A Gwinnett County teacher was recently arrested and accused of killing a 2-year-old boy in Houston County almost three years ago.
Kianna Davis, 32, of Norcross, faces charges including felony murder, malice murder and cruelty to children. Kiyon Benton, a Decatur resident, faces the same charges as Davis and has not yet been arrested.
Davis was arrested last weekend by law enforcement from Warner Robins, Houston County and the U.S. Marshals Service Regional Fugitive Task Force, according to the Houston County District Attorney’s office.
Gwinnett County Public Schools confirmed Davis is a teacher at Seckinger High School. The district said Davis started working at Seckinger in July of 2022. She previously worked Peachtree Ridge High School starting in January 2021.
Prosecutors in Houston County accuse Davis and Benton of fatally beating Karter Ambrose with an unknown object in November of 2020. The beating caused a lacerated liver, court documents state. Davis and Benton are also accused of not seeking proper care for Karter’s injuries.
An attorney in the Houston County District Attorney’s office said he could not provide additional details about the case, including the time between Karter’s death and the indictment of Davis and Benton in October. He also did not provide information about relationship between Davis and Benton or their relationship to Karter.
Seckinger High School Principal Jimmy Fisher notified the school community on Monday that a teacher was arrested but did not name Davis or describe the charges she faces.
“In accordance with Gwinnett County Public Schools policies, the district’s Human Resources Division has launched an investigation into the matter,” Fisher said. “To be clear, the teacher in question has been away from our school for nearly two weeks and will not be permitted on campus while this situation remains unresolved.”
A Houston County grand jury certified seven charges against Davis and Benton in October: one count each of aggravated assault, cruelty to children in the first degree, cruelty to children in the second degree, malice murder and murder in the second degree, and two counts of felony murder.
Davis is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
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