http://dastardlydads.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-killer-dad-got-custody-to-avoid.html
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It's hard to feel anything but major disgust with dad LESLIE "BIRD" SCHULER and the supporting actors who helped him take custody of his son, only to kill him within a month. This dad ignored his son for seven years. He avoided paying child support, didn't bother to do a paternity test, though the state of Alabama offered him the chance. He had no experience taking care of children and had a criminal history of assault.But unfortunately, we are encouraged to believe that "Dad" is a magic word, and that all dads take little boys on fishing trips and the like, and provide a fine "father's example." This little boy fell into that trap. So did Grandma. So did the courts.
Meanwhile, Dad had obtained a fairly decent job and was getting nailed for back child support. So he pulled a play right out of the father's rights handbook--go for visitation, then push for full custody. So he did, and he was successful.
And not even four weeks pass after he gets the child that this piece of sh-- dad had beaten this little boy to death.
There's an object lesson here: Beware of fathers looking to get their child support zeroed out by going after custody/visitation (Schuler got his retroactively cancelled by the courts). At best, these are not "take the son on fishing trips" kinds of dads. At worst, they're abusers and murderers. We need to stop going gaga over a dad fantasy and look hard at the father's actual track record for once.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20120119/NEWS/120119472/1116
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Man charged with murdering son seeks change of venue
By Gary V. Murray TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
WORCESTER — The lawyer for a city man charged with murdering his 7-year-old son on Father's Day three years ago asked a judge today to move his client's trial outside Worcester County.
Alan J. Black, who has been appointed to defend Leslie G. Schuler on murder and assault charges stemming from the June 23, 2009, beating death of his son, Nathaniel Turner, told Judge Richard T. Tucker during a hearing in Worcester Superior Court that he did not believe Mr. Schuler could get a fair trial in the Worcester court.
Mr. Black cited “prejudicial” pretrial publicity about the case that he said was likely to have tainted the pool of potential jurors in Worcester County.
The only way to ensure a fair trial for his client, Mr. Black said in his motion for a change of venue, was “to move the venue to a location whereby the potential jury pool has not been affected by the pretrial publicity.”
Accompanying the motion were copies of stories about the case that appeared in the Telegram & Gazette, The Boston Globe, the Boston Herald and other media outlets.
“It's an inflammatory type of case,” Mr. Black said.
Assistant District Attorney Courtney Sans, who is prosecuting the case, opposed the request for a change of venue, which was taken under advisement by Judge Tucker.
Ms. Sans told the judge that prospective jurors could be questioned individually to ensure that they could decide the case based solely on the evidence and that they had not been unduly influenced by anything they might have read or heard.
Judge Tucker said he agreed that the case was one that people were likely to remember to some extent, but noted that the 7-year-old died in 2009 and that most of the publicity closely followed.
“This is three years after the event,” he said.
Mr. Schuler, 39, formerly of 13 Arline St., is alleged to have severely beaten his son and slammed his head against a wall on June 21, 2009.
He is also charged with a series of alleged assaults on the boy between May 27 and June 22, 2009.
Authorities say Mr. Schuler physically disciplined his son after the 7-year-old came to Worcester from Alabama to spend the summer with him and his fiancée, Tiffany Hyman.
The child had been living with his grandmother in Alabama.
Ms. Hyman, 31, is also facing charges. She and Mr. Schuler took Nathaniel to the hospital, bruised and unconscious, on June 22, 2009.
Mr. Schuler has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, two counts of assault and battery on a child causing substantial injury, assault and battery on a child causing injury, three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (belt, wall, floor,) two counts of assault and battery and a single count of reckless endangerment of a child.
Ms. Hyman, who is under indictment as a joint venturer, is awaiting trial on charges of assault and battery on a child causing substantial injury, assault and battery on a child causing injury, permitting an assault and battery on a child causing substantial injury, reckless endangerment of a child and being an accessory, after the fact, to assault and battery on a child causing substantial injury.
A trial date has not been set.
Also taken under advisement by the judge today was a motion filed by Mr. Black asking that the cases of Mr. Schuler and Ms. Hyman be tried separately and motions by Mr. Black and Ms. Hyman's lawyer, Michael C. Wilcox, seeking dismissal of some of the charges lodged.
Judge Tucker continued both cases to Feb. 29.
The lawyers said a trial date may be set at that time.
