Mother sentenced to life in prison for murdering 4-year-old, abandoning 1-year-old on interstate

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC/Gray News) - A mother in Louisiana was sentenced to life in prison for killing her 4-year-old child and abandoning her baby near an interstate.

Aaliyah Jack, 28, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing her son, Legend, and 15 years for cruelty to juveniles for abandoning her 1-year-old child, Kingtrail.

Legend had been living with his paternal grandmother, Dion Polk, since May 2024. Polk said she dropped him off with Jack’s mother on July 6, 2024, after which Jack ran off with him and Kingtrail.

Legend’s body was found in the water near an interstate welcome center two days later. A truck driver spotted Kingtrail crawling along I-10 just a few miles away the next morning.

Jack was arrested in Mississippi the same day Kingtrail was rescued. She was later charged with second-degree murder and cruelty to a juvenile.

When deputies brought Jack to the Calcasieu Correctional Center on July 20, she told a KPLC reporter that she had killed Legend and abandoned Kingtrail while “under the influence of drugs.”

A Calcasieu Parish jury convicted Jack of second-degree murder and child cruelty in September after seeing Legend’s autopsy photos and hearing from detectives and family members.

While the murder conviction came with a mandatory life sentence, a decision had to be made regarding the cruelty to juveniles charge.

Jack made a statement in court that was hard to follow and repeatedly said she did not know what to say.

During the sentencing, Jack did not apologize and instead talked about spending money for someone’s birthday. It was unclear who she was referring to.

Ultimately, the judge ruled that Jack had shown deliberate cruelty to both victims.

The prosecution says justice was served.

“I am always sorry for the families on both sides. Nobody wins here. I believe that justice was done. I believe that Ms. Jack is going to spend the rest of her life in prison, which is where she belongs, because of the nature of what she did,” first assistant district attorney Jacob Johnson said.