Murder, exploitation cases move ahead in Burke court

Burke County’s Superior Court was back in session, with new and returning faces appearing from behind the “Court Officials Only” door, jingling as the chains around their waists and ankles shifted in the quiet courtroom.

Gracie Kay Cook, 19, entered the room led by two officers on June 1, her pink prison uniform in bright contrast to the black-clad sheriff deputies and the usual black-and-white jumpsuits of the male inmates.

Officers arrested Cook on May 31, following a six-month investigation into the death of her 14-month-old. The Burke County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence on U.S. 64 in reference to a cardiac arrest, where they found the child already deceased.

Cook’s arrest is the second related to the death, with the father, Samuel Hensley, preceding her in court by a little over a week. Both were charged with second-degree murder, committed “without regard (for human life).”

Her first appearance for that charge in District Court came later in the day, where she received a $500,000 secured bond and court-appointed lawyer Steven Cheuvront.

Earlier that morning, Cook, however, appeared in Superior Court on allegations that she violated her probation in three ways — by falsely claiming she worked at Valdese Weavers, testing positive for fentanyl and methamphetamine, and being arrested on a second-degree murder charge.

After Superior Court Judge Daniel Kuehnert explained the violations, Cook said, “I ain’t getting no bond? That’s what they told me.”

Kuehnert said she would likely receive a bond for the murder charge next door, in the District courtroom, but that he would be assigning a bond of $25,000 to the probation violation case.

As she left the courtroom, she continued expressing discontent that she hadn’t received bond for the new charge yet.

On June 1, a Burke County grand jury indicted both Cook and Hensley, moving the cases into Superior Court. Both will appear in court again on Sept. 28.

THE TEACHER

A few hours after Cook, former Valdese Elementary School teacher Michael John Daigler took his place in front of the judge, his head freshly shaved and his face pinched as he peered continuously around the courtroom.

A Burke County grand jury indicted Daigler on Feb. 23 for two counts of disseminating obscene material to a minor under 16.

Along with the two charges for which Daigler was originally arrested, the February indictment also added another nine charges for second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

During the appearance for the first case, Daigler’s first court-appointed lawyer, Andrew Sheffer, withdrew, citing the newer, higher-degree felonies that his client had earned.

Sheffer explained that he normally covers only class H and I felonies, and that Victor Yamouti, the attorney appointed for the new nine Class E charges, could handle both cases.

The lower the felony class is alphabetically, the more severe the charges and the corresponding possible punishments. For example, Class E charges are more serious than Class H or I.

The court granted his withdrawal and assigned Yamouti to both cases.

According to Valdese Police Chief Marc Sharpe, Daigler confessed to corresponding with approximately 50 juveniles, obtaining and exchanging sexually explicit material, during an interview with Sharpe and an agent of the State Bureau of Investigation on Nov. 10, 2025.

Daigler told the chief he never met any of the minors offline for sex.

His next appearance in court for both cases will be on Sept. 28.