In March 2023, after a 30-mile chase and SWAT standoff, a man was convicted of capital murder in the tragic death of his 2-year-old daughter.
Deontray Flanagan received a life sentence without the possibility of parole on Friday, marking the culmination of a series of events that unfolded over the past two years.
On March 20, 2023, Flanagan reportedly collected his daughter Zevaya from day care and proceeded to a nearby Walmart to confront the girl’s mother, Kairsten Watson, who was working at the time.
Deputies said Flanagan hit Watson in the face several times before fleeing with her phone, leading police on a chase that ended in a standoff in northwest Harris County.
Prosecutors said Watson’s mother, the child’s grandmother, also worked at Walmart and used her smartphone to FaceTime the suspect during the chase.
“She was on his lap, and she was gasping for air, and he had his arm around her neck squeezing tighter,” Watson recalled. “He said, ‘This is what you made me do. All you care about is that man.’ I (was) telling him, ‘No. Stop, please. This is your daughter. She loves you,’ and he’s still doing it.”
The pursuit came to an end when he seemingly collided with multiple cars and stopped in a field close to St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, leading to a standoff. SWAT officers encircled the vehicle, and after about 20 minutes, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office reported that they moved in. The authorities removed the toddler from the automobile and sent her to a hospital, where they confirmed her death.
According to the criminal charges, Flanagan beat and choked his daughter with a blunt weapon before killing her. Prosecutors say screenshots from the FaceTime video indicate Zevaya’s injuries.
Watson stated that she believes police failed her daughter before her death. She claimed she called the police multiple times just days before the murder, fearing that this would happen. Watson revealed that she and Flanagan had recently split up.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office reported that they responded to at least two requests for service to the mother’s residence. On March 15, 2023, they responded to a terrorist threat; on March 19, 2023, they replied to telephone harassment.
“I told them over and over and over that something was going to be wrong,” Watson said. “They could have at least tried to find him, but even with his past, no. I said, ‘Are y’all going to wait until something happens to her?'”
The sheriff’s office stated that after consulting with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, it was concluded that there was not enough evidence to pursue criminal charges at that moment. Additionally, a welfare check was carried out in an effort to locate Flanagan, but unfortunately, all attempts to find him proved to be unsuccessful.
The district attorney’s office informed ABC13 that they have not made a decision on whether to press charges. Instead, they provided a document stating that further investigation is required by the deputy.
According to the DA’s office, they did not receive any communication from the deputy regarding the call they attended on March 19th.
In 2023, when Eyewitness News reached out to the sheriff’s office regarding the March 19 call and the lack of communication with prosecutors, they have not received a response yet.
Watson claimed that she possessed text messages as evidence, which demonstrated that Flanagan had threatened to harm their daughter. She felt that her concerns were not taken seriously by the officers.
“They didn’t believe me,” Watson said. “They thought I was just making this up, and he was the father.”
In 2017, court records show that Flanagan had been charged with evading arrest, marking the beginning of his criminal history almost six years ago.
In 2018, Flanagan faced charges of assault causing bodily injury to a family member, resulting in a 30-day jail sentence. Around the same time, he was also charged with criminal mischief for driving a car into someone’s home. According to records, he was on probation for this offense in 2023.
