Whether Dad JUSTIN WADE POTTS worked for the Florida Department of Agriculture or at the dog pound is really irrelevant to this story. What this really illustrates is how a narcissistic, violent father reacts when he "loses control" (i.e. his wife finally asks for a divorce). So he attacks her, then chokes and slaps the kids. And there are still among us who ask why she just doesn't leave that guy....
But kudos to reporter Jamie Secola for doing her homework. We do find that Dad has a rapsheet related to domestic violence offences going all the way back to 1996. So why has he not been jailed before now? It's not because he's the son of an ex-police chief, is it?
http://www.pnj.com/article/20110630/NEWS01/106300306/Ag-official-charged-abuse?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE
Ag official charged with abuse
Children say their dad choked them
7:53 AM, Jun. 30, 2011
Written by Jamie Secola
Florida Department of Agriculture officer Justin Wade Potts was arrested this week on child abuse charges after Escambia Sheriff's deputies interviewed his four minor children.
Potts, the son of late Pensacola Police Chief Jerry Potts, also faces two counts of battery and one count of false imprisonment; his wife, Carlie Potts, accused him of attacking her on June 6 while they argued about her wanting a divorce.
Potts, 35, is charged with four felony counts of child abuse and two felony counts of domestic battery by strangulation. He was in the Escambia County Jail Wednesday on $750,000 bond.
According to a Sheriff's Office report, the Potts children told Deputy Jeremy Jarman about several instances of their father choking, slapping, poking and screaming at them. The report also describes instances where Potts choked at least two of his three sons.
During one of those instances, Potts grabbed one of his sons by the throat and lifted him off the ground "while yelling and cussing at him." Potts took another son by the throat and held him under the shower. Another son nearly passed out after Potts straddled the child while he was lying in bed and pressed his forearm to the child's throat.
His daughter said in the report that Potts threatened, " ... If you say anything to your mom, you're gonna be picking yourself up off the ground and you're gonna really have a reason to call (the Department of Children and Families)."
According to the Escambia County Clerk of Courts website, Potts has had issues with domestic violence since 1996.
In the June 6 incident Carlie Potts said that Justin Potts threw her to the floor, shoved her in a closet, sat on her stomach and shoved a pair of shorts into her mouth. His next court appearance on those charges is before Judge Ronald Swanson at 9 a.m. Friday.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Custodial dad abused 7-year-old son, but then refused to take him to the hospital for stitches (Peabody, Massachusetts)
Wow. Talk about hearsay accusations. How do we know that the boy's mother is "not involved" in her son's life because she's "addicted to drugs"? Because dad GEORGE FABRIZIO told this woman so? The same nice custodial daddy who knocked his 7-year-old son into a cabinet for being "loud"--and then refused to take the kid to the hospital to get stitches for the gash in his head? The same dad who once hit this child hard enough to break his jaw--which also went undetected until the injury was found by a dentist? The same child that was dirty and not allowed to eat at a cookout?
Maybe Mom does have problems with drugs--maybe not. But drug problems are treatable. Being a violent, vicious @$$hole is not.
At any rate, I'd like to see more digging as to how this abusive father got custody, and from whom. And I just wouldn't accept a hearsay smear against the mother--especially by a violent control freak with a ulterior motive. The media should not report these accusations without evidence. Shame on the Salem News.
http://www.salemnews.com/local/x1692749048/Police-Dad-angry-over-noise-abuses-young-child
June 30, 2011
Police: Dad angry over noise abuses young child
By Julie Manganis
Staff writer The Salem News Thu Jun 30, 2011, 05:02 AM EDT
PEABODY — A Lynn father is being held without bail after police say he slapped his 7-year-old son hard enough to knock him into the corner of a cabinet, leaving a gash in his head, then refused to take the boy to the hospital for stitches.
It's not the first time George Fabrizio, 33, has abused the boy, police say.
The boy, who is now in the custody of the Department of Children and Families, also told police that his dad once hit him hard enough to break his jaw, an injury not discovered until a dentist visit, he told police.
He told police he "had to go live with his aunt and uncle for a year after that," according to a police report.
Fabrizio was arrested Monday evening on a charge of assault and battery on a child causing substantial injury.
Fabrizio and the boy were visiting a friend on Oak Street in Peabody on Monday afternoon. That friend lives there with his mother.
Two other children, ages 12 and 6, were playing with the boy, when Fabrizio apparently became angered by the noise, according to a police report.
The mother of Fabrizio's friend said Fabrizio hit the boy in the face, sending him into a speaker cabinet.
She and several others in the home suggested that Fabrizio take the boy to get stitches for the deep cut, but he refused, then threatened that if she told anyone, he would simply blame one of the other children in the home.
The woman's son then drove Fabrizio and his son back to Lynn.
The woman, who knew about the earlier incident, called police, concerned for the boy's safety, she said.
The boy's mother is not involved in his life and is addicted to drugs, the woman told police.
Lynn police found no one at home when they went to check on the boy at first. Meanwhile, Peabody police were getting an arrest warrant and filing a report of possible abuse with the Department of Children and Families.
Eventually, police found the boy back on Oak Street, where he was eating a bowl of macaroni and cheese. While he had clean clothes on, police described him as dirty.
The boy offered a similar account of what had happened, but added that his father told him that the next time he was "bad," he would hit him with a belt the way his own father did.
The woman also said that during a cookout at her home the day before, Sunday, Fabrizio had refused to let the boy eat.
Fabrizio pleaded not guilty to the charge at his arraignment Tuesday in Peabody District Court, where Judge Richard Mori ordered him held without bail pending a hearing to determine whether he poses a danger if released.
That hearing is scheduled for July 5.
Maybe Mom does have problems with drugs--maybe not. But drug problems are treatable. Being a violent, vicious @$$hole is not.
At any rate, I'd like to see more digging as to how this abusive father got custody, and from whom. And I just wouldn't accept a hearsay smear against the mother--especially by a violent control freak with a ulterior motive. The media should not report these accusations without evidence. Shame on the Salem News.
http://www.salemnews.com/local/x1692749048/Police-Dad-angry-over-noise-abuses-young-child
June 30, 2011
Police: Dad angry over noise abuses young child
By Julie Manganis
Staff writer The Salem News Thu Jun 30, 2011, 05:02 AM EDT
PEABODY — A Lynn father is being held without bail after police say he slapped his 7-year-old son hard enough to knock him into the corner of a cabinet, leaving a gash in his head, then refused to take the boy to the hospital for stitches.
It's not the first time George Fabrizio, 33, has abused the boy, police say.
The boy, who is now in the custody of the Department of Children and Families, also told police that his dad once hit him hard enough to break his jaw, an injury not discovered until a dentist visit, he told police.
He told police he "had to go live with his aunt and uncle for a year after that," according to a police report.
Fabrizio was arrested Monday evening on a charge of assault and battery on a child causing substantial injury.
Fabrizio and the boy were visiting a friend on Oak Street in Peabody on Monday afternoon. That friend lives there with his mother.
Two other children, ages 12 and 6, were playing with the boy, when Fabrizio apparently became angered by the noise, according to a police report.
The mother of Fabrizio's friend said Fabrizio hit the boy in the face, sending him into a speaker cabinet.
She and several others in the home suggested that Fabrizio take the boy to get stitches for the deep cut, but he refused, then threatened that if she told anyone, he would simply blame one of the other children in the home.
The woman's son then drove Fabrizio and his son back to Lynn.
The woman, who knew about the earlier incident, called police, concerned for the boy's safety, she said.
The boy's mother is not involved in his life and is addicted to drugs, the woman told police.
Lynn police found no one at home when they went to check on the boy at first. Meanwhile, Peabody police were getting an arrest warrant and filing a report of possible abuse with the Department of Children and Families.
Eventually, police found the boy back on Oak Street, where he was eating a bowl of macaroni and cheese. While he had clean clothes on, police described him as dirty.
The boy offered a similar account of what had happened, but added that his father told him that the next time he was "bad," he would hit him with a belt the way his own father did.
The woman also said that during a cookout at her home the day before, Sunday, Fabrizio had refused to let the boy eat.
Fabrizio pleaded not guilty to the charge at his arraignment Tuesday in Peabody District Court, where Judge Richard Mori ordered him held without bail pending a hearing to determine whether he poses a danger if released.
That hearing is scheduled for July 5.
"Angry" dad charged after 3-month-old daughter violently shaken; baby in critical condition (Edinburg, Texas)
Yet another frustruated daddy who just couldn't take the baby's crying, ya know? I'd sure like to know why dad SERGIO SUAREZ JR. thinks he has the right to be "angry" as he stands before the judge.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/edinburg-52310-girl-shaken.html
Edinburg dad charged after baby girl shaken
June 30, 2011 10:47 AM
Ildefonso Ortiz
The Monitor
EDINBURG — An Edinburg man was formally charged with injury to a child after police say he shook his 3-month-old daughter when she wouldn’t stop crying.
The girl remained in critical but stable condition Wednesday night, said Peter De La Garza, assistant police chief.
The 23-year-old Sergio Suarez Jr., who said he sells accessories at a local flea market, looked upset and angry as he stood before Edinburg Municipal Judge Terry Palacios at a hearing Wednesday.
The judge told Suarez of the charge against him and set his bond at $100,000 before sending him to the Hidalgo County Jail.
Suarez was arrested Tuesday after an investigation into the violent shaking of a baby that resulted in brain hemorrhaging, De La Garza said.
The baby was hospitalized with a fever Monday, police Lt. Oscar Treviño said Tuesday.
Hospital staff contacted police when they noticed that the child had injuries of a suspicious nature, which in turn began an investigation into the matter, De La Garza said.
Investigators met with the father and subsequently charged him in the case, De La Garza said. The mother of the child was not charged in relation to the case.
Injury to a child is a first-degree felony and is punishable by 5 to 99 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/edinburg-52310-girl-shaken.html
Edinburg dad charged after baby girl shaken
June 30, 2011 10:47 AM
Ildefonso Ortiz
The Monitor
EDINBURG — An Edinburg man was formally charged with injury to a child after police say he shook his 3-month-old daughter when she wouldn’t stop crying.
The girl remained in critical but stable condition Wednesday night, said Peter De La Garza, assistant police chief.
The 23-year-old Sergio Suarez Jr., who said he sells accessories at a local flea market, looked upset and angry as he stood before Edinburg Municipal Judge Terry Palacios at a hearing Wednesday.
The judge told Suarez of the charge against him and set his bond at $100,000 before sending him to the Hidalgo County Jail.
Suarez was arrested Tuesday after an investigation into the violent shaking of a baby that resulted in brain hemorrhaging, De La Garza said.
The baby was hospitalized with a fever Monday, police Lt. Oscar Treviño said Tuesday.
Hospital staff contacted police when they noticed that the child had injuries of a suspicious nature, which in turn began an investigation into the matter, De La Garza said.
Investigators met with the father and subsequently charged him in the case, De La Garza said. The mother of the child was not charged in relation to the case.
Injury to a child is a first-degree felony and is punishable by 5 to 99 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
Dad arrested after AK-47, drugs found within reach of children (Gainesville, Florida)
No doubt daddy MICHAEL D. CLAYTON needed that AK-47 for, um, shooting rabbits in the garden. I'm sure that's really cool when you're high....Was there a mother in this home? If so, why is there no mention? In most cases like this, the mother is arrested first because she's presumed to be in charge of the home life. Or is this a single dad?
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20110630/ARTICLES/110639981/1002/sitemaps04
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
Deputies: Father arrested after AK-47, drugs found within reach of children
By Karen Voyles
Staff writer
Published: Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 12:09 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 12:09 p.m.
A Gainesville father was arrested on a child neglect charge after deputies and state welfare officials said marijuana, guns and ammunition were found within easy reach of the man's three children.
According to the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, deputies Wednesday were sent to the home of Michael D. Clayton, 24, of 6217 SW 11th Place, to assist the Department of Children and Families in an investigation.
While inside the home, deputies said they found marijuana in a jar in a trash can and in a drinking cup on a counter. They said they also found an AK-47 in a closet next to the front door of the home and a loaded .45-caliber, semiautomatic handgun in an upstairs bedroom, along with ammunition.
Clayton was arrested on charges of child neglect, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and possession of marijuana, then booked into the Alachua County jail.
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20110630/ARTICLES/110639981/1002/sitemaps04
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
Deputies: Father arrested after AK-47, drugs found within reach of children
By Karen Voyles
Staff writer
Published: Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 12:09 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 12:09 p.m.
A Gainesville father was arrested on a child neglect charge after deputies and state welfare officials said marijuana, guns and ammunition were found within easy reach of the man's three children.
According to the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, deputies Wednesday were sent to the home of Michael D. Clayton, 24, of 6217 SW 11th Place, to assist the Department of Children and Families in an investigation.
While inside the home, deputies said they found marijuana in a jar in a trash can and in a drinking cup on a counter. They said they also found an AK-47 in a closet next to the front door of the home and a loaded .45-caliber, semiautomatic handgun in an upstairs bedroom, along with ammunition.
Clayton was arrested on charges of child neglect, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and possession of marijuana, then booked into the Alachua County jail.
Dad who impregnated, murdered daughter in 1996 finally gets life sentence (Kiel, Germany)
UNNAMED DAD, even after conviction. Notice that he sent Mom out of the home before the murder.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1648366.php/Man-who-impregnated-and-murdered-daughter-gets-life-in-Germany
Man who impregnated and murdered daughter gets life in Germany
Jun 29, 2011, 16:16 GMT
Kiel, Germany - A court in Germany on Wednesday sentenced a man to life for murdering his 29-year-old daughter after getting her pregnant.
The crime, which took place in 1996 in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, was only discovered last year when the victim's younger sister went to the police. The 69-year-old man was arrested two days before Christmas 2010.
The murdered woman, who had learning difficulties, was Turkish and had been staying with the family illegally after her tourist visa expired. Her disappearance, therefore, went unnoticed by authorities.
Her father had lived in Germany for more than 40 years and taken German citizenship in 2001.
The younger daughter, now 33, told the court that he had threatened to kill her if she did not help to hide the body.
The dental assistant told the court that her father had told her in advance of his intention to kill her sister, saying: 'I think she's pregnant, I have to get rid of her.' She came home from school shortly afterwards to find the body in a bag on the balcony.
He had first buried his victim in a garage, but later dug it up and put the remains in the rubbish. But police later found bones in the garage with the help of sniffer dogs.
The man had sent his wife away to a health resort at the time of the crime and when she later asked where her daughter was he told her that the police had deported her back to Turkey.
He then forbade her from trying to visit her daughter and later told her she had been killed in an earthquake.
It was the mother's continual demands to know what had happened to her older daughter which eventually caused her to go to the police, the younger daughter said.
Police are now investigating her for being an accessory to murder and for not reporting her father when she first heard of his intentions.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1648366.php/Man-who-impregnated-and-murdered-daughter-gets-life-in-Germany
Man who impregnated and murdered daughter gets life in Germany
Jun 29, 2011, 16:16 GMT
Kiel, Germany - A court in Germany on Wednesday sentenced a man to life for murdering his 29-year-old daughter after getting her pregnant.
The crime, which took place in 1996 in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, was only discovered last year when the victim's younger sister went to the police. The 69-year-old man was arrested two days before Christmas 2010.
The murdered woman, who had learning difficulties, was Turkish and had been staying with the family illegally after her tourist visa expired. Her disappearance, therefore, went unnoticed by authorities.
Her father had lived in Germany for more than 40 years and taken German citizenship in 2001.
The younger daughter, now 33, told the court that he had threatened to kill her if she did not help to hide the body.
The dental assistant told the court that her father had told her in advance of his intention to kill her sister, saying: 'I think she's pregnant, I have to get rid of her.' She came home from school shortly afterwards to find the body in a bag on the balcony.
