Case Background
Kevin Andre Towles is accused of beating his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son to death in December 2006.
Geontae Glass was the son of Shalinda Glass, also faces charges related to her son’s beating death. Shalinda Glass drove to a gas station and went inside. She then came outside and told people her son had been sleeping in the backseat of the car and the car had been stolen. An AMBER Alert was issued for the child. Police located the vehicle with Geontae’s body still seatbelted in the backseat. The vehicle was located on property owned by Towles. Shalinda Glass told police that Towles had beaten her son to death because he brought home a bad report card.
Towles was supposed to stand trial earlier this year. However, the judge declared a mistrial while jurors were in the process of filling out the questionaires. I am not sure why the judge declared the mistrial. If convicted Towles faces the death penalty. The trial begins on October 5, 2009 with jury selection
Trial
October 5, 2009
The trial begins today with jury selection.
October 10, 2009
So far the jury has heard that Towles allegedly beat Geontae to death the day he came home with a ‘bad’ report card. The most powerful testimony came from Geontae’s now 10-year-old sister. She testified the last time she saw her brother Geontae walking and talking was on December 3, 200t6when Kevin Towles took him out behind their house. When Kevin returned, she said he was carrying Geontae and he was limp. She said Towles just walked around after that as if everything was normal. During her testimony it was reported that Towles began crying. On another day of testimony, the pathologist said that if Geontae had received medical attention he would have survived his injuries.
October 16, 2009
The jury found Kevin Towles guilty of the murder of 5-year-old Geontae Glass. The jury deliberated for about two hours on Friday to determine whether Towles should spend the remainder of his life in prison or be put to death. The jury recommended he be put to death in a vote of 11 – 1. The judge will sentence Towles on December 15. He can keep with the jury’s suggestion or choose another punishment for Towles.
After reading the reported testimony of Dr. Emily Ward, a forensic scientist from the Huntsville office of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, regarding the severity of Geontae’s wounds observed during her examination I am not surprised the jurors voted for death.
Ward told jurors that Towles beat the five-year-old so badly that the damage went straight to his spinal cord, paralyzing him from the waist down. She says the injuries indicate Towles used no restraint in beating Geontae with a wooden stick. ((Carson Clark, Jury Recommends Death Penalty for Kevin Towles, WHNT.com, Last Accessed: October 16, 2009.))
Not that I have any sympathy whatsoever for Kevin Towles, but it always surprises me when I hear how a defense attorney attempts to keep their client from the gallows. Aside from the usual family members who took the stand and asked the jurors and the court to show mercy on their son, brother, etc., the best Towles’s attorney could do was call a psychiatrist to the stand. Of course he opined that Kevin Towles is not a cold-blooded killer and should not be put to death. He, at one point suggested that perhaps Geontae provoked Towles into attacking him. He also had to admit on cross-examination that Towles has shown no remorse for the killing. Well, I would imagine if the testimony from the forensic scientist didn’t sway all of the jurors, certainly the psychiatrist’s suggestion that the 5-year-old victim was in some way at fault swayed the rest of them to the death side of the fence. This is one of those times when a defense attorney probably wished he could object to his own witness’ testimony.
December 18, 2009
Kevin Towles was formally sentenced to death by lethal injection on Friday December 15, 2009. The sentence was pronounced by Etowah County Circuit Judge Allen Millican who said “all mitigating circumstances had been taken into consideration for the sentence”. There was no comment in the media about Towles’ reaction to the sentence.
Car Left Running Stolen with Child Inside, WSMV.com, Last Accessed: October 5, 2009.
Jury Selection Monday in Geontae Glass Case, WAAYTV.com, Last Accessed: October 5, 2009.
WAAYTV.com, Various video updates of the trial, Last Accessed: October 10, 2009.
Kevin Towles Jury Recommends Death, WAAYTV.com, Last Accessed: October 16, 2009.
Katherine Poythress, Towles Sentenced to Death in Geontae Glass Case, The Gadsentimes.com, Last Accessed: December 18, 2009.
The End of the Story 
This story is so sad. I'm trying to imagine how any mother can stand by and watch or know of someone beating their child. I can't, for the life of me imagine a real mother with real love and affection for her baby doing something like this mother. Looking at the picture of Geontae, he is beautiful and deserved so much more than he was given. To be beaten to the point where if he had lived, he would be paralyzed is sickening. I'm not sure if I believe in the death penalty but I do believe in punishment and that there should be consequences for your actions. Children are innocent little beings who deserved nothing less than everlasting love, protection and praise from their parents. This woman and this man shouldn't have been any exception. But in all reality they are. It seems to me that they should have never been parents in the first place. I hope that if this mother does one day get out, that she is never allowed to have that little girl returned to her. Bless Geontae's sister and I'm not cruel so may God have mercy on the souls who harmed this little boy,
Monique
This is a very sad story, and after reading the article above all I could do is CRY!!! A lot of the details of what happened to Geontae I don't really know but either way it goes it is very SAD. I am the mother of 3 beautiful children, and they are fairly good children. They are mannerable, well behaved, however my oldest has really tested my patience and my self control. There have been times when I have……….. but I know that I could never do harm to them in that capacity. I do believe in the power of a good switch or belt, but you have to know when to stop!!!! What saddens me even more than the average person following this story is the fact that Kevin Towles is my 1st cousin and I guess that would have made little Geontae my cousin too!!! My heart really goes out to his family especially his sister. My heart also has to go out to my family and to Andre. I hope that he has made things right with GOD because in the end thats who will be judging him!!! I hope and pray that what I read about him not being remorseful is just a viscous LIE!!! Thats not the Andre I know and love!!! Geontae is in a much better place, however we didn't intend on him going so soon. Just a innocent little angel!!!!
I have read this over & over & over again! Andre, isn’t a Cold Blooded Killer like ppl trying to make it seems! A mother suppose to protect her child not Kill Them! I don’t believe Andre Killed this kid the mother Killed Him & Yes Towles Helped Her Stage the kidnapping! Shalinda, should get the same as Towles!
I’m not to Judge but, I will say again Towles shouldn’t die this way! Glass, is a unfit mother and she deserve Death!
What mother Stage her own child kidnapping????? She, need to die the same way! She’s a piece of SHIT!