Dad gets custody this fall, then beats 16-month-old son to death (Germantown, Tennessee)

Whadya know. Dad CURTIS LEE MORRIS, JR. had hardly secured custody this fall when he proceeded to beat his 16-month-son to death. The little boy's 3-year-old sister appears to have been part of the custody deal too, though she was apparently unharmed physically. (Emotionally has got to be a different issue, since the boy was beaten to death in a two-bedroom condo with the little girl present in the home.)

WE NEED ANSWERS! What freaking judge and other court whores saw fit to grant this guy custody of two young children? Let's see the names.

And what previous allegations, evidence of domestic violence were ignored or downplayed? (Although the reporter tells us that Daddy has no "local criminal record," we see that police were called to Dad's place by a 27-year-old female last JUNE on reports of an assault. And THAT didn't come up in September when Dad went for custody? How did y'all miss that red flag?) And ff you missed that one, what other red flags did you miss or ignore?

We're also told that Mom was convicted of a domestic violence assault in 2004. Though subsequent events must make you wonder if this was for real--or whether it was it self-defense and/or a lot of manipulative fast talking on daddy's part. The latter looks like the more likely scenario at this point.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/nov/19/dad-accused-beating-his-son-had-just-gotten-custod/

Dad accused of beating his son had just gotten custody in fall
Germantown police still unable to locate child's mother
By Lela Garlington
Posted November 19, 2009 at midnight

A Germantown father who is accused of beating his 16-month-old son to death was just awarded custody of the child this fall.

Curtis Lee Morris Jr., 27, remains in jail on $300,000 bond. He is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Isaiah Snipes.

The baby died Saturday afternoon. Morris called 911 and reported the child was not breathing inside his two-bedroom condo at Fountain Square Condominiums.

An autopsy showed that the toddler had sustained “violent blunt-force trauma” to the abdomen, which caused massive internal injuries.

Barry Mitchell of Shelby County Juvenile Court said Morris gained custody of the child in September from the baby’s mother, Erica B. Snipes, also 27, of Memphis. Police have not been able to locate the mother.

Mitchell said he could not go into detail about why Morris was given custody.

Germantown police Dep. Chief Rodney Bright said Wednesday that Isaiah’s 3-year-old sister, Tierney, was inside the apartment when the baby was killed. Bright is uncertain if Tierney’s last name is Snipes or Morris.

“We left her in the custody of the grandparents on Saturday night,” he said. The paternal grandparents live in Germantown. In addition, police called the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services.

Regarding the toddler’s mother, Bright said, “We’ve been trying to reach her. She’s been out of pocket for some period of time.”

Except for the 3-year-old girl, Bright said, “It doesn’t appear that anyone else was there.”

When asked if police would try to interview her, he added, “It’s possible but we would defer to some specialist.”

He confirmed that police were called to Morris’ condo for another incident June 22, but he wouldn’t say if anyone was arrested. A dispatcher’s log said a 27-year-old female called and reported “assault, cut to hand.”

And a 911 dispatch call from the residence on July 3, 2008, said a 26-year-old female called and was having labor pains.

Court records show that the mother was found guilty of domestic assault in 2004. She served seven days in jail.

Audubon Park Place Apartments also filed a civil lawsuit against her in 2008 in which a lien was placed against her.

Except for minor traffic offenses, the father has no local criminal record. If Morris is found guilty, he faces 15 to 60 years in jail and would not be eligible for parole. He will appear in court Dec. 9 for arraignment.