Thursday, September 30, 2010

Dad admits fatal standoff shooting of 3-month-old son (Rome, New York)

We've reported on dad ADAM THEALL before. Now he's finally getting around to admitting what everybody knew.

http://www.salon.com/wires/us/2010/09/30/D9IIDTH80_us_standoff_baby_killed/index.html

THURSDAY Sep 30, 2010 15:04 ET

NY man admits fatal standoff shooting of baby son
By Associated Press

A 21-year-old central New York man has pleaded guilty to shooting his 3-month-old son to death in front of a state trooper.

Adam Theall of Rome wept and had to sit down several times as he admitted Thursday to killing his baby son Eithen with a shotgun in June.

Theall told an Oneida (oh-NY'-duh) County judge he'd been partying with a friend the night before and was high on drugs when he grabbed a loaded shotgun from his mother's home and confronted police who were responding to a domestic disturbance report.

Theall was shot more than a dozen times by troopers when he refused to put down the weapon after shooting the child.

He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and faces 25 years to life in prison when he's sentenced on Nov. 18.

Proscutor's Office: We want killer dad in jail until trial (Zanesville, Ohio)

Dad DALE WRIGHT is classic. Extensive previous "trouble" with law enforcement. A baby who was only left in Dad's care after mom went to bed, and only because Dad volunteered. Result: In less than 20 minutes, a crying 5-month-old baby acquires an ultimately fatal skull fracture and subdural hemorrhage. Hell, yes. This guy needs to be kept in jail and away from children.

http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/article/20100930/NEWS01/9300305

Dale Wright, accused of killing son, asks for bond reduction
BY KATHY THOMPSON • Staff Writer • September 30, 2010

ZANESVILLE -- The Muskingum County Prosecutor's Office is fighting to keep a father accused of killing his infant son in jail until the trial.

Dale Wright, 28, has motioned the court, asking for a bond reduction. Currently, Wright is housed at the Muskingum County Jail on a $1 million bond.

Wright has entered not-guilty pleas to one count of murder, one count of endangering children and one count of felonious assault in connection with the death of his 5-month-old son, Dash Christopher Ray Wright.

Wright's defense attorney, Mark Stubbins, filed a motion asking Judge Mark Fleegle to reduce the bond since Wright is not considered a flight risk and has family in the area. Stubbins could not be reached for comment.

In a response to the motion, Assistant Prosecutor Ron Welch stated an investigation into Dash's death found the child's mother, Rose Mary Elson, left the child in Wright's care when she went to bed around 11:50 p.m. Aug. 1.

Elson told investigators as she was going to bed, Dash was just waking up and beginning to cry, Welch stated in the prosecution's response.

Elson said Wright told her he would get Dash and she went to bed.

Around 12:10 a.m. Aug. 2, Wright woke Elson up and told her Dash had spit up and was not breathing.

A call was made to 911 and within minutes, EMS personnel were at the home at 2148 E. Pike.

Dash was unresponsive and transported to Genesis Good Samaritan Hospital, where he initially was diagnosed with a skull fracture and bleeding on the brain, Welch stated.

Dash then was taken to Children's Hospital in Columbus, where he was diagnosed with a skull fracture, subdural hemorrhages and retinal hemorrhages, Welch stated.

Wright told investigators he had fed the child, put Dash down and when he went to check on Dash, he noticed he had spit up and was not breathing.

Wright said he then took Dash to the bedroom and told Elson and called 911.

But, Welch stated, based on the injuries, it was determined Dash had been abused in a way consistent with a "shaking impact mechanism."

"The physicians at Children's Hospital indicate that the injuries suffered by this child are comparable to injuries sustained by children who have been run over by vehicles or who have suffered high distance falls onto a solid surface," Welch wrote.

"These facts indicate a brutal death involving a helpless baby," Welch wrote. "Individuals who commit such acts represent a significant threat to public safety."

Welch said his office also thinks since other children live at the home, they, too, would be at risk if Wright were allowed out of jail.

Wright also tried to hide from Muskingum County Sheriff's Office detectives, Welch said, and refused to answer his door when detectives attempted to question him. Welch said Wright might leave the area to avoid further legal proceedings.

Wright has been in trouble with law enforcement in the past, according to court records.

In 2001, Wright was placed on community control with an unsuccessful termination for grand theft, forgery and theft by deception. In 2002, Wright was convicted of theft by deception and served 11 months in prison.

In 2004, Wright was convicted on federal charges of counterfeiting and check fraud and was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison, which according to court records, was served at Morgantown, W.Va. Wright was also placed on 36 months of supervised release, five of those months to be served at Alvis House, a community correctional center based in Columbus.

In 2005, Wright began working at a restaurant in Zanesville while at Alvis House. It was reported he used an excessive amount of time to travel from work to the correctional facility. His whereabouts were unaccounted for on at least 14 days, and he was terminated from the facility on Sept. 26, 2005, for non-compliance with the rules.

kthompson@nncogannett.com; (740) 450-6753

Custodial dad accused of neglect in death of 8-year-old daughter (Guadalupe County, Texas)

Usually in cases of child neglect deaths, the mother is blamed even if two parents live in the home. It's assumed--and often correctly--that mothers are in fact in charge of making sure the children are fed and clothed properly, taken to the doctor when needed, etc. The fact that dad DAVID BRASSE is accused in this case--and that there's no mention of a mom--made me suspect this is a single dad.

So I did a little digging. Sure enough. Daddy and his "fiancee"--who is continually misidentified in a lot of media accounts as the mother-- had custody. And the dead girl's real mom had been fighting to get custody back too, knowing that her daughter was being abused in the father's home. But unable to convince the courts of the same.

From the Dreamin' Demon blog, February 12, 2009:

http://www.dreamindemon.com/2009/02/12/sarah-brasse-was-sick-and-ignored/

"Sarah’s biological mother, Jo-Anne Brasse, claims that she has been fighting for custody of Sarah and her two brothers since 2007. She also claims ‘there were ongoing signs of mental abuse and neglect inside the home for months.’ She repeatedly tried to have the children removed from their father’s home, but was denied in court due to lack of evidence."

And that's the real context of this story here. Which of course is not being illuminated by the mainstream media at all. Once again, the role of CPS and the courts in supporting and enabling the abuse and neglect of children at the hands of custodial fathers.

http://www.kens5.com/home/Father-accused--104023194.html

Father accused of neglect in death of daughter
by James Muñoz / KENS 5

Posted on September 29, 2010 at 2:22 PM

SAN ANTONIO -- A Guadalupe County man indicted on charges of injury to a child stood in court Wednesday.

David Brasse denies the allegations.

His 8-year-old daughter ,Sarah, had an infected appendix. Sarah had been sick for days, and was even sent home from school. Last February, Sarah was found dead in her bed at the family home in Schertz. Authorities say Brasse neglected to give his daughter the necessary medical care.

Child Protective Services had investigated the family just two years prior to Sarah's death.

If convicted, Brasse faces five to 99 years in prison. No trial date has been set.

Supreme court upholds convictions in horrific child-murder case involving custodial dad, step (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

We've posted on custodial dad TONY DOOLEY and the charming step before. Another case where a mother and child from a poor country--in this case Jamaica--were screwed by a richer, North American daddy.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/supreme-court-upholds-convictions-in-horrific-child-murder-case/article1734619/

Supreme Court upholds convictions in horrific child-murder case
Ottawa— The Canadian Press
Published Thursday, Sep. 30, 2010 11:25AM EDT
Last updated Thursday, Sep. 30, 2010 11:35AM EDT

Second-degree murder convictions have been upheld in what's been called one of Canada's worst child-abuse cases.

The Supreme Court of Canada has declined to hear an appeal in the case of seven-year-old Randal Dooley.

The court, as usual, did not give reasons.

A jury convicted the boy's father and stepmother, Tony and Marcia Dooley, in 2002 of murdering the boy.

Randal had wasted to just 41 pounds and had 13 fractured ribs, a lacerated liver, four brain injuries, and head-to-toe bruises when he died in 1998.

Last December, the Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed the couple's argument that they should be granted a new trial because the judge made legal errors which resulted in jury verdicts based on emotion, not evidence.

Randal was born in Jamaica and came to Canada to live with his father and stepmother in November 1997, 11 months before his death.

The key objection raised during the appeal was the trial judge's failure to specifically instruct the jury not to convict the couple based solely on the evidence of prior abuse.

The Ontario Appeal Court also dismissed Marcia Dooley's sentence appeal.

At the 2002 trial the judge found Marcia Dooley “more blameworthy” and handed her a life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 18 years.

It was found that she had struck the fatal blow to Randal and had inflicted the vast majority of the prior abuse.

Her husband received a life term with no parole for at least 13 years.

Dad gets jail after using 2-year-old daughter as taser shield; incident took place during child visitation (Warren, Michigan)

We've posted on dad JOSEPH R. COX before. What's getting lost here, is that this fruitcake started this human shield/police standoff thing during child visitation. He gets all kinds of touchy-feely counseling and anger management and the like. But note that there is nothing here about him actually losing his visitation rights for breaking into his ex-wife's home, obstructing a police officer, and starting this scene using his 2-year-old daughter as a taser shield.

http://www.freep.com/article/20100930/NEWS04/100930034/Dad-gets-jail-after-using-girl-2-as-Taser-shield

Dad gets jail after using girl, 2, as Taser shield
BY TAMMY STABLES BATTAGLIA
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

The father who used his 2-year-old as a human shield from a police Taser in Warren was sentenced to one year in jail and ordered to take parenting classes today.

At his sentencing in Macomb County Circuit Court, Joseph R. Cox, 27, of Belleville was also ordered to perform 100 hours of community service, take anger management classes, undergo a psychiatric evaluation and submit to random alcohol and drug testing.

