Now, Kennedy has pleaded guilty in the matter, and while the count in question is a misdemeanor, she could still receive jail time.
An arrest warrant for Kennedy, on view below in its entirety, reveals that officers for the community of Lochbuie, located in Weld County, had possession of the video, which showed Kennedy tormenting, and possibly bashing, her toddler son, nine days before she was taken into custody.
But an arrest wasn't made until the video became a viral sensation.
We're not including the original video here because the child is easily identifiable in the footage, which runs more than sixteen minutes in length.
Neither are we using his name.
However, finding this imagery and information is a snap. Months later, the full clip and photos of the victim are still easily accessible on Facebook and YouTube — although the version of the video linked in a Change.org petition demanding justice for the boy has been removed. The petition, started by a woman in California (evidence of how widely the story traveled), ultimately collected more than 54,000 signatures.
As for Kennedy, her Facebook page, which was listed under the nickname Trina Marie and ID'd her as the child's "mommy," has been deleted.
But before it vanished, a slew of Kennedy photos were snagged and circulated, including this one.
The warrant reveals that a Lochbuie police officer was first shown the video around 5 p.m. on Monday, May 9, after being contacted by a man who said he got a copy of it from a friend.
Although the reporting person said he knew the abusive woman was named Katrina Kennedy, he didn't know where she lived.
But after viewing the video of "a female yelling at a small child," the officer writes that "I recognized the voice (from previous contacts)" — and indeed, prior claims of abuse had reportedly been leveled against Kennedy. She is quoted in the affidavit as telling an officer that "social services have been involved in the past."
A second witness supplied police with photos of the child showing bruises, as in this image:
The video revolves around an outburst by Kennedy over a lost phone charger whose disappearance she blames on the child.
In response, she screams a series of invectives, including the following quotes:
"You fucking bitch."In addition, Kennedy is seen at one point walking toward a playpen in which the child has been placed. She then grabs a booster chair, raises it over her head and slams it either on or near the boy — an action followed by screaming and crying from the toddler.
"You're going to die."
"Where's my fucking charger? Find my charger."
"I'm going to kill you."
"You're a fucking piece of shit."
Nonetheless, Kennedy wasn't immediately arrested, and neither was the child removed from the home — at least not until the video popped up on the aforementioned social-media platforms. Oodles of outraged posts followed, including this one:
I wanna beat her ass! I could not even fathom a mother of all people doing that to her own child. Oh my. I'm praying for that child. This is so horrid I couldn't even watch half of it. This poor child. He needs to get taken away.The boy was subsequently placed in protective custody.
For her part, Kennedy was re-interviewed late on May 18 and arrested about an hour later. Afterward, the Weld County District Attorney's Office announced that it intended to charge her with three accusations based on the video: child abuse — knowingly/recklessly causing bodily injury; child abuse — permitting a child to be placed in a situation posing a threat of injury; and attempted child abuse — knowingly/recklessly causing bodily injury.
In the end, though, Kennedy pleaded guilty to just the first count above. It's rated a Class 1 misdemeanor with a possible sentence of up to 24 months in county jail.
In a statement, Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said, "It’s sickening. It’s sad. It’s reprehensible. Prosecuting crimes against children, the smallest and most vulnerable voices of our community, must be a priority.”
Kennedy is due back in court for sentencing on January 3, 2017. Below, see Kennedy's booking photo, a 7News item about the incident (it contains non-identifying excerpts from the video) and the arrest warrant.
