Derrick Defoe

The case of an Athens man accused of intentionally scalding two children in a bathtub in 2015 is the next major case coming to trial in Limestone County, an official said Friday.

Limestone County District Attorney Brian Jones said 33-year-old Derrick Lynn Defoe is awaiting trial on the six counts he faces in connection with the scaldings, including two counts of aggravated child abuse causing serious injury, which are Class B felonies; two counts of first-degree domestic violence, which are Class A felonies; and two counts of attempted murder, which are Class A felonies.

Defoe remains in the Limestone County Jail with bail set at $170,000.

Two other cases — Robert Glen Kahler’s child pornographic images case and Johnny Darryl Strong’s first-degree robbery case — will be next in line for trial, Jones said, though he could not say which would come first.

Scalding case

Defoe’s girlfriend, 26-year-old Amanda Marie Reyer, was convicted last year on two counts of aggravated child abuse in connection with the same case. In July 2018, Circuit Judge Robert Baker sentenced her to serve 40 years in prison, 20 years for each count to be served consecutively. She and Defoe were facing the same six charges until she agreed to plead guilty to the two Class B felonies under a plea agreement offered by the DA’s office.

Reyer testified at her trial she agreed to “dip” her two children in the hot bath because she was “trying to appease” Defoe by using an alternate punishment after her children — a 5-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl — were caught messing up a bed. She said she feared whatever punishment he would come up with, so she tried to recreate something she’d seen on television, intending only to turn the children’s skin pink.

Investigators found the water heater was set at 150 degrees on the night of the incident, hot enough to cause severe burns on both of the children.

Reyer’s son was taken to Children’s of Alabama for treatment. The 2-year-old girl was taken to Children’s before being taken to Shriners Hospital in Cincinnati, a burn specialist. She had burns on 70-80 percent of her body. Due to intensive scarring, she will have to undergo regular surgery until she is an adult to loosen skin and accommodate her growth.

The child, now in the custody of her paternal grandmother, can walk again and is attending school.