Judge David Viviano gave credit for time served to Cox, who has been jailed since the incident at his ex-wife’s home in Warren in April.

Investigators said he broke in to her house, the refused an order to come out. Instead, a Warren Police officer testified, Cox stood in his ex-wife’s living room and pivoted while holding his daughter in front of him, the red light of the Taser’s target glowing on her chest.

He also pleaded guilty to third-degree home invasion and obstructing a police officer, in addition to pleading no contest to second-degree misdemeanor charge of child abuse. Cox could have faced up to four years in jail if convicted of a felony child abuse charge.

Read more: Dad gets jail after using girl, 2, as Taser shield freep.com Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/article/20100930/NEWS04/100930034/Dad-gets-jail-after-using-girl-2-as-Taser-shield#ixzz112Pm34VG

Dad charged with child porn (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)

As is usual in these cases, it's an UNNAMED DAD.

http://www.thespec.com/news/crime/article/263282--hamilton-father-charged-with-child-porn

Nicole O’Reilly Thu Sep 30 2010
Hamilton father charged with child porn

A 35-year-old Hamilton man is facing child pornography charges after being arrested in his west-Mountain home.

The internet child exploitation (I.C.E.) unit made the arrest after receiving information from the National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre, an RCMP centre created in 2003.

He was arrested in his home Wednesday after police executed a warrant to search his home and seize his computers.

Police refuse to release his name to protect the children who were also living in his home.

He is charged with possession of child pornography and accessing child pornography.

He is scheduled for a bail hearing Thursday.

noreilly@thespec.com

Preacher daddy beat wife while pregnant, but still got visitation; why doesn't the media point out that scandal? (Atlanta, Georgia)

EDDIE LONG has been all over the media lately--yet another bigoted homophobe who really liked boys. All while hiding under the cloak of religion. What else is new.

But that's not the point I want to bring up here. Notice that his first wife claimed he beat her when she was pregnant, and that she and their son had to flee the home to ensure their safety. But Daddy got visitation with the child anyway. That particular scandal--that abusive fathers still get visitation or even custody, especially with babies and very young children--isn't really addressed at all. Just the "scandal" of his apparently coercive sexual relationships with four young men. When is the media going to address the real issues of who is really vulnerable to abuse and why?

http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/bishop-eddie-long-ex-646136.html

Bishop Eddie Long Ex-wife accused him in divorce papers of abuse
By Christian Boone and Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Bishop Eddie Long's ex-wife claimed in divorce papers that he was physically abusive, alleging he beat her when she was seven-and-a-half months pregnant with the couple's only child.

Dabara S. Houston said she was the victim of "cruel treatment" and was afraid of Long's "violent and vicious temper," according to Fulton County Superior Court records. She and her son "had to flee [the couple's Fairburn home] in order to ensure their safety," the documents say.

The couple was married in 1981 and separated after a couple years, according to the documents. Long's first wife made the abuse allegation in a counterclaim after he petitioned for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.

In a statement to the AJC Wednesday afternoon, Long's attorney Craig Gillen said, "The allegations of a divorce pleading that is nearly 30 years old are absolutely ‘not true.' It's offensive and disappointing that the media would drag up these outrageous allegations and make them a part of their reporting."

Four young men have accused Long, the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, of sexual coercion. He has denied the men's allegations through a spokesman and has told his congregation he plans to "vigorously" fight the charges.

Houston, now living in Statesville, North Carolina, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Her brother, Lonnie Houston, said she keeps to herself and could be anywhere -- "Statesville, Charlotte, or Atlanta," he said.

The records also reveal that Long's ex-wife failed to produce many of the documents requested during the divorce, including bank account statements and tax returns. She changed attorneys midway through the proceedings.

The settlement in March 1985 awarded custody of the couple's then 2-year-old son to the mother, with the father, then an assistant pastor at Morningstar Baptist Church, receiving visitation rights every other weekend.

Long, who went on to build New Birth into one of the nation's most influential churches, was 27 when he married Houston. Their son, Edward Long, is New Birth's youth director for junior and senior high ministries.

Besides sexual coercion, the lawsuits against Long claim he used his pastoral influence to entice the men, taking them on international trips and lavishing them with gifts.

Two have given television interviews in recent days.

Spencer LeGrande, the fourth man to sue, talked to Channel 2 Action News for an interview aired Wednesday.

LeGrande, a member of New Birth Charlotte, told Channel 2 that he decided to come forward with his story after he saw the first two lawsuits filed against Long. LeGrande, 22, contacted B.J. Bernstein, the attorney for the others, immediately after. Bernstein is representing all four men who filed suits against Long.

"I wasn't free until I came out with it," LeGrande says in the television interview. He said he does not hate Long "because God doesn't produce hate. I pray for everyone, especially the bishop, because he knows the truth."

Another plaintiff, Jamal Parris, spoke with television reporters in Colorado. Parris told WAGA-TV in an interview aired Tuesday that he loved the Lithonia pastor but now considers him "a monster."

"This man manipulated us from childhood," Parris told WAGA-TV, who interviewed the 23-year-old outside a Colorado grocery store. "This was our father and we loved him."

Parris said Long "turned his back on us when he had no more need for us. That's not a man. That's a predator."

"I cannot get the sound of his voice out of my head," he said. "I cannot forget the smell of his cologne. And I cannot forget the way that he made me cry many nights when I drove in his car on the way home, not able to take enough showers to wipe the smell of him off of my body."

On Wednesday, Long's attorney fought back through the media, accusing the plaintiffs and Bernstein of "attempting to try their lawsuits in the media."

"There are rules on how civil litigation is to take place and how counsel should conduct themselves, we intend to follow those rules," Long's lawyer Gillen said in a statement about the televised interview with Parris.

Bernstein said she did not authorize the Parris interview.

Long, speaking to his congregation at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Tuesday night, did not directly address the sexual allegations made against him.

"I'm not speaking about the individuals and all of that," he said, according to Channel 2 Action News. "This is spiritual warfare."

Long said that if he thought people believed media reports on the scandal, "I'd be scared to show up, I'd be scared to look at you. But there's something in me bigger than the situation."

A group of 32 ministers attended the Lithonia church Tuesday night to pray with Long and show their support for the embattled pastor.

--Staff writer Megan Matteucci contributed to this article.

House condemns Japan on custody rights; since when do the FRs control the state department?

Why is Japan being singled out for attention? Kids are held in countries all over the world by one parent or another, while the other parent sits in the U.S. And most of the time, the U.S. government can't be bothered. Well, they come out and say it. Japan is "tilted towards fathers." No wasted space here on American moms who can't get their kids out of the middle east. Nope. It's pretty clear here what leverage the FR movement has when they can command the attention of the top U.S. diplomat of East Asia and the U.S. Secretary of State in this ridiculous attempt to alienate a major U.S. ally--all because their culture still values mothers as primary caretakers. Of all the horrible things going on in the world, these two top American officials are supposed to drop everything to address 121 children living with their Japanese mothers? This is not only ridiculous from a mother's rights standpoint, but a ridiculous waste of government time.

We've also reported on dad CHRISTOPHER SAVOIE before, whose past is far more checkered than is let on here. See our earlier posts on this case by searching under Japan.

http://www.thestate.com/2010/09/29/1489144/house-condemns-japan-on-custody.html

Wednesday, Sep. 29, 2010
House condemns Japan on custody rights
By FOSTER KLUG - Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON — The House turned up the pressure Wednesday on close ally Japan, strongly urging Tokyo to return immediately half-Japanese children that lawmakers say have been kidnapped from their American parents.

The House voted overwhelmingly for a nonbinding resolution that "condemns the abduction and retention" of children held in Japan "in violation of their human rights and United States and international law."

The resolution, which passed 416-1, also calls for Japan to allow Americans to visit their children and for the Japanese government to join a 1980 international convention on child abduction that would allow for the quick return of the children to America.

Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., told reporters that the resolution sends a strong signal to Japan that Congress "is watching and expecting action."

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said, "Americans are fed up with our friend and ally Japan and their pattern of noncooperation."

The Japanese Embassy said in a statement that Japan is sympathetic to the plight of children caught in custody battles between Japanese and American citizens and "is continuing to make sincere efforts to deal with this issue from the standpoint that the welfare of the child should be of the utmost importance."

The United States often calls Japan its lynchpin ally in Asia, and tens of thousands of U.S. troops are stationed in Japan. But Japan's stance on custody rights has been a source of friction. U.S. lawmakers say at least 121 American children currently are being held in Japan.

Japanese law allows only one parent to have custody in cases of divorce, usually the mother. Activists say the court system in Japan is tilted against fathers and foreigners.

Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, told lawmakers at a hearing Wednesday that the issue is a priority, with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton raising it in meetings with her Japanese counterpart.

Campbell said he also would raise the matter when he travels to Tokyo next week and that Japan should act urgently.

Christopher Savoie, a father who was arrested last year after going to Japan in a failed attempt to reclaim his two children who were taken from Franklin, Tenn., by his Japanese ex-wife, joined lawmakers and other fathers at a news conference before the House vote.

Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2010/09/29/1489144/house-condemns-japan-on-custody.html#ixzz1125tMw1s

Dad sentenced to 7 years for death of 5-week-old son; media blames "stormy relationship" (Taupo, New Zealand)

The mother has a right to be frustrated with the wrist slap administered to dad ADAM CHRISTOPHER LOCK, who has been convicted of manslaughter in the death of their 5-month-old son. But in most areas of the world, this kind of sentence (7 years, 2 months) is pretty typical.

