Dad is identified as ANDREW VOSSEN. No mention of a mother in the home.
http://www.klkntv.com/story/24851546/lincoln-father-arrested-infant-daughters-x-ray-reveals-broken-ribs
Lincoln father arrested; infant daughter's x-ray reveals broken ribs
Posted: Feb 28, 2014 11:22 AM EST
Updated: Feb 28, 2014 11:22 AM EST
Posted By: KLKN Newsroom
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) _ Police suspect a 26-year-old Lincoln man of injuring his 5-month-old daughter.
Police say Andrew Vossen was arrested Thursday. Officer Katie Flood says Vossen took the baby to a family doctor on Tuesday for breathing problems due to congestion. An X-ray showed that five of her ribs had been broken. The arrest affidavit says Vossen told an investigator that he'd accidentally dropped the baby a few weeks earlier. A doctor told police the injuries weren't accidental.
Investigators believe that the injuries occurred when Andrew Vossen squeezed the baby's chest, in frustration. The victim has since been released from the hospital. He remains in custody at the Lancaster County Jail.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Dad charged after baby dies from injuries 9 years later (Rome, New York)
Dad is identified as JOSHUA COSTELLO. No mention of a mother in the home.
http://www.uticaod.com/article/20140228/NEWS/140229206
Rome father charged after shaken baby dies 9 years later
A father once arrested for shaking his newborn baby in 2003 is now facing manslaughter charges after those injuries ultimately killed the young girl nine years later, authorities said.
Rocco LaDuca
Posted Feb. 28, 2014 @ 1:05 pm
Updated at 2:51 PM
UTICA
A father once arrested for shaking his newborn baby in 2003 is now facing manslaughter charges after those injuries ultimately killed the young girl nine years later, authorities said.
Joshua Castello, 33, of Rome, pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter Thursday in Oneida County Court after he was indicted by a grand jury on the single charge. He is due back in court on Friday, March 14.
The 9-year-old girl died in September 2012, prosecutors said, but it took more than a year for investigators to determine whether the fatality could be linked to the “reckless” injuries the child had allegedly suffered at the hands of her father so long ago.
“We had to do some work on our own in regards to medical evidence before we felt we had a case to put before a grand jury,” Oneida County First Assistant District Attorney Dawn Catera Lupi said Friday. “There were legal issues and evidentiary issues that we felt needed to be resolved before we were prepared to move forward.”
Lupi would not disclose the child’s official cause of death, but the New York State Police investigator who initially handled the incident in 2003 recalled Friday that it was unclear at the time how much the physical trauma would impact the child’s long-term welfare.
In 2003, Castello was initially charged with second-degree assault, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child after admitting that he had shaken the two-week old baby at their Heritage Acres residence along the Herkimer-Oneida county-line in the town of Schuyler, state police Senior Investigator Timothy Blaise said.
Although Castello initially lied about doing anything to the baby, he later claimed that he fell asleep with the girl cradled in his arm in the living room, Blaise recalled. Then when he woke up, Castello said the baby’s head was limp and so he shook the child while asking, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”
While medical personnel concluded back then that the girl’s injuries would have lasting effects, they weren’t sure what their extent would be, Blaise said.
“The baby had a traumatic brain injury at the time, but we were told that because the child was so young, they couldn’t tell if the injury would last forever or if the child would recover,” Blaise said.
Later that year, Castello pleaded guilty in Herkimer County Court to felony assault and was sentenced in July 2003 to five years of probation and time-served, court officials said. An 18-year order of protection was also issued for Castello to have no contact with the child until 2021.
http://www.uticaod.com/article/20140228/NEWS/140229206
Rome father charged after shaken baby dies 9 years later
A father once arrested for shaking his newborn baby in 2003 is now facing manslaughter charges after those injuries ultimately killed the young girl nine years later, authorities said.
Rocco LaDuca
Posted Feb. 28, 2014 @ 1:05 pm
Updated at 2:51 PM
UTICA
A father once arrested for shaking his newborn baby in 2003 is now facing manslaughter charges after those injuries ultimately killed the young girl nine years later, authorities said.
Joshua Castello, 33, of Rome, pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter Thursday in Oneida County Court after he was indicted by a grand jury on the single charge. He is due back in court on Friday, March 14.
The 9-year-old girl died in September 2012, prosecutors said, but it took more than a year for investigators to determine whether the fatality could be linked to the “reckless” injuries the child had allegedly suffered at the hands of her father so long ago.
“We had to do some work on our own in regards to medical evidence before we felt we had a case to put before a grand jury,” Oneida County First Assistant District Attorney Dawn Catera Lupi said Friday. “There were legal issues and evidentiary issues that we felt needed to be resolved before we were prepared to move forward.”
Lupi would not disclose the child’s official cause of death, but the New York State Police investigator who initially handled the incident in 2003 recalled Friday that it was unclear at the time how much the physical trauma would impact the child’s long-term welfare.
In 2003, Castello was initially charged with second-degree assault, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child after admitting that he had shaken the two-week old baby at their Heritage Acres residence along the Herkimer-Oneida county-line in the town of Schuyler, state police Senior Investigator Timothy Blaise said.
Although Castello initially lied about doing anything to the baby, he later claimed that he fell asleep with the girl cradled in his arm in the living room, Blaise recalled. Then when he woke up, Castello said the baby’s head was limp and so he shook the child while asking, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”
While medical personnel concluded back then that the girl’s injuries would have lasting effects, they weren’t sure what their extent would be, Blaise said.
“The baby had a traumatic brain injury at the time, but we were told that because the child was so young, they couldn’t tell if the injury would last forever or if the child would recover,” Blaise said.
Later that year, Castello pleaded guilty in Herkimer County Court to felony assault and was sentenced in July 2003 to five years of probation and time-served, court officials said. An 18-year order of protection was also issued for Castello to have no contact with the child until 2021.
Dad admits he suffocated and killed 2-month-old daughter; gets 7 years in prison (Catlettsburg, Kentucky)
Typical of the kid-glove treatment that killer dads typically get from the courts. No mention of what happened to the mother of this baby. Dad is identified as JOHN T. ELLIOTT JR.
http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/Father-Admits-to-Suffocating-Daughter-247859421.html
Father Admits to Suffocating Daughter
Posted: Fri 2:21 PM, Feb 28, 2014
By: WSAZ News Staff
CATLETTSBURG, Ky. (WSAZ) – A father charged with the death of 2-year-old daughter will spend the next seven years in prison.
In June 2012, John T. Elliott, Jr,. 31, Catlettsburg was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of his daughter, Summer Adkins.
Adkins died in March 2012. The autopsy report called Summer’s death homicide by compression.
Earlier this month during a plea hearing, Ellliot admitted he suffocated his daughter to stop her from crying.
Friday, he was sentenced.
Boyd County Commonwealth Attorney David Justice says the plea was accepted after the two paternal aunts approved of the deal.
Justice says the aunts were, “The only relatives who expressed concern for the child.” The aunts are Elliott’s sisters.
http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/Father-Admits-to-Suffocating-Daughter-247859421.html
Father Admits to Suffocating Daughter
Posted: Fri 2:21 PM, Feb 28, 2014
By: WSAZ News Staff
CATLETTSBURG, Ky. (WSAZ) – A father charged with the death of 2-year-old daughter will spend the next seven years in prison.
In June 2012, John T. Elliott, Jr,. 31, Catlettsburg was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of his daughter, Summer Adkins.
Adkins died in March 2012. The autopsy report called Summer’s death homicide by compression.
Earlier this month during a plea hearing, Ellliot admitted he suffocated his daughter to stop her from crying.
Friday, he was sentenced.
Boyd County Commonwealth Attorney David Justice says the plea was accepted after the two paternal aunts approved of the deal.
Justice says the aunts were, “The only relatives who expressed concern for the child.” The aunts are Elliott’s sisters.
Non-custodial dad charged with assaulting son after parent-teacher conference; attack stopped by campus police officer (Houston, Texas)
The problem is not that UNNAMED DAD didn't have custody. The problem is that he had any child access at all. This moron made the tactical error of assaulting his son in front of a campus police officer. Had he done so in his own home or in front of the mother, they would have been called liars or alienators and/or ignored.
http://wtaw.com/2014/02/28/father-accused-assaulting-son-following-parent-teacher-conference/
Father Accused of Assaulting Son Following Parent-Teacher Conference Posted by Bill Oliver News Friday, February 28th, 2014
HOUSTON (AP) _ A father apparently upset after a parent-teacher conference has been charged with beating his son at a Houston middle school.
Houston police on Wednesday arrested a 41-year-old man on a charge of injury to a child, with bond set at $10,000. Online records Friday did not list the father as still being in custody or information on an attorney for him.
The attack at Forest Brook Middle School was stopped by a campus police officer. The boy, whose name and age weren’t released, was taken to a hospital with undisclosed injuries. The child lives with his mother and was later released to her.
Investigators did not immediately say what information led the father to seek out and allegedly beat his son.
Houston police didn’t immediately provide more details Friday.
http://wtaw.com/2014/02/28/father-accused-assaulting-son-following-parent-teacher-conference/
Father Accused of Assaulting Son Following Parent-Teacher Conference Posted by Bill Oliver News Friday, February 28th, 2014
HOUSTON (AP) _ A father apparently upset after a parent-teacher conference has been charged with beating his son at a Houston middle school.
Houston police on Wednesday arrested a 41-year-old man on a charge of injury to a child, with bond set at $10,000. Online records Friday did not list the father as still being in custody or information on an attorney for him.
The attack at Forest Brook Middle School was stopped by a campus police officer. The boy, whose name and age weren’t released, was taken to a hospital with undisclosed injuries. The child lives with his mother and was later released to her.
Investigators did not immediately say what information led the father to seek out and allegedly beat his son.
Houston police didn’t immediately provide more details Friday.
Dad of toddler admits having child porn (New Zealand)
In this case the dad is actually identified by name, which is rare. Usually they are creepoids are protected. This one is named CONAN MCCLELLAND.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/9778083/Father-collected-child-porn
Father collected child porn
JONO GALUSZKA
Last updated 09:00 01/03/2014
The father of a toddler has admitted having hundreds of explicit videos and images of children - some of them featuring sadism and bestiality - stored on his computer.
In the Palmerston North District Court yesterday, Conan McClelland, an auto-electrical mechanic , 34, of Palmerston North, pleaded guilty to 29 representative charges of possessing objectionable material, which included sexual images of children on their own, children and adults involved in bestiality, and children being penetrated.
Other material was described in the summary of facts as showing children involved in sadism, in which people derive pleasure from watching others in painful, degrading or humiliating scenarios.
There were also images of children taking part in sexual activities with other children.
Some of the children were featured in videos seen by United States law enforcement officers.
According to documents provided by those officers, one of the children in the explicit videos on McClelland's computer was between eight and nine years of age at the time the film was made.
A total of 984 images and 383 videos were found on McClelland's computer when his house was raided in January last year. McClelland, who is married and has a young child, told police he had been downloading the material for four years by using file sharing software Shareaza.
He downloaded explicit images and videos for two years before deleting all he had, but got back on the bandwagon soon after. He told police he downloaded "everything, all ages" until he was discovered.
Crown prosecutor Daniel Flinn said McClelland co-operated with the investigation, giving police passwords to his computer and programmes to ensure all material was found.
McClelland had name suppression, but defence lawyer Peter Coles said there were no grounds to continue it after the guilty pleas.
Judge Les Atkins remanded McClelland on bail until April for sentencing. While on bail, McClelland cannot use the internet outside of work or be alone with children under 16.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/9778083/Father-collected-child-porn
Father collected child porn
JONO GALUSZKA
Last updated 09:00 01/03/2014
The father of a toddler has admitted having hundreds of explicit videos and images of children - some of them featuring sadism and bestiality - stored on his computer.
In the Palmerston North District Court yesterday, Conan McClelland, an auto-electrical mechanic , 34, of Palmerston North, pleaded guilty to 29 representative charges of possessing objectionable material, which included sexual images of children on their own, children and adults involved in bestiality, and children being penetrated.
Other material was described in the summary of facts as showing children involved in sadism, in which people derive pleasure from watching others in painful, degrading or humiliating scenarios.
There were also images of children taking part in sexual activities with other children.
Some of the children were featured in videos seen by United States law enforcement officers.
According to documents provided by those officers, one of the children in the explicit videos on McClelland's computer was between eight and nine years of age at the time the film was made.
A total of 984 images and 383 videos were found on McClelland's computer when his house was raided in January last year. McClelland, who is married and has a young child, told police he had been downloading the material for four years by using file sharing software Shareaza.
He downloaded explicit images and videos for two years before deleting all he had, but got back on the bandwagon soon after. He told police he downloaded "everything, all ages" until he was discovered.
Crown prosecutor Daniel Flinn said McClelland co-operated with the investigation, giving police passwords to his computer and programmes to ensure all material was found.
McClelland had name suppression, but defence lawyer Peter Coles said there were no grounds to continue it after the guilty pleas.
Judge Les Atkins remanded McClelland on bail until April for sentencing. While on bail, McClelland cannot use the internet outside of work or be alone with children under 16.
Dad arrested for breaking arms, legs, ribs of 2-month-old son (Kansas City, Missouri)
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.kansascity.com/2014/02/28/4855618/kc-father-allegedly-broke-babys.html
KC father allegedly broke baby’s arms, legs and ribs
February 28
Kansas City police arrested a 20-year-old father Thursday night for allegedly abusing his 2-month-old baby, who sustained two broken arms, two broken legs and several broken ribs.
The injuries were discovered about 6:35 p.m. after the baby’s parents took him to Children’s Mercy Hospital for a high fever. Doctors noticed bruising on the baby’s neck and forearm. Further tests revealed the broken bones in various stages of healing.
Detectives questioned the parents and believed the father had abused the baby. Investigators were planning to submit a case file today to prosecutors who will determine whether to file charges
http://www.kansascity.com/2014/02/28/4855618/kc-father-allegedly-broke-babys.html
KC father allegedly broke baby’s arms, legs and ribs
February 28
Kansas City police arrested a 20-year-old father Thursday night for allegedly abusing his 2-month-old baby, who sustained two broken arms, two broken legs and several broken ribs.
The injuries were discovered about 6:35 p.m. after the baby’s parents took him to Children’s Mercy Hospital for a high fever. Doctors noticed bruising on the baby’s neck and forearm. Further tests revealed the broken bones in various stages of healing.
Detectives questioned the parents and believed the father had abused the baby. Investigators were planning to submit a case file today to prosecutors who will determine whether to file charges
More than 200 children have died with a DFCS history (Atlanta, Georgia)
Why are all these children dying? Here's one reason. Both of the children mentioned in the first paragraph, Eric Forbes and Emani Moss, had custodial fathers with histories of child abuse and domestic violence. Yet somebody gave them custody anyway. In terms of who is being protected in "the system," one good place to start is with all the abusers being coddled and enabled by the pro-father-at-any-cost assumptions that are now the dominant ideology in these agencies.
I wonder if all these didacted records would show a disproportionate number custodial fathers relative to their actual numbers....
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/crime/2014/02/28/children-died-dfcs-history/5892407/
More than 200 children have died with a DFCS history
WXIA 7:47 a.m. EST February 28, 2014
ATLANTA -- First there was Eric Forbes -- a 12-year-old police say died after being beaten so badly by his father, his body simply gave up. Then, Emani Moss -- a little girl with a heartwarming smile, found stuffed and burned in a trash can. They were deaths that outraged us - and the community.
11Alive's Rebecca Lindstrom has spent the past four months fighting to learn more about the system that was supposed to protect them.
To do that, we wanted to look at why children were dying, how decisions were being made. So Linstrom requested the case summaries of every child that had died since 2012 with a DFCS history. The first request was made November 11, 2013. To this day, there are still 94 case reports missing -- that's 94 children by their own records, that died and we have no explanation for how or why.
What they have given us is in parts. Many of the documents are redacted - covered in black ink.
Most of us would hate to think our life reduced to a few pages, but for the 213 children that we know have died in the past two years with a DFCS history, this is all we have to begin to understand why.
Even attorney Tom Rawlings, former director of the Office of the Child Advocate, the watchdog agency for DFCS, can't make sense of these documents.
"My first reaction is how on earth are you supposed to make any sense of this," said Rawlings.
That's because the reports are broken into bits. Most of these children's lives covered in black ink.
"It really conflicts with the federal rules that the state is required to follow in these cases," Rawlings said.
Even Melissa Carter, an attorney who helped draft the state law that allowed for all this black ink says this goes too far.
"Some of this I can tell you is redacted because there may be criminal investigations that could be jeopardized by the disclosure of this information," Carter said. "At the same time, some of this just goes so far, when you see line after line of complete black out and you have nothing left but pronouns and conjunctions."
A copy of one report given to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution certainly provides more clues as to what happened to 4-year old Jeremiah Tucker. Doctors said his asthma was so severe and his family incapable of caring for him, that he was "at risk of death" if they sent him home. DFCS did it anyway. A hard truth you'd never learn that from the same report - just covered in more black ink - that DFCS gave to us.
In a meeting with DFCS division director Sharon Hill, her communications staff told us this was a legal matter and that they could not comment.
"Our desire is to be as transparent as possible," Hill said. "This may be as transparent as our law allows us to be."
This is a perfect example of how that law is up to interpretation, by whomever holds the black pen. Even with all this ink, we're still missing half the case file. That's 94 children dead, with no explanations as to whether anything could have been done to save them. To get that, DFCS says it needs $21,000 and five more months.
