EXCLUSIVEMy best friend killed my son while babysitting. I didn’t hold back when she texted me to ‘spare her jailtime’

A heartbroken mother whose son was abused to death by her best friend said that the now-convicted felon texted her just before she was taken to jail with an absurd request. Two-year-old Kristian Harris of Mississippi, tragically died on September 15 2022, after he was brutally tortured by Makallie Durham, 25.

Makallie, of Iuka, pleaded guilty to capital murder and several counts of child abuse last month. She will now spend the rest of her life behind bars for her heinous actions.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com this week, Kristian’s mother, Justin Hurd, 23, revealed that after Alcorn County deputy sheriffs responded to the call on September 13, 2022, Makallie frantically texted her that police were taking her to jail.

Justin described her shock over her former friend’s plea for help after she was arrested for abusing her son and her 11-month-old daughter at the time.

‘And I said, “Your a** should go [to jail]! Because why my babies got bruises all over them? You better hope they take you before I get there”,’ Justin recalled telling Durham.

Authorities were called to Makllie’s boyfriend’s home that dreadful day after he dialed 911 to report that Kristian was unconscious.

At the time, both Kristian and his little sister K’Helani were in Makallie’s care and had been for days, Justin said.

Makallie, of Iuka, pleaded guilty to capital murder and several counts of child abuse in December. When she was arrested, Justin said that her ex-best friend texted her saying she was being taken to jail

Two-year-old Kristian Harris of Mississippi, tragically died on September 15, 2022 after he was brutally tortured by Makallie Elizabeth Durham, 25. (Pictured: Kristian and his mother, Justin Hurd)

She said that Makallie’s boyfriend – a trucker who was not home at the time – had called the police after the babysitter called him about what happened.

Justin and her mother, Christina Hurd, 48, were soon informed that Kristian was being rushed to the hospital. When she was told that her child was unconscious, Justin said she was ‘worried’ and ‘frantic’ and hospital staff were making it hard for her to get to her child.

‘So, they were trying to keep me calm, calm enough to get to my kid, and then they would tell me the full details,’ Justin said, adding that her mother – Kristian’s grandmother – wasn’t even allowed to see him.

When she was finally able to walk into the hospital room, Justin said she immediately knew something was wrong.

‘So, when I got to my son [at the hospital], it was like 12:02 when I walked into that room. And I just started praying because I knew my baby was dead,’ she said, holding back tears.

While her son was fighting for his life, Justin soon realized that her daughter was nowhere to be found. When she asked officers where her daughter was, they responded completely oblivious that another child was in Makallie’s care at the time.

Kristian was rushed to the hospital on September 13, 2022, after he fell unconscious. He died two days later

Kristian’s mother and grandmother described him as a ‘phenomenal two-year-old’

And I’m like yeah – the whole time, my baby was in the room sleeping. Bruises all over her face, all over her abdomen and chest,’ she recalled.

Christina then went to get K’Helani, whom she knew was also severely abused the moment she saw her.

‘And I was like, “mama, let me see” and she was like, “You really don’t need to see. You need to get here”,’ Justin said.

‘And when I seen it, I was like “what the f***”.’

Although cops and prosecutors told Justin that her children were first abused on the ninth, she said the timeline still does not ‘add up.’

Makallie was accused of hitting Kristian ‘in the face or head’ on three separate occasions – September 9, 12 and 13, 2022, according to an indictment reviewed by Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. She was also accused of striking K’Helani ‘in the face or head’ three days in a row – from September 11 to 13.

‘She [Makallie] had them for a full week. Seven days. Day-for-day,’ she explained, adding that the babysitter’s boyfriend handed over home surveillance footage to police, which aided in determining when the abuse began.

Justin said she found out she was pregnant with her third child just days after burying Kristian. (Pictured: Kristian’s grave)

She said it was not unusual for Makallie to spend time with her children, as she would often come to pick them and insist that she keep them longer. (Pictured: Kristian and his mother)

During that week, Justin said she found out that Makallie and her children not only spent time at her boyfriend’s home, but also visited the babysitter’s mother and father’s homes. Because of this, Justin said she doesn’t know what truly occurred outside of Makallie’s partner’s home.

She said it was not unusual for Makallie to spend time with her children, as she would often come to pick them up and insist that she keep them longer.

‘My kids called her TiTi. That was her aunt from another mother, literally,’ Justin said.

The mother said that her children never came home with marks or bruises on them before and they both willingly went with Makallie when she came to pick them up.

‘Like, you couldn’t pay me at the time to believe she was just capable of thinking or doing anything of that nature,’ Justin added.

Justin even told Makallie that she could drop off her children at their grandmother’s just up the block that week, but she refused.

‘And she was like, “You know I love your kids. I would never let anything happen to your kids”,’ Justin recalled.

‘Yeah, I mean, I lost my kid. That doesn’t go by lightly. I wanted them to kill her [Makallie],’ Justin said, explaining that her family wanted her disgraced friend to get the death penalty, but it would have taken too long. (Pictured: Kristian)

‘And from that moment forward, I believe that’s when it started. When she made that statement.’

Even though Makallie has been convicted of murdering her child and abusing her daughter, Justin said justice will never truly be served because she will never be able to see her son again.

‘Yeah, I mean, I lost my kid. That doesn’t go by lightly. I wanted them to kill her [Makallie],’ Justin said, explaining that her family wanted her disgraced friend to get the death penalty, but it would have taken too long.

‘Yeah, it would’ve taken 20 years they said. Literally. If we would’ve tried her for the death penalty,’ Christina added.

If she ever got a chance to speak with Makallie one-on-one, Justin said she wouldn’t.

‘Yes, I’ve matured in so many ways, but when it comes to that aspect, I wouldn’t be mature enough to just sit there,’ she said. ‘I’d probably try to kill her.

‘I mean, you killed my baby. You tried to kill my other one. You took a lot from me.’

Justin said that soon after news broke about her son’s death, she was viciously attacked by trolls online who blamed her for his passing.

‘I mean, apparently I paid that girl to hurt my kids,’ Justin said.

‘Y’all acting like the girl had already murdered somebody before I gave her my kids,’ Justin added.

Now, a little more than two years after losing her son, described as a ‘phenomenal two-year-old,’ Justin has welcomed two more children into her life – a one-year-old daughter and six-month-old son.

She told DailyMail.com that she found out she was pregnant with her third child just days after burying Kristian.

Justin said that her now three-year-old daughter K’Helani remembers her late brother ‘to a certain extent.’

‘He was just such a loving, loving kid towards her. He was the best big brother,’ she said of Kristian.