BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama woman accused of running her granddaughter to death is asking an appeals court to dismiss a capital murder charge against her.
Lawyers for 49-year-old Joyce Garrard Hardin have filed papers raising questions about the autopsy of 9-year-old Savannah Hardin. The woman has been jailed since February 2012 on charges of killing her granddaughter, accused of making the child run for hours as punishment for telling a lie.
Defense lawyers are asking the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to make a lower court throw the charge, citing possible problems and delays. Prosecutors have yet to respond.
Hardin says she's innocent. She's scheduled to face trial starting Feb. 12.
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