Caddo Jury Selection Starts for Suspected Child Killer

Back in September of 2021 Ureka Black was arrested after allegedly throwing her children off of the Cross Lake Bridge in to the water below. One of the children was found alive and the other (who was only 10-months old) tragically passed away.

Jury selection has started in this case, and the trial will move forward. Black was found competent to stand trial for the murder of her infant son and attempted murder of her other son.

Black, who has prior arrest records for prostitution, human trafficking, arson, simple assault, drugs and domestic battery, has been jailed without bond since she was arrested.  Her attorney requested a mental competency evaluation stating Black could not discern right from wrong.  A sanity commission including a psychiatrist and a psychologist was appointed to examine Black last year.  She has been found competent to stand trial.

Black's two sons, 5 year old Elijah, and 10 month old Joshua, were found in Cross Lake September 2023 by a yard crew working in the area who contacted police.  Elijah was found alive floating on his back, but his younger brother Joshua did not survive in the water.

The surviving son Elijah told KTBS News that before rolling him off the bridge his mother stated that he was going to "Meet God" and was also quoted as saying hitting the water "Felt like a cannonball".

Black faces a life sentence if convicted of the second-degree murder charge. If convicted of the attempted second-degree murder, she faces 10 to 50 years without parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

Jury selection begins today. (9/11/23)