The custodial dad is identified as EVERTON BIDDERSINGH.
There are an amazing number of cases like this. Poor mothers in imporverished countries who lose custody to fathers in the wealthier countries. Fathers who can presumably provide these children with a "better life." And the "better life" turns out to be torture and death.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Canada.
http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2015/10/28/trial-starts-for-dad-charged-in-daughters-murder-after-body-found-in-suitcase.html
Melonie’s terrible last days unroll in courtroom as her father’s trial begins
The Crown outlines its case against Everton Biddersingh, whose daughter was found burned in a suitcase in 1991.
By:Rosie DiManno
Columnist, Published on Wed Oct 28 2015
Melonie Biddersingh came to Canada from Jamaica in early 1991 with nothing more than a single suitcase.
Whether this was the same suitcase in which her charred remains were found three years later, behind a Vaughan commercial building, is unknown.
The known details are gruesome: 21 healing fractures discovered on autopsy, when that pitiful corpse was examined by a coroner; weight of 50 pounds, far below the normal body index range for a 5-foot-2 teenager, indicating severe malnourishment; an ante-mortem — before death — head contusion that had resulted from trauma or blunt force injury; fluid in the nostrils and bone marrow, indicative of drowning as either a cause of death or major contributing factor — the liquid from a freshwater source, not tap water, perhaps pooling rain.
All of these details were related in a Toronto courtroom Wednesday, as the prosecution laid out its case against Melonie’s biological father.
To the death roll of Randal Dooley and Jeffrey Baldwin, children starved to death and grotesquely mistreated while alive, right in our midst, add now the name of this 17-year-old who lived and died with nobody taking notice.
All but held prisoner, the court was told, in a one-room apartment she shared with her father, her stepmother, two brothers, two half-brothers and, eventually, an infant half-sister for whom she was responsible. When the baby’s diaper needed changing, Melonie would be summoned with a buzzer.
She was not allowed to attend school, though furthering her education — her ambition to one day become a nurse — was the main reason Melonie had been excited about moving to Canada, leaving behind a mother and four other siblings, living in abject poverty in a slum shack.
The harshness of Melonie’s existence was only summarily outlined by Crown Attorney Anna Tenhouse in her opening address to the jury. The details here are all from that address:
At times, the teen was kept in a closet, “hidden from the outside world.”
She was made to shower on the balcony in summer, was at times locked out there as punishment, and forced to use a bucket to relieve herself.
She was called names like “the devil,” told that she’d brought evil to the family.
Made to sleep on a piece of cardboard on the living room floor, though there was a sofa bed nearby.
Had her head placed in the toilet and the toilet flushed, as punishment.
Was kicked and punched about her body, dragged by the hair and stomped upon.
Was at times chained to furniture.
Deprived of food, she became so weak she could no longer hold her baby sister. Enfeebled to the point that her older brother had to help her bathe after the girl urinated or defecated on herself.
That brother, Cleon, was allegedly forced to sell drugs and warned that, if he ever told anyone about it, or about the abuse in their home, “harm would come to him and his family in Jamaica,” Tenhouse told the jury.
Cleon got out by and by, ran away. Melonie’s other brother, Dwayne — 12 when he arrived in Toronto, a year younger than Melonie — died in an accident 17 months later.
Melonie died, court was told, on Sept. 1, 1994. This is not yet evidence. It is the prosecution’s claim.
But the photograph displayed on a screen in the courtroom — that’s evidence.
Blackened, curled into a pathetic heap of limbs, bits of singed hair still visible on the death scalp.
In the front row, Melonie’s mother, Opal Austin, choked on a sob and wept. Melonie’s sister, Racquel Ellis, was overcome: “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.”
Who could do this terrible thing?
Melonie’s father, Everton Biddersingh, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. His wife, Elaine Biddersingh — Melonie’s stepmother — has also been charged with first-degree murder but will be tried separately next year.
On Aug. 31, 1994, Det. Steven Seabrook, then a constable with the canine unit of York Regional Police, was patrolling in the Highway 7 area when he noticed a plume of black smoke. He tracked it to a spot behind an industrial area. What he saw, at first, were flames a couple of metres high, emanating from a pile close to a garbage bin. At the base of the fire was a tire, largely melted — source of the black smoke, from the burning rubber.
The heat was so intense Seabrook could come no closer than 4 or 5 metres.
Another officer arrived with a fire extinguisher, but that only put the blaze out temporarily. The flames sprung back.
Next came the firefighters, who were able to douse the pyre with water. And then they all saw, amidst the charred heap, a grisly sight.
