Dad charged with 1st-degree murder in shooting death of 8-year-old daughter (Pueblo, Colorado)

Dad JOHN WESLEY FRENCH claims he can't remember a thing about how his 8-year-old daughter was shot in the head while he was home alone with her. But he can recall that "something bad" happened to her. Riiiggghhht.

We've posted on this case before, but it's still not clear who had custody of this child. There has been no mention of a mother thus far.

INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.

http://www.chieftain.com/news/local/murder-case-to-go-forward-judge-rules/article_8678e61a-daa7-11e0-8bfb-001cc4c03286.html

Murder case to go forward, judge rules
Dad suspected in daughter's shooting death.

Posted: Friday, September 9, 2011 12:00 am

By JEFF TUCKER

A Pueblo district judge has ruled there is sufficient evidence to try a Pueblo man for killing his 8-year-old daughter.

John Wesley French, 33, is charged with first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death for the April 10 shooting of his daughter Desirea French.

Public Defender Suzanne Reynolds argued that her client should be bound over for trial on second-degree murder, because prosecutors had failed to prove French acted with deliberation when his daughter was killed.

Detectives were called to the French's trailer in the Oakwood Estates trailer park after French's father came home from work and discovered his granddaughter's body in the living room of the home and his son laying on a bed with two head wounds.

Detectives with the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office told the court that they found six bullet holes in the trailer.

Reynolds said that the bullet holes made it appear that the shooting was random rather than premeditated and that by all accounts, French was considered a good and doting father by everyone who knew him.

But District Judge Jill Mattoon ruled that there was evidence to suggest Desirea French was killed by a gunshot from close range.

Detectives told the court that John French had a wound to his right hand doctors believed was caused by a bullet.

Doctors also told detectives they removed long strands of brown hair from the wound and there was a burn pattern on the side of the girl's head, allegedly from the gunshot.

Mattoon said that was enough to suggest both intent and deliberation.

Detective JC Williams told the court Thursday that he conducted a number of interviews with French, who said he never could remember clearly what happened.

French knew he shot himself twice in the head and knew something bad happened to his daughter, but never said he remembered shooting her.

Williams told the court French did suggest it couldn't have been anybody else since they were the only ones in the home that day.

Under cross-examination by Public Defender Albert Singleton, Williams confirmed that French said he was diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder, but wasn't on any medication for the illnesses.

French will be back in court in November.