Kimberly Dawn Trenor & Royce Clyde Zeigler II face Capital murder Charges of Two-year-old Riley Ann Sawyers (Baby Grace)

A Texas couple, Kimberly Dawn Trenor and her husband Royce Clyde Zeigler II, who have been charged in the death of Riley Ann Sawyers initially known only as “Baby Grace”, will now face upgraded charges of capital murder. Is there a a punishment other than the death penalty that is suitable in this case?

Prosecutors said they have not decided whether to seek the death penalty against the girl’s mother, Kimberly Dawn Trenor, and Trenor’s husband, Royce Clyde Zeigler II.

Two-year-old Riley Ann Sawyers was beaten to death and her body was disposed of in Galveston Bay.

Riley’s body was found October 29 by a fisherman on an uninhabited island in the bay. It was wrapped in black plastic bags and stuffed in a blue, plastic bin.

Her identity was not known at first, and police dubbed her “Baby Grace.” Police sketches of the child were widely distributed, and Sheryl Sawyers, the girl’s paternal grandmother, contacted police from her Ohio home to say the drawing resembled her granddaughter. DNA testing confirmed the child’s identity.