Dad is identified as DAVID A. ALLEN.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/father-on-trial-for-killing-infant-son-will-challenge-confession-b99586810z1-329978301.html
Father on trial for killing infant son will challenge confession
By Bruce Vielmetti
Sept. 29, 2015
A Milwaukee man charged with killing his infant premature son falsely confessed to abuse during a police interview so that the child's mother would be released as a suspect, his attorney told jurors Tuesday.
The case could also highlight a growing doubt within the medical community that certain brain injuries among children can result only from "shaken baby syndrome," imposed by stressed-out, frustrated caregivers.
David A. Allen, 34, is on trial for first-degree reckless homicide as well as child abuse and neglect causing great bodily harm. His namesake son died in April 2013, six months after the then 12-week-old boy was first taken to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, where doctors diagnosed broken ribs and brain damage later attributed to blunt force trauma. Allen was first charged in October 2012; prosecutors upgraded the charges after the child died.
"Home. There should be no safer place for a child," Assistant District Attorney Matt Torbenson told the jury in an opening statement. But the victim, referred to as Junior, spent his last day at home unable to eat, deteriorating as his father "watched and did nothing."
As in most child abuse prosecutions, medical experts for the state will testify that Junior's injuries were inconsistent with any cause other than abuse, Torbenson said. On top of that, he said, jurors will hear Allen's varied explanations of accidents that might have led to the injuries.
He first mentioned a fall from a 3-inch mattress, a bump on the faucet during a bath, then a fall from his arms to a concrete floor, then finally saying that, with Junior clawing at his face, Allen shook the boy, hard.
The next morning, the boy wouldn't eat, and his condition worsened before his parents finally called 911.
At the end of his final police interview, Torbenson said, Allen is seen alone in the interrogation room, holding his head in his hands and saying, repeatedly, "I'm so sorry, my son."
But defense attorney Anthony Cotton promised jurors a different view of the evidence from other experts, including one who studies false confessions. Cotton noted that in a quarter of cases where convicted offenders have been cleared by DNA evidence, they had falsely confessed to crimes.
Cotton said the pair of intense interviews Allen was subjected to right after his son was hospitalized in October 2012 were exactly the kind that lead to false confessions. He said the detective provided facts relayed to him by doctors at Children's Hospital, and kept Allen talking until he described doing something to the child that would be consistent with the injuries. Only then would Junior's mother, who had also been arrested, be released "to go and pray over your dying child," Cotton said the detective told Allen.
Cotton suggested Junior's injuries could just as consistently be explained by his birth — two months premature — and compromised health.
He said no one around the couple, not even the baby's mother, will testify they ever saw Allen seeming depressed or overwhelmed, as he told a detective. In fact, staff from the neonatal intensive care unit where Junior spent a month before going home will say Allen was very attentive and appropriate with his son.
Later, the boy and his parents moved into a house with seven other people, and none of them saw any signs of depressions or abusive behavior in Allen, Cotton said.
"He loved his son," Cotton said of Allen. "He was not quick to anger."
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Court: County referee "grossly" mishandled child custody case (Livingston County, Michigan)
Fathers rights corruption in the courts.
http://www.livingstondaily.com/story/news/local/community/livingston-county/2015/09/26/referee-mishandled-custody-case/72984028/
Court: County referee ‘grossly’ mishandled custody case
Lisa Roose-Church, Livingston Daily 9:50 a.m. EDT September 29, 2015
A Michigan Court of Appeals ruling says a Livingston County attorney referee violated a mother’s due-process rights in a custody hearing and committed numerous legal errors.
In its opinion, the court found that Friend of the Court referee Lori Marran “grossly” mishandled the custody case. As a result, the court vacated Marran’s order giving physical custody of the couple’s child to the father.
“The manner in which the change of custody was ordered was grossly improper,” the court added. “The order is vacated and the child shall be returned to the primary physical custody of the mother.”
Attorney Christine M. Heckler, who represents the father, said the appeals court "made obvious errors" in its ruling and as a result unfairly impeached "the character of a well-respected judge." In particular, she said, the “most serious criticisms raised in the decision … are verifiably untrue.”
Heckler said the appeals court noted that Judge David Reader added word “interim” to an order entered on March 4. However, she said that is untrue because the March 4 order “very clearly” indicated it was an “interim” order and was not added later as the appeals court noted.
She also noted that the judge personally signed the order, not the referee.
“I am troubled that the COA could make such an obvious error, especially when impeaching the character of a well-respected Judge,” Heckler said Tuesday.
“Furthermore, these parties had been before this judge prior to the March 4, 2015, order, so to state that he ‘knew nothing about the case’ is factually inaccurate and unfair,” Heckler added.
The appeals court found the referee failed to find the father had proper cause for his request to change custody and Marran failed to give the mother time to appeal her decision by rubber-stamping Reader’s name on the court order, which put the custody change into immediate effect.
The appeals court also found that the practice of allowing a referee to stamp the judge’s name on an order is improper because the referee “had no authority to issue an immediately effective order changing custody, and the judge cannot give carte blanche permission” for the referee to sign the judge’s name without ever seeing the order or being knowledgeable about the case.
The appeals court noted that the judge did later review the case and recognized that a full hearing needed to occur. However, the court said, the judge did not vacate Marran’s improper order, but rather ordered that a hearing “be continued.” Despite that order, a hearing was not completed.
According to court documents, a court order was entered Nov. 4, 2010, granting the mother sole legal and physical custody of the couple’s child. In December that year, the father sought to have it changed to joint legal and physical custody, but the motion was dismissed when the pair came to an agreement in 2011 that granted physical custody to the mother but joint legal custody to both parents.
In April 2014, the father again filed a motion to change custody when his 5-year-old child was accidentally locked out of the mother’s home while she was sleeping. He also alleged the child’s mother had a substance abuse problem, but Child Protective Services was unable to substantiate that claim and a CPS social worker later testified that the mother’s home was safe and the lock-out incident was accidental.
When the parties convened in March for a “parenting time hearing,” Marran entered an order transferring primary custody to the father. However, the appeals court vacated that order as a “result of numerous legal errors.”
The first errors, the court noted, violated the mother’s due-process rights. Specifically, the court found that Marran granted the change without proper motion since the father’s initial motion had been denied and not appealed.
The appeals court went on to say Marran took testimony from the family’s therapist, who repeated the father’s allegations, but the referee failed to allow the mother’s attorney to cross-examine the therapist and did not allow the mother to present any witnesses.
“The referee made several substantive errors in the course of making her ruling, including what appears to be a complete disregard of the substantive law governing a court’s decision when considering a change of custody,” the appeals court wrote in its decision released this month.
Reporter's note: This story has been updated to add comments from the father's attorney, who was not available at the initial time of writing.
http://www.livingstondaily.com/story/news/local/community/livingston-county/2015/09/26/referee-mishandled-custody-case/72984028/
Court: County referee ‘grossly’ mishandled custody case
Lisa Roose-Church, Livingston Daily 9:50 a.m. EDT September 29, 2015
A Michigan Court of Appeals ruling says a Livingston County attorney referee violated a mother’s due-process rights in a custody hearing and committed numerous legal errors.
In its opinion, the court found that Friend of the Court referee Lori Marran “grossly” mishandled the custody case. As a result, the court vacated Marran’s order giving physical custody of the couple’s child to the father.
“The manner in which the change of custody was ordered was grossly improper,” the court added. “The order is vacated and the child shall be returned to the primary physical custody of the mother.”
Attorney Christine M. Heckler, who represents the father, said the appeals court "made obvious errors" in its ruling and as a result unfairly impeached "the character of a well-respected judge." In particular, she said, the “most serious criticisms raised in the decision … are verifiably untrue.”
Heckler said the appeals court noted that Judge David Reader added word “interim” to an order entered on March 4. However, she said that is untrue because the March 4 order “very clearly” indicated it was an “interim” order and was not added later as the appeals court noted.
She also noted that the judge personally signed the order, not the referee.
“I am troubled that the COA could make such an obvious error, especially when impeaching the character of a well-respected Judge,” Heckler said Tuesday.
“Furthermore, these parties had been before this judge prior to the March 4, 2015, order, so to state that he ‘knew nothing about the case’ is factually inaccurate and unfair,” Heckler added.
The appeals court found the referee failed to find the father had proper cause for his request to change custody and Marran failed to give the mother time to appeal her decision by rubber-stamping Reader’s name on the court order, which put the custody change into immediate effect.
The appeals court also found that the practice of allowing a referee to stamp the judge’s name on an order is improper because the referee “had no authority to issue an immediately effective order changing custody, and the judge cannot give carte blanche permission” for the referee to sign the judge’s name without ever seeing the order or being knowledgeable about the case.
The appeals court noted that the judge did later review the case and recognized that a full hearing needed to occur. However, the court said, the judge did not vacate Marran’s improper order, but rather ordered that a hearing “be continued.” Despite that order, a hearing was not completed.
According to court documents, a court order was entered Nov. 4, 2010, granting the mother sole legal and physical custody of the couple’s child. In December that year, the father sought to have it changed to joint legal and physical custody, but the motion was dismissed when the pair came to an agreement in 2011 that granted physical custody to the mother but joint legal custody to both parents.
In April 2014, the father again filed a motion to change custody when his 5-year-old child was accidentally locked out of the mother’s home while she was sleeping. He also alleged the child’s mother had a substance abuse problem, but Child Protective Services was unable to substantiate that claim and a CPS social worker later testified that the mother’s home was safe and the lock-out incident was accidental.
When the parties convened in March for a “parenting time hearing,” Marran entered an order transferring primary custody to the father. However, the appeals court vacated that order as a “result of numerous legal errors.”
The first errors, the court noted, violated the mother’s due-process rights. Specifically, the court found that Marran granted the change without proper motion since the father’s initial motion had been denied and not appealed.
The appeals court went on to say Marran took testimony from the family’s therapist, who repeated the father’s allegations, but the referee failed to allow the mother’s attorney to cross-examine the therapist and did not allow the mother to present any witnesses.
“The referee made several substantive errors in the course of making her ruling, including what appears to be a complete disregard of the substantive law governing a court’s decision when considering a change of custody,” the appeals court wrote in its decision released this month.
Reporter's note: This story has been updated to add comments from the father's attorney, who was not available at the initial time of writing.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
One abuser dad gets 20 year, another acquitted (Houston, Texas)
The convicted dad is identified as SHAQUILLE LERON RAWLINS. He abandoned an 18-month-old infant with a skull fracture who later died.
Somehow dad LAPHONSON BATISTE got off, though three women from his own family thought he was guilty. But then the courts ignore what women think. Even the doctors thought he burned his baby girl intentionally. That didn't matter either.
http://www.theexaminer.com/stories/news/child%E2%80%99s-death-brings-20-year-sentence
Child’s death brings 20-year sentence
Submitted by James Shannon on September 28, 2015 - 12:00am .
The grim procession of cases involving battered babies continued at the Jefferson County Courthouse this week.
Ja’Myra Nicole Rawlins was 18 months old on Sept. 12, 2013 when EMS personnel responding to a 911 call found her unresponsive at her North End home. The baby’s mother, Jazmine Thomas, told police she had left Ja’Myra with her father while she ran errands only to return and find her unconscious. The baby’s father, Shaquille Leron Rawlins, 20, had fled the house on foot before police and the ambulance arrived.
When police caught up with Rawlins, he denied any knowledge of how the injuries occurred but later claimed that while babysitting the child, he had tossed her into the air and failed to catch her, causing her to land on her head. He was arrested for causing injury to a child and jailed jailed on a $25,000 bond.
Ja’Myra was transported to Christus St. Elizabeth emergency room in critical condition, then immediately transferred to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, where she died two days later. Murder charges were filed against Rawlins after a preliminary autopsy conducted by the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office showed the young girl suffered a skull fracture with bleeding and bruising to both sides of her brain. The pathologist said he did not think the actions described by the suspect could have caused the injuries he observed, according to the arrest affidavit.
The murder charge was eventually reduced to reckless injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, no doubt because prosecutors had reason to fear the actions a jury might take. These cases can be difficult to prove; the young victims cannot testify, even when they survive.
Jurors recently acquitted a father on charges he intentionally or recklessly burned his baby daughter in August 2012. Laphonson Batiste’s mother, grandmother and sister believed him guilty, but a jury in Judge Raquel West’s court disagreed.
Doctors who treated Batiste’s daughter, Kimberly, testified her father intentionally dipped her in scalding water. She suffered second and third degree burns to 43 percent of her body and was treated in the ICU at Shriners Burn Hospital in Galveston. Because the child was burned on her back and bottom but not her legs, doctors believed Laphonson Batiste dipped his daughter in hot water. The jury didn’t buy it.
In the Rawlin’s case, prosecutor Ashley Molfino – perhaps mindful of what happened in the Batiste case – reluctantly agreed to a reduced charge, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. She was prepared to press for the maximum sentence for the life of Ja’Myra Rawlins.
That set the stage for a hearing this week in Criminal District Court for Judge John Stevens to accept Rawlins’ guilty plea to the reduced charge and pronounce sentence. Rawlins’ mother stood dry-eyed before the bench to ask for leniency for son.
“What about your grandchild?” asked an incredulous Judge Stevens.
“I lock myself in the bathroom or in my car to grieve privately for her,” she replied, and again asked the court to give him probation. Rawlins’ attorney, Sean Villery-Samuel, noted that because he had never been convicted of a felony, Rawlins was indeed eligible for probation. Stevens kept referring to the autopsy report describing the baby’s injuries, including a bruised sternum, multiple scratches, bruises and bite marks, which the defendant admitted inflicting.
But he had an explanation. “That’s just nibbling, know what I’m saying,” he offered.
Judge Stevens attached special significance to Rawlins leaving the scene. “The guilty flee where no man purseth, the righteous are as bold as a lion,” he said, citing Proverbs 28:1 and noting Rawlins did nothing to aid his wounded child.
Prosecutor Molfino, a catch in her voice and tears in her eyes – perhaps mindful of her own young child – reminded the court how this baby had suffered, and again asked for the maximum sentence of 20 years.
This list of the injuries inflicted on Ja’Myra finally proved too much for another defendant awaiting his hearing in orange jump suit, handcuffs and leg chains who broke courtroom decorum by loudly shouting, “Get me out of here; I can’t stand hearing this.”
Judge Stevens immediately ordered him to be silent. “Put your fingers in your ears if you have to,” said the judge. “You’ve got problems of your own,” a reference to the felony DWI charge that defendant was facing, reportedly with children in his car at the time he was arrested.
Extra deputies ringed the courtroom packed with Rawlins’ friends and family, who sat in silence as the judge made Rawlins acknowledge the elements of his guilty plea. Villery-Samuel asked for probation one final time before Judge Stevens imposed a sentence of 20 years in the institutional division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. There were groans from the audience and angry talk as they filed out. Loud weeping could be heard out in the hall from people who were somehow convinced he would get probation, as if the two years he had been jailed since Ja’Myra’s death had been sufficient atonement. There were reportedly postings on a Facebook page for a “Welcome Home, Shaq” party, but two years is not near enough in Judge Stevens court for the death of a child. The loud crying and angry shouts continued into the parking lot as deputies struggled to maintain order as rival groups of family members screamed at each other. The Beaumont Police responded to the scene and finally broke up the disturbance without violence.
Sometime later, shouts and screams could be heard from the holding cells behind the courtroom as Rawlins’ sentence got off to a rough start when he was attacked by the inmate who recoiled at his crimes.
Somehow dad LAPHONSON BATISTE got off, though three women from his own family thought he was guilty. But then the courts ignore what women think. Even the doctors thought he burned his baby girl intentionally. That didn't matter either.
http://www.theexaminer.com/stories/news/child%E2%80%99s-death-brings-20-year-sentence
Child’s death brings 20-year sentence
Submitted by James Shannon on September 28, 2015 - 12:00am .
The grim procession of cases involving battered babies continued at the Jefferson County Courthouse this week.
Ja’Myra Nicole Rawlins was 18 months old on Sept. 12, 2013 when EMS personnel responding to a 911 call found her unresponsive at her North End home. The baby’s mother, Jazmine Thomas, told police she had left Ja’Myra with her father while she ran errands only to return and find her unconscious. The baby’s father, Shaquille Leron Rawlins, 20, had fled the house on foot before police and the ambulance arrived.
When police caught up with Rawlins, he denied any knowledge of how the injuries occurred but later claimed that while babysitting the child, he had tossed her into the air and failed to catch her, causing her to land on her head. He was arrested for causing injury to a child and jailed jailed on a $25,000 bond.
Ja’Myra was transported to Christus St. Elizabeth emergency room in critical condition, then immediately transferred to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, where she died two days later. Murder charges were filed against Rawlins after a preliminary autopsy conducted by the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office showed the young girl suffered a skull fracture with bleeding and bruising to both sides of her brain. The pathologist said he did not think the actions described by the suspect could have caused the injuries he observed, according to the arrest affidavit.
The murder charge was eventually reduced to reckless injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, no doubt because prosecutors had reason to fear the actions a jury might take. These cases can be difficult to prove; the young victims cannot testify, even when they survive.
Jurors recently acquitted a father on charges he intentionally or recklessly burned his baby daughter in August 2012. Laphonson Batiste’s mother, grandmother and sister believed him guilty, but a jury in Judge Raquel West’s court disagreed.
