Houston man who FaceTimed girlfriend while he killed their 2-year-old daughter convicted of capital murder

By TopTrendReportTv

January 12, 2025

Houston Father Convicted of Capital Murder in Death of 2-Year-Old Daughter

HOUSTON — A Houston man was convicted of capital murder Friday evening for the horrific killing of his 2-year-old daughter during a police chase, which he broadcast to her mother and grandfather via FaceTime.

Jurors in downtown Houston deliberated for several hours before finding Deontray Flanagan guilty of the March 2023 murder of his daughter, Zevaya Flanagan.

Zevaya, described as a bubbly toddler with a bright smile and playful personality, was strangled and beaten by her father while her mother, Kairsten Watson, and grandfather, Curtis Watson, watched helplessly on a video call.

The tragedy unfolded during a 45-minute police chase after Flanagan refused to pull over for deputies. Prosecutors revealed that Zevaya was not secured in a car seat, causing her to be tossed around the vehicle. Defense attorneys argued that her injuries resulted from this lack of restraint, but prosecutors maintained Flanagan intentionally inflicted harm.

During the trial, jurors were shown harrowing footage from inside a deputy’s patrol car, capturing Kairsten Watson pleading with Flanagan to stop hurting their daughter. At one point, she cried, “He’s killing her, he’s killed her.”

Curtis Watson recounted the anguish of seeing his granddaughter’s lifeless body on the video call. “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” he said. “To have to go through that type of anguish and pain is unbearable.”

After a standoff with a SWAT team, Flanagan was arrested. Zevaya was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital but tragically died from her injuries.

In court Friday, Zevaya’s mother and grandfather honored her memory through their grief. “Her smile could light up anyone’s darkest days,” Kairsten said. Curtis Watson added, “You may have taken her last breath, but you cannot kill her spirit, her memory, or her name.”

Flanagan’s conviction closes a devastating chapter for the Watson family, but the loss of Zevaya remains a profound tragedy.