Too Late for Crying Now

When Summerville, SC paramedics responded to a 911 call on November 3, 2009, they found 3 year-old Serenity Richardson in full cardiac arrest. Paramedics took her to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Serenity was in Erica Butts' care when she died. Serenity was to stay with Erica Butts and her live-in lover, Shanita Cunningham, at their home for two weeks. Butts and Ms. Richardson were long-time best friends and Butts is Serenity's godmother. Ms. Richardson was moving from Detroit to South Carolina and left Serenity with Butts while she was relocating.

Erica Butts told police she beat Serenity multiple times with a belt (it's also reported they used wire hangers to beat the child) because she urinated on the floor. Butts also told authorities Serenity hit her head falling in the bathroom multiple times and her breathing became shallow thirty minutes after the last fall. When Serenity became unresponsive, Butts and Cunningham put "bleach under her nose and they put ice on her to try to revive her". Butts called her mother who called 911. Cunningham fled the home before paramedics arrived.

At the hospital, doctors found cuts and bruises on Serenity's chest, back, stomach, legs, arms and feet. She had a golf ball size bruise on her head and on her right leg, a large burn mark. An autopsy determined the cause of death as "full body blunt force trauma".

Butts and Cunningham were arrested and charged with homicide by child abuse. Their excuse -- "we didn't know what we did would kill her". The judge later stated the photographs of Serenity were horrific. It's reported the prosecutor said this was the worst case of abuse she had encountered in all her years prosecuting crimes against special victims.

On November 3, 2011, Butts and Cunningham were sentenced to life in prison and they disrupted the courtroom with their outbursts.



Drama queens...screaming, falling to the floor and needing assistance to leave the courtroom...I don't buy it! You would think they never considered they may get the death penalty! These two take their punishment like the cowardly women they are; they weren't crying when they were abusing Serenity. They got just what they deserve; life in prison will be hell for these child abusers and child murderers.

Finally, justice for Serenity. Rest in peace, sweet child.

Peace