Doctors who treated Batiste’s daughter, Kimberly, testified her father intentionally dipped her in scalding water. She suffered second and third degree burns to 43 percent of her body and was treated in the ICU at Shriners Burn Hospital in Galveston. Because the child was burned on her back and bottom but not her legs, doctors believed Laphonson Batiste dipped his daughter in hot water. The jury didn’t buy it.
In the Rawlin’s case, prosecutor Ashley Molfino – perhaps mindful of what happened in the Batiste case – reluctantly agreed to a reduced charge, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. She was prepared to press for the maximum sentence for the life of Ja’Myra Rawlins.
That set the stage for a hearing this week in Criminal District Court for Judge John Stevens to accept Rawlins’ guilty plea to the reduced charge and pronounce sentence. Rawlins’ mother stood dry-eyed before the bench to ask for leniency for son.
“What about your grandchild?” asked an incredulous Judge Stevens.
“I lock myself in the bathroom or in my car to grieve privately for her,” she replied, and again asked the court to give him probation. Rawlins’ attorney, Sean Villery-Samuel, noted that because he had never been convicted of a felony, Rawlins was indeed eligible for probation. Stevens kept referring to the autopsy report describing the baby’s injuries, including a bruised sternum, multiple scratches, bruises and bite marks, which the defendant admitted inflicting.
But he had an explanation. “That’s just nibbling, know what I’m saying,” he offered.
Judge Stevens attached special significance to Rawlins leaving the scene. “The guilty flee where no man purseth, the righteous are as bold as a lion,” he said, citing Proverbs 28:1 and noting Rawlins did nothing to aid his wounded child.
Prosecutor Molfino, a catch in her voice and tears in her eyes – perhaps mindful of her own young child – reminded the court how this baby had suffered, and again asked for the maximum sentence of 20 years.
This list of the injuries inflicted on Ja’Myra finally proved too much for another defendant awaiting his hearing in orange jump suit, handcuffs and leg chains who broke courtroom decorum by loudly shouting, “Get me out of here; I can’t stand hearing this.”
Judge Stevens immediately ordered him to be silent. “Put your fingers in your ears if you have to,” said the judge. “You’ve got problems of your own,” a reference to the felony DWI charge that defendant was facing, reportedly with children in his car at the time he was arrested.
Extra deputies ringed the courtroom packed with Rawlins’ friends and family, who sat in silence as the judge made Rawlins acknowledge the elements of his guilty plea. Villery-Samuel asked for probation one final time before Judge Stevens imposed a sentence of 20 years in the institutional division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. There were groans from the audience and angry talk as they filed out. Loud weeping could be heard out in the hall from people who were somehow convinced he would get probation, as if the two years he had been jailed since Ja’Myra’s death had been sufficient atonement. There were reportedly postings on a Facebook page for a “Welcome Home, Shaq” party, but two years is not near enough in Judge Stevens court for the death of a child. The loud crying and angry shouts continued into the parking lot as deputies struggled to maintain order as rival groups of family members screamed at each other. The Beaumont Police responded to the scene and finally broke up the disturbance without violence.
Sometime later, shouts and screams could be heard from the holding cells behind the courtroom as Rawlins’ sentence got off to a rough start when he was attacked by the inmate who recoiled at his crimes.
Dad charged with felony murder in death of 10-week-old baby (Livonia, Michigan)
No mention of the mother. A custodial/visitation situation?
Dad is identified as MARK PATRICK HONTZ.
And by the way, males who are "habitual offender" tend not to be good infant caregivers.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/livonia-father-charged-with-infants-homicide/35535278
Livonia father charged with infant's homicide
Police say man claims he fell down stairs while holding infant
Author: Local 4 - ClickOnDetroit news staff
Published On: Sep 28 2015 04:17:06 PM EDT Updated On: Sep 28 2015 05:27:00 PM EDT
LIVONIA, Mich. - A 33-year-old Livonia man is charged with felony murder and child abuse in the death of his 10-week-old child.
Livonia police say they were called Monday, Sept. 21 to a home in the 38000 block of Summers for the report of an unresponsive infant child. Police said officers were told that while he was holding the baby the father fell down a flight of stairs in the home.
The infant was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The baby died from injuries the next day.
Police say a medical assessment of the infant's injuries and preliminary results of the autopsy revealed the infant was murdered.
Mark Patrick Hontz is charged with felony murder and first degree child abuse. He also faces a habitual offender charge. He has been arraigned and is being held without bond. His preliminary examination is scheduled for Oct. 15 in the 16th District Court in Livonia.
Dad is identified as MARK PATRICK HONTZ.
And by the way, males who are "habitual offender" tend not to be good infant caregivers.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/livonia-father-charged-with-infants-homicide/35535278
Livonia father charged with infant's homicide
Police say man claims he fell down stairs while holding infant
Author: Local 4 - ClickOnDetroit news staff
Published On: Sep 28 2015 04:17:06 PM EDT Updated On: Sep 28 2015 05:27:00 PM EDT
LIVONIA, Mich. - A 33-year-old Livonia man is charged with felony murder and child abuse in the death of his 10-week-old child.
Livonia police say they were called Monday, Sept. 21 to a home in the 38000 block of Summers for the report of an unresponsive infant child. Police said officers were told that while he was holding the baby the father fell down a flight of stairs in the home.
The infant was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The baby died from injuries the next day.
Police say a medical assessment of the infant's injuries and preliminary results of the autopsy revealed the infant was murdered.
Mark Patrick Hontz is charged with felony murder and first degree child abuse. He also faces a habitual offender charge. He has been arraigned and is being held without bond. His preliminary examination is scheduled for Oct. 15 in the 16th District Court in Livonia.
Dad found drunk and passed out at pool; dehydrated child taken in by CPS (Mesa, Arizona)
So police (supposedly) couldn't find Mom. I hope that doesn't mean dad NAYSHON BENDLE was custodial....
http://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/mesa/mesa-child-brought-to-cps-after-father-reportedly-passes-out-drunk-at-pool-faces-child-abuse-charge
Mesa child brought to CPS after father reportedly passes out drunk at Mesa pool
By: Katie Faller Posted: 12:08 PM, Sep 28, 2015 Updated: 12:14 PM, Sep 28, 2015
MESA, AZ - A father faces charges of child abuse in connection to allegedly passing out by the pool while watching his child in Mesa on Saturday, according to the Mesa Police Department.
The father, Nayshon Bendle, and his brother were reported to have been drinking by the pool near Country Club Drive and Brown Road while watching over Bendle’s child.
When officers arrived to the scene, Bendle would not wake up and the child was dehydrated and had an elevated heart rate.
Police took the child to Child Protective Services.
Police were not able to contact the child's mother.
Bendle was arrested once he woke up and is facing one count of child abuse.
He admitted to drinking three beers before sitting with his brother and passing out.
http://www.abc15.com/news/region-southeast-valley/mesa/mesa-child-brought-to-cps-after-father-reportedly-passes-out-drunk-at-pool-faces-child-abuse-charge
Mesa child brought to CPS after father reportedly passes out drunk at Mesa pool
By: Katie Faller Posted: 12:08 PM, Sep 28, 2015 Updated: 12:14 PM, Sep 28, 2015
MESA, AZ - A father faces charges of child abuse in connection to allegedly passing out by the pool while watching his child in Mesa on Saturday, according to the Mesa Police Department.
The father, Nayshon Bendle, and his brother were reported to have been drinking by the pool near Country Club Drive and Brown Road while watching over Bendle’s child.
When officers arrived to the scene, Bendle would not wake up and the child was dehydrated and had an elevated heart rate.
Police took the child to Child Protective Services.
Police were not able to contact the child's mother.
Bendle was arrested once he woke up and is facing one count of child abuse.
He admitted to drinking three beers before sitting with his brother and passing out.
Dads dominate child abuse perpetrators (South Korea)
Contrary to what the fathers rights people tell you, fathers tend to dominate child abuse statistics--despite the fact that they make up a minority of actual caregibers. This is true in any country you look at.
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150929000310
Child abuse claims 12 lives, over 5,000 victims in H1: report
Published : 2015-09-29 15:37
Updated : 2015-09-29 15:37
Child abuse claimed 12 lives and more than 5,000 victims in the first half of this year, with the full-year death toll expected to surpass that of last year, a report showed Tuesday.
The report by the National Child Protection Agency showed that eight out of 10 cases of child abuse were perpetuated by parents and other close family members.
The first-half death toll from child abuse is 70 percent of the 17 deaths reported for 2014. Of the 9,471 suspected cases of abuse, 5,432 were confirmed to have involved a child being physically, mentally or sexually abused.
Officials said 388 other cases are being investigated at the moment.
"There has been a steady increase in child abuse cases and legal actions taken against offenders on the heels of growing social awareness and intolerance for such actions," an agency official said.
In 2001, there were 2,105 cases of child abuse confirmed by authorities, but this rose to 5,581 cases in 2007 before reaching 6,791 in 2013 and spiking to 10,027 last year.
At the present pace, there is a chance that the total number of child abuse cases in 2015 will surpass last year's total.
According to the report, 47.6 percent of child abuse cases involved the father of the child, followed by 29.8 percent for the mother, with step parents or both biological parents accounting for the rest.
Slightly over 6 percent of the abusers were teachers and daycare workers, including those hired by kindergartens.
Of the kind of abuse endured by children, physical abuse ranked No. 1, followed by mental abuse, neglect and sexual abuse.
Of the all cases involving child abuse, legal action was taken against 27 percent of the offenders, up 12 percentage points compared to all of last year, it said. (Yonhap)
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150929000310
Child abuse claims 12 lives, over 5,000 victims in H1: report
Published : 2015-09-29 15:37
Updated : 2015-09-29 15:37
Child abuse claimed 12 lives and more than 5,000 victims in the first half of this year, with the full-year death toll expected to surpass that of last year, a report showed Tuesday.
The report by the National Child Protection Agency showed that eight out of 10 cases of child abuse were perpetuated by parents and other close family members.
The first-half death toll from child abuse is 70 percent of the 17 deaths reported for 2014. Of the 9,471 suspected cases of abuse, 5,432 were confirmed to have involved a child being physically, mentally or sexually abused.
Officials said 388 other cases are being investigated at the moment.
"There has been a steady increase in child abuse cases and legal actions taken against offenders on the heels of growing social awareness and intolerance for such actions," an agency official said.
In 2001, there were 2,105 cases of child abuse confirmed by authorities, but this rose to 5,581 cases in 2007 before reaching 6,791 in 2013 and spiking to 10,027 last year.
At the present pace, there is a chance that the total number of child abuse cases in 2015 will surpass last year's total.
According to the report, 47.6 percent of child abuse cases involved the father of the child, followed by 29.8 percent for the mother, with step parents or both biological parents accounting for the rest.
Slightly over 6 percent of the abusers were teachers and daycare workers, including those hired by kindergartens.
Of the kind of abuse endured by children, physical abuse ranked No. 1, followed by mental abuse, neglect and sexual abuse.
Of the all cases involving child abuse, legal action was taken against 27 percent of the offenders, up 12 percentage points compared to all of last year, it said. (Yonhap)
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Dad gets probation--despite destruction of property, violating protection order after abusing son (Laramie, Wyoming)
Typical of how men's crimes against women and children are not taken seriously. Had he behaved like this towards a male employer, you wouldn't see this indulgence.
Dad is identified as JOSHUA S. BAKER.
http://wyomingnews.com/articles/2015/09/25/news/20local_09-25-15.txt#.Vgizk5cYMQs
Joshua Baker gets probation for child abuse
CHEYENNE - Despite being arrested for property destruction and violating a protection order while out on bond in a child abuse case, Joshua S. Baker has been given a chance at probation.
Laramie County District Judge Catherine Rogers told Baker during his sentencing hearing Thursday that his conduct on bond was completely unacceptable, and his lack of appreciation for court orders "has to stop."
If it doesn't, she cautioned, she'll send him to prison where he won't have a choice or a voice.
For three counts of child abuse, Rogers sentenced Baker to five years of probation with an underlying prison term of three to five years and ordered him to complete the Intensive Supervision Program.
The judge said she believes Baker can build and provide a stable, secure future for his children, and prison won't accomplish that or make him a better, less-violent person and father.
Baker, 25, was charged in early April with one count of physical child abuse for injuring a young boy. He also was charged with two counts of mental child abuse for injuring the boy and his younger sister.
When he admitted to the crimes in late May, he said he became upset with the boy after sending him upstairs to use the bathroom and later finding feces going from the stairs to the bathroom.
Baker's leg shackles jingled as he walked to the podium and stood before the judge dressed in nice jeans, a tan suit coat, a blue checkered button-down shirt and a tie.
He's been in jail for more than 50 days since violating a protection order in August.
"I've done things over the past few months that I regret," he told the judge, getting emotional when saying the time he's spent in jail is time he'll never get back. "I just want an opportunity to salvage what I still have left in my life."
Baker's boss, a tearful longtime friend and a family friend all spoke on his behalf, calling him a good, selfless person and saying his recent actions are uncharacteristic.
His attorney, Christopher Humphrey, said the contact that resulted in the protection order violation charge was consensual, but that didn't make it any less wrong.
Baker learned in jail that he is not meant for incarceration and will do everything in his power to not be in that position again, Humphrey stressed.
"He just wants to be a citizen in this community who is a good father," he said.
The District Attorney's Victim/Witness Services coordinator, Mellissa Walls, read a letter in court written by the children's mother.
"I feel like I have failed my children by not being strong enough to leave," she wrote, saying she felt scared and powerless and focused on mending her relationship. "I put my love and trust in the wrong person."
Laramie County District Attorney Jeremiah Sandburg told the judge he wouldn't completely back out of the plea agreement in light of the bond violation, though he could.
He said the prosecutor who initially worked the case contemplated giving Baker first-offender treatment because of his immediate cooperation, which would have allowed him the possibility of keeping a felony conviction off his record if he completed probation.
After Baker violated his bond in April by being arrested for property destruction and trespassing, the prosecution entered into a plea agreement that suggested the suspended prison term that Rogers accepted.
Sandburg continued, saying he thinks Baker is in a downward spiral and something needs to be done to cut it off.
Rogers hopes that "something" will be the Intensive Supervision Program.
She told Baker she immediately was struck when reviewing his file by how "pretty full of (himself)" he seemed.
She said Baker didn't graduate high school but managed to land a high-paying job , making significantly more than many attorneys in this community.
"You were at the top of the mountain looking down," the judge told him, adding that Baker was 24 going on 25 and had the world in the palm of his hand.
While the time Baker spent in jail was minor compared to many other defendants, Rogers said she hopes and believes it has motivated him to grow up, recognize his obligations to his kids and family and get his anger and impulse issues under control.
Her last warning to Baker was that while he doesn't seem used to people telling him what to do, "it's coming" in the form of intensive supervision.
"I understand," he responded softly.
Dad is identified as JOSHUA S. BAKER.
http://wyomingnews.com/articles/2015/09/25/news/20local_09-25-15.txt#.Vgizk5cYMQs
Joshua Baker gets probation for child abuse
CHEYENNE - Despite being arrested for property destruction and violating a protection order while out on bond in a child abuse case, Joshua S. Baker has been given a chance at probation.
Laramie County District Judge Catherine Rogers told Baker during his sentencing hearing Thursday that his conduct on bond was completely unacceptable, and his lack of appreciation for court orders "has to stop."
If it doesn't, she cautioned, she'll send him to prison where he won't have a choice or a voice.
For three counts of child abuse, Rogers sentenced Baker to five years of probation with an underlying prison term of three to five years and ordered him to complete the Intensive Supervision Program.
The judge said she believes Baker can build and provide a stable, secure future for his children, and prison won't accomplish that or make him a better, less-violent person and father.
Baker, 25, was charged in early April with one count of physical child abuse for injuring a young boy. He also was charged with two counts of mental child abuse for injuring the boy and his younger sister.
When he admitted to the crimes in late May, he said he became upset with the boy after sending him upstairs to use the bathroom and later finding feces going from the stairs to the bathroom.
Baker's leg shackles jingled as he walked to the podium and stood before the judge dressed in nice jeans, a tan suit coat, a blue checkered button-down shirt and a tie.
He's been in jail for more than 50 days since violating a protection order in August.
"I've done things over the past few months that I regret," he told the judge, getting emotional when saying the time he's spent in jail is time he'll never get back. "I just want an opportunity to salvage what I still have left in my life."
Baker's boss, a tearful longtime friend and a family friend all spoke on his behalf, calling him a good, selfless person and saying his recent actions are uncharacteristic.
His attorney, Christopher Humphrey, said the contact that resulted in the protection order violation charge was consensual, but that didn't make it any less wrong.
Baker learned in jail that he is not meant for incarceration and will do everything in his power to not be in that position again, Humphrey stressed.
"He just wants to be a citizen in this community who is a good father," he said.
The District Attorney's Victim/Witness Services coordinator, Mellissa Walls, read a letter in court written by the children's mother.
"I feel like I have failed my children by not being strong enough to leave," she wrote, saying she felt scared and powerless and focused on mending her relationship. "I put my love and trust in the wrong person."
Laramie County District Attorney Jeremiah Sandburg told the judge he wouldn't completely back out of the plea agreement in light of the bond violation, though he could.
He said the prosecutor who initially worked the case contemplated giving Baker first-offender treatment because of his immediate cooperation, which would have allowed him the possibility of keeping a felony conviction off his record if he completed probation.
After Baker violated his bond in April by being arrested for property destruction and trespassing, the prosecution entered into a plea agreement that suggested the suspended prison term that Rogers accepted.
