Dad with visitation in court for killing 7-year-old son (Worcester, Massachusetts)

Update on dad LESLIE G. SCHULER, who just had to have his visitation rights. So what does he do after he gets them? He proceeds to beat his 7-year-old son for a month, until he finally strangled him on Father's Day. Dad is now in court. Sickening.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/08/07/court_documents_show_weeks_of_abuse_led_up_to_childs_death/

Court documents show weeks of abuse led up to child’s death

By Priyanka Dayal
Worcester Telegram &Amp; Gazette / August 7, 2009

WORCESTER - While his fiancée watched, Leslie G. Schuler hit and strangled his 7-year-old son on Father’s Day, according to court documents released Wednesday.

Schuler, 36, is accused of abusing Nathaniel Turner for weeks, hitting him with a belt and shoving him into a wall, before the beatings eventually led to the child’s death.

Case files were released after a six-week impoundment. A judge granted Assistant District Attorney Paula J. Frasso’s motion to impound files June 23 on grounds that releasing them would impede the investigation into Nathaniel’s death.

Steven E. Thomas, associate justice of Central District Court, said the files were impounded also “to protect the privacy rights of the then-critically injured child.’’

“Tragically, as the child has since passed away, so, too, passes this justification for continued impoundment,’’ the judge wrote.

The Telegram & Gazette argued in court that the files should be released, and the newspaper received 65 pages of documents yesterday.

On June 21, Schuler slapped Nathaniel in the face, sat on him, struck him in the stomach, and strangled him, according to a report by Detective Donna M. Brissette.

His fiancée, 29-year-old Tiffany N. Hyman, is accused of making no attempt to stop Schuler.

According to police and court documents, Hyman observed Schuler abuse Nathaniel repeatedly, from May 19 to June 21.

The morning after the June 21 beating, Hyman and Schuler, who both lived at 13 Arline St., took the boy to St. Vincent Hospital, where doctors found he had a severe abdominal injury and no brain activity.

Nathaniel was transferred to UMass Memorial Medical Center University Campus, where he was declared dead June 23, but his body remained on life support until June 27. His death certificate states the cause of death as “pending.’’

Schuler is charged with assault to murder and several counts of assault and battery. He is being held without bail while his case continues in Central District Court.

Hyman was indicted in Superior Court in connection with her alleged role in allowing the abuse to occur. She was being held on $50,000 cash bail, but Judge Peter W. Agnes Jr. lowered the bail to $5,000.

Nathaniel’s mother, Alicia Turner, has not spoken with reporters. But her sister, Kajuna Turner, voiced anger when Hyman’s bail was lowered.

“That’s extremely disgusting,’’ Turner said. “She is just as accountable as him [Schuler]. Justice isn’t being served for Nathaniel right now.’’

When Schuler was arraigned in court last month, Kajuna Turner launched into a tirade against him and had to be escorted from the courtroom.

“He’ll never get forgiveness,’’ she said in a recent interview.

She remembered Nathaniel as a vibrant and curious boy who knew the Bible and got good grades in school. Nathaniel had been living with his father and Hyman for just a few weeks before his death. Before the summer, the boy had been living in Alabama with his maternal grandmother.

Schuler previously denied being the boy’s father, but in March 2008 he filed paperwork asking for visitation rights.