Corbin mother handed life sentence following toddler’s 2023 death

WHITLEY COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) — A Corbin mother found complicit in the death of her three-year-old daughter has been sentenced.

On Thursday, May 22, court documents show that a jury sentenced Alexandra Ward to life in prison for complicity to murder and a concurrent five-year sentence for complicity to commit first-degree strangulation.

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Ward was indicted in April 2023 alongside her boyfriend, Jordan Taylor, who pleaded guilty to the 3-year-old Amoura Smallwood’s death. Taylor was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 2024 for murder, first-degree sodomy, and first-degree strangulation.

A court filing argued that Ward failed to protect her daughter from Taylor.

“At trial, the Commonwealth will demonstrate that the Defendant was aware of Jordan Taylor’s minor son dying in his care, was aware of Jordan Taylor’s lengthy arrest record, was aware of Jordan Taylor’s dissatisfaction with watching Amoura, was aware of Jordan Taylor’s growing anger and frustration with Amoura, was aware of the growing bruises and injuries on Amoura, was aware Jordan Taylor was whipping Amoura, left Amoura alone with Jordan Taylor on several days after, and took active steps to cover up the growing injuries on Amoura Smallwood,” court records read.

The Commonwealth also stated there was video evidence documenting the abuse. Text messages filed as evidence between the two convicted show Taylor saying on the day of Smallwood’s death, “Answer dude, Amoura won’t wake up.”

A few hours beforehand, Ward had allegedly said, “We need to get those bruises gone by Wednesday,” and “I want us to have a couple of days without the kids, but we can’t send Amoura with bruises.”

Ward’s attorney had asked the judge to consider a lighter sentence in an April 20 memorandum, filing multiple character letters on her behalf.

“Were there danger signs? Sure, there were plenty of danger signs, all of which were presented by the Commonwealth in detail in its case in chief. However, as testified to at the sentencing hearing, the defendant was only 20 years old at the time of the crime and came from a family where she wasn’t taught how to be a ‘Momma Bear,'” Ward’s attorney, John Combs, wrote.