He had first buried his victim in a garage, but later dug it up and put the remains in the rubbish. But police later found bones in the garage with the help of sniffer dogs.
The man had sent his wife away to a health resort at the time of the crime and when she later asked where her daughter was he told her that the police had deported her back to Turkey.
He then forbade her from trying to visit her daughter and later told her she had been killed in an earthquake.
It was the mother's continual demands to know what had happened to her older daughter which eventually caused her to go to the police, the younger daughter said.
Police are now investigating her for being an accessory to murder and for not reporting her father when she first heard of his intentions.
Dad sentenced to 100 years for torching pregnant ex-girlfriend, attempted murder of two kids (Queens, New York)
Yup, I agree with the judge. This daddy had no human soul. KHENAN CLARKE doused his pregnant ex-girlfriend with gasoline and set her on fire. There were two kids in the apartment, one that was "his." Do you think it made any difference to this piece of sh** that he had a DNA link to the one? Nah.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/father_sentenced_queens_trapped_q363VmjqiI4bA5pOEWpuSK
Dad sentenced to 100 years for torching pregnant ex-girlfriend and Qns. apartment where 2 kids were trapped
By CHRISTINA CARREGA
Last Updated: 4:36 PM, June 29, 2011
Posted: 4:35 PM, June 29, 2011
A Queens judge threw the book — a 100-year-sentence — at a 26-year-old father today who set fire to his pregnant ex-girlfriend and the Long Island City apartment where their son and another tot were trapped by the flames.
"Prisons are made for people like you," Queens State Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise told Khenan Clarke. "You have no heart or soul."
Clarke was convicted in April of arson, three counts of attempted murder, assault and burglary for setting Latisha Shaw on fire and dousing her with gasoline as she fled screaming in the Nov. 15, 2009 attack.
A neighbor armed with a knife frightened Clarke off. Shaw and Clarke’s son Jaden, 4, and Shaw’s other son Ahshi, 3, were rescued.
"How can someone human be so evil to their own child?" Shaw said tearfully in a victim impact statement. "We are grateful that the monster my son calls his father will be locked up today."
Shaw spent a month in the hospital with third degree burns and had skin graft surgery.
Before hearing his sentence, Clarke told the court, "I regret what I’ve done, but I’ll wait for my opportunity for my appeal to prove my innocence."
"No amount of jail time is going to rehabilitate this guy," the judge said. "He will never see the light of day again."
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/father_sentenced_queens_trapped_q363VmjqiI4bA5pOEWpuSK
Dad sentenced to 100 years for torching pregnant ex-girlfriend and Qns. apartment where 2 kids were trapped
By CHRISTINA CARREGA
Last Updated: 4:36 PM, June 29, 2011
Posted: 4:35 PM, June 29, 2011
A Queens judge threw the book — a 100-year-sentence — at a 26-year-old father today who set fire to his pregnant ex-girlfriend and the Long Island City apartment where their son and another tot were trapped by the flames.
"Prisons are made for people like you," Queens State Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise told Khenan Clarke. "You have no heart or soul."
Clarke was convicted in April of arson, three counts of attempted murder, assault and burglary for setting Latisha Shaw on fire and dousing her with gasoline as she fled screaming in the Nov. 15, 2009 attack.
A neighbor armed with a knife frightened Clarke off. Shaw and Clarke’s son Jaden, 4, and Shaw’s other son Ahshi, 3, were rescued.
"How can someone human be so evil to their own child?" Shaw said tearfully in a victim impact statement. "We are grateful that the monster my son calls his father will be locked up today."
Shaw spent a month in the hospital with third degree burns and had skin graft surgery.
Before hearing his sentence, Clarke told the court, "I regret what I’ve done, but I’ll wait for my opportunity for my appeal to prove my innocence."
"No amount of jail time is going to rehabilitate this guy," the judge said. "He will never see the light of day again."
Dad charged with killing 3-month-old son--the very first time he cared for him alone (Towamencin, Pennsylvania)
Read this carefully. It sure doesn't sound like the mother and the father lived together, as she dropped off the baby about 3 AM. Did she have to work? What? We don't know. Was this a visitation situation, formal or informal? We don't know. We're not told.
We do know that Daddy JAMEEL E. EAST apparently lived with his grandmother--or at least she was staying at the home--and that when she and other family member left the house, he was left alone with the baby for the very first time. Like a lot of young men, he was "overwhelmed." Why we think virile young men are suited to infant care, I don't know. A few are. Many are not. But anyway, Daddy couldn't handle the stress of a sick baby. By 8:00 in the morning, the baby was dead from blunt cerebral trauma (two head fractures).
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer_news/father-accused-of-killing-infant-son/article_fe005671-af71-5074-ac31-532c3b16750f.html
Father accused of killing infant son
Posted: Thursday, June 30, 2011 6:00 am | Updated: 11:35 am, Thu Jun 30, 2011.
By Margaret Gibbons
Staff writer Calkins Media, Inc.
A Towamencin man is behind bars after authorities Wednesday accused him of murdering his 3-month-old son.
Jameel E. East, 22, of the 400 block of Lantern Lane, was held without bail following his arrest and arraignment for third-degree murder and lying to police about the circumstances involving the death of his son, Enzo East.
East’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 11.
The head injuries that took the infant’s life and which included two skull fractures occurred while East was alone caring for the child.
“This baby’s life was taken from him before he even had a chance to live it,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman in announcing East’s arrest.
“Children at that age are completely helpless, completely vulnerable and completely dependent on adults in their lives to care for them,” said Ferman. “Now that his life has been taken from him, it is really up to us in law enforcement and the DA’s office to be the voice for child, to stand up for him and to make sure that the person who so violently took his life is held accountable.”
East could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 to 40 years in prison if convicted of third-degree murder.
The incident that resulted in the infant’s death occurred last Friday.
The infant’s 18-year-old mother, Sarah Luby, dropped the child off with East at about 3 a.m. that day.
The mother earlier had taken the child to the Abington Memorial Hospital emergency room to be treated for vomiting and he was released from the hospital at about 2:15 a.m.
East cared for his son, who witnesses described as “fussy,” throughout the day.
East’s grandmother and other family members left the home at about 5:30 p.m., leaving East solely responsible for the infant.
Sometime after their departure, the child vomited on East’s shorts and he took him into the bathroom to clean him up.
Ferman said authorities do not know whether they can pinpoint the specific moment that East became, in his own words, “overwhelmed” by the situation, whether it was because this was East’s first time caring for the child alone, because the child was ill or because the child had vomited on him.
But what authorities say they do know as a result of their investigation is that East “shook the child very violently, striking him against a hard surface in the bathroom, ultimately causing the injuries that were fatal to the baby,” according to Ferman.
Accoriding to authorities, East described Enzo as appearing to be in “shock” after he received the blow to his head. The father went on to bathe the child anyway and noticed that he was not breathing, according to a statement.
East contacted a friend, asking him to drive him and his son to the Abington Health Lansdale Hospital. The child, who was “unresponsive,” was immediately transported by MedEvac helicopter to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The child was pronounced dead at 8:12 p.m. on June 25.
An autopsy was conducted the following day. The cause of death was blunt cerebral trauma and the manner of death was listed as homicide.
Questioned by authorities, East initially told them that, while he was carrying the child down the staircase, he began to fall and the child’s head slammed against the wall. He later told authorities he felt “overwhelmed” when he took the child into the bathroom to bathe him and struck the child’s head against the hard counter surface between the two sinks.
We do know that Daddy JAMEEL E. EAST apparently lived with his grandmother--or at least she was staying at the home--and that when she and other family member left the house, he was left alone with the baby for the very first time. Like a lot of young men, he was "overwhelmed." Why we think virile young men are suited to infant care, I don't know. A few are. Many are not. But anyway, Daddy couldn't handle the stress of a sick baby. By 8:00 in the morning, the baby was dead from blunt cerebral trauma (two head fractures).
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer_news/father-accused-of-killing-infant-son/article_fe005671-af71-5074-ac31-532c3b16750f.html
Father accused of killing infant son
Posted: Thursday, June 30, 2011 6:00 am | Updated: 11:35 am, Thu Jun 30, 2011.
By Margaret Gibbons
Staff writer Calkins Media, Inc.
A Towamencin man is behind bars after authorities Wednesday accused him of murdering his 3-month-old son.
Jameel E. East, 22, of the 400 block of Lantern Lane, was held without bail following his arrest and arraignment for third-degree murder and lying to police about the circumstances involving the death of his son, Enzo East.
East’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 11.
The head injuries that took the infant’s life and which included two skull fractures occurred while East was alone caring for the child.
“This baby’s life was taken from him before he even had a chance to live it,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman in announcing East’s arrest.
“Children at that age are completely helpless, completely vulnerable and completely dependent on adults in their lives to care for them,” said Ferman. “Now that his life has been taken from him, it is really up to us in law enforcement and the DA’s office to be the voice for child, to stand up for him and to make sure that the person who so violently took his life is held accountable.”
East could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 to 40 years in prison if convicted of third-degree murder.
The incident that resulted in the infant’s death occurred last Friday.
The infant’s 18-year-old mother, Sarah Luby, dropped the child off with East at about 3 a.m. that day.
The mother earlier had taken the child to the Abington Memorial Hospital emergency room to be treated for vomiting and he was released from the hospital at about 2:15 a.m.
East cared for his son, who witnesses described as “fussy,” throughout the day.
East’s grandmother and other family members left the home at about 5:30 p.m., leaving East solely responsible for the infant.
Sometime after their departure, the child vomited on East’s shorts and he took him into the bathroom to clean him up.
Ferman said authorities do not know whether they can pinpoint the specific moment that East became, in his own words, “overwhelmed” by the situation, whether it was because this was East’s first time caring for the child alone, because the child was ill or because the child had vomited on him.
But what authorities say they do know as a result of their investigation is that East “shook the child very violently, striking him against a hard surface in the bathroom, ultimately causing the injuries that were fatal to the baby,” according to Ferman.
Accoriding to authorities, East described Enzo as appearing to be in “shock” after he received the blow to his head. The father went on to bathe the child anyway and noticed that he was not breathing, according to a statement.
East contacted a friend, asking him to drive him and his son to the Abington Health Lansdale Hospital. The child, who was “unresponsive,” was immediately transported by MedEvac helicopter to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The child was pronounced dead at 8:12 p.m. on June 25.
An autopsy was conducted the following day. The cause of death was blunt cerebral trauma and the manner of death was listed as homicide.
Questioned by authorities, East initially told them that, while he was carrying the child down the staircase, he began to fall and the child’s head slammed against the wall. He later told authorities he felt “overwhelmed” when he took the child into the bathroom to bathe him and struck the child’s head against the hard counter surface between the two sinks.
Dad on trial for killing kids during visitation "showed many signs of sound behavior" (Jerome, Quebec, Canada)
Dad GUY TURCOTTE wasn't "crazy." He was the typical killer daddy, angry at his ex-wife and intent on hurting her in the worst way possible. The unmentioned crime here: that this piece of merde was allowed any access to these kids at all. If he'd had no access, then there could have been no crime.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Turcotte+showed+many+signs+sound+behaviour/5024731/story.html
Guy Turcotte showed many signs of sound behaviour: Crown
By Roberto Rocha, The Gazette June 29, 2011
JEROME – It wasn’t madness from methanol poisoning or suicidal anguish that made Guy Turcotte kill his children, the Crown concluded Wednesday. He knew exactly was he was doing.
In her closing arguments in the long-running double murder trial, prosecutor Claudia Carbonneau said the cardiologist was fully coherent before and after stabbing his children to death, despite his turbulent mental state and the windshield fluid he ingested in the hopes of killing himself.
When police arrived at his home in Piedmont, they found, along with the bodies of the children, an intoxicated, but coherent, Turcotte, Carbonneau said.
“He answered their questions. He was verbally active. He said: ‘I killed my children. I’m a criminal.’ ”
Methanol contained in the fluid is supposed to dull physical coordination, the Crown argued. But photographs of the crime scene showed Turcotte stabbed Anne-Sophie, 3, and Olivier, 5, repeatedly and with precision. There were no holes or tears in their mattresses to suggest he missed, Carbonneau said.
And despite the anguish he felt as his marriage to Isabelle Gaston fell apart, Turcotte was still capable of empathy and reason, she argued.
“(Before the crime) he made two calls to cancel his appointments. Despite his suicidal crisis, he considered other people,” Carbonneau said. He told his mother he loved her on the phone as he waited to die. “Everything he said in that conversation was coherent,” she said.
He also researched suicide methods on the Internet, and after killing the children, he drank more poison. “Did he want to die faster? He made a decision to drink more?”
When Superior Court judge Marc David sends the jury to deliberate, which is expected to be on Thursday, they will have to decide if Turcotte killed his children to punish his ex-wife, or if temporary insanity made him unaware of his actions.
The defence has argued Turcotte’s severe depression and the poison he took made him think that killing his children would spare them the trauma of seeing their father’s dead body.
“Just because someone has a mental-health problem, doesn’t mean he’s not responsible for his actions,” Carbonneau told the jury. “That’s not an equation you should make.”
The Crown cautioned jurors to not infer one’s actions from one’s personality, following the defence that a father who loves his children would never kill them with a sane mind.
“What about priests who have a good reputation in their communities, but abuse children,” the prosecutor asked. “Should we assume they are not responsible for their actions?”
David told jurors they will have to decide on one of four verdicts: murder in the first degree, second degree, involuntary homicide, or not criminally responsible.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Turcotte+showed+many+signs+sound+behaviour/5024731/story.html
Guy Turcotte showed many signs of sound behaviour: Crown
By Roberto Rocha, The Gazette June 29, 2011
JEROME – It wasn’t madness from methanol poisoning or suicidal anguish that made Guy Turcotte kill his children, the Crown concluded Wednesday. He knew exactly was he was doing.
In her closing arguments in the long-running double murder trial, prosecutor Claudia Carbonneau said the cardiologist was fully coherent before and after stabbing his children to death, despite his turbulent mental state and the windshield fluid he ingested in the hopes of killing himself.
When police arrived at his home in Piedmont, they found, along with the bodies of the children, an intoxicated, but coherent, Turcotte, Carbonneau said.
“He answered their questions. He was verbally active. He said: ‘I killed my children. I’m a criminal.’ ”
Methanol contained in the fluid is supposed to dull physical coordination, the Crown argued. But photographs of the crime scene showed Turcotte stabbed Anne-Sophie, 3, and Olivier, 5, repeatedly and with precision. There were no holes or tears in their mattresses to suggest he missed, Carbonneau said.
And despite the anguish he felt as his marriage to Isabelle Gaston fell apart, Turcotte was still capable of empathy and reason, she argued.
“(Before the crime) he made two calls to cancel his appointments. Despite his suicidal crisis, he considered other people,” Carbonneau said. He told his mother he loved her on the phone as he waited to die. “Everything he said in that conversation was coherent,” she said.
He also researched suicide methods on the Internet, and after killing the children, he drank more poison. “Did he want to die faster? He made a decision to drink more?”
When Superior Court judge Marc David sends the jury to deliberate, which is expected to be on Thursday, they will have to decide if Turcotte killed his children to punish his ex-wife, or if temporary insanity made him unaware of his actions.
The defence has argued Turcotte’s severe depression and the poison he took made him think that killing his children would spare them the trauma of seeing their father’s dead body.
“Just because someone has a mental-health problem, doesn’t mean he’s not responsible for his actions,” Carbonneau told the jury. “That’s not an equation you should make.”
The Crown cautioned jurors to not infer one’s actions from one’s personality, following the defence that a father who loves his children would never kill them with a sane mind.
“What about priests who have a good reputation in their communities, but abuse children,” the prosecutor asked. “Should we assume they are not responsible for their actions?”
