GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The trial for a Gwinnett County woman accused of killing a little girl started on Monday with jury selection.
Amari Hall was 8 years old when she was murdered in 2021.
Celeste Owens is accused of striking the little girl over the head and placing her body in trash bags.
Potential jurors spent all day Monday inside of a courtroom as part of the jury selection process.
At first, Gwinnett County police thought they were looking for Amani after her mother reported her missing.
It turns out, the police say she never ran away at all.
Instead, Hall’s mother Brittany Hall and her partner Celeste Owens are accused of killing Amari and then placing her in trash bags.
It was November 2021 when police discovered her body in DeKalb County.
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Now Owens is set to stand trial for murder, child cruelty and other charges.
Brittany Hall is awaiting her own murder trial, accused of prolonged abuse that led to her daughter’s death.
Detectives believe it was Owens who hit Amari over the head multiple times on Nov. 19, 2021.
It was two days later when Hall reported her missing.
“My daughter is missing,” Brittany Hall said in her call to 911.
“Has she never walked off before?” the dispatcher asked.
“No, but we’ve been having problems with her,” Brittany Hall said.
Owens is accused of physically dumping the body in DeKalb County and also not cooperating with investigators early on.
Investigators said Owens and Hall are seen on video abusing Amari and her two siblings too.
Her siblings were placed in state custody for their safety.
Jury selection is expected to continue into Tuesday.