The media bias in this article is especially noteworthy. Notice how the responsibility is subtly shifted away from killer daddy, as we blame a "stormy relationship" or "violence towards each other" for all the problems. But read carefully. Daddy is the one with the criminal record. Daddy is the one with the substance abuse issues. Nothing is listed for the mother. All the abusive incidences listed involve the father exercising coercive control and/or violence towards the mother. Including an assault while she was pregnant and shortly thereafter. If this is a mutually combative couple, then what did Mom do? Oh, you don't have any examples then? Then calling them mutually combative isn't substantiated by your own evidence, is it? And just who is it again who was sentenced for manslaughter? This kind of sloppiness is just inexcusable.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10677149

Man's sentence for fatally shaking son too short - mother
2:42 PM Thursday Sep 30, 2010

A Taupo man has been jailed for seven years and two months after he shook his baby son so violently after an argument with his partner that the boy died from his injuries.

In the High Court at Rotorua today Adam Christopher Lock, 22, was sentenced for the manslaughter of five-week-old Jayrhis Lock-Tata.

He was given an additional two years' jail for a series of charges relating to serious assaults on his partner and the child.

This is to be served concurrently with the manslaughter sentence. He was convicted and discharged on a count of intentionally damaging a police cell.

Outside the court Lock's former partner Shannel Tata said she had hoped he'd be jailed for a lot longer.

"I can never forgive him... I am not able to watch my baby grow up... my heart hurts so much," she said.

Her aunt Phalan Houpapa said she prayed Lock would do as the judge had urged him to and get help while inside.

Justice Peter Woodhouse noted a post-mortem had uncovered earlier-inflicted injuries caused by Jayrhis' ribcage being squeezed so hard he would have suffered pain and discomfort. The infant's death had been caused by a brain bleed consistent with being shaken violently. His body was bruised and some ribs freshly broken.

The court heard that Lock panicked and immediately sought help from a friend who arrived at this home. They performed CPR and Lock called an ambulance but Jayrhis died on March 7 last year, when his life support was switched off two days after his admission to Starship Hospital .

Lock had repeatedly denied his involvement in the baby's death, claiming his daughter had jumped on the baby. Initially he pleaded not guilty to murdering him but when his trial was about to begin last month he pleaded guilty to a substituted manslaughter charge. Jayrhis was one of two children Lock and Tata had together.

Justice Woodhouse said Lock and Tata had had a stormy relationship which involved violence towards each other and tensions between them. Lock had assaulted her during her pregnancy and shortly after Jayrhis' birth.

On one occasion he had been angry because he considered she'd been too long at a neighbour's where she was doing the family's washing. At other times he had accused her of drinking alcohol and having sex with other men.

Justice Woodhouse noted Lock had a difficult, "possibly dreadful", childhood during which he was physically abused. He had been separated early from his father who had committed suicide and had no contact with his mother.

Lock's "own path" had led to him accruing a long list of convictions. His drug abuse was serious - he admitted smoking up to five cannabis joints a day.

Defence counsel Michele Wilkinson-Smith submitted Lock had not brutally bashed or thrown his son, who had shown classic "shaken baby" symptoms.

She asked for a jail term of between five to seven years.

Crown prosecutor Fletcher Pilditch submitted the sentence should be in the vicinity of eight years.

A non-parole period of 3-1/2 years was imposed.

- NZPA

Dead infant's custodial dad admits guilt in "left alone" death (Denver, Colorado)

Custodial dad JOSEPH TRUJILLO has pleaded guilty to felony negligent child abuse in the death of his 5-month-old son. Once again, we have a custodial daddy who had no real interest in taking care of a child. Just wanted to party. And where was Mom? It's not reported here, but one of the earlier articles posted here say she was serving in the Army:

http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/01/baby-left-alone-while-caretaker-dad-is.html

Don't get me wrong. I certainly defend the right of anyone to defend their country--whether male, female, gay, or straight. But something is fundamentally wrong when the mothers of newborns are told they must leave their babies behind with party daddies while they serve in the military. Frankly, a lot of party daddies like this guy could really use a little military discipline and learn to grow up. And babies would certainly benefit from having a mother's care.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/25217225/detail.html

Dead Infant's Father Admits Guilt In 'Left Alone' Death
Father Left Son Alone For 7 Hours To Drink, Play 'Beer Pong'

Written by Wayne Harrison, Web Editor

POSTED: 6:01 pm MDT September 29, 2010

DENVER -- The father of a 5-month-old boy who was found dead after the father went out to play "beer pong" has pleaded guilty in the child's death.

Joseph Trujillo, 23, entered his plea Tuesday in Jefferson County Court. He pleaded guilty to felony negligent child abuse causing death, according to Pam Russell, spokeswoman for the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office.

On Jan. 20, 2010, Trujillo put his 5-month-old son on a bed, wedged by pillows, with a bottle of formula on his chest, and then went out to drink shots at a bar and attend a house party, according to court records.

The 23-year-old father told investigators he finally returned home about midnight on Jan. 20 to find the baby's lifeless body on the bed where he left him, according to an investigator's statement supporting Trujillo's arrest.

Read Joseph Trujillo's Arrest Affidavit

While Jefferson County sheriff's investigators initially recommended a first-degree murder charge against Trujillo, prosecutors formally charged him with child abuse resulting in death, a Class III felony.

Investigators said Trujillo was initially adamant that he had only left home for "20 minutes" to "get a quick drink" with a woman friend. But the woman told investigators that Trujillo, whom she had met on Facebook, was out for at least 7 hours, the arrest affidavit stated.

Trujillo's mother, Gay Lujan, who lives with him at the West 10th Avenue apartment, told investigators she returned from work about 10:15 p.m. and found music blaring in her son's room and the baby's crib empty.

"She believed Joseph was at the bar because he has a drinking problem," the grandmother told investigators, according to the affidavit. "She was concerned he took (the baby) with him to the bar."

"She sent him a few text messages stating, 'Get the baby home' and 'Where are you?'" the arrest report stated. But her son did not respond.

The grandmother said she was awakened about 12:30 a.m. by the sound of Joseph crying on the phone to someone.

"She got up and saw Adrian lying on the couch. She touched him and felt he was stiff and cold," the affidavit stated. The woman called 911.

An arriving paramedic found the baby cold and pale with his arms raised up around his head. The paramedic noticed a one inch-wide discoloration on the dead infant's temple, the arrest affidavit said.

The young father was kneeling on the kitchen floor, crying and "mumbling incoherently," the arrest affidavit stated.

The woman friend told investigators how she and Trujillo left the bar to go to an apartment across the street and "played beer pong" for about an hour, the arrest affidavit stated. Beer pong is a drinking game where players toss a ping-pong ball into a beer glass to force an opponent to chug.

The couple then drove to Taco Bell for a meal before driving home and sitting in the car parked outside Trujillo's apartment until about 11:30 p.m., when the woman told investigators she went home.

After entering the apartment alone, Trujillo said he found his son was still on the bed on his back, but he "he was purple and blue with his hands up by his head," the affidavit stated. "He was cold and wouldn't move."

Trujillo will be sentenced on Oct. 13 at 8 a.m.

Dad charged after "allegedly" hitting and kicking 13-year-old daughter at birthday party (Taylor, Wisconsin)

Dad ROGER A. HALE comes across one unstable nutjob. Seems to me like he has no business being allowed around kids at all. But even if the mom were to leave this loony, he'd still most likely get custody rights and visitation. These types always seem to.

http://www.jacksoncountychronicle.com/articles/2010/09/29/thisjustin/07abuse.txt

Published - Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Father charged with child abuse


by Cassandra Colson Reporter

A Taylor man has been charged with child abuse after allegedly harming his 13-year-old daughter.

Roger A. Hale, 39, was charged in Jackson County Circuit Court earlier this month for the Jan. 31 incident in which he is accused of hitting and kicking his daughter.

According to the criminal complaint, the girl was at her sister’s home preparing for a birthday party on Jan. 30 when Hale began to eat some candy intended for the party. The girl told Hale to stop eating it, after which he threatened to punch her in the face, according to the complaint.

Hale then forced the girl to leave with him and told her she was not allowed to go to her sister’s home, according to the complaint. The girl and her mother returned to the home the next day to assist with the party when Hale returned and began yelling and swearing.

After the girl began to leave the home, Hale began hitting and pushing her and also kicked her in the buttocks, according to the complaint.

The girl told a sheriff’s deputy Hale struck her in the arm with a fist after leaving the home on Jan. 30 and also stated he kicked her in the buttocks during the incident the next day, according to the complaint.

Hale stated he did not harm the girl, according to the complaint.

Hale recently was released on a $1,000 signature bond. He has an adjourned initial appearance scheduled for Oct. 11.
.

Dad arrested for hog tying, tasering 15-year-old daughter (Golden Gate, Florida)

Huh. Can't imagine why you'd want to run away from a daddy as nice as JON PARISH. Doesn't every daddy zip tie their kid to a bed, tase them, and threaten to chain them with a dog collar? Note that Daddy Dearest is a lawyer. And that there's also no mention of Mom. Single dad?

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.

http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2010-09-30/Father-arrested-for-hog-tying-and-tasing-daughter

Father arrested for hog tying and tasing daughter
Story Created: Sep 29, 2010 at 6:40 PM America/New_York

GOLDEN GATE, Fla. - Hog tied and threatened with a taser! That's what the Collier County Sheriff's Office says a Golden Gate man did to a child.

Neighbors of Jon Parrish say his 15-year-old daughter was always running away, and he had a difficult time controlling her.

The teen was picked up by the Lee County Sheriff's Office in May. She told deputies that just days earlier her father had zip-tied her to the bed and tased her for running away. The teen says he even threatened to use a dog collar to chain her up.

Neighbors to the family think the girl may have embellished some of the story, and Parrish only did what was necessary as a parent.

Parrish, who is a Naples lawyer, is being charged with two felony charges of child abuse and false imprisonment.

