GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — She was locked up after admitting to drowning her daughter. But Brandi Elliott has been hospitalized after an incident in the Sumner County Jail.
And after a suicide attempt, she could move facilities entirely.
I now have exclusive details on what happened, and what this development means for the prosecution moving forward on a possible capital case.
Elliott had been locked up in the Sumner County jail since her arrest for homicide last month. She is charged with first-degree murder for the death of her 7-year-old daughter, Piper.
She confessed to holding her daughter's head underwater until she stopped breathing. The child later died at the hospital.
This past Sunday Elliott was treated for banging her head against the wall in her cell ending up with two black eyes. Then on Monday, Elliott dove head-first off the bunk onto the concrete floor.
She was rushed to the hospital not breathing but is now stable.
Elliott's mental health will be an issue if and when this case goes to trial — something she talked about in her one court appearance last month. She told a judge her mental well-being started deteriorating when her daughter was 2 years old, when she was diagnosed with depression.
"The jury will want somebody to be responsible for the death of this child," said Nick Leonardo, NewsChannel 5 legal analyst. "Clearly an individual charged with killing their own child has mental health issues. The question does that rise to the level of providing a defense."
For now, Elliott is expected to be released from the hospital, but not to the jail. She will go to a state facility better suited to deal with her conduct while awaiting trial.
The grand jury is expected to indict Elliott for murder. Then the case will be set for trial.
The district attorney has not said whether he will seek the death penalty, which is an option. The Gallatin community has been in shock since learning of the crime.
Deanna Sartain — who knew Piper and worked with Elliott — still can't believe it.
"I keep analyzing it, and there's nothing. Nothing Nick. I just don't get it," Sartain said.
Elliott had been held without bond and on suicide watch.
Her conduct behind bars could feed into a diminished capacity defense.
That remains to be seen.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nick.beres@newschannel5.com
Forrest Sanders recently introduced us to a Nashville hero named Eudora Boxley. She was the first black woman to have a cooking show on TV in Nashville. Her grandson was precious describing Eudora and how she raised him and how proud he and the family were of her impact not only on WLAC but on a city during the turbulent Civil Rights Era. A woman who did extraordinary things at a time when history did not expect her to.
-Amy Watson
