ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – Evelyn Odom has been sentenced to life with the possibility for parole for the death of her daughter, Kenyatta “KeKe” Odom. Friday, Feb. 6, Chief Judge Denise Marshall brought a close to the case 37 years after KeKe’s 5-year-old body was found in Ware County.

Life with the possibility of parole was the minimum sentence for Odom’s charges. She was sentenced as follows:

• Count 1: Felony murder- Life with the possibility of parole
• Count 2: Cruelty to children- Merged with Count 1
• Count 3: Aggravated battery- No sentence, as she was found not guilty by the jury of this charge
• Count 4: Conspiracy to commit a crime- 12 months to run concurrently with Count 1
• Count 5: Concealing the death of another- 12 months to run concurrently with Count 1

Counts 4 and 5 are running concurrently with Count 1, meaning they will be served at the same time a Count 1 and not after, which would be a “consecutive” sentence.

Before the sentence was handed down, the defense attempted to get a reduced sentence for Evelyn Odom. They argued that because the jury returned a not guilty verdict for her aggravated battery charge, which the state alleged caused KeKe’s death, she should not be automatically sentenced to life.

“We do not believe that the sentence today reflected what truly took place in trial,” Julius Collins, the attorney representing Evelyn Odom, said. “There was no evidence that she caused the death. We believe when you look at the aggravated battery, that’s why the jury rejected that charge. We respect the court ruling, there are avenues to have this undone.”

Evelyn Odom’s defense attorney’s were hoping for a “Sentencing Deviation” which would allow the judge to impose a sentence outside of the recommended guideline range. In court they cited “Sentence Mitigation” in ‘The Survivor’s Justice Act’, saying that “...survivors may still be convicted, but their history should inform their sentence.”

They also cited Sanders’ lesser sentence.

“The co-defendant, who had everything to gain in this position, who also committed multiple acts of violence and abuse, and even shot up Ms. Evelyn Odom’s car in the past, got a slap on the hand,” Attorney Collins said.

Ultimately, Judge Denise Marshall decided to proceed with the sentencing guidelines Friday for Evelyn Odom. Judge Marshall said all of the issues presented by the defense will have to be thoroughly addressed and clarified during any post conviction proceedings.

“In this instance, Kenyatta did not victimize Evelyn Odom. But they were trying to say that the evidence regarding Ulyster Sanders victimizing Evelyn Odom was the bases for her doing the things that she did,” Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards, said. “She’s the one that’s ultimately responsible. The character of a community is shown best by how we protect our senior citizens, our disabled, and particularly our children.”

Before the sentence was handed down, other children of Evelyn Odom gave impact statements.

“This ain’t easy for me because that’s all I know, my mama.”

“I know y’all got to do what y’all got to do, but I ain’t never going to stop believing my mama,” Evelyn Odom’s daughter said.

Defense attorneys for Evelyn Odom say they plan to file appeals, but DA Edwards says he believes the evidence is clear-- that Evelyn Odom caused her 5-year-old’s death.

The GBI reopened the cold case in KeKe’s death after more than three decades. Using new DNA technology and a forensic sketch, they finally solved the mystery of “Baby Jane Doe,” aka KeKe.

Evelyn Odom was convicted in August 2025 after just a few hours of deliberation by a Dougherty County jury.

At that time, Judge Marshall noted that the jury rendered a guilty verdict fairly after two and a half weeks of attentively listening to both sides.

Previous coverage of Evelyn Odom’s case can be found below:

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