Read more: http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2010-09-30/Father-arrested-for-hog-tying-and-tasing-daughter#ixzz111sXaRTe

Dad charged with severely beating 2-month-old son (Kinston, North Carolina)

Dad DEVON GOODING has now been charged with felony child abuse and assault. We first reported on this case yesterday. Note that there is still no mention of where Mom was while the baby was "at his (Dad's) home."

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.

http://www.enctoday.com/news/old-68563-kfpress-beating-son.html

Father charged for severely beating 2-month-old son
Man placed in jail under $35,000 bond
September 30, 2010 12:00 AM
Wesley Brown
Staff Writer

Kinston police charged a 24-year-old father this week with severely beating his 2-month-old son in the face and breaking several of the infant’s bones.

Detectives with the Kinston Department of Public Safety began conducting an investigation into the causes of the child’s injuries after he arrived Monday and received treatment at Lenoir Memorial Hospital “for a broken collar and femur bone and facial bruises,” said Maj. Greg Thompson, of the Kinston Department of Public Safety.

After numerous interviews, the department charged Gooding, of 1305 Howard St., Tuesday with felony child abuse and felony assault inflicting serious bodily injuries, Thompson said.

Officers placed Gooding in the Lenoir County Jail under a $35,000 secured bond.

Medical officials immediately alerted officers with the Kinston Department of Public Safety of the possible child abuse and after investigators saw the child, paramedics transported him to Pitt County memorial Hospital. The infant remains at PCMH in stable condition, Thompson said.

Thompson said Gooding abused the child Monday afternoon at his home.

Dad charged with abandoning 1-year-old daughter outside mobile home park (Macomb Township, Michigan)

UNNNAMED DAD appears to be another one of these late adolescent guys who's just not ready for fatherhood. Or any personal responsibility for that matter. Appears to be a case where Mom was working and Dad had way too much time on his hands that he couldn't put to good use. Not surprising that this is in Michigan, where many men are unemployed. And yet we still see all kinds of articles in the media--even in Michigan still glorifying "stay-at-home" dads, like this one:

http://www.freep.com/article/20100928/NEWS01/9280314/1322/Surviving-hard-economy-more-dads-stay-at-home

Want the unvarnished truth? Moms basically entered the workforce in the 70s and 80s because of stagnant male wage wages, not because they wanted to be "liberated." Though it was certainly nice that women gained better access to education and professional opportunities during the same time period. And the disappearance of the employed male through the destruction of U.S. manufacturing is not a sign of "more flexible gender roles." It's a sign that the big bosses have found that women workers (like undocumented workers from Mexico) are cheaper to pay and generally more compliant. Feminism has been exploited to justify this, but feminism didn't cause this.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100930/METRO03/9300453/1361/Dad-faces-child-abuse-charges-for-leaving-infant-in-car-in-Macomb-Twp

Last Updated: September 30. 2010 9:58AM
Dad faces child abuse charges for leaving infant in car in Macomb Twp.
Christine Ferretti / The Detroit News

Macomb Township -- Sheriff officials say charges have been approved for a 20-year-old Clinton Township man accused of abandoning his infant daughter in the family minivan outside a mobile home park on Saturday.

Macomb County Sheriff Department Capt. John Roberts said the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office has authorized child abuse charges for the man, who is not yet in police custody. His name is being withheld.

Roberts said the man's wife said she last saw her husband around 2:50 p.m. Saturday when he dropped her off at work. The woman later received a phone call around 10 p.m. from a concerned friend alerting her that the family's van and the baby appeared to be parked at the Hometown Macomb mobile home community near Hall and Card roads.

The wife, who is not being identified, contacted a relative who resides in the mobile home park. That relative found the van unlocked, with the keys in the ignition and the 1-year-old girl inside. Roberts said police believe the father left the child in that area, knowing a relative lived there.

It is unclear how long the infant was left alone inside the car, but police know the father did return to the couple's home to gather undisclosed items.

Roberts said no charges will be filed against the mother.

The child was not injured and is currently in good health.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100930/METRO03/9300453/1361/Dad-faces-child-abuse-charges-for-leaving-infant-in-car-in-Macomb-Twp.#ixzz111dmgxOo

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Dad shoots at mom--while she's holding their 1-year-old baby (Trenton, New Jersey)

An alert has been issued for the arrest of dad ANTHONY L. CONCEPCION, who "allegedly" fired a handgun at the mother of their 1-year-old baby--and while she was holding said baby. She wasn't hit (thank goodness), but what a niiiice guy. Wonder if he'll still give child visitation....

http://www.trentonian.com/articles/2010/09/28/news/doc4ca2b5dac7a52769347438.txt

Trenton cops: Teen shot at girlfriend holding baby
Published: Tuesday, September 28, 2010

By Trentonian Staff

TRENTON — City police yesterday put out an alert for the arrest of 18-year-old Anthony L. Concepcion who they said fired a handgun at his girlfriend on Monday while she was holding their 1-year-old baby.

No one was hit by the bullet which was later found lodged in the wall of the dining room of a home in the 200 block of Grand Street, reported Detective Sgt. Pedro Medina, Trenton Police spokesman.

Warrants were filed on Concepcion for aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and weapons offenses.

The public is urged to help police in their search. Anyone who knows Concepcion’s whereabouts is asked to contact the confidential tip line (609) 989-3663 or Detective Gregory Hollo at (609) 989-4172.

The shooting occurred on Monday at 12:24 a.m. in the midst of domestic violence.

“At the time of the incident, the victim’s father heard the gunshot and came into the living room to see what had happened,” Medina reported.

“Both the victim’s father and the suspect got into a minor physical confrontation, and during this time, the suspect fled the residence.”

Dad accused of breaking skull of 8-month-old son indicted (Bibb County, Georgia)

Dad GABRIEL EZEKIEL BYRD has been indicted on child cruelty charges. His 8-month-old son suffered a fractured skull while under his care. How the baby got TWO head fractures when Daddy said he only "dropped him while getting something out of the refrigerator" is not explained.

http://www.macon.com/2010/09/29/1281960/bibb-county-man-accused-of-breaking.html

Wednesday, Sep. 29, 2010
Bibb County man accused of breaking son’s skull indicted
By AMY LEIGH WOMACK

A Bibb County grand jury indicted a 28-year-old Bibb County father Tuesday on a charge of child cruelty stemming from allegations concerning his 8-month-old son’s fractured skull.

Gabriel Ezekiel Byrd, of Wesleyan Drive, said he was holding the baby and dropped him while getting something out of the refrigerator May 10, said prosecutor Dorothy Hull.

The child’s mother later took the baby along when she went to pick up another child. She took him to the hospital after the baby became unresponsive, Hull said.

A doctor identified two areas of impact, two skull fractures.

Department of Family and Children Services and law enforcement then became involved, she said.

Hull said the baby seems to be “doing fine now” and is in the custody of his mother. As a condition of Byrd’s bond, he’s not allowed to see his son.

Byrd was released from the Bibb County jail May 13 on $8,450 bond, according to jail records.

Read more: http://www.macon.com/2010/09/29/1281960/bibb-county-man-accused-of-breaking.html#ixzz10xSDcBao

DCF previously reported dad who killed kids as not a threat (Riviera Beach, Florida)

Unfortunately, what happened in Florida with killer dad PATRICK DELL is more typical than not. Those in authority CONSISTENTLY emphasize the rights of the father over the rights of mothers and children. They CONSISTENTLY minimize or deny the father's past violence and/or potential for future violence, therefore continuing to put innocent people in harm's way. Now five people are dead because of Florida DCF and others in authority who just couldn't bother to lock this guy up and keep him locked up. We've posted on this case before.

http://www.theledger.com/article/20100928/NEWS/9285068/1374?Title=DCF-Previously-Reported-Dad-Who-Killed-Kids-on-Monday-Not-a-Threat

DCF Previously Reported Dad Who Killed Kids on Monday Not a Threat

Published: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 at 11:58 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 at 11:58 p.m.

Child welfare officials said one of the agency's investigators ignored five cases of domestic violence in the months before a jealous husband fatally shot his estranged wife and four stepchildren in their home.

Patrick Dell's murderous rampage Monday was the culmination of months of terrorizing his wife while the couple underwent a bitter divorce. Dell came after her with a knife in December, yelling "you will be going to the morgue," according to a police report. But a child protective investigator deemed the case low risk, stating "the father has stated that he would never harm the children."

Dell and his wife, agreed to a "safety plan" promising to call 911 in future incidents and the case was closed in February with little action and no follow-up into the safety of the seven children.

Dad being "reunited" with 12-year-old daughter charged with sexual assault (Woodstock, Georgia)

Unexplained is why dad ROBERT HANSHAW was previously separated from the child. Maybe somebody--like the mother--had a good reason? At any rate, due to the unbelievable level of father exaltation in our culture these days, the "legal guardian" of this child decided to "reunite" the father with his now 12-year-old daughter. Result? Daddy "allegedly" sexually assaulted the girl over several visits at the hotel where he lives. Everybody happy now that she has had her daddy in her life? And what happened to the mother?

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.

http://wsbradio.com/localnews/2010/09/father-accused-of-molesting-da.html

Father Accused of Molesting Daughter
By Jon Lewis @ September 29, 2010 6:48 AM

(WSB Radio) Woodstock police have arrested a man on charges he molested his 12-year-old daughter.

Sgt. Paul Brown says a family's good intentions backfired. "The legal guardian of the child had actually moved to the Atlanta area with the purpose of trying to reunite the child with the natural father.

The victim's biological father began having visits with the child. Police say that, over the course of those visits, the sexual assaults allegedly occurred.

37-year-old Robert Hanshaw, who was living at an Extended Stay Hotel where the alleged incidents occurred, has been charged with one count of aggravated child molestation

Dad who sexually assaulted 16-year-old daughter gets two years (Winnipeg, Canada)

Beyond disgusting. UNNAMED DAD is a repeat offender, having previously served four years in prison for sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend's 10-year-old daughter. Now he has been convicted of raping his 16-year-old daughter and choking her until she was unconscious and all he gets for a sentence is TWO YEARS TIME SERVED?

