ABILENE, Texas - A mom now faces the worst charge Texas has. Her little girl died this week. Police say the mom hurt her.
Police arrested Anum Khalil Khan on Wednesday, August 12. She is 35 years old. She lives in Abilene. Police charged her with capital murder. That charge is used when the victim is under 10 years old. Officers say Khan is the girl's mom.
This case is one of the worst to hit West Texas this month. It adds to a string of child death cases across Texas. Prosecutors keep reaching for the state's toughest charge in these cases. Capital murder can bring the death penalty. It can also mean life in prison with no chance to ever get out.
Police say the girl was hurt. Her family drove her to the Abilene police station. They pulled into the parking lot on South 1st Street. This happened around 11 a.m. Wednesday. Police called her injuries "obvious." A family member ran inside. That person begged officers for help.
Abilene firefighters rushed out. So did paramedics from MetroCare. They tried to save the girl. She died anyway.
Police first thought the girl was about 4 years old. They later said she was 3 and a half.
Officers shut the police station lobby right away. The parking lot became a crime scene. Investigators worked the scene for hours. The lobby opened back up once they finished.
The Abilene Police Major Crimes Unit now leads the case. Detectives have not said what hurt the girl. They have not said what happened before her family drove her to the station. Police have not said if anyone else was home. They also have not said why the family chose the police station instead of calling 911.
Capital murder is the toughest charge in Texas law. A killing becomes capital murder, not regular murder, when the victim is under 10. A guilty verdict can bring death row. It can also mean life in prison, with no parole ever. Most other child death cases carry a lighter charge. Those usually bring 5 to 99 years, or life with a chance at parole down the road.
Abilene sits far out in West Texas. It is about 150 miles west of Fort Worth. That is close to a five hour drive from the Rio Grande Valley. Abilene is not part of South Texas. El Tejano is covering this case anyway. Child death cases like this one draw attention across the whole state. They often shape how courts handle similar cases everywhere, including here in the Valley.
Abilene police also listed Khan's arrest in their daily crime report. That report covers routine arrests too, like warrants and DWI stops. Her capital murder charge was the only one of its kind on that list.
Khan remains in jail on the capital murder charge. Court records do not yet show a bond amount. It is not clear when she will first appear in court. Right now, she is only charged. She has not been found guilty of anything. A judge or jury will decide her case later.
Cases like this often move slowly. A grand jury usually has to review the evidence first. That step can take weeks or even months in Taylor County. After that, the case would head to trial unless both sides reach a plea deal. Capital murder trials in Texas tend to take longer than most other criminal cases because so much is at stake.
The investigation is still open. Police have not said what killed the girl. No other details are public yet. El Tejano will update this story once Abilene police or Taylor County courts release more facts.
Anyone with information should call the Abilene Police Department.
