of a missing child arrested and charged. Brittany Nicole Hall is in the Gwinnett County jail right now on multiple cruelty to children charges. Investigators say they’ve gone room to room, enlisted the help of K9s and a helicopter in their search. Still no Amari.
They tell me they’ve combed through the surveillance video from the hotel and add they’ve found something concerning but are unwilling to release those details at this time in order to protect the investigation. As police work to uncover the truth, neighbors here at the Hometown Studio Hotel remain baffled at how this young girl seemed to vanish in plain sight. Nobody heard anything.
Nobody heard anything and any commotion or anything. Brittany buckling under the police’s persistence for the truth had told them a new story. Celeste had killed her daughter and Brittany had helped to cover it up. Sadly, it would be at the two-day mark the search would come to its end. I’m uh deeply sad to report to you that at 10:45 this morning uh the body of Amari Hall was discovered.
Brittany had pointed them to a wooded area near Stone Mountain Freeway in DeKalb County. Here, they found Amari. Naked and partially buried in the dirt and leaves. She had been wrapped up in three trash bags tied together by rope, but you could still see her tiny body through some of the bags. She was about 15 miles away from her hotel. Police Chief J.D.
McClure said, “My heart goes out to the extended family of Amari Hall. We worked diligently on this case. We worked extremely hard and unfortunately these were not the results we had hoped for. Amari had several fractures to her head and ribs, a lot of blunt force trauma, cuts on her arms, a lacerated liver and internal bleeding.
Something had struck the outside of Amari’s body and crushed her liver against her spine. The medical examiner did note that Amari weighed just 54 lb, about 30 lb under what they were expecting. She showed signs of malnutrition and the coroner listed her cause of death as prolonged severe abuse including being hit over the head.
Battered child syndrome, they reported. Uh we compared statements that we had gotten from Brittany Hall and also her partner Celeste Owen. We compared those statements with evidence that we gathered and recognized that those statements were indeed false. Our investigation transitioned from a missing person case to indeed a homicide case.
Within the next several hours, we will charge Celeste Owen with felony murder in connection with the death of Amari Hall. Additionally, Brittany Hall will be charged with concealing the death of another. We will continue to also investigate her role in this murder. Just several hours into the search for Amari, detectives had started to realize that the statements from Brittany and Celeste weren’t adding up.
Starting with Celeste’s whereabouts that early morning. So what was the first time Saturday that you left? The first time Saturday I I can’t recall the exact time. Was it morning, afternoon, evening? The first time I left I went to the store, it was morning. Went to the store that day and then came back and then left again and then helped my sister out and then came back that morning before she went.
Now when you left again to help your sister out, what time was that? Left again before? It was I couldn’t really even tell you. After 5:00 or before that? Nighttime day, I mean the sun goes down at 5:00. >> Before that it hadn’t been that time. It was daylight when I went there. So when you went to go help your sister it was already nighttime? Going on night.
Going on night, so after 5:00. Okay. Celeste had actually not been staying with her grandmother and sister the night Amari was said to have gone missing and it turned out her family hadn’t seen her in months. This was just an easily provable lie. And then when you get back That Saturday morning. I mean um you told me Friday? No, we’re talking about Saturday. It’s not Saturday.
So we left so Saturday morning I came back. Sorry, I’m Okay, so let’s just Sorry. Sorry, just breathe. Okay, so you hang out with Brittany all morning on Sunday. You go to the store, you come back and then you leave again when it’s not when it’s kind of dark to go help your sister and then you come back.
When you get back >> Sometimes I sometimes I don’t wake up sometimes I just Well, I’m not talking about sometimes. I’m talking about yesterday yesterday. Just Saturday. Just Saturday. Um came back around Let me give you the specific time. I don’t have the times. Um I think I want to say Cuz I came back it was evening and it was dark.
I want to say like 2:00 cuz I was in and came back At 2:00 a.m.? 2:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m.? 2:00 cuz Saturday Sorry. All right, so so so sorry. We’re getting all these places mixed Brittany told police that she had been frantically searching the building and parking areas for ages before she called 911, but not a single camera had picked her up doing so.
Nor had it picked up Amari running out of the hotel or leaving with anyone. The 8-year-old simply had not left that room alive. So she wakes you up and calls 911 as she’s waking you up, you said. And then she goes outside and she went and checked the whole parking lot walking out. I checked the camera and everything. Okay.
So that that was one thing I wanted to touch on, too. So we’ve checked several cameras. There’s the camera for the hotel, there’s the car wash across the street, there’s the hibachi, there’s another camera. We’ve checked all those cameras. We have people checking those cameras right now. They never saw her walking around that hotel. Really? This morning? Mhm.
