Stepmother Convicted of Heinous, Atrocious, and Cruel Abuse

Prosecutors in District Attorney General Charme Allen’s Criminal Court Division obtained multiple convictions against a woman who physically abused her two stepsons. Jessica Ann Cox, 40, was convicted by a jury of twenty-three counts of Aggravated Child Abuse and one count of Reckless Endangerment. Judge Bob McGee set the case for sentencing on April 21.

In a six-day trial, Assistant District Attorney Ashley McDermott and Deputy District Attorney Leland Price explained to the jury that on May 28, 2013, Cox’s two stepsons escaped from their home at 834 Canton Hollow Road where they had been handcuffed to a kitchen cabinet. The fourteen and sixteen-year-old victims walked to Farragut High School where school custodians called 911, and the boys were taken to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. Knox County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Tonia McFarland responded to the hospital while other investigators with the Family Crisis Unit responded to Canton Hollow Road. The victims were both malnourished with injuries to their wrists due to repeatedly being handcuffed. One victim also had significant injuries to his feet. The victims were forensically interviewed at ChildHelp where they recounted that Cox and their biological father, Kenneth Michael McIntosh, 41, handcuffed them for hours on end, deprived them of food, and struck them with items like mallets and rolling pins. The victims were also submerged in ice baths and forced to kneel on uncooked rice.

Aggravated Child Abuse is a Class B Felony that carries a punishment of eight to twelve years without the possibility of parole. At sentencing, prosecutors will seek consecutive sentences due to the heinous, atrocious, and cruel nature of the offense. McIntosh pled guilty to fifteen counts of Aggravated Child Abuse and one count of Child Abuse for his role in the abuse and is awaiting sentencing.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.