That's not even going into why this father was allowed to be alone in a hotel room with his two daughter and drinking alcohol with them. Why wasn't he banned from being around children after his first offense? Where is the mother? No word.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2010/09/29/15515601.html

Man who sexually assaulted daughter gets two years

By Dean Pritchard, QMI Agency

WINNIPEG — A Peguis First Nation man who sexually assaulted his 16-year-old daughter and choked her until she was unconscious has been sentenced to two years time served.

"It's against human nature to impose oneself on a child and even more so on your own child," said Justice Donald Bryk, who called the 45-year-old man's actions "repulsive."

The conviction comes six years after the man was sentenced to four years in prison for repeatedly sexually assaulting his then-girlfriend's 10-year-old daughter.

The Crown agreed to recommend the sentence to secure a conviction in a weak case. Court heard the now 18-year-old victim was reluctant to testify at trial and there was no medical evidence to prove she was sexually assaulted while she was unconscious.

Defence lawyer Scott Newman said the man was so drunk he had no memory of the assault.

The man was arrested Sept. 19, 2008, after his daughter ran from a hotel room and called police, said Crown attorney Shelly McFadyen. Court heard the man bought a bottle of hard liquor and a case of beer and rented a room at the Osborne Village Motor Hotel, where he and the victim and a second daughter continued drinking.

At some point in the evening, the second daughter left the hotel and the man turned his attentions to the victim, McFadyen said. The man sat next to her on a bed hugging her and trying to undo her jeans. The girl successfully rebuffed her father and went to sleep only after she thought he was sleeping, McFadyen said. She awoke to find her father naked on top of her.

The two wrestled and fell to the floor where the man grabbed his daughter by the throat and choked her until she was unconscious.

"If there wasn't sexual intercourse, I strongly suspect it wasn't for a lack of desire, rather it was a lack of ability due to the level of intoxication," Bryk said.

When the girl came to, she hid in the bathroom and then ran out of the room to the front desk where a clerk called police.

"I've had a hard time getting past this," the victim wrote in a letter submitted to court. "He was my dad and I loved him ... I lost out on a father."

Police: Dad threatens to blow up son's school; knives found in car (West Sunbury, Pennsylvania)

Dad JAMES LEE FRANK as been arrested for "allegedly" threatening to blow up his son's school and kill the staff. Notice that Daddy ripped a communication device off the wall and had knives in his car. Um, do you think that his son's apparently less than stellar school performance just might have had something to do with having a volatile, violent, and unstable father in the home? And where is Mom?

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.

http://www.wpxi.com/news/25208853/detail.html

Police: Dad Threatens To Blow Up Son's School; Knives Found In Car
Posted: 10:35 am EDT September 29, 2010
Updated: 4:50 pm EDT September 29, 2010

WEST SUNBURY, Pa. -- A Butler County father was charged Tuesday after police said he threatened to blow up his child’s school and kill the staff.

Unhappy with his son’s performance, James Lee Frank, 49, of West Sunbury, called Dassa McKinney Elementary School and made the threats, police said.

Officials immediately placed the Hooker Road school on lockdown and notified state police.

Police said Frank drove to the school and unsuccessfully tried to enter through a front and side door. Frustrated, Frank then ripped a two-way communication system off the building and left, police said.

According to the criminal complaint, police found knives on the front seat of the car.

Police said Frank told them he was upset with his child’s performance and wanted to withdraw the student from a certain class.

Channel 11 News spoke to a parent whose daughter attends the school.

"I seen all the state police cars,” said parent Rick Yanssens. “Just said they heard it was lockdown. I didn't know anything until I seen it on the news.”

The Moniteau School District superintendent said letters were sent out to parents on Wednesday.

Frank is charged with making terroristic threats and threatening to use weapons of mass destruction, among other charges.

Dad accused in bay daughter's death asks for release from custody (Lincoln, Nebraska)

We've reported on dad LUCAS PETERSON before. At the time of his infant daughter's death, he was the sole caretaker parent. Seems the baby "disappeared," and Daddy managed to cut a deal with the authorities to not be prosecuted if he lead them to the baby's grave. It's been a legal mess since then. See our earlier post here:

http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2009/08/dad-who-murdered-1-year-old-daughter-to.html
http://www.action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=13232208


Father Accused of Child Abuse Asks for Release
Posted: Sep 28, 2010 3:11 PM CDT
Updated: Sep 28, 2010 3:12 PM CDT

Judge Allows Search, But Not What Mom Said, In Son's Murder Case

Lincoln, NE (AP) - Attorneys for a man accused of child abuse resulting in the death of his baby daughter have asked the Nebraska Supreme Court to release him from custody.

Jeff Pickens, of the Nebraska Public Advocacy Commission, said Tuesday that the motion was filed Monday for 25-year-old Lucas Peterson. Court records say Peterson now lives in Platte County.

Last week, the high court overturned a Seward County judge who had thrown out charges against Peterson because of Peterson's deal to lead authorities to the infant's body in 2007.

Peterson was arrested Friday on a Seward County warrant. Pickens says that at this stage in the Peterson case, only the high court has the power to issue such a warrant.

Dad stabs mom to death during child visitation (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Notice that the reporter practically blames this mom for her own murder, because she allegedly made the "mistake" of "letting" her child do a weekend visitation with the child's abusive, crazy father, LEE ALLEN.

A better question might be this: Why was this mother put in the situation of having to placate or "work with" a whack job dad? Given his "violent past" (which is outlined below), why didn't the authorities keep him in jail? Why did they only give him probation, refuse to prosecute, or let him out on bail? Why was it up to a 19-year-old young woman to keep herself and her child safe? Frankly, the only thing this woman could have done to really protect herself was to have gunned this dude down first. But then she would be in prison, wouldn't she?

But notice that this article does take note of how many of these violent abusers kill because authorities refuse to prosecute them for earlier offences, acquit them, or let them out on bail or parole. Start throwing these guys in jail and keep them there. Then we'll see a reduction in the death toll.

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2010/09/murdered_woman_in_new_orleans.html

Murdered woman in New Orleans tried but could not escape abusive boyfriend
Published: Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 7:50 PM
Updated: Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 11:48 AM
Ramon Antonio Vargas, The Times-Picayune

Rodnika Hall did everything she could to escape her abusive, schizophrenic boyfriend.

She called police each time she was beaten. She took out restraining orders. She moved out of town with their young daughter.

But the 19-year-old made one mistake: She let her daughter spend the weekend with the child's father, Lee Allen, 18.

On Monday morning, when Hall went to pick up the baby, Allen allegedly stabbed Hall to death as his own mother watched.

Authorities "can't keep losing ... people like this," said Dianne Hall, Rodnika's aunt, as she mourned with her relatives Tuesday. "They knew something was wrong with that boy. Rodnika reported him too many times for them not to."

Police say Allen attacked Hall inside his mother's home in the 14000 block of Wales Street about 7 a.m., according to documents filed in Criminal District Court. Officers arrived to find Allen holding the bloodied victim in his arms. Still conscious, Hall told them that Allen had stabbed her several times.

Officers immediately arrested Allen and took him to police headquarters. Paramedics, meanwhile, rushed Hall to Interim LSU Public Hospital, where she died from her wounds, coroner's chief investigator John Gagliano said.

Detectives wrote in court filings that they interviewed a witness who heard Hall crying for help and watched Allen carry out the killing. The witness, they said, overheard Allen pleading for Hall "not to relay to the police what had just occurred."

In a telephone interview Tuesday, Irene Allen, the suspect's mother, identified herself as the person who witnessed the murder.

"There is nothing I can say (in defense of) my son," she said. "I was right there when I saw him do it."

The 5 foot, 10-inch, 221-pound Allen -- who suffers from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to paperwork from his previous arrests -- was booked into jail on a charge of first-degree murder. He faces life in prison or execution if convicted of that crime.

A violent past

Allen and Hall began dating about four years ago, according to their relatives. Allen's sister, Zina Amacker, said Hall was the only person her brother ever had a romantic relationship with.

Doctors prescribed several medications to treat Allen's conditions, but nothing worked, Amacker said.

The couple had a daughter about a year ago. Right around then, the first in a series of violent incidents erupted involving the young father.

On Nov. 16, 2009, Allen argued with Hall at the intersection of North Roman and Arts streets because he was upset that she would not sleep with him in the same bed, police said. He punched her in the face, cutting her lower lip, and struck her in the right hand with a stick. Hall called the police and had Allen arrested.

Allen pleaded guilty to simple battery and received one year of probation from Magistrate Commissioner Marie Bookman.

On April 21, police arrested Allen a second time, after they were called to investigate a fight between Allen and his brother, who was then 15.

Allen, during a shouting match, shoved his brother to the ground before jumping on top of him and choking him with his hands, according to a police report. Their sister burst into the room and shouted, "Stop! Stop!" Allen then balled up his fist and hit his younger brother in the mouth before police arrested him, the report said.

Prosecutors in July refused to try the case, however.

On June 2, Hall again called police after an argument with Allen. She and Allen were in the 3000 block of Baronne Street with their daughter when he grew angry and punched Hall in the face and body, leaving bruises on her right cheek and left arm, according to the police report. Hall also told police that Allen had grabbed her by the hair and dragged her along the sidewalk.

Police jailed Allen on a charge of domestic abuse battery. Records show he posted $5,000 bail and received court orders to stay away from Hall, wear an electronic-monitoring bracelet and live at his mother's house.

Judge Gerard Hansen said Tuesday that Allen had been complying with the court's instructions.