"Access to information is very, very difficult," said Bill Hancock, founder of the non-profit organization Faithbridge.
"Who's being protected by this," asked Lindstrom.
"That is the best question I think I've heard in a while," Hancock replied. "Who would you think is not being protected primarily? Children."
That's why Georgia State Representative Christian Coomer say he's working to change that law. His bill which, passed unanimously in the House on Wednesday, is now in the hands of the Senate. It would certainly allow greater access to those assigned to investigate a child's death, but leaves plenty of loopholes that would allow DFCS to continue giving the general public records that look like this.
"It's at least a step in the right direction," said Coomer. "It's not good enough to say we can't fix everything so we're not going to try anything."
Right now, we're surveying Senators to find out if they support Coomer's bill. As you see, secrecy not only hides what led up to a child's death, but also the people responsible for letting it happen. Even with only half the files, there is still plenty we were able to learn about how the system failed these children.
I wonder if all these didacted records would show a disproportionate number custodial fathers relative to their actual numbers....
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/crime/2014/02/28/children-died-dfcs-history/5892407/
More than 200 children have died with a DFCS history
WXIA 7:47 a.m. EST February 28, 2014
ATLANTA -- First there was Eric Forbes -- a 12-year-old police say died after being beaten so badly by his father, his body simply gave up. Then, Emani Moss -- a little girl with a heartwarming smile, found stuffed and burned in a trash can. They were deaths that outraged us - and the community.
11Alive's Rebecca Lindstrom has spent the past four months fighting to learn more about the system that was supposed to protect them.
To do that, we wanted to look at why children were dying, how decisions were being made. So Linstrom requested the case summaries of every child that had died since 2012 with a DFCS history. The first request was made November 11, 2013. To this day, there are still 94 case reports missing -- that's 94 children by their own records, that died and we have no explanation for how or why.
What they have given us is in parts. Many of the documents are redacted - covered in black ink.
Most of us would hate to think our life reduced to a few pages, but for the 213 children that we know have died in the past two years with a DFCS history, this is all we have to begin to understand why.
Even attorney Tom Rawlings, former director of the Office of the Child Advocate, the watchdog agency for DFCS, can't make sense of these documents.
"My first reaction is how on earth are you supposed to make any sense of this," said Rawlings.
That's because the reports are broken into bits. Most of these children's lives covered in black ink.
"It really conflicts with the federal rules that the state is required to follow in these cases," Rawlings said.
Even Melissa Carter, an attorney who helped draft the state law that allowed for all this black ink says this goes too far.
"Some of this I can tell you is redacted because there may be criminal investigations that could be jeopardized by the disclosure of this information," Carter said. "At the same time, some of this just goes so far, when you see line after line of complete black out and you have nothing left but pronouns and conjunctions."
A copy of one report given to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution certainly provides more clues as to what happened to 4-year old Jeremiah Tucker. Doctors said his asthma was so severe and his family incapable of caring for him, that he was "at risk of death" if they sent him home. DFCS did it anyway. A hard truth you'd never learn that from the same report - just covered in more black ink - that DFCS gave to us.
In a meeting with DFCS division director Sharon Hill, her communications staff told us this was a legal matter and that they could not comment.
"Our desire is to be as transparent as possible," Hill said. "This may be as transparent as our law allows us to be."
This is a perfect example of how that law is up to interpretation, by whomever holds the black pen. Even with all this ink, we're still missing half the case file. That's 94 children dead, with no explanations as to whether anything could have been done to save them. To get that, DFCS says it needs $21,000 and five more months.
"Access to information is very, very difficult," said Bill Hancock, founder of the non-profit organization Faithbridge.
"Who's being protected by this," asked Lindstrom.
"That is the best question I think I've heard in a while," Hancock replied. "Who would you think is not being protected primarily? Children."
That's why Georgia State Representative Christian Coomer say he's working to change that law. His bill which, passed unanimously in the House on Wednesday, is now in the hands of the Senate. It would certainly allow greater access to those assigned to investigate a child's death, but leaves plenty of loopholes that would allow DFCS to continue giving the general public records that look like this.
"It's at least a step in the right direction," said Coomer. "It's not good enough to say we can't fix everything so we're not going to try anything."
Right now, we're surveying Senators to find out if they support Coomer's bill. As you see, secrecy not only hides what led up to a child's death, but also the people responsible for letting it happen. Even with only half the files, there is still plenty we were able to learn about how the system failed these children.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Non-custodial dad kills 14-year-old son in murder-suicide (Decatur County, Indiana)
Apparently another case where a violent, unstable father was granted his visitation rights. So now a young man is dead.
The killer dad is identified as GREGORY HALL.
http://www.wlky.com/news/local-news/indiana-news/police-father-fatally-shoots-teen-son-himself/24693774
Police: Father fatally shoots teen son, himself
UPDATED 1:42 PM EST Feb 26, 2014
GREENSBURG, Ind. —Police in Greensburg are investigating a murder-suicide involving a father and his teenage son.
Greensburg is in Decatur County, about 40 miles southeast of Indianapolis.
Police say the father and son were found shot to death inside a car in a park.
Police began looking for 44-year-old Gregory Hall around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
It's not clear what prompted the search, but officers believed 14-year-old Tyler Hall was in danger.
An hour later, a phone call led police to the Greensburg City Park, where officers found the bodies.
“This is a very sad situation obviously, father-son like this, very tough for everybody to deal with involved,” said Det. Bill Meyerrose with the Greensburg Police Department.
Police are expected to release more information on this case Wednesday.
They say the son lived in Greensburg, and his father lived about a half-hour north in Rushville.
The killer dad is identified as GREGORY HALL.
http://www.wlky.com/news/local-news/indiana-news/police-father-fatally-shoots-teen-son-himself/24693774
Police: Father fatally shoots teen son, himself
UPDATED 1:42 PM EST Feb 26, 2014
GREENSBURG, Ind. —Police in Greensburg are investigating a murder-suicide involving a father and his teenage son.
Greensburg is in Decatur County, about 40 miles southeast of Indianapolis.
Police say the father and son were found shot to death inside a car in a park.
Police began looking for 44-year-old Gregory Hall around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
It's not clear what prompted the search, but officers believed 14-year-old Tyler Hall was in danger.
An hour later, a phone call led police to the Greensburg City Park, where officers found the bodies.
“This is a very sad situation obviously, father-son like this, very tough for everybody to deal with involved,” said Det. Bill Meyerrose with the Greensburg Police Department.
Police are expected to release more information on this case Wednesday.
They say the son lived in Greensburg, and his father lived about a half-hour north in Rushville.
Custodial dad pleads not guilty to torture of 5-year-old daughter (Bakersfield, California)
An earlier post clarifies that JOE JESSE BROWN is a custodial father, with the non-custodial mother living in Washington State. These abusers are blaming the mother--so predictable. Even though she's not around at all.
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/Father-step-mother-plead-not-guilty-to-abusing-daughter-247383081.html
Father, step-mother plead not guilty to abusing girl
By Jonathan Gonzalez, Eyewitness News
Published: Feb 26, 2014 at 5:46 PM PST
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A Bakersfield couple pleaded not guilty in a Kern County courtroom Wednesday to several abuse charges regarding their 5-year-old daughter.
The girl's father, Jesse Joe Brown, and her step-mother, Virginia Rodriguez, have been charged with several torture and cruelty charges.
Brown also faces one charge of attempted murder involving the girl, who at last check was listed in critical condition at a children's hospital in Madera.
Court documents obtained by Eyewitness News show that the couple admitted to "using shoe laces and ace bandages to tie the child's wrist and ankles to prevent her from wandering about the house at night."
A police report also involves the girl's doctor, who said the child had injuries consistent with "being bound for extended periods of time."
The doctor also indicated the 5-year-old had two brain bleeds, several bruises and "injuries consistent with cigarette burns."
The girl suffered cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital, after police were called to the couple's home on the 200 block of Cedar Street in central Bakersfield on Sunday.
Police were called to assist the girl with "medical aid," according to the report.
Brown is being held on $800,000 bail. Rodriguez's bail was set at $300,000.
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/Father-step-mother-plead-not-guilty-to-abusing-daughter-247383081.html
Father, step-mother plead not guilty to abusing girl
By Jonathan Gonzalez, Eyewitness News
Published: Feb 26, 2014 at 5:46 PM PST
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A Bakersfield couple pleaded not guilty in a Kern County courtroom Wednesday to several abuse charges regarding their 5-year-old daughter.
The girl's father, Jesse Joe Brown, and her step-mother, Virginia Rodriguez, have been charged with several torture and cruelty charges.
Brown also faces one charge of attempted murder involving the girl, who at last check was listed in critical condition at a children's hospital in Madera.
Court documents obtained by Eyewitness News show that the couple admitted to "using shoe laces and ace bandages to tie the child's wrist and ankles to prevent her from wandering about the house at night."
A police report also involves the girl's doctor, who said the child had injuries consistent with "being bound for extended periods of time."
The doctor also indicated the 5-year-old had two brain bleeds, several bruises and "injuries consistent with cigarette burns."
The girl suffered cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital, after police were called to the couple's home on the 200 block of Cedar Street in central Bakersfield on Sunday.
Police were called to assist the girl with "medical aid," according to the report.
Brown is being held on $800,000 bail. Rodriguez's bail was set at $300,000.
Dad indicted on child porn charges, but allowed to live at home with kids (Dover, New Hampshire)
Just additional evidence that those in authority do not take child sexual abuse and child pornography seriously. If they did, then why would they be allowing dad DAVID POLLEY to live at home with seven kids?? On just $5,000 in bail?
Repulsive.
http://www.wgme.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/father-eight-faces-charges-child-porn-possession-21232.shtml#.Uw_wd9co4pQ
Father of eight faces charges for child porn possession
Updated: Wednesday, February 26 2014, 11:14 PM EST
DOVER, N.H. (WGME) -- A Sanford man and father of eight has been indicted on more than 50 charges of possessing child pornography.
Police said the images were found on David Polley's computer at Liberty Mutual in Dover, New Hampshire, where he worked at the time.
Dover Police started investigating in June after being alerted by Liberty Mutual. According to court documents, investigators seized dozens of flashdrives, CDs, DVDs, and a laptop for analysis. A New Hampshire state lab uncovered over 3,000 images and 1,185 videos of children being sexually abused.
Prosecutors said 500 of the children were identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, or NCMEC. Another 2,000 children are still unknown.
According to court documents, Polley, 52, was released on $5,000 cash bail in August and is allowed to live at home with his wife, and seven of his eight kids.
Last week, a grand jury indicted Polley on 52 counts of possession of child sexual abuse images.
"We charged the 52 videos, that did not encompass the entirety of everything, so there may be additional charges next month," said Deputy County Attorney Alysia Cassotis.
When CBS 13 went to Polley's Sanford home to hear his side of the story, a woman opened, and then immediately shut the front door.
Polley's defense attorney could not be reached for comment.
Polley is scheduled to be arraigned on March 6.
Court documents show Polley is no longer employed by Liberty Mutual. A spokesman said the company is cooperating with law enforcement.
Repulsive.
http://www.wgme.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/father-eight-faces-charges-child-porn-possession-21232.shtml#.Uw_wd9co4pQ
Father of eight faces charges for child porn possession
Updated: Wednesday, February 26 2014, 11:14 PM EST
DOVER, N.H. (WGME) -- A Sanford man and father of eight has been indicted on more than 50 charges of possessing child pornography.
Police said the images were found on David Polley's computer at Liberty Mutual in Dover, New Hampshire, where he worked at the time.
Dover Police started investigating in June after being alerted by Liberty Mutual. According to court documents, investigators seized dozens of flashdrives, CDs, DVDs, and a laptop for analysis. A New Hampshire state lab uncovered over 3,000 images and 1,185 videos of children being sexually abused.
Prosecutors said 500 of the children were identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, or NCMEC. Another 2,000 children are still unknown.
According to court documents, Polley, 52, was released on $5,000 cash bail in August and is allowed to live at home with his wife, and seven of his eight kids.
Last week, a grand jury indicted Polley on 52 counts of possession of child sexual abuse images.
"We charged the 52 videos, that did not encompass the entirety of everything, so there may be additional charges next month," said Deputy County Attorney Alysia Cassotis.
When CBS 13 went to Polley's Sanford home to hear his side of the story, a woman opened, and then immediately shut the front door.
Polley's defense attorney could not be reached for comment.
Polley is scheduled to be arraigned on March 6.
Court documents show Polley is no longer employed by Liberty Mutual. A spokesman said the company is cooperating with law enforcement.
Dad that carved pentagram on 6-year-old son committed to mental health facility (Richland Hills, Texas)
And the fathers rights guys claim that dads like BRENT TROY BARLTLE never get off for mental health reasons....
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/02/27/father-that-carved-pentagram-on-son-committed-to-mental-health-facility/
Father That Carved Pentagram On Son Committed To Mental Health Facility
February 27, 2014 6:02 PM
RICHLAND HILLS, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – The man that carved a pentagram on his son’s back in December 2012 has been committed to a mental health facility, according to the Tarrant Count District Attorney’s office.
On December 12, 2012 Richland Hills police officers were sent to a house in the 3700 block of Ruth Road after a man called 911 and told the dispatcher, “I shed some blood.” The caller, later identified as Brent Troy Bartel, went on to tell the dispatcher, “I inscribed a pentagram on my son.”
When police got to the house they found Bartel’s 6-year-old son inside the house, wearing pajama bottoms and no shirt. There was a large pentagram carved into the child’s back. Officers said the five-pointed star covered the majority of the boy’s back.
On Thursday the Tarrant Co. DA’s office announced that Bartel has previously been found incompetent to stand trial and was committed to a mental health treatment facility. The commitment order was a extended for a period not to exceed 12 months.
Bartel was charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, an enhanced crime because it was committed against a family member. He is still being held on a $500,000 bond.
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/02/27/father-that-carved-pentagram-on-son-committed-to-mental-health-facility/
Father That Carved Pentagram On Son Committed To Mental Health Facility
February 27, 2014 6:02 PM
RICHLAND HILLS, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – The man that carved a pentagram on his son’s back in December 2012 has been committed to a mental health facility, according to the Tarrant Count District Attorney’s office.
On December 12, 2012 Richland Hills police officers were sent to a house in the 3700 block of Ruth Road after a man called 911 and told the dispatcher, “I shed some blood.” The caller, later identified as Brent Troy Bartel, went on to tell the dispatcher, “I inscribed a pentagram on my son.”
When police got to the house they found Bartel’s 6-year-old son inside the house, wearing pajama bottoms and no shirt. There was a large pentagram carved into the child’s back. Officers said the five-pointed star covered the majority of the boy’s back.
On Thursday the Tarrant Co. DA’s office announced that Bartel has previously been found incompetent to stand trial and was committed to a mental health treatment facility. The commitment order was a extended for a period not to exceed 12 months.
Bartel was charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, an enhanced crime because it was committed against a family member. He is still being held on a $500,000 bond.
Police: Dad crashes car in attempt to kill his two children, their mother (Campbell, California)
Dad is identified as ANTHONY MCSHERRY. He has been charged with attempted murder.
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/Police-Man-Crashes-Car-Into-Campbell-Home-in-Attempt-to-Kill-His-Family-247393831.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_DCBrand
Man in Calif. Crashes Car in Attempt to Kill His Family: Police
By George Kiriyama Thursday, Feb 27, 2014 | Updated 9:40 AM EST
Police in the South Bay say a driver who intentionally crashed his car into a home was trying to kill his family. George Kiriyama reports.
Police in the South Bay say a driver who intentionally crashed his car into a home was trying to kill his passengers: his wife and two kids.
The car, a four-door Acura TL, went through the fence and took out a metal pillar that had been placed there.
Apparently, other cars have gone through the fence of the Campbell home before, but those were accidents. This incident, at a home at the intersection of Westmont and San Tomas Aquino, was intentional, according to Campbell police.
Police arrested the driver, Campbell-resident Anthony McSherry, for attempted homicide because, they say, he was endangering the lives of his family members who were also in the car. All four of them were hospitalized with minor injuries.
McSherry, 27, also was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail.
A witness told NBC Bay Area the crash sounded like a house had exploded. He says he ran down the block and saw the driver running away from the backyard.
Another person chased after the driver, caught him and brought him back. Other neighbors rushed over to rescue the mother and two kids out of the car.
"When I came around the corner, the car was in here, the hole in the bushes, and it was smoking,” neighbor Rich Garnaas said. “There were kids in the car screaming and crying. The mother was in there.”
Two people were inside the home at the time of the crash. They were not hurt.
Campbell police said a building inspector was called to the scene to assess damage to the rear of the home.
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/Police-Man-Crashes-Car-Into-Campbell-Home-in-Attempt-to-Kill-His-Family-247393831.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_DCBrand
Man in Calif. Crashes Car in Attempt to Kill His Family: Police
By George Kiriyama Thursday, Feb 27, 2014 | Updated 9:40 AM EST
Police in the South Bay say a driver who intentionally crashed his car into a home was trying to kill his family. George Kiriyama reports.
Police in the South Bay say a driver who intentionally crashed his car into a home was trying to kill his passengers: his wife and two kids.
The car, a four-door Acura TL, went through the fence and took out a metal pillar that had been placed there.
Apparently, other cars have gone through the fence of the Campbell home before, but those were accidents. This incident, at a home at the intersection of Westmont and San Tomas Aquino, was intentional, according to Campbell police.
