Custodial dad, step arrested for murder of 3-year-old daughter (Irvington, New Jersey)

Seems the biological mother was unable to care for her little daughter (reasons not specified), so the child was sent to foster care.

Well, Daddy TAMIR LITTLE decided he just had to have custody, ya know. So when the little girl was made available for adoption in July 2009, he pounced.

According to authorities, Daddy (and the new step) started to abuse this girl immediately. Within FOUR MONTHS (November 2009), this POS apparently managed to murder this child. She showed signs of having been beaten by a belt and cord, in addition to the blunt force trauma injuries that killed her.

And Daddy's motivations for getting custody were what again? So he could provide loving care to his child? Or so he could have his own punching bag? And am I to assume that the foster people found NO prior evidence of domestic violence or other signs of volatile behavior when they evaluated Daddy? I sincerely doubt that.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Couple-Arrested-for-Murder-of-Their-3-year-old-Daughter-94874249.html

Couple Arrested for Murder of 3-Year-Old Daughter
Updated 9:30 PM EDT, Tue, May 25, 2010

Parents Tamir Little, 31, and Samirah Lightford, 23, of Irvington, N.J. were indicted and arrested Tuesday on charges of murder and endangering the welfare of their 3-year-old daughter Neveah Turner.

Assistant Prosecutor Peter Guarino says the biological mother Lightford was unable to care for Turner, consequently sending her to foster care. When the child was made available for adoption in July 2009, her father Little sought custody.

In November, Turner was taken to Beth Israel hospital in Newark and declared brain dead 2 days later.

An autopsy revealed the little girl died from blunt force trauma.

Abuse allegedly began when the child was in her father’s custody in July. Turner allegedly had belt marks and cord marks and sustained blunt force type injuries from what is commonly known as shaken baby syndrome.

Both parents were taken into custody on bail for $300,000.