Yolanda Denise Coale mug shot (Mobile County Jail); Coale being escorted by police and King Lyon. Photo Credit: WALA screenshots.
According to a report by Law and Crime on Friday, February 16, 2024, a 55-year-old woman from Alabama will spend the next two decades in prison for the brutal murder of her 4-year-old nephew, who she beat to death with a broomstick in 2021.
Yolanda Denise Coale pleaded guilty to manslaughter last December, just days before her trial was set to begin.
Coale had initially tried to blame the killing on the victim's 9-year-old sister, who was also charged in the case. However, prosecutors later dropped the charges against the girl, after discovering that she had no involvement in the attack and was also a victim of Coale's abuse.
According to court documents, Coale had been the caretaker of King Lyons and his sister, as well as another child, since their mother was incarcerated. Coale subjected the children to horrific physical and psychological torture, forcing them to call her "master" and beating them with a broomstick on multiple occasions.
On July 23, 2021, Coale fatally assaulted King with the broomstick, causing severe injuries to his head, chest, and abdomen. She then called 911 and claimed that the boy had fallen from a bunk bed. However, the medical examiner determined that the cause of death was homicide by blunt force trauma.
During the sentencing hearing on Thursday, Mobile County Circuit Judge Brandy Hambright imposed the maximum penalty of 20 years on Coale, calling her actions "evil" and "monstrous".
The judge also heard testimony from other children in the neighborhood, who witnessed Coale's abuse and reported it to the authorities.
Mobile County Assistant District Attorney Coy Morgan said that Coale's case was one of the worst he had ever seen in his career, and urged the judge to give her the maximum sentence. He also praised the courage of the children who came forward to expose Coale's crimes.
Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood said that the plea deal was made to spare the victim's sister from having to relive the trauma in court. He said that Coale had been held accountable for her actions, and that the 20-year sentence would likely be the rest of her life.
Coale's defense attorney argued that Coale was not the actual killer, but rather the caregiver who failed to protect King from his sister. He said that Coale had accepted responsibility for her role in the death, and that she was remorseful for what happened.
He asked the judge for leniency, citing Coale's age and health issues.
Coale also addressed the court, saying that she had not slept well since the incident, and that she wished she could take back what happened. She said that she loved King and his sister, and that she was sorry for the pain she caused them.
Coale, who had been out on bond, was taken into custody immediately after the sentencing. She will receive credit for the time she already served.
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