David told jurors they will have to decide on one of four verdicts: murder in the first degree, second degree, involuntary homicide, or not criminally responsible.
Daddy charged after 4-month-old son severely injured; baby clinging to life (Irving, Texas)
Dad JAVIER ERNESTO RODRIQUEZ has been arrested. Was there a mother in this home?
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/06/28/3185467/4-month-old-irving-baby-clinging.html
4-month-old Irving baby clinging to life with severe injuries
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/06/28/3185467/4-month-old-irving-baby-clinging.html
Posted Tuesday, Jun. 28, 2011
By Domingo Ramirez Jr.
A baby was clinging to life Tuesday at a Dallas hospital, suffering from severe injuries that he may have sustained at an Irving home, Irving police said.
The 4-month-old boy whom Irving police did not identify was at Children's Medical Center of Dallas in critical condition, Irving police said Tuesday.
Irving police arrested the baby's father, Javier Ernesto Rodriguez, 19, early Tuesday on suspicion of injury to a child.
Irving investigators responded to the hospital about 2 a.m. Tuesday on a case of possible child abuse.
The infant was taken to the hospital Monday evening, and hospital officials notified Dallas police. Learning that the injuries may have occurred in Irving, Dallas police contacted Irving investigators.
After police interviews with the parents of the baby, doctors and hospital officials, Rodriguez was taken into custody on the charge. Police did not release any other details about the injuries.
The family lives in the 3300 block of Willow Creek Drive in Irving; no information was released on whether the family had any other children.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/06/28/3185467/4-month-old-irving-baby-clinging.html
4-month-old Irving baby clinging to life with severe injuries
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/06/28/3185467/4-month-old-irving-baby-clinging.html
Posted Tuesday, Jun. 28, 2011
By Domingo Ramirez Jr.
A baby was clinging to life Tuesday at a Dallas hospital, suffering from severe injuries that he may have sustained at an Irving home, Irving police said.
The 4-month-old boy whom Irving police did not identify was at Children's Medical Center of Dallas in critical condition, Irving police said Tuesday.
Irving police arrested the baby's father, Javier Ernesto Rodriguez, 19, early Tuesday on suspicion of injury to a child.
Irving investigators responded to the hospital about 2 a.m. Tuesday on a case of possible child abuse.
The infant was taken to the hospital Monday evening, and hospital officials notified Dallas police. Learning that the injuries may have occurred in Irving, Dallas police contacted Irving investigators.
After police interviews with the parents of the baby, doctors and hospital officials, Rodriguez was taken into custody on the charge. Police did not release any other details about the injuries.
The family lives in the 3300 block of Willow Creek Drive in Irving; no information was released on whether the family had any other children.
Dad accused of dragging 13-year-old son through streets (Gary, Indiana)
Perfect expression of daddy entitlement. And how fitting that this case is in Indiana, home of the white supremacist/fathers rights crowd: "Go ahead, call the police.....I can do this, he is my son."
This time the entitled daddy is DARTRELL E. BROWN. Is there a mother in this picture? Who knows.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/6226707-418/law-and-order-gary-june-29.html
Man accused of physically abusing son
A 13-year-old boy suffered cuts on his head after being tackled and dragged through the streets of Gary by his father on Sunday.
Dartrell E. Brown, 34, was arrested and booked at the city jail. He could be charged with child abuse.
Around 8:36 p.m., a witness saw a young man running west on 51st Avenue and a man chasing him. The older man tackled the boy, and began dragging him east on 51st Avenue in a headlock. When Brown stopped at 51st and Connecticut Street, he threw the boy to the ground and sat on his chest.
A resident told Brown to stop hitting the boy, but Brown told the man to “Go ahead, call the police. The boy is autistic. I can do this, he is my son.”
This time the entitled daddy is DARTRELL E. BROWN. Is there a mother in this picture? Who knows.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/6226707-418/law-and-order-gary-june-29.html
Man accused of physically abusing son
A 13-year-old boy suffered cuts on his head after being tackled and dragged through the streets of Gary by his father on Sunday.
Dartrell E. Brown, 34, was arrested and booked at the city jail. He could be charged with child abuse.
Around 8:36 p.m., a witness saw a young man running west on 51st Avenue and a man chasing him. The older man tackled the boy, and began dragging him east on 51st Avenue in a headlock. When Brown stopped at 51st and Connecticut Street, he threw the boy to the ground and sat on his chest.
A resident told Brown to stop hitting the boy, but Brown told the man to “Go ahead, call the police. The boy is autistic. I can do this, he is my son.”
Dad pleads guilty to listening to headphones while toddler scalded in tub (Evans, Colorado)
Was dad ARMANDO MARQUEZ-GONZALEZ another "caretaking" dad who did babysitting duties while Mom worked? Where was Mom while Daddy was bopping around the house anyway?
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_18378296
Guilty plea from Evans father who listened to headphones while toddler was scalded in tub
By Sharon Dunn
Greeley Tribune
Posted: 06/29/2011 02:43:05 PM MDTUpdated: 06/29/2011 06:50:11 PM MDT
An Evans man is facing up to 10 years in prison for leaving his 1 ½-year-old daughter alone in a bathtub in March.
The girl was scalded in the tub after her father, Armando Marquez-Gonzalez, 27, walked away after putting her in the tub. According to an Evans police affidavit, he admitted to turning up his headphones while listening to his iPod.
He pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony child abuse, with attorneys agreeing to a stipulated prison sentence from five to 10 years, plus paying restitution of medical care for the child.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_18378296
Guilty plea from Evans father who listened to headphones while toddler was scalded in tub
By Sharon Dunn
Greeley Tribune
Posted: 06/29/2011 02:43:05 PM MDTUpdated: 06/29/2011 06:50:11 PM MDT
An Evans man is facing up to 10 years in prison for leaving his 1 ½-year-old daughter alone in a bathtub in March.
The girl was scalded in the tub after her father, Armando Marquez-Gonzalez, 27, walked away after putting her in the tub. According to an Evans police affidavit, he admitted to turning up his headphones while listening to his iPod.
He pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony child abuse, with attorneys agreeing to a stipulated prison sentence from five to 10 years, plus paying restitution of medical care for the child.
Gal pal of custodial dad faces sentencing in death of 7-year-old; dad's murder trial in October (Monument, Colorado)
Once again, we have an simple little news story that omits a lot of the relevant background detail. Such as the fact that the father in question, HANIF SIMS, obtained and retained custody back in New Jersey despite abuse allegations and weapons warrants. Let's look at the real facts behind this case:
October 2007: The mother loses custody in classic scam, where she isn't even informed of the court dates. This is typically seen in family courts (like New Jersey's) with well-earned reputations for corruption.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/more-on-crawl-space-girl-dad-scammed.html
As noted in the article below, after Mom loses custody, she never sees her daughter again. This is very often seen with abusive fathers with a lot of coercive control issues, especially when there is a corrupt court backing them up.
Dad receives and maintains custody in New Jersey despite a weapons warrant and an ongoing abuse investigation. In fact, New Jersey child protection authorities file a neglect and dependency case against the girl's custodial father, investigating whether he was physically and emotionally abusing her. In fact, they "claim" that they were in the process of taking the girl away from her father when he moved.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/custodial-dad-girlfriend-not-suspects.html
But if child protection was in the process of taking child custody away from Dad, why was he able to move to Colorado with no apparent moveway objections from the courts? And the evidence shows that Dad did NOT make a run for it. Why? Because the New Jersey officials notified El Paso County, Colorado about their abuse investigation. So they obviously knew where he had gone. El Paso County Department of Human Services does not act on these allegations.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/custodial-dad-girlfriend-not-suspects.html
October 2008: After neighbors make complaints, an El Paso County Department of Human Services child protection worker goes to the house and interviews two children there. The girl told the worker she isn't supposed to talk about them and an older boy (the gal pal's kid) also says nothing.The complaint is deemed “inconclusive” and El Paso County officials do not open a case. In other words, the girl's apparent fear and evasiveness are either overlooked or deliberately ignored. The El Paso authorities never follow up.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/custodial-dad-girlfriend-not-suspects.html
Neighbors say that when girl seemingly disappeared, they ask her custodial dad/gal pal what happened and were told that she had gone back to New Jersey to live with an aunt.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/more-on-crawl-space-girl-dad-scammed.html
March 2009: The custodial dad and his gal pal leave Colorado for California.
March 14, 2009 - Dec. 9, 2009: Custodial dad, gal pal, gal pal's son, stay at Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. Infant boy born while they are there. No sign of the girl and family never mentions a girl. Gal pal makes odd comment to staff: “I don’t think I’ve been able to appreciate that I have a new baby because of a situation that I’m in.” Mission helps subsidize an affordable housing apartment for the family. But custodial dad and gal pal leave town, leaving the children with "a friend" and "disappear." Unidentified "family members" later pick up the kids.”
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/more-on-crawl-space-girl-dad-scammed.html
May 14, 2010: Remains of young girl found in crawl space of Colorado home formerly occupied by custodial father, gal pal, children. El Paso County Sheriff's Department says that custodial dad, gal pal are not "suspects." However, New Jersey authorities say they have sent detectives to California, but can't find Dad or the gal pal.
July 2010: Sims and the gal pal tell a Colorado TV station that they just "found" the girl dead in the shower. So naturally, like any loving caretakers would have done under the same circumstances, they dumped her body in the crawl space of their home (er, had a "basement burial").
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/07/she-was-just-lying-there-custodial-dad.html
July 2010: After 2-month search, Sims arrested in Nevada.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/07/custodial-dad-of-girl-found-dead-in.html
August 2010: Colorado authorities suggest that this poor child may be been buried in the crawl space while still alive.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-details-on-9-year-old-girl.html
October 2010: Both dad and gal pal implicate each other in girl's murder.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/11/custodial-dad-gal-pal-both-blame-each.html
May 2011: Gal pal makes plea deal (pleads guilty to child abuse causing death). Murder charges drop in return for testimony against Sims. Sims now charged with murder.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2011/05/gal-pal-of-custodial-dad-takes-plea.html
http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2011/05/custodial-dad-faces-new-murder-charge.html
http://www.gazette.com/articles/death-120676-lynch-monument.html
SUNRISE: Monument woman faces sentencing in death of 7-year-old
June 30, 2011 7:06 AM
MATT STEINER and LANCE BENZEL
THE GAZETTE
A former Monument woman is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday for her role in the death of a 7-year-old girl whose body was found in a crawlspace.
Monique Lynch faces 10 to 32 years in prison in the death of Genesis Sims after pleading guilty in May to child abuse causing death.
In exchange for her plea, prosecutors dropped a first-degree murder charge against Lynch, and she agreed to testify against the child’s father. Hanif Sims, Lynch’s former boyfriend, is scheduled for an October jury trial for first-degree murder.
Workers were digging a sump pump when they found Genesis Sims’s plastic-wrapped body in May 2010, more than a year after her family left town. An autopsy couldn’t determine how Genesis died but found that it was the result of a homicide.
Lynch and Sims have accused each other of attacking the girl.
October 2007: The mother loses custody in classic scam, where she isn't even informed of the court dates. This is typically seen in family courts (like New Jersey's) with well-earned reputations for corruption.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/more-on-crawl-space-girl-dad-scammed.html
As noted in the article below, after Mom loses custody, she never sees her daughter again. This is very often seen with abusive fathers with a lot of coercive control issues, especially when there is a corrupt court backing them up.
Dad receives and maintains custody in New Jersey despite a weapons warrant and an ongoing abuse investigation. In fact, New Jersey child protection authorities file a neglect and dependency case against the girl's custodial father, investigating whether he was physically and emotionally abusing her. In fact, they "claim" that they were in the process of taking the girl away from her father when he moved.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/custodial-dad-girlfriend-not-suspects.html
But if child protection was in the process of taking child custody away from Dad, why was he able to move to Colorado with no apparent moveway objections from the courts? And the evidence shows that Dad did NOT make a run for it. Why? Because the New Jersey officials notified El Paso County, Colorado about their abuse investigation. So they obviously knew where he had gone. El Paso County Department of Human Services does not act on these allegations.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/custodial-dad-girlfriend-not-suspects.html
October 2008: After neighbors make complaints, an El Paso County Department of Human Services child protection worker goes to the house and interviews two children there. The girl told the worker she isn't supposed to talk about them and an older boy (the gal pal's kid) also says nothing.The complaint is deemed “inconclusive” and El Paso County officials do not open a case. In other words, the girl's apparent fear and evasiveness are either overlooked or deliberately ignored. The El Paso authorities never follow up.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/custodial-dad-girlfriend-not-suspects.html
Neighbors say that when girl seemingly disappeared, they ask her custodial dad/gal pal what happened and were told that she had gone back to New Jersey to live with an aunt.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/more-on-crawl-space-girl-dad-scammed.html
March 2009: The custodial dad and his gal pal leave Colorado for California.
March 14, 2009 - Dec. 9, 2009: Custodial dad, gal pal, gal pal's son, stay at Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. Infant boy born while they are there. No sign of the girl and family never mentions a girl. Gal pal makes odd comment to staff: “I don’t think I’ve been able to appreciate that I have a new baby because of a situation that I’m in.” Mission helps subsidize an affordable housing apartment for the family. But custodial dad and gal pal leave town, leaving the children with "a friend" and "disappear." Unidentified "family members" later pick up the kids.”
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/05/more-on-crawl-space-girl-dad-scammed.html
May 14, 2010: Remains of young girl found in crawl space of Colorado home formerly occupied by custodial father, gal pal, children. El Paso County Sheriff's Department says that custodial dad, gal pal are not "suspects." However, New Jersey authorities say they have sent detectives to California, but can't find Dad or the gal pal.
July 2010: Sims and the gal pal tell a Colorado TV station that they just "found" the girl dead in the shower. So naturally, like any loving caretakers would have done under the same circumstances, they dumped her body in the crawl space of their home (er, had a "basement burial").
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/07/she-was-just-lying-there-custodial-dad.html
July 2010: After 2-month search, Sims arrested in Nevada.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/07/custodial-dad-of-girl-found-dead-in.html
August 2010: Colorado authorities suggest that this poor child may be been buried in the crawl space while still alive.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-details-on-9-year-old-girl.html
October 2010: Both dad and gal pal implicate each other in girl's murder.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2010/11/custodial-dad-gal-pal-both-blame-each.html
May 2011: Gal pal makes plea deal (pleads guilty to child abuse causing death). Murder charges drop in return for testimony against Sims. Sims now charged with murder.
See: http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2011/05/gal-pal-of-custodial-dad-takes-plea.html
http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2011/05/custodial-dad-faces-new-murder-charge.html
http://www.gazette.com/articles/death-120676-lynch-monument.html
SUNRISE: Monument woman faces sentencing in death of 7-year-old
June 30, 2011 7:06 AM
MATT STEINER and LANCE BENZEL
THE GAZETTE
A former Monument woman is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday for her role in the death of a 7-year-old girl whose body was found in a crawlspace.
Monique Lynch faces 10 to 32 years in prison in the death of Genesis Sims after pleading guilty in May to child abuse causing death.
In exchange for her plea, prosecutors dropped a first-degree murder charge against Lynch, and she agreed to testify against the child’s father. Hanif Sims, Lynch’s former boyfriend, is scheduled for an October jury trial for first-degree murder.
Workers were digging a sump pump when they found Genesis Sims’s plastic-wrapped body in May 2010, more than a year after her family left town. An autopsy couldn’t determine how Genesis died but found that it was the result of a homicide.
Lynch and Sims have accused each other of attacking the girl.
