A former Cullom woman serving a life prison term is asking the Illinois Appellate Court to reverse her conviction for the 2011 killing of her 4-year-old foster daughter. The defense argues the conviction of Heather Lamie should be reversed because of errors during her trial.

The 32-year-old Lamie was convicted of the May 4, 2011 beating death of Kianna Rudesill. The victim and her sibling had been placed with Lamie's family in 2010.
Heather Lamie is serving life in prison for murder.

A Bloomington defense lawyer argues the state failed to link the child's injuries to Lamie and the evidence against her "was so unreasonable, so improbable, and so unsatisfactory as to create a reasonable doubt that she was responsible for the death of Kianna."

Text messages exchanged May 3, 2011 between Lamie and her husband Joshua in which he told his wife to "beat her (Kianna's) ass" should not have been used as evidence, stated the attorney in his argument. The use of the message "fueled the fire when trying to find someone to blame" for the injuries."

In their appellate brief, Livingston County State's Attorney Seth Uphoff and the office of Illinois State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor argued that the evidence was overwhelming against Lamie who was the only adult with the child at the time she was injured.

Lamie's conflicting statements to police and her admission that she was frustrated with the child on the day she was hurt were considered by the jury, the state argued.

94.1 WGFA