Cobb man facing death penalty in stepdaughter's death silent in court

Dafareya Hunter refused to answer the lone question a Cobb judge had for him in court Thursday.

Hunter faces the death penalty for allegedly raping and killing his 14-year-old stepdaughter before torching their Marietta home to hide the evidence last summer.

That question Cobb County Superior Judge S. Lark Ingram asked was the required inquiry of whether or not he was satisfied with his attorneys.

Silence.

The attorneys told the judge that their client didn’t intend on responding.

Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office

The arraignment hearing marks the beginning of what could be a long legal process in Hunter’s case.

His state-provided defense team entered a plea of not guilty.

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Hunter was indicted on charges that he raped the teen, stabbed her and then burned down the Shadowridge Drive house. The girl's body was found in a bedroom of the charred home July 23.

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He was arrested a month later in Broward County, Florida.

The judge scheduled Hunter’s next court appearance for April 13. That’s when attorneys will file the first round of motions in the death penalty murder case. The judge has blocked off half of a day.

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