Primary caretaker boyfriend on trial in death of 3-year-old girl (Troy, New York)

JOHN TINKLER isn't technically the father, but he was the surrogate dad, the stay-at-home "caretaker" of his girlfriend's children. Now he's on trial for the murder of her 3-year-old daughter. We posted on this case last year.

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=941779

Daughter's autopsy photo brings mom to tears
By BOB GARDINIER, Staff writer
Last updated: 2:01 p.m., Wednesday, June 16, 2010

TROY -- Zoe Sandercox's mother testified that her 3-year-old regularly had bruises from playing or falling but nothing like the one that killed her.

Gloria Sandercox took the stand in the murder trial of her former boyfriend John Tinkler Wednesday and said her daughter had bruising injuries twice prior to the June 6, 2009 incident which caused her death. A coroner's report said the child bled to death internally from blunt-force trauma to her abdomen caused by either a kick or a punch while Tinkler was baby sitting her and her four siblings.

Assistant District Attorney Jessica Hall showed Sandercox a family portrait taken at her job, Walmarts in Brunswick, around Easter 2009 that featured a bruise on the child's forehead.

''She told me she fell and hit her head on the coffee table,'' Sandercox said.

The mother said Zoe told her an earlier bruise in January 2009 happened when she fell getting out of the top of her bunk bed.

Sandercox said she was at work or otherwise out of the house when the injuries happened.

Tinkler, who was not Zoe's father and stayed at home to take care of the kids, is on trial for second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter and child endangerment in the child's death.

Sandercox was then shown a photograph taken shortly after her daughters death of the abdominal bruise and one opposite on the girls back.

She looked at the picture and started to cry, muttering "Oh my God, Oh my God" under her breath.

''Have you ever seen any other bruises on Zoe that look like that one,'' Hall asked.

''No,'' Sandercox said.

Trying to suggest that the prosecution was trying to sensationalize the photo of the fatal blow, Tinkler's attorney, Sanford Finkel, asked Sandercox if the bruises were really any different than any other she saw on her child.

''Yes, they're disgusting,'' Sandercox said again breaking down crying. ''Look at them.''

''Have you ever seen John hit the children,'' Finkel asked.

''No,'' Sandercox replied.

''Did Zoe ever tell you John hit her,'' Finkel continued.

''No,'' the mother said.

''Of all the kids, did John have a favorite,'' Finkel asked.

Beginning again to cry, Sandercox replied: ''Zoe''

In a statement he alleged gave to police, Tinkler told detectives that the girl hit her head in the bathtub at their 314 Fourth St. home while he was in the living room watching a Discovery Channel special on cheetahs.

Troy Police Detective Sgt. Jude Baker said Tinkler's statement was allegedly false.

''I went on-line to the Discovery Channel site and they were not running a special on cheetahs that day,'' Baker testified. ''I even checked the Animal Channel and they weren't either.''

The trial before Judge Andrew Ceresia continues this afternoon.

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