A Texas man has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of a horrifying crime—killing his 2-year-old daughter during a high-speed police chase while FaceTiming her mother and grandfather. It took the jury less than two hours to convict 26-year-old Deontray Flanagan of capital murder for the tragic death of little Zevaya Marie Flanagan in Houston in 2023.
The girl’s family expressed relief at the verdict and had a heartfelt message for Flanagan. Her grandfather, Curtis Watson, shared his emotions, saying, “You may have taken her last breath, but you cannot kill her spirit, her memory, or her name.”
Before the verdict was announced, Flanagan caused more chaos by attacking a news camera inside the courtroom, shoving it to the ground and injuring a photojournalist. Deputies had to restrain him by tackling him to the floor.
During the three-day trial, jurors were shown devastating footage of the girl’s mother, Kairsten Watson, watching her daughter die while she was stuck in the back of a police car. In the video, Kairsten pleaded with Flanagan, begging him to stop. “Please stop – that is our daughter,” she cried out, powerless to intervene.
Kairsten later described how helpless she felt as she witnessed the unthinkable. She told reporters, “There was nothing I could do about it.” Recalling the moment she saw her daughter on the video call, she said, “Her face was just covered in blood. He hit her with something really hard, and then he called me on FaceTime to show me. He choked her on FaceTime. I said, ‘Tray, stop, that is your daughter, stop, she loves you.’” Flanagan coldly responded, “You only love that man. You did this to her.”
The tragedy unfolded on the morning of March 20, 2023. Flanagan picked up Zevaya from her daycare and drove to a Walmart in Houston where Kairsten worked. He confronted her, accusing her of talking to other men and demanding her phone and passcodes. When she hesitated, Flanagan threatened to hurt their daughter. Kairsten gave him what he wanted and tried to rescue Zevaya, but Flanagan struck her and fled with the little girl.
Police were quickly alerted and tracked Flanagan’s car using the stolen phone. A dangerous 45-minute police chase followed, covering around 30 miles. Flanagan drove recklessly, going the wrong way on roads and crashing into other vehicles. Meanwhile, he kept calling Kairsten on FaceTime, making more demands and using their daughter as leverage.
Kairsten later shared her heartbreak, saying, “I know in her mind she probably was just like, ‘What did I do? Why are you doing this to me? I love you, why are you hurting me?’”
The girl’s grandfather, Curtis Watson, had been holding onto hope that things would end peacefully. But his hope was shattered when Flanagan showed him the lifeless body of his granddaughter over FaceTime. “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” he said. “To have to go through that type of anguish and pain.”
The chase ended when police stopped Flanagan’s car after a 20-minute standoff. Zevaya wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, and when officers reached the car, they found her unresponsive. She was given CPR and airlifted to a hospital, but it was too late. She was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Flanagan was unharmed during the incident. The tragic case has left a deep impact on the Houston community, and Zevaya’s family is determined to keep her memory alive despite the pain they’ve endured.