Now did you see her going walking around? >> I didn’t see her going down the steps and go down the side and by that time she’s already on the phone when I went down. Now another thing I do have to ask is is on on the side that is something else might have happened. Did Is there any reason something else might happen like maybe Amari got hurt and it was an accident and we’re just afraid to talk about it, something like that? Yes, sometimes she is like that.
You’ll ask her what’s wrong. >> But I mean I’m talking like last night did something happen to you or to where she got hurt real bad and and we’re coming up with this story to try to to try to get away from that cuz we’re worried that like if the police find out they’re going to think something else happened and we’re going to get in trouble, like something like that. No.
More information from the medical examiner showed that Amari had actually died two days before the 911 call was made. But one interview with Amari’s sister Zaire, who was covered in bruises, would really tell them everything they needed to know. Two days before she was found, Celeste told Zaire that Amari had gone to the bad kids hospital.
Is there any reason why Zaire would say dad took her sister to the behavioral hospital? To the behavioral hospital? Oh, she’s saying that because when Amari would act out, I’d say, “Amari, listen, if you can’t listen to us, you’re going to go Can’t say defects. Can’t say none of that none of that stuff.
I’d say, “Amari, if you can’t play with your sisters or you can’t do what I say, you’re going to go to this place.” And normally when we say that, Amari will act right for at least 3 hours. Then why would Zaire say that she saw you take Nicole last night? She saw me take She didn’t say Why would she say that you that you that you took her last night and then she’s not going to behavioral hospital? I didn’t take her last night.
I don’t know why she would say that. Okay, we’ve got a missing 8-year-old. If if if a 6-year-old says, “Hey, mom’s girlfriend took her.” and I just brush that off, then I’m not doing a good job. Okay? I wouldn’t purposely I wouldn’t purposely take her out and call you to say she’s missing. Okay. And like I just said, it’s it’s no nothing against you.
I don’t think I have anything against you or anything. We’ve got your phone, we’ve got your girlfriend’s phone. We’re getting into those phones. Whether you guys like it or not, we’re getting search warrants for it. We’re going through them. We’re going to check location data. We’re going to check text messages whether they’re deleted or not.
We’re going to check phone call records. We’re checking our camera systems, our vehicles, vehicle tags, locations. We’re going to talk to every single person you guys have even thought about talking to in the past five, six days. Okay, so to go through your phone, you want us to just get a search warrant then? You don’t mind if we just look through it real quick? It’d be way faster.
Yeah, I’m probably going to call for a second. I’m not a probable cause. I’d rather have a lawyer before you go through my phone. Dozens of horrific videos have been filmed on Celeste’s phone, which showed both women regularly beating and abusing the children. Celeste had also made searches for what to do when a child just doesn’t listen, lakes near me, how do sewers on the streets work, why do your kids run away, how do I report someone missing, and U-Haul customer account.
Okay, so I just want to talk to you away from her, separate me. Yes. All I’m saying is just to clear things up. I am discombobulated. I cannot give you exact If you feel like I wanted to BP that time, run the camera back to the BP where you guys saw me with this hat. You don’t approach people like that to try to get something out of someone because you fake so.
Then why would a little girl just Why would a little girl I’m telling you everything that’s going on. And then when we come for help, we don’t really get help. That’s why a lot of people do things and just don’t call the cops to handle it their own way because they can flip just like what it did today. Like my dad always told me, anything can flip with cops.
So this pissed me off because I’ve been I’ve all day I’ve been answering you respectfully all of the morning. Respectfully all morning. Then I get here and I’m in the room that I’ve never been in before that I seen on First 48 and being chastised with questions trying to make me I did I think you did it.
As soon as he said that it broke me to the core cuz if I did I damn sure wouldn’t be in that hotel. I’ll be gone on the run. Cuz like I might as well take matters into my own my own hands or hire a private investigator. Like I wanted to do today. I said, “Babe, if they can’t actually be found today, when we get up on money, we’re going to hire a private investigator to also help.
” Information I gave you, the information the information she gave you, when she woke up she was not there. That’s it. You can flip the bed. You guys check the bed 10 times. Go flip again. We give you permission to go in there. If you guys asked us but you guys kept coming in kept coming in but you know you guys have water coming in anyway but we opened the door and let you come in.
So it’s like just have some respect for It’s like come on. We wouldn’t be calling you for help if we I would have just got away with it. On November the 19th, the day they believed Amari was killed, surveillance footage showed Celeste renting a small U-Haul truck. She then went to a dollar store and bought latex gloves, bleach, and some drinks.
