A Whatcom County woman is guilty of torturing a 3-year-old Bellingham girl to death in 2019.
A jury found Kamee Nicole Dixon, 30, guilty of homicide by abuse Thursday, June 30, in Whatcom County Superior Court for the Nov. 30, 2019, death of Hazel Journey Homan.
A mistrial was declared as to the second-degree murder charge because the jury was deadlocked and could not reach a unanimous verdict.
The jury also found that Dixon used her position of trust or responsibility to commit homicide by abuse and that Dixon knew or should have known that Hazel was vulnerable or incapable of resistance.
Dixon's sentencing has tentatively been scheduled for July 14.
Hazel's death was ruled a homicide Jan. 23, 2020, by the King County Medical Examiner's Office.
Dixon was not Hazel's biological mother, but was Hazel's primary caregiver and was in a relationship with Hazel's biological father, Brandon Homan, at the time of the toddler's death.
Dixon's jury trial began in mid-April, with jury selection occurring in March. It is one of the longest jury trials in Whatcom County Superior Court's history.
Dixon has been incarcerated in Whatcom County Jail since December 2019 in lieu of $1 million bail.
Dixon's defense attorneys argued that Hazel's death was a "tragic accident."
Emily Beschen, one of Dixon's defense attorneys, said on the morning of Nov. 27, 2019, Hazel choked on a breakfast sandwich Dixon had bought her and that a lack of oxygen to the child's brain ultimately resulted in her death.
Whatcom County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Erik Sigmar argued that Dixon hit Hazel until the child suffered a traumatic brain injury that resulted in her death. Sigmar said over the last five months of her life, Hazel suffered repeated abuse at the hands of Dixon.
