Custodial dad to go to trial for murder of 3-year-old son, though body never found (Houston, Texas)

More bizarre mother erasure. We had a dad RODERICK FOUNTAIN who was presumably playing housewife. (Doing the laundry. Really?) He claims that his 3-year-old son "wandered off" five years ago, but he's never been found.

Prosecutors now believe Daddy beat the baby to death and then hid the body.

Not hard to believe, given that Daddy has a history of crime (armed robbery).

Notice that we have mention of the boy's aunt, other "unnamed family members." Not a word about Mom. Once again.

So I looked into it further. Here's the link to Find Missing Kids:

http://www.findmissingkids.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=378

Now we find out that Daddy was in fact CUSTODIAL, that the little boy lived with his father and his stepmother, and formerly lived with his mother and grandmother. And that the mother had lost custody but a few months before.

So excuse me for asking, but given that witnesses saw this father abusing the boy before his "disappearance", and that Dad had a criminal record (and was in fact subsequently arrested and convicted of federal firearms violations after the fact), WHO THE HELL GAVE HIM CUSTODY?

Just another dude trying to bully his ex-girlfriend, avoid child support? He certainly had the motive, given that he had two kids with the step, and SIX OTHER CHILDREN WITH DIFFERENT MOTHERS.

Oh yeah, Texas sure discriminates against daddies, don't they?

And ONCE AGAIN, true to mass media form, we see how a father's custodial status is conveniently forgotten as he goes to trial for murder.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Father-to-be-tried-in-boy-s-death-2210516.php

Boy's body yet to be found, but dad set for trial this week

By BRIAN ROGERS, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Updated 12:02 a.m., Monday, October 10, 2011

Thousands of volunteers faithfully searched for months after Kendrick Jackson, a cherubic 3-year-old, disappeared five years ago.

Now, the one man in his life who should care most about the vanished little boy is going to trial in his death.

Roderick Fountain, 37, is scheduled to be tried this week on a charge of felony murder, accused of beating the boy in the days before his death, then beating him to death and hiding the body.

Prosecutors will seek a conviction without the most important piece of evidence in a killing: the boy's body.

"We believe he's dead," Assistant District Attorney Connie Spence has said. "But we do not have a body, and we do not anticipate having a body by the time this goes to trial."

Crucial testimony is expected on two fronts: witnesses who saw the boy with bruises days before he disappeared on April 7, 2006, and at least one jailhouse snitch, to whom Fountain may have confessed.

Spence is expected to argue that Kendrick died as a result of being hit by Fountain.

Fountain told authorities his son wandered off from their southwest Houston apartment while the father was doing laundry.

Armies of volunteers descended to look for the child for days. Because of differing reports, the search moved from the apartment complex to east Harris county, near a long stretch of waterways and wooded areas along the East Freeway.

"I was really hoping that this would end with a plea bargain, and he would say where little Kendrick's body was," said Tim Miller, founder and director of Texas EquuSearch.

Search continues

 He said the search organization has continued to look for the boy, including a search after new information last year.

"Unfortunately, it looks like Kendrick is going to be one of them that's just never found," Miller said. "That little boy's out there, somewhere. Who knows where?"

In 2006, Miller was with Fountain when the police came to question him.

"He took his billfold, his keys and his cell phone and put them on the dresser," Miller said. "Like he knew he wasn't coming back home."

Questions about Fountain's story led police to search his home, where they found a 12-gauge shotgun. Because Fountain had been convicted of several robberies, he was sentenced to 15 years behind bars on the federal weapons charge.It was prison, evidently, that loosened his tongue, and he was indicted in the killing in 2009. Felony murder means a death is alleged to have occurred during the course of a felony - in this case, injury to a child. Prosecutors must prove the felony and that a death occurred to convict. The charge carries a maximum punishment of a life sentence.

Attorneys and family members were tight-lipped last week about whether the mystery of what actually happened to Kendrick would be revealed.

An emotional time

Naquea Jackson, the boy's aunt, said the family expects the upcoming trial to be an emotional time and would not comment further. Charles Brown, Fountain's attorney, did not return calls for comment.

Jurors will be selected Wednesday in state District Judge Denise Collin's court.