42 Child Abuse Charges Yield 200 Years Of Jail For Calhoun Woman

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — A Calhoun woman was convicted on more than 40 counts of child abuse against her nine children, according to officials.

District Attorney Shannon Wallace said on Feb. 24, Gordon County Superior Court Judge D. Scott Smith sentenced Stephanie Danielle Davis, 37, to 200 years to serve in prison, followed by 200 years of probation. Davis and her co-defendant, Christopher Matthew Davis, 43, both of Calhoun, were arrested and indicted in 2020 for abusing Stephanie Davis’ nine children.

Stephanie Davis pleaded guilty on Nov. 22, 2021 to 42 charges and was sentenced on Feb. 24. Christopher Davis was found guilty in December 2021 of 47 charges, then sentenced in January to two consecutive life terms plus 841 years in confinement.

The case first became known to law enforcement on Feb. 6, 2020, when a teenage boy escaped from his home. The teen told the Calhoun Police Department his stepfather slapped and punched him, hit him with a stick, strangled him, burned him with hot oil, locked him in a closet, and beat him with a belt and a wooden cane. The child had visible injuries on his head and body, and a broken eardrum. The injuries were in varying stages of healing.

Later that day, the Calhoun Police Department executed a search warrant of the home and arrested Christopher Davis.

Police officers said the children, ages 3-17, lacked adequate clothing, beds, blankets, and pillows. While searching the home, officers found a stick and belt used for beating the children. The only heated rooms were the master bedroom and a closet used to store exotic snakes and other reptiles.

During the investigation that followed, law enforcement determined that abuse also included limiting food and water intake, restricting the use of the bathroom, forcing the children to eat spoiled food, and locking them upstairs when their parents were away. In addition, the children were locked in an unheated closet with no bathroom, strangled until they passed out, forced to sit on a fire ant pile, and burned with items such as sparklers and hot oil.

After determining that Stephanie Davis also participated in the abuse of the children, law enforcement arrested her on Feb. 13, 2020.

At the time of the arrests, the children were homeschooled. Previously, they had attended Gordon County Schools, where counselors reported suspected abuse in 2019 to the Division of Family and Children Services. One child was absent 62 days in a single school year. In May 2019, Stephanie Davis withdrew the children. Once the children were no longer attending school, the violence escalated.

“The abuse these nine children suffered at the hands of Mr. and Mrs. Davis was horrendous,” said Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Katie Gropper, who prosecuted the case for the state. “While Stephanie Davis initially painted herself as a helpless victim, the evidence demonstrated her extensive involvement. She not only held the children down while they were beaten and burned by her husband, Christopher Davis, but also crafted cover stories for the children to tell their teachers and DFCS if they were ever asked about their injuries. Her efforts to influence and manipulate the children to recant their allegations continued even after her arrest.”

During Stephanie Davis’ sentencing hearing, two children provided victim impact statements. They testified that the physical wounds and suffering they experienced were painful, but the betrayal of their own mother left deeper wounds that will take much longer to heal.

“While the physical and emotional suffering inflicted by their own mother is something that still weighs heavy on these children, they are steadfast in their commitment to heal, move forward, and build a better life. Today, the children are in stable and loving foster homes and have demonstrated incredible resilience,” said Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace. “These children are now able to live freely, without fear, and to rise above this trauma.”

The case was investigated by Detective Seth Densmore of the Calhoun Police Department, and prosecuted by Deputy Chief ADA Katie Gropper and ADA Rachel Hines of the Special Victims Unit, Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office.

“Given the legal conflict prohibiting our office from prosecuting this matter, the Gordon County District Attorney’s Office is grateful for the incredible hard work and dedication of the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office in prosecuting this matter for our agency. We value our partnership with District Attorney Wallace and her team in Cherokee County,” said Gordon County District Attorney Samir Patel.