While waiting for a resolution to the case, Rodnika Hall and her daughter moved into a relative's home in Lafayette to get away from Allen, according to Hall's mother, Karen Hall. The toddler, however, spent last weekend visiting her father.

When Hall went to pick up the baby, she was murdered.

"She was scared to go down there," Karen Hall said. "She did not want to go. But she went to pick her baby up."

Suspect's relatives want him punished, helped

Hall's murder marks yet another case in which a domestic violence suspect who received little to no punishment in court has subsequently been accused of murder.

In the spring, 78-year-old Alfred Andrews allegedly gunned down his 31-year-old wife, her mother and her sister in Treme before shooting himself in the face. Bookman, who is leaving the bench Oct. 16, just two days earlier had acquitted Andrews of misdemeanor battery after he allegedly pushed his wife to the floor when she tried to leave their bedroom.

Meanwhile, Damian Jordan, 22, is accused of fatally shooting his uncle's wife, her two children and her sister in an Upper 9th Ward home. He was on probation at the time for striking his girlfriend in the face with the butt of a rifle.

Experts say there have been improvements in domestic violence prosecutions since the cases have been moved from Municipal Court to state court. For example, state judges can dole out harsher penalties. District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro recently reported an 85 percent conviction rate, while more than half the domestic violence cases in Municipal Court were dismissed.

The cases involving Allen, Andrews and Jordan reveal the system is not always adequate, however.

"(Allen) shouldn't have come out the first time," Dianne Hall said, her arm around Karen Hall's shoulder. "Now, she's gone."

Several of Allen's relatives also pleaded for authorities to strip him of his freedom.

"Our hearts go out to Rodnika's family," said Allen's sister Zina Amacker. "My brother has problems. He needs help. I don't know if jail is the place. But I'm not making excuses. He deserves to be locked up in an institution somewhere for the rest of his life."

Another of his sisters, Irene Amacker, added, "He deserves whatever he gets. He does not deserve to be let go."

Ramon Antonio Vargas can be reached at rvargas@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3371.

Dad accused of abusing 2-month-old son (Kinston, North Carolina)

Dad DEVON GOODING has been charged with felony child abuse and assault after his 2-month-old son was hospitalized with several broken bones and facial injuries. Was Daddy babysitting or what? Where is the mother?

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.

http://www.witn.com/news/headlines/104020819.html?ref=819

Posted: 2:55 PM Sep 29, 2010

Man Accused Of Abusing Two Month Old Son

The father of a two-month-old has been charged with felony child abuse after his son was brought to a Kinston hospital with several broken bones and facial injuries.

Devon Gooding is also charged by Kinston police with felony assault inflicting serious bodily injury.

Police say they were alerted by staff at Lenoir Memorial Hospital on Monday. The 24-year-old Gooding is being held on a $35,000 bond.


Dad arrested for killing 7-year-old daughter (Kadugannawa, Sri Lanka)

In the U.S., we have seen an upsurge in violent and fatal child abuse committed by unemployed, "stay-at-home" dads--some of whom are unemployable because of previous criminal records. Typically, the mother is the sole breadearner, and has little choice given the lack of affordable child care. In other poorer countries where real employment opportunities are limited to those who are willing to migrate, we have seen a similar phenomena. In these countries, mothers from places like the Phillipines or Sri Lanka are forced to find jobs as maids, nannies, and so forth in other countries if they want their families to be fed. As a result, they are forced to leave their children at home--sometimes with "caretaker" fathers like UNNAMED DAD. When the daddies can't handle the "stress," the results are often like this.

Notice that this article says not a word about the danger of mothers leaving their children with often indifferent fathers or other family members. It says nothing about how ridiculous it is that mothers must leave their own countries to find work. It merely chastises mothers for not contacting a government agency before they go. Ridiculous.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/index.php/news/6835-father-kills-daughter.html

Father kills daughter
Wednesday, 29 September 2010 14:11

A man was arrested in Kadugannawa today for allegedly killing his seven-year-old daughter. The post mortem is to be held at the Kandy General hospital. Police suspect the death may be due to assault. The victim’s mother is employed overseas.

The child was living with her father in a tea estate and was killed on Monday, Kadugannawa Police said.

National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) Chairman Anoma Dissanayake who is looking into the matter, expressed her concern over the fact that mothers going aboard are not heeding their advice to inform the NCPA prior to going overseas.

Dad gets life sentence for murder of 9-month-old son (Zorzor, Liberia)

  1. Dad JERRY MULBAH has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his 9-month-old son. Like many of these cases--whether in the U.S. or elsewhere--Dad had a history of abuse against the baby's mother. When the mother left him, Dad made a great pretense of a reconcilation. But it was just a pretense. His real motive was to hurt/punish the mother in the worst possible way--by murdering her child. 

http://theinquirer.com.lr/story.php?record_id=3032&sub=14

Father Sentenced To Life Imprisonment...For Son's Murder In Lofa County

“I am looking up to the government for justice but as to the death of my only son, I'm innocent,” convict Jerry Mulbah cried out at the 10th Judicial Circuit Court in Lofa following a unanimous 'guilty' judgment by Judge Emmanuel Kollie. Judge Kollie last Thursday upheld, confirmed and affirmed unanimous jury verdict of guilty against defendant Mulbah who is accused of murdering his only son, Amos Mulbah in Zorzor. However, defense has except to the court's judgment and announced an appeal to the Supreme Court sitting in its October term. According to the case history, defendant Mulbah had been allegedly cruel to his fiancée Nyemah Dukulu who lived with him on Amos Yancy Farm in Bong Mines for three years. It was based on his alleged maltreatment that she left with their son for Lofa County on June 24, 2010.

In her testimony, Nyemah told the court and jury that Jerry followed them to Zorzor on June 25, 2010 where he apologized and she accepted him again but on June 28, 2010, defendant Mulbah allegedly stole his nine-month old child while asleep at night. The court's records state that in witnesses' testimonies it was alleged that Nyemah upon noticing that her child was not arond, began a search only to find her child dead with his neck fractured or broken.

The prosecution evidences included a medical report from Curran Lutheran Hospital in Zorzor; a 15-member corona juror report; photograph of the deceased when he was found dead on one of the rubber farms along the highway. With Jury nowhere to be found, investigators began their work and according to the records, the defendant was arrested on July 25 in Bong County. On August 12, 2010 his indictment was drawn and read to him on August 13, 2010 to which he answered not guilty.

The state produced three witnesses and defense produced only the defendant. It was observed that at some points of the defense witness' testimony, the State gave notice to the court to produce rebuttal witnesses but did not introduce any during the trial of the case. Prosecution was represented by the county attorney Luther J. Sumo while the defendant was represented by Tobey J. Raynes and R. Koryon Bolay. Following the jury's verdict, defense immediately filed for retrial.

The defense counsels' four count motion for retrial contained that the verdict be denied because there was no proof that defendant Mulbah murdered little Amos. Defense argued that the jurors did not follow the judge's charge to them regarding the laws of contradiction and failure to rebut.

Defense argued that the private prosecutor's testimony varied and contradicted that of the CID officer with regards to that of the others residing in the house as to whether the defendant supported his child and fiancée. It further contended that the verdict is completely contrary to the weight of the evidence. In the defendant's plea of an alibi requested the court for a subpoena but was never issued nor did the State exert any effort to prove that the defendant was present at the time of the crime of murder as required by law.

However, citing the new judiciary law Section 20:11(2), prosecution said the motion should be dismissed and denied because little Amos was murdered willingly and intentionally. It further said that the verdict was in no way contrary to the weight of the evidences because the movant was accorded the due process. Having listened to the court, Defendant Mulbah prayed that the law takes alternative so that he too can understand how his only son died.

Meanwhile, presently, the Voinjama Central Prison which lies in a deplorable condition has a record of 29 at large inmates while 10 who were already sentenced are also at large due to the February 26, 2010 incident. The prison compound with just one building that houses six criminal cell divisions, a charge of quarter and a superintendent's office suffer from leakages during the rains and it is very dark due to lack of electricity.

Already there are a total of 48 inmates consisting of 38 males, two females and four juveniles. The prison is opened to insecurity as it is not fenced in and visitors go there without regarding the visiting hours.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Dad faces jail over water torture of 8-year-old son for wetting his bed (Haversham, England, United Kingdom)

UNNAMED DAD utterly blew a gasket when his 8-year-old son wet his bed. A 90-minute public hosing with icy water? Unbelievable. Note that the child was "almost blue" when police arrived, and was afraid to move. Also note that there is NO MENTION of a mother, and that the child is now "in care." Is this a single dad?

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/09/28/dad-faces-jail-over-water-torture-of-eight-year-old-son-for-wetting-his-bed-115875-22592382/

Dad faces jail over water torture of eight-year-old son for wetting his bed

By Euan Stretch 28/09/2010

A brute who hosed his young son with icy water in a 90-minute public punishment for wetting his bed has been warned he could face prison.

The cruel dad, 30, put the eight-year-old youngster through the ordeal in his front garden.

After banishing the lad outside, the man also chased and swore at him and hit him twice over the head with a garden hose, magistrates were told.

The child was shivering and almost blue with cold - but was so terrified that when police later tried to coax him indoors, he said "No, I'm not allowed to move."

A couple living nearby called 999 after hearing his screams. A court heard how they saw him "hunched and huddled" outside his home in Faversham, Kent.

Prosecutor Paul Tapsell told Margate JPs the dad, who cannot be named, stormed towards his son with the hose and snarled: "You're not going to p*** in my house. You're going to stay there all day."

He denied hitting the boy. But his lawyer, Kieran Brand, admitted: "The child suffered. This wasn't a nice incident."

The boy is now in care. The couple who alerted police said after the hearing: "It was shocking, way beyond anything that could be considered acceptable discipline.

"The father is an unpleasant character. Being taken into care will probably give his son a better chance in life."