Sandburg continued, saying he thinks Baker is in a downward spiral and something needs to be done to cut it off.
Rogers hopes that "something" will be the Intensive Supervision Program.
She told Baker she immediately was struck when reviewing his file by how "pretty full of (himself)" he seemed.
She said Baker didn't graduate high school but managed to land a high-paying job , making significantly more than many attorneys in this community.
"You were at the top of the mountain looking down," the judge told him, adding that Baker was 24 going on 25 and had the world in the palm of his hand.
While the time Baker spent in jail was minor compared to many other defendants, Rogers said she hopes and believes it has motivated him to grow up, recognize his obligations to his kids and family and get his anger and impulse issues under control.
Her last warning to Baker was that while he doesn't seem used to people telling him what to do, "it's coming" in the form of intensive supervision.
"I understand," he responded softly.
Dad gets 10 years for death of 5-month-old son found buried in backyard (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Dad is identified as CALVIN MELVIN.
http://www.wsvn.com/story/30118212/father-sentenced-to-10-years-in-toddlers-death
Father sentenced to 10 years in toddler's death
Posted: Sep 25, 2015 3:53 PM EST Updated: Sep 25, 2015 4:12 PM EST
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) -- A South Florida father has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars in the death of his 5-month-old son, who was found buried in a backyard.
Twenty-nine-year-old Calvin Melvin had been charged with child neglect and lying to officials to cover up the whereabouts and death of his son, Dontrell. The child's remains were later found in the backyard of a Hallandale Beach home, back in January 2013.
The boy was last seen in July 2011, but he was not reported missing until January 2013.
Melvin was sentenced to five years on each count of providing false information to police. After pleading no contest to the falsifying information charge, his charge of child neglect was dropped. Prosecutors said on three separate occasions, Melvin lied about the boy's whereabouts.
Melvin's girlfriend and Dontrell's mother, Brittney Sierra, was also charged. However, all charges against her were later dropped.
http://www.wsvn.com/story/30118212/father-sentenced-to-10-years-in-toddlers-death
Father sentenced to 10 years in toddler's death
Posted: Sep 25, 2015 3:53 PM EST Updated: Sep 25, 2015 4:12 PM EST
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) -- A South Florida father has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars in the death of his 5-month-old son, who was found buried in a backyard.
Twenty-nine-year-old Calvin Melvin had been charged with child neglect and lying to officials to cover up the whereabouts and death of his son, Dontrell. The child's remains were later found in the backyard of a Hallandale Beach home, back in January 2013.
The boy was last seen in July 2011, but he was not reported missing until January 2013.
Melvin was sentenced to five years on each count of providing false information to police. After pleading no contest to the falsifying information charge, his charge of child neglect was dropped. Prosecutors said on three separate occasions, Melvin lied about the boy's whereabouts.
Melvin's girlfriend and Dontrell's mother, Brittney Sierra, was also charged. However, all charges against her were later dropped.
Dad charged with 1st-degree murder in death of 4-month-old baby (Memphis, Tennessee)
Dad is identified as NATHAN SCARBOROUGH.
http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/story/30118616/cordova-father-charged-in-4-month-old-childs-murder
Cordova father charged in 4-month-old child's death
Posted: Sep 25, 2015 4:41 PM EST Updated: Sep 25, 2015 7:04 PM EST
A 19-year-old father has been charged in the death of his four-month-old child.
Memphis police have charged Nathan Scarborough with First Degree Murder in Perpetration of Aggravated Child Abuse and Aggravated Child Neglect, Aggravated Child Abuse and Aggravated Child Neglect.
Officers were called to Baptist Children’s Hospital around 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Upon arrival, they located a child, who had already been pronounced dead.
Police said the victim, who was in full cardiac arrest, was taken to the hospital from the family's home in the 8000 block of Creek Way Cove.
According to MPD, Scarborough told investigators he was painting an upstairs bedroom when he checked on the child and noticed the baby was lifeless. He told police he attempted CPR and dialed 911.
But through further investigation, MPD ruled the child’s death a homicide due to injuries that were later found by the Shelby County Medical Examiner’s Officer. Police said the child suffered from apparent internal head injuries.
MPD said its investigation determined Nathan Scarborough was responsible for the child’s death. He was arrested and charged.
http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/story/30118616/cordova-father-charged-in-4-month-old-childs-murder
Cordova father charged in 4-month-old child's death
Posted: Sep 25, 2015 4:41 PM EST Updated: Sep 25, 2015 7:04 PM EST
A 19-year-old father has been charged in the death of his four-month-old child.
Memphis police have charged Nathan Scarborough with First Degree Murder in Perpetration of Aggravated Child Abuse and Aggravated Child Neglect, Aggravated Child Abuse and Aggravated Child Neglect.
Officers were called to Baptist Children’s Hospital around 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Upon arrival, they located a child, who had already been pronounced dead.
Police said the victim, who was in full cardiac arrest, was taken to the hospital from the family's home in the 8000 block of Creek Way Cove.
According to MPD, Scarborough told investigators he was painting an upstairs bedroom when he checked on the child and noticed the baby was lifeless. He told police he attempted CPR and dialed 911.
But through further investigation, MPD ruled the child’s death a homicide due to injuries that were later found by the Shelby County Medical Examiner’s Officer. Police said the child suffered from apparent internal head injuries.
MPD said its investigation determined Nathan Scarborough was responsible for the child’s death. He was arrested and charged.
Dad charged with 1st-degree murder in death of 2-month-old son (Paris, Tennessee)
Dad is identified as CHRISTOPHER PAGE.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3249150/Tennessee-police-officer-father-two-charged-baby-son-s-murder.html
Tennessee police officer and father-of-two is charged with his baby son's murder
Officer Christopher Page, 27, of Paris, Tennessee, has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse
Page's 2-month-old son, Gunner Page, died September 7, five days after he stopped breathing at home
Page is accused of causing the infant unspecified life-threatening injuries, a three-week probe by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has found
By Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com
Published: 09:59 EST, 25 September 2015 | Updated: 11:43 EST, 25 September 2015
A Tennessee police officer has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 2-month old son earlier this month.
Christopher Page, 27, an officer with the Paris Police Department, was taken into custody Thursday by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents at the conclusion of a three-week investigation into the death of his child, Gunner Page.
The probe was set into motion September 2 when police responded to the home of Christopher Page and his domestic partner, Hope Carson, in Puryear.
Henry County Sheriff Monte Belew said earlier this month that a member of the household called 911 early that morning saying that a baby had stopped breathing, reported The Paris Post-Intelligencer.
Baby Gunner was rushed to Henry County Medical Center and later flown to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, where he ultimately passed away September 7. He was nearly three months old.
Even before Gunner Page’s death, 24th District Attorney General Matthew Stowe ordered the TBI to look into the circumstances of the case.
Information gathered by TBI agents in the course of the weeks-long investigation led them to conclude that Christopher Page was responsible for causing unspecified life-threatening injuries to his infant son.
Besides the first-degree murder charge against the Paris cop, the officer is also facing one count of aggravated child abuse.
Page was being held without bond at the Carroll County Jail. According to his late son's obituary, the officer and his girlfriend also have an older daughter together.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3249150/Tennessee-police-officer-father-two-charged-baby-son-s-murder.html
Tennessee police officer and father-of-two is charged with his baby son's murder
Officer Christopher Page, 27, of Paris, Tennessee, has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse
Page's 2-month-old son, Gunner Page, died September 7, five days after he stopped breathing at home
Page is accused of causing the infant unspecified life-threatening injuries, a three-week probe by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has found
By Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com
Published: 09:59 EST, 25 September 2015 | Updated: 11:43 EST, 25 September 2015
A Tennessee police officer has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 2-month old son earlier this month.
Christopher Page, 27, an officer with the Paris Police Department, was taken into custody Thursday by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents at the conclusion of a three-week investigation into the death of his child, Gunner Page.
The probe was set into motion September 2 when police responded to the home of Christopher Page and his domestic partner, Hope Carson, in Puryear.
Henry County Sheriff Monte Belew said earlier this month that a member of the household called 911 early that morning saying that a baby had stopped breathing, reported The Paris Post-Intelligencer.
Baby Gunner was rushed to Henry County Medical Center and later flown to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, where he ultimately passed away September 7. He was nearly three months old.
Even before Gunner Page’s death, 24th District Attorney General Matthew Stowe ordered the TBI to look into the circumstances of the case.
Information gathered by TBI agents in the course of the weeks-long investigation led them to conclude that Christopher Page was responsible for causing unspecified life-threatening injuries to his infant son.
Besides the first-degree murder charge against the Paris cop, the officer is also facing one count of aggravated child abuse.
Page was being held without bond at the Carroll County Jail. According to his late son's obituary, the officer and his girlfriend also have an older daughter together.
Dad charged with manslaughter in death of 6-year-old son (United Kingdom)
Dad is identified as KEVIN CRAIG TOYE.
http://www.itv.com/news/2015-09-25/father-charged-over-death-of-boy-6-from-injuries-sustained-as-a-baby/
ITV Report 25 September 2015 at 2:32pm
Father charged over death of son, 6, from injuries sustained as a baby
A father has been charged with manslaughter after his six-year-old son died from head injuries he sustained as a baby.
Baylee Varley from Ormesby, Norfolk, died in March last year as a result of serious head injuries received in the alleged 2008 attack.
Kevin Craig Toye, 28, of St Nicholas Road, Great Yarmouth has been charged with manslaughter and the ill-treatment of the child, Norfolk Police said.
A woman in her 20s, who was also arrested in relation to the inquiry, is not facing any further action.
A pre-inquest review into Varley's death had heard that he had died from bronchopneumonia due to long-term complications from a head injury.
Toye has been bailed to appear before Great Yarmouth Magistrates' Court on 28 October.
Last updated Fri 25 Sep 2015
http://www.itv.com/news/2015-09-25/father-charged-over-death-of-boy-6-from-injuries-sustained-as-a-baby/
ITV Report 25 September 2015 at 2:32pm
Father charged over death of son, 6, from injuries sustained as a baby
A father has been charged with manslaughter after his six-year-old son died from head injuries he sustained as a baby.
Baylee Varley from Ormesby, Norfolk, died in March last year as a result of serious head injuries received in the alleged 2008 attack.
Kevin Craig Toye, 28, of St Nicholas Road, Great Yarmouth has been charged with manslaughter and the ill-treatment of the child, Norfolk Police said.
A woman in her 20s, who was also arrested in relation to the inquiry, is not facing any further action.
A pre-inquest review into Varley's death had heard that he had died from bronchopneumonia due to long-term complications from a head injury.
Toye has been bailed to appear before Great Yarmouth Magistrates' Court on 28 October.
Last updated Fri 25 Sep 2015
Dad with history of DV facing 1st-degree murder charge in drowning death of 3-year-old daughter; attempted murder for 5- and 7-year olds (Durham, North Carolina)
Dad is identified as ALAN LASSITER.
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5929467-father-accused-of-trying-to-drown-kids-facing-murder-charge-after-child-dies/
Sep 24, 2015
Father accused of trying to drown kids facing murder charge after child dies
DURHAM COUNTY JAIL, NYT
Alan Lassiter, who called 911 and said he had tried to drown his daughters, has been charged after one of the children died
Hamilton Spectator
By Emery P. Dalesio
DURHAM, N.C. A North Carolina man accused of trying to drown his children in a pond at an apartment complex is facing a first-degree murder charge after his 3-year-old daughter died, police said Thursday.
Durham Police spokeswoman Kammie Michael said Alan Tysheen Lassiter is now charged with first-degree murder in the death of 3-year-old Calista Lassiter, who died at a hospital Wednesday.
It was three days ago that, according to police, Alan Lassiter tried to drown the girl and her sister in a pond at an apartment complex. Michael said the child was entirely underwater when an off-duty sheriff's deputy pulled her from the pond Sunday night.
Prior to the girl's death, the elder Lassiter was charged with three counts of attempted murder for trying to kill the three children. The 5-year-old who was floating in the pond crying has been released from the hospital, police said. The 7-year-old boy got away from his father and ran for help, they said.
Lassiter is jailed on $2 million bond and is awaiting a court hearing next month.
On Sunday night, Lassiter flagged down passers-by at the Audubon Lake apartments and told them he thought his son had been kidnapped and needed help finding him, apartment complex manager Sylvia Scott said Tuesday.
It wasn't until later that Lassiter told Scott and a 911 operator that he'd thrown his 3- and 5-year-old daughters in the pond, Scott said. The girls were pulled from about 5 feet of water by Durham County Sheriff's Deputy David Earp, who lives nearby.
Lassiter, 29, lived in Raleigh and apparently wound up at the apartment complex randomly, according to Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez.
Court records show Lassiter and his wife had a rocky start to their marriage six years ago.
Ashley Ivey sought a domestic violence protection order and signed a statement May 15, 2009, that said Lassiter "threatened to throw hot oil in my face and cut my hair off."
"He also threatened to take my son from me for a long time," the statement said. "All this started because I didn't want to marry him."
Ivey added that "things of this nature" had also happened previously.
Ivey voluntarily dismissed her complaint four days later.
Less than two weeks after that, Ivey and Lassiter were married.
The Associated Press
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5929467-father-accused-of-trying-to-drown-kids-facing-murder-charge-after-child-dies/
Sep 24, 2015
Father accused of trying to drown kids facing murder charge after child dies
DURHAM COUNTY JAIL, NYT
Alan Lassiter, who called 911 and said he had tried to drown his daughters, has been charged after one of the children died
Hamilton Spectator
By Emery P. Dalesio
DURHAM, N.C. A North Carolina man accused of trying to drown his children in a pond at an apartment complex is facing a first-degree murder charge after his 3-year-old daughter died, police said Thursday.
Durham Police spokeswoman Kammie Michael said Alan Tysheen Lassiter is now charged with first-degree murder in the death of 3-year-old Calista Lassiter, who died at a hospital Wednesday.
It was three days ago that, according to police, Alan Lassiter tried to drown the girl and her sister in a pond at an apartment complex. Michael said the child was entirely underwater when an off-duty sheriff's deputy pulled her from the pond Sunday night.
Prior to the girl's death, the elder Lassiter was charged with three counts of attempted murder for trying to kill the three children. The 5-year-old who was floating in the pond crying has been released from the hospital, police said. The 7-year-old boy got away from his father and ran for help, they said.
Lassiter is jailed on $2 million bond and is awaiting a court hearing next month.
On Sunday night, Lassiter flagged down passers-by at the Audubon Lake apartments and told them he thought his son had been kidnapped and needed help finding him, apartment complex manager Sylvia Scott said Tuesday.
It wasn't until later that Lassiter told Scott and a 911 operator that he'd thrown his 3- and 5-year-old daughters in the pond, Scott said. The girls were pulled from about 5 feet of water by Durham County Sheriff's Deputy David Earp, who lives nearby.
Lassiter, 29, lived in Raleigh and apparently wound up at the apartment complex randomly, according to Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez.
Court records show Lassiter and his wife had a rocky start to their marriage six years ago.
Ashley Ivey sought a domestic violence protection order and signed a statement May 15, 2009, that said Lassiter "threatened to throw hot oil in my face and cut my hair off."
"He also threatened to take my son from me for a long time," the statement said. "All this started because I didn't want to marry him."
Ivey added that "things of this nature" had also happened previously.
Ivey voluntarily dismissed her complaint four days later.
Less than two weeks after that, Ivey and Lassiter were married.
The Associated Press
Friday, September 25, 2015
Dad convicted of sexual torture, rape of sons; gets reduced sentenced as justices feared "crushing" him (Brisbane, Australia)
Golly, we wouldn't want to "crush" this poor dear with a longer prison sentence, would we?
Talk about misplaced sympathies...
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/grotesque-father-jailed-for-raping-sexually-torturing-his-sons-as-children-and-adults/story-fnihsrk2-1227541735717
‘Grotesque’ father jailed for raping, sexually torturing his sons as children and adults September 23, 2015 9:05pm
Sean Fewster The Advertiser
A MAN who forced his wife and sons to live a “grotesque” transient lifestyle so he could sexually torture them without fear of exposure deserves 43 years in jail, a court says.
In a judgment published online, the Court of Criminal Appeal overturned a minimum eight-year jail term imposed, by the District Court, upon the man for his crimes.
Justices Tom Gray, John Sulan and David Lovell unanimously agreed the man deserved to serve 43 years, but reduced that term to 20 years so as not to “crush” him.
They noted that, even with the reduction, their decision makes it possible the man, 67, will die in jail.
“He deliberately subjected his family to a nomadic existence (and) purposely isolated them so his acts of physical and sexual abuse could be committed without fear of exposure,” they said.
“The offending involved repeated sexual abuse when (his son) was a child ... he was then subject to rape on two occasions when an adult ... (the man) acted to reassert his dominance.
“In our view, the penalty imposed ... inadequate, and manifestly so, considering the grotesque circumstances of this case.”
The man, whose identity is suppressed, was convicted of the persistent sexual exploitation of his two sons, as well as raping each of them after they became adults.
When he appealed against his conviction and sentence, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions argued his penalty was too lenient and should be increased.
In their judgment, Justices Gray, Sulan and Lovell rejected the man’s appeal, saying his offending occurred against “a backdrop” of “subjugation and control”.
They said the man’s offending began in the 1970s, when he constantly moved his family between states to prevent them forming social ties or obtaining proper educations.
