Wkyc: Bodycam footage and a courtroom fight over counsel reveal a second battle in the Aliyah Henderson case
wkyc coverage of the Aliyah Henderson case now centers on two parallel developments: newly surfaced body camera video showing her arrest, and a contentious March 11 hearing in Cuyahoga County over who gets to represent her as she faces two counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of her daughters.
What does the bodycam video show in the arrest tied to the suitcases?
New body camera footage shows the arrest of a 28-year-old Cleveland mother accused of killing her two young daughters and burying them in suitcases in a field. Aliyah Henderson is charged with two counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of her daughters, Amor Wilson, 10, and Mila Chatman, 8, who were half-sisters.
The bodies of Amor and Mila were found the evening of March 2 in partially buried suitcases near E. 162nd Street and Midland Avenue in Cleveland’s South Collinwood neighborhood. A man walking his dog discovered the suitcases after snow had kept him from the area for some time. His dog detected the scent, and the man called 911.
Why did the judge deny the public defender’s request to take the case?
At a March 11 hearing in Cuyahoga County, a judge assigned private counsel to Henderson and rejected a request from the Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s Office to take over the criminal case. The hearing turned contentious when the public defender’s office asked to represent Henderson, pointing to an existing attorney-client relationship created through a separate custody matter involving Henderson’s third child. The state objected.
Judge Shannon Gallagher rejected the request and cited a local rule that ties counsel assignment to the final digit of a case number. Henderson’s case ends in an even number, which made her eligible for private counsel. Gallagher said: “This is my twelfth year on the bench and I have never once been asked to be assigned — by an attorney, to be assigned to a case. This case ends in the number six, it’s an even number. Treating it like any other case that I would, I’m going to assign private counsel. ”
Private attorney Kevin Spellacy will represent Henderson in the criminal case. The public defender’s office will continue to represent her in the custody case involving the surviving child.
What are the official positions from the Public Defender’s Office and the prosecution?
After the ruling, the Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s Office released a statement defending its request as consistent with its statutory authority and national defense standards. The office also pushed back on the prosecution’s involvement in the appointment process.
In its statement, the office said: “It is inappropriate for the Prosecutor’s Office to insert itself in that process. It is inflammatory for the Prosecutor to suggest our office’s request to be appointed on this case is somehow improper. This mischaracterization demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of a Public Defender’s Office. ”
The statement further said the office acted “to protect Aliyah Henderson’s rights by providing early representation in both her criminal case and child custody case, ” and argued that established representation aligned with “national defense standards encouraging early and continuous representation. ” It also referenced state rules on counsel assignment that prohibit influence by “anyone involved in prosecuting criminal cases, ” citing OAC 120-1-10.
Separately, the case file described Henderson as having no prior record and no history of violence. As the case proceeds, wkyc coverage will likely remain focused on the bodycam arrest video and the legal dispute over representation, both of which shape the first phase of the court process while Henderson faces aggravated murder charges.