Police arrested the driver, Campbell-resident Anthony McSherry, for attempted homicide because, they say, he was endangering the lives of his family members who were also in the car. All four of them were hospitalized with minor injuries.
McSherry, 27, also was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail.
A witness told NBC Bay Area the crash sounded like a house had exploded. He says he ran down the block and saw the driver running away from the backyard.
Another person chased after the driver, caught him and brought him back. Other neighbors rushed over to rescue the mother and two kids out of the car.
"When I came around the corner, the car was in here, the hole in the bushes, and it was smoking,” neighbor Rich Garnaas said. “There were kids in the car screaming and crying. The mother was in there.”
Two people were inside the home at the time of the crash. They were not hurt.
Campbell police said a building inspector was called to the scene to assess damage to the rear of the home.
Custodial dad charged with attempted murder, torture of 5-year-old daughter; girl in critical condition (Bakersfield, California)
This is a classic example of how abusers and their enablers think. The custodial dad (and his new partner) have been charged with attempted murder and torture of his 5-year-old daughter, who is in critical condition. Yet in one of those typical examples of Reversal logic, all this is somehow the fault of the non-custodial mother who lives in Washington State. Maybe she wasn't a candidate for mother of the year. Maybe she was. But she's not the one up on attempted murder charges, is she?
Dad is identified as JESSE BROWN.
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/Attempted-murder-torture-charges-added-in-child-abuse-case-247172931.html
Attempted murder, torture charges added in child abuse case
By Carol Ferguson, Eyewitness News
Published: Feb 25, 2014 at 5:44 PM PST
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Charges of attempted murder and torture have been added to a case of suspected child abusers.
Tuesday, police announced the additional charges, but relatives of one suspect said the two adults who've been arrested were actually trying to save the 5-year-old girl.
"She was taken away from her mother, her biological mother," Savannah Rodriguez told Eyewitness News. "And given to her father and my sister, with a whole bunch of problems that this little girl has. My brother-in-law and my sister are just trying to help."
She said the brother-in-law is the child's biological father.
Rodriguez identified herself as the sister of Virginia Rodriguez, 34, who was arrested along with 31-year-old Jesse Brown.
They were picked up after officers found the badly injured child on Sunday at the couple's central Bakersfield home.
The original charges were felony child endangerment, but police later announced the additional counts, saying that was based on "medical findings" and consultation with the Kern County District Attorney's Office.
Savannah Rodriguez countered Tuesday that the injured child's background should be investigated.
"The mother has been making these kids suffer since they were born, she hasn't cared," Rodriguez said. "Now they come here and my sister and her husband try to help them, and look what happens."
On Sunday, officers said they found the child unconscious, with several "life-threatening" injuries. Police said the child was first taken to a local hospital, and then transferred to Valley Children's Hospital in Madera. They said the child was suffering from blunt-force trauma.
Investigators said a second child was found at the home, and taken into protective custody.
Rodriguez identified both children as girls but didn't want to give out their ages.
"My sister and her husband have been trying to work with these little girls with therapies, psychologists," Rodriguez said. "This little girl has tried to hurt herself, and we've tried to get her help."
Rodriguez said the biological mother lives in Washington state. She wouldn't say how long the children have been with the biological father, Brown.
Police say their investigation continues, and anyone with information on the case is encouraged to call Detective Brian West at (661) 327-3558.
Eyewitness News checked Kern County court records on both Virginia Rodriguez and Brown. With Rodriguez, there's a 2003 case of driving on a suspended license, and misdemeanor fraud case from 2006. For Brown, the records show a misdemeanor vandalism charge from 2001.
Both are now set to be in court on the child abuse case on Wednesday. As of Tuesday night, police reported the injured child is listed in critical condition at Valley Children's Hospital.
Dad is identified as JESSE BROWN.
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/Attempted-murder-torture-charges-added-in-child-abuse-case-247172931.html
Attempted murder, torture charges added in child abuse case
By Carol Ferguson, Eyewitness News
Published: Feb 25, 2014 at 5:44 PM PST
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Charges of attempted murder and torture have been added to a case of suspected child abusers.
Tuesday, police announced the additional charges, but relatives of one suspect said the two adults who've been arrested were actually trying to save the 5-year-old girl.
"She was taken away from her mother, her biological mother," Savannah Rodriguez told Eyewitness News. "And given to her father and my sister, with a whole bunch of problems that this little girl has. My brother-in-law and my sister are just trying to help."
She said the brother-in-law is the child's biological father.
Rodriguez identified herself as the sister of Virginia Rodriguez, 34, who was arrested along with 31-year-old Jesse Brown.
They were picked up after officers found the badly injured child on Sunday at the couple's central Bakersfield home.
The original charges were felony child endangerment, but police later announced the additional counts, saying that was based on "medical findings" and consultation with the Kern County District Attorney's Office.
Savannah Rodriguez countered Tuesday that the injured child's background should be investigated.
"The mother has been making these kids suffer since they were born, she hasn't cared," Rodriguez said. "Now they come here and my sister and her husband try to help them, and look what happens."
On Sunday, officers said they found the child unconscious, with several "life-threatening" injuries. Police said the child was first taken to a local hospital, and then transferred to Valley Children's Hospital in Madera. They said the child was suffering from blunt-force trauma.
Investigators said a second child was found at the home, and taken into protective custody.
Rodriguez identified both children as girls but didn't want to give out their ages.
"My sister and her husband have been trying to work with these little girls with therapies, psychologists," Rodriguez said. "This little girl has tried to hurt herself, and we've tried to get her help."
Rodriguez said the biological mother lives in Washington state. She wouldn't say how long the children have been with the biological father, Brown.
Police say their investigation continues, and anyone with information on the case is encouraged to call Detective Brian West at (661) 327-3558.
Eyewitness News checked Kern County court records on both Virginia Rodriguez and Brown. With Rodriguez, there's a 2003 case of driving on a suspended license, and misdemeanor fraud case from 2006. For Brown, the records show a misdemeanor vandalism charge from 2001.
Both are now set to be in court on the child abuse case on Wednesday. As of Tuesday night, police reported the injured child is listed in critical condition at Valley Children's Hospital.
Dad jailed for 6 months for killing 19-month-old daugher; agency "failure" blamed (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
A violent father murders an infant girl, and everybody and everything is blamed. Except Daddy, who only got six months for the crime. It was an agency "failure." It was Daddy's PTSD. It was this, it was that.
Read carefully, and you'll see that dad LIAM CULVERHOUSE was violent before he was in the Army. But notice that nothing more is elaborated about that.
None of this bull crap would fly with a mother. Oh, the poor little mommy suffered from trauma and that's why she slaughtered the baby? Nobody would care, and you can just about bet she'd be doing years of prison time.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/child-death-review-finds-failures-30044399.html
Child death review finds 'failures'
Liam Culverhouse was last month jailed for six years after admitting killing his 19-month-old daughter
26 February 2014
A serious case review has found failings by health professionals who missed opportunities to save a baby girl killed by her ex-soldier father who was wounded in Afghanistan.
The report said there had been a failure by agencies to "discover or take into account the troubled background" of Liam Culverhouse in the run-up to the death of his daughter Khloe Abrams.
There were also difficulties in information-sharing and communication, and an inability by medical services to identify and respond to Khloe's significant injuries.
Lance Corporal Culverhouse was last month jailed for six years after admitting killing his 19-month-old daughter.
He lost his right eye in a rogue attack at an Afghan National Police checkpoint in Nad-e-Ali, Helmand province, in November 2009.
Five of his comrades were killed in the attack.
Eighteen months after returning home, Culverhouse assaulted his then seven-week-old daughter Khloe at the family home in Northampton, leaving her fighting for her life in hospital for nearly 18 months.
Culverhouse, who was medically discharged from the Army, pleaded guilty to causing or allowing the death of the toddler.
Medical professionals found in 2010 that he had begun to have some Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD) symptoms and was feeling irritable.
A Serious Case Review (SCR) into Khloe's death by Northamptonshire Local Safeguarding Children Board found that there was a "failure to discover or take into account the troubled background of the father when providing universal services", as well as difficulties in inter-agency information-sharing and communication, and an "inability to identify and respond to the significant injuries suffered by the child".
The SCR found that nothing was ever discovered about the "maltreatment the child suffered during a short life" despite there being opportunities to do so.
In addition, had information about Culverhouse, who had a troubled and violent background that worsened following his injuries in Afghanistan, been properly shared it "should have led professionals to be very concerned about the safety of the child".
Khloe was admitted to hospital on May 8 2011 and found to have multiple injuries.
Read carefully, and you'll see that dad LIAM CULVERHOUSE was violent before he was in the Army. But notice that nothing more is elaborated about that.
None of this bull crap would fly with a mother. Oh, the poor little mommy suffered from trauma and that's why she slaughtered the baby? Nobody would care, and you can just about bet she'd be doing years of prison time.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/child-death-review-finds-failures-30044399.html
Child death review finds 'failures'
Liam Culverhouse was last month jailed for six years after admitting killing his 19-month-old daughter
26 February 2014
A serious case review has found failings by health professionals who missed opportunities to save a baby girl killed by her ex-soldier father who was wounded in Afghanistan.
The report said there had been a failure by agencies to "discover or take into account the troubled background" of Liam Culverhouse in the run-up to the death of his daughter Khloe Abrams.
There were also difficulties in information-sharing and communication, and an inability by medical services to identify and respond to Khloe's significant injuries.
Lance Corporal Culverhouse was last month jailed for six years after admitting killing his 19-month-old daughter.
He lost his right eye in a rogue attack at an Afghan National Police checkpoint in Nad-e-Ali, Helmand province, in November 2009.
Five of his comrades were killed in the attack.
Eighteen months after returning home, Culverhouse assaulted his then seven-week-old daughter Khloe at the family home in Northampton, leaving her fighting for her life in hospital for nearly 18 months.
Culverhouse, who was medically discharged from the Army, pleaded guilty to causing or allowing the death of the toddler.
Medical professionals found in 2010 that he had begun to have some Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD) symptoms and was feeling irritable.
A Serious Case Review (SCR) into Khloe's death by Northamptonshire Local Safeguarding Children Board found that there was a "failure to discover or take into account the troubled background of the father when providing universal services", as well as difficulties in inter-agency information-sharing and communication, and an "inability to identify and respond to the significant injuries suffered by the child".
The SCR found that nothing was ever discovered about the "maltreatment the child suffered during a short life" despite there being opportunities to do so.
In addition, had information about Culverhouse, who had a troubled and violent background that worsened following his injuries in Afghanistan, been properly shared it "should have led professionals to be very concerned about the safety of the child".
Khloe was admitted to hospital on May 8 2011 and found to have multiple injuries.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Dad charged with capital murder in death of 11-month-old son (El Paso, Texas)
Dad is identified as ADAM JACKSON.
http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/fort-bliss-father-charged-capital-murder-death-11monthold-son-3775.shtml
Fort Bliss father charged with capital murder in death of 11-month-old son
Updated: Tuesday, February 25 2014, 03:34 PM MST
By: Jesse Martinez EL PASO, Texas – A 22-year-old El Paso father was charged in the death of his 11-month-old son that happened earlier this month.
Police said that on Feb. 7, Adam Jackson was left to care for his son, Aidan Jackson, while the mother was out.
The next morning, police said the child was found unresponsive, and emergency personnel were sent to the apartment at 3333 Zion St.
The baby was taken to the El Paso Children’s Hospital for treatment and was pronounced dead.
Police said the doctor noticed injuries to the baby’s head that seemed suspicious, and an autopsy was performed.
The autopsy showed the baby was found to have had a skull fracture and injuries to his throat and ankle.
Through the investigation, Jackson was labeled as a responsible for the injuries and he was arrested on a capital murder charge, police said.
Jackson is a Private First Class, U.S. Army Soldier stationed at Fort Bliss and assigned to 1st Armored Division.
He was booked into the county jail on Feb. 24 with bail set at $250,000.
http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/fort-bliss-father-charged-capital-murder-death-11monthold-son-3775.shtml
Fort Bliss father charged with capital murder in death of 11-month-old son
Updated: Tuesday, February 25 2014, 03:34 PM MST
By: Jesse Martinez EL PASO, Texas – A 22-year-old El Paso father was charged in the death of his 11-month-old son that happened earlier this month.
Police said that on Feb. 7, Adam Jackson was left to care for his son, Aidan Jackson, while the mother was out.
The next morning, police said the child was found unresponsive, and emergency personnel were sent to the apartment at 3333 Zion St.
The baby was taken to the El Paso Children’s Hospital for treatment and was pronounced dead.
Police said the doctor noticed injuries to the baby’s head that seemed suspicious, and an autopsy was performed.
The autopsy showed the baby was found to have had a skull fracture and injuries to his throat and ankle.
Through the investigation, Jackson was labeled as a responsible for the injuries and he was arrested on a capital murder charge, police said.
Jackson is a Private First Class, U.S. Army Soldier stationed at Fort Bliss and assigned to 1st Armored Division.
He was booked into the county jail on Feb. 24 with bail set at $250,000.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Dad charged with "malicious punishment" of 5-month-old son; baby in intensive care (Farmington, Minnesota)
The "frustrated" dad is identified as THOMAS PATRICK ANDERSON. No mention of a mother in the home.
http://www.farmingtonindependent.com/content/farmington-father-charged-shaking-baby
Farmington father charged with shaking baby
By Nathan Hansen on Feb 23, 2014 at 7:44 a.m.
A Farmington father has been charged with malicious punishment of a child for allegedly shaking his 5-month-old son hard enough to land the child in the intensive care unit.
The Dakota County Attorney’s office charged 29-year-old Thomas Patrick Anderson last week in connection with the incident, which happened Jan. 29.
Farmington police were notified Feb. 11 of a possible child abuse case. According to the complaint filed in the county attorney’s office, the child had been brought to the hospital Jan. 31 for vomiting and dehydration. He stayed in the hospital until Feb. 3, then returned Feb. 8 because of continued problems.
At the second visit, doctors found fluid on the boy’s brain and installed a shut to relieve pressure.
Anderson originally told police the child had fallen off the couch, but doctors said the boy’s injuries were likely caused by shaking or being thrown violently on a bed.
According to the complaint, Anderson later admitted that in addition to falling off the couch he had gotten frustrated with the child’s crying and had shaken the boy at what he estimated was a 9 or a 10 on a 10-point scale.
Anderson has been charged with two counts of malicious punishment of a child. Each has a maximum sentence of five years and a maximum fine of $10,000.
http://www.farmingtonindependent.com/content/farmington-father-charged-shaking-baby
Farmington father charged with shaking baby
By Nathan Hansen on Feb 23, 2014 at 7:44 a.m.
A Farmington father has been charged with malicious punishment of a child for allegedly shaking his 5-month-old son hard enough to land the child in the intensive care unit.
The Dakota County Attorney’s office charged 29-year-old Thomas Patrick Anderson last week in connection with the incident, which happened Jan. 29.
Farmington police were notified Feb. 11 of a possible child abuse case. According to the complaint filed in the county attorney’s office, the child had been brought to the hospital Jan. 31 for vomiting and dehydration. He stayed in the hospital until Feb. 3, then returned Feb. 8 because of continued problems.
At the second visit, doctors found fluid on the boy’s brain and installed a shut to relieve pressure.
Anderson originally told police the child had fallen off the couch, but doctors said the boy’s injuries were likely caused by shaking or being thrown violently on a bed.
According to the complaint, Anderson later admitted that in addition to falling off the couch he had gotten frustrated with the child’s crying and had shaken the boy at what he estimated was a 9 or a 10 on a 10-point scale.
Anderson has been charged with two counts of malicious punishment of a child. Each has a maximum sentence of five years and a maximum fine of $10,000.
Dad not sure he wants to confess in beating death of 1-year-old son (Utica, New York)
We've posted on IAN GULBIN before. I can't say we like him any better. Another worthless piece of crap who was pressured into childcare while Mom worked to support the family.
http://www.uticaod.com/article/20140224/NEWS/140229648/10283/NEWS
Father to consider plea offer in Bridgewater baby's death
Over the next two weeks, Ian Gulbin is expected to consider whether he wants to admit beating his 1-year-old son to death last November.
By ROCCO LADUCA / Observer-Dispatch. Posted Feb. 24, 2014 @ 2:32 pm Updated at 3:25 PM
UTICA
Over the next two weeks, Ian Gulbin is expected to consider whether he wants to admit beating his 1-year-old son to death last November.
During a brief appearance Monday in Oneida County Court, Gulbin’s public defender, Kurt Schultz, asked for more time until Monday, March 10, to make a final report on if Gulbin will accept a plea offer or take his murder case to trial.
In the meantime, Gulbin will be shown all the evidence surrounding the Nov. 18 death of young Brayden, who police have said is Gulbin’s son.
The terms of the proposed plea offer have not been made public.
Gulbin, 31, of Sherburne, is charged with second-degree murder, as well as first-degree and second-degree manslaughter.
Investigators believe Gulbin “slammed” Brayden against a hard object inside their home at 531 Doe Road in Bridgewater. Then instead of calling 911, Gulbin allegedly left the severely injured boy in his bedroom, where he died and was discovered by the boy’s mother when she returned from work the next morning.
No reason has been given for why Brayden might have been beaten, and it is unclear whether any psychiatric factors might have played a role in the assault.
http://www.uticaod.com/article/20140224/NEWS/140229648/10283/NEWS
Father to consider plea offer in Bridgewater baby's death
Over the next two weeks, Ian Gulbin is expected to consider whether he wants to admit beating his 1-year-old son to death last November.