He would force his sons to dress in their mother’s clothing before sexually assaulting them, sometimes tying them up or using objects to abuse them.
“He abused his family physically, sexually, emotionally and financially,” they said. “It was frequent, violent and punitive ... it became more violent when the complainants tried to resist his sexual advances.”
They said the offending continued through to 2006, when the sons were in their early 30s.
Justices Gray, Sulan and Lovell agreed with prosecutors that the original sentencing judge should not have allowed the man to serve some of his jail time concurrently.
They said concurrency should not have been employed when some of the offences were against the sons as children, and others after they were adults.
They said his crimes against one son warranted a 26-year term, with a further 17 years for the offending against his other son.
“If the above sentences were imposed, he would face a total term of imprisonment of 43 years ... such a lengthy term of imprisonment would be crushing,” they said.
“In the circumstances, the principle of totality should be applied to avoid a crushing result.
“We sentence the defendant to one term of 20 years and fix a non-parole period of 12 years.”
Talk about misplaced sympathies...
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/grotesque-father-jailed-for-raping-sexually-torturing-his-sons-as-children-and-adults/story-fnihsrk2-1227541735717
‘Grotesque’ father jailed for raping, sexually torturing his sons as children and adults September 23, 2015 9:05pm
Sean Fewster The Advertiser
A MAN who forced his wife and sons to live a “grotesque” transient lifestyle so he could sexually torture them without fear of exposure deserves 43 years in jail, a court says.
In a judgment published online, the Court of Criminal Appeal overturned a minimum eight-year jail term imposed, by the District Court, upon the man for his crimes.
Justices Tom Gray, John Sulan and David Lovell unanimously agreed the man deserved to serve 43 years, but reduced that term to 20 years so as not to “crush” him.
They noted that, even with the reduction, their decision makes it possible the man, 67, will die in jail.
“He deliberately subjected his family to a nomadic existence (and) purposely isolated them so his acts of physical and sexual abuse could be committed without fear of exposure,” they said.
“The offending involved repeated sexual abuse when (his son) was a child ... he was then subject to rape on two occasions when an adult ... (the man) acted to reassert his dominance.
“In our view, the penalty imposed ... inadequate, and manifestly so, considering the grotesque circumstances of this case.”
The man, whose identity is suppressed, was convicted of the persistent sexual exploitation of his two sons, as well as raping each of them after they became adults.
When he appealed against his conviction and sentence, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions argued his penalty was too lenient and should be increased.
In their judgment, Justices Gray, Sulan and Lovell rejected the man’s appeal, saying his offending occurred against “a backdrop” of “subjugation and control”.
They said the man’s offending began in the 1970s, when he constantly moved his family between states to prevent them forming social ties or obtaining proper educations.
He would force his sons to dress in their mother’s clothing before sexually assaulting them, sometimes tying them up or using objects to abuse them.
“He abused his family physically, sexually, emotionally and financially,” they said. “It was frequent, violent and punitive ... it became more violent when the complainants tried to resist his sexual advances.”
They said the offending continued through to 2006, when the sons were in their early 30s.
Justices Gray, Sulan and Lovell agreed with prosecutors that the original sentencing judge should not have allowed the man to serve some of his jail time concurrently.
They said concurrency should not have been employed when some of the offences were against the sons as children, and others after they were adults.
They said his crimes against one son warranted a 26-year term, with a further 17 years for the offending against his other son.
“If the above sentences were imposed, he would face a total term of imprisonment of 43 years ... such a lengthy term of imprisonment would be crushing,” they said.
“In the circumstances, the principle of totality should be applied to avoid a crushing result.
“We sentence the defendant to one term of 20 years and fix a non-parole period of 12 years.”
Sole custody dad due in court on assault charges; son still in coma (East Brookfield, Massachusetts)
This poor little boy has been in a coma for over two months now--not good.
Somehow, this crazy piece of sh** was favored over the mother and grandmother for child custody--fathers rights, you know. Even ongoing CPS "monitoring" didn't save this boy.
Dad is identified as RANDALL LINTS. We've posted on him before.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20150923/NEWS/150929579
Injured Hardwick boy's father due in court Oct. 21
By Kim Ring
Telegram & Gazette Staff Posted Sep. 23, 2015 at 9:09 PM
EAST BROOKFIELD - A Hardwick father accused of beating and starving his 7-year-old son is due back in Western Worcester District Court October 21.
Randall Lints, 26, who lived at 16 Bridge St., in the Gilbertville section of Hardwick, is charged with assault and battery on a child with substantial injury, permitting substantial injury to a child, reckless endangerment of a child and permitting injury to a child. His son, Jack Loiselle, is now in a rehabilitation facility where, at last word, he was stable but unresponsive, according to state officials.
Mr. Lints was charged when Jack ended up comatose in his second-floor apartment July 14 after allegedly being abused. The child was being monitored by the state Department of Children and Families over concerns that Mr. Lints was withholding food and water from the child in an attempt to manage his behavior, court documents show.
The father of three children had custody of his son for about a year. Before that Jack had been cared for by his grandparents and became the subject of a custody battle involving them. He lived with his mother, Amber Loiselle, for a time during his early years.
Mr.Lints had a court date on Wednesday but did not appear in the courtroom. A spokesman for Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said his next appearance was scheduled for Oct. 21.
Somehow, this crazy piece of sh** was favored over the mother and grandmother for child custody--fathers rights, you know. Even ongoing CPS "monitoring" didn't save this boy.
Dad is identified as RANDALL LINTS. We've posted on him before.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20150923/NEWS/150929579
Injured Hardwick boy's father due in court Oct. 21
By Kim Ring
Telegram & Gazette Staff Posted Sep. 23, 2015 at 9:09 PM
EAST BROOKFIELD - A Hardwick father accused of beating and starving his 7-year-old son is due back in Western Worcester District Court October 21.
Randall Lints, 26, who lived at 16 Bridge St., in the Gilbertville section of Hardwick, is charged with assault and battery on a child with substantial injury, permitting substantial injury to a child, reckless endangerment of a child and permitting injury to a child. His son, Jack Loiselle, is now in a rehabilitation facility where, at last word, he was stable but unresponsive, according to state officials.
Mr. Lints was charged when Jack ended up comatose in his second-floor apartment July 14 after allegedly being abused. The child was being monitored by the state Department of Children and Families over concerns that Mr. Lints was withholding food and water from the child in an attempt to manage his behavior, court documents show.
The father of three children had custody of his son for about a year. Before that Jack had been cared for by his grandparents and became the subject of a custody battle involving them. He lived with his mother, Amber Loiselle, for a time during his early years.
Mr.Lints had a court date on Wednesday but did not appear in the courtroom. A spokesman for Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said his next appearance was scheduled for Oct. 21.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Dad with child visitation "disagreement" shoots 1-month-old baby, mother in church; clergyman also injured (Selma, Alabama)
Once again, we see how the news media buries the motive. This is what is happening here: Domestic abuser uses custody/visitation dispute to try to reassert his control. When that doesn't work, he shoots Mom and the baby.
Confusing to ignorant or naïve people who assume that if Daddy is fighting for custody/visitation, it must be because he loves his kids. Nope. He's only out to hurt Mom. Period.
Dad is identified as JAMES JUNIOR MINTER.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/09/20/3-people-hurt-in-alabama-church-shooting-suspect-arrested/
3 people hurt in Alabama church shooting; suspect arrested
Published September 20, 2015
Associated Press
Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson says James Minter has been charged with three counts of attempted murder.
(AP) A man has been charged with three counts of attempted murder after shooting his girlfriend, their baby and a clergyman at a church in Alabama, authorities said Sunday.
James Junior Minter, 26, of Selma, Alabama, was arrested after opening fire during services at the Oasis Tabernacle Church in East Selma, Alabama, according to Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson. Jackson said the woman was Minter's girlfriend and that the shooting stemmed from a domestic situation.
Witnesses told police that Minter entered the church and sat in the front row between his girlfriend and the baby, according to a statement released by the Selma Police Department. Minter then pulled out a handgun and started shooting, the statement said. The girlfriend, 24, fell to the ground, and Minter fired at her, striking her in the jaw and shoulder. The baby, a 1-month-old boy, was shot in the hand.
The church's pastor, 61, then grabbed Minter and was shot in the leg. Members of the congregation helped subdue Minter and managed to wrest away his gun, according to police. Minter then ran out of the church.
The pastor was taken to a local emergency room for treatment, while the woman and baby were taken to a hospital in Birmingham. The victims are in stable condition.
After the shooting, Minter fled the scene but was captured by police less than a mile away. His vehicle was left at the scene and a gun was recovered at the church, the statement said.
Minter is being held without bond at the Dallas County jail. The Selma Police Department said Minter may face other charges and that a possible motive for the shooting was a disagreement over child visitation and ongoing domestic violence between the couple.
Confusing to ignorant or naïve people who assume that if Daddy is fighting for custody/visitation, it must be because he loves his kids. Nope. He's only out to hurt Mom. Period.
Dad is identified as JAMES JUNIOR MINTER.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/09/20/3-people-hurt-in-alabama-church-shooting-suspect-arrested/
3 people hurt in Alabama church shooting; suspect arrested
Published September 20, 2015
Associated Press
Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson says James Minter has been charged with three counts of attempted murder.
(AP) A man has been charged with three counts of attempted murder after shooting his girlfriend, their baby and a clergyman at a church in Alabama, authorities said Sunday.
James Junior Minter, 26, of Selma, Alabama, was arrested after opening fire during services at the Oasis Tabernacle Church in East Selma, Alabama, according to Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson. Jackson said the woman was Minter's girlfriend and that the shooting stemmed from a domestic situation.
Witnesses told police that Minter entered the church and sat in the front row between his girlfriend and the baby, according to a statement released by the Selma Police Department. Minter then pulled out a handgun and started shooting, the statement said. The girlfriend, 24, fell to the ground, and Minter fired at her, striking her in the jaw and shoulder. The baby, a 1-month-old boy, was shot in the hand.
The church's pastor, 61, then grabbed Minter and was shot in the leg. Members of the congregation helped subdue Minter and managed to wrest away his gun, according to police. Minter then ran out of the church.
The pastor was taken to a local emergency room for treatment, while the woman and baby were taken to a hospital in Birmingham. The victims are in stable condition.
After the shooting, Minter fled the scene but was captured by police less than a mile away. His vehicle was left at the scene and a gun was recovered at the church, the statement said.
Minter is being held without bond at the Dallas County jail. The Selma Police Department said Minter may face other charges and that a possible motive for the shooting was a disagreement over child visitation and ongoing domestic violence between the couple.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Spate of child abuse dominated by fathers (Nigeria)
Notice that every example involves a father. Not one mother. Just one step.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201509161357.html
Nigeria: On the Spate of Child Abuse
As children resume for another school year, the gravity and magnitude of the horrific incidents of child abuse during the holiday period should be food for thought for parents, counsellors, school managers as well as authorities concerned with the protection of children.
During the long holiday, newspapers were awash with shocking cases of child abuse in the same manner the electronic media featured them. In many newspapers, no day passed without a reportage of rape cases, many of which were perpetrated by fathers and uncles or some familiar care-giver.
Of equal frequency was the hyped value of corporal punishment, which was taken to the level of absurdity as fathers turn their homes into torture chambers. For instance, eight year-old Shina Adegbola, a primary three pupil had his buttocks lacerated by his father who bloodied them with a stick because the poor boy stole his N500. The boy, who later returned the money upon request, claimed he stole the money because he was hungry, and his father and stepmother refused to feed him.
Kafayat, a 12 year-old girl, had her body scourged with wire whips by her father, when she intervened in a violent domestic squabble between her umemployed father and mother. Five year-old Olamilekan had bloody sores on his body inflicted on him when his father beat him with wire whips. Another five year-old, was so brutally beaten by his father that he had a broken neck. Precious, a nine year-old, had burns on his arms inflicted by his father who used pressing iron on him. The same kind of injury was inflicted on another Kafayat, 16, by her father.
In a suburb of Calabar, Cross River State, another frustrated father, Monday Okon Inyang, attempted to sell his 11-year-old son, David for N100,000 before being arrested by police. The unemployed and impecunious Inyang claimed his son confessed that he was a wizard and was responsible for his father's predicament.
What is curious in all this is that these kids did not want to return to their homes for fear of the monster, they call parents.
Contrary to the views of perpetrators who justified the use of extreme punishment and physical violence as a way of training the child, rights groups and experts in child psychology and education are unanimous that inflicting injuries and physical assault on a child is neither punishment nor any means of reforming or correcting a child. Like these experts have rightly submitted, waywardness of a child should be blamed on an interplay of economic, social and physical environment in which a child is brought up. In the same vein, the harsh economic environment, with its effect on the emotional stability and psychological state of parents and guardians, is adduced as a reason for abuse. Others are the abysmal family lifestyle of individualism and atomisation that creates an absence of communication between parent/guardian and children, the tensed, overcrowded squalid environment with their susceptibility to aggression and violence, and also the traditional belief that extreme punishment is tantamount to child training.
Whatever the justification given, extreme punishment and infliction of injuries have negative effects on children. The experiences of child psychologists and psychiatrists as well as everyday happenings are not enough to make all appreciate the rampancy of this monstrosity. Like all other kinds of child abuse, maltreatment of children or infliction of injuries destroys quality parent-child relationship, creating a situation of mistrust and animosity. It dehumanises the child and imbues him or her with a low self-esteem and poor self value that may develop into emotional problems in future. It also perpetrates a tradition of aggression and abuse; for maltreated children are likely to inflict such negative treatments on their own children when they become adults. Above all, extreme punishment in the form of frequent physical violence and infliction of injury are likely to negatively affect the cognitive function of the child.
If the saying, today's children are the leaders of tomorrow, is anything to go by, then public and private initiatives must synergise to safeguard the future of these abused children. In this regard, observant adults and neighbours should endeavour to report cases of abuse, as was the case of a nurse at the Igando General Hospital, in Lagos who having observed the gravity of injuries allegedly inflicted on Shina by his father, the child earlier mentioned, tactfully got his address and phone and reported the erring father to a civil society organisation for action.
On its part, government and relevant authorities should effectively enforce the Child Rights Act by ensuring that parents, care-givers and formal guardians who infringe on the rights of children are prosecuted. Often, many parents have resorted to religious injunctions and some uncritical submissions of African traditions as justifications for wanton abuse of children. While the regularly cited communitarian practice of the African may be upheld for its benefit to foster collective responsibility for the safety of the child, the pedagogic and social value of this practice must be questioned when it sets extreme punishment and physical violence as a guide for moral education.
Besides, civil organisations, faith-based associations and cultural groups should educate parents and parents-to-be on the tasking responsibilities of parenting. These bodies should disseminate positive personality -enhancing methods of corrections such as regular family meetings, positive reinforcement of behaviour, amongst others. Parents, guardians and care-givers should be made to understand that whilst discipline is a necessary condition for proper education of children, inflicting injuries and violent approaches to child training amount to abuse.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201509161357.html
Nigeria: On the Spate of Child Abuse
As children resume for another school year, the gravity and magnitude of the horrific incidents of child abuse during the holiday period should be food for thought for parents, counsellors, school managers as well as authorities concerned with the protection of children.
During the long holiday, newspapers were awash with shocking cases of child abuse in the same manner the electronic media featured them. In many newspapers, no day passed without a reportage of rape cases, many of which were perpetrated by fathers and uncles or some familiar care-giver.
Of equal frequency was the hyped value of corporal punishment, which was taken to the level of absurdity as fathers turn their homes into torture chambers. For instance, eight year-old Shina Adegbola, a primary three pupil had his buttocks lacerated by his father who bloodied them with a stick because the poor boy stole his N500. The boy, who later returned the money upon request, claimed he stole the money because he was hungry, and his father and stepmother refused to feed him.
Kafayat, a 12 year-old girl, had her body scourged with wire whips by her father, when she intervened in a violent domestic squabble between her umemployed father and mother. Five year-old Olamilekan had bloody sores on his body inflicted on him when his father beat him with wire whips. Another five year-old, was so brutally beaten by his father that he had a broken neck. Precious, a nine year-old, had burns on his arms inflicted by his father who used pressing iron on him. The same kind of injury was inflicted on another Kafayat, 16, by her father.
In a suburb of Calabar, Cross River State, another frustrated father, Monday Okon Inyang, attempted to sell his 11-year-old son, David for N100,000 before being arrested by police. The unemployed and impecunious Inyang claimed his son confessed that he was a wizard and was responsible for his father's predicament.
What is curious in all this is that these kids did not want to return to their homes for fear of the monster, they call parents.
Contrary to the views of perpetrators who justified the use of extreme punishment and physical violence as a way of training the child, rights groups and experts in child psychology and education are unanimous that inflicting injuries and physical assault on a child is neither punishment nor any means of reforming or correcting a child. Like these experts have rightly submitted, waywardness of a child should be blamed on an interplay of economic, social and physical environment in which a child is brought up. In the same vein, the harsh economic environment, with its effect on the emotional stability and psychological state of parents and guardians, is adduced as a reason for abuse. Others are the abysmal family lifestyle of individualism and atomisation that creates an absence of communication between parent/guardian and children, the tensed, overcrowded squalid environment with their susceptibility to aggression and violence, and also the traditional belief that extreme punishment is tantamount to child training.