The man was freed on bail after admitting assault. Magistrates told him he could be jailed on October 12.

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/09/28/dad-faces-jail-over-water-torture-of-eight-year-old-son-for-wetting-his-bed-115875-22592382/#ixzz10rCMzuZU

Dad charged with negligent homicide in child's death; 11-month-old toddler struck with bowl (West Monroe, Louisiana)

Dad JAMES EDWARD "JUICY" CLAMPIT (no, I didn't make that name up) has been charged with negligent homicide in the death of his 11-month-old son. Seems Daddy got upset and threw a ceramic bowl at the child's head.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20100928/UPDATES01/100928009

Father charged with negligent homicide in child's death; toddler struck with bowl
Staff report • news@thenewsstar.com • September 28, 2010

James Edward “Juicy” Clampit, 38, 861 Rogers Road, West Monroe, was booked into Ouachita Correctional Center on Monday charged in a warrant with negligent homicide in connection with his 11-month-old son’s death.

Bond is $7,500.

According to court documents, on Sept. 16 the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office was notified of the death of an 11-month-old boy. The child’s death was attributed to a head injury.

Crystal Clampit, the boy’s mother and James Clampit’s wife, reportedly told deputies the child had been struck by a bowl.

Deputies went to the Clampit’s home and to Glenwood Regional Medical Center, where the child was taken.

Once at the hospital, deputies attempted to speak to James and Crystal Clampit, who declined to talk to them without an attorney present.

James Clampit, with his lawyer present, later told deputies that he and Crystal Clampit got into a verbal argument over the child hurting himself while playing.

He said she brought the child over to him to see the injury, which was a bitten tongue.

According to court documents, Crystal Clampit then carried the child back into the kitchen area.

James Clampit then stood up from the recliner he was seated in and threw the bowl from which he had been eating soup toward the kitchen area.

He told deputies he saw pieces of the bowl shatter and heard Crystal Clampit say, “Oh my God, he’s bleeding.”

According to court documents, James Clampit’s testimony notes that he knew his wife was holding the child as she walked into the kitchen area, that he was angry and threw the ceramic bowl toward them. The bowl struck the child’s head.

James Clampit said he and his wife immediately rushed toward the hospital but met American Medical Response at the Circle K on Thomas Road in West Monroe. The child died before reaching the hospital, court records state.

Infant violently shaken by father survives, but faces the unknown (Roanoke, Virginia)

Dad MICHAEL LEACH was the one who was convicted of inflicting this severe level of non-accidental head trauma on this child. But you won't find out the name of the actual perpetrator of this violent act till the last paragraph. And note that under a plea deal, he'll serve no more than five years in prison when sentenced in December.

http://www2.wsls.com/news/2010/sep/27/infant-survives-shaken-baby-syndrome-faces-unknown-ar-529543/

Infant survives 'Shaken Baby Syndrome', faces unknown

By Dawn Jefferies
Published: September 27, 2010

9-month-old Braven isn't able to crawl and only recently began sitting up on his own. "Physically, they say he's at a six month level," explains Braven's, Ce Ce Rose. But he's come a long way since he was diagnosed with non accidental head trauma, commonly referred to as shaken baby syndrome, at 6 weeks old.

"He was blind for roughly three weeks, he wouldn't cry, he couldn't talk, he couldn't eat for about two weeks," she said. "He had blood pretty much on the entire frontal area of his brain. He had blood clots in his eyes which is why he was blind."

Ce Ce's now ex-husband pled guilty in West Virginia, to child abuse resulting in bodily injury. She wasn't home when it happened but hasn't left Braven's side since. "My child was dying right before my eyes. I felt helpless. I couldn't do anything other than be by his side and hope he woke up."

It was a miracle when he did.

The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome reports about 25 percent of victims die from their injuries. 80 percent of those who make it suffer a permanent disability like severe brain damage or cerebral palsy.

Ce Ce says her son is more than lucky. "Yes, yes, he is a miracle."

They face a lot of unknowns. "There's a lot of doctors appointments, a lot of uncertainty, what the next day will bring but he's improving everyday."

And Ce Ce is doing what she can to keep other babies safe. "In the hospital, all they gave me was a big pink piece of paper that said, don't shake your baby." She's speaking out so other parents know the danger and know what to do when the trying days with a child take a toll.

"If you're getting upset with your child, lay them down and walk away." The moment you take, could save his life.

Under a plea agreement, Braven's father, Michael Leach, faces one to five years in prison. He'll be sentenced in December. He also has to register as a child abuse and neglect offender.

Opening remarks begin in dad's rape trial (Paterson, New Jersey)

We've posted on UNNAMED DAD and this case before. Beyond repulsive.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iBDFz1E4v1FYA6j3irsG9wYuwefQD9IH2LL03?docId=D9IH2LL03

Opening remarks begin in NJ father's rape trial
By SAMANTHA HENRY (AP) – 1 hour ago

PATERSON, N.J. — Prosecutors said Tuesday that a man accused of raping and impregnating his daughters believed God was commanding him to create a pure family bloodline, while the defense urged jurors to keep an open mind amid the "fantastic" details they would hear.

Jurors, who had only been briefed that they would be dealing with a sex assault trial that involved incest, sat rapt during opening arguments in state superior court in Paterson.

The Associated Press generally doesn't identify victims of sexual crimes and is not reporting the name of the man or his wife — who is scheduled to testify — to protect the identities of their children, who are now over 18.

The man, who was arrested in 2006 and ruled competent to stand trial earlier this year, faces 27 charges including sexual assault, lewdness, child endangerment and criminal sexual contact. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Tuesday marked the start of the first of five separate trials, one per child victim. The man is accused of raping five of his daughters and impregnating three of them.

The proceedings were briefly delayed Tuesday when the defendant, through his lawyer, accused the judge of taking $100,000 from a New York City lawyer to bring charges against him.

The judge said the claim had no merit and said he had only recently learned of the case after inheriting it from another judge.

The trial was also delayed last week after the defendant told the judge he had been assaulted by a prisoner during transport. A court-ordered examination found no evidence of assault.

Because the trials will be held separately, the judge ruled earlier this year that jurors can hear testimony about the home atmosphere but not specific allegations of sexual abuse that pertain to the other cases.

Authorities say the assaults began in the mid-1980s and lasted until 2002, when the parents separated, and occurred at residences in Paterson, East Orange, Orange and Eatontown. Prosecutors say the man ordered all his children to be born at home to remain undocumented, deprived them of food and medical care, kept them out of school and threatened them with death if they told anyone.

Lisa Squitieri, the Passaic County prosecutor handling the case, warned jurors in her opening statements that she would not be mincing words when it came to the types of sexual abuse the victim in the first case endured.

"You're going to hear about a very sad case ... where a child was betrayed by her father and not protected by her mother," Squitieri said. "She grew up in a home where she watched her mother and siblings be physically and mentally abused. If that wasn't enough, at 8 years old, (she) had to endure something no child should ever, ever, ever have to go through."

The defendant's lawyer, Daryl Pennington, urged the jurors to keep an open mind and uphold the justice system's core ideal that his client is innocent until proven guilty.

"All the fantastic stories you may hear, and all the gory details — it could be like going to a horror movie on a Friday night — this is not going to go away," he said. "But remember, we're talking about people's lives here, (my client's) life, your lives, certainly my life will be impacted by this case."

Dad gets life sentence for stabbing death of mom; stabbing took place in front of 6-year-old son (Reidsville, North Carolina)

Dad BERESFORD ALLEN CAMPBELL has been sentenced to life in prison for the utterly horrible stabbing death of his common-law wife--which took place in front of their 6-year-old son. The little boy continues to suffer from nightmares and traumatic memories, yet Daddy stands up in court and has the freaking nerve to tell him how much he really loves him. Seriously, this kind of sh** makes me want to barf.

http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20100927/ARTICLES/100929904/1005

Man receives life sentence in brutal stabbing death

By Steve Huffman
The Dispatch

Published: Monday, September 27, 2010 at 6:11 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, September 27, 2010 at 6:11 p.m.

A Reidsville man was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole Monday after pleading guilty to the brutal murder of his common-law wife.

Beresford Allen Campbell, 54, pleaded guilty to killing Beverly Wiley, 48, in an attack that started inside a moving car on Old U.S. Highway 52 in northern Davidson County on the morning of May 30. The couple's 6-year-old son, Joshua, was in the back seat of the vehicle that his mother was driving. Campbell was in the front passenger seat.

The child witnessed his mother first being stabbed, then watched as Campbell slammed the woman's head onto the ground after she'd managed to stop the car and crawl out. Prosecutors said witnesses told them the boy screamed, “Don't kill her!” as the assault continued.

Assistant District Attorney Greg Brown read from an autopsy report that stated Wiley had been slashed numerous times, suffering cuts to her face, throat and chest. Her right jugular vein and trachea were perforated, Brown said, and she suffered numerous cuts to her hands as she tried to defend herself.

Brown told Superior Court Judge Kevin M. Bridges the killing had at least one aggravating factor — that it was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel.

“We're still quite a ways from closure,” said Quentin Smith, a family member who read a letter to the court written by Beverly's mother, Edith Wiley. He spoke about what a wonderful woman and mother Beverly Wiley was.

“It's a start,” Smith continued, speaking of family members coming to grips with the loss of their loved one.

Prosecutors said that by pleading guilty to first-degree non-capital murder, Campbell avoided the possibility of a death sentence that might have come in a capital murder case. Campbell, handcuffed and shackled and wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, wept when asked if wished to speak, then quietly read statements he'd written to both his son and the Wiley family.

Joshua was not in the courtroom, and at least one family member walked out when Campbell was given the chance to speak.

In his address to his son, Campbell referred to the morning of the attack when “demons came into my life.