By ROCCO LADUCA / Observer-Dispatch. Posted Feb. 24, 2014 @ 2:32 pm Updated at 3:25 PM
UTICA
Over the next two weeks, Ian Gulbin is expected to consider whether he wants to admit beating his 1-year-old son to death last November.
During a brief appearance Monday in Oneida County Court, Gulbin’s public defender, Kurt Schultz, asked for more time until Monday, March 10, to make a final report on if Gulbin will accept a plea offer or take his murder case to trial.
In the meantime, Gulbin will be shown all the evidence surrounding the Nov. 18 death of young Brayden, who police have said is Gulbin’s son.
The terms of the proposed plea offer have not been made public.
Gulbin, 31, of Sherburne, is charged with second-degree murder, as well as first-degree and second-degree manslaughter.
Investigators believe Gulbin “slammed” Brayden against a hard object inside their home at 531 Doe Road in Bridgewater. Then instead of calling 911, Gulbin allegedly left the severely injured boy in his bedroom, where he died and was discovered by the boy’s mother when she returned from work the next morning.
No reason has been given for why Brayden might have been beaten, and it is unclear whether any psychiatric factors might have played a role in the assault.
Killer dad repeatedly got diversion for violating protection orders; he finally murdered his two kids (Australia)
In an earlier article on killer dad EDWARD LIVINGSTONE, reporter David Fisher tried his best to frame Livingstone as poor "loving" father who just inexplicably killed his kids.
Now we see that even with Fisher's own evidence, this was totally untrue. Livingstone was totally coddled by the authorities and never held accountable for repeatedly violating the mother's order of protection. Finally, he just busted into the house and murdered the children.
And Daddy blames his anti-smoking medication for his behavior? Well, that's a new one. And I thought I had heard every ridiculous excuse there was for criminal behavior.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11209224
David Fisher Senior reporter of the year
Diversion for killer father a mistake
5:30 AM Tuesday Feb 25, 2014
Herald investigation Livingstone should have faced court for breach, papers show.
Child-killer Edward Livingstone should never have been given police diversion for an earlier breach of a protection order and it was a mistake he didn't face the court for it, according to court documents filed by a prosecutor.
The detail appears to have been missed by judicial and police staff, who arranged for Livingstone to do a 12-week domestic violence course to earn a waiver.
The granting of diversion is one of the issues being probed in an investigation into the deaths of Bradley, 9, and Ellen, 6, who were killed by their father before he took his own life.
The killings came last month when Livingstone stormed into the family home, from which he was barred by a protection order taken by wife Katharine Webb.
The detail emerged during a Herald search of the court file relating to Livingstone's two breaches of the protection order taken against him.
The first was dealt with through the police diversion scheme, meaning he escaped without conviction.
The second time Livingstone breached the order, he was given a discharge without conviction.
The apparent error over diversion for the first breach may have led to Livingstone receiving lighter treatment for the next breach.
He was twice able to flout a court order and approach Ms Webb without gaining a conviction.
Police prosecutor Katherine Saxton had opposed the discharge without conviction, telling the court a mistake had been made over his earlier breach. "The police diversion scheme prohibits diversion for breaches of court orders therefore this matter should not have been resolved this way."
Livingstone's lawyer had argued a conviction would cost him his job at the Department of Corrections.
But Ms Saxton said Ms Webb objected to her estranged husband being let off without a conviction. "She states it took a lot of courage to call the police on each occasion." Katherine Webb and her children Bradley and Ellen Livingstone. Katherine Webb and her children Bradley and Ellen Livingstone.
A police spokeswoman confirmed that diversion should not have been available. "This is because a breach of a court order is viewed as a serious incident and indicates that an offence against someone has occurred - hence there is no policy, practice or ability to consider diversion in these circumstances."
Detective Inspector Steve McGregor said the issue was part of the police's investigation.
Police interview full of contrition
"I am sorry I upset Kath."
The plaintive words are captured in a police interview of Edward Livingstone after he breached for a second time a protection order taken out by his estranged wife Katharine Webb.
The interview, on September 14, records his admission he breached the order. "I broke down," he told Constable Mark Tuten. "I couldn't rationalise anything."
He also minimised a prior breach of the order, saying he had simply emailed Ms Webb. In reality, he staked out the neighbourhood from which he was banned and went on to the family property.
In the second breach, he admitted ringing her. "I said I loved Bradley and Ellen. What happened between us, wasn't me that done it. It was a reaction to the Zyban [stop-smoking medication] that made me psychotic."
The reference, repeated in a November court affidavit, appears to relate to a May incident for which he was detained for psychiatric treatment. A doctor's letter on the file refers to Livingstone stopping the medication.
"This offending was largely caused by my untreated depression and inability to rationally deal with my relationship break-up."
Now we see that even with Fisher's own evidence, this was totally untrue. Livingstone was totally coddled by the authorities and never held accountable for repeatedly violating the mother's order of protection. Finally, he just busted into the house and murdered the children.
And Daddy blames his anti-smoking medication for his behavior? Well, that's a new one. And I thought I had heard every ridiculous excuse there was for criminal behavior.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11209224
David Fisher Senior reporter of the year
Diversion for killer father a mistake
5:30 AM Tuesday Feb 25, 2014
Herald investigation Livingstone should have faced court for breach, papers show.
Child-killer Edward Livingstone should never have been given police diversion for an earlier breach of a protection order and it was a mistake he didn't face the court for it, according to court documents filed by a prosecutor.
The detail appears to have been missed by judicial and police staff, who arranged for Livingstone to do a 12-week domestic violence course to earn a waiver.
The granting of diversion is one of the issues being probed in an investigation into the deaths of Bradley, 9, and Ellen, 6, who were killed by their father before he took his own life.
The killings came last month when Livingstone stormed into the family home, from which he was barred by a protection order taken by wife Katharine Webb.
The detail emerged during a Herald search of the court file relating to Livingstone's two breaches of the protection order taken against him.
The first was dealt with through the police diversion scheme, meaning he escaped without conviction.
The second time Livingstone breached the order, he was given a discharge without conviction.
The apparent error over diversion for the first breach may have led to Livingstone receiving lighter treatment for the next breach.
He was twice able to flout a court order and approach Ms Webb without gaining a conviction.
Police prosecutor Katherine Saxton had opposed the discharge without conviction, telling the court a mistake had been made over his earlier breach. "The police diversion scheme prohibits diversion for breaches of court orders therefore this matter should not have been resolved this way."
Livingstone's lawyer had argued a conviction would cost him his job at the Department of Corrections.
But Ms Saxton said Ms Webb objected to her estranged husband being let off without a conviction. "She states it took a lot of courage to call the police on each occasion." Katherine Webb and her children Bradley and Ellen Livingstone. Katherine Webb and her children Bradley and Ellen Livingstone.
A police spokeswoman confirmed that diversion should not have been available. "This is because a breach of a court order is viewed as a serious incident and indicates that an offence against someone has occurred - hence there is no policy, practice or ability to consider diversion in these circumstances."
Detective Inspector Steve McGregor said the issue was part of the police's investigation.
Police interview full of contrition
"I am sorry I upset Kath."
The plaintive words are captured in a police interview of Edward Livingstone after he breached for a second time a protection order taken out by his estranged wife Katharine Webb.
The interview, on September 14, records his admission he breached the order. "I broke down," he told Constable Mark Tuten. "I couldn't rationalise anything."
He also minimised a prior breach of the order, saying he had simply emailed Ms Webb. In reality, he staked out the neighbourhood from which he was banned and went on to the family property.
In the second breach, he admitted ringing her. "I said I loved Bradley and Ellen. What happened between us, wasn't me that done it. It was a reaction to the Zyban [stop-smoking medication] that made me psychotic."
The reference, repeated in a November court affidavit, appears to relate to a May incident for which he was detained for psychiatric treatment. A doctor's letter on the file refers to Livingstone stopping the medication.
"This offending was largely caused by my untreated depression and inability to rationally deal with my relationship break-up."
Dad charged with child endangerment for assaulting mom in front of kids (St. Clair County, Illinois)
Dad is identified as DERIUS JOHNSON. New research is documenting how profoundly damaged children really are by witnessing the assault of their primary caretaker, their mother.
http://www.kmov.com/news/crime/Father-charged-with-alleged-child-endangerment-after-kids-witness-domestic-incident-246957761.html
Father charged with child endangerment after kids allegedly witness domestic incident by
Elizabeth Eisele / KMOV Staff
Posted on February 24, 2014 at 4:39 PM Updated today at 7:01 PM
(KMOV.com) -- Authorities in Illinois have charged a father with child endangerment and domestic battery after police allege the man was involved in a domestic disturbance that happened in front of his children.
Caseyville Police said they were called to a domestic disturbance in progress at the America’s Best Inn in the 2400 block of Old County Inn Drive Thursday, February 6. Police said the suspected father fled the scene as officers arrived.
Then just after midnight, police said the suspect returned to the hotel where he was arrested.
Authorities have charged Derius Johnson, 24, with five counts of child endangerment after police allege Johnson’s five children witnessed the domestic disturbance.
Johnson was also charged with two counts of domestic battery and one count of criminal damage to property. Johnson is being held in the St. Clair County Jail on a $20,000 bond.
http://www.kmov.com/news/crime/Father-charged-with-alleged-child-endangerment-after-kids-witness-domestic-incident-246957761.html
Father charged with child endangerment after kids allegedly witness domestic incident by
Elizabeth Eisele / KMOV Staff
Posted on February 24, 2014 at 4:39 PM Updated today at 7:01 PM
(KMOV.com) -- Authorities in Illinois have charged a father with child endangerment and domestic battery after police allege the man was involved in a domestic disturbance that happened in front of his children.
Caseyville Police said they were called to a domestic disturbance in progress at the America’s Best Inn in the 2400 block of Old County Inn Drive Thursday, February 6. Police said the suspected father fled the scene as officers arrived.
Then just after midnight, police said the suspect returned to the hotel where he was arrested.
Authorities have charged Derius Johnson, 24, with five counts of child endangerment after police allege Johnson’s five children witnessed the domestic disturbance.
Johnson was also charged with two counts of domestic battery and one count of criminal damage to property. Johnson is being held in the St. Clair County Jail on a $20,000 bond.
Dad charged with attempted homicide in assault of 2-month-old daughter (Scranton, Pennsylvania)
Dad is identified as JOSH SIMON.
http://wnep.com/2014/02/24/infants-father-charged-with-attempted-homicide/
Infant’s Father Charged With Attempted Homicide
Posted on: 6:39 pm, February 24, 2014, by Stacy Lange
SCRANTON — A father already facing charges for allegedly shaking his infant daughter so hard she stopped breathing is now accused of trying to kill the two-month-old.
Police in Scranton filed more serious charges against the father Monday.
Scranton Police charged 21-year-old Josh Simon of Scranton with attempted homicide late Monday afternoon. Police said nearly two weeks ago, when his two-month-old daughter stopped breathing, wasn’t the only time Simon violently shook the baby.
Simon admitted to shaking the baby back on February 12th, and hitting her in the face because he said she wouldn’t stop crying.
But, doctors who are treating the baby found evidence that she was abused before.
According to court papers, Simon admitted he shook the child and hit her in the face a total of five times at the family’s home on Sanderson Avenue in Scranton.
Scranton Police decided Monday to charge Simon with attempted homicide in addition to the earlier charge of aggravated assault.
Simon was arraigned on the attempted homicide charge inside the Lackawanna County Prison where he’s been since February 12th.
His daughter is still hospitalized at Geisinger Medical Center near Danville. Police said the baby girl’s condition is improving.
http://wnep.com/2014/02/24/infants-father-charged-with-attempted-homicide/
Infant’s Father Charged With Attempted Homicide
Posted on: 6:39 pm, February 24, 2014, by Stacy Lange
SCRANTON — A father already facing charges for allegedly shaking his infant daughter so hard she stopped breathing is now accused of trying to kill the two-month-old.
Police in Scranton filed more serious charges against the father Monday.
Scranton Police charged 21-year-old Josh Simon of Scranton with attempted homicide late Monday afternoon. Police said nearly two weeks ago, when his two-month-old daughter stopped breathing, wasn’t the only time Simon violently shook the baby.
Simon admitted to shaking the baby back on February 12th, and hitting her in the face because he said she wouldn’t stop crying.
But, doctors who are treating the baby found evidence that she was abused before.
According to court papers, Simon admitted he shook the child and hit her in the face a total of five times at the family’s home on Sanderson Avenue in Scranton.
Scranton Police decided Monday to charge Simon with attempted homicide in addition to the earlier charge of aggravated assault.
Simon was arraigned on the attempted homicide charge inside the Lackawanna County Prison where he’s been since February 12th.
His daughter is still hospitalized at Geisinger Medical Center near Danville. Police said the baby girl’s condition is improving.
Sister of boy killed with gun blames custodial dad for negligence (Brewster, New York)
We've posted on this case before. Previous articles have made it somewhat clearer that DOUGLAS GRAHAM was a custodial father. Here we just see how condescending he is.
http://www.lohud.com/article/20140224/NEWS02/302240071/Sister-boy-who-killed-himself-gun-blames-father-negligence-
Sister of boy who killed himself with gun blames father for 'negligence'
Feb. 24, 2014 8:03 PM
Written by James O’Rourke
Filed Under News Westchester County, New York
A month after Douglas Graham received probation for illegally owning the gun his teenaged son used to kill himself, the boy’s sister accused their father of refusing to accept “responsibility for his negligence.”
Alexandria Bodden says her mission since Michael Graham’s 2013 suicide at age 13 is to “get child access prevention laws in New York.” She claims that her father’s actions not only caused Michael’s death, but, ultimately, the death of the boy’s mother, Sheila Kearney Graham, 52, who killed herself nine months later in California.
“We lost two beautiful people because of one man’s negligence,” she writes in a letter to The Poughkeepsie Journal, a sister publication of The Journal News. She later continues, “My world will never be the same without my little brother and step-mom. Their deaths — both easily preventable had my father kept his guns locked up — have destroyed the lives of those that were close to them.”
Michael Graham, an eighth-grader at Henry Wells Middle School in Brewster, shot himself to death in a bedroom at his father’s Elmwood Drive home in Southeast on Jan. 14, 2013. The gun he used had been hidden in the home’s attic.
Douglas Graham, 55, was charged with three felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one felony count of evidence tampering after three unregistered handguns were found in the house. Investigators said Graham hid two of the weapons after the shooting occurred.
On Jan. 22, 2014, Douglas Graham was sentenced to five years probation after accepting a plea deal under which he pleaded guilty to a single felony count of criminal possession of a weapon.
Despite the court’s decision, Bodden claims her father has never truly owned up to his role in Michael’s death.
“My father has done everything he possibly could to avoid accepting responsibility for his negligence,” Bodden writes. “After his arrest he said to me, ‘Out of all the guns I had in the house, Mikey had to use an illegal one.’ Not once has he apologized for, or even acknowledged, his negligence.”
In a statement from Douglas Graham delivered by his attorney, James Borkowski, the 55-year-old said he was “shattered” by his son’s death and has sought grief counseling to cope with the loss.
“Since Michael’s death, I have learned from counseling that grief is a process with stages, including anger. We have asked Alex to get grief counseling, but she has refused,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, Alex continues to vent her anger by writing letters against her father to newspapers, keeping the wounds open. My prayer is for Alex to get counseling, and we wish her peace.”
In her letter, Bodden, of the Bronx, supports local leaders and others who have joined Mayors Against Illegal Guns, an advocacy group that, according to its website, aims to keep “illegal guns out of dangerous hands,” in order to make communities safer.
“I want my family’s story to be heard all over the country as evidence for why there is still so much work to do,” Bodden writes.
http://www.lohud.com/article/20140224/NEWS02/302240071/Sister-boy-who-killed-himself-gun-blames-father-negligence-
Sister of boy who killed himself with gun blames father for 'negligence'
Feb. 24, 2014 8:03 PM
Written by James O’Rourke
Filed Under News Westchester County, New York
A month after Douglas Graham received probation for illegally owning the gun his teenaged son used to kill himself, the boy’s sister accused their father of refusing to accept “responsibility for his negligence.”
Alexandria Bodden says her mission since Michael Graham’s 2013 suicide at age 13 is to “get child access prevention laws in New York.” She claims that her father’s actions not only caused Michael’s death, but, ultimately, the death of the boy’s mother, Sheila Kearney Graham, 52, who killed herself nine months later in California.
“We lost two beautiful people because of one man’s negligence,” she writes in a letter to The Poughkeepsie Journal, a sister publication of The Journal News. She later continues, “My world will never be the same without my little brother and step-mom. Their deaths — both easily preventable had my father kept his guns locked up — have destroyed the lives of those that were close to them.”
Michael Graham, an eighth-grader at Henry Wells Middle School in Brewster, shot himself to death in a bedroom at his father’s Elmwood Drive home in Southeast on Jan. 14, 2013. The gun he used had been hidden in the home’s attic.
Douglas Graham, 55, was charged with three felony counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one felony count of evidence tampering after three unregistered handguns were found in the house. Investigators said Graham hid two of the weapons after the shooting occurred.
On Jan. 22, 2014, Douglas Graham was sentenced to five years probation after accepting a plea deal under which he pleaded guilty to a single felony count of criminal possession of a weapon.