Indiana settles suit over 4-year old's abuse death at hands of custodial dad, step; "family" to get $75,000 for murdered girl (Lafayette, Indiana)
Wow. $75,000 in compensation for CPS allowing the murder of a little girl. Does that even get you a house anymore, expect in downtown Detroit? And notice that CPS is set up as the "bad guy" here when they were not the only f*** ups in this case. This has a LOT to do with the militant fathers rights people in Indiana and the resultant court corruption which has delivered many vulnerable children into the hands of abusive, controlling fathers. Here are some of the background facts, which we have reported on this case before:
October 22, 2003: Judge Loretta Rush orders unsupervised visits between Aiyana and Christian Gauvin, with the intent of transitioning her into the father’s home after fairly minor neglect charges against the mother had apparently been "substantiated."
December 6, 2003: Aiyana moves in with Christian Gauvin based on plan recommended by Aiyana’s court appointed special advocate (CASA) and approved by the court and the Division of Family and Children (DFC). Aiyana apparently loses all contact with maternal grandmother, mother, siblings, shortly after this time, though Judge Rush had specified that she was to have "regular contact" (i.e. custodial father ignores Judge's order with complete impunity).
June 5, 2004 : Aiyana’s maternal grandmother contacts sheriff’s department after neighbor sees Aiyana at a grocery story with scratch marks on her face. Sheriff Deputy Glen Keller visits home; talks at the door with Christian Gauvin and Michelle Urbanus. (In other words, Keller failed to examine the child.) Keller reports to radio dispatcher that Aiyana is OK and has no visible marks. No record of visit is filed with CPS. The Tippecanoe county sheriff’s office received 38 calls regarding the Urbanus household from 2000-2004, but this was only one of two that involved a child’s welfare; most were made by Michelle Urbanus herself regarding disputes with neighbors.
February 18, 2005 : The father of one of Aiyana’s siblings visits the Urbanus home. Aiyana appears sad and listless; he notices bald spots on Aiyana’s head. He shares this with Cassandra Robinson (Aiyana's non-custodial mother), who contacts Tippecanoe DFC alleging that Aiyana is being abused by Michelle Urbanus. The report is “screened” by a CPS case manager and not investigated because “inappropriate discipline does not meet legal sufficiency for CPS to investigate.”
March 16, 2005 : Sheriff’s deputies respond to a 911 call from the Urbanus home and find 4-year old Aiyana dead. Police find bruises all over Aiyana’s body. Michelle Urbanus Gauvin tells police she occasionally struck Aiyana with a broken cutting board and put her to bed bound and gagged. Christian Gauvin admits he did not seek medical treatment for his daughter because he feared being arrested for abuse.
March 19, 2005 : An autopsy reveals Aiyana died from a head injury and blunt force trauma.
March 23, 2005 : Michelle Urbanus Gauvin charged with murder; Christian Gauvin charged with neglect in connection with a child’s death (a felony).
April 8, 2005 : Jim Klusman, President and CEO of the Greater Lafayette Community Foundation, writes a guest editorial in Lafayette
November 2-3, 2005 : Sheriff’s Deputy Glen Keller resigns after admitting he never saw Aiyana Gauvin during his June 5, 2004 visit to the Urbanus home, and fabricated his report.
December 21, 2005 : Former Tippecanoe County
September 15, 2006 : Michelle Urbanus Gauvin avoids the death penalty by pleading guilty to murder.
October 26, 2006 : Michelle Gauvin sentenced to life in prison without parole.
November 2, 2006 : A LaPorte Country jury finds Christian Gauvin guilty of Class A felony neglect of a dependent.
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/28406715/detail.html
Indiana Settles Suit Over 4-Year-Old's Abuse Death
Family To Get $75,000 From DCS
POSTED: 10:30 am EDT June 30, 2011
UPDATED: 10:39 am EDT June 30, 2011
LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The family of a 4-year-old Lafayette girl who was beaten to death by her stepmother will receive a $75,000 settlement from the state agency that investigates allegations of child abuse.
The Indiana Department of Child Services was one of several defendants in a lawsuit filed by relatives of Aiyana Gauvin over the handling of reports that she was abused in the months before her death in 2005.
A Tippecanoe County judge approved the settlement last week, removing the agency from the family's lawsuit, the Journal & Courier reported Thursday.
Aiyana died from head injuries in 2005 after what investigators described as months of abuse at the hands of her stepmother, Michelle Gauvin, and father, Christian Gauvin. She had been tied to various objects, forced to eat a blended and liquefied mix of foods, and at times beaten with a broken cutting board.
Michelle Gauvin is serving a life sentence without parole after pleading guilty to murder charges in 2006. A jury convicted Christian Gauvin of child neglect resulting in death, and he's serving a 50-year sentence.
A state Department of Child Services review team found in 2005 that case workers mismanaged the risks posed to the girl.
Aiyana's death was one of several child deaths across the state that year that prompted changes in Indiana's child welfare system.
For instance, the Department of Child Services' Tippecanoe County office more than doubled its staffing -- from 13 caseworkers in 2005 to 34 now, county office director Angela Smith Grossman said.
State law now mandates that caseworkers handle no more than 12 assessments and 17 children on average at any given time, Smith Grossman said. The state had no previous limitations.
New caseworkers must now undergo 12 weeks of training and experienced caseworkers have continuing education requirements.
"We have a practice model that's been developed over the past six years that guides how we intervene with families," Smith Grossman said. "Not that it was done in a haphazard fashion before, but it's more concrete."
October 22, 2003: Judge Loretta Rush orders unsupervised visits between Aiyana and Christian Gauvin, with the intent of transitioning her into the father’s home after fairly minor neglect charges against the mother had apparently been "substantiated."
December 6, 2003: Aiyana moves in with Christian Gauvin based on plan recommended by Aiyana’s court appointed special advocate (CASA) and approved by the court and the Division of Family and Children (DFC). Aiyana apparently loses all contact with maternal grandmother, mother, siblings, shortly after this time, though Judge Rush had specified that she was to have "regular contact" (i.e. custodial father ignores Judge's order with complete impunity).
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/28406715/detail.html
Indiana Settles Suit Over 4-Year-Old's Abuse Death
Family To Get $75,000 From DCS
POSTED: 10:30 am EDT June 30, 2011
UPDATED: 10:39 am EDT June 30, 2011
LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The family of a 4-year-old Lafayette girl who was beaten to death by her stepmother will receive a $75,000 settlement from the state agency that investigates allegations of child abuse.
The Indiana Department of Child Services was one of several defendants in a lawsuit filed by relatives of Aiyana Gauvin over the handling of reports that she was abused in the months before her death in 2005.
A Tippecanoe County judge approved the settlement last week, removing the agency from the family's lawsuit, the Journal & Courier reported Thursday.
Aiyana died from head injuries in 2005 after what investigators described as months of abuse at the hands of her stepmother, Michelle Gauvin, and father, Christian Gauvin. She had been tied to various objects, forced to eat a blended and liquefied mix of foods, and at times beaten with a broken cutting board.
Michelle Gauvin is serving a life sentence without parole after pleading guilty to murder charges in 2006. A jury convicted Christian Gauvin of child neglect resulting in death, and he's serving a 50-year sentence.
A state Department of Child Services review team found in 2005 that case workers mismanaged the risks posed to the girl.
Aiyana's death was one of several child deaths across the state that year that prompted changes in Indiana's child welfare system.
For instance, the Department of Child Services' Tippecanoe County office more than doubled its staffing -- from 13 caseworkers in 2005 to 34 now, county office director Angela Smith Grossman said.
State law now mandates that caseworkers handle no more than 12 assessments and 17 children on average at any given time, Smith Grossman said. The state had no previous limitations.
New caseworkers must now undergo 12 weeks of training and experienced caseworkers have continuing education requirements.
"We have a practice model that's been developed over the past six years that guides how we intervene with families," Smith Grossman said. "Not that it was done in a haphazard fashion before, but it's more concrete."
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Dad jailed for violent abuse of three children (Adelaide, Australia)
I wonder if UNNAMED DAD was single or custodial. It's hard to believe there was a mother in this home, unless she was threatened or battered herself. And if so, wouldn't they mention that she was also abused?
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/29/3256174.htm?section=justin
Dad jailed for violent abuse of three children
Updated Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:23am AEST
A judge has told an Adelaide father who physically and sexually abused his children he had caused 'unimaginable' trauma for those he was supposed to protect.
The District Court heard a young girl and her two brothers lived through years of abuse from their father.
The man, 45, who cannot be identified, stood motionless as the court was told he raped his daughter.
Judge Mark Griffin said the man used his daughter as a 'sex toy'.
The court heard the man forced his two sons to watch pornography from the age of 12, including images of necrophilia, and would often punish them with violent beatings.
Judge Griffin said the man has shown no remorse.
He imposed a jail sentence of 18 years with a non-parole term of 12 years.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/29/3256174.htm?section=justin
Dad jailed for violent abuse of three children
Updated Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:23am AEST
A judge has told an Adelaide father who physically and sexually abused his children he had caused 'unimaginable' trauma for those he was supposed to protect.
The District Court heard a young girl and her two brothers lived through years of abuse from their father.
The man, 45, who cannot be identified, stood motionless as the court was told he raped his daughter.
Judge Mark Griffin said the man used his daughter as a 'sex toy'.
The court heard the man forced his two sons to watch pornography from the age of 12, including images of necrophilia, and would often punish them with violent beatings.
Judge Griffin said the man has shown no remorse.
He imposed a jail sentence of 18 years with a non-parole term of 12 years.
Daughter to testify against father in 1990 murder of 12-year-old son, mom, nephew (Monterrey, California)
After 21 years, dad RAMON ESPARZA RIOS will soon be on trial for the murder of his 12-year-old son, the boy's mother, and a nephew....
http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_18375295
Daughter to testify against father in slaying of mother, brother, relative
Father could face life
By VIRGINIA HENNESSEY
Herald Salinas Bureau
Posted: 06/29/2011 01:32:49 AM PDT
Updated: 06/29/2011 08:30:35 AM PDT
The daughter of a former South County ranch foreman is expected to testify this week against her father, who is accused of killing her mother, brother and a relative before fleeing to Mexico in 1990.
Ramon Esparza Rios, 61, faces life in prison without possibility of parole if convicted of the murders of his son Luis, 12; his wife, Concepcion Esparza, 23; and her nephew, Jose Luis Parra Hernandez, 23.
Jury selection began Monday in a trial that is expected to last two weeks.
The star witness will be "Jane Doe 18," Esparza Rios' oldest daughter, who was in the home when the shooting occurred and, with her 17-year-old brother, was left to raise four younger siblings.
The defendant allegedly fled to Mexico and lived under an assumed name until last year when he was arrested on unrelated charges in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico.
Police there compared his prints to an arrest warrant the U.S. Department of Justice secured in Mexico and notified U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Yuma, Ariz., that their suspect was in jail across the border.
Mexico extradited Esparza Rios to California with the assurance of the Monterey County District Attorney's Office it would not seek the death penalty.
According to testimony at his preliminary hearing, Esparza Rios and his large family lived in a mobile home on the Silva Ranch outside King City, where he was the irrigation foreman.
On Jan. 6, 1990, he got home to find his wife drinking with her nephew. His daughter told investigators her father joined them for a beer, but within 20 minutes an argument broke out.
The girl heard her father hitting her mother, ran into the living room and found him with a gun. She told him to put the gun away and went back to her room, then heard gunshots.
From the hallway, the girl saw her younger brother had been hit in the head by a bullet that passed through his bedroom wall. She screamed, prompting her father to enter the room. Her father cried that he had killed his son, she told investigators, and ran off and left in his truck.
She went into the living room where she found her mother's and Parra Hernandez's bodies. According to testimony, Concepcion Rios was shot several times and her nephew was shot twice in the back. The boy died at Mee Memorial Hospital.
Esparza Rios initially told investigators that his gun went off by accident as he passed it to the nephew, who he was suspicious of because he had not initially recognized him. Distraught that he had killed his son, he said, he ran into the kitchen, where his wife came at him with "something shiny." Thinking it was a knife, he shot her in self-defense, he said. Then he shot the nephew in a fit of rage as he ran out the door, he told investigators.
Klopfenstein, prosecutor Steve Somers and Judge Pamela Butler used a jury questionnaire Monday to weed out potential jurors who had cause to balk at serving on a jury for two weeks. The remaining pool returned to the courtroom for questioning early Tuesday.
http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_18375295
Daughter to testify against father in slaying of mother, brother, relative
Father could face life
By VIRGINIA HENNESSEY
Herald Salinas Bureau
Posted: 06/29/2011 01:32:49 AM PDT
Updated: 06/29/2011 08:30:35 AM PDT
The daughter of a former South County ranch foreman is expected to testify this week against her father, who is accused of killing her mother, brother and a relative before fleeing to Mexico in 1990.
Ramon Esparza Rios, 61, faces life in prison without possibility of parole if convicted of the murders of his son Luis, 12; his wife, Concepcion Esparza, 23; and her nephew, Jose Luis Parra Hernandez, 23.
Jury selection began Monday in a trial that is expected to last two weeks.
The star witness will be "Jane Doe 18," Esparza Rios' oldest daughter, who was in the home when the shooting occurred and, with her 17-year-old brother, was left to raise four younger siblings.
The defendant allegedly fled to Mexico and lived under an assumed name until last year when he was arrested on unrelated charges in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico.
Police there compared his prints to an arrest warrant the U.S. Department of Justice secured in Mexico and notified U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Yuma, Ariz., that their suspect was in jail across the border.
Mexico extradited Esparza Rios to California with the assurance of the Monterey County District Attorney's Office it would not seek the death penalty.
According to testimony at his preliminary hearing, Esparza Rios and his large family lived in a mobile home on the Silva Ranch outside King City, where he was the irrigation foreman.
On Jan. 6, 1990, he got home to find his wife drinking with her nephew. His daughter told investigators her father joined them for a beer, but within 20 minutes an argument broke out.
The girl heard her father hitting her mother, ran into the living room and found him with a gun. She told him to put the gun away and went back to her room, then heard gunshots.
From the hallway, the girl saw her younger brother had been hit in the head by a bullet that passed through his bedroom wall. She screamed, prompting her father to enter the room. Her father cried that he had killed his son, she told investigators, and ran off and left in his truck.
She went into the living room where she found her mother's and Parra Hernandez's bodies. According to testimony, Concepcion Rios was shot several times and her nephew was shot twice in the back. The boy died at Mee Memorial Hospital.
Esparza Rios initially told investigators that his gun went off by accident as he passed it to the nephew, who he was suspicious of because he had not initially recognized him. Distraught that he had killed his son, he said, he ran into the kitchen, where his wife came at him with "something shiny." Thinking it was a knife, he shot her in self-defense, he said. Then he shot the nephew in a fit of rage as he ran out the door, he told investigators.
Klopfenstein, prosecutor Steve Somers and Judge Pamela Butler used a jury questionnaire Monday to weed out potential jurors who had cause to balk at serving on a jury for two weeks. The remaining pool returned to the courtroom for questioning early Tuesday.
Dad arrested after 8-hour SWAT team standoff; held son hostage (La Mesa, California)
Daddy Drama at its finest, this time featuring Daddy WILLIAM WARNOCK. No indication of how old the son was, the one who held hostage for 8 hours while Daddy threatened him.
http://lamesa.patch.com/articles/father-arrested-after-8-hour-standoff-involving-swat-team-evacuations
Father Arrested After 8-Hour Standoff Involving SWAT Team, Evacuations
Man had threatened his son with a screwdriver, police said, but officers feared he had weapons.
By Ken Stone
A SWAT action that forced the evacuation of at least a half-dozen homes ended shortly after 6 a.m. Wednesday in northwest La Mesa when a man was Tasered on his porch, police said.
A parolee accused of making threats against his son was arrested following the nearly eight-hour standoff with officers, police said. KGTV Channel 10 News identified the father as William Warnock.
The station quoted La Mesa police Lt. David Bond as saying Warnock is a parolee because of a felony charge of evading police and said Warnock would be booked on charges of making a criminal threat and assault with a deadly weapon.
