Mom Accused of Starving Child to Death

(Houston, Texas) A 34-year-old local mother-of-ten, Almita Nicole Lockhart, was arrested last week for allegedly allowing her 8-year-old daughter, Halle Shamille Smith, to starve to death. Lockhart has been charged with injury to a child.

Halle, fed her entire life through a feeding tube, was five weeks shy of her ninth birthday when she was declared dead in the hospital's emergency room.

According to medical records, Halle weighed 35 pounds at age 2, dropped to 23 pounds by age 4 and weighed 27 pounds in November 2006, the last time it appears she was seen by doctors or nurses.

She lost 40 percent of her body weight between that last visit and the date of her death because of malnutrition and dehydration.

Lockhart was booked into custody with bail set at $30,000.

Sadly, Texas Child Protective Services appears to have been somewhat negligent in monitoring Lockhart.