Deanna Renee Kipp was found guilty Friday of multiple counts of felony murder in connection with the death of her 18-month-old daughter in 2011.

Kipp appeared in Hall County Superior Court, where a jury found her guilty on 14 counts, including four counts of felony murder, involuntary manslaughter, four counts of cruelty to a child in the first degree, two counts of providing false statements to police and one count each of aggravated assault, cruelty to a child in the second degree and concealing the death of another.

She was previously charged with malice murder, but that charge was dropped to involuntary manslaughter.
Kipp faces a sentence of life in prison to life without parole.

The defense asked for sentencing to come at a later date and plans to introduce more evidence and witnesses.

“The state appreciates the jury’s verdict,” Hall County District Attorney Lee Darragh said in a voicemail message. “They listened very carefully to a complicated case and rendered justice appropriately.”

Hall County Public Defender H. Bradford Morris Jr. did not return messages seeking comment Friday.

Kipp was indicted last year in Kaylee Kipp’s June 2011 death. Last month, a new bill of indictment charged her with concealing the death of another and providing false statements to police in two separate interviews.

Autopsy reports showed Kaylee died as the result of several blows to the head. Police had said Kipp and Stephen Clark West, her boyfriend, are responsible.

In August, Superior Court Judge Andrew Fuller sentenced West to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 20 years.

During the trial, Kipp’s attorneys argued that Kipp did not know West killed her daughter and said she did not conspire with him to cover it up, as they said the prosecution implied during the past two weeks.

“Anybody who thinks that (Kipp) hurt that kid is just wrong,” Public Defender Rob McNeill told jurors earlier this week. “That woman loved that kid more than anything in the world.”

The defense attorneys argued that the state’s case against Kipp hinged on the fact that she knew of Kaylee’s death and maintained a cover-up with West.

Hall County’s chief assistant district attorney, Lindsay Burton, said Kipp was the only person who “places herself with the child all night long.”

Kipp had said in interviews that she went downstairs to the living room, where Kaylee was sleeping, to sleep on the night the infant died.

Burton told jurors Kipp lied about seeing Kaylee lift her head a few hours before she was found dead.

“She’s lying about it,” Burton said. “She’s covering for Stephen; she’s covering for herself.”

Burton said Kipp did not protect any of her children.

“She chose Stephen every time she didn’t tell him to stop (beating the children),” she said. “She chose Stephen and herself every time she lied.”

The prosecution also brought into question Kipp’s reaction to her daughter’s death.

Burton told jurors that Kipp did not ask police or first responders any questions because she already knew Kaylee was dead.

She also said that West did not ask questions when Kipp told him about the girl’s death.

McNeill argued that people react differently in different situations and that law enforcement and first responders had “the audacity to tell you she didn’t act right.”

Public Defender Travis A. Williams said authorities only judged Kipp for her reaction, and did not aid her.
“As they sit there and look at her, no one had the decency to console her,” he said.

The sentencing date has not been set and will depend on Fuller’s schedule.

Matt Chambers contributed to this report.