Police were called to a home in the 6100 block of Blain Place near Dallas Street about 10 p.m. Tuesday after the man, who is in his 50s, made the threats, said La Mesa police Sgt. Ted Fenn.
He refused to come out and speak with officers, prompting the standoff, which involved La Mesa police and an El Cajon SWAT team, Fenn said.
Officers set off flash-bang grenades to coax the man out, but the standoff persisted until shortly after 6 a.m., when the man came out onto a porch and was Tasered by an officer, police said.
He was then arrested without further incident. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Warnock’s wife—who had left the house—told officers that her husband was a Vietnam veteran who had access to a rifle, shotgun and a pistol.
Police took their time with the standoff because they thought the man had access to several weapons, including a pistol, shotgun and rifle, 10 News reported from the scene.
The station reported that the man was a 59-year-old Vietnam veteran with a conviction for evading police. He allegedly threatened his son with a screwdriver.
http://lamesa.patch.com/articles/father-arrested-after-8-hour-standoff-involving-swat-team-evacuations
Father Arrested After 8-Hour Standoff Involving SWAT Team, Evacuations
Man had threatened his son with a screwdriver, police said, but officers feared he had weapons.
By Ken Stone
A SWAT action that forced the evacuation of at least a half-dozen homes ended shortly after 6 a.m. Wednesday in northwest La Mesa when a man was Tasered on his porch, police said.
A parolee accused of making threats against his son was arrested following the nearly eight-hour standoff with officers, police said. KGTV Channel 10 News identified the father as William Warnock.
The station quoted La Mesa police Lt. David Bond as saying Warnock is a parolee because of a felony charge of evading police and said Warnock would be booked on charges of making a criminal threat and assault with a deadly weapon.
Police were called to a home in the 6100 block of Blain Place near Dallas Street about 10 p.m. Tuesday after the man, who is in his 50s, made the threats, said La Mesa police Sgt. Ted Fenn.
He refused to come out and speak with officers, prompting the standoff, which involved La Mesa police and an El Cajon SWAT team, Fenn said.
Officers set off flash-bang grenades to coax the man out, but the standoff persisted until shortly after 6 a.m., when the man came out onto a porch and was Tasered by an officer, police said.
He was then arrested without further incident. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Warnock’s wife—who had left the house—told officers that her husband was a Vietnam veteran who had access to a rifle, shotgun and a pistol.
Police took their time with the standoff because they thought the man had access to several weapons, including a pistol, shotgun and rifle, 10 News reported from the scene.
The station reported that the man was a 59-year-old Vietnam veteran with a conviction for evading police. He allegedly threatened his son with a screwdriver.
Dad could lose custody for "medical" pot use (Michigan)
When a good mom who is still active in the lives of her children loses custody for having cancer, I have to wonder how a dad with epilepsy who smokes "medical marijuana" AND has a past run-in with CPS for "spanking" (probably an assault for CPS to even look at it before ignoring it) got custody to start with. But all kinds of horrible fathers get custody/visitation in Michigan all the time: John Skelton, Steven Nicholson, Richard LaBo, Elmer Braman, Jose Oliva-Rosa, Joe Galvan....
Medical marijuana could cost epileptic man custody of daughter
Posted: Jun 28, 2011 2:15 PM CDT Updated: Jun 28, 2011 2:15 PM CDT
A Michigan father is in jeopardy of losing custody of his 10-year-old daughter, all because he can legally smoke marijuana.
Livingston Thompson Jr. has epilepsy.
He's been dealing with it for 20 years, and according to him, nothing has really helped except for the marijuana.
"It relaxes me. I'm not as stressed. I discovered that my epileptic seizures -- some of them are stress activated," says Thompson.
Still, his medication of choice could cost him his daughter, Shylynn.
"If I lost custody of my daughter it would crush me. They'd probably see a lot more episodes," he says.
That's something Shylynn can't handle.
"If my daddy lost custody of me I'd be sad, just as sad as he would be if he lost custody of me. Because my dad has had me for ten years. And I don't want to lose my dad," says Shylynn.
Last year, Thompson spanked his daughter and Child Protective Services was called.
It was decided that Shylynn wasn't in any danger and could return home, but Thompson now has to get periodic drug testing.
"I explained to the judge that should be modified because my client has a medical marijuana card," says attorney Charles Ford.
The judge has decided that marijuana is not the best treatment for his epilepsy and that it's in the best interest of the child that the parents are drug free.
The bigger question here is, with a state law that's so unclear, could other parents fall into the same situation?
"If he tested positive there's a strong possibility that he could lose his child," says Ford.
Thompson says this is a fight he can't afford to lose.
"I don't want to lose my family," adds Shylynn.
Thompson can choose to appeal the judge's decision.
He can make the case that his medical marijuana does not impair his judgment as a father and that he needs it for his medical condition.
If he doesn't appeal, then he has to stop using, otherwise she could be taken from the household.
An appeal would be precedent-setting because this is really the first time a judge has interpreted the law like this.
If the decision stands, then similar cases could have the same outcome.
Medical marijuana could cost epileptic man custody of daughter
Posted: Jun 28, 2011 2:15 PM CDT Updated: Jun 28, 2011 2:15 PM CDT
A Michigan father is in jeopardy of losing custody of his 10-year-old daughter, all because he can legally smoke marijuana.
Livingston Thompson Jr. has epilepsy.
He's been dealing with it for 20 years, and according to him, nothing has really helped except for the marijuana.
"It relaxes me. I'm not as stressed. I discovered that my epileptic seizures -- some of them are stress activated," says Thompson.
Still, his medication of choice could cost him his daughter, Shylynn.
"If I lost custody of my daughter it would crush me. They'd probably see a lot more episodes," he says.
That's something Shylynn can't handle.
"If my daddy lost custody of me I'd be sad, just as sad as he would be if he lost custody of me. Because my dad has had me for ten years. And I don't want to lose my dad," says Shylynn.
Last year, Thompson spanked his daughter and Child Protective Services was called.
It was decided that Shylynn wasn't in any danger and could return home, but Thompson now has to get periodic drug testing.
"I explained to the judge that should be modified because my client has a medical marijuana card," says attorney Charles Ford.
The judge has decided that marijuana is not the best treatment for his epilepsy and that it's in the best interest of the child that the parents are drug free.
The bigger question here is, with a state law that's so unclear, could other parents fall into the same situation?
"If he tested positive there's a strong possibility that he could lose his child," says Ford.
Thompson says this is a fight he can't afford to lose.
"I don't want to lose my family," adds Shylynn.
Thompson can choose to appeal the judge's decision.
He can make the case that his medical marijuana does not impair his judgment as a father and that he needs it for his medical condition.
If he doesn't appeal, then he has to stop using, otherwise she could be taken from the household.
An appeal would be precedent-setting because this is really the first time a judge has interpreted the law like this.
If the decision stands, then similar cases could have the same outcome.
Dad to face charges after shaking 3-month-old daughter (Edinburg, Texas)
Once again, a "frustrated" UNNAMED DAD who couldn't stand the crying.
http://www.themonitor.com/articles/edinburg-52260-father-police.html
Police: Edinburg father to face charges after shaking baby
June 29, 2011 8:01 AM
Naxiely Lopez
The Monitor
EDINBURG — A man is expected to face charges of injury to a child after he allegedly shook his 3-month-old daughter out of frustration.
Police arrested the 23-year-old suspect Tuesday after the child was hospitalized with a fever on Monday, Lt. Oscar Treviño said.
Medics at the hospital later determined through a CAT scan the girl suffered from a hemorrhage in her brain and other internal injuries, investigators said.
Police questioned the baby’s parents and that’s when the father confessed to shaking the girl because she wouldn’t stop crying, Treviño said.
The father was expected to be arraigned on charges of injury to a child Tuesday. No other information was made available.
http://www.themonitor.com/articles/edinburg-52260-father-police.html
Police: Edinburg father to face charges after shaking baby
June 29, 2011 8:01 AM
Naxiely Lopez
The Monitor
EDINBURG — A man is expected to face charges of injury to a child after he allegedly shook his 3-month-old daughter out of frustration.
Police arrested the 23-year-old suspect Tuesday after the child was hospitalized with a fever on Monday, Lt. Oscar Treviño said.
Medics at the hospital later determined through a CAT scan the girl suffered from a hemorrhage in her brain and other internal injuries, investigators said.
Police questioned the baby’s parents and that’s when the father confessed to shaking the girl because she wouldn’t stop crying, Treviño said.
The father was expected to be arraigned on charges of injury to a child Tuesday. No other information was made available.
Custodial dad who murdered 2-year-old daughter had long history of violence (Victoria, Australia)
This is the custodial UNNAMED DAD that we were recently told was never violent (according to a headline from this past week). Once again, we see a lot of evidence regarding this father's history of alcoholism and violence--all of which was ignored. And once again, this particular article (too typically) does not report that this father had custody of these two young children. So once again, we fail to ask what should be the most obvious question: Who gave this killer father custody and why?
We actually first reported on this case back in 2009. I'll have to find some of those earlier links. Even then I asked out loud who gave this father custody and why. In two years, there has been nothing but deafening silence on the matter. Why does the Australian media continue to protect those in authority?
http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/ballarat-court-childcare-worker-raised-concerns-about-toddler/2209886.aspx?storypage=0
Ballarat court: childcare worker raised concerns about toddler
28 Jun, 2011 11:48 PM
A FATHER told his toddler daughter he could do whatever he wanted to her as he brutally bashed her a month before she died from brain injuries, an inquest has heard.
Two-year-old Hayley screamed out “daddy, daddy” as her drunk father Robert violently abused her in July 2009, witness statements before the Victorian Coroners Court in Ballarat show.
Robert shoved Hayley’s head into a wall and also kicked her legs out from under her, causing her to fall back onto her head, Robert’s girlfriend’s brother said in a witness statement which was released to the media yesterday.
The brother, who was at the house with Robert and his sister, said when Hayley’s head hit the lino covered hardwood floor it made a loud knock.
“Rob told her: ‘I’m your dad and I can do whatever I want’,” the brother said in his statement.
He said Robert said: “If you think other people are mean then you should see how mean I can be.”
Robert also allegedly told Hayley “he was probably going to kill her and go to f---ing jail”, the brother said.
Earlier in the night, Robert had yelled at Hayley, “Why can’t you be a normal child,” Robert’s girlfriend, who is known as SR, said in her statement to the inquest.
To punish Hayley for allegedly misbehaving he made her stand on the kitchen floor late into the night, the inquest heard.
“If Hayley did anything like any movement or looking around Robert would slap her on the leg or on her hand with his open hand,” SR said.
“These were hard hits and Hayley was screaming and Robert would scream at her and kept hitting her.
“He tried to stand her up on the table but her knees kept buckling ... she was crying and yelling out ‘daddy, daddy’.
SR, who was playing an XBox as the abuse was occurring, said Robert later appeared to be flinging Hayley from side to side, causing her head to hit the kitchen floor.
Hayley’s leg became limp, she was making a gargling noise and her eyes were rolling back in her head, SR said.
Robert eventually took Hayley to a local hospital and she was taken by air ambulance to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Robert was charged with intentionally causing serious injury but killed himself a few days after being charged.
The inquest heard on Monday that Robert’s girlfriend is still being investigated by police. The girlfriend was excused from giving evidence on the grounds of self-incrimination.
Yesterday, Coroner John Olle also excused the girlfriend’s brother from giving evidence after finding he too may incriminate himself.
The court heard that child care workers had raised concerns about injuries to Hayley as early as May 2009.
Injuries to the toddler, which included black eyes, were photographed on three separate occasions, the court heard.
The inquest into their deaths continues today.
We actually first reported on this case back in 2009. I'll have to find some of those earlier links. Even then I asked out loud who gave this father custody and why. In two years, there has been nothing but deafening silence on the matter. Why does the Australian media continue to protect those in authority?
http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/ballarat-court-childcare-worker-raised-concerns-about-toddler/2209886.aspx?storypage=0
Ballarat court: childcare worker raised concerns about toddler
28 Jun, 2011 11:48 PM
A FATHER told his toddler daughter he could do whatever he wanted to her as he brutally bashed her a month before she died from brain injuries, an inquest has heard.
Two-year-old Hayley screamed out “daddy, daddy” as her drunk father Robert violently abused her in July 2009, witness statements before the Victorian Coroners Court in Ballarat show.
Robert shoved Hayley’s head into a wall and also kicked her legs out from under her, causing her to fall back onto her head, Robert’s girlfriend’s brother said in a witness statement which was released to the media yesterday.
The brother, who was at the house with Robert and his sister, said when Hayley’s head hit the lino covered hardwood floor it made a loud knock.
“Rob told her: ‘I’m your dad and I can do whatever I want’,” the brother said in his statement.
He said Robert said: “If you think other people are mean then you should see how mean I can be.”
Robert also allegedly told Hayley “he was probably going to kill her and go to f---ing jail”, the brother said.
Earlier in the night, Robert had yelled at Hayley, “Why can’t you be a normal child,” Robert’s girlfriend, who is known as SR, said in her statement to the inquest.
To punish Hayley for allegedly misbehaving he made her stand on the kitchen floor late into the night, the inquest heard.
“If Hayley did anything like any movement or looking around Robert would slap her on the leg or on her hand with his open hand,” SR said.
“These were hard hits and Hayley was screaming and Robert would scream at her and kept hitting her.
“He tried to stand her up on the table but her knees kept buckling ... she was crying and yelling out ‘daddy, daddy’.
SR, who was playing an XBox as the abuse was occurring, said Robert later appeared to be flinging Hayley from side to side, causing her head to hit the kitchen floor.
Hayley’s leg became limp, she was making a gargling noise and her eyes were rolling back in her head, SR said.
Robert eventually took Hayley to a local hospital and she was taken by air ambulance to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Robert was charged with intentionally causing serious injury but killed himself a few days after being charged.
The inquest heard on Monday that Robert’s girlfriend is still being investigated by police. The girlfriend was excused from giving evidence on the grounds of self-incrimination.
Yesterday, Coroner John Olle also excused the girlfriend’s brother from giving evidence after finding he too may incriminate himself.
The court heard that child care workers had raised concerns about injuries to Hayley as early as May 2009.
Injuries to the toddler, which included black eyes, were photographed on three separate occasions, the court heard.
The inquest into their deaths continues today.
Dad abandons child on interstate; mom lives out of town (Sweetwater, Texas)
Also see our earlier post today. Well, it appears that the little boy who was abandoned on the interstate by his father does have a mother after all--who lives in another city. So obviously Daddy CARLOS RICO did have custody or visitation--though of course, this is not discussed or acknowledged openly. So of course we will never hear how or why this father had access to this child and who gave it to him. Needless to say, Texas is a very strong fathers rights state.
http://www.reporternews.com/news/2011/jun/28/4-year-old-found-on-highway/
4-year-old found on Interstate 20 near SweetwaterFather charged with endangering a child
By Greg Kendall-Ball
Abilene Reporter-News
Posted June 28, 2011 at 8:21 p.m.
A 4-year-old boy found standing in the middle of Interstate 20 near Sweetwater early Tuesday morning is in good condition at a hospital.
The boy's father, Carlos Rico, is in jail in Saginaw after being charged with endangering a child for reportedly abandoning the boy on the interstate.
Sweetwater Police Chief Jim Kelley said the Sweetwater High School boys basketball coach and the coach's son were heading out of town for a golf tournament around 6 a.m. Tuesday when they spotted the boy standing in the middle of the roadway.
"They stopped and grabbed him and called us. Thank goodness they happened by right when they did. Who knows what could have happened," Kelley said.
Kelley said the boy was discovered with bruises and "hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of cactus spines, covering him from head to toe."
