Dad Strangles, Murders 2-Year-Old Daughter During Police Chase as Horrified Family Watches
(Photo courtesy of Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez)
A Texas man, Deontray Flanagan, 26, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison after a horrifying incident in which he strangled his 2-year-old daughter, Zevaya Marie Flanagan, during a police chase. Flanagan reportedly FaceTimed the child’s mother and grandfather as the tragic event unfolded.
The ordeal began on March 20, 2023, when Flanagan confronted Kairsten Watson, Zevaya’s mother, at the Walmart in Houston where she worked. Flanagan, angry and accusing Watson of infidelity, demanded her phone passcodes and other personal information, threatening to kill their daughter if she did not comply.
Watson complied but tried to rescue Zevaya. Unable to wrest her daughter from Flanagan, she was struck in the face before Flanagan fled with the child, taking Watson’s phone along with his own, according to KRIV.
Police quickly located Flanagan by tracking one of the phones, initiating a 45-minute, 30-mile chase. Flanagan drove recklessly, traveling the wrong way on roads and colliding with other vehicles. Authorities later stopped his red Camaro and found Zevaya unrestrained in the vehicle, already deceased.
According to investigators, Flanagan strangled Zevaya while FaceTiming Watson, showing her the lifeless body of their daughter. During the call, Watson pleaded, “Please stop – that is our daughter,” as video evidence later shown in court revealed.
In a harrowing testimony, Watson recounted the call, saying, “Her face was just covered in blood. He hit her with something really hard, and then he called me on FaceTime, and he showed me. He choked her on FaceTime. I said, ‘Tray stop, that is your daughter, stop, she loves you.’”
Curtis Watson, Zevaya’s grandfather, also received a FaceTime call. He said, “I had hoped for a peaceful end. But then he showed me the lifeless corpse of my granddaughter. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”
After the chase ended, Flanagan engaged in a 20-minute standoff with a SWAT team before being apprehended. Zevaya was rushed to a hospital but pronounced dead upon arrival.
During the trial, Flanagan caused further disruption by attacking a KHOU reporter, prompting court deputies to restrain him. Despite the tragedy, Zevaya’s memory endures. “You may have taken her last breath,” Curtis Watson said, “but you cannot kill her spirit, her memory, or her name.”
