A guilty plea has been entered in a case that received national media coverage in 2019. Derion Vence pleaded guilty today to tampering with a corpse and injury to a child in death of 4-year-old Maleah Davis. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Vence was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Vence reportedly had a relationship with the girl's mother. Vence, Maleah and her little brother were all reported missing the morning of May 4, 2019. When Vence and Maleah’s brother showed up at a hospital late that night, Maleah was not with them. Her remains were found by the side of a road in Arkansas a month after she disappeared.
“Children are the most vulnerable members of our community and young Maleah’s death is tragic,” Ogg said. “We may never have all the answers in this case and our thoughts are with her family.”
Maleah was being watched by Vence because her mother was out of state on a trip. Vence eventually told police he had been attacked by unknown men a day earlier while on his way to the airport to pick up the mother along with Maleah and his son. He said that when he woke up after the attack, Maleah was missing.
His story did not match up with surveillance video which showed his departure from the apartment with only his son. Additional video review showed him leaving his apartment with a full garbage bag in a laundry basket.
Vence was sentenced to 40 years for intentional injury to a child and 20 years for tampering with a corpse. He will serve the sentences concurrently.