Kirstie Flood, left inset, and Jeffrey Meyers received their fate for their roles in a tragic beating death of 2-year-old Fallon Fridley near Atlanta in December 2020. Flood was sentenced to life in prison, while Meyers received 15 years. (Flood, Meyers: Sandy Hill Police; Fallon: GoFundMe)
An Atlanta area judge handed out stiff sentences for a babysitter who beat a 2-year-old girl to death and her boyfriend who did nothing to stop it.
Kirstie Flood and Jeffrey Meyers on Monday both plead guilty for their roles in the 2020 death of 2-year-old Fallon Fridley. Flood, who was friends with the girl’s mother, and Meyers were babysitting Fallon on Dec. 9, 2020, in Sandy Springs, Georgia, when she beat her to death. The girl died from “massive trauma.”
Flood pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, while Meyers entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder. A judge sentenced Flood to life in prison and Meyers to 15 years.
According to police, Flood searched on her phone that day, “what type of people enjoy abusing other people’s children,” and, “what does it mean to have a sudden urge to beat a child that’s not yours.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, citing an arrest affidavit, reported Meyers stood by and watched as Flood beat Fallon. Flood tried to say the girl hit her head on some playground equipment, but her injuries were far more severe than an accidental fall.
Fallon’s mother, Kristin Fridley, addressed the court during the sentencing hearing.
“The actions of the defendant on December 9th, 2020, shattered my world,” she told the judge, according to local ABC affiliate WSB. “My life was completely upended. Everything I had was stolen from me. Words cannot express the depths of my grief. The days, weeks, and months afterwards were all a nightmare. My beautiful, sweet, two-year-old daughter was murdered by someone I considered to be one of my best friends.”
Fallon’s obituary described her as “an absolute Angel on earth” who loved her kitten, Mr. Butters, and her favorite stuffed animal, Lovey. A GoFundMe account started by her mother’s co-workers and friends said Fallon was a “beautiful little girl with her whole life ahead of her.”
“It is so hard to make sense of her cruel, tragic and untimely loss,” the friends wrote.
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