A few hours after the boy was found, Kelley said Sweetwater police received a call from the police department in Saginaw, near Fort Worth. A man had turned himself in to the police there, saying he had left the boy on the side of the road while driving from Lubbock to Saginaw.
"From talking with the Saginaw police throughout the day, we were able to piece it together. Around 3 a.m., the father stopped and threw the boy out of the car like a bag of garbage," Kelley said.
Kelley said the boy, Angel, is believed to have been on the road for about three hours. He was listed in good condition Tuesday evening, but Kelley said he was unsure when the boy would be released.
The boy's mother, who lives in Lubbock, was notified, and Kelley said she was at the hospital.
Child Protective Services has been called in to investigate.
Rico could be charged with a second-degree felony. According to the Texas Criminal Code, abandoning or endangering a child is a second-degree felony if a child is abandoned "under circumstances that a reasonable person would believe would place the child in imminent danger of death, bodily injury, or physical or mental impairment."
Second-degree felonies are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
http://www.reporternews.com/news/2011/jun/28/4-year-old-found-on-highway/
4-year-old found on Interstate 20 near SweetwaterFather charged with endangering a child
By Greg Kendall-Ball
Abilene Reporter-News
Posted June 28, 2011 at 8:21 p.m.
A 4-year-old boy found standing in the middle of Interstate 20 near Sweetwater early Tuesday morning is in good condition at a hospital.
The boy's father, Carlos Rico, is in jail in Saginaw after being charged with endangering a child for reportedly abandoning the boy on the interstate.
Sweetwater Police Chief Jim Kelley said the Sweetwater High School boys basketball coach and the coach's son were heading out of town for a golf tournament around 6 a.m. Tuesday when they spotted the boy standing in the middle of the roadway.
"They stopped and grabbed him and called us. Thank goodness they happened by right when they did. Who knows what could have happened," Kelley said.
Kelley said the boy was discovered with bruises and "hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of cactus spines, covering him from head to toe."
A few hours after the boy was found, Kelley said Sweetwater police received a call from the police department in Saginaw, near Fort Worth. A man had turned himself in to the police there, saying he had left the boy on the side of the road while driving from Lubbock to Saginaw.
"From talking with the Saginaw police throughout the day, we were able to piece it together. Around 3 a.m., the father stopped and threw the boy out of the car like a bag of garbage," Kelley said.
Kelley said the boy, Angel, is believed to have been on the road for about three hours. He was listed in good condition Tuesday evening, but Kelley said he was unsure when the boy would be released.
The boy's mother, who lives in Lubbock, was notified, and Kelley said she was at the hospital.
Child Protective Services has been called in to investigate.
Rico could be charged with a second-degree felony. According to the Texas Criminal Code, abandoning or endangering a child is a second-degree felony if a child is abandoned "under circumstances that a reasonable person would believe would place the child in imminent danger of death, bodily injury, or physical or mental impairment."
Second-degree felonies are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Dad kills 2-month-old baby by throwing her into a wall; dad then attacked by witnesses (Soweto, South Africa)
Notice that UNNAMED DAD was attacked by several people who happened to witness his actions. In fact police were forced to intervene to save his sorry @$$. Oh, that poor, poor daddy....
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2011/06/29/dad-throws-baby-against-the-wall
Dad throws baby against the wall
Jun 29, 2011 | Sapa
A TWO-MONTH-OLD baby was allegedly killed by her father at a taxi rank in Polokwane, Limpopo, yesterday.
The father was arguing with the child's mother when he allegedly grabbed the baby off her back and threw her into a wall.
A group of people who witnessed the incident attacked the father when they discovered that the child had died.
Police intervened and the man was taken to hospital.
He would appear in court after being discharged.
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2011/06/29/dad-throws-baby-against-the-wall
Dad throws baby against the wall
Jun 29, 2011 | Sapa
A TWO-MONTH-OLD baby was allegedly killed by her father at a taxi rank in Polokwane, Limpopo, yesterday.
The father was arguing with the child's mother when he allegedly grabbed the baby off her back and threw her into a wall.
A group of people who witnessed the incident attacked the father when they discovered that the child had died.
Police intervened and the man was taken to hospital.
He would appear in court after being discharged.
Dad abandons 4-year-old son on interstate, step picks him up; where is mom? (Sweetwater, Texas)
Dad CARLOS RICOS has been charged with child endangerment after he admitted that he had abandoned his 4-year-old son on an interstate. Notice that we're told that the step was "on her way to get the boy," but that she "needed to answer a lot of investigator's questions first." As indeed she should. Why does she have priority is this case anyway? Is this a custodial dad? Did she adopt this child? Is the mother still living? If so, why did she lose custody to a father who saw fit to abandon a young child on a busy highway? A place where he easily could have been killed?
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.ktxs.com/big_country_news/28388006/detail.html
UPDATE: Father Tells Police He Abandoned Boy Found On I-20By Jocelyn Tovar, KTXS News
POSTED: 6:19 pm CDT June 28, 2011
UPDATED: 8:38 pm CDT June 28, 2011
SWEETWATER, Texas -- Sweetwater police tell KTXS the father of a four year old found injured, and walking down the interstate, admits to abandoning the child.
Carlos Rico was charged with endangering a child.
After Sweetwater Police sent out bulletins, Rico turned himself in to Saginaw, Texas law enforcement.
He now faces charges of endangering a child, but if it wasn't for one good Samaritan this story could have ended tragically.
Al Hunt, Sweetwater High's basketball coach, found Angel on the highway Tuesday morning when he was on his way to Eastland.
"Thank goodness it was them," said Sweetwater Police Chief Jim Kelley. "They're good people and called us immediately and the wheels began turning."
Chief Kelley says they had few clues to figure out how the lost little boy ended up on the highway.
"At four you don't know your address, you might know your house if you walked by," Chief Kelley said, "But we're just grasping at this point."
Sweetwater Police are unsure how long Angel was on the highway, he was taken to Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital to be treated for injuries from a cactus, and dehydration.
Despite those injuries and being all alone, the little boy was in good spirits. Chief Kelley told KTXS Angel warmed the hearts of everyone.
"Nurses, cops, everybody just fell in love with him," Kelley said, "But the little boy needs his family. We're just trying to find out where this child belongs."
It was the little boy's uncle who made his Rico go to law enforcement.
Angel's step-mother who lives in Lubbock is on her way to Sweetwater to get the little boy, but Chief Kelley says not before she answers a lot of investigator's questions.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.ktxs.com/big_country_news/28388006/detail.html
UPDATE: Father Tells Police He Abandoned Boy Found On I-20By Jocelyn Tovar, KTXS News
POSTED: 6:19 pm CDT June 28, 2011
UPDATED: 8:38 pm CDT June 28, 2011
SWEETWATER, Texas -- Sweetwater police tell KTXS the father of a four year old found injured, and walking down the interstate, admits to abandoning the child.
Carlos Rico was charged with endangering a child.
After Sweetwater Police sent out bulletins, Rico turned himself in to Saginaw, Texas law enforcement.
He now faces charges of endangering a child, but if it wasn't for one good Samaritan this story could have ended tragically.
Al Hunt, Sweetwater High's basketball coach, found Angel on the highway Tuesday morning when he was on his way to Eastland.
"Thank goodness it was them," said Sweetwater Police Chief Jim Kelley. "They're good people and called us immediately and the wheels began turning."
Chief Kelley says they had few clues to figure out how the lost little boy ended up on the highway.
"At four you don't know your address, you might know your house if you walked by," Chief Kelley said, "But we're just grasping at this point."
Sweetwater Police are unsure how long Angel was on the highway, he was taken to Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital to be treated for injuries from a cactus, and dehydration.
Despite those injuries and being all alone, the little boy was in good spirits. Chief Kelley told KTXS Angel warmed the hearts of everyone.
"Nurses, cops, everybody just fell in love with him," Kelley said, "But the little boy needs his family. We're just trying to find out where this child belongs."
It was the little boy's uncle who made his Rico go to law enforcement.
Angel's step-mother who lives in Lubbock is on her way to Sweetwater to get the little boy, but Chief Kelley says not before she answers a lot of investigator's questions.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Life term for dad who raped daughter for six years; was he custodial? (Leeds, England, United Kingdom)
Was TERRY MCVICAR a custodial dad? How was he able to rape his daughter from the age of 9 for six long years? How was he able to lock her in the house over weekends, force her to use a bucket as a toilet, and nail carpet over a window to prevent her looking outside? It's possible that the mother allowed this, or was threatened/raped/abused herself, but there's no mention of the mother at all. The other possibility: This was a single dad. Why aren't we told?
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/life_term_for_father_who_raped_daughter_1_3514536
Life term for father who raped daughter
Published on Saturday 25 June 2011 00:00
A CRUEL father who subjected his own daughter to a horrific six-year campaign of abuse has been jailed after his victim urged others in her position to speak out.
Terry McVicar is already serving life in prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting young girls but yesterday two further life sentences were imposed at Leeds Crown Court, the 50 year-old having admitted charges of rape, cruelty, indecent assault and indecency with a child.
The offences against his daughter Rosemary, who waived her anonymity, were committed when they were living in the Bradford area in the early 1990s but were only revealed recently.
Ordering McVicar to serve a minimum of four and a half years, the Recorder of Leeds, Judge Peter Collier QC said he taken into account that he had already served 11 years in prison, which would have been a sentence of around 15 years, the minimum given to many murderers.
He praised the courage of McVicar’s daughter and said the abuse against her was “physical, mental and emotional”.
It had also shown “a sadistic streak” in his treatment of her going beyond neglect and cruelty.
The judge heard McVicar began sexually abusing his daughter when she was about nine, telling her “this is what daddies do”. Later he began to rape her, giving her sweets afterwards.
He would also lock her in the house at weekends, forced her to use a bucket as a toilet and nailed carpet over a window to prevent her looking outside.
She told the judge in a victim impact statement: “He ruined my life and my trust in people. He made me believe I could never achieve anything.”
She said finally speaking out and the case being taken to court had given her “a kind of closure”.
“I can now carry on with my life knowing I have done all I could to stop this happening to anyone else.”
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/life_term_for_father_who_raped_daughter_1_3514536
Life term for father who raped daughter
Published on Saturday 25 June 2011 00:00
A CRUEL father who subjected his own daughter to a horrific six-year campaign of abuse has been jailed after his victim urged others in her position to speak out.
Terry McVicar is already serving life in prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting young girls but yesterday two further life sentences were imposed at Leeds Crown Court, the 50 year-old having admitted charges of rape, cruelty, indecent assault and indecency with a child.
The offences against his daughter Rosemary, who waived her anonymity, were committed when they were living in the Bradford area in the early 1990s but were only revealed recently.
Ordering McVicar to serve a minimum of four and a half years, the Recorder of Leeds, Judge Peter Collier QC said he taken into account that he had already served 11 years in prison, which would have been a sentence of around 15 years, the minimum given to many murderers.
He praised the courage of McVicar’s daughter and said the abuse against her was “physical, mental and emotional”.
It had also shown “a sadistic streak” in his treatment of her going beyond neglect and cruelty.
The judge heard McVicar began sexually abusing his daughter when she was about nine, telling her “this is what daddies do”. Later he began to rape her, giving her sweets afterwards.
He would also lock her in the house at weekends, forced her to use a bucket as a toilet and nailed carpet over a window to prevent her looking outside.
She told the judge in a victim impact statement: “He ruined my life and my trust in people. He made me believe I could never achieve anything.”
She said finally speaking out and the case being taken to court had given her “a kind of closure”.
“I can now carry on with my life knowing I have done all I could to stop this happening to anyone else.”
Father under protection order charged with assaulting 9-month-old daughter while in "dispute" with mother (Flaxmere, New Zealand)
The "dispute" language here is totally misleading. Mom had already taken out an order of protection against UNNAMED DAD. When he shows up anyway and bashes the 9-month-old baby, leaving her with serious injuries, that's not a "dispute." That's a violation of a protection order and an assault. Reporters: can we get straight on that, please?
http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/local/news/flaxmere-father-charged-with-assaulting-infant/3957285/
Flaxmere father charged with assaulting infant
MARK STORY | 27th June 2011
The 29-year-old father of a 9-month-old-girl hospitalised with serious injuries has now been charged with wounding with reckless disregard.
The infant was admitted to Hawke's Bay Hospital yesterday after allegedly being caught in the crossfire of a dispute between her parents at their Flaxmere property.
Police were called to the domestic incident at 5.30am.
The father was also charged with breaching a protection order after making a voluntary appearance at Hastings Police Station.
His baby daughter had since been moved from intensive care and was "progressing well".
Detective Sergeant Mark Moorhouse confirmed the child's father was due to appear in Hastings District Court today.
"The thing with young kids is that although she's doing much better, they [children] can deteriorate quickly, so it's a wait and see game at this stage," Mr Moorhouse said.
He said the child did not have any siblings. CYFs staff had been called in to assist the family.
Police confirmed they would oppose bail at the man's first court appearance today.
http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/local/news/flaxmere-father-charged-with-assaulting-infant/3957285/
Flaxmere father charged with assaulting infant
MARK STORY | 27th June 2011
The 29-year-old father of a 9-month-old-girl hospitalised with serious injuries has now been charged with wounding with reckless disregard.
The infant was admitted to Hawke's Bay Hospital yesterday after allegedly being caught in the crossfire of a dispute between her parents at their Flaxmere property.
Police were called to the domestic incident at 5.30am.
The father was also charged with breaching a protection order after making a voluntary appearance at Hastings Police Station.
His baby daughter had since been moved from intensive care and was "progressing well".
Detective Sergeant Mark Moorhouse confirmed the child's father was due to appear in Hastings District Court today.
"The thing with young kids is that although she's doing much better, they [children] can deteriorate quickly, so it's a wait and see game at this stage," Mr Moorhouse said.
He said the child did not have any siblings. CYFs staff had been called in to assist the family.
Police confirmed they would oppose bail at the man's first court appearance today.
Cops: Dad shot heroin with 1-year-old daughter in car (West Hartford, Connecticut)
Dad JOSHUA TURNEY is the one accused of shooting up heroin--in front of his 1-year-old while in the car no less. No mention of Mom at all--just concerned "family members." Why?
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Dad-Shot-Up-Heroin-With-Daughter-in-Car-Cops-124619289.html
Dad Shot Up Heroin With Daughter in Car: Cops
By Bob Connors | Monday, Jun 27, 2011
Joshua Turney, 26, was charged with shooting up heroin with his 1-year-old daughter in the car.
West Hartford police charged a father with shooting up heroin with his 1-year-old daughter in his car.
Joshua Turney, 26, was arrested Friday, hours after police in Bristol had issued a missing child alert for Turney's daughter, Whitney.
Turney took his daughter from Divinity Street in Bristol around 8:30 a.m. Friday, and family members became concerned for the girl's well-being.
Officers found Turney shooting up in his car with his daughter in the car later that day, West Hartford police said.
Turney was charged with Drug Possession, Risk of Injury to a Minor and Reckless Endangerment. He was held on a $50,000 bond.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Dad-Shot-Up-Heroin-With-Daughter-in-Car-Cops-124619289.html
Dad Shot Up Heroin With Daughter in Car: Cops
By Bob Connors | Monday, Jun 27, 2011
Joshua Turney, 26, was charged with shooting up heroin with his 1-year-old daughter in the car.
West Hartford police charged a father with shooting up heroin with his 1-year-old daughter in his car.
Joshua Turney, 26, was arrested Friday, hours after police in Bristol had issued a missing child alert for Turney's daughter, Whitney.
Turney took his daughter from Divinity Street in Bristol around 8:30 a.m. Friday, and family members became concerned for the girl's well-being.
Officers found Turney shooting up in his car with his daughter in the car later that day, West Hartford police said.
Turney was charged with Drug Possession, Risk of Injury to a Minor and Reckless Endangerment. He was held on a $50,000 bond.