“At that point, it was obvious to us there was a body lying on the tire, in the fetal position. No flesh on the legs, the head was very black and charred,’’ Seabrook testified yesterday. “I noticed a metal square shape around the body, looked like the frame of a suitcase.’’
The Suitcase Girl, as she became known in the media, once it was determined that the corpse was female.
No name. And no one came forward with information about a missing teenage girl.
Those with long memories may recall, as the years went by, the occasional press conferences as police continued attempts to identify her. The artist’s depiction of how she may have looked. The forensic sculpture of a female head, which triggered no public recognition either.
They never gave up but they never came close to solving the mystery.
Eighteen years would pass, longer than the length and breadth of Melonie’s sad life.
And then, as Tenhouse told court, the secret was exposed, the plotline that police have never revealed. On Dec. 11, 2011, Elaine Biddersingh confessed to her pastor, court heard, that the girl in the suitcase was her step-daughter. The minister took that information to police, and the Toronto Police cold case unit took carriage of the matter.
Opal Austin, living in Jamaica, was contacted. For nearly 20 years she had wondered what had become of her daughter and sought information. Everton Biddersingh told her Melonie had run away to New York.
DNA from the mother was matched to The Suitcase Girl, confirming her identity. She had a name. She claimed her history.
Outside court, Racquel Ellis told reporters: “It’s like the hole of my belly button dropped out. I couldn’t breathe. I had to come out of the courtroom. It’s like my heart was going to stop beating.’’
Everton and Elaine Biddersingh were arrested on March 5, 2012, in Welland, Ont.
Yesterday, the father never appeared to even once glance at the mother of their dead and desecrated daughter.
Melonie.
Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Friday, October 30, 2015
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Child Abuse and Neglect Journal Study: Dads More Likely to Kill Children Than Moms (Canada)
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/10/28/dads-more-likely-to-kill-their-kids-than-moms-and-gap-growing-study-finds_n_8410712.html
Child Abuse And Neglect Journal Study: Dads More Likely To Kill Children Than Moms
CP | By Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press
Posted: 10/28/2015 3:37 pm EDT Updated: 10/28/2015 3:59 pm EDT
TORONTO — Contrary to popular perception, Canadian dads are more likely to kill their children than moms are, according to an extensive new study that also finds the gender gap appears to be growing.
The research published in the journal Child Abuse and Neglect could help in devising strategies to prevent the horrors of filicide, study author Myrna Dawson said Wednesday.
"People who kill their children tend not to be evil, they tend to be people who are struggling with very real life events," Dawson, a University of Guelph sociology professor, said in an interview. "Social supports can help reduce the number of these cases."
Dawson, a Canada research chair in criminal justice and public policy, looked at Statistics Canada data from between 1961, when the agency started its annual homicide survey, and 2011, the most recent year for which the information was available. In that time — one of the longest periods for any study of this kind — parents killed at least 1,612 children under 18.
Overall, 57 per cent of the accused child killers were men, although the ratio jumps to 90 per cent for stepfathers, according to the research.
While the study did not attempt to delve into details of individual homicides, Dawson said the higher incidence of fathers killing children may simply reflect the fact that men, in general, are more violent than women.
"Another explanation may be that an increasing gender gap in filicidal mothers and fathers is the result of changes in parenting or child-care responsibilities," the research states. "It is believed that fathers spend more time with children than in the past, arguably increasing their time at risk."
Dawson said she was surprised by the size of the gender gap.
"Even research has focused more on female accused," Dawson said. "It may be that there is more horror if a mother kills a child than a father, because we don't expect violence as much from women."
Another finding was that killer fathers tend more than mothers to be motivated by revenge or sexual jealousy.
The research also found:
— Female accused tend to be under 18 and likely single or never married;
— Males dominate older age groups and tend to be divorced, separated or widowed;
— Most accused are biological parents;
— When stepchildren are killed, nine of 10 accused are the stepfathers;
— Fathers are more likely than mothers to commit suicide after killing a child.
Dawson said further research is needed on parental-leave policies in terms of stresses on parents and the changing roles of mothers and fathers in child care. Experts also need to pay more attention to family violence involving stepchildren given the increasing numbers of blended families.
"We've learned that domestic homicides are actually probably one of the most preventable types of homicide," Dawson said.
Several child-killings have made the news in recent months: A Winnipeg woman was charged with killing her two-month-old daughter, a Montreal man killed his 10-month-old-son and then himself, a woman threw her six-month-old child from an apartment in New York City.
"There are often risk markers, there are often situational factors; if there was public and professional awareness of the risks to children, there may have been more immediate interventions."
Child Abuse And Neglect Journal Study: Dads More Likely To Kill Children Than Moms
CP | By Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press
Posted: 10/28/2015 3:37 pm EDT Updated: 10/28/2015 3:59 pm EDT
TORONTO — Contrary to popular perception, Canadian dads are more likely to kill their children than moms are, according to an extensive new study that also finds the gender gap appears to be growing.