Despite the court’s decision, Bodden claims her father has never truly owned up to his role in Michael’s death.
“My father has done everything he possibly could to avoid accepting responsibility for his negligence,” Bodden writes. “After his arrest he said to me, ‘Out of all the guns I had in the house, Mikey had to use an illegal one.’ Not once has he apologized for, or even acknowledged, his negligence.”
In a statement from Douglas Graham delivered by his attorney, James Borkowski, the 55-year-old said he was “shattered” by his son’s death and has sought grief counseling to cope with the loss.
“Since Michael’s death, I have learned from counseling that grief is a process with stages, including anger. We have asked Alex to get grief counseling, but she has refused,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, Alex continues to vent her anger by writing letters against her father to newspapers, keeping the wounds open. My prayer is for Alex to get counseling, and we wish her peace.”
In her letter, Bodden, of the Bronx, supports local leaders and others who have joined Mayors Against Illegal Guns, an advocacy group that, according to its website, aims to keep “illegal guns out of dangerous hands,” in order to make communities safer.
“I want my family’s story to be heard all over the country as evidence for why there is still so much work to do,” Bodden writes.
Dad charged with killing 2-year-old son (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Dad is identified as TRAVIS JAMELL PEMBERTON. Was there a mother in this home? No mention of one.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/24/4721854/father-charged-with-killing-2.html#.Uwvqldco4pQ
Father charged with killing 2-year-old son
Posted: Monday, Feb. 24, 2014
A Charlotte man was charged Monday with murder and felony child abuse in connection with the death of his 2-year-old son.
Travis Jamell Pemberton, 29, was in Mecklenburg jail late Monday with no bond. Police found Jackobie Morgan unresponsive on Feb. 9, on Cedar Creek Lane in South Charlotte.
He later died at a local hospital. After consulting with the medical examiner, detectives determined that Jackobie was assaulted. On Monday, Pemberton came into police headquarters and confessed, police said. Cleve R. Wootson Jr.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/24/4721854/father-charged-with-killing-2.html#.Uwvqldco4pQ
Father charged with killing 2-year-old son
Posted: Monday, Feb. 24, 2014
A Charlotte man was charged Monday with murder and felony child abuse in connection with the death of his 2-year-old son.
Travis Jamell Pemberton, 29, was in Mecklenburg jail late Monday with no bond. Police found Jackobie Morgan unresponsive on Feb. 9, on Cedar Creek Lane in South Charlotte.
He later died at a local hospital. After consulting with the medical examiner, detectives determined that Jackobie was assaulted. On Monday, Pemberton came into police headquarters and confessed, police said. Cleve R. Wootson Jr.
Dad jailed for assaulting 8-week-old son, baby had life-threatening injuries (United Kingdom)
Yet another unemployed, short-tempered UNNAMED DAD who was providing infant care....
http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/sheffield-dad-jailed-for-shaking-baby-1-6457980
Sheffield dad jailed for shaking baby
by Polly Rippon
Published on 24 February 2014 06:00
A Sheffield dad who left his eight-week-old son with life-threatening head injuries after shaking him has been jailed.
The baby was admitted to Sheffield Children’s Hospital with bleeding on the brain, along with a fractured rib from an earlier assault.
Doctors assessing the infant said the injuries must have been the result of ‘considerable force’ being used.
Dr Noreen West, a consultant paediatrician, said bleeding on the brain and behind the baby’s eyes had been caused by a ‘rapid head movement or violent shaking’.
The rib fracture was caused by ‘squeezing of the chest wall with some force’ some weeks earlier.
Sheffield Crown Court heard the baby’s 28-year-old father – who cannot be named for legal reasons – lied about causing his son’s injuries.
He told police he was under pressure because he had lost his job, but denied having shaken his son or losing control.
He later wrote police a five-page document confessing, saying he found it difficult to bond with his son.
Reading the dad’s statement to the court, Ben Campbell, prosecuting, said: “On one occasion, the child had been screaming really loud and wouldn’t stop. I held him in my hands, around his ribs and shouted at him ‘what do you want’. I think I put too much pressure on his ribs.”
Speaking about the second attack, the dad said: “He was screaming and I moved from room to room trying to settle him.
“He started again and I just snapped for a split second and shook him. I said ‘why do you never settle’.
“After I did this he just stopped breathing and went lifeless.
I panicked and started to shout his name. I slapped his face, I started to shake him in sheer panic. I started CPR and got him breathing again.”
Mr Campbell said the ambulance service was called to the family home on May 1, 2013.
They were told a two-month old baby was having difficulty breathing and was receiving CPR.
The child was rushed to hospital where he was found to be suffering from a life-threatening head injury.
Mr Campbell said doctors feared the baby, now a year old, could have suffered from ‘long term neurological injuries’.
But he survived his ordeal and was making ‘good progress’, although it was too early to tell whether or not there would be any permanent damage.
His father admitted two counts of cruelty to a person under 16.
Vanessa Saxton, mitigating, said the father was a hard-working young man who had lost his job and found it difficult not being able to support his family.
Relatives wept in the public gallery as the judge told him only an immediate custodial sentence could be imposed.
Jailing him for three years, Judge Simon Lawler QC said: “Every parent faces frustrations in the care of young children, but this was a baby, your baby, helpless and defenceless and to vent frustration as you did when it’s so well known that even shaking for a few seconds can have serious consequences is quite unforgivable.”
http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/sheffield-dad-jailed-for-shaking-baby-1-6457980
Sheffield dad jailed for shaking baby
by Polly Rippon
Published on 24 February 2014 06:00
A Sheffield dad who left his eight-week-old son with life-threatening head injuries after shaking him has been jailed.
The baby was admitted to Sheffield Children’s Hospital with bleeding on the brain, along with a fractured rib from an earlier assault.
Doctors assessing the infant said the injuries must have been the result of ‘considerable force’ being used.
Dr Noreen West, a consultant paediatrician, said bleeding on the brain and behind the baby’s eyes had been caused by a ‘rapid head movement or violent shaking’.
The rib fracture was caused by ‘squeezing of the chest wall with some force’ some weeks earlier.
Sheffield Crown Court heard the baby’s 28-year-old father – who cannot be named for legal reasons – lied about causing his son’s injuries.
He told police he was under pressure because he had lost his job, but denied having shaken his son or losing control.
He later wrote police a five-page document confessing, saying he found it difficult to bond with his son.
Reading the dad’s statement to the court, Ben Campbell, prosecuting, said: “On one occasion, the child had been screaming really loud and wouldn’t stop. I held him in my hands, around his ribs and shouted at him ‘what do you want’. I think I put too much pressure on his ribs.”
Speaking about the second attack, the dad said: “He was screaming and I moved from room to room trying to settle him.
“He started again and I just snapped for a split second and shook him. I said ‘why do you never settle’.
“After I did this he just stopped breathing and went lifeless.
I panicked and started to shout his name. I slapped his face, I started to shake him in sheer panic. I started CPR and got him breathing again.”
Mr Campbell said the ambulance service was called to the family home on May 1, 2013.
They were told a two-month old baby was having difficulty breathing and was receiving CPR.
The child was rushed to hospital where he was found to be suffering from a life-threatening head injury.
Mr Campbell said doctors feared the baby, now a year old, could have suffered from ‘long term neurological injuries’.
But he survived his ordeal and was making ‘good progress’, although it was too early to tell whether or not there would be any permanent damage.
His father admitted two counts of cruelty to a person under 16.
Vanessa Saxton, mitigating, said the father was a hard-working young man who had lost his job and found it difficult not being able to support his family.
Relatives wept in the public gallery as the judge told him only an immediate custodial sentence could be imposed.
Jailing him for three years, Judge Simon Lawler QC said: “Every parent faces frustrations in the care of young children, but this was a baby, your baby, helpless and defenceless and to vent frustration as you did when it’s so well known that even shaking for a few seconds can have serious consequences is quite unforgivable.”
Dad gets 15 years for beating 7-month-old son (Memphis, Tennessee)
Once again we have a short-tempered (unemployed?) father doing infant care, while the mother was forced to work. Sadly, we have the same predictable results. Too bad we don't have decent maternity leaves in the country.
Dad is identified as RAY ARMSTRONG.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Memphis-father-sentenced-for-abusing-son-5261653.php
Memphis father sentenced for abusing son
Published 2:04 am, Monday, February 24, 2014
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Prosecutors say a Memphis man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison without parole for beating his 7-month-old son.
The Shelby County district attorney's office said Friday that 23-year-old Ray Armstrong was sentenced after pleading guilty to aggravated child abuse involving a child under age 8.
The baby was taken to a hospital Jan. 13, 2012, in critical condition from internal bleeding and bruising. The boy also had old bruises in the healing stages.
Armstrong told investigators that the child pulled a chair on top of himself, but medical personnel determined the injuries were not consistent with Armstrong's story.
The boy's mother said Armstrong was alone with her son when she went to work and that he had no injuries when she left the boy alone with his father.
Dad is identified as RAY ARMSTRONG.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Memphis-father-sentenced-for-abusing-son-5261653.php
Memphis father sentenced for abusing son
Published 2:04 am, Monday, February 24, 2014
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Prosecutors say a Memphis man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison without parole for beating his 7-month-old son.
The Shelby County district attorney's office said Friday that 23-year-old Ray Armstrong was sentenced after pleading guilty to aggravated child abuse involving a child under age 8.
The baby was taken to a hospital Jan. 13, 2012, in critical condition from internal bleeding and bruising. The boy also had old bruises in the healing stages.
Armstrong told investigators that the child pulled a chair on top of himself, but medical personnel determined the injuries were not consistent with Armstrong's story.
The boy's mother said Armstrong was alone with her son when she went to work and that he had no injuries when she left the boy alone with his father.
Newborn baby assaulted by father in the hospital now dead (Perth, Australia)
Previous articles on UNNAMED DAD have mentioned that he had assaulted the teenage mother before. So why this little piece of sh** was allowed anywhere near a newborn premature infant makes no sense. Dumb @$$ little thugs are exactly that. But once again, we have a "child protection" agency infiltrated with dangerous fathers rights propaganda. The result is that that violent criminal daddies are the only ones with rights.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/newborn-baby-allegedly-assaulted-by-his-teenage-father-dies/story-fnii5thm-1226836406751
Newborn baby allegedly assaulted by his teenage father dies
KAITLYN OFFER
PerthNow
February 25, 2014 7:55AM
THE baby allegedly injured by his teenage father in Bunbury Hospital a week and a half ago his died.
Department of Child Protection and Family Support director general Terry Murphy this evening said the boy died in Princess Margaret Hospital with his family at his bedside. He said the life support system was not switched off.
“No decision was required to be made regarding life support system,” he said.
“I would like to express my sadness at this tragic loss, and offer my sincerest condolences to all members of the family. I ask everyone to please be aware of the sensitivities and needs of the family and respect their privacy at this difficult time.”
Mr Murphy said the Department was continuing to work with the family and is providing appropriate support services.
“The Coroner and the Ombudsman will now undertake investigations to establish cause of death and to review the circumstances and events which preceded this tragedy,” he said.
Nine News Perth reported the maternal grandfather of the baby said his condition had seriously deteriorated over the weekend.
The boy’s 15-year-old father was charged with aggravated grievous bodily harm after the premature newborn was discovered with life-threatening injuries.
The one-month-old baby was put in the care of the Department of Child Protection after the events that led to his injuries.
Last week it was revealed his teenage father was also in the care of the Department.
The father will appear in the Bunbury Children’s Court this week via video link.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/newborn-baby-allegedly-assaulted-by-his-teenage-father-dies/story-fnii5thm-1226836406751
Newborn baby allegedly assaulted by his teenage father dies
KAITLYN OFFER
PerthNow
February 25, 2014 7:55AM
THE baby allegedly injured by his teenage father in Bunbury Hospital a week and a half ago his died.
Department of Child Protection and Family Support director general Terry Murphy this evening said the boy died in Princess Margaret Hospital with his family at his bedside. He said the life support system was not switched off.
“No decision was required to be made regarding life support system,” he said.
“I would like to express my sadness at this tragic loss, and offer my sincerest condolences to all members of the family. I ask everyone to please be aware of the sensitivities and needs of the family and respect their privacy at this difficult time.”
Mr Murphy said the Department was continuing to work with the family and is providing appropriate support services.
“The Coroner and the Ombudsman will now undertake investigations to establish cause of death and to review the circumstances and events which preceded this tragedy,” he said.
Nine News Perth reported the maternal grandfather of the baby said his condition had seriously deteriorated over the weekend.
The boy’s 15-year-old father was charged with aggravated grievous bodily harm after the premature newborn was discovered with life-threatening injuries.
The one-month-old baby was put in the care of the Department of Child Protection after the events that led to his injuries.
Last week it was revealed his teenage father was also in the care of the Department.
The father will appear in the Bunbury Children’s Court this week via video link.
Absentee dad gains custody of kids--only to repeatedly bite and abuse them (Kuantan, Malaysia)
Father Exaltation propaganda has reached everywhere--even Malaysia.
Father Exaltation is the (undocumented) belief that a father--any father--is Absolutely Indispensable to a child's well being, and that any family that lacks a father is, by definition, inferior.
What children actually need is for their basic physical needs to be met, and good, consistent, and loving caregiving. It's really that simple. But that doesn't match anybody's political agenda, does it?
So what we end up with is an absentee father and drug addict who suddenly decides he wants to be primary parent. This is THREE YEARS AFTER the mother, their former primary caretaker who had left this deadbeat dope head, had died and left the children with her parents.
Any normal evaluation would have said these kids were better off with the grandparents, who had been providing consistent care for them over the past years. But NOOO! CHILDREN MUST HAVE THEIR DADEEEEE!!!!--or so we keep getting told over and over again.
So the children go off with the absentee/drug-addicted father, and what do you know. They are not only neglected, but UNNAMED DAD does a major freak out on them and BITES THEM ALL OVER THEIR BODIES, causing pain and swelling. Not only that, but the kids are now in counseling.
Sometimes the kids ARE better off with the grandparents, ya know? But try convincing a family court of that, which had been bombarded with fathers rights propaganda for years.
http://www.nst.com.my/latest/father-allegedly-bit-children-after-reunion-1.492167
Father allegedly bit children after reunion
By T.N.Alagesh
KUANTAN: After spending more than three years living with their grandparents in Kedah, two siblings were overjoyed when their father, invited them to move in and stay with him here last month.
However, the emotional reunion instead turned into a nightmare, when their father, a former army personnel, became violent by abusing the duo - a 11-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son - at their rented room.
The suspect, believed to be a drug addict, had allegedly bit the children on numerous occasions resulting them to suffer from pain and swelling all over the body.
Their ordeal came to an end last Saturday when a neighbour who inspected the room found the duo covered with bite marks and immediately brought them to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) here for treatment.
According to a source, the siblings had moved to stay with their grandparents in Kuala Muda, Kedah after their mother, who is separated from their father, passed away some three years ago.
"Last month, the suspect informed his former father-in-law that he has secured a job in Kuantan and invited the siblings to move in with him. Convinced that the move will allow them to be reunited and stay under one roof as a family, their grandparents agreed.
"However, the children's dreams were dashed when their father abused them daily without any valid reasons and their cries of pain had caught the neighbour's attention," said the source, adding that the suspect works as a security guard at a primary school here.
The source said, when the suspect left the room last Saturday afternoon, the neighbour inspected the unit and was shocked to learn about the children's condition.
Doctors in HTAA discovered the bite marks on the siblings and their father in his 40s was later picked by the police under suspicion of child abuse.
Meanwhile, acting district welfare department officer Zalina Yusoff said the duo were sent to the Sultanah Hajjah Kalsom Children's Home in Penor on Saturday before their grandparents arrived to take them back to Kedah on Sunday afternoon.
She said although the children were now living with their grandparents, the Kuala Muda welfare department will monitor their progress and hold counselling sessions.
Father Exaltation is the (undocumented) belief that a father--any father--is Absolutely Indispensable to a child's well being, and that any family that lacks a father is, by definition, inferior.
What children actually need is for their basic physical needs to be met, and good, consistent, and loving caregiving. It's really that simple. But that doesn't match anybody's political agenda, does it?
So what we end up with is an absentee father and drug addict who suddenly decides he wants to be primary parent. This is THREE YEARS AFTER the mother, their former primary caretaker who had left this deadbeat dope head, had died and left the children with her parents.
Any normal evaluation would have said these kids were better off with the grandparents, who had been providing consistent care for them over the past years. But NOOO! CHILDREN MUST HAVE THEIR DADEEEEE!!!!--or so we keep getting told over and over again.
So the children go off with the absentee/drug-addicted father, and what do you know. They are not only neglected, but UNNAMED DAD does a major freak out on them and BITES THEM ALL OVER THEIR BODIES, causing pain and swelling. Not only that, but the kids are now in counseling.
Sometimes the kids ARE better off with the grandparents, ya know? But try convincing a family court of that, which had been bombarded with fathers rights propaganda for years.
http://www.nst.com.my/latest/father-allegedly-bit-children-after-reunion-1.492167
Father allegedly bit children after reunion
By T.N.Alagesh
KUANTAN: After spending more than three years living with their grandparents in Kedah, two siblings were overjoyed when their father, invited them to move in and stay with him here last month.
However, the emotional reunion instead turned into a nightmare, when their father, a former army personnel, became violent by abusing the duo - a 11-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son - at their rented room.
The suspect, believed to be a drug addict, had allegedly bit the children on numerous occasions resulting them to suffer from pain and swelling all over the body.