Mom: custodial dad became violent when drinking (Victoria, Australia)
This is crappy news coverage. First of all, we established yesterday that UNNAMED DAD had custody. Not only is that fact not explored here, it's been dropped from the report. WHY? Also notice that the headline is TOTALLY MISLEADING. Although Daddy's mom refused to say that he had seen him act violently to the children, she admitted that she had seen him act violently (e.g. when he got drunk and trashed a room). She also confesses that the murdered child had black eyes in the week before her death, but that Daddy was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation. The mother of the murdered child said she had seen him act violently, but said her concerns about the abuse of the children had been ignored. Just as ABC ignores her concerns by writing them out of the headline, and only mentioning them in the very last sentence. Sounds like Mom is still being ignored....
The child, Hayley, who was 26 months old, died on August 2, 2009, three weeks after her father, Robert, took her to a hospital in western Victoria.
She was unconscious with head injuries and widespread bruising.
She was flown to the Royal Children's Hospital where doctors noted that her injuries appeared to have been deliberately inflicted.
Robert was charged with causing the injuries and committed suicide on the July 13. He denied hurting the child.
Their surnames cannot be used for legal reasons.
His mother, who can be referred to only as CM, told the inquest her son once damaged a room in her house while he was drunk.
But she says that was the only time she had seen him act violently.
She said she noticed Hayley's eyes were faintly black in the weeks before her death and that her father could not explain the injuries.
Hayley's mother, who is identified as CG, cried while telling the court Hayley's father was an alcoholic and frequent marijuana user who became violent when he drank.
She says no one took her concerns for the children seriously.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/27/3254442.htm
Father never violent to children, inquest told
Updated
The mother of a man charged with inflicting fatal injuries on his two-year old daughter has told a coronial inquest he had never shown violence towards his children.
She was unconscious with head injuries and widespread bruising.
She was flown to the Royal Children's Hospital where doctors noted that her injuries appeared to have been deliberately inflicted.
Robert was charged with causing the injuries and committed suicide on the July 13. He denied hurting the child.
Their surnames cannot be used for legal reasons.
His mother, who can be referred to only as CM, told the inquest her son once damaged a room in her house while he was drunk.
But she says that was the only time she had seen him act violently.
She said she noticed Hayley's eyes were faintly black in the weeks before her death and that her father could not explain the injuries.
Hayley's mother, who is identified as CG, cried while telling the court Hayley's father was an alcoholic and frequent marijuana user who became violent when he drank.
She says no one took her concerns for the children seriously.
Dad pleads not guilty to smothering death of newborn son (Mount Holly, New Jersey)
Dad ERIK D. GRIFFIN was "caretaking" when he couldn't stand the crying of his newborn son anymore. So naturally, he smothered the baby till he stopped, then fled the house. In the process, he abandoned a 16-month-old girl. Though this baby was only 4-weeks in age, there is NO MENTION of the baby's mother. Why was she not caring for the baby? Did she have to work?
Notice that the baby was found by dad's grandmother, which makes me wonder if this was a visitation situation.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/burlington_county_times_news/burlington-city-father-pleads-not-guilty-in-death-of-newborn/article_062b4e8a-a177-11e0-a98c-001a4bcf6878.html
Burlington City father pleads not guilty in death of newborn
Posted: Monday, June 27, 2011 11:43 am | Updated: 7:09 am, Tue Jun 28, 2011.
By Danielle Camilli
MOUNT HOLLY — A Burlington City man accused of smothering his newborn son to death last year entered a not-guilty plea in Superior Court on Monday.
Erik D. Griffin, 25, formerly of the 400 block of St. Mary Street, was arraigned before Judge Michael Haas on charges of first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child in the Nov. 11 death of 4-week-old Nyir Griffin at a home in Burlington City.
If convicted, Griffin faces up to life in prison. Authorities allege that Griffin placed the infant on a bed and suffocated him with a pillow. He then fled the home, leaving the 9-pound boy to be discovered later by his maternal grandmother.
She found the baby unresponsive and tried to revive him, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
Griffin gave a statement to police indicating he smothered his son because the baby was crying and he could not calm him down. Griffin is being held in Burlington County Jail on $750,000 bail and is due back in court later this summer.
During the incident, a second child, a 16-month-old girl, was also in Griffin’s care and was left in the house when he fled.
The family had no case history with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families at the time of the incident.
Notice that the baby was found by dad's grandmother, which makes me wonder if this was a visitation situation.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/burlington_county_times_news/burlington-city-father-pleads-not-guilty-in-death-of-newborn/article_062b4e8a-a177-11e0-a98c-001a4bcf6878.html
Burlington City father pleads not guilty in death of newborn
Posted: Monday, June 27, 2011 11:43 am | Updated: 7:09 am, Tue Jun 28, 2011.
By Danielle Camilli
MOUNT HOLLY — A Burlington City man accused of smothering his newborn son to death last year entered a not-guilty plea in Superior Court on Monday.
Erik D. Griffin, 25, formerly of the 400 block of St. Mary Street, was arraigned before Judge Michael Haas on charges of first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child in the Nov. 11 death of 4-week-old Nyir Griffin at a home in Burlington City.
If convicted, Griffin faces up to life in prison. Authorities allege that Griffin placed the infant on a bed and suffocated him with a pillow. He then fled the home, leaving the 9-pound boy to be discovered later by his maternal grandmother.
She found the baby unresponsive and tried to revive him, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
Griffin gave a statement to police indicating he smothered his son because the baby was crying and he could not calm him down. Griffin is being held in Burlington County Jail on $750,000 bail and is due back in court later this summer.
During the incident, a second child, a 16-month-old girl, was also in Griffin’s care and was left in the house when he fled.
The family had no case history with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families at the time of the incident.
Dad on trial for burning son in oven (Daly City, California)
Dad GREGORY DAVID COLVER was another one of those dads who did "caretaking" while Mom worked. I guess somebody forgot to tell him that 17-month-old toddlers don't belong in the oven. You think parenting classes would help?
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=161882&title=Father%20on%20trial%20for%20burning%20son%20in%20oven
Father on trial for burning son in oven
June 28, 2011, 04:05 AM Daily Journal Staff Report
A Daly City father is facing child abuse charges after reportedly dropping his 17-month-old son into a hot oven while teaching the toddler the dangers of banging his hand against its open door.
Gregory David Colver Jr., 20, began jury trial this week on the felony charges stemming from the Dec. 28 incident.
Prosecutors say Colver was caring for his son that night while his girlfriend, the child’s mother, worked. When the woman rushed her son to Seton Hospital with second- and third-degree burns on his legs, Colver reportedly told authorities that, while he slept, the boy had turned on the oven and crawled inside.
Daly City police reported later discovering Colver had turned on the oven to cook a pizza and spotted his son banging his hand against the open door. To teach the child not to touch the hot oven, Colver lifted the squirming boy’s legs into the oven but lost his grip, said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
The boy reportedly landed on the oven’s heated coils, burning his legs, and Colver called his girlfriend home from work.
Colver has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains free from custody on a $100,000 bail bond.
Attorneys begin pretrial motions Tuesday followed by jury selection on Wednesday.
If convicted, he faces approximately nine years in prison, said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=161882&title=Father%20on%20trial%20for%20burning%20son%20in%20oven
Father on trial for burning son in oven
June 28, 2011, 04:05 AM Daily Journal Staff Report
A Daly City father is facing child abuse charges after reportedly dropping his 17-month-old son into a hot oven while teaching the toddler the dangers of banging his hand against its open door.
Gregory David Colver Jr., 20, began jury trial this week on the felony charges stemming from the Dec. 28 incident.
Prosecutors say Colver was caring for his son that night while his girlfriend, the child’s mother, worked. When the woman rushed her son to Seton Hospital with second- and third-degree burns on his legs, Colver reportedly told authorities that, while he slept, the boy had turned on the oven and crawled inside.
Daly City police reported later discovering Colver had turned on the oven to cook a pizza and spotted his son banging his hand against the open door. To teach the child not to touch the hot oven, Colver lifted the squirming boy’s legs into the oven but lost his grip, said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
The boy reportedly landed on the oven’s heated coils, burning his legs, and Colver called his girlfriend home from work.
Colver has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains free from custody on a $100,000 bail bond.
Attorneys begin pretrial motions Tuesday followed by jury selection on Wednesday.
If convicted, he faces approximately nine years in prison, said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
"Home alone" dad charged with assaulting 8-week-old son (Bedford, Pennsylvania)
Dad JOSEPH EVERHART has been charged with aggravated assault in his attack on his 8-week-old son. There is no mention of mom, though this baby is scarcely more than a newborn.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.wjactv.com/news/28381664/detail.html
Bedford Co. Teen Charged As Adult In Baby Assault
Posted: 11:14 am EDT June 28, 2011Updated: 11:56 am EDT June 28, 2011
BEDFORD, Pa. -- A 17-year-old father has been charged as an adult in the assault of his infant son in Bedford County.
Bedford County District Attorney Bill Higgins told WJAC-TV that Joseph Everhart shook his 8-week-old son at a home in Riddlesburg, Pa., on June 9.
The baby was taken to Children's Hospital of UPMC in Pittsburgh following the incident. Higgins said following an examination by a doctor at Children's, it was determined the boy had suffered from acute subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhages as well as significant retinal hemorrhages.
Higgins said these findings are indicative of an injury previously called shaken baby syndrome, but is now called abusive head trauma.
Higgins said a state police investigation revealed that Everhart was the only person at home with the child when the injuries are believed to have occurred.
On Tuesday, Bedford County Judge Thomas Ling ruled in Higgins' favor to have the charges against Everhart transferred from juvenile to adult court.
"If this nearly 18-year-old man was adult enough to take on the responsibility of fathering a child and adult enough to make the decision to remove himself from school, the Criminal Justice System should treat him as an adult and, more importantly, he should be punished as an adult," Higgins said.
Everhart was placed in the Bedford County Jail on $50,000 bail. He is facing charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and endangering the welfare of children.
Dad who injured 10-week-old daughter sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison; girl faces lifelong disabilities (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
Dad JAMES VANDERHAM will serve just a little over 6 years in prison, while his daughter faces a lifetime of serious mental and physical disabilities. Notice all the excuses for Daddy. He was young, he had ADHD, wasn't the sharpest blade in the razer. But he was apparently shrewd enough to lie to the authorities about what had happened. (Meanwhile, moms with serious psychotic illnesses are routinely blamed for their actions.) Daddy had been babysitting for only 90 MINUTES when he attacked the baby.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Edmonton+father+shook+injured+baby+sentenced+years+prison/5013040/story.html
Edmonton father who shook, injured baby sentenced to 6-1/2 years in prison
By Alexandra Zabjek, edmontonjournal.com June 27, 2011
EDMONTON — As the adults in the courtroom spent hours Monday discussing prison sentences, three-year-old Taelyr Waluk’s head dipped toward her chest and the sound of her laboured breathing sometimes rose above their voices.
She is the toddler at the centre of a court case that saw her father sentenced to 6-1/2 years in prison for shaking and choking her with such force she has been left with lifelong mental and physical disabilities.
Taelyr can’t hold her head up, she can’t eat, she has chronic lung problems and she is never expected to be able to understand discussions such as the one that took place in court.
“Some people wish for a million dollars, I just wish my granddaughter could hold up her head so she could swallow,” her grandmother, Brenda Waluk, said in her victim impact statement read during the sentencing hearing for James Vanderham.
It has been three years since the spring morning that Vanderham shook his 10-week-old daughter so hard that she was taken to hospital in a comatose state. Doctors did not expect her to live.
Vanderham pleaded guilty last year to aggravated assault.
During his sentencing hearing, defence lawyer Walter Raponi said Vanderham had been an immature, 20-year-old who acted in frustration when left alone with his daughter for the first time.
“He’s probably the poster child for an unskilled parent,” Walter Raponi said.
He wanted a prison sentence of two to four years, saying his client’s youth, low IQ, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder should be considered in sentencing.
Vanderham addressed the courtroom, half-filled with his family and supporters, and apologized to his daughter. He said he loves her and hopes to see her again.
“I know I’ve failed you as a father....I can never apologize enough to you or all the people this has effected.”
Crown prosecutor Tania Holland suggested a sentence of eight to 10 year.
Vanderham tried to minimize his actions in interviews with a psychiatrist when he denied “choking” his child, instead saying he merely placed one finger on her vocal cords to stop her from crying, she said.
“He was in the ultimate position of trust toward this young baby.”
Holland said the assault occurred in the 90 minutes he had been left alone with his daughter, while his then-girlfriend went out to get asthma medication. The couple had just moved into a house.
Holland said Vanderham initially misled police and medical professionals about what happened to his daughter.
It was at the end of several hours of questioning that he admitted to shaking and choking Taelyr to stop her crying. He said she then fell out of his arms and hit the floor.
Taelyr now lives in Sherwood Park with her mother and maternal grandparents. Her mother, Hailey Waluk, told court she’ll forever feel guilty for leaving her infant daughter alone with Vanderham. She recalled the painful decision she and her family made to take Taelyr off life support after nine days of intense treatment.
Doctors expected the child to live for 30 seconds after being removed from the machines. Instead, she chose to live Taelyr’s family said.
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Stephen Hillier said Taelyr Waluk “is special, she is her unique self. But she is not alone
“We owe it to Taelyr and others to identify and implement every strategy possible to reduce the risk that this happens again.”
Outside court, Hailey Waluk said she didn’t think her daughter will ever get justice. “She’ll have to live with this for the rest of her life.”
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Edmonton+father+shook+injured+baby+sentenced+years+prison/5013040/story.html
Edmonton father who shook, injured baby sentenced to 6-1/2 years in prison
By Alexandra Zabjek, edmontonjournal.com June 27, 2011
EDMONTON — As the adults in the courtroom spent hours Monday discussing prison sentences, three-year-old Taelyr Waluk’s head dipped toward her chest and the sound of her laboured breathing sometimes rose above their voices.
She is the toddler at the centre of a court case that saw her father sentenced to 6-1/2 years in prison for shaking and choking her with such force she has been left with lifelong mental and physical disabilities.
Taelyr can’t hold her head up, she can’t eat, she has chronic lung problems and she is never expected to be able to understand discussions such as the one that took place in court.
“Some people wish for a million dollars, I just wish my granddaughter could hold up her head so she could swallow,” her grandmother, Brenda Waluk, said in her victim impact statement read during the sentencing hearing for James Vanderham.
It has been three years since the spring morning that Vanderham shook his 10-week-old daughter so hard that she was taken to hospital in a comatose state. Doctors did not expect her to live.
Vanderham pleaded guilty last year to aggravated assault.
During his sentencing hearing, defence lawyer Walter Raponi said Vanderham had been an immature, 20-year-old who acted in frustration when left alone with his daughter for the first time.
“He’s probably the poster child for an unskilled parent,” Walter Raponi said.
He wanted a prison sentence of two to four years, saying his client’s youth, low IQ, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder should be considered in sentencing.
Vanderham addressed the courtroom, half-filled with his family and supporters, and apologized to his daughter. He said he loves her and hopes to see her again.
“I know I’ve failed you as a father....I can never apologize enough to you or all the people this has effected.”
Crown prosecutor Tania Holland suggested a sentence of eight to 10 year.
Vanderham tried to minimize his actions in interviews with a psychiatrist when he denied “choking” his child, instead saying he merely placed one finger on her vocal cords to stop her from crying, she said.
“He was in the ultimate position of trust toward this young baby.”
Holland said the assault occurred in the 90 minutes he had been left alone with his daughter, while his then-girlfriend went out to get asthma medication. The couple had just moved into a house.
Holland said Vanderham initially misled police and medical professionals about what happened to his daughter.
It was at the end of several hours of questioning that he admitted to shaking and choking Taelyr to stop her crying. He said she then fell out of his arms and hit the floor.
