In the quiet town of Sweetwater, Tennessee, a tragedy unfolded that cut short the life of a two-year-old girl named Alayna June Butts. On Valentine's Day in 2023, an altercation at a residence on Hawkins Road escalated into a burst of gunfire. Alayna was struck in the head by a bullet during the chaos and was rushed to a Knoxville hospital. Despite medical efforts, the young female child succumbed to her injuries three days later on February 17, 2023.
The incident began when several men
arrived at the home. An argument erupted, leading to an exchange of gunfire. One of the men, Lenning Huerta, was believed to have fired the shot that fatally wounded Alayna. He was found deceased at the scene with a gunshot wound to the head. In the wake of the shooting, a complex investigation was launched, leading to the indictment of multiple individuals on serious charges.
Initially, five men were charged in connection with the events that led to Alayna's death: Nathaniel Kain McEwan, Francisco Lagunas Jr., Liu Huerta, Itzhui Huerta, and Malachi Franklin. The charges against them included first-degree murder, felony murder, and attempted murder, holding them criminally responsible for the circumstances that resulted in the child's death. In a startling development nearly two years after the incident, a Monroe County grand jury also indicted Alayna's mother, Sophia Sloan, on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child neglect in February 2025. This brought the total number of individuals facing charges in the case to six. Sloan is scheduled to face trial in January 2026.