Their ordeal came to an end last Saturday when a neighbour who inspected the room found the duo covered with bite marks and immediately brought them to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) here for treatment.
According to a source, the siblings had moved to stay with their grandparents in Kuala Muda, Kedah after their mother, who is separated from their father, passed away some three years ago.
"Last month, the suspect informed his former father-in-law that he has secured a job in Kuantan and invited the siblings to move in with him. Convinced that the move will allow them to be reunited and stay under one roof as a family, their grandparents agreed.
"However, the children's dreams were dashed when their father abused them daily without any valid reasons and their cries of pain had caught the neighbour's attention," said the source, adding that the suspect works as a security guard at a primary school here.
The source said, when the suspect left the room last Saturday afternoon, the neighbour inspected the unit and was shocked to learn about the children's condition.
Doctors in HTAA discovered the bite marks on the siblings and their father in his 40s was later picked by the police under suspicion of child abuse.
Meanwhile, acting district welfare department officer Zalina Yusoff said the duo were sent to the Sultanah Hajjah Kalsom Children's Home in Penor on Saturday before their grandparents arrived to take them back to Kedah on Sunday afternoon.
She said although the children were now living with their grandparents, the Kuala Muda welfare department will monitor their progress and hold counselling sessions.
Fathers rights group praise, defend killer dads (Australia)
David Penberthy bends over backwards to be fair yet principled in this piece, and yet in the comment section he is being viciously attacked by the fathers rights people. No surprise there.
This cold-blooded lunacy is not limited to Australia. In the US (to quote but one example),the Coalition for Fathers and Families Vice-President Randy Dickinson sent an email to New York state legislators, just after a mandatory shared-parenting bill had died in committee. According to the Albany Times Union, the email included a news clipping regarding the then recent shooting of a Nevada family court judge, Chuck Weller, which was being heralded by various FRs groups as an act of “political resistance.”
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/david-penberthy-innocent-children-like-luke-batty-are-killed-by-their-cowardly-fathers-yet-there-are-those-who-defend-their-actions/story-fni0ffsx-1226834534903?sv=32b97b3400a3219848dec4654b228d95#.UwsTNfUGVzs.facebook
David Penberthy: Innocent children like Luke Batty are killed by their cowardly fathers – yet there are those who defend their actions
David Penberthy The Advertiser • February 22, 2014 11:00PM
THERE are many dark places on the internet. One of its bleakest backwaters are the chatrooms and activist sites frequented by fathers who, rightly or wrongly, have lost custody of these kids.
The men gather in these online forums to share their stories of how much they miss their kids, how the court got it wrong, how their vindictive “ex” fitted them up, a bad lawyer let them down.
I’ve got no doubt that some of these blokes are victims of a conniving former wife, an inability to pay for decent representation, or the fact that they simply got ground down by the soul-destroying nature of the divorce process and threw in the towel.
I’ve also got no doubt that some of them are thugs, bullies, negligent alcoholics, in some cases all of the above, and were such habitually poor husbands and fathers that the court did absolutely the right thing in limiting or ending access to their kids.
It’s for this reason that these websites oscillate between being plain sad and really scary. This is because there is no such thing in these chatrooms as a father who has done anything wrong. Every man, be he a saint or a psycho, is hailed as a victim. A victim of confected evidence, false allegations, police harassment and, most of all, a victim of a feminist conspiracy led by a Family Court hell-bent on ensuring that the mother gets everything, including access to the kids.
This last point is a complete and utter legal fiction. Only in the rarest of cases do men miss out on access to their kids.
As anyone who has been divorced could tell you, the courts have a bias in favour of ensuring that both parents get an even-handed go at rearing the kids. It doesn’t necessarily mean 50:50 down to the last second of each week, but the court’s starting point is to make sure that if both parents are fit and able, they should play a pretty equal role in their children’s ongoing care. It is for this reason that the overwhelming majority of the hundreds of thousands of divorced Australians manage their lives and their kids’ lives with civility and mutual respect.
I write about this today because of the recent murder of Luke Batty, in Melbourne . There are some stories which are so harrowing you wish you never read the details. Luke’s death is one of them and the circumstances do not need another going over.
The thing which caught my attention in the immediate aftermath of his death was the chat in some online quarters about how his father had been “pushed to the edge”, “cracked”, “couldn’t take it anymore”.
There’s a remarkably disturbing theme running through this kind of sentiment. It seeks to rationalise, explain or even flat out forgive acts of such barbarity that they make any normal person feel physically sick.
The same thing happened when Arthur Freeman threw his four-year-old daughter, Darcey, off the West Gate Bridge in 2009. It was a case which broke the heart of the nation.
To some men, though, its most heart-breaking feature wasn’t so much poor little Darcey but poor old Arthur. Rather than offering the rational everyman’s response - that Freeman was a murderous son-of-a-bitch whose actions could never be condoned - a lobby group called the Lone Fathers Association suggested the episode was partly the fault of the Family Court.
Lone Fathers founder Barry Williams had this to say: “It’s a terrible thing what happened to that poor child, in front of the other children, too, but the system is to take blame for some of this.
“The court makes orders of access to one parent, usually the dad in most cases but the minute they walk out of that court, that can be broken and the court has admitted they can’t do anything.”
It is blame-shifting garbage, preventing a child killer from taking full responsibility for an act which goes against every parental instinct.
So, too, now with Luke Batty, whose death has attracted comments from these men not just on family law sites but even on footy sites where discussion threads have been started about the case.
Here’s a guy who signs on with the name caveman72 on the Aussie Rules chat site bigfooty.com on Luke Batty’s death: “The frustration of family court can push you to the limit. Don’t condone what he did, but understand why he did.”
And this on the rugby league site leagueunlimited.com, from a man going by the name “firechild”: “I’m not saying that the judge didn’t get things completely wrong in this instance. In fact I’m saying that the likelihood of mistakes being made are high because so many women make false allegations.”
The foulest contribution came from a website called fathers4equality, penned by some coward who lacks the cojones to put his name to his thoughts, where he opined at length about both the Batty and Freeman cases: “I happen to think that much like the way the Arthur Freeman “girl over the bridge” child murder was portrayed by the media, that this case too, no matter what the mitigating circumstances were, will be portrayed as a case of domestic violence, the kind where only men are the perpetrators. I would suggest that we need understand why this man felt so betrayed, so abandoned, so alone and so angry.”
Yep. Forget the little girl over the bridge or the little boy on the ground at cricket practice. Let’s all hold hands and think about the poor men who did it. Spare me.
This cold-blooded lunacy is not limited to Australia. In the US (to quote but one example),the Coalition for Fathers and Families Vice-President Randy Dickinson sent an email to New York state legislators, just after a mandatory shared-parenting bill had died in committee. According to the Albany Times Union, the email included a news clipping regarding the then recent shooting of a Nevada family court judge, Chuck Weller, which was being heralded by various FRs groups as an act of “political resistance.”
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/david-penberthy-innocent-children-like-luke-batty-are-killed-by-their-cowardly-fathers-yet-there-are-those-who-defend-their-actions/story-fni0ffsx-1226834534903?sv=32b97b3400a3219848dec4654b228d95#.UwsTNfUGVzs.facebook
David Penberthy: Innocent children like Luke Batty are killed by their cowardly fathers – yet there are those who defend their actions
David Penberthy The Advertiser • February 22, 2014 11:00PM
THERE are many dark places on the internet. One of its bleakest backwaters are the chatrooms and activist sites frequented by fathers who, rightly or wrongly, have lost custody of these kids.
The men gather in these online forums to share their stories of how much they miss their kids, how the court got it wrong, how their vindictive “ex” fitted them up, a bad lawyer let them down.
I’ve got no doubt that some of these blokes are victims of a conniving former wife, an inability to pay for decent representation, or the fact that they simply got ground down by the soul-destroying nature of the divorce process and threw in the towel.
I’ve also got no doubt that some of them are thugs, bullies, negligent alcoholics, in some cases all of the above, and were such habitually poor husbands and fathers that the court did absolutely the right thing in limiting or ending access to their kids.
It’s for this reason that these websites oscillate between being plain sad and really scary. This is because there is no such thing in these chatrooms as a father who has done anything wrong. Every man, be he a saint or a psycho, is hailed as a victim. A victim of confected evidence, false allegations, police harassment and, most of all, a victim of a feminist conspiracy led by a Family Court hell-bent on ensuring that the mother gets everything, including access to the kids.
This last point is a complete and utter legal fiction. Only in the rarest of cases do men miss out on access to their kids.
As anyone who has been divorced could tell you, the courts have a bias in favour of ensuring that both parents get an even-handed go at rearing the kids. It doesn’t necessarily mean 50:50 down to the last second of each week, but the court’s starting point is to make sure that if both parents are fit and able, they should play a pretty equal role in their children’s ongoing care. It is for this reason that the overwhelming majority of the hundreds of thousands of divorced Australians manage their lives and their kids’ lives with civility and mutual respect.
I write about this today because of the recent murder of Luke Batty, in Melbourne . There are some stories which are so harrowing you wish you never read the details. Luke’s death is one of them and the circumstances do not need another going over.
The thing which caught my attention in the immediate aftermath of his death was the chat in some online quarters about how his father had been “pushed to the edge”, “cracked”, “couldn’t take it anymore”.
There’s a remarkably disturbing theme running through this kind of sentiment. It seeks to rationalise, explain or even flat out forgive acts of such barbarity that they make any normal person feel physically sick.
The same thing happened when Arthur Freeman threw his four-year-old daughter, Darcey, off the West Gate Bridge in 2009. It was a case which broke the heart of the nation.
To some men, though, its most heart-breaking feature wasn’t so much poor little Darcey but poor old Arthur. Rather than offering the rational everyman’s response - that Freeman was a murderous son-of-a-bitch whose actions could never be condoned - a lobby group called the Lone Fathers Association suggested the episode was partly the fault of the Family Court.
Lone Fathers founder Barry Williams had this to say: “It’s a terrible thing what happened to that poor child, in front of the other children, too, but the system is to take blame for some of this.
“The court makes orders of access to one parent, usually the dad in most cases but the minute they walk out of that court, that can be broken and the court has admitted they can’t do anything.”
It is blame-shifting garbage, preventing a child killer from taking full responsibility for an act which goes against every parental instinct.
So, too, now with Luke Batty, whose death has attracted comments from these men not just on family law sites but even on footy sites where discussion threads have been started about the case.
Here’s a guy who signs on with the name caveman72 on the Aussie Rules chat site bigfooty.com on Luke Batty’s death: “The frustration of family court can push you to the limit. Don’t condone what he did, but understand why he did.”
And this on the rugby league site leagueunlimited.com, from a man going by the name “firechild”: “I’m not saying that the judge didn’t get things completely wrong in this instance. In fact I’m saying that the likelihood of mistakes being made are high because so many women make false allegations.”
The foulest contribution came from a website called fathers4equality, penned by some coward who lacks the cojones to put his name to his thoughts, where he opined at length about both the Batty and Freeman cases: “I happen to think that much like the way the Arthur Freeman “girl over the bridge” child murder was portrayed by the media, that this case too, no matter what the mitigating circumstances were, will be portrayed as a case of domestic violence, the kind where only men are the perpetrators. I would suggest that we need understand why this man felt so betrayed, so abandoned, so alone and so angry.”
Yep. Forget the little girl over the bridge or the little boy on the ground at cricket practice. Let’s all hold hands and think about the poor men who did it. Spare me.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Chronically unemployed violent dad kills two children despite being granted SUPERVISED visitation; idiotic reporter praises killer as a "loving father" (New Zealand)
This is how an FR-sympathetic reporter spins the story of a killer dad.
Lots of over-the-top drama, how a "loving father" became "a killer." Lot of handwringing pontification as to whether he was really "a monster" given the Latin etymology. What a bunch of convoluted, irrelevant garbage. Has nothing to do with what this dude really was.
In reality, ONCE AGAIN, we have a chronically unemployed (now called "stay-at-home") dad who had to have total power. That this Mom--especially in a traditionally patriarchal country like New Zealand--was able to get an PERMANENT order of protection AND supervised visitation says A LOT. But notice that our reporter refuses to fully explain the circumstances behind this. After all, that wouldn't fit the preconceived Grand Narrative he presumed from the start: the "loving father" and his fall from grace. It's all total bullsh**.
The only thing he grudgingly admits to is some controlling behavior after the separation--not letting the mother leave the house, that sort of thing. Which I'm sure was just the tip of the iceberg, but the reporter is not interested in what this guy was really like with his wife and family. Nah. We're just given this unfathomable mystery: that this "loving father" was suddenly and inexplicably limited to supervised visitation. There HAD to be a reason for this, but apparently the reporter is too lazy to find out.
So he spends more time with the Clueless Neighbors, who really have no idea what he is like beyond Nice Bloke platitudes.
Any expert in domestic violence could have told you that the Nice Bloke impressions mean nothing. Sociopathic violent men are TYPICALLY adept at putting on the charm when it suits them. It is totally irrelevant to how or why this piece of crap killed two children.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11208525
How a loving father turned into a killer
5:30 AM Monday Feb 24, 2014
The death in Dunedin of two young children at the hands of their father sent David Fisher in search of a monster. He found something more unsettling - a man.
Part one of a two-part series
Monster. There's that word. Peter Scott says it when speaking of Ed Livingstone, brother-in-law, mate and killer-of-children.
"People will make him out as a monster," he says of the father who killed Bradley, 9, and Ellen, 6, on January 15 before shooting himself.
"And probably, in the last minutes of his life, he was. But the guy we knew? Absolutely not."
It was a monstrous act. That final hour of Livingstone's life would eradicate any good he had ever wrung from his existence, including the lives of his children.
"Monster" comes from a Latin word which describes a disruption of the natural order - some perverse malfunction of nature.
Livingstone was unrecognisable at the end. In a corruption of nature, he killed the children he raised.
Left alone was the woman he fell in love with at first sight. Katharine Webb - she uses her maiden name now - was robbed of everything except that which would torture her.
Life.
'See that girl there? I'm going to marry her.'
If he was a monster, Ed Livingstone was one whose roots were Kiwi. He was born in Christchurch in 1962 and moved to Australia when very young. His father, Duncan Livingstone, a Scottish merchant seaman, went to New South Wales with his son and daughter Suzanne (Suzie) in search of work in the mid-1960s. Edward Livingstone. Edward Livingstone.
There is no record of the children's mother travelling with them and he wasn't long settled in Australia before marrying Shirley Crease, whose daughter Karen Scott expanded the family to five.
"He was part of a family," says Pete Scott, who married Karen years later. He remembers a young Livingstone leaving school, working as an unskilled labourer or office worker, before shifting to running pubs.
"We all showed each other respect. There was nothing out of the ordinary way back then," says Mr Scott, a train driver. They rocked around the Central Coast, north of Sydney, socialising together, even after the marriage with Mrs Crease dissolved. "Life was pretty good." Considering how it ended, looking back is like "putting a jigsaw puzzle together" but none of the pieces fit. "We just knew him as Ed," says Mr Scott, a little helplessly.
Livingstone's best mate - really, now, his only mate - was Rob McFarlane.
They met in 1984 and worked together at clothing chain David Jones. Livingstone was assistant office manager while Mr McFarlane, another Kiwi, worked as assistant loss prevention manager.
They had a solid foundation for friendship. "At one stage, he saw me having a bit of a hassle with a client. He dumped everything and came to give me a hand. In the process, he almost got stabbed with a paper spike." Others piled in to help but the bond forged lasted. They would work together three times, twice with Livingstone as Mr McFarlane's boss.
Livingstone worked at David Jones for several years, then turned to working in pubs. He was still doing that more than a decade later when he met Katharine Webb, the woman who became mother to Bradley and Ellen. She caught his eye as she entered the pub. "He actually turned to one of the bar staff there at the time and said: 'See that girl there? I'm going to marry her'."
Until then, no relationships had really stuck. This did. Bradley was born and New Zealand beckoned.
For Livingstone, the appeal was simple.
"It was all about bringing Bradley up in a quieter atmosphere ... Plus, all of Katharine's family are here and Ed doesn't have much of a family."
They started in a rented house on Franklin St, high on the hills in the north of Dunedin, an easy commute for Ms Webb to her public service job in the centre. Her parents lived just up the road. "I don't think there was a lot of love lost there," Mr McFarlane says of Livingstone's relationship with his in-laws.
It was a big shift, not just geographically but in lifestyle. "It was very late for them to have children, both of them. They were both in their forties when Bradley was born."
For Livingstone, the move was the beginning of an isolation which lasted until he died. As Mr McFarlane says: "He was fairly much a loner. He didn't have a lot of mates down there."
Across the fence at Franklin St was Geoffrey Vine, retired Presbyterian minister, and his wife, Gillian, who also worked in social services. They recall the family of three, as it was then, moving in about nine years ago. Livingstone, who wasn't working, would farewell Katharine each morning and turn to caring for Bradley. The Vines watched him grow into fatherhood and, when thinking on it after the killings, were confounded as news reports wove the threads of January 15 into a horrifying tapestry. "It was a totally alien picture," says Mr Vine. "It was hard to believe that someone could have changed and become diametrically the opposite of what you know.
"He was a lovely man. He was just the sort of neighbour you hope to get."
Livingstone was a "firm father", says Mr Vine, but not in a restrictive or rough way. Mrs Vine: "He was an absolutely devoted father and that's why what he did is incredibly inexplicable. One wonders what pressures drove him to do what he did."