Taelyr now lives in Sherwood Park with her mother and maternal grandparents. Her mother, Hailey Waluk, told court she’ll forever feel guilty for leaving her infant daughter alone with Vanderham. She recalled the painful decision she and her family made to take Taelyr off life support after nine days of intense treatment.
Doctors expected the child to live for 30 seconds after being removed from the machines. Instead, she chose to live Taelyr’s family said.
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Stephen Hillier said Taelyr Waluk “is special, she is her unique self. But she is not alone
“We owe it to Taelyr and others to identify and implement every strategy possible to reduce the risk that this happens again.”
Outside court, Hailey Waluk said she didn’t think her daughter will ever get justice. “She’ll have to live with this for the rest of her life.”
Monday, June 27, 2011
Mom begged DHS to remove 2-year-old daughter from custodial dad's home; two weeks later, daughter bashed to death (Victoria, Australia)
The great unanswered question here: why did this sh** of an UNNAMED DAD have custody? Who gave it to him and why? Notice that these "child welfare agencies" are all the same--whether in Victoria or Vancouver. These "professionals" ignore and belittle the concerns of mothers, no matter how solid the evidence.
This is fathers rights in action, folks.
http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/mother-asked-dhs-to-take-killed-girl-20110627-1gnrx.html
Mother asked DHS to take killed girl
Adrian Lowe Court Reporter
June 28, 2011
A TWO-YEAR-OLD girl who was fatally bashed while in the care of her father would still be alive if Victorian welfare authorities had not rejected her mother's pleas for the toddler to be removed, a court has heard.
The girl, identified only as Hayley, died of head injuries a month after being bashed at her father's home in St Arnaud in July 2009.
Her mother, ''CG'', yesterday told the Coroners Court that she had begged a case worker to remove her children from the father's house two weeks before the bashing.
''She said no and I had to leave the children at the house,'' CG tearfully said. ''If she had turned around and said yes, I wouldn't be here today.
''The Department of Human Services are a disgrace to society. Please understand that … the department knew that my children were being brutally assaulted.''
The girl's father, Robert, 26, was charged with bashing her, but protested to CG and to his own mother that police had the wrong person - he would not hurt his child.
He took his own life after seeing a news report about his daughter's injuries four days after Hayley was admitted to hospital.
Both deaths are the subject of a coronial inquest that will examine the roles of the Department of Human Services and Victoria Police.
The inquest will examine whether police were too hasty in charging Robert and the way DHS investigated repeated complaints about the care Hayley received.
Hayley's mother told the Coroners Court, sitting in Ballarat, that she noticed Hayley had a bruise on her right cheek and she feared for the safety of her children. Robert was living with a new partner, SR, and had custody of Hayley and her three-year-old brother, who ''looked scared''.
CG said she asked Robert how the children had been injured. He said that Hayley had fallen down the stairs and her brother had been hurting himself. She told the court that she didn't believe Robert and asked the DHS worker who accompanied her if she could take the children with her.
Cross-examined by counsel for DHS, Judy Benson, CG said she had concerns for the children's safety but they were not taken seriously.
When asked by Ms Benson if she had directly complained to the department, CG replied that she had just had another baby and neither the department nor the police had listened to what she had tried to tell them.
CG testified that Robert had never been violent towards the children. His mother, SHM, agreed and told the court that he deeply loved his children.
SHM testified that while waiting at hospital, she tried to have her son open up to her about how Hayley had been injured that night when he was home with his girlfriend, SR, and SR's brother.
''He told me one day he saw [SR] standing on Hayley's throat in the shower,'' SHM said. ''He wasn't talking to me much - [SR] already told me she hated me so I wasn't going to push the issues and cause more problems for him.
''That's where I made my mistake. I should have jumped in earlier and then maybe Hayley would still be alive and maybe my son would still be alive.''
SHM also accused the department of failing to intervene to protect the children when they were earlier involved with the family, including when Hayley was observed having two black eyes.
Counsel for SR, Tony Lavery, successfully applied to have her excused from testifying on the basis that her evidence may incriminate her.
Mr Lavery told coroner John Olle that the homicide squad still saw his client as a suspect and senior detectives were dissatisfied with the original investigation conducted by Stawell detectives.
This is fathers rights in action, folks.
http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/mother-asked-dhs-to-take-killed-girl-20110627-1gnrx.html
Mother asked DHS to take killed girl
Adrian Lowe Court Reporter
June 28, 2011
A TWO-YEAR-OLD girl who was fatally bashed while in the care of her father would still be alive if Victorian welfare authorities had not rejected her mother's pleas for the toddler to be removed, a court has heard.
The girl, identified only as Hayley, died of head injuries a month after being bashed at her father's home in St Arnaud in July 2009.
Her mother, ''CG'', yesterday told the Coroners Court that she had begged a case worker to remove her children from the father's house two weeks before the bashing.
''She said no and I had to leave the children at the house,'' CG tearfully said. ''If she had turned around and said yes, I wouldn't be here today.
''The Department of Human Services are a disgrace to society. Please understand that … the department knew that my children were being brutally assaulted.''
The girl's father, Robert, 26, was charged with bashing her, but protested to CG and to his own mother that police had the wrong person - he would not hurt his child.
He took his own life after seeing a news report about his daughter's injuries four days after Hayley was admitted to hospital.
Both deaths are the subject of a coronial inquest that will examine the roles of the Department of Human Services and Victoria Police.
The inquest will examine whether police were too hasty in charging Robert and the way DHS investigated repeated complaints about the care Hayley received.
Hayley's mother told the Coroners Court, sitting in Ballarat, that she noticed Hayley had a bruise on her right cheek and she feared for the safety of her children. Robert was living with a new partner, SR, and had custody of Hayley and her three-year-old brother, who ''looked scared''.
CG said she asked Robert how the children had been injured. He said that Hayley had fallen down the stairs and her brother had been hurting himself. She told the court that she didn't believe Robert and asked the DHS worker who accompanied her if she could take the children with her.
Cross-examined by counsel for DHS, Judy Benson, CG said she had concerns for the children's safety but they were not taken seriously.
When asked by Ms Benson if she had directly complained to the department, CG replied that she had just had another baby and neither the department nor the police had listened to what she had tried to tell them.
CG testified that Robert had never been violent towards the children. His mother, SHM, agreed and told the court that he deeply loved his children.
SHM testified that while waiting at hospital, she tried to have her son open up to her about how Hayley had been injured that night when he was home with his girlfriend, SR, and SR's brother.
''He told me one day he saw [SR] standing on Hayley's throat in the shower,'' SHM said. ''He wasn't talking to me much - [SR] already told me she hated me so I wasn't going to push the issues and cause more problems for him.
''That's where I made my mistake. I should have jumped in earlier and then maybe Hayley would still be alive and maybe my son would still be alive.''
SHM also accused the department of failing to intervene to protect the children when they were earlier involved with the family, including when Hayley was observed having two black eyes.
Counsel for SR, Tony Lavery, successfully applied to have her excused from testifying on the basis that her evidence may incriminate her.
Mr Lavery told coroner John Olle that the homicide squad still saw his client as a suspect and senior detectives were dissatisfied with the original investigation conducted by Stawell detectives.
Custody Disputes Now Tougher for Battered Moms
READ THIS BOOK! That's all I can say.
http://www.womensenews.org/story/books/110626/custody-disputes-now-tougher-battered-moms?page=0,0
Custody Disputes Now Tougher for Battered Moms
By Phyllis Chesler
WeNews guest author
Sunday, June 26, 2011
It's been 25 years since Phyllis Chesler wrote "Mothers on Trial" to help women fight their child-custody battles. In this excerpt from her revised book, she reviews what's changed, for better and worse.
(WOMENSENEWS)--Going through a custody battle is like going through a war. One does not emerge unscathed. Yes, one may learn important lessons, but one may also be left broken and incapable of trusting others, including our so-called justice system, ever again.
Custody battles can take a very long time. They range from only several years to more than 15 or 20. They may have profound legal, economic, social, psychological and even medical consequences for years afterward, perhaps forever.
What's changed since I first started researching and writing about custody battles?
Documented domestic violence does get factored in somewhat more than before. Where real assets exist, judges have the power to award more of them to mothers and children. Fewer mothers and fathers automatically lose custody or visitation because they are gay or because they have high-powered careers.
However, certain injustices (crimes, really) that I first began tracking in the late 1970s have now gotten much worse. For example, battered women are losing custody to their batterers in record numbers. Children are being successfully brainwashed by fathers, but many mothers are being falsely accused of brainwashing. Worse: Children with mandated reporters--physicians, nurses or teachers--who report to them that they have been sexually abused by their fathers are usually given to those very fathers. The mothers of these children are almost always viewed as having "coached" or "alienated" the children and, on this basis alone, are seen as "unfit" mothers.
'Parental Alienation Syndrome'
I understand that this sounds unbelievable. But it is still true. The mothers of raped children, who are also described as "protective" mothers, are seen as guilty of "parental alienation syndrome." The fact that this concept, first pioneered by Dr. Richard Gardner and widely endorsed by fathers' rights groups, has been dismissed as junk science does not seem to matter. Most guardians ad litem, parenting counselors, mediators, lawyers, mental health professionals and judges still act as if this syndrome were real and mainly find mothers, not fathers, guilty in this regard. In 2010 the American Psychiatric Association was still fighting to include a new disorder in the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders": the parental alienation disorder, to replace the debunked parental alienation syndrome.
In 2009 and 2010 more than 50 mothers from 21 U.S. states and a number of foreign countries all shared their stories with me. Their cases took place between the late 1980s and 2010. Some cases are still ongoing.
In some instances, I spoke with the mothers in person or at length on the phone. Some mothers filled out questionnaires, but many also sent additional narratives and documentation. Some mothers sent me eloquent, beautifully written, full-length memoirs. Some wrote pithy but equally heartbreaking accounts of their marriages and custody battles.
With a few exceptions, most of my 2010 mother-interviewees said that the system was "corrupt" and that lawyers and judges don't care about "justice," are "very biased," or can be "bought and sold."
Feeling Actively 'Disliked'
These mothers said that social workers, mental health professionals, guardians ad litem and parent coordinators--especially if they were women--actively "disliked" and were "cruel and hostile" to them as women. (Perhaps they expected women to be more compassionate toward other women. In this, they were sadly mistaken.)
Also, many mothers found that female professionals were often completely taken in by charming, sociopathic men ("parasites," "smother-fathers"), dangerously violent men, and men who sexually abused their children.
Perhaps the mothers who sent me their stories were married to uniquely terrible men who used the court system to make their lives a living hell; perhaps mothers who did not write to me had the good fortune to have been married to and divorced from far nicer men.
Good fathers definitely exist. Some fathers move heaven and earth to rescue their children from a genuinely mentally ill mother but do not try to alienate the children from her. If the mother has been the primary caretaker, some fathers give up custody, pay a decent amount of child support (and continue to do so) and work out a relationship with their children based on what's good for both the children and their mother.
These men exist. They do not launch custody battles from hell.
Dr. Phyllis Chesler is emerita professor of psychology and women's studies and the author of 15 books, including "Women and Madness" and "Woman's Inhumanity to Woman." She is a cofounder of the Association for Women in Psychology and the National Women's Health Network. She can be reached through her Web site: http://www.phyllis-chesler.com/.
http://www.phyllis-chesler.com/
Buy the book:
Mothers on Trial: The Battle for Children and Custody
http://www.powells.com/partner/34289/biblio/9781556529993?p_ti
http://www.womensenews.org/story/books/110626/custody-disputes-now-tougher-battered-moms?page=0,0
Custody Disputes Now Tougher for Battered Moms
By Phyllis Chesler
WeNews guest author
Sunday, June 26, 2011
It's been 25 years since Phyllis Chesler wrote "Mothers on Trial" to help women fight their child-custody battles. In this excerpt from her revised book, she reviews what's changed, for better and worse.
(WOMENSENEWS)--Going through a custody battle is like going through a war. One does not emerge unscathed. Yes, one may learn important lessons, but one may also be left broken and incapable of trusting others, including our so-called justice system, ever again.
Custody battles can take a very long time. They range from only several years to more than 15 or 20. They may have profound legal, economic, social, psychological and even medical consequences for years afterward, perhaps forever.
What's changed since I first started researching and writing about custody battles?
Documented domestic violence does get factored in somewhat more than before. Where real assets exist, judges have the power to award more of them to mothers and children. Fewer mothers and fathers automatically lose custody or visitation because they are gay or because they have high-powered careers.
However, certain injustices (crimes, really) that I first began tracking in the late 1970s have now gotten much worse. For example, battered women are losing custody to their batterers in record numbers. Children are being successfully brainwashed by fathers, but many mothers are being falsely accused of brainwashing. Worse: Children with mandated reporters--physicians, nurses or teachers--who report to them that they have been sexually abused by their fathers are usually given to those very fathers. The mothers of these children are almost always viewed as having "coached" or "alienated" the children and, on this basis alone, are seen as "unfit" mothers.
'Parental Alienation Syndrome'
I understand that this sounds unbelievable. But it is still true. The mothers of raped children, who are also described as "protective" mothers, are seen as guilty of "parental alienation syndrome." The fact that this concept, first pioneered by Dr. Richard Gardner and widely endorsed by fathers' rights groups, has been dismissed as junk science does not seem to matter. Most guardians ad litem, parenting counselors, mediators, lawyers, mental health professionals and judges still act as if this syndrome were real and mainly find mothers, not fathers, guilty in this regard. In 2010 the American Psychiatric Association was still fighting to include a new disorder in the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders": the parental alienation disorder, to replace the debunked parental alienation syndrome.
In 2009 and 2010 more than 50 mothers from 21 U.S. states and a number of foreign countries all shared their stories with me. Their cases took place between the late 1980s and 2010. Some cases are still ongoing.
In some instances, I spoke with the mothers in person or at length on the phone. Some mothers filled out questionnaires, but many also sent additional narratives and documentation. Some mothers sent me eloquent, beautifully written, full-length memoirs. Some wrote pithy but equally heartbreaking accounts of their marriages and custody battles.
With a few exceptions, most of my 2010 mother-interviewees said that the system was "corrupt" and that lawyers and judges don't care about "justice," are "very biased," or can be "bought and sold."
Feeling Actively 'Disliked'
These mothers said that social workers, mental health professionals, guardians ad litem and parent coordinators--especially if they were women--actively "disliked" and were "cruel and hostile" to them as women. (Perhaps they expected women to be more compassionate toward other women. In this, they were sadly mistaken.)
Also, many mothers found that female professionals were often completely taken in by charming, sociopathic men ("parasites," "smother-fathers"), dangerously violent men, and men who sexually abused their children.
Perhaps the mothers who sent me their stories were married to uniquely terrible men who used the court system to make their lives a living hell; perhaps mothers who did not write to me had the good fortune to have been married to and divorced from far nicer men.
Good fathers definitely exist. Some fathers move heaven and earth to rescue their children from a genuinely mentally ill mother but do not try to alienate the children from her. If the mother has been the primary caretaker, some fathers give up custody, pay a decent amount of child support (and continue to do so) and work out a relationship with their children based on what's good for both the children and their mother.
These men exist. They do not launch custody battles from hell.
Dr. Phyllis Chesler is emerita professor of psychology and women's studies and the author of 15 books, including "Women and Madness" and "Woman's Inhumanity to Woman." She is a cofounder of the Association for Women in Psychology and the National Women's Health Network. She can be reached through her Web site: http://www.phyllis-chesler.com/.
For more information:
Phyllis Chesler's Web site:http://www.phyllis-chesler.com/
Buy the book:
Mothers on Trial: The Battle for Children and Custody
http://www.powells.com/partner/34289/biblio/9781556529993?p_ti
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