Grand Jury Indicts Cartersville Mother, Boyfriend In Baby's Death

A mother and her boyfriend have been indicted by a Bartow County grand jury on more than dozen charges in the death of the woman’s child.

Austin Levi Payne and Brandy Ann Boyd were indicted by the grand jury on a slew of charges, including malice murder, felony murder, cruelty to children in the first degree, aggravated battery and battery.

The 22-count indictment was handed down Wednesday morning. Together, Boyd and Payne face four counts each of malice murder, six counts of felony murder, three counts of aggravated battery and one count of battery. Boyd faces seven counts of cruelty to children in the first degree while Payne faces all eight of those counts.

Both defendants were granted a $1 million bond in May.

Payne and Boyd have been charged with murder in the death of Journey, who died at Cartersville Medical Center on Jan. 21 after she was taken to the emergency room because she was not breathing.

Bartow County Sheriff Clark Millsap previously told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Journey was beaten to death, with “a fractured skull, blunt force trauma to the stomach.” He also said there was evidence of previous abuse.

The pair were initially charged with first-degree cruelty to children and aggravated battery, but the charges were upgraded after an autopsy revealed the extent of Journey’s injuries.

Blake Cowart, the father of Journey Ann Cowart, was found dead in the Etowah River in May 2013 after he had been missing for more than a month. 

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(Photo: Austin Levi Payne, left, and Brandy Ann Cowart were indicted on nearly two dozen charges in relation to the death of Boyd’s child, 1-year-old Journey Ann Cowart. Credit: Bartow County Sheriff‘s Office)