Whatever the justification given, extreme punishment and infliction of injuries have negative effects on children. The experiences of child psychologists and psychiatrists as well as everyday happenings are not enough to make all appreciate the rampancy of this monstrosity. Like all other kinds of child abuse, maltreatment of children or infliction of injuries destroys quality parent-child relationship, creating a situation of mistrust and animosity. It dehumanises the child and imbues him or her with a low self-esteem and poor self value that may develop into emotional problems in future. It also perpetrates a tradition of aggression and abuse; for maltreated children are likely to inflict such negative treatments on their own children when they become adults. Above all, extreme punishment in the form of frequent physical violence and infliction of injury are likely to negatively affect the cognitive function of the child.
If the saying, today's children are the leaders of tomorrow, is anything to go by, then public and private initiatives must synergise to safeguard the future of these abused children. In this regard, observant adults and neighbours should endeavour to report cases of abuse, as was the case of a nurse at the Igando General Hospital, in Lagos who having observed the gravity of injuries allegedly inflicted on Shina by his father, the child earlier mentioned, tactfully got his address and phone and reported the erring father to a civil society organisation for action.
On its part, government and relevant authorities should effectively enforce the Child Rights Act by ensuring that parents, care-givers and formal guardians who infringe on the rights of children are prosecuted. Often, many parents have resorted to religious injunctions and some uncritical submissions of African traditions as justifications for wanton abuse of children. While the regularly cited communitarian practice of the African may be upheld for its benefit to foster collective responsibility for the safety of the child, the pedagogic and social value of this practice must be questioned when it sets extreme punishment and physical violence as a guide for moral education.
Besides, civil organisations, faith-based associations and cultural groups should educate parents and parents-to-be on the tasking responsibilities of parenting. These bodies should disseminate positive personality -enhancing methods of corrections such as regular family meetings, positive reinforcement of behaviour, amongst others. Parents, guardians and care-givers should be made to understand that whilst discipline is a necessary condition for proper education of children, inflicting injuries and violent approaches to child training amount to abuse.
Dad admits killing 9-week-old daughter (Australia)
The more-useless-than-trash father is identified as BRETT ANDREW KITCHIN.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-18/father-brett-andrew-kitchen-admits-to-shaking-murder-of-his-baby/6786918
Baby shaking murder: Brett Andrew Kitchin admits to killing nine-week old daughter
By Sallese Gibson
Posted Thu at 11:40pm
A northern Tasmanian man has pleaded guilty to the shaking murder of his nine-week-old daughter. Azzali Dolcie May Thomson died of head injuries in February 2014, consistent with being shaken forcefully.
Her 28-year-old father, Brett Andrew Kitchin, was charged with her murder and ill-treatment.
He had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, but entered guilty pleas in the Supreme Court in Launceston this morning.
The court heard Kitchin regularly squeezed, shook, poked and pinched his daughter over a six-week period, causing multiple rib fractures and severe bruising.
Police prosecutors told the court Kitchin got into a rage after having difficulty feeding his daughter and applied pressure to her neck, squeezed her chest and shook her forcefully, causing the massive brain injuries that resulted in her death.
Court hears details of crime The court heard Kitchin woke to feed Azzali at 7:00am on February 2, 2014, and became angry when it became difficult.
He shook her forcefully, causing massive brain injuries, fractured shoulders and ribs and bruising to her neck, jaw and face.
He then put her back into the bassinet and went back to bed.
Azzali continued to scream for several hours.
Her mother tried to feed her at 11:00am and noticed she would not open her mouth and had a swollen face.
Azzali was taken to the Launceston General Hospital at 1:20pm, in a semi-conscious state.
Kitchin told doctors he may have bumped Azzali's head when getting her out of the car.
An emergency CT scan found bleeding on her brain and showed a number of historic rib fractures.
She was airlifted to the Royal Hobart Hospital's neo-natal unit. Azzali died on February 6, after her life support was switched off.
The coroner found Azzali died of head injuries consistent with being shaken and that it was not clear which violent incident caused her death, as she had been subject to severe and progressive damage over a period of weeks.
The police prosecutor told the court Azzali was defenceless and that the violence inflicted on her was extreme.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-18/father-brett-andrew-kitchen-admits-to-shaking-murder-of-his-baby/6786918
Baby shaking murder: Brett Andrew Kitchin admits to killing nine-week old daughter
By Sallese Gibson
Posted Thu at 11:40pm
A northern Tasmanian man has pleaded guilty to the shaking murder of his nine-week-old daughter. Azzali Dolcie May Thomson died of head injuries in February 2014, consistent with being shaken forcefully.
Her 28-year-old father, Brett Andrew Kitchin, was charged with her murder and ill-treatment.
He had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, but entered guilty pleas in the Supreme Court in Launceston this morning.
The court heard Kitchin regularly squeezed, shook, poked and pinched his daughter over a six-week period, causing multiple rib fractures and severe bruising.
Police prosecutors told the court Kitchin got into a rage after having difficulty feeding his daughter and applied pressure to her neck, squeezed her chest and shook her forcefully, causing the massive brain injuries that resulted in her death.
Court hears details of crime The court heard Kitchin woke to feed Azzali at 7:00am on February 2, 2014, and became angry when it became difficult.
He shook her forcefully, causing massive brain injuries, fractured shoulders and ribs and bruising to her neck, jaw and face.
He then put her back into the bassinet and went back to bed.
Azzali continued to scream for several hours.
Her mother tried to feed her at 11:00am and noticed she would not open her mouth and had a swollen face.
Azzali was taken to the Launceston General Hospital at 1:20pm, in a semi-conscious state.
Kitchin told doctors he may have bumped Azzali's head when getting her out of the car.
An emergency CT scan found bleeding on her brain and showed a number of historic rib fractures.
She was airlifted to the Royal Hobart Hospital's neo-natal unit. Azzali died on February 6, after her life support was switched off.
The coroner found Azzali died of head injuries consistent with being shaken and that it was not clear which violent incident caused her death, as she had been subject to severe and progressive damage over a period of weeks.
The police prosecutor told the court Azzali was defenceless and that the violence inflicted on her was extreme.
Dad charged with killing 7-month-old daughter; mom speaks out (Perth, Australia)
Dad identified as PAUL COSGROVE.
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/sevenmonthold-lilys-mother-speaks-of-heartbreak-over-daughters-death-20150917-gjpatv.html
Seven-month-old Lily's mother speaks of heartbreak over daughter's death
Date September 18, 2015
Ray Sparvell
The mother of a baby girl, who died from grievous injuries allegedly inflicted by her father, has spoken of her heartbreak.
Emma Jane Cosgrove struggled to speak as she recounted the family tragedy to reporters at the family home on Thursday.
"I put Lily to bed on Sunday night and didn't disturb her before leaving for work on Monday morning," she said.
Ms Cosgrove said she called an ambulance when she returned home Monday night and found Lily unconscious.
Detectives from the Major Crime Squad were later called to Princess Margaret Hospital to investigate the injuries the little girl had sustained.
Seven-month-old Lily died on Wednesday - the same day her 23-year-old father Paul Cosgrove appeared at Perth Magistrates Court charged with aggravated grievous bodily harm.
"No one could save her," Ms Cosgrove said. "She died because she had brain damage.
"I'm in shock really. I still can't believe my baby girl's not here... that this morning I didn't see her face looking at me with a smile first thing in the morning... smiling at me because it was morning and she was just so happy to be alive to see her mummy," she said.
Ms Cosgrove said she saw Lily's smiling face every time she closed her eyes.
"I'm always going to remember that she loved me more than anyone and I loved her more than anyone. We were best mates. I just loved every minute of being her mum."
"That's why she went. She was just too perfect and too happy and too good [for this world]. She just didn't belong here.
"I want everyone to pray that she's okay. That she's happy and not fretting for me and that she and I will be together again when it's my turn and we will never, ever be apart again."
Lily's grandmother Angela Cosgrove said Lily had just learned to wave and kiss people goodbye. She said the family was "devastated" by the loss of "Lilly-Pilly".
"She was the happiest, smiliest baby I've ever met. She charmed everyone."
Mr Cosgrove's charge may be reviewed following a post-mortem examination.
He has been remanded in custody and will next appear at Perth Magistrates Court on September 30.
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/sevenmonthold-lilys-mother-speaks-of-heartbreak-over-daughters-death-20150917-gjpatv.html
Seven-month-old Lily's mother speaks of heartbreak over daughter's death
Date September 18, 2015
Ray Sparvell
The mother of a baby girl, who died from grievous injuries allegedly inflicted by her father, has spoken of her heartbreak.
Emma Jane Cosgrove struggled to speak as she recounted the family tragedy to reporters at the family home on Thursday.
"I put Lily to bed on Sunday night and didn't disturb her before leaving for work on Monday morning," she said.
Ms Cosgrove said she called an ambulance when she returned home Monday night and found Lily unconscious.
Detectives from the Major Crime Squad were later called to Princess Margaret Hospital to investigate the injuries the little girl had sustained.
Seven-month-old Lily died on Wednesday - the same day her 23-year-old father Paul Cosgrove appeared at Perth Magistrates Court charged with aggravated grievous bodily harm.
"No one could save her," Ms Cosgrove said. "She died because she had brain damage.
"I'm in shock really. I still can't believe my baby girl's not here... that this morning I didn't see her face looking at me with a smile first thing in the morning... smiling at me because it was morning and she was just so happy to be alive to see her mummy," she said.
Ms Cosgrove said she saw Lily's smiling face every time she closed her eyes.
"I'm always going to remember that she loved me more than anyone and I loved her more than anyone. We were best mates. I just loved every minute of being her mum."
"That's why she went. She was just too perfect and too happy and too good [for this world]. She just didn't belong here.
"I want everyone to pray that she's okay. That she's happy and not fretting for me and that she and I will be together again when it's my turn and we will never, ever be apart again."
Lily's grandmother Angela Cosgrove said Lily had just learned to wave and kiss people goodbye. She said the family was "devastated" by the loss of "Lilly-Pilly".
"She was the happiest, smiliest baby I've ever met. She charmed everyone."
Mr Cosgrove's charge may be reviewed following a post-mortem examination.
He has been remanded in custody and will next appear at Perth Magistrates Court on September 30.
Custodial dad, step "really sorry" about torture-murder of 6-year-old daughter (Calgary, Canada)
True to our Dastardly Dad axiom: A killer's dad's custodial status is neatly "forgotten" by the time he goes to trial. Though you wouldn't know it here, dad SPENCER JORDAN had primary custody of this murdered child. See our previous posts.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Canada.
http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/child-killers-face-no-chance-of-parole-for-21-years-for-torture-slaying
Couple apologizes before getting life for causing death of Meika Jordan, 6
Daryl Slade, Calgary Herald
Published on: September 18, 2015 | Last Updated: September 18, 2015 9:15 PM MDT
An apology by the father and stepmother of Meika Jordan, convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced on Friday to life with no parole for 17 years for the torture death of the six-year-old girl, was far past due, say the girl’s mother and stepfather.
“I thought it was too little, too late, something that should have happened four years ago,” the girl’s mother Kyla Woodhouse said outside court.
“When it comes down to it, it was decent of them to offer that to us. It’s a little bit of closure on our end to see them show some emotion and humanity out of this. But in no way do we accept it. It’s nothing people can apologize for.”
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Rosemary Nation said in sentencing the girl’s father Spencer Jordan, 28, and stepmother Marie Magoon, 26, that it was difficult to fathom how someone could do such heinous acts to a child.
“Words cannot describe the egregious nature of this crime,” she said. “That a parent and caregiver can abuse a child in such a way is horrendous. Children are our most prized … they are our future.”
Jordan and Magoon earlier told a courtroom packed with family and friends of the girl that they were sorry for the trauma they caused as a result of the fatal injuries they inflicted on Meika over the Nov. 10-13, 2011, weekend.
“I’m sorry, but sorry doesn’t bring her back,” Spencer Jordan, 28, told the girl’s family and friends, his voice cracking. “Sorry doesn’t bring her back, but I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry her brothers and sisters will not see her grow up.
“The victim is not me. (Meika) died in my care, under my roof. It’s my responsibility. I loved Meika, I still do and I miss her every single day. If I could bring her back, I would …”
Magoon, 26, was also emotional in reading her written statement.
“I’m really sorry for all the pain and suffering I caused,” she said. “It bothers me every day that I failed her. I really am sorry. I feel a lot of shame and I deeply regret my actions.
“My actions were painful, cruel and unforgivable. There are no excuses for my irresponsible behaviour. I wish I could take it all back. I have a great deal of remorse. I will do everything in my power to get better. I’m really sorry, Kyla, for taking your baby away. She was a beautiful soul.”
Before reading their statements, the couple listened intently as Kyla and Brian Woodhouse, Kyla’s sister Brittany Pinnell, Meika’s grandfather Kevin Kushner, and step-grandmother Heather Grady read their gut-wrenching victim impact statements.
“How does anyone put into words the loss of a child, my child, my baby girl,” a sobbing Kyla Woodhouse said. “Words cannot express the pain and loss, the sorrow and anguish, the sheer devastation myself and family have experienced these last few years without our Meika.
“I will never again get to see her smile, hear her laugh or watch her play, never get to meet her best friends or boyfriends, teach her how to do makeup or accessorize an outfit,” Woodhouse said.
“These things have been stolen from me in the worst way possible, by someone I once trusted. The feelings that run through me every day, I have to try to forgive and forget but the truth is I will never forget. I will not let her death be in vain.” Brian Woodhouse said Jordan and Magoon forced him to live through a parents’ worst nightmare, to receive the news in the middle of the night from officers at the door telling them of their child’s horrific injuries.
“But what you continued to do was much worse, so heinous and selfish,” he said. “You forced us to stand with you as we said our final goodbye and listened to her heart take its final beat. You forced us to allow you to be part of the decision making in the funeral for the child you murdered, sharing with you our day of grief and having to look into your faces as I stood before all and said our final goodbye that you forced us to have to say.”
Outside court, he told reporters he was pleased with the sentence, in that their kids will be of legal age before the killers can get out of prison and are able to look at anybody again.
“To know everything we went through didn’t fall on deaf ears and the judge heard our pleas, to know our side of things, is satisfying,” Brian Woodhouse said.
Crown prosecutors Susan Pepper and Hyatt Mograbee, who sought a sentence without parole for 21 years, were nevertheless content with the judge’s reasons.
“When a person is convicted, as they were convicted of murdering a child while in a position of trust, that brings up the sentence,” Mograbee said. “The sentence was within the range we proposed.”
Pepper said the case has been a long, arduous ordeal, and it is a relief for everybody.
“We were privileged to work with some many excellent people — police, experts, other citizens,” said Pepper. “But we want to acknowledge how grateful this has been for family — Kyla, Brian, family and friends. They’ve been here every step of the way. We hope they have happier times and bring an end to a horrible chapter in their lives.”
Pepper earlier told the judge that Meika Jordan’s death “involved abuse and suffering of a child at the hands of Jordan and Magoon over a long period of time.
“The court found as fact that Meika Jordan sustained head injuries, abdominal injuries, multiple bruises and abrasions when she was dragged over various surfaces, pulled up the stairs by her hair, she was missing hair, and had a burn on her hand from being held over a lighter.”
She also said the couple’s attempt to cover up the crime and failing to call 911 until it was too late are both aggravating factors that call for a longer prison sentence.
Magoon’s lawyer, Allan Fay, agreed with the Crown that his client deserved to spend more than the minimum required time in prison before becoming eligible for parole. But he said 13 to 15 years was appropriate.
“This case falls into the spectrum of horrendousness,” Fay added. “It’s hard for any of us to fathom how this could come to be. My client appreciates the tremendous trauma the family has suffered because of this incident. She acknowledges the feelings they have on her.”
Jordan’s lawyer Mitch Stephensen said his client, obviously, was “not the best father, but not for lack of trying.” #He sought a parole ineligibility period of 10 to 12 years.
“He wasn’t a cruel dad,” he said. “Mr. Jordan loved his daughter, too. He’s a victim here. You can blame him, but no one blames him more than himself.”
Stephensen noted that the judge, in convicting the parents of second-degree murder, decided they did not have the intent to kill, only that they recklessly caused the child’s injuries.
Jordan and Magoon faced first-degree murder charges at the start of trial, but the judge convicted them of the lesser charge, which draws a parole period of 10 to 25 years.
Had they been convicted of first-degree murder, they would have been handed automatic life terms without parole for 25 years.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Canada.
http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/child-killers-face-no-chance-of-parole-for-21-years-for-torture-slaying
Couple apologizes before getting life for causing death of Meika Jordan, 6
Daryl Slade, Calgary Herald
Published on: September 18, 2015 | Last Updated: September 18, 2015 9:15 PM MDT
An apology by the father and stepmother of Meika Jordan, convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced on Friday to life with no parole for 17 years for the torture death of the six-year-old girl, was far past due, say the girl’s mother and stepfather.
“I thought it was too little, too late, something that should have happened four years ago,” the girl’s mother Kyla Woodhouse said outside court.
“When it comes down to it, it was decent of them to offer that to us. It’s a little bit of closure on our end to see them show some emotion and humanity out of this. But in no way do we accept it. It’s nothing people can apologize for.”
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Rosemary Nation said in sentencing the girl’s father Spencer Jordan, 28, and stepmother Marie Magoon, 26, that it was difficult to fathom how someone could do such heinous acts to a child.
“Words cannot describe the egregious nature of this crime,” she said. “That a parent and caregiver can abuse a child in such a way is horrendous. Children are our most prized … they are our future.”
