KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) – The case of two people charged in a Sweetwater shooting that left a two-year-old girl dead has been bound over to a grand jury.
Liu Huerta and Itzhui Huerta face first-degree murder charges in the death of two-year-old Alayna June Butts. A judge bound the case over to the grand jury on Friday, March 31 following a preliminary hearing.
The two also face charges including attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, burglary and reckless endangerment. The bond for both suspects remains at $3 million.
Butts was hospitalized after the shooting at a Hawkins Road home in Sweetwater on Feb 14. She was pronounced dead two days later
According to an arrest warrant, Butts, the child’s mother, and three others were at the home when four people armed with guns arrived. The warrant identified them as Lemming Huerta, Itzhui Huerta, Liu Huerta and a fourth unidentified man.
Two other people injured in the shooting were taken to the hospital. When police arrived, they found a man, identified as Lenning Huerta, lying dead on the porch.
Liu Huerta was captured later that day by the sheriff’s deputies and U.S. Marshal’s Smokey Mountain Fugitive Task Force.
The grand jury is scheduled to meet again next week and again in May.
