CLEVELAND COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) – Testimony continued in the trial of an Oklahoma mother charged in Cleveland County with first-degree murder, accused of enabling child abuse in her son’s death.
Prosecutors are trying to prove Rebecca Hogue knew or had knowledge her son was being abused by her boyfriend before his death. The defense argued Hogue didn’t know abuse was happening to her son.
Hogue’s boyfriend, Christopher Trent, was the primary suspect in the case. He hanged himself in the Wichita Wildlife Refuge three days after the toddler died
Hogue called police after finding her son, Jeremiah Ryder Johnson, unresponsive on Jan. 1, 2020
A Norman police investigator testified that he collected a rug and gray mattress covers with dry red blood on them Friday morning.
He also saw a hole in the upstairs bedroom wall with seven to eight pieces of hair in it. The hair was later determined to be Ryder’s.
Hogue and Trent’s text messages were also read and shown to the jury.
Just three days before Ryder’s death, Hogue allegedly sent photos of Ryder’s injuries to Trent, asking him what happened.
Phone calls from when her boyfriend was incarcerated were also played during trial. In the calls, Hogue tells Trent how Ryder doesn’t listen to her. Trent then gave her advice on how to discipline the toddler.
Day four of testimony will begin at 9 a.m. Monday.