Jordan and Magoon earlier told a courtroom packed with family and friends of the girl that they were sorry for the trauma they caused as a result of the fatal injuries they inflicted on Meika over the Nov. 10-13, 2011, weekend.
“I’m sorry, but sorry doesn’t bring her back,” Spencer Jordan, 28, told the girl’s family and friends, his voice cracking. “Sorry doesn’t bring her back, but I’m sorry for everything. I’m sorry her brothers and sisters will not see her grow up.
“The victim is not me. (Meika) died in my care, under my roof. It’s my responsibility. I loved Meika, I still do and I miss her every single day. If I could bring her back, I would …”
Magoon, 26, was also emotional in reading her written statement.
“I’m really sorry for all the pain and suffering I caused,” she said. “It bothers me every day that I failed her. I really am sorry. I feel a lot of shame and I deeply regret my actions.
“My actions were painful, cruel and unforgivable. There are no excuses for my irresponsible behaviour. I wish I could take it all back. I have a great deal of remorse. I will do everything in my power to get better. I’m really sorry, Kyla, for taking your baby away. She was a beautiful soul.”
Before reading their statements, the couple listened intently as Kyla and Brian Woodhouse, Kyla’s sister Brittany Pinnell, Meika’s grandfather Kevin Kushner, and step-grandmother Heather Grady read their gut-wrenching victim impact statements.
“How does anyone put into words the loss of a child, my child, my baby girl,” a sobbing Kyla Woodhouse said. “Words cannot express the pain and loss, the sorrow and anguish, the sheer devastation myself and family have experienced these last few years without our Meika.
“I will never again get to see her smile, hear her laugh or watch her play, never get to meet her best friends or boyfriends, teach her how to do makeup or accessorize an outfit,” Woodhouse said.
“These things have been stolen from me in the worst way possible, by someone I once trusted. The feelings that run through me every day, I have to try to forgive and forget but the truth is I will never forget. I will not let her death be in vain.” Brian Woodhouse said Jordan and Magoon forced him to live through a parents’ worst nightmare, to receive the news in the middle of the night from officers at the door telling them of their child’s horrific injuries.
“But what you continued to do was much worse, so heinous and selfish,” he said. “You forced us to stand with you as we said our final goodbye and listened to her heart take its final beat. You forced us to allow you to be part of the decision making in the funeral for the child you murdered, sharing with you our day of grief and having to look into your faces as I stood before all and said our final goodbye that you forced us to have to say.”
Outside court, he told reporters he was pleased with the sentence, in that their kids will be of legal age before the killers can get out of prison and are able to look at anybody again.
“To know everything we went through didn’t fall on deaf ears and the judge heard our pleas, to know our side of things, is satisfying,” Brian Woodhouse said.
Crown prosecutors Susan Pepper and Hyatt Mograbee, who sought a sentence without parole for 21 years, were nevertheless content with the judge’s reasons.
“When a person is convicted, as they were convicted of murdering a child while in a position of trust, that brings up the sentence,” Mograbee said. “The sentence was within the range we proposed.”
Pepper said the case has been a long, arduous ordeal, and it is a relief for everybody.
“We were privileged to work with some many excellent people — police, experts, other citizens,” said Pepper. “But we want to acknowledge how grateful this has been for family — Kyla, Brian, family and friends. They’ve been here every step of the way. We hope they have happier times and bring an end to a horrible chapter in their lives.”
Pepper earlier told the judge that Meika Jordan’s death “involved abuse and suffering of a child at the hands of Jordan and Magoon over a long period of time.
“The court found as fact that Meika Jordan sustained head injuries, abdominal injuries, multiple bruises and abrasions when she was dragged over various surfaces, pulled up the stairs by her hair, she was missing hair, and had a burn on her hand from being held over a lighter.”
She also said the couple’s attempt to cover up the crime and failing to call 911 until it was too late are both aggravating factors that call for a longer prison sentence.
Magoon’s lawyer, Allan Fay, agreed with the Crown that his client deserved to spend more than the minimum required time in prison before becoming eligible for parole. But he said 13 to 15 years was appropriate.
“This case falls into the spectrum of horrendousness,” Fay added. “It’s hard for any of us to fathom how this could come to be. My client appreciates the tremendous trauma the family has suffered because of this incident. She acknowledges the feelings they have on her.”
Jordan’s lawyer Mitch Stephensen said his client, obviously, was “not the best father, but not for lack of trying.” #He sought a parole ineligibility period of 10 to 12 years.
“He wasn’t a cruel dad,” he said. “Mr. Jordan loved his daughter, too. He’s a victim here. You can blame him, but no one blames him more than himself.”
Stephensen noted that the judge, in convicting the parents of second-degree murder, decided they did not have the intent to kill, only that they recklessly caused the child’s injuries.
Jordan and Magoon faced first-degree murder charges at the start of trial, but the judge convicted them of the lesser charge, which draws a parole period of 10 to 25 years.
Had they been convicted of first-degree murder, they would have been handed automatic life terms without parole for 25 years.
Friday, September 18, 2015
"Custody dispute" dad FINALLY convicted of throwing 4-year-old daughter off cliff in 2000; didn't want to pay child support (Los Angeles, Califonria)
Dad CAMERON BROWN is FINALLY convicted after 15 years. It seems like we've been following this case forever.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for California.
http://news.yahoo.com/dad-convicted-hurling-child-off-cliff-faces-life-081109408.html
Dad convicted of hurling child off cliff faces life term
Associated Press
By BRIAN MELLEY 1 hour ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — She would be a young woman now, but instead Lauren Sarene Key is forever the 4-year-old girl who never returned from a visit to the shore with her father.
Nearly 15 years after the girl plunged to her death from a 120-foot seaside cliff, her father faces a sentence Friday of life in prison without parole for her murder.
Jurors found Cameron Brown, 53, a former airline baggage handler, guilty of hurling the girl from Inspiration Point in Rancho Palos Verdes in November 2000 amid a bitter custody dispute with her mother.
The first-degree murder conviction in May came about a dozen years after Brown was arrested and followed two previous trials when jurors decided the death was a crime, but they couldn't agree whether it was murder or manslaughter.
Brown told police the girl tripped and fell as she ran toward the cliff.
Defense lawyer Aron Laub said Brown was a bad father, but not a murderer. Laub disputed testimony by a prosecution expert that showed a girl her age wouldn't have been able to run fast enough to land where she did in the rocky ocean below. He asked jurors to convict Brown of manslaughter.
Brown and the girl's mother, Sarah Key-Marer, had a short-lived romance that soured when she got pregnant.
Brown wanted Key-Marer to get an abortion, and he even tried to get her deported to her British homeland,
Deputy District Attorney Craig Hum said. Hatred toward his ex-girlfriend was the key motive, though there was evidence that Brown was also trying to get out of costly child support payments, Hum said.
A witness came forward at the third trial who testified that Brown said it would be "nice to get rid of Lauren" to avoid $1,000-a-month payments.
Because jurors also found Brown killed the girl for financial gain and that he lay in wait, he faces a mandatory term of life without parole.
Key-Marer is expected to show up for the sentencing.
"All I ever wanted was that he would take responsibility for that day," she said after the verdict was announced.
After she left the courtroom that day weeping, however, Brown told the judge he was innocent.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for California.
http://news.yahoo.com/dad-convicted-hurling-child-off-cliff-faces-life-081109408.html
Dad convicted of hurling child off cliff faces life term
Associated Press
By BRIAN MELLEY 1 hour ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — She would be a young woman now, but instead Lauren Sarene Key is forever the 4-year-old girl who never returned from a visit to the shore with her father.
Nearly 15 years after the girl plunged to her death from a 120-foot seaside cliff, her father faces a sentence Friday of life in prison without parole for her murder.
Jurors found Cameron Brown, 53, a former airline baggage handler, guilty of hurling the girl from Inspiration Point in Rancho Palos Verdes in November 2000 amid a bitter custody dispute with her mother.
The first-degree murder conviction in May came about a dozen years after Brown was arrested and followed two previous trials when jurors decided the death was a crime, but they couldn't agree whether it was murder or manslaughter.
Brown told police the girl tripped and fell as she ran toward the cliff.
Defense lawyer Aron Laub said Brown was a bad father, but not a murderer. Laub disputed testimony by a prosecution expert that showed a girl her age wouldn't have been able to run fast enough to land where she did in the rocky ocean below. He asked jurors to convict Brown of manslaughter.
Brown and the girl's mother, Sarah Key-Marer, had a short-lived romance that soured when she got pregnant.
Brown wanted Key-Marer to get an abortion, and he even tried to get her deported to her British homeland,
Deputy District Attorney Craig Hum said. Hatred toward his ex-girlfriend was the key motive, though there was evidence that Brown was also trying to get out of costly child support payments, Hum said.
A witness came forward at the third trial who testified that Brown said it would be "nice to get rid of Lauren" to avoid $1,000-a-month payments.
Because jurors also found Brown killed the girl for financial gain and that he lay in wait, he faces a mandatory term of life without parole.
Key-Marer is expected to show up for the sentencing.
"All I ever wanted was that he would take responsibility for that day," she said after the verdict was announced.
After she left the courtroom that day weeping, however, Brown told the judge he was innocent.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Dad charged with assaulting 7-month-old daughter, now dead (Perth, Australia)
I fail to see how PAUL COSGROVE is a "wonderful" father....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-16/7-month-old-girl-dies-in-hospital-after-alleged-father-assault/6781308
Baby girl dies in Perth hospital as father appears in court charged with alleged assault
By Laura Gartry Updated Wed at 4:02am
Paul Cosgrove has been charged with assaulting his 7-month-old daughter
A seven-month-old baby girl has died in a Perth hospital after allegedly being assaulted by her father.
Lillian Angelique Cosgrove was taken to Swan District Hospital on Monday before being transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital.
Her father, 23-year-old Paul James Cosgrove, was today remanded in custody after facing court charged with aggravated grievous bodily harm.
The baby girl passed away in hospital later in the day, police said.
Police said the charge against Cosgrove would be reviewed once the results of a post-mortem examination were known.
Earlier, the Perth Magistrates Court heard the alleged assault on Lillian took place on Monday in Ellenbrook.
Mr Cosgrove did not apply for bail, and the case was adjourned for him to seek legal advice.
He was remanded in custody is due to appear again on 30 September.
Cosgrove's mother Delys Werrett was in court to support her son, and described her shock at hearing about her granddaughter.
"Devastating, absolutely devastating," she said.
Ms Werrett described her son as a wonderful father, and said he was not coping well since the arrest.
"Terrible, he wouldn't even look at me," she said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-16/7-month-old-girl-dies-in-hospital-after-alleged-father-assault/6781308
Baby girl dies in Perth hospital as father appears in court charged with alleged assault
By Laura Gartry Updated Wed at 4:02am
Paul Cosgrove has been charged with assaulting his 7-month-old daughter
A seven-month-old baby girl has died in a Perth hospital after allegedly being assaulted by her father.
Lillian Angelique Cosgrove was taken to Swan District Hospital on Monday before being transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital.
Her father, 23-year-old Paul James Cosgrove, was today remanded in custody after facing court charged with aggravated grievous bodily harm.
The baby girl passed away in hospital later in the day, police said.
Police said the charge against Cosgrove would be reviewed once the results of a post-mortem examination were known.
Earlier, the Perth Magistrates Court heard the alleged assault on Lillian took place on Monday in Ellenbrook.
Mr Cosgrove did not apply for bail, and the case was adjourned for him to seek legal advice.
He was remanded in custody is due to appear again on 30 September.
Cosgrove's mother Delys Werrett was in court to support her son, and described her shock at hearing about her granddaughter.
"Devastating, absolutely devastating," she said.
Ms Werrett described her son as a wonderful father, and said he was not coping well since the arrest.
"Terrible, he wouldn't even look at me," she said.
Joint custody dad on trial for manslaughter in death of 6-year-old daughter (Syracuse, New York)
Left out of this account is that the father had a criminal record, and that the protective mother had tried to curb his access to protect the children. Of course the family court system thwarted her wishes in favor of Fathers Rights.
Dad is identified as GLENN COLLINS JR.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for New York.
http://www.twcnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2015/09/15/glenn-collins-trial-update-first-day-of-testimony.html
Prosecution: Child Died After North Syracuse Father Ignored Risk of Generator
By Alexa Green
Updated Tuesday, September 15, 2015 at 06:08 PM EDT
Opening Statements Begin Tuesday in Trial of Man Accused of Leaving Kids to Gamble
09/14/2015 05:36 PM
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Both sides laid out their case Tuesday in the Glenn Collins Jr. manslaughter trial.
The North Syracuse man is accused of using a poorly ventilated generator that led to the death of his 6-year-old daughter.
During opening statements, the prosecution pointed out Collins had a background in hearing and cooling equipment.
In fact, according to prosecutors, Collins had worked as a contractor in the past for a HVAC business for more than 10 years.
Despite that, they argued, he ignored the risk and used a generator in his home without proper ventilation, which led to the death of his 6-year-old daughter from carbon monoxide poisoning.
His teenage son was also hospitalized, but survived.
Following opening arguments, six witnesses took the stand, many of whom were sheriff deputies, who were the first to arrive on scene.
Some of the most emotional testimony of the day was from Gabrielle's mother, Julianne Steinbrecher.
A few days after her daughter's death Steinbrecher testified she received a text message from Collins stating that he was home all night.
Prosecutors, though, insist Collins left the children at home while he went on a date to Turning Stone casino.
During cross examination, the defense questioned whether Steinbrecher had followed the most recent family court order.
She also testified Collins had monitored the home for CO2 before the incident, finding the levels to be safe.
In total, 26 witnesses are expected to take the stand.
Testimony will continue Wednesday.
Dad is identified as GLENN COLLINS JR.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for New York.
http://www.twcnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2015/09/15/glenn-collins-trial-update-first-day-of-testimony.html
Prosecution: Child Died After North Syracuse Father Ignored Risk of Generator
By Alexa Green
Updated Tuesday, September 15, 2015 at 06:08 PM EDT
Opening Statements Begin Tuesday in Trial of Man Accused of Leaving Kids to Gamble
09/14/2015 05:36 PM
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Both sides laid out their case Tuesday in the Glenn Collins Jr. manslaughter trial.
The North Syracuse man is accused of using a poorly ventilated generator that led to the death of his 6-year-old daughter.
During opening statements, the prosecution pointed out Collins had a background in hearing and cooling equipment.
In fact, according to prosecutors, Collins had worked as a contractor in the past for a HVAC business for more than 10 years.
Despite that, they argued, he ignored the risk and used a generator in his home without proper ventilation, which led to the death of his 6-year-old daughter from carbon monoxide poisoning.
His teenage son was also hospitalized, but survived.
Following opening arguments, six witnesses took the stand, many of whom were sheriff deputies, who were the first to arrive on scene.
Some of the most emotional testimony of the day was from Gabrielle's mother, Julianne Steinbrecher.
A few days after her daughter's death Steinbrecher testified she received a text message from Collins stating that he was home all night.
Prosecutors, though, insist Collins left the children at home while he went on a date to Turning Stone casino.
During cross examination, the defense questioned whether Steinbrecher had followed the most recent family court order.
She also testified Collins had monitored the home for CO2 before the incident, finding the levels to be safe.
In total, 26 witnesses are expected to take the stand.
Testimony will continue Wednesday.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Dad convicted of orally raping, murdering 15-week-old daughter (Michigan)
Dad is identified as STEVEN DEUMAN.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/steven-deuman-oral-rape-murder-baby-daughter_n_1903283.html
Steven Deuman Convicted Of Orally Raping, Murdering His Baby Daughter
Posted: 09/21/2012 10:16 am EDT
Updated: 09/21/2012 10:16 am EDT
A Michigan man has been found guilty of killing his 15-week-old daughter while orally raping her, Michigan Live reports.
Steven Deuman, 26, was convicted on Wednesday of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual assault. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole, according to the Associated Press.
Deuman's infant daughter, Evelynne Deuman, was found dead with a condom in her mouth on Aug. 12, 2011. The death occurred at Deuman's home on Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indian Reservation in northern Michigan.
Deuman had called the child's mother to say that he had left their daughter on the bed while stepped outside to smoke, but returned to find the girl on the floor, not breathing.
The prosecution argued that Deuman's story did not make sense, as the girl was too young to crawl or even roll.
"Even if [she did end up on the floor," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Phil Green, "how was she going to suck that condom up?"
Green called the case "as heinous as it gets."
An autopsy showed no evidence that the girl fell, CBS Detroit reports, and determined that she died of asphyxiation.
However, Ljubisa Jovan Dragovic, a forensic pathologist hired by the defense, testified that this did not prove Deuman raped or killed his daughter, according to Michigan Live.
"Anything's possible," Dragovic said in regards to the rape allegations, "but I have difficulty envisioning that."
Deuman maintains that he did not harm his daughter, and that her death was purely accidental.
Deuman's was a federal case because the child's death occurred on tribal land.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/21/steven-deuman-oral-rape-murder-baby-daughter_n_1903283.html
Steven Deuman Convicted Of Orally Raping, Murdering His Baby Daughter
Posted: 09/21/2012 10:16 am EDT
Updated: 09/21/2012 10:16 am EDT
A Michigan man has been found guilty of killing his 15-week-old daughter while orally raping her, Michigan Live reports.
Steven Deuman, 26, was convicted on Wednesday of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual assault. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole, according to the Associated Press.