Mr Vine: "The only thing I could think of when this happened is he couldn't handle being separated from Bradley because he'd been so devoted to him."
They would chat over the fence, share a cuppa, watching Bradley growing. There was a dog, Spencer.
"He always had to be busy," says Mr Vine. They watched Livingstone spend hours in the garden of the rented house, learning about local plants and growing conditions from green-thumbed Mrs Vine. He pruned with vigour - and having pruned his side, asked if he could hop the fence and do the other. He was quick to help out - and good with computers. When the Vines got a new one, he came up with training videos to help them navigate new software. It became a project, eventually stretching beyond their capacity to keep up.
Bradley grew and Livingstone gloried in it. Far too early, he was trying to teach his son how to kick a football. For Guy Fawkes, he delighted Bradley with a stack of fireworks, although the Vines suspected it was Livingstone who drew the most joy from fireworks, which are banned in Australia. "He was really so excited about it," recalls Mr Vine.
It was a bright point among mundane daily tasks, with Livingstone preparing meals, often as not, doing housework and shopping.
"Edward didn't have a lot of friends," says Mr Vine. He didn't know anyone locally and as a stay-at-home parent, had limited opportunities to meet new people. "He didn't know anyone here," says Mr Vine. And, says Mrs Vine, it's different for men - dads at home don't slot into the coffee groups and social circles mothers enjoy.
Asked if he was clever, Mr Vine said Livingstone "persevered with things". "He was prepared to give anything a go. He had a curiosity about things. He wasn't intellectual but neither was he a dummy. He was a good conversationalist."
He hunted for work, says Mr Vine, straining against his inability to find a job in New Zealand. "When he was looking for work, he wasn't the type who sat around twiddling his thumbs. He really did want to work. One of the things that delighted him about the job at Milburn [at the prison] was that he was going to have people to socialise with." Not even that, adds Mrs Vine. "Contact with adults," she says.
Court documents list Livingstone as earning $58,000 at the time of his death, working as a property officer on reception at the Otago Correctional Facility about 30 minutes south of Dunedin.
The job came about the time Ellen was born and about the time they bought a home. Property records show the Livingstone family buying the house on Kiwi St in 2008 (the listed settlement date is June 17).
They had a home. Livingstone had a job. The children had the rest of their lives. Their mother still does.
Mr Vine: "The big unanswered question for me is what drove the transition from a thoroughly nice man to a monster. You don't become that overnight."
Monster.
There's that word.
The house on Kiwi St
The house on Kiwi St is plain to look at. Like many in Dunedin, it sits hunched into the land, braced against the weather. One storm blew in late on January 15, 2014, through the back door, bringing with it fatal results.
But before then, the bungalow offered hope and opportunity. Seen in the media images that followed, the pale blue house looked as if it were shrinking from the violence that had happened inside.
But turn the other way and there were wonders to behold. Livingstone's friend Rob McFarlane captured the best of it when visiting. His photograph looks across Otago Harbour, the sea calm and still, stretching off towards the distant harbour mouth. Above, a wide sky is azure-blue fading to white-blue on the horizon. McFarlane posted it to Facebook and Livingstone wrote on August 2: "Rob, what made you post a photo of my front garden, nice isn't it :-) You are making me home sick."
By then, it was no longer his front garden. He was banned from the St Leonards home he once lived in, with only supervised access allowed to his children.
The relationship ended in early 2013. Livingstone moved next door to Chris and Mel Foot's home for a few weeks but it didn't work. He'd pace and mutter, eyes turned to the house just up the hill.
Ellen's bedroom looked down on his temporary exile. As in the bedroom of any girl just starting school, a mosaic of stickers climbs up glass.
The separation escalated on May 27, when Livingstone visited the house, an argument followed and he tried to stop Ms Webb from leaving.
The court was later told "he would not let the victim take the family vehicle when she became concerned for hers and her children's safety due to the defendant's behaviour".
Livingstone was put in the care of Southland Health Board's Emergency Psychiatric Service. It was here a protection order was actually served on May 31.
The temporary protection order was made permanent on June 18.
Three days later, Livingstone made contact with Ms Webb through her Facebook site. "Your are beautiful [sic]," he wrote at 11.14pm, tagging the comment to a picture of her with her arms around their children.
Livingstone's access to his children was now restricted to visits supervised by Barnados.
Lots of over-the-top drama, how a "loving father" became "a killer." Lot of handwringing pontification as to whether he was really "a monster" given the Latin etymology. What a bunch of convoluted, irrelevant garbage. Has nothing to do with what this dude really was.
In reality, ONCE AGAIN, we have a chronically unemployed (now called "stay-at-home") dad who had to have total power. That this Mom--especially in a traditionally patriarchal country like New Zealand--was able to get an PERMANENT order of protection AND supervised visitation says A LOT. But notice that our reporter refuses to fully explain the circumstances behind this. After all, that wouldn't fit the preconceived Grand Narrative he presumed from the start: the "loving father" and his fall from grace. It's all total bullsh**.
The only thing he grudgingly admits to is some controlling behavior after the separation--not letting the mother leave the house, that sort of thing. Which I'm sure was just the tip of the iceberg, but the reporter is not interested in what this guy was really like with his wife and family. Nah. We're just given this unfathomable mystery: that this "loving father" was suddenly and inexplicably limited to supervised visitation. There HAD to be a reason for this, but apparently the reporter is too lazy to find out.
So he spends more time with the Clueless Neighbors, who really have no idea what he is like beyond Nice Bloke platitudes.
Any expert in domestic violence could have told you that the Nice Bloke impressions mean nothing. Sociopathic violent men are TYPICALLY adept at putting on the charm when it suits them. It is totally irrelevant to how or why this piece of crap killed two children.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11208525
How a loving father turned into a killer
5:30 AM Monday Feb 24, 2014
The death in Dunedin of two young children at the hands of their father sent David Fisher in search of a monster. He found something more unsettling - a man.
Part one of a two-part series
Monster. There's that word. Peter Scott says it when speaking of Ed Livingstone, brother-in-law, mate and killer-of-children.
"People will make him out as a monster," he says of the father who killed Bradley, 9, and Ellen, 6, on January 15 before shooting himself.
"And probably, in the last minutes of his life, he was. But the guy we knew? Absolutely not."
It was a monstrous act. That final hour of Livingstone's life would eradicate any good he had ever wrung from his existence, including the lives of his children.
"Monster" comes from a Latin word which describes a disruption of the natural order - some perverse malfunction of nature.
Livingstone was unrecognisable at the end. In a corruption of nature, he killed the children he raised.
Left alone was the woman he fell in love with at first sight. Katharine Webb - she uses her maiden name now - was robbed of everything except that which would torture her.
Life.
'See that girl there? I'm going to marry her.'
If he was a monster, Ed Livingstone was one whose roots were Kiwi. He was born in Christchurch in 1962 and moved to Australia when very young. His father, Duncan Livingstone, a Scottish merchant seaman, went to New South Wales with his son and daughter Suzanne (Suzie) in search of work in the mid-1960s. Edward Livingstone. Edward Livingstone.
There is no record of the children's mother travelling with them and he wasn't long settled in Australia before marrying Shirley Crease, whose daughter Karen Scott expanded the family to five.
"He was part of a family," says Pete Scott, who married Karen years later. He remembers a young Livingstone leaving school, working as an unskilled labourer or office worker, before shifting to running pubs.
"We all showed each other respect. There was nothing out of the ordinary way back then," says Mr Scott, a train driver. They rocked around the Central Coast, north of Sydney, socialising together, even after the marriage with Mrs Crease dissolved. "Life was pretty good." Considering how it ended, looking back is like "putting a jigsaw puzzle together" but none of the pieces fit. "We just knew him as Ed," says Mr Scott, a little helplessly.
Livingstone's best mate - really, now, his only mate - was Rob McFarlane.
They met in 1984 and worked together at clothing chain David Jones. Livingstone was assistant office manager while Mr McFarlane, another Kiwi, worked as assistant loss prevention manager.
They had a solid foundation for friendship. "At one stage, he saw me having a bit of a hassle with a client. He dumped everything and came to give me a hand. In the process, he almost got stabbed with a paper spike." Others piled in to help but the bond forged lasted. They would work together three times, twice with Livingstone as Mr McFarlane's boss.
Livingstone worked at David Jones for several years, then turned to working in pubs. He was still doing that more than a decade later when he met Katharine Webb, the woman who became mother to Bradley and Ellen. She caught his eye as she entered the pub. "He actually turned to one of the bar staff there at the time and said: 'See that girl there? I'm going to marry her'."
Until then, no relationships had really stuck. This did. Bradley was born and New Zealand beckoned.
For Livingstone, the appeal was simple.
"It was all about bringing Bradley up in a quieter atmosphere ... Plus, all of Katharine's family are here and Ed doesn't have much of a family."
They started in a rented house on Franklin St, high on the hills in the north of Dunedin, an easy commute for Ms Webb to her public service job in the centre. Her parents lived just up the road. "I don't think there was a lot of love lost there," Mr McFarlane says of Livingstone's relationship with his in-laws.
It was a big shift, not just geographically but in lifestyle. "It was very late for them to have children, both of them. They were both in their forties when Bradley was born."
For Livingstone, the move was the beginning of an isolation which lasted until he died. As Mr McFarlane says: "He was fairly much a loner. He didn't have a lot of mates down there."
Across the fence at Franklin St was Geoffrey Vine, retired Presbyterian minister, and his wife, Gillian, who also worked in social services. They recall the family of three, as it was then, moving in about nine years ago. Livingstone, who wasn't working, would farewell Katharine each morning and turn to caring for Bradley. The Vines watched him grow into fatherhood and, when thinking on it after the killings, were confounded as news reports wove the threads of January 15 into a horrifying tapestry. "It was a totally alien picture," says Mr Vine. "It was hard to believe that someone could have changed and become diametrically the opposite of what you know.
"He was a lovely man. He was just the sort of neighbour you hope to get."
Livingstone was a "firm father", says Mr Vine, but not in a restrictive or rough way. Mrs Vine: "He was an absolutely devoted father and that's why what he did is incredibly inexplicable. One wonders what pressures drove him to do what he did."
Mr Vine: "The only thing I could think of when this happened is he couldn't handle being separated from Bradley because he'd been so devoted to him."
They would chat over the fence, share a cuppa, watching Bradley growing. There was a dog, Spencer.
"He always had to be busy," says Mr Vine. They watched Livingstone spend hours in the garden of the rented house, learning about local plants and growing conditions from green-thumbed Mrs Vine. He pruned with vigour - and having pruned his side, asked if he could hop the fence and do the other. He was quick to help out - and good with computers. When the Vines got a new one, he came up with training videos to help them navigate new software. It became a project, eventually stretching beyond their capacity to keep up.
Bradley grew and Livingstone gloried in it. Far too early, he was trying to teach his son how to kick a football. For Guy Fawkes, he delighted Bradley with a stack of fireworks, although the Vines suspected it was Livingstone who drew the most joy from fireworks, which are banned in Australia. "He was really so excited about it," recalls Mr Vine.
It was a bright point among mundane daily tasks, with Livingstone preparing meals, often as not, doing housework and shopping.
"Edward didn't have a lot of friends," says Mr Vine. He didn't know anyone locally and as a stay-at-home parent, had limited opportunities to meet new people. "He didn't know anyone here," says Mr Vine. And, says Mrs Vine, it's different for men - dads at home don't slot into the coffee groups and social circles mothers enjoy.
Asked if he was clever, Mr Vine said Livingstone "persevered with things". "He was prepared to give anything a go. He had a curiosity about things. He wasn't intellectual but neither was he a dummy. He was a good conversationalist."
He hunted for work, says Mr Vine, straining against his inability to find a job in New Zealand. "When he was looking for work, he wasn't the type who sat around twiddling his thumbs. He really did want to work. One of the things that delighted him about the job at Milburn [at the prison] was that he was going to have people to socialise with." Not even that, adds Mrs Vine. "Contact with adults," she says.
Court documents list Livingstone as earning $58,000 at the time of his death, working as a property officer on reception at the Otago Correctional Facility about 30 minutes south of Dunedin.
The job came about the time Ellen was born and about the time they bought a home. Property records show the Livingstone family buying the house on Kiwi St in 2008 (the listed settlement date is June 17).
They had a home. Livingstone had a job. The children had the rest of their lives. Their mother still does.
Mr Vine: "The big unanswered question for me is what drove the transition from a thoroughly nice man to a monster. You don't become that overnight."
Monster.
There's that word.
The house on Kiwi St
The house on Kiwi St is plain to look at. Like many in Dunedin, it sits hunched into the land, braced against the weather. One storm blew in late on January 15, 2014, through the back door, bringing with it fatal results.
But before then, the bungalow offered hope and opportunity. Seen in the media images that followed, the pale blue house looked as if it were shrinking from the violence that had happened inside.
But turn the other way and there were wonders to behold. Livingstone's friend Rob McFarlane captured the best of it when visiting. His photograph looks across Otago Harbour, the sea calm and still, stretching off towards the distant harbour mouth. Above, a wide sky is azure-blue fading to white-blue on the horizon. McFarlane posted it to Facebook and Livingstone wrote on August 2: "Rob, what made you post a photo of my front garden, nice isn't it :-) You are making me home sick."
By then, it was no longer his front garden. He was banned from the St Leonards home he once lived in, with only supervised access allowed to his children.
The relationship ended in early 2013. Livingstone moved next door to Chris and Mel Foot's home for a few weeks but it didn't work. He'd pace and mutter, eyes turned to the house just up the hill.
Ellen's bedroom looked down on his temporary exile. As in the bedroom of any girl just starting school, a mosaic of stickers climbs up glass.
The separation escalated on May 27, when Livingstone visited the house, an argument followed and he tried to stop Ms Webb from leaving.
The court was later told "he would not let the victim take the family vehicle when she became concerned for hers and her children's safety due to the defendant's behaviour".
Livingstone was put in the care of Southland Health Board's Emergency Psychiatric Service. It was here a protection order was actually served on May 31.
The temporary protection order was made permanent on June 18.
Three days later, Livingstone made contact with Ms Webb through her Facebook site. "Your are beautiful [sic]," he wrote at 11.14pm, tagging the comment to a picture of her with her arms around their children.
Livingstone's access to his children was now restricted to visits supervised by Barnados.
Dad arrested for allegedly shooting 4-year-old son (Aransas Pass, Texas)
Dad is identified as TOMMY CREWS. No mention of a mother in the home.
http://www.kiiitv.com/story/24800325/update-aransas-pass-father-arrested-for-accidentally-shooting-his-son
UPDATE: Aransas Pass Father Arrested for Allegedly Shooting his 4 Year Old Son
Posted: Feb 23, 2014 8:30 PM EST
Updated: Feb 23, 2014 8:30 PM EST
ARANSAS PASS (Kiii News) - We have an update on the four year old little boy in Aransas Pass who was shot in the chest last weekend. Tonight, police say they have arrested the boy's father in that case. Aransas Pass Police say 33 year old Tommy Crews has been charged with injury to a child.
The incident happened at an apartment on Wheeler Avenue last Friday. When police arrived they found a young boy with a bullet wound to the chest. Amazingly the boy survived his injuries and is recovering.
Police say they discovered that Crews had been drinking alcohol that night and say Crews admitted to playing around with his gun when it went off striking his son.
http://www.kiiitv.com/story/24800325/update-aransas-pass-father-arrested-for-accidentally-shooting-his-son
UPDATE: Aransas Pass Father Arrested for Allegedly Shooting his 4 Year Old Son
Posted: Feb 23, 2014 8:30 PM EST
Updated: Feb 23, 2014 8:30 PM EST
ARANSAS PASS (Kiii News) - We have an update on the four year old little boy in Aransas Pass who was shot in the chest last weekend. Tonight, police say they have arrested the boy's father in that case. Aransas Pass Police say 33 year old Tommy Crews has been charged with injury to a child.
The incident happened at an apartment on Wheeler Avenue last Friday. When police arrived they found a young boy with a bullet wound to the chest. Amazingly the boy survived his injuries and is recovering.
Police say they discovered that Crews had been drinking alcohol that night and say Crews admitted to playing around with his gun when it went off striking his son.
Dad awaiting trial for murder of 10-year-old son (Hammond, Indiana)
Dad is identified as JASON DEGROOT. According to previous articles, this was a single father.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/father-still-awaiting-trial-for-son-s-death/article_61d3836c-be3d-5263-adf0-d97df192a3a9.html
Father still awaiting trial for son's death
February 21, 2014 12:24 pm • By Bill Dolan
CROWN POINT | The case of a Hammond man accused of murdering his 10-year-old is no closer to resolution.
Jason DeGroot, 34, appeared Friday morning in Lake Criminal Courtroom 3 wearing a gray striped Lake County Jail uniform and chains for the 29th pre-trial hearing in the case since it was filed November 2011. He left without a trial date.
William Padula, the attorney representing DeGroot asked for more time to prepare for either trial or a non-trial disposition. A substitute judge reset the matter for April 2.
DeGroot is pleading innocent to allegations he fatally shot his son and then turned the gun on himself Nov. 15, 2011, in their home in the 4000 block of Torrence Avenue.
DeGroot, who has undergone extensive psychiatric evaluations, is pursuing an insanity defense.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/father-still-awaiting-trial-for-son-s-death/article_61d3836c-be3d-5263-adf0-d97df192a3a9.html
Father still awaiting trial for son's death
February 21, 2014 12:24 pm • By Bill Dolan
CROWN POINT | The case of a Hammond man accused of murdering his 10-year-old is no closer to resolution.
