Seven adults charged in 14-year-old Brandon Gray’s death were scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for arraignments.
The boy’s cousin Lashonda Robinson, who said she is related to Brandon on his dad’s side, came to court to witness the proceedings. She said her uncle, Brandon’s father, died in 2013. Since then, the rest of the family hadn’t been able to find the children.
“We actually have been here since day one until, Dennis [Gray] and Terra [Wells] separated and then she kept the kids from us,” Robinson said.
She shared baby pictures of Brandon. She said the family only found out about the alleged conditions surrounding his death from watching the news.
“When you guys aired it and said the family has been indicted, and when you guys said Brandon Gray, I was like, ‘Is that my uncle’s son?’” Robinson said.
She said she has two other surviving cousins who were also living in the home. In fact, she met with authorities involved in the case at court and said her family hopes to get custody of the two kids.
As for the suspects, the women did not appear due to a lockdown at the jail.
Melvin Wells entered a not guilty plea and requested help from a public defender.
All of the defendants are due back in court again on June 30.
What Happened?
14-year-old Brandon Gray was found dead the morning of January 7, 2020, in his family’s two-story home in the 3400 block of Skylight Drive. Officers described him at the time as extremely skinny.
Officers said they noticed a closet inside the garage with a locking mechanism on the outside of the door. Inside, the closet was lined with egg carton mattress acting as insulation. They also noted a thin blanket, a bran/corn mixture in a microwave and liquid from a V8 Splash can.
The family told police the boy was living in the garage away from the family after being accused of abusing another child in 2015. Police investigated the abuse claim but the outcome of the investigation is not known. Bartlett Police said they could not review the case notes.
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A woman told officers she noticed Brandon unresponsive at 7:30 that morning. The call came in to Bartlett Police 33 minutes later.
A woman in the house told dispatchers before police arrived that she was unable to perform CPR on the boy because of her emotional state.
Terra Wells, Tessa Dishmon, Tamera Dishmon, Amanda Dishmon, Tabitha Sharp, Breanna Wells and Melvin Wells were indicted earlier this month on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect.
Another child, 12, was taken from the home and taken to a hospital. Officials said that child was also malnourished and had bruises and scars on her body.
In total, 10 children were living at the home with seven adults in what police called a communal living situation.
A neighbor said he’d noticed many people living at the house, and that at least one child was so thin he thought the child was a cancer patient.
A check of Shelby County records did not turn up any prior criminal record for the adults charged in this case.
Department of Children’s Services confirmed they are investigating the case but would not provide details.
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