Deuman's infant daughter, Evelynne Deuman, was found dead with a condom in her mouth on Aug. 12, 2011. The death occurred at Deuman's home on Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indian Reservation in northern Michigan.
Deuman had called the child's mother to say that he had left their daughter on the bed while stepped outside to smoke, but returned to find the girl on the floor, not breathing.
The prosecution argued that Deuman's story did not make sense, as the girl was too young to crawl or even roll.
"Even if [she did end up on the floor," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Phil Green, "how was she going to suck that condom up?"
Green called the case "as heinous as it gets."
An autopsy showed no evidence that the girl fell, CBS Detroit reports, and determined that she died of asphyxiation.
However, Ljubisa Jovan Dragovic, a forensic pathologist hired by the defense, testified that this did not prove Deuman raped or killed his daughter, according to Michigan Live.
"Anything's possible," Dragovic said in regards to the rape allegations, "but I have difficulty envisioning that."
Deuman maintains that he did not harm his daughter, and that her death was purely accidental.
Deuman's was a federal case because the child's death occurred on tribal land.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Custodial dad with history of chld abuse charged with capital murder in stabbing deaths of three sons (Los Angeles, California)
Now we find out how coddled custodial dad LUIS FUENTES was despite multiple complaints to CPS. Typical. So he kept on abusing the boys till he murdered them.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-father-charged-with-capital-murder-in-stabbing-deaths-of-three-sons-20150915-story.html
Father charged with capital murder in stabbing deaths of three sons
By Nicole Santa Cruz
September 15, 2015, 4:36 PM
A father accused of fatally stabbing his three young sons was charged Tuesday with capital murder, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office..
The children, Luis Fuentes, 10; Juan Daniel Fuentes, 9; and Alexander Fuentes, 8, were found in the backseat of a silver SUV in the 300 block of East 32nd Street the morning of Sept. 9.
Their father, Luis Fuentes, 33, was found in the front seat, seriously wounded. #Police believe he stabbed himself with a kitchen knife. Fuentes was charged with three counts of murder with an allegation of multiple murders.
Last week, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services launched an investigation into whether social workers had adequately probed several allegations that the boys were at risk and whether staff responded appropriately to what they learned.
The department's involvement with the family began in March 2010, when someone called the county's child abuse hotline to allege that the boys were being physically abused, said two officials who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case. Social workers were unable to prove or disprove the allegation and marked it inconclusive, the officials said.
Another hotline call alleging abuse came in September 2010. Social workers determined the allegation to be true, and lawyers for the department petitioned the juvenile court to open a case, officials said. The boys reportedly remained in the father's home until the case was closed about a year later.
Two more hotline calls alleging physical abuse were made in April 2014, the sources said. Social workers investigated the allegations, finally marking the claims "inconclusive" in October.
The department had no further contact following last year's hotline calls, despite at least one call to police about an argument in recent months. Investigators will now analyze whether police shared that report with the child abuse hotline.
Family and friends were shocked by the deaths. Byron Fuentes, the man’s brother, told The Times last week that the last time he saw Luis Fuentes was about a month ago. Lately, his brother had withdrawn from relatives. As tears welled in his eyes, he said family will always be family.
“I’m trying to process what happened, I just don’t understand it,” he said.
In the neighborhood where the family recently lived, neighbor Maria Munoz said her 10-year-old grandson would play on scooters with the three boys.
“I always saw them happy,” she said. “They were like normal kids.”
Fuentes is being held without bail and is due in court Wednesday.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-father-charged-with-capital-murder-in-stabbing-deaths-of-three-sons-20150915-story.html
Father charged with capital murder in stabbing deaths of three sons
By Nicole Santa Cruz
September 15, 2015, 4:36 PM
A father accused of fatally stabbing his three young sons was charged Tuesday with capital murder, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office..
The children, Luis Fuentes, 10; Juan Daniel Fuentes, 9; and Alexander Fuentes, 8, were found in the backseat of a silver SUV in the 300 block of East 32nd Street the morning of Sept. 9.
Their father, Luis Fuentes, 33, was found in the front seat, seriously wounded. #Police believe he stabbed himself with a kitchen knife. Fuentes was charged with three counts of murder with an allegation of multiple murders.
Last week, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services launched an investigation into whether social workers had adequately probed several allegations that the boys were at risk and whether staff responded appropriately to what they learned.
The department's involvement with the family began in March 2010, when someone called the county's child abuse hotline to allege that the boys were being physically abused, said two officials who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case. Social workers were unable to prove or disprove the allegation and marked it inconclusive, the officials said.
Another hotline call alleging abuse came in September 2010. Social workers determined the allegation to be true, and lawyers for the department petitioned the juvenile court to open a case, officials said. The boys reportedly remained in the father's home until the case was closed about a year later.
Two more hotline calls alleging physical abuse were made in April 2014, the sources said. Social workers investigated the allegations, finally marking the claims "inconclusive" in October.
The department had no further contact following last year's hotline calls, despite at least one call to police about an argument in recent months. Investigators will now analyze whether police shared that report with the child abuse hotline.
Family and friends were shocked by the deaths. Byron Fuentes, the man’s brother, told The Times last week that the last time he saw Luis Fuentes was about a month ago. Lately, his brother had withdrawn from relatives. As tears welled in his eyes, he said family will always be family.
“I’m trying to process what happened, I just don’t understand it,” he said.
In the neighborhood where the family recently lived, neighbor Maria Munoz said her 10-year-old grandson would play on scooters with the three boys.
“I always saw them happy,” she said. “They were like normal kids.”
Fuentes is being held without bail and is due in court Wednesday.
Custodial dad, step on trial for torture of 11-year-old son (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
UNNAMED DAD. No word as to what happened to this boy's mother.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-mountie-wife-continue-trial-on-severe-child-abuse-1.3226475
Ottawa Mountie, wife continue trial on severe child abuse
WARNING: Story contains graphic and disturbing details
CBC News Posted: Sep 13, 2015 4:47 PM ET
Last Updated: Sep 14, 2015 7:26 PM ET
An Ottawa Mountie and his wife were arrested in 2013 in what police called the "worst case of abuse police have seen."
An Ottawa woman told police "I haven't done anything" after she and her RCMP officer husband were accused of severe long-term abuse of the man's 11-year-old son, including chaining him up in the basement of their home, court heard Monday.
The woman, 36, and man, 44, are on trial for what Ottawa police called the "worst case of abuse police have seen" when they were arrested in February 2013. They cannot be named to protect the boy's identity.
Each is on trial for aggravated assault, forcible confinement and failing to provide the necessaries of life.
The woman is also charged with assaulting the child with a weapon, while the man is charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.
On Monday, court saw the woman's police interview via video, which was taken after her arrest. She told police her 11-year-old stepson was "out of control" and that she feared for the safety of her toddler and four-month-old baby.
She said she never hit the boy nor was she aware of his many injuries, including burn marks near his genitals, scabs and scars on his body and that he was gaunt and malnourished.
At one point, Ottawa Police Sgt. Tracy Butler told her in a raised voice the boy was "maltreated and abused by your husband."
She added, "you knew about it, you condoned it and you let it happen."
The woman, who was at times emotional during the interview, said, "I haven't done anything. I swear to God."
Father admitted to confining son During the interview, which lasted more than two hours, the woman told police her stepson was stealing and getting into fights.
She said he was sent to private school after being kicked out of school, but the boy began being home schooled in 2012.
She said the boy was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and oppositional defiant disorder and prescribed anti-psychotic medication.
She also said she worried he had sexual feelings for her after he asked her to breastfeed him.
"(He) didn't attach to me. I love him but it was difficult to reach out to him when he's mocking me all the time," she said.
She also said he told his father he would "initiate sexual things with other boys" at school and camp.
Last week, the court heard the man admit he used a chain and plastic ties to confine his son in the family's Kanata basement in his police interview video.
In 2013, the RCMP said the father has been on leave since May 2011, but the reason for that remains under a court-ordered publication ban.
Police sources previously told CBC News the man was a member of the force's counter-terrorism unit.
The trial continues.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-mountie-wife-continue-trial-on-severe-child-abuse-1.3226475
Ottawa Mountie, wife continue trial on severe child abuse
WARNING: Story contains graphic and disturbing details
CBC News Posted: Sep 13, 2015 4:47 PM ET
Last Updated: Sep 14, 2015 7:26 PM ET
An Ottawa Mountie and his wife were arrested in 2013 in what police called the "worst case of abuse police have seen."
An Ottawa woman told police "I haven't done anything" after she and her RCMP officer husband were accused of severe long-term abuse of the man's 11-year-old son, including chaining him up in the basement of their home, court heard Monday.
The woman, 36, and man, 44, are on trial for what Ottawa police called the "worst case of abuse police have seen" when they were arrested in February 2013. They cannot be named to protect the boy's identity.
Each is on trial for aggravated assault, forcible confinement and failing to provide the necessaries of life.
The woman is also charged with assaulting the child with a weapon, while the man is charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon.
On Monday, court saw the woman's police interview via video, which was taken after her arrest. She told police her 11-year-old stepson was "out of control" and that she feared for the safety of her toddler and four-month-old baby.
She said she never hit the boy nor was she aware of his many injuries, including burn marks near his genitals, scabs and scars on his body and that he was gaunt and malnourished.
At one point, Ottawa Police Sgt. Tracy Butler told her in a raised voice the boy was "maltreated and abused by your husband."
She added, "you knew about it, you condoned it and you let it happen."
The woman, who was at times emotional during the interview, said, "I haven't done anything. I swear to God."
Father admitted to confining son During the interview, which lasted more than two hours, the woman told police her stepson was stealing and getting into fights.
She said he was sent to private school after being kicked out of school, but the boy began being home schooled in 2012.
She said the boy was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and oppositional defiant disorder and prescribed anti-psychotic medication.
She also said she worried he had sexual feelings for her after he asked her to breastfeed him.
"(He) didn't attach to me. I love him but it was difficult to reach out to him when he's mocking me all the time," she said.
She also said he told his father he would "initiate sexual things with other boys" at school and camp.
Last week, the court heard the man admit he used a chain and plastic ties to confine his son in the family's Kanata basement in his police interview video.
In 2013, the RCMP said the father has been on leave since May 2011, but the reason for that remains under a court-ordered publication ban.
Police sources previously told CBC News the man was a member of the force's counter-terrorism unit.
The trial continues.
Dad accused of burning child with cigarette (Thomasville, North Carolina)
Dad is identified as DWAYNE LEE MOORE.
http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20150914/NEWS/150919920
Father accused of burning child with cigarette
Published: Monday, September 14, 2015 at 2:19 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, September 14, 2015 at 2:19 p.m.
The Thomasville Police Department has charged a Thomasville man with child abuse, according to an arrest warrant.
Dwayne Lee Moore, 49, of 206 Estes St., is accused by Thomasville Police of burning his child with a cigarette Saturday. He has been charged with felony intentional child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury and misdemeanor communicating threats.
An officer with the Thomasville Police Department alleged in the arrest warrant that Moore burned his 15-year-old child’s left palm. Moore is accused of telling his child, “If you don’t get up, I’ll make sure you never go home again alive.”
Moore was placed in the Davidson County Detention Center under a $100,000 secured bond. He is scheduled to appear Oct. 14 in Thomasville District Court.
http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20150914/NEWS/150919920
Father accused of burning child with cigarette
Published: Monday, September 14, 2015 at 2:19 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, September 14, 2015 at 2:19 p.m.
The Thomasville Police Department has charged a Thomasville man with child abuse, according to an arrest warrant.
Dwayne Lee Moore, 49, of 206 Estes St., is accused by Thomasville Police of burning his child with a cigarette Saturday. He has been charged with felony intentional child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury and misdemeanor communicating threats.
An officer with the Thomasville Police Department alleged in the arrest warrant that Moore burned his 15-year-old child’s left palm. Moore is accused of telling his child, “If you don’t get up, I’ll make sure you never go home again alive.”
Moore was placed in the Davidson County Detention Center under a $100,000 secured bond. He is scheduled to appear Oct. 14 in Thomasville District Court.
Child porn dad spared jail; why no penalty for father with 3,000 images, some of BABIES? (United Kingdom)
Classic coddling. Dad is identified as PETER CLARKE. No mention here as to whether his kids were involved or what his custodial relationship to them is.
http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/13715657.Dad_of_two_had_almost_3_000____grotesque____child_abuse_images/
Dad-of-two had almost 3,000 ‘grotesque’ child abuse images
Sentencing: Judge Ian Pringle Sentencing: Judge Ian Pringle
The Oxford Times: Joe Gammie, Reporter / Monday 14 September 2015 / News
A FATHER-OF-TWO caught with a “grotesque” collection of indecent images of children on his computer was spared jail.
Police swooped on Peter Clarke’s home in January after tracing a file uploaded from his computer to the file-sharing program Dropbox.
Officers seized the 42-year-old’s laptop and found nearly 3,000 indecent images of children on it, a court heard.
Prosecutor Julian Lynch said that 594 of the files were of the most severe category, including images and videos of babies as young as 18 months old being involved in sexual acts.
Mr Lynch told Oxford Crown Court on Thursday that when first questioned about the images Clarke told police he was trying to understand sexual abuse but in a second interview admitted that the images were for his own sexual gratification.
Clarke, of Van Diemans, in Stanford in the Vale, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children between November 2010 and August last year when he appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court last month.
Lucy Ffrench, defending, said Clarke had been exposed to pornography from a young age and hated himself for what he had done.
She added: “He is mortified to be here today. He accepts the harm he has indirectly caused to the childwren involved.
“He has stopped his use of pornography and accepts that he needs to completely withdraw from that material forever .”
Judge Ian Pringle said it was staggering that a father had downloaded the “appalling” images of children being “grotesquely abused”.
But Judge Pringle said that because of Clarke’s guilty pleas and the fact he had made frank confessions when interviewed he could suspend a prison sentence.
He added: “Where there is sufficient prospect of rehabilitation it is right that the court take it.
“For those reasons I am going to take the exceptional course of making the sentence of 14 months suspended for two years .”
He gave Clarke a two-year supervision order and ordered him to undergo a 36-session sexual offender treatment programme.
Judge Pringle also imposed a sexual harm prevention order and Clarke will have to sign the sexual offenders’ register for 10 years.
http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/13715657.Dad_of_two_had_almost_3_000____grotesque____child_abuse_images/
Dad-of-two had almost 3,000 ‘grotesque’ child abuse images
Sentencing: Judge Ian Pringle Sentencing: Judge Ian Pringle
The Oxford Times: Joe Gammie, Reporter / Monday 14 September 2015 / News
A FATHER-OF-TWO caught with a “grotesque” collection of indecent images of children on his computer was spared jail.
Police swooped on Peter Clarke’s home in January after tracing a file uploaded from his computer to the file-sharing program Dropbox.
Officers seized the 42-year-old’s laptop and found nearly 3,000 indecent images of children on it, a court heard.
Prosecutor Julian Lynch said that 594 of the files were of the most severe category, including images and videos of babies as young as 18 months old being involved in sexual acts.
Mr Lynch told Oxford Crown Court on Thursday that when first questioned about the images Clarke told police he was trying to understand sexual abuse but in a second interview admitted that the images were for his own sexual gratification.
Clarke, of Van Diemans, in Stanford in the Vale, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children between November 2010 and August last year when he appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court last month.
Lucy Ffrench, defending, said Clarke had been exposed to pornography from a young age and hated himself for what he had done.
She added: “He is mortified to be here today. He accepts the harm he has indirectly caused to the childwren involved.
“He has stopped his use of pornography and accepts that he needs to completely withdraw from that material forever .”
Judge Ian Pringle said it was staggering that a father had downloaded the “appalling” images of children being “grotesquely abused”.
But Judge Pringle said that because of Clarke’s guilty pleas and the fact he had made frank confessions when interviewed he could suspend a prison sentence.
He added: “Where there is sufficient prospect of rehabilitation it is right that the court take it.
“For those reasons I am going to take the exceptional course of making the sentence of 14 months suspended for two years .”
He gave Clarke a two-year supervision order and ordered him to undergo a 36-session sexual offender treatment programme.
Judge Pringle also imposed a sexual harm prevention order and Clarke will have to sign the sexual offenders’ register for 10 years.
Mom arrested for "kidnapping" own child; dad with child abuse allegations--including protection order from CURRENT wife--gets custody (Hillsdale, Michigan)
So. Dad's word trumps the word of two women. What else is new in the American courts....
Wife #1 "abducted" their son because of abuse concerns involving his father. CPS even raised concerns. There are unspecified court reports. All hand waived away by an indifferent court.
Wife #2 sought a protection order. You don't get those unless there has been physical violence or a credible threat thereof. You don't get them because you and your spouse are having "trying times"-that's just dad's attempt to totally minimize and avoid responsibility for his own actions. Wife #2 didn't renew. Bad sign. Research is showing that when women don't renew it's not because the threat has gone away. It's because they can't without further jeopardizing their own safety.
AND NOW THIS ABUSER HAS CHILD CUSTODY.
Dad is identified as BRANDON RUFFIN.
http://www.hillsdale.net/article/20150915/NEWS/150919449
Kidnapper mom arrested, father retains custody
By Jason Dafnis
Posted Sep. 15, 2015 at 9:12 AM
Hillsdale, Mich.
HILLSDALE — After a court hearing on Monday afternoon, the father of a boy kidnapped by his mother now retains custody of his son.