“I hope I can be forgiven,” Campbell said. “If I can't, I understand. Remember, Josh, I still love you and always will.”

To the Wiley family — about 20 members of whom were in the courtroom — Campbell said, “No words I can say can alleviate the pain I caused.

“I wish that day had never existed. I still don't know why this happened.”

Members of Wiley's family described to the court a loving woman who helped countless others. Kim Wiley, Beverly's sister, read a letter written by her daughter, Brooke, who was Beverly's niece.

“My aunt, mother and best friend is no longer there for me,” Brooke wrote.

Kim Wiley also read a note from Sierra Wiley, another of Beverly's nieces.

“She was more than an aunt, she was a role model,” Sierra wrote. “She never judged me, but always loved me.”

Sierra wrote, “The crime was selfish and affected numerous people. I have never seen my grandfather sad or shed a tear until that day.”

A letter from Joshua's therapist was also read during the proceedings. The therapist said the child suffers symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and is affected by nightmares caused by seeing his father kill his mother.

“He's fortunate to have a loving and extremely supportive immediate family,” the therapist wrote. “The impact of seeing his father kill his mother will continue to impact him.”

In addressing the court, Quentin Smith said Beverly was “totally devoted to Joshua.”

He said the family worked not to harbor bitterness over the killing.

“It's more important we have her spirit with us every day,” Smith said.

Bridges thanked members of Wiley's family for addressing the court.

“We certainly can't console you with anything we do here,” the judge said.

Campbell was represented by Winston-Salem attorney J. Darren Byers. In addition to being sentenced to life in prison, Campbell was ordered to pay $11,195 in restitution. Of that amount, $6,000 goes to Beverly Wiley's mother to pay the expense of her daughter's funeral. Another $5,000 is to go to a victim's compensation fund and the remaining $195 to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem where Wiley was taken after the attack.

Steve Huffman can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 217, or steve.huffman@the-dispatch.com.

Custodial dad to stand trial for beating death of 4-year-old daughter (Salt Lake City, Utah)

Mothers are routinely put on trial when their boyfriend or new husband beat their child to death. Even if the mother was also assaulted or physically threatened. But seldom do you see the same standards applied to custodial dads when the girlfriend or the stepmother apparently did the crime.

Sounds like custodial dad CLINTON HART knew very well what was going on, even if he didn't administer the final fatal beating himself. And I doubt that his girlfriend was regularly beating HIM or leaving him in fear of leaving with his children.

We have posted on this case before, and as usual, the whole squalid story of how the mother was stripped of custody and denied visitation as a part of the "messy divorce" (translation: abusive husband using the divorce process to pulverize/punish the mother of their child) has been dropped in the more recent stories. But we'll refresh your memory for you. See our previous posts here:

http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/06/family-wants-death-penalty-for.html

http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/06/custodial-dad-girlfriend-charged-in-4.html

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/50365798-76/hart-girl-navarro-boyden.html.csp

Father to stand trial for his daughter’s beating death
By stephen hunt

The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Sep 27, 2010 07:04PM
Updated Sep 27, 2010 11:24PM

Clinton Hart will stand trial on first-degree felony murder for the death of his 4-year-old daughter, even though it was Hart’s live-in girlfriend who allegedly beat the girl.

Prosecutors argued Monday that Hart knew the girl was being beaten and did nothing to stop it.

Like a getaway driver in a robbery where an innocent victim dies, Hart shares an almost equal responsibility for the girl’s June 13 death, according to the prosecution’s theory of the case.

The legal arguments came six weeks after 3rd District Judge Ann Boyden heard preliminary hearing testimony.

In addition to the murder charge, Boyden ordered Hart to stand trial on two counts of second-degree felony child abuse.

Hart, 21, of Kearns, is to be arraigned Oct. 18 before Judge Robert Faust.

Boyden dismissed one count of obstructing justice, saying there was insufficient evidence to show Hart deliberately deleted cell phone text messages between himself and his girlfriend, Marina Navarro, to disrupt the police investigation.

Navarro, 21, is charged with aggravated murder, which carries the possibility of the death penalty. Navarro, who is expected to give birth to Hart’s child next month, has a scheduling hearing Nov. 9 before Boyden.

Defense attorney Steven Shapiro argued Monday there was no evidence Hart knew Navarro was physically abusing his daughter. He noted that Hart’s idea of punishment was to make the girl stand in the corner.

And even though Hart gave a pediatrician explanations for the girl’s many bruises and scrapes by describing a number of accidents that did not match the nature of the injuries, Shapiro claimed that was not evidence of Hart’s complicity. Shapiro claimed Hart was simply distraught and “racking his brains” for some explanation of what had happened to his daughter.

Boyden said she was persuaded that Hart was “very involved” in Navarro’s attempts to discipline the girl. The judge noted that Navarro frequently called or texted Hart for advice on what to do when the girl misbehaved.

Boyden also noted that, according to testimony, when Hart was called home June 13 by Navarro — who claimed the girl had fallen down the stairs — Hart tried to revive her by running cold water across her forehead.

Hart later told police he had used cold water before to bring the girl back to consciousness, suggesting he had knowledge of other serious injuries.

shunt@sltrib.com

Custodial dad pleads guilty to assault of 5-month-old son (Charlottetown, PEI, Canada)

As is typical in these articles, you have to read carefully to figure out that this wasn't some random "man" who struck this baby in the face with a bottle and fractured three of the baby's ribs because he was "frustrated" from the baby's crying.

Actually, ROBERT ANDREW GARIEPY is a custodial father. Not only that, but a custodial father who is the only parent "in the picture at all." Why the mother is not "in the picture" is not explained. It almost never is. And it is also made pretty clear that Mom won't be admitted back into the picture. For whatever reason.

But note that Daddy has pretty much got the kid glove treatment. Parenting and "anger management" classes to deal with that temper of his. All because the poor dear was "not getting much sleep" or "much help caring for the child." Well, I hate to break it to you, but that describes the life of EVERY MOTHER of a baby--unless you're quite wealthy--and all those moms generally manage to avoid assaulting their babies. And note that this guy initially lied about how the baby was injured, too. Doesn't matter. He keeps custody. And will apparently get a very light sentence.

Who says daddies are discriminated against?

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2010-09-28/article-1801894/Man-strikes-infant-in-face-with-baby-bottle/1

Man strikes infant in face with baby bottle
Published on September 28th, 2010
Published on September 28th, 2010

A 21-year-old Charlottetown man who pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing bodily harm laid after he struck his infant son in the face with a bottle and fractured three of the child’s ribs has had his sentence hearing adjourned until March 1.

Robert Andrew Gariepy appeared for sentence in P.E.I. Supreme Court Monday, but after hearing an agreed statement of facts and representations from the Crown and defence counsel, Supreme Court Justice Wayne Cheverie decided to set the case over for sentence.

Defence counsel Brenda Picard had asked Cheverie to adjourn the passing of sentence for four to six months if he was considering a sentence that was more than 90 days in jail, taking it outside the range that would make him eligible for an intermittent sentence.

Picard requested the adjournment because the mother of the accused has agreed to provide care for the child while her son is in jail, but she herself is recovering from a period of ill health and will need four to six months before she’s able to provide that care for him.

Cheverie told the accused Monday he will be sentenced to a jail term in excess of 90 days when he returns to court in May, but could not say how much more than 90 days the sentence might be because there were a number of factors to be considered.

Included among those factors is the manner in which Gariepy conducts himself over the next several months.

The Crown has called for a sentence of between 15 to 18 months.

The defence had proposed a sentence of 90 days but Cheverie has already ruled that out.

The charge of assault causing bodily harm stems from a single incident of child abuse.

An agreed statement of facts read into the record by Crown prosecutor Cheryl A. Schurman stated that Gariepy was alone with his five-month-old son at a residence in Milton on the night of the assault. She said Gariepy was overtired and became frustrated when the infant would not take his bottle.

He struck the infant twice in the face with the baby bottle, leaving a mark.

The child began to cry and when he would not stop crying Gariepy squeezed the child, fracturing three of his ribs.

They took the child to the hospital claiming he had suffered the injuries while in his Jolly Jumper.
But the attending physician did not believe the injuries were consistent with what the accused had described to him.

When police went to the home with a search warrant to seize certain items Gariepy told police he had something to tell them and recounted the real story behind his son’s injuries.

In calling for a sentence of 15-18 months, Schurman said the court must impose a sentence that sends a clear message that the actions of the accused are not acceptable.

She said the sentence should express the abhorrence of the court at such actions.

Schurman said the accused has, to his credit, made positive strides since the assault was committed but must still answer for his actions.

She noted the victim was vulnerable, completely dependent on his father for his care and that the injuries he suffered at his father’s hands were significant enough to warrant sending him to the IWK in Halifax for treatment.

“This is a serious case of serious harm done to a child,” Schurman said.

Picard said the sentence proposed by the Crown was excessive.

She said the accused had no criminal record and has accepted full responsibility for his actions.

At the time of the incident Gariepy was not getting much sleep and was not getting much help caring for the child, Picard told the court.

Since the incident he has taken counselling to improve his coping skills and address anger management issues.

In response to a question from Cheverie she said the child’s mother is not in the picture at all.

Picard said the assault in this case was serious, but on the lower end of serious.

Cheverie said he has a number of factors to consider in crafting a sentence for this accused. He said he must craft a sentence that is appropriate in light of the injuries suffered by the child and which addresses the principles of denunciation and deterrence.

But he said he’s also looking at a young man with no prior record.

And at the heart of this, he noted, is a little boy who runs the risk of being taken back into the care of the Department of Child Welfare if his father is sentenced to more than 90 days in jail and has no one to care for him.

The child was initially taken from his father but was returned to his care after he had completed counselling to improve his parenting skills and address other relevant issues.