The van was then returned to the company at 7:30 p.m. that same day. And by 8:00 p.m., Celeste was waiting for an Uber. Following the truck and the cell phone pings, they had tracked down Amari’s body in DeKalb County. In the space of a few hours, everything had come together. Britney had allegedly been talking about wanting to give Amari up for adoption and although Amari’s grandma, Barbara, said she’d asked Britney many times if she could take and look after all three children, Britney had said no.
Neighbors said although they hadn’t seen anything, they rarely saw the children outside the hotel room. It was all very isolated. Police believed Celeste was the one that hit Amari in the head and Britney had helped to cover it all up. The pair put her in trash bags before Celeste took the U-Haul to dump her body.
You guys told me you guys said as soon as we step out the door you can do that. Well what story is our yarn which one for your phone? You mean you can’t do that? I’m a public citizen 100%. We have public places all day. I just want to film you. So why are you here? Cuz you’re not giving your phone. Well you guys can stay seated.
For We are not allowed to leave. How am I not allowed to leave? >> Well I’m telling you you’re not allowed to leave. Why am I being detained? Yes, you are being detained. >> Huh? You’re being charged for law obstruction, giving false statements. You’re not allowed to leave. So I’m being charged for false statements? You can sit down.
Or I’m going to have the officers >> Well listen, I’m telling you you are. So you you can sit down and relax. >> So we’re both being detained? >> You are being detained. I’m being detained because because someone didn’t see me. So now y’all want to know where your We will see see multiple people that honestly are in your corner.
You can’t even say they’re a biased witness because they’re not helping you out. Celeste was charged with first-degree murder, concealing a death, and seven counts of first-degree cruelty to children. And Britney was charged with cruelty to children, concealing the death of another, and making a false report of a crime. Amari’s brother and sister were removed by the Division of Family and Children Services.
Authorities collected donations among their employees and raised more than $3,500 in 1 week for the children. During their first courtroom appearance, Britney and Celeste were both told there would be no chance of bail. Celeste didn’t seem too bothered at all, laughing away as she signed some paperwork. >> is no bond today.
Any other questions? Britney Hall faced a judge for the first time in a Gwinnett County courtroom Wednesday. Gwinnett police say the woman told them where they could find the body of her 8-year-old daughter after her arrest Monday night. Uh there is no bond on the felonies. It’s been denied since you’re a danger to the person.
Only a superior court judge sitting in your case can grant a bond. Do you understand that? Do you know what that means for you? Means you’re going to be here for a while, okay? Hall’s partner, 29-year-old Celeste Owens, also appeared in court. She’s charged with felony murder, making false statements, cruelty to children, and concealing a death.
Both women asked for an attorney, a judge assigning each of them a public defender. The judge said a date has not yet been set for next appearances. Until then, both women will remain locked up. But as detectives reviewed more evidence including the videos on Celeste’s phone, testimony from the other children, and the medical examiner’s findings, prosecutors concluded that Britney had allowed and participated in the abuse that led to Amari’s death.
So with this, Britney’s charges were then upgraded to include murder. And she was later indicted on charges of felony murder, multiple counts of cruelty to children, concealing the death of another, and making false statements. Felony murder in Georgia means someone can be found guilty of murder if a death occurs during the commission of another felony even if they didn’t personally deliver the fatal blow.
The family had been on the system’s radar for several years but nothing went further in terms of an investigation. A Department of Human Services spokesperson said, “The Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family and Children Services previous history regarding Nicole Amari Hall consisted of unsubstantiated investigations in 2015 and 2017 along with a report received in 2021 that contained no allegations of abuse or neglect.
Based on these records, DHS had no reason to believe the children were in imminent danger. We are working closely with law enforcement to assist them in their investigation and to ensure the safety and well-being of the mother’s other children.” Well opening statements are currently underway for Celeste Owens, one of the two women accused of killing an 8-year-old and trying to cover up her death.
Well, Owens and the child’s mother, Britney Hall, they were indicted back in 2022 for the death of Amari Hall. Hall’s trial will happen at a later date. Three years after Amari’s murder, Celeste Owens, who had pleaded not guilty to everything, was on trial. At this stage, she was facing counts of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, multiple counts of cruelty to children, concealing the death of another, and making false statements to the police.
The couple were tried separately given the fact that Britney had blamed everything on Celeste. Celeste’s public defender was maintaining that she was not the one who had killed Amari and she did not deliver the fatal injuries. They argued the prosecution had not proven beyond a reasonable doubt who had actually killed Amari.
