A jury trial has been rescheduled in another case I covered recently, that of two-year-old Steven Dale Meek II, whose mother and her boyfriend have been charged in connection with Steven’s death.

Steven died on January 13, 2019 after two days on life support. His mother’s boyfriend claimed Steven was injured falling out of his toddler bed in the family’s Christiansburg, Virginia home, but authorities say the greatest height Steven could have fallen out of that bed would be 13 inches onto a carpeted floor padded by a play mat. Steven’s death was caused by “brutal blunt force trauma to the head.”

An investigation into Steven’s death revealed a history of physical and sexual abuse, allegedly at the hands of his mother, 25-year-old Kayla Nicole Thomas, as well as her boyfriend, 25-year-old McKenzie Kyle Hellman, who is alleged to have requested Kayla perform sex acts on the baby and send him video of the abuse from within the same home so he could “explore the extent of his sexual needs.”

Disgusting.

Kayla Thomas was arrested on January 16, 2019 and charged with:

• Committing forcible sodomy by engaging in fellatio against the victim’s will by force, threat or intimidation
• Inanimate object penetration of a person less than 13 years of age
• Production of child pornography involving a child less than 15 years of age
• Possession and distribution of child pornography
• Being a parent or guardian, committing a willful act so gross and wanton as to show a reckless disregard for human life — child neglect

Kayla’s three-day jury trial is scheduled to begin on January 20, 2021. 

McKenzie Hellman was initially arrested on January 13 on a single charge of felony child abuse, but those charges were upgraded on January 17 to include:

• Murder while committing another felony
• Felony child abuse
• Two counts of aggravated sexual battery of a child less than 13 years old
• Solicitation of a minor less than 15 years old for sexual purposes
• Accessory to inanimate object sexual penetration with a child less than 13 years old
• Accessory to forcible sodomy by engaging in fellatio with a child less than 13 years old
• Possession of child pornography
• Accessory before the fact to production of child pornography
• Accessory before the fact to distribution of child pornography

(The charges crossed out were ultimately dismissed after a motion by the state in December of 2019.)

After a court hearing on October 5, McKenzie’s two-day jury trial, which had been scheduled to begin that day, was rescheduled to begin at 9:00 AM on Monday, March 15, 2021.

If these two sorry sacks of human skin are indeed guilty, may the state of Virginia throw not just the book, but the entire library at them. 

Click here for my ongoing coverage of Steven’s case.

Sources: Virginia Courts Case Information – Montgomery Circuit Court case portal