Nicole Ruffin disappeared with her son, Laredo, after Judge Mike Smith granted interim custody to Brandon Ruffin, Laredo’s biological father and Nicole’s ex-husband, on Aug. 31. The court proceedings were punctuated by reports from Child Protective Services questioning the child’s safety.
After her disappearance, a felony warrant issued for Nicole’s arrest on a charge of parental kidnapping. Michigan State Police tracked and exhausted several leads since Sept. 1, locating and arresting her at a Spring Arbor convenience store on Monday. Laredo was remanded into police custody at the same time.
“There are a lot of concerns,” Karlye Horton, Nicole’s attorney, said at the civil hearing on Monday. Nicole, having been lodged at the Hillsdale County Jail only hours before, was not present for the proceedings.
Horton questioned Brandon’s suitability as Laredo’s custodian, citing several court reports about the child’s safety around Brandon. One of those reports included a personal protection order his current wife, Hannah, filed against Brandon earlier this year.
That record claims that Brandon laid hands on Hannah, though Brandon denies those claims, saying that he and his wife had “trying times” prior to the PPO’s expiration in July. Hannah and Brandon remain together today.
Horton also brought before Smith the claim that Brandon hadn’t seen Laredo more than a few times since Brandon and Nicole were divorced in 2012. Again, Brandon refuted the legitimacy of that argument, saying that he was never served the proper divorce papers or custody notifications.
“I saw my son on a regular basis,” Brandon said. He claims that after the divorce, his attempts to contact Nicole for scheduling were chronically ignored.
Hannah and other members of Brandon’s family and friends were present in the courtroom, as were members of Nicole’s family, both supporting their respective sides.
“Brandon has been dishonest about his position in the court,” Horton said.
Smith continued Brandon’s interim custody, an order which went into effect Monday and runs through an evidentiary hearing scheduled for Oct. 23. A more solid custody ruling is expected to be imposed on that date.
Horton declined to speak on behalf of her client following the hearing.
“I am a loving dad,” Brandon said after the conference. “I’m gonna keep fighting for custody of my son until the good Lord says I can’t anymore. It’s a happy day."
Wife #1 "abducted" their son because of abuse concerns involving his father. CPS even raised concerns. There are unspecified court reports. All hand waived away by an indifferent court.
Wife #2 sought a protection order. You don't get those unless there has been physical violence or a credible threat thereof. You don't get them because you and your spouse are having "trying times"-that's just dad's attempt to totally minimize and avoid responsibility for his own actions. Wife #2 didn't renew. Bad sign. Research is showing that when women don't renew it's not because the threat has gone away. It's because they can't without further jeopardizing their own safety.
AND NOW THIS ABUSER HAS CHILD CUSTODY.
Dad is identified as BRANDON RUFFIN.
http://www.hillsdale.net/article/20150915/NEWS/150919449
Kidnapper mom arrested, father retains custody
By Jason Dafnis
Posted Sep. 15, 2015 at 9:12 AM
Hillsdale, Mich.
HILLSDALE — After a court hearing on Monday afternoon, the father of a boy kidnapped by his mother now retains custody of his son.
Nicole Ruffin disappeared with her son, Laredo, after Judge Mike Smith granted interim custody to Brandon Ruffin, Laredo’s biological father and Nicole’s ex-husband, on Aug. 31. The court proceedings were punctuated by reports from Child Protective Services questioning the child’s safety.
After her disappearance, a felony warrant issued for Nicole’s arrest on a charge of parental kidnapping. Michigan State Police tracked and exhausted several leads since Sept. 1, locating and arresting her at a Spring Arbor convenience store on Monday. Laredo was remanded into police custody at the same time.
“There are a lot of concerns,” Karlye Horton, Nicole’s attorney, said at the civil hearing on Monday. Nicole, having been lodged at the Hillsdale County Jail only hours before, was not present for the proceedings.
Horton questioned Brandon’s suitability as Laredo’s custodian, citing several court reports about the child’s safety around Brandon. One of those reports included a personal protection order his current wife, Hannah, filed against Brandon earlier this year.
That record claims that Brandon laid hands on Hannah, though Brandon denies those claims, saying that he and his wife had “trying times” prior to the PPO’s expiration in July. Hannah and Brandon remain together today.
Horton also brought before Smith the claim that Brandon hadn’t seen Laredo more than a few times since Brandon and Nicole were divorced in 2012. Again, Brandon refuted the legitimacy of that argument, saying that he was never served the proper divorce papers or custody notifications.
“I saw my son on a regular basis,” Brandon said. He claims that after the divorce, his attempts to contact Nicole for scheduling were chronically ignored.
Hannah and other members of Brandon’s family and friends were present in the courtroom, as were members of Nicole’s family, both supporting their respective sides.
“Brandon has been dishonest about his position in the court,” Horton said.
Smith continued Brandon’s interim custody, an order which went into effect Monday and runs through an evidentiary hearing scheduled for Oct. 23. A more solid custody ruling is expected to be imposed on that date.
Horton declined to speak on behalf of her client following the hearing.
“I am a loving dad,” Brandon said after the conference. “I’m gonna keep fighting for custody of my son until the good Lord says I can’t anymore. It’s a happy day."
Sunday, September 13, 2015
"Custody dispute" dad pleads not guilty to throwing 7-month-old son off bridge (Middletown, Connecticut)
Okaay. So now Daddy's going to argue that he's crazy, so he's not guilty of throwing his infant son off the bridge. But golly, just a few days earlier, the Judge thought he was just fine when he denied the baby's mother a restraining order.
Dad is identified as TONY MORENO. We've posted on him before.
http://www.torontosun.com/2015/09/11/father-accused-of-throwing-baby-off-connecticut-bridge-pleads-not-guilty
Father accused of throwing baby off Connecticut bridge pleads not guilty
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First posted: Friday, September 11, 2015 01:52 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, September 11, 2015 02:03 PM EDT
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- A man accused of throwing his 7-month-old son off a bridge into the Connecticut River has pleaded not guilty to murder charges.
Police say 21-year-old Tony Moreno threw his son Aaden off the Arrigoni Bridge on July 5. A police affidavit states Moreno called his mother from the bridge asking her to pick up a phone with pictures of the baby and a stroller. Police say he then jumped over the railing into the river once she arrived with his brother and police officers.
Documents show Moreno and Aaden's mother were going through a custody dispute. A judge denied a permanent restraining order against him days earlier.
He appeared Thursday in Superior Court in Middletown. His public defender would not say if Moreno is planning to pursue an insanity defence.
Dad is identified as TONY MORENO. We've posted on him before.
http://www.torontosun.com/2015/09/11/father-accused-of-throwing-baby-off-connecticut-bridge-pleads-not-guilty
Father accused of throwing baby off Connecticut bridge pleads not guilty
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First posted: Friday, September 11, 2015 01:52 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, September 11, 2015 02:03 PM EDT
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- A man accused of throwing his 7-month-old son off a bridge into the Connecticut River has pleaded not guilty to murder charges.
Police say 21-year-old Tony Moreno threw his son Aaden off the Arrigoni Bridge on July 5. A police affidavit states Moreno called his mother from the bridge asking her to pick up a phone with pictures of the baby and a stroller. Police say he then jumped over the railing into the river once she arrived with his brother and police officers.
Documents show Moreno and Aaden's mother were going through a custody dispute. A judge denied a permanent restraining order against him days earlier.
He appeared Thursday in Superior Court in Middletown. His public defender would not say if Moreno is planning to pursue an insanity defence.
Murder of 3-year-old boy by joint custody dad with criminal record could lead to new laws (Memphis, Tennessee)
Dad is identified as TERRY PATTERSON.
http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/30017762/3-year-olds-death-could-lead-to-new-law-protecting-children
3-year-old's death could lead to new law protecting children
Posted: Sep 12, 2015 11:03 PM EDT Updated: Sep 13, 2015 9:51 AM EDT
By Rose Eiklor
MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - At the Memphis Advocacy Center, a resource for abused children and their families, a flag will be raised for 3-year-old Josiah Monday.
Meanwhile, his family is standing with state representative G.A. Hardaway in pushing for a new law to protect children.
"I was ecstatic. I was really really excited and if I'm able to do anything to assist I will," Josiah's aunt Erica Lee said.
Lee said she will stand with Hardaway, who is pushing for new legislation to make it mandatory for juvenile courts and DCS to better communicate.
"I think juvenile court failed Josiah and a lot of other children," Lee said.
Josiah was brutally beaten to death last week.
His father, Terry Patterson, a convicted felon and sex offender, was charged with first-degree murder for his death. Just days before his son was killed, Patterson was given joint custody.
DCS has confirmed they had contact with the family for the child's entire life.
"I feel like before they release a kid to another parent they should investigate a parents background," Lee said.
Lee said she hopes Hardaway's legislation is passed and children are protected in the future.
"There needs to be a law and I'm proud of G.A. Hardaway for stepping up to the plate."
Juvenile court said they are not required to check someone's background during a child support or custodial case.
Hardaway is planning to file for the new law next week.
http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/30017762/3-year-olds-death-could-lead-to-new-law-protecting-children
3-year-old's death could lead to new law protecting children
Posted: Sep 12, 2015 11:03 PM EDT Updated: Sep 13, 2015 9:51 AM EDT
By Rose Eiklor
MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - At the Memphis Advocacy Center, a resource for abused children and their families, a flag will be raised for 3-year-old Josiah Monday.
Meanwhile, his family is standing with state representative G.A. Hardaway in pushing for a new law to protect children.
"I was ecstatic. I was really really excited and if I'm able to do anything to assist I will," Josiah's aunt Erica Lee said.
Lee said she will stand with Hardaway, who is pushing for new legislation to make it mandatory for juvenile courts and DCS to better communicate.
"I think juvenile court failed Josiah and a lot of other children," Lee said.
Josiah was brutally beaten to death last week.
His father, Terry Patterson, a convicted felon and sex offender, was charged with first-degree murder for his death. Just days before his son was killed, Patterson was given joint custody.
DCS has confirmed they had contact with the family for the child's entire life.
"I feel like before they release a kid to another parent they should investigate a parents background," Lee said.
Lee said she hopes Hardaway's legislation is passed and children are protected in the future.
"There needs to be a law and I'm proud of G.A. Hardaway for stepping up to the plate."
Juvenile court said they are not required to check someone's background during a child support or custodial case.
Hardaway is planning to file for the new law next week.
New charges against custodial dad accused of leaving dead baby daughter in crib for weeks (Medina, Ohio)
Notice how the media is now "forgetting" to mention that this father who was allegedly and insane cokehead living in a motel was granted sole custody of two kids. Why don't we ever hear about that?
Dad is identified as ERIC WARFEL. We've posted on him before.
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/09/new_charges_filed_against_medi.html
New charges filed against Medina father accused of leaving dead baby daughter in crib for weeks
Northeast Ohio Media Group
By Cory Shaffer on September 13, 2015 at 11:14 AM, updated September 13, 2015 at 11:57 AM
MEDINA, Ohio -- A Medina father accused of leaving his dead baby daughter in a crib for a month is facing additional charges.
A Medina County grand jury on Wednesday handed up a four-count indictment charging Eric Warfel, 35, with child endangering and possession of cocaine charges, according to court documents.
The new charges were added to the gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence charges that Warfel already faced after a cable company employee discovered 1-year-old Ember's body in a crib in Warfel's apartment in the Forest Meadows complex July 29.
Warfel remains jailed on $1 million bond after he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence charges.
The child's death remains under investigation, according to the Medina County Coroner's Office.
The new charges allege that on June 18, the day investigators estimate that Ember died, as well as on July 26-28, Warfel endangered a 7-year-old child whose name was redacted.
Warfel's father wrote in a letter asking Judge Christopher Collier to reduce his $1 million bond that Warfel's 7-year-old daughter "means everything to him."
The 7 year old has been in the custody of other family members since Warfel's arrest, officials said.
The new indictment also alleges Warfel possessed an unspecified amount of cocaine on July 28 and 29.
Detectives said in late July that they found what they suspected was cocaine in a room at a Middleburg Heights motel where Warfel had been staying in the days leading up to the discovery of the child's body.
Warfel's case is set to go to trial in November.
Dad is identified as ERIC WARFEL. We've posted on him before.
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/09/new_charges_filed_against_medi.html
New charges filed against Medina father accused of leaving dead baby daughter in crib for weeks
Northeast Ohio Media Group
By Cory Shaffer on September 13, 2015 at 11:14 AM, updated September 13, 2015 at 11:57 AM
MEDINA, Ohio -- A Medina father accused of leaving his dead baby daughter in a crib for a month is facing additional charges.
A Medina County grand jury on Wednesday handed up a four-count indictment charging Eric Warfel, 35, with child endangering and possession of cocaine charges, according to court documents.
The new charges were added to the gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence charges that Warfel already faced after a cable company employee discovered 1-year-old Ember's body in a crib in Warfel's apartment in the Forest Meadows complex July 29.
Warfel remains jailed on $1 million bond after he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence charges.
The child's death remains under investigation, according to the Medina County Coroner's Office.
The new charges allege that on June 18, the day investigators estimate that Ember died, as well as on July 26-28, Warfel endangered a 7-year-old child whose name was redacted.
Warfel's father wrote in a letter asking Judge Christopher Collier to reduce his $1 million bond that Warfel's 7-year-old daughter "means everything to him."
The 7 year old has been in the custody of other family members since Warfel's arrest, officials said.
The new indictment also alleges Warfel possessed an unspecified amount of cocaine on July 28 and 29.
Detectives said in late July that they found what they suspected was cocaine in a room at a Middleburg Heights motel where Warfel had been staying in the days leading up to the discovery of the child's body.
Warfel's case is set to go to trial in November.
Dad charged with severely beating 10-year-old son during visitation; dad previously a murder suspect (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
Despite an intensive criminal background, it appears dad CLARENCE SCHREANE had joint custody, or at minimum, extensive visitation. Whether this was court-ordered or not is not indicated. But then mothers are under intensive pressure to "involve" fathers regardless of how violent or abusive they are.
http://www.wdef.com/content/news/developing/story/1996-attempted-murder-suspect-now-charged-with/VQBxh8gAA06Vaj11VaGlGw.cspx
1996 attempted murder suspect now charged with child abuse
Reported by: Erik Avanier
Published: 9/09 8:13 am Updated: 9/09 12:49 pm
CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee(WDEF) -A man who was once a murder suspect back in 1996 is now suspected of severely beating his young son.
Clarence Schreane, 39, of Chattanooga was charged with one count of aggravated child abuse.
Deputies from the Hamilton County fugitives division transported Schreane back to Hamilton County after he was picked up by authorities in Washington County Tennessee.
Back on may 12, police were called to T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital after the staff suspected a 10-year old boy had been physically abused.
According to the arrest affidavit, the child had visible signs of deep dark bruises covering his buttocks and upper thighs.
This child told authorities his father whipped him with a belt.
The boy's mother told police that she dropped him off at his fathers house two days prior and had not seen him again until the day she went to pick him up from school.
The boy told his mother the pain was so bad that he could not sit down.
A child protective service worker reportedly spoke to Mr. Schreane and told him about the bruising. According to the CPS worker, Schreane's response to her was to talk to his lawyer.
A warrant had been issued for Schreane's arrest and he was finally taken into custody in Washington County. He was transported back to Hamilton County on Tuesday and booked into the Hamilton County jail on a $25,000 bond.
Schreane is no stranger to trouble.
According to a News 12 background check, Schreane was arrested back in 1996 and charged with attempted first degree murder. The case was bound over to criminal court where it was dismissed. The following year, Schreane plead guilty to aggravated robbery.
In 1995, Schreane plead guilty to theft and reckless endangerment.
His next court date is scheduled for September 23.
http://www.wdef.com/content/news/developing/story/1996-attempted-murder-suspect-now-charged-with/VQBxh8gAA06Vaj11VaGlGw.cspx
1996 attempted murder suspect now charged with child abuse
Reported by: Erik Avanier
Published: 9/09 8:13 am Updated: 9/09 12:49 pm
CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee(WDEF) -A man who was once a murder suspect back in 1996 is now suspected of severely beating his young son.
Clarence Schreane, 39, of Chattanooga was charged with one count of aggravated child abuse.
Deputies from the Hamilton County fugitives division transported Schreane back to Hamilton County after he was picked up by authorities in Washington County Tennessee.
Back on may 12, police were called to T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital after the staff suspected a 10-year old boy had been physically abused.
According to the arrest affidavit, the child had visible signs of deep dark bruises covering his buttocks and upper thighs.
This child told authorities his father whipped him with a belt.
The boy's mother told police that she dropped him off at his fathers house two days prior and had not seen him again until the day she went to pick him up from school.
The boy told his mother the pain was so bad that he could not sit down.
A child protective service worker reportedly spoke to Mr. Schreane and told him about the bruising. According to the CPS worker, Schreane's response to her was to talk to his lawyer.
A warrant had been issued for Schreane's arrest and he was finally taken into custody in Washington County. He was transported back to Hamilton County on Tuesday and booked into the Hamilton County jail on a $25,000 bond.
Schreane is no stranger to trouble.
According to a News 12 background check, Schreane was arrested back in 1996 and charged with attempted first degree murder. The case was bound over to criminal court where it was dismissed. The following year, Schreane plead guilty to aggravated robbery.
In 1995, Schreane plead guilty to theft and reckless endangerment.
His next court date is scheduled for September 23.
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