HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia woman accused of killing a four-year-old girl was back in court, where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty and the defense is trying to have the charges dismissed.
Hall County prosecutors want to get Jessica Motes the highest punishment, if she’s convicted.
Her attorneys were in a Gainesville Court, where they tried to convince a judge to have the charges tossed out.
Channel 2’s Bryan Mims was at the courthouse, where Motes maintained her innocence when speaking to the judge.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
In court documents filed earlier this year, prosecutors gave Motes two options.
She could plead guilty and face a life sentence without parole, or get the death penalty. Through her attorney, Motes rejected that offer.
On Wednesday, Motes arrived at the courthouse in civilian clothes instead of a jail uniform.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Apalachee school shooting: Date, venue set for Colt Gray’s murder trial
- Health officials announce 1st positive West Nile detection in metro Atlanta for 2026
- Big Tigger’s wife arrested on kidnapping warrants during I-85 traffic stop
Last fall, Motes was originally charged with concealing the death of a child, but was soon charged with murder, aggravated battery and first-degree cruelty to children for allegedly beating Autumn Fox and exposing her to drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamine and Xylazine, a powerful sedative for horses and other large animals.
Prosecutors said Motes then put Autumn’s remains in the trunk of her Nissan Sentra and drove to a local Sam’s Club.
Motes’ father told Oakwood police that he saw her drive to the store on Mundy Mill Road. That’s where officers found the body.
Autumn had been in Motes’ care but investigators have not specified the relationship. At the hearing on Wednesday, the court learned Motes has a new capital defense team.
Her attorneys filed motions to dismiss the indictment, saying the Grand Jury’s composition was unconstitutional and saying the indictment mentioned a “lack [of] sufficient factual specificity.”
Prosecutors said they provided the defense with evidence during discovery, including an autopsy report for Autumn.
Another hearing is scheduled for Aug. 7, with more hearings likely over the next few months.
The trial isn’t expected to start until 2027.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