Hold people accountable for the roles that they played in each of the crimes. And she is responsible for the role that she played. They did this together. Their method was together. So it doesn’t matter who delivered the fatal blow because ladies and gentlemen, there was not one fatal blow. Every single blow was fatal to Amari.
Every single one. You saw that. You heard Dr. Down say that. So remember because of the five battered child syndrome that he explained that we’ll talk about again a little later, every single blow mattered. It doesn’t matter. Just like it doesn’t matter who pulled the trigger, it doesn’t matter who delivered the fatal blow.
It could be Britney. It could be Celeste. It makes no difference. They are both guilty and today is her day. However, the prosecution’s evidence was about as strong as it could be. Zaiya’s testimonies about ongoing abuse, the cell phone videos, the U-Haul rental surveillance footage, the cell phone pings, and the lies and inconsistent statements.
It all painted a pretty damning picture. The footage on Celeste’s phone was so awful that a police officer on the stand had to look away from the screen while describing it. Amari’s now 9-year-old sister tuned in via video link and spoke about the abuse and what she had learned from Celeste that night regarding the bad kids hospital.
Had told people in her mouth and the next morning she wouldn’t wake up. >> Emotional testimony Wednesday from Amari Hall’s now 9-year-old little sister. >> When you tried to wake her up and then after that um she got put in a container with a lid on it and that put it in the trunk of a car and drove to to the bad kids hospital.
She spoke about having to sleep on the floor without blankets, staring at the wall for something to do as they weren’t allowed toys, and every terrible thing in between. She was confident and considering everything she had gone through and seen, she was so calm and put together. Really a remarkable and extremely brave young girl.
Amari’s grandma Barbara, whom she called GG, also gave a testimony. She said she had no idea that physical abuse was going on. She had found out along with everyone else when it came out in the news. There was a point where Amari and her siblings were staying with Barbara and going to school. Barbara said the kid with behavioral issues that Brittany had spoken about was just not Amari at all.
She was kind, well-mannered, bright. She loved learning and going to class, and she had never acted out or been disrespectful. They left and went back to live with Brittany at the end of 2020. Barbara hadn’t wanted them to leave, but sadly she and her husband said goodbye and lost contact with them. She would call Brittany all the time to speak to the kids, but to no avail.
She had no idea where they were living or what was going on in their lives. Release you for the day um with the remainder proviso. I know you guys want me to keep telling you this, but it’s very important that you not discuss this case, not research anything about this case, not watch any news or read any articles.
Um and don’t let anyone discuss it with you. Does everybody understand that? All right, very good. After a brutal trial for everyone involved, the jury had reached a verdict. A woman will spend the rest of her life behind bars after a Gwinnett County jury found her guilty in the beating death of an 8-year-old girl, Celeste >> In December 2024, Celeste Owens was found guilty on all counts.
The court does hereby sentence you as follows. The count one, malice murder, you are hereby sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Counts seven merges with count three. Counts six merges into count three. And count five merges to count two. On the remaining counts, counts eight through 18 and counts 19 and 21, the court does hereby sentence you to consecutive 235 years.
So, life without parole plus 235 years. She was sentenced to life plus 235 years in prison. Judge Angela Duncan, who had been watching over the case since the pair were denied bond, had some words for her at sentencing. You will never see the light of day to perpetrate this type of behavior, cruelty, and evilness upon another person. 31-year-old Brittany also initially pleaded not guilty, but in September 2025, she accepted a plea deal.
She pleaded guilty to felony murder, 11 counts of child cruelty, concealing a death, and making false statements. She too was sentenced to life in prison. The prosecution said the images that we have seen, we will never be able to unsee. We will never be able to unhear the things that we did during this trial. And it is by far the worst case involving a child I have ever seen.
This mother failed to protect her children and joined in the abuse. This ended tragically. We continue to pray that her siblings can heal from the abuse they endured, and that this plea brings closure to them and their extended family. Amari’s siblings are no longer in DCFS custody and are apparently living with Barbara.
They survived, but their lives will forever carry the scars of that night. Amari’s grandma Barbara said, “I will never get to see her play sports. I will never get to teach her how to drive. I will never even get to see her go to prom, do the things that grandmoms do with their granddaughters. My heart is broken into millions and millions of pieces that I have not been able to put back together.
” This case is a tragic reminder of the vulnerability of children, the devastating consequences of abuse, and the fragility of innocence. Amari’s life had barely even started, and she was killed by the very people she was supposed to trust the most. Every child deserves safety, love, and a future. Amari deserved immensely better than the life she was given and the cards she had so tragically been dealt.