Jason DeGroot, 34, appeared Friday morning in Lake Criminal Courtroom 3 wearing a gray striped Lake County Jail uniform and chains for the 29th pre-trial hearing in the case since it was filed November 2011. He left without a trial date.
William Padula, the attorney representing DeGroot asked for more time to prepare for either trial or a non-trial disposition. A substitute judge reset the matter for April 2.
DeGroot is pleading innocent to allegations he fatally shot his son and then turned the gun on himself Nov. 15, 2011, in their home in the 4000 block of Torrence Avenue.
DeGroot, who has undergone extensive psychiatric evaluations, is pursuing an insanity defense.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Dad gets 4 years in prison for "scalping" infant son (Fairborn, Ohio)
Dad is identified as CODY WEATHERSPOON. Notice that he also beat up Mom.
http://wdtn.com/2014/02/20/6876/
Father sentenced for ‘scalping’ son
By Staff Reports
Published: Thursday, February 20, 2014, 5:50 pm
FAIRBORN, Ohio (WDTN) – A man accused of scalping his baby will spend four years behind bars.
Kodi Weatherspoon, of Fairborn, entered a guilty plea Thursday for felonious assault and misdemeanor child endangering.
A judge sentenced him immediately.
Investigators say when they arrived at Weatherspoon’s home last June, his wife was bloodied and beaten, and his infant son had a two to three inch piece of scalp missing.
http://wdtn.com/2014/02/20/6876/
Father sentenced for ‘scalping’ son
By Staff Reports
Published: Thursday, February 20, 2014, 5:50 pm
FAIRBORN, Ohio (WDTN) – A man accused of scalping his baby will spend four years behind bars.
Kodi Weatherspoon, of Fairborn, entered a guilty plea Thursday for felonious assault and misdemeanor child endangering.
A judge sentenced him immediately.
Investigators say when they arrived at Weatherspoon’s home last June, his wife was bloodied and beaten, and his infant son had a two to three inch piece of scalp missing.
Custodial dad files malpractice suit against hospital for death of 9-year-old daughter; step charged with murder (Gadsden, Alabama)
See our earlier post here. Custodial dad ROBERT LEE HARDIN has a hell of a lot of nerve trying to blame his daughter's murder on the hospital. As we learned before, this guy is a total creep. He stripped the mother of custody under suspicious circumstances, then denied her all visitation.
Here's what we learned before:
Dad initially got joint custody--which is what abuser daddies usually get these days, since the safety of mothers and children is not a priority. (Nothing is said here about domestic violence in this relationship, but given that wife number #2 reports domestic violence, I consider it highly likely that wife number #1 experienced it as well.)
Like many abusers, Daddy then ups the ante. Not enough control for him, ya know? He accuses Mom of "mistreating" the girl or living under "hazardous conditions." The State of Florida can't document any of this mistreatment--which on one level isn't surprising, as the State of Florida seems incapable of documenting anything. Yet the mother LOST CUSTODY DESPITE NO EVIDENCE OF ABUSE much less "mistreatment." WHY?
Daddy gets custody in 2009 and promptly moves out of Florida to Alabama. No indication here as to why or how he was allowed to do so given that custodial mothers are routinely denied moveaway rights. Friends in the right places?
Next abuser move: Daddy effectively denies the mother visitation. This is nearly standard in every case involving a custodial father and a child's death.
Next piece of evidence that's suspicious: Daddy dumps the kid on the new gal pal/step and MOVES OUT OF THE COUNTRY. He's not even interested in raising this child himself! As long as her mother isn't allowed to! This is also frequently seen with abusers. It's all about hurting/punishing the mother; it's not about wanting to nurture children or making sure the kids grow up in a loving and safe environment.
More evidence that something is amiss: Even though the presumably "mistreating" mother lost custody way back in 2009 and apparently has had little to no contact since then, this girl is in "counseling." And this doesn't suggest that there are still ongoing problems? And that Mom's not to blame? Also neatly ignored. We've seen this before too. Where Mom continues to be treated as the boogie man even though the kids have lost all contact with her.
Meanwhile, as we see so often, the step and Daddy's own mom are going to take all the heat for this girl's murder while Daddy plays the wide-eyed innocent. Whenever a mother stays in a home with a father or boyfriend that she knows to be abusive (remember that Daddy HIMSELF accused the step of being alcoholic and bipolar, whether true or not), she's charged with child endangerment or worse. Moms are charged with endangerment or child abuse even when their own life has been threatened or they've been battered. Moms are EXPECTED to intervene and save the child regardless of what options are truly open to them.
Not this dude. He can comfortably live his life outside the country, collect his salary from what is no doubt a well-paying job with the State Department, and ride this out above the fray.
Assuming that Daddy knowingly abandoned this child with a mentally ill and alcoholic step, why isn't he being charged? THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. And the fact that HE was allowed to pull the plug is especially sickening. It shouldn't have been his call to make.
And now he BLAMES THE HOSPITAL??? What an arrogant turd.
http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20140220/NEWS/140229992?p=1&tc=pg
Savannah Hardin’s father files malpractice suit against hospital
By John Davidson
Times Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 5:33 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 5:36 p.m.
Robert Lee Hardin, the father of Savannah Hardin, has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Gadsden Regional Medical Center alleging the hospital’s treatment of the child contributed to her death.
Hardin’s grandmother, Joyce Garrard, has been charged with capital murder for allegedly forcing the 9-year-old to run for about three hours in February 2012 as punishment for a lie.
It is not known what effect the civil suit will have on the criminal case against Garrard or vice versa because of a gag order by Circuit Judge Billy Ogletree, which prevents both the District Attorney’s Office and Garrard’s attorneys from speaking about the case.
The suit alleges that a doctor and a nurse acted negligently or recklessly in their assessment, investigation, diagnosis and treatment of the child for hyponatremia, a medical emergency in which sodium levels in the blood have dropped very low.
The suit said Savannah arrived in the emergency room at GRMC about 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 17, 2012. She was assessed and a history was taken. Blood and urine samples were taken about 8:20 p.m. and about 9:12 p.m., the doctor and nurse received the results saying the child’s sodium level was dangerously low.
According to the suit, Savannah was noted to be lethargic, difficult to arouse, vomiting and suffering from seizures between 9:25 p.m. and 12:05 a.m. on Feb. 18. More blood was drawn at 12:05 a.m. and her sodium levels were still very low. At 12:28 a.m., the family was told Savannah was suffering from hyponatremia and she had been given a 3 percent saline solution for the first time.
Hardin was taken to Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham later that morning, where she eventually died.
The suit said the doctor and the nurse failed to assess Hardin’s condition properly, or prepare and invoke a treatment plan. It said they failed to treat her hyponatremia by administering sodium and IV solutions to improve her sodium levels and failed to act quickly, both in initiating the treatment plan and in transferring her to a hospital specifically for children.
Garrard and Robert Hardin’s wife, Jessica Mae Hardin, were indicted on charges of capital murder and felony murder, respectively, on March 9, 2012. Garrard allegedly made Savannah run as punishment for lying about eating candy bars.
Savannah apparently got the chocolate candy bars from someone on a school bus, ate them while on the bus and then lied to her grandmother, Sheriff Todd Entrekin said in 2012.
Garrard allegedly made the girl run outside their home near Mountainboro after she arrived home from school. During a bond reduction hearing March 1, 2012, for the women, Deputy District Attorney Marcus Reid said the girl also was forced to carry firewood weighing up to 15 pounds while running.
Garrard filed a motion to dismiss the charges against her, and Ogletree is scheduled to hear that motion at 8:30 a.m. Friday. Her trial is set for June 23.
She is being held without bond in the Etowah County Detention Center on no bond. Jessica Hardin was released Jan. 7, 2013, on $150,000 bond. Both women have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Here's what we learned before:
Dad initially got joint custody--which is what abuser daddies usually get these days, since the safety of mothers and children is not a priority. (Nothing is said here about domestic violence in this relationship, but given that wife number #2 reports domestic violence, I consider it highly likely that wife number #1 experienced it as well.)
Like many abusers, Daddy then ups the ante. Not enough control for him, ya know? He accuses Mom of "mistreating" the girl or living under "hazardous conditions." The State of Florida can't document any of this mistreatment--which on one level isn't surprising, as the State of Florida seems incapable of documenting anything. Yet the mother LOST CUSTODY DESPITE NO EVIDENCE OF ABUSE much less "mistreatment." WHY?
Daddy gets custody in 2009 and promptly moves out of Florida to Alabama. No indication here as to why or how he was allowed to do so given that custodial mothers are routinely denied moveaway rights. Friends in the right places?
Next abuser move: Daddy effectively denies the mother visitation. This is nearly standard in every case involving a custodial father and a child's death.
Next piece of evidence that's suspicious: Daddy dumps the kid on the new gal pal/step and MOVES OUT OF THE COUNTRY. He's not even interested in raising this child himself! As long as her mother isn't allowed to! This is also frequently seen with abusers. It's all about hurting/punishing the mother; it's not about wanting to nurture children or making sure the kids grow up in a loving and safe environment.
More evidence that something is amiss: Even though the presumably "mistreating" mother lost custody way back in 2009 and apparently has had little to no contact since then, this girl is in "counseling." And this doesn't suggest that there are still ongoing problems? And that Mom's not to blame? Also neatly ignored. We've seen this before too. Where Mom continues to be treated as the boogie man even though the kids have lost all contact with her.
Meanwhile, as we see so often, the step and Daddy's own mom are going to take all the heat for this girl's murder while Daddy plays the wide-eyed innocent. Whenever a mother stays in a home with a father or boyfriend that she knows to be abusive (remember that Daddy HIMSELF accused the step of being alcoholic and bipolar, whether true or not), she's charged with child endangerment or worse. Moms are charged with endangerment or child abuse even when their own life has been threatened or they've been battered. Moms are EXPECTED to intervene and save the child regardless of what options are truly open to them.
Not this dude. He can comfortably live his life outside the country, collect his salary from what is no doubt a well-paying job with the State Department, and ride this out above the fray.
Assuming that Daddy knowingly abandoned this child with a mentally ill and alcoholic step, why isn't he being charged? THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. And the fact that HE was allowed to pull the plug is especially sickening. It shouldn't have been his call to make.
And now he BLAMES THE HOSPITAL??? What an arrogant turd.
http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20140220/NEWS/140229992?p=1&tc=pg
Savannah Hardin’s father files malpractice suit against hospital
By John Davidson
Times Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 5:33 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 5:36 p.m.
Robert Lee Hardin, the father of Savannah Hardin, has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Gadsden Regional Medical Center alleging the hospital’s treatment of the child contributed to her death.
Hardin’s grandmother, Joyce Garrard, has been charged with capital murder for allegedly forcing the 9-year-old to run for about three hours in February 2012 as punishment for a lie.
It is not known what effect the civil suit will have on the criminal case against Garrard or vice versa because of a gag order by Circuit Judge Billy Ogletree, which prevents both the District Attorney’s Office and Garrard’s attorneys from speaking about the case.
The suit alleges that a doctor and a nurse acted negligently or recklessly in their assessment, investigation, diagnosis and treatment of the child for hyponatremia, a medical emergency in which sodium levels in the blood have dropped very low.
The suit said Savannah arrived in the emergency room at GRMC about 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 17, 2012. She was assessed and a history was taken. Blood and urine samples were taken about 8:20 p.m. and about 9:12 p.m., the doctor and nurse received the results saying the child’s sodium level was dangerously low.
According to the suit, Savannah was noted to be lethargic, difficult to arouse, vomiting and suffering from seizures between 9:25 p.m. and 12:05 a.m. on Feb. 18. More blood was drawn at 12:05 a.m. and her sodium levels were still very low. At 12:28 a.m., the family was told Savannah was suffering from hyponatremia and she had been given a 3 percent saline solution for the first time.
Hardin was taken to Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham later that morning, where she eventually died.
The suit said the doctor and the nurse failed to assess Hardin’s condition properly, or prepare and invoke a treatment plan. It said they failed to treat her hyponatremia by administering sodium and IV solutions to improve her sodium levels and failed to act quickly, both in initiating the treatment plan and in transferring her to a hospital specifically for children.
Garrard and Robert Hardin’s wife, Jessica Mae Hardin, were indicted on charges of capital murder and felony murder, respectively, on March 9, 2012. Garrard allegedly made Savannah run as punishment for lying about eating candy bars.
Savannah apparently got the chocolate candy bars from someone on a school bus, ate them while on the bus and then lied to her grandmother, Sheriff Todd Entrekin said in 2012.
Garrard allegedly made the girl run outside their home near Mountainboro after she arrived home from school. During a bond reduction hearing March 1, 2012, for the women, Deputy District Attorney Marcus Reid said the girl also was forced to carry firewood weighing up to 15 pounds while running.
Garrard filed a motion to dismiss the charges against her, and Ogletree is scheduled to hear that motion at 8:30 a.m. Friday. Her trial is set for June 23.
She is being held without bond in the Etowah County Detention Center on no bond. Jessica Hardin was released Jan. 7, 2013, on $150,000 bond. Both women have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Dad remanded to prison for padlocking mouth of 4-year-old son, torturing him to death (Nigeria)
Dad is identified as CHRIS ELVIS. No mention of a mother in the home.
http://dailypost.com.ng/2014/02/21/heartless-father-padlocks-sons-mouth-tortures-death-photo/
Heartless father padlocks son’s mouth, tortures him to death
By Abiodun Badejo on February 21, 2014
A certain Chris Elvis has been remanded in prison for allegedly padlocking his 4 year-old son’s mouth and torturing him to death.
The culprit has also been accused of using hot pressing iron on his dead son.
The barbaric incident reportedly happened at their home, located at Adetola Adelaja, Meiran area of Lagos State.
Chris who said he was guilty as charged claimed his late son, Godrich was evil and responsible for his misfortunes.
The Magistrate, MS. Soleba who presided over the case, said Chris should be remanded in prison pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP.
http://dailypost.com.ng/2014/02/21/heartless-father-padlocks-sons-mouth-tortures-death-photo/
Heartless father padlocks son’s mouth, tortures him to death
By Abiodun Badejo on February 21, 2014
A certain Chris Elvis has been remanded in prison for allegedly padlocking his 4 year-old son’s mouth and torturing him to death.
The culprit has also been accused of using hot pressing iron on his dead son.
The barbaric incident reportedly happened at their home, located at Adetola Adelaja, Meiran area of Lagos State.
Chris who said he was guilty as charged claimed his late son, Godrich was evil and responsible for his misfortunes.
The Magistrate, MS. Soleba who presided over the case, said Chris should be remanded in prison pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP.
Dad charged with attempted 2nd-degree murder of 2-month-old son; baby in critical condition (Silver Spring, Maryland)
Dad is identified as ADOU LOUIS KOUADIO.
http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/local/2014/02/21/father-charged-after-attempting-to-murder-2-month-old-son/5702271/
Father charged after attempted 2nd-degree murder of son
WUSA 9 Staff, WUSA
3:32 p.m. EST February 21, 2014
SILVER SPRING, Md. (WUSA) -- Police have arrested and charged a man for attempted second-degree murder of his two-month-old son, officials said.
Adou Louis Kouadio, 24, has been charged with one count of attempt second degree murder and two counts of first degree child abuse, police said.
On Feb. 4, the two-month-old baby Amir Iman-Kouadio was brought into Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
He was unresponsive and listed in critical condition, police said. He had no pulse when he was brought in and was suffering from head trauma and rib fractures. The father of the child could not provide any explanation to the boy's injuries, officials said.
Upon further investigation, officials said the child's mother put him to bed around 9:00 p.m. on Feb. 3. Around 2:00 a.m., the father of the child, Kouadio was woken up by the baby's cry's. He said he cared for the child and put him back to bed. When he checked on the child, he found blood coming from his nose. He said he notified the mother, officials said.
On Feb. 20, an arrest warrant was obtained for Kouadio. He turned himself in and is currently being held on a $500,000 bond.
Doctors advised that if the child were to survive, he would have to remain on a ventilator for the rest of his life.
http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/local/2014/02/21/father-charged-after-attempting-to-murder-2-month-old-son/5702271/
Father charged after attempted 2nd-degree murder of son
WUSA 9 Staff, WUSA
3:32 p.m. EST February 21, 2014
SILVER SPRING, Md. (WUSA) -- Police have arrested and charged a man for attempted second-degree murder of his two-month-old son, officials said.
Adou Louis Kouadio, 24, has been charged with one count of attempt second degree murder and two counts of first degree child abuse, police said.
On Feb. 4, the two-month-old baby Amir Iman-Kouadio was brought into Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
He was unresponsive and listed in critical condition, police said. He had no pulse when he was brought in and was suffering from head trauma and rib fractures. The father of the child could not provide any explanation to the boy's injuries, officials said.
Upon further investigation, officials said the child's mother put him to bed around 9:00 p.m. on Feb. 3. Around 2:00 a.m., the father of the child, Kouadio was woken up by the baby's cry's. He said he cared for the child and put him back to bed. When he checked on the child, he found blood coming from his nose. He said he notified the mother, officials said.
On Feb. 20, an arrest warrant was obtained for Kouadio. He turned himself in and is currently being held on a $500,000 bond.
Doctors advised that if the child were to survive, he would have to remain on a ventilator for the rest of his life.
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