Williamsburg woman gets 10 years for 2013 death of daughter

Trina White, at an arraignment hearing after first being arrested for the death of her daughter.

It took court officials less than three minutes Monday morning to sentence a Williamsburg woman to 10 years in prison for her role in the killing of her two-year-old daughter in 2013.

Trina Michelle White, 38, was originally charged with murder in connection with Madisyn Davis’ Nov. 20, 2013 death, but pleaded guilty last month to an amended charge of second-degree manslaughter in exchange for prosecutors recommending a 10-year prison sentence.

“We’ll go ahead and sentence her as per the agreement,” Whitley Circuit Judge Paul Winchester said during Monday’s hearing.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Allen Trimble said last month that White’s role in the crime was one of “negligence and allowing it to happen.”

White’s boyfriend, Mark Shane Hyden, 37, pled guilty to murder on June 29, 2015, in connection with Davis’ death in exchange for prosecutors recommending a 25-year prison sentence.

Both Hyden and White could have received a sentence of up to life in prison had they been convicted of murder.

According to their indictments, Hyden and White individually and/or in complicity with another allegedly committed the offense of murder “by beating and asphyxiating an infant child resulting in her death.”

On Nov. 19, 2013, White left her daughter in Hyden’s care when she left for work at a third-shift job.

White called 911 about 1:40 p.m. on Nov. 20 after she found her child unresponsive.

During her deposition, Dr. Christen Roth, a former assistant state medical examiner, testified that in her expert medical opinion, the injuries were not the result of a fall.

“The child suffered repeated injuries,” Trimble said. “Probably the injury that brought about her death was the fact that she was smothered. It was very clear from the pictures of the child at the time she died of bruising around her face, which indicated that someone – the defendant (Hyden) we believe – put his hands around her mouth and nose and suffocated her.”

During a News Journal interview from the Whitley County Detention Center days after his daughter’s death, Jason Davis vowed to kill Hyden.
White’s attorney, Gary Hudson, declined to comment on her behalf Monday.

White has been incarcerated since her arrest immediately after her daughter’s funeral on Nov. 25, 2013.

Also during Monday’s hearing, Winchester scheduled a May 17 trial for White in connection with a receiving stolen property case.

White attorney in that case, Chris Miniard, told Winchester that so far attorneys have been unable to work out a plea deal in the case.