GUILTY AR - Alithia Boyd, 23 mos, dies of head trauma, Flippin, 1 May 2016

Cody Allen, 23, will now face a capital murder charge in connection with the death of two-year-old Alithia Boyd...

On May 1, police began the investigation into the girl's injuries after they received a call about an unresponsive child at Hillside Apartments in Flippin. Once on scene, they were told the girl fell down a set of stairs. However, authorities said the injuries appeared to be too severe for that explanation...

The affidavit describing what investigators believe occurred remains under seal and not available for inspection by the press or the public.

Medical personnel told investigators the little girl's injuries came from "impacting an object"...

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Two days after Alithia Boyd would have turned 2 years old, 23-year-old Cody Allen of Mountain Home pleaded not guilty to capital murder in her death...

After Allen was identified as a suspect and interviewed, he tried to hang himself in a Marion County Jail cell, police said...

Ethredge told the Daily Times that the arrest affidavit in the case was still sealed... When asked if the child’s mother could faces charges as well, Ethredge said only that the investigation is still ongoing.

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In a surprise appearance in Baxter County Circuit Court on Thursday, Cody Allen of Mountain Home pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of first-degree murder and received a life sentence for the death of 2-year-old Alithia Ivory Boyd in May of last year.

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Once Cody Allen entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge of first-degree murder in the death of two-year-old Alithia Ivory Boyd, the affidavit in his case became public. That affidavit sheds some light on the charges Alithia's mother, Anastasia Weaver, faces.

Weaver, 22, faces felony charges of manslaughter and permitting child abuse in connection with her daughter's death. She faces a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted on both felony charges.

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According to the most recent court filings, Weaver is due to go on trial Feb. 14, 2018, on the manslaughter and permitting child abuse charges. However, with Allen's case settled, Weaver's may move forward more quickly.

That's because Weaver's defense attorney wanted Allen's trial to be held first, according to a letter filed in the case by Circuit Court Judge John Putman.

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Anastasia Weaver, mother of murdered toddler Alithia Ivory Boyd, appeared in Marion County Circuit Court Wednesday where her attorney told presiding Judge John Putman the case was likely to go to trial.

The judge informed the 23-year-old Mountain Home woman that she would be notified when court found a set of appropriate dates to hold a jury trial.

Plea negotiations can continue even after a trial has started, so a plea bargain is still possible for Weaver.

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Weaver entered a guilty plea to permitting child abuse and was sentenced to 20 years probation by Circuit Court Judge John Putman in accordance with the plea agreement worked out between prosecutors and the defense.

If Weaver were to violate her probation, she would be subject for all or a portion of the probation period to be revoked and sent to the Arkansas Department of Correction. Additionally, Weaver will have a search waiver on file, allowing authorities to conduct a search on Weaver or her residence at any time.

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“There are a couple of reasons Ms. Weaver received a sentence of probation. She cooperated fully with law enforcement and was not present when the abuse took place,” said David Ethredge, 14th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney. “She herself was the victim of abuse. And, we had a problem with the primary investigator in the case.”

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