Grandma Allegedly Forced 4-Year-Old to Drink Whiskey as Punishment, Child Died Hours Later as She ‘Went on With Life

A 54-year-old woman from Louisiana is on trial for allegedly killing a 4-year-old by forcing her to drink half a pint of whiskey as punishment. The victim was the granddaughter of the woman, who is presently on trial.

Roxanne Record, 57, is currently on trial and has been charged with first-degree murder. The victim, China Record, died as a result of alcohol consumption used as punishment, prosecutors said.

The prosecutors on the case said that this type of behavior shows a pattern of cruelty inside the house. If convicted, Record could face a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

The mother of the victim, identified as Kadjah Record, has also been charged with murder for allegedly watching the fatal punishment take place and failing to intervene. She is scheduled to appear in court later this summer.

At the beginning of the trial, prosecutors laid out a disturbing account of the child’s last few hours, arguing that the killing was a culmination of long-standing abuse, according to a report from the Advocate.

Assistant District Attorney Dana Cummings told the jury that the case was about a grandmother who cared for some grandchildren while demonizing others.

Speaking about the love and safety typically associated with grandparents, Cummings said the 4-year-old did not have that. Assistant District Attorney Dana Cummings said, “She didn’t have that because her grandmother never, ever took to her, never liked her, treated her differently than she treated the other children.”

Several other children in the house had also been conditioned to view China’s consumption of necessities, such as food and water, as “stealing,” according to the prosecutor.

According to a Law&Crime report, the punishment occurred on the night of the incident when China allegedly took a sip from a bottle of Canadian Mist whiskey left on the counter. When Record found out, she allegedly “had China get on her knees in the hallway, finish off that alcohol and then just went on with life while she died, " prosecutors said.

Police responded to the family's home in the 12000 block of Wallis Street in April 2022 and found China unresponsive. She was pronounced dead within two hours of being forced to consume the alcohol. Officers said her blood alcohol content was measured 0.680 which is eight times the legal limit for adult drivers in Louisiana.

The defense argued that the state would be unable to prove the specific intent required for a conviction on first-degree murder, calling the child’s death a tragic accident.