The Derion Vence case ended on May 27, 2021, when Vence pleaded guilty in Harris County to injury to a child and tampering with a corpse in the death of four-year-old Maleah Davis, and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.1Fox 26 Houston. Derion Vence Pleads Guilty, Sentenced to 40 Years in Maleah Davis Case Maleah had been left in his care in a Houston apartment in early May 2019. He reported her kidnapped, investigators found the story didn’t hold, and her remains were recovered from a roadside in Arkansas.
Who Derion Vence Was to Maleah Davis
Vence was engaged to Maleah’s mother, Brittany Bowens, and lived with her, Maleah, and two other young children in a Houston apartment. He was 26 at the time of the disappearance and 28 at sentencing. He was not Maleah’s biological father and held no legal guardianship over her. Her biological father was Craig Davis Jr.
Maleah had a documented history of serious injury before May 2019. Child Protective Services removed her and her two brothers from the home in August 2018 after allegations of physical abuse tied to a head injury that had required brain surgery.2Fox 5 NY. Maleah Davis Had Been Removed From Home, Returned From CPS Custody Court documents said both Bowens and Craig Davis had “engaged in a history or pattern of child abuse and child neglect,” though a doctor could not confirm whether the injuries were caused by abuse.3Click2Houston. Why CPS Says Maleah Davis Was Pulled From Her Home Last Year A judge ordered the children returned home in February 2019, with monthly CPS check-ins.4CNN. Maleah Davis Missing Child Protective Services
What Happened in Early May 2019
On April 30, 2019, Bowens flew to Massachusetts for her father’s funeral. She couldn’t afford to bring Maleah and left the child with Vence.5Fox 26 Houston. Brittany Bowens Sits Down With Fox 26 to Tell Her Side Apartment surveillance recorded Vence and Maleah entering the unit that day. She was never recorded leaving.6ABC News. Mother of Maleah Davis, Missing Houston Girl
On May 3, a neighbor’s camera showed Vence leaving the apartment carrying a large blue laundry basket that held a black plastic bag. He came back three minutes later without it. Later the same day, he left again with cleaning supplies, including two bottles of bleach.7Fox 26 Houston. Timeline of Events in Maleah Davis Case8NBC DFW. Prosecutor: Dogs Detected Decomposition in Missing Girl Case
On May 4, Vence walked into a Sugar Land hospital with a head wound and told police Maleah had been kidnapped.
The Kidnapping Story and Why It Fell Apart
Vence told investigators he had been driving to George Bush Intercontinental Airport to pick up Bowens when a popping noise made him pull over. A blue pickup truck stopped. Two men got out, one of them commented on Maleah’s appearance, and the other knocked him unconscious. He said he came to in the back of the truck with three men, Maleah, and his own one-year-old son, and later woke in Sugar Land with only his son.9Good Morning America. Stepfather of Missing Texas Girl Claims Kidnapped, Arrested
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said publicly that detectives did not believe him.10ABC News. Man Indicted for Tampering With Body of Slain Maleah Davis The physical evidence pointed the other direction. Surveillance footage showed someone in Vence’s silver Nissan Altima dropping him at the hospital, which contradicted his claim that the car had been taken during the abduction. Investigators found blood in the apartment hallway and bathroom that matched Maleah’s DNA. Cadaver dogs detected human decomposition in the trunk of the Altima and on a laundry basket recovered from inside it. A gas can was also in the car.9Good Morning America. Stepfather of Missing Texas Girl Claims Kidnapped, Arrested
Vence was arrested on May 11, 2019, and charged with tampering with evidence, specifically a human corpse. A judge set bail at $1 million.6ABC News. Mother of Maleah Davis, Missing Houston Girl
The Confession and the Body in Arkansas
On May 31, 2019, community activist Quanell X said Vence had confessed to him during a jail visit. According to Quanell X, Vence said he had “snapped” and punched the child after an argument with Bowens, called the death “an accident,” and said he had put her body in a trash bag and dumped it along a road in Arkansas.11ABC 7 NY. Quanell X on Maleah Davis Suspect: Derion Snapped12Fox 26 Houston. Derion Vence’s Attorney Asks Judge to Block Jail Visits From Quanell X
That same day, a road maintenance crew found a black garbage bag giving off a foul odor along the roadside near Exit 18 in Fulton, Arkansas, about 13 miles from Hope. Houston police had coordinated with the Hempstead County Sheriff’s Office based on Quanell X’s information.13NBC DFW. Activist Claims Maleah Davis Stepfather Confesses to Dumping Her Body in Arkansas On June 3, 2019, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences identified the remains as Maleah’s.14NBC News. Maleah Davis Case: Remains Found in Arkansas Identified
The Charges and Why Not Murder
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences ruled the cause of death “homicidal violence” and the manner homicide.15ABC 7 News. Homicidal Violence Ruled in Maleah Davis Death Grand jury documents said her airway had been “restricted by an unknown object.”16ABC 13. Maleah Davis Airway Restricted When She Died, Documents
On August 5, 2019, prosecutors added a charge of causing serious bodily injury to a child, a first-degree felony carrying a potential life sentence.17Houston Public Media. Harris County Prosecutors File New Charge Against Derion Vence A murder charge was never filed. A spokesperson for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said that while murder carried the same potential life sentence, prosecutors would have had to prove Vence specifically intended to kill Maleah.18ABC 13. Maleah Davis Cousin Rants Outside Courtroom The DA’s office said a murder charge was “not off the table” as the investigation continued, but none was ultimately filed.
The Guilty Plea and 40-Year Sentence
After roughly two years in jail held in 23-hour-a-day lockdown, Vence pleaded guilty on May 27, 2021, to injury to a child and tampering with a corpse. He was sentenced to 40 years for injury to a child and 20 years for tampering with a corpse, to run concurrently.1Fox 26 Houston. Derion Vence Pleads Guilty, Sentenced to 40 Years in Maleah Davis Case The plea papers stated that he hit the girl, restricted her airways, and failed to provide necessary medical care. Police were unable to identify the specific blunt object used.19Houston Chronicle. Derion Vence Maleah Davis Guilty Plea A trial could have brought a life sentence.20Houston Public Media. Derion Vence Pleads Guilty, Gets 40 Years in the Death of Maleah Davis
His attorney, Dorian Cotlar, said Vence entered the plea because he “was ready to accept responsibility” and “did not want to put Maleah Davis’ family through a trial and all of the additional trauma that goes along with that.”20Houston Public Media. Derion Vence Pleads Guilty, Gets 40 Years in the Death of Maleah Davis
At the sentencing hearing, Bowens asked Vence directly to tell her what had happened to her daughter. He said nothing. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement, “Children are the most vulnerable members of our community and young Maleah’s death is tragic. We may never have all the answers in this case and our thoughts are with her family.”21NBC DFW. Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison in Death of Maleah Davis Bowens was never charged with any crime in connection with Maleah’s death.5Fox 26 Houston. Brittany Bowens Sits Down With Fox 26 to Tell Her Side