KEMMERER — The babysitter who beat a 5-year-old girl in her care to death about 18 months ago was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without parole, while many of her family members tearfully begged the judge for an option of parole and claiming the woman was wrongly convicted.
“As difficult as it is, I am going to sentence you to life without parole,” said Lincoln County District Court Judge Joseph Bluemel during 52-year-old Cheri Marler’s sentencing hearing in Kemmerer, Wyoming, on Wednesday.
A jury convicted Marler on May 10 of first-degree murder and child abuse in the beating death of 5-year-old Annabelle Noles, who’d been in Marler’s care for weeks in late 2022.
Bluemel had listened as two of Marler’s daughters, her son, her brother and sister-in-law and her husband pleaded for a parole option.
He also listened to some claims by relatives that Marler was wrongfully convicted, and that the dangerous stairs in her home — not Marler — caused the little girl’s severe brain damage and later death on Nov. 25, 2022.
“Those stairs are deadly,” said Steven Holcomb, Marler’s brother. “I went down them, I cracked my skull on them.”
Holcomb said he hasn’t gotten along with his sister throughout their lives, but he doesn’t believe her capable of the acts of violence for which the jury convicted her.
“I really cannot buy into it that my sister was responsible for that girl dying,” he said.
Marler’s oldest daughter Anna Hamilton said she fell down those stairs when she was seven months pregnant, possibly prompting her to give birth eight weeks early. She said a cousin had fallen down the stairs too.
Others, like Marler’s son and other daughter, likewise attested to having fallen down the stairs and hurting themselves.
The jury had decided not to fault the stairs, convicting Marler of first-degree murder and child abuse.
The verdict followed the testimonies of multiple medical professionals that the stairs were not a credible explanation for the girl’s constellation of serious injuries, including the brain damage that ultimately led to her death.
Marler had told police in an interview soon after her arrest that she was angry at the little girl for her many misbehaviors and clapped her head between her hands repeatedly.
Marler’s family members also told the judge they know her as a gentle person and a good mother and grandmother.
No, Thanks
Marler declined to give a testimony at her sentencing hearing, saying she wants to preserve her chance at a successful appeal.
She has about 30 days to file a notice of appeal.
“I would love to address (this), I really would,” Marler told Bluemel, as she became tearful. “I am very sick. I don’t want to die in prison.”
Marler said if she knew Bluemel was going to offer her parole, she would testify, but she didn’t want to face the unknown.
“It sucks that I have to wait and possibly never be heard,” she said.
Earlier in court, she told Bluemel she’d try her best to focus, but pain from her reported chronic and pervasive injuries could be clouding her mind.
Marler’s trial was postponed at least once on account of her injuries and need for treatment. But when she requested a furlough so she could get treatment after her conviction, Bluemel said that was not appropriate.
It’s Over
To Kemmerer Police Department Sgt. Jake Walker, a key investigator on the case, the verdict and sentencing were both a huge relief.
“This community rallied and came together and was waiting for justice to be served, and our courts did a very good job,” he said. “The attorneys that prosecuted the case worked relentlessly and they did a very good job, and so we thank the justice system.”
Lincoln County Attorney Spencer Allred, who prosecuted the case along with deputy John Bowers, said he was full of relief after Wednesday’s hearing.
“We are happy to hear the sentence in this matter. We think it’s an appropriate sentence,” said Allred. “This is a horrific case we’ve been going on for almost two years now. It’s nice to finally have justice in this case.”
He extended gratitude to law enforcement and to his staff, who have put in “countless hours” on the case.
“I hope this helps with some of the healing for the community as well,” he said. “It’s a good day for Lincoln County.”
Kayla Kartchner, the mother of 5-year-old Annabelle Noles, whom Cheri Marler beat to death in 2022. (Clair McFarland, Cowboy State Daily) 
Kemmerer Police Department Sgt. Jake Walker investigated the beating death of 5-year-old Annabelle Noles. (Clair McFarland, Cowboy State Daily) 
Cheri Marler, convicted of killing a 5-year-old girl in her care, hid her face after her sentencing hearing Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Kemmerer, Wyoming. (Clair McFarland, Cowboy State Daily)
Moving On
Noles’ mother Kayla Kartchner watched Marler’s sentencing from the back pew of the courtroom. She chose not to testify, but she had submitted a victim impact statement to the judge.
Kartchner was happy when Bluemel uttered the words “without parole,” Kartchner told Cowboy State Daily after the hearing.
“She doesn’t deserve to be out. She doesn’t deserve to sit there and be around people, especially if she’s going to lie,” said Kartchner.
Kartchner’s younger daughter, who was also in Marler’s care during the attack and was originally suspected of being an abuse victim herself, is being adopted, Kartchner said.
“She’s in a wonderful family, and they love her like she was their own,” she said, adding that she still gets to see and talk to the little girl.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
