A woman babysitting her cousin's children faces execution for allegedly drowning one of them during a botched 'baptism'.
Nakia Nash Nicole Martin, 39, is charged with capital murder after Klover Miyanee Symphonee Hawkins, 4, died on September 8, 2023.
Klover's mother Terria Martin left her three children with her cousin at her home on Courtland Circle in Klein, on the outskirts of Houston, when she was away.
Terria and Martin were raised under the same roof in Gary, Indiana, before she moved to Houston and Martin to Muncie, Indiana.
Terria traveled to Gary and Martin flew in to look after the kids.
The night Klover died, the two women chatted on FaceTime and Terria saw all the children in the same bathtub, according to court documents.
Children who survived being forced under the water told both police and Terria that Martin put 'blessing oil' on their necks and tried to baptize them.
However, when she tried to do the same to Klover, 'something happened... the devil' and Martin deliberately tried to drown her, one child alleged.
Klover Miyanee Symphonee Hawkins, 4, died on September 8, 2023, at her home in Houston
Nakia Nash Nicole Martin , 39, is charged with capital murder for allegedly drowning her in the bath during a botched 'baptism'
The older girl described how Martin allegedly held Klover underwater as she struggled for air, and Martin threatened her with 'hell' if she told anyone.
Martin instead claimed to detectives that she put the children to bed after their bath and woke up the next morning to find Klover dead, with foam around her mouth.
She insisted she 'didn't mean to kill this baby' and dressed her after removing her from the bathtub.
Klover's family said paramedics weren't called until noon on September 9 and found her in full rigor mortis.
An autopsy confirmed Klover drowned, and found large bruises on her body.
Terria flew back to Houston and, after the body was released, had to drive to Gary with Klover's body in the trunk of her car, with her other children in the passenger seats, for the funeral, family said.
'I would like to give my baby a very much deserving homegoing and burial service,' she wrote in a fundraiser at the time.
Klover's mother Terria Martin (pictured together) left her three children with her cousin Martin at her home when she was away in her home town
Martin allegedly held Klover underwater as she struggled for air and eventually drowned
Klover's family said paramedics weren't called until noon on September 9 and found her in full rigor mortis
Martin allegedly went into hiding and was arrested in Delaware County, Indiana, last December and extradited back to Houston.
She was charged with capital murder on December 6, almost 15 months after Klover died, and is being held at the Harris County Jail.
Terria married Darryl Hawkins on May 29, 2021, in Gary, but it is unclear why he was not around to take care of the kids instead of Martin.
Martin made three unhinged religious-infused Facebook posts in the early hours of the morning just five days before Klover died.
'So glad he’s a forgiving God and really does give us chance after chance to get it right,' the final one concluded.
Another very long post recounted how a child in her neighborhood in Gary told her a man had a gun and was trying to shoot a squirrel.
Martin was charged with capital murder on December 6, almost 15 months after Klover died, and is being held at the Harris County Jail
Terria married Darryl Hawkins on May 29, 2021, in Gary, but it is unclear why he was not around to take care of the kids instead of Martin
Terria flew back to Houston and had to drive to Gary with Klover's body in the trunk of her car, with her other children in the passenger seats, family said
Martin wrote that she 'went into full CPS and mama mode' and wanted to confront the man at his door 'as if I’m Marvel’s Black Panther Queen Warrior NAKIA'.
A third post claimed that 'our inner joy, peace, nurture, and love can’t make an unhappy person happy'
'Either they get healed beforehand or they will suck the life out of you later. My Big Sister looked me in my eyes and said, “Every wounded bird isn’t meant to be saved",' she read.
'That was the most truest words that I absolutely needed to hear.'