The research published in the journal Child Abuse and Neglect could help in devising strategies to prevent the horrors of filicide, study author Myrna Dawson said Wednesday.
"People who kill their children tend not to be evil, they tend to be people who are struggling with very real life events," Dawson, a University of Guelph sociology professor, said in an interview. "Social supports can help reduce the number of these cases."
Dawson, a Canada research chair in criminal justice and public policy, looked at Statistics Canada data from between 1961, when the agency started its annual homicide survey, and 2011, the most recent year for which the information was available. In that time — one of the longest periods for any study of this kind — parents killed at least 1,612 children under 18.
Overall, 57 per cent of the accused child killers were men, although the ratio jumps to 90 per cent for stepfathers, according to the research.
While the study did not attempt to delve into details of individual homicides, Dawson said the higher incidence of fathers killing children may simply reflect the fact that men, in general, are more violent than women.
"Another explanation may be that an increasing gender gap in filicidal mothers and fathers is the result of changes in parenting or child-care responsibilities," the research states. "It is believed that fathers spend more time with children than in the past, arguably increasing their time at risk."
Dawson said she was surprised by the size of the gender gap.
"Even research has focused more on female accused," Dawson said. "It may be that there is more horror if a mother kills a child than a father, because we don't expect violence as much from women."
Another finding was that killer fathers tend more than mothers to be motivated by revenge or sexual jealousy.
The research also found:
— Female accused tend to be under 18 and likely single or never married;
— Males dominate older age groups and tend to be divorced, separated or widowed;
— Most accused are biological parents;
— When stepchildren are killed, nine of 10 accused are the stepfathers;
— Fathers are more likely than mothers to commit suicide after killing a child.
Dawson said further research is needed on parental-leave policies in terms of stresses on parents and the changing roles of mothers and fathers in child care. Experts also need to pay more attention to family violence involving stepchildren given the increasing numbers of blended families.
"We've learned that domestic homicides are actually probably one of the most preventable types of homicide," Dawson said.
Several child-killings have made the news in recent months: A Winnipeg woman was charged with killing her two-month-old daughter, a Montreal man killed his 10-month-old-son and then himself, a woman threw her six-month-old child from an apartment in New York City.
"There are often risk markers, there are often situational factors; if there was public and professional awareness of the risks to children, there may have been more immediate interventions."
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Three months after gaining custody, dad beats 7-year-old daughter to death for saying "I don't love you" (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
The mother losing custody when her daughter turned seven is directly related to sharia law. Father custody is MANDATED by law--and we see what the horrible results are for women and children again and again. This is the "utopia" the fathers rights folks want for us.
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/saudi-dad-beats-7-year-old-daughter-death-saying-i-dont-love-you-650499
Saudi dad beats 7-year-old daughter to death for saying 'I don't love you'
By Johnlee Varghese | Updated: October 14, 2015 15:09 IST
A Saudi man reportedly beat his seven-year-old daughter to death in Riyadh after she told him that she does not love him. The incident took place on the day of Eid Al Adha, the feast of Sacrifice on 24 September, police sources said.
Yara, the victim, was living with her father in Riyadh for the last three months. Her mother had separated from her father and has been raising the child till she was seven years old. "Her father refused to allow her live with me and three months ago, she went to live with him in Riyadh as per the regulations. She did not wish to move in with him, and she was very unhappy," the mother told Saudi daily Al Watan.
On 24 September, the father asked the child if she loved him, to which she replied "I don't love you". Furious at the reaction, the angry father ripped off a pipe from the air conditioner in the room and hit her with it. He then smashed her head with a metal can, police said.
The father in his statement told the police that he was trying to educate her. After punishing the child, he locked her up in a room. But later when he checked up on her, he saw that her condition had deteriorated. The child died on the way to the hospital, he told police.
The case is still pending in the court and the investigation is still on. The father is yet to be arrested.
But as the reports of the incident appeared in media, many in Saudi reacted with outrage against the actions of the father. "This is a most heinous crime and the criminal should be buried alive," Gulf News quoted a social media user, Abu Nawas.
Another social media user, Noor said "He should be put to death without delay."
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/saudi-dad-beats-7-year-old-daughter-death-saying-i-dont-love-you-650499
Saudi dad beats 7-year-old daughter to death for saying 'I don't love you'
By Johnlee Varghese | Updated: October 14, 2015 15:09 IST
A Saudi man reportedly beat his seven-year-old daughter to death in Riyadh after she told him that she does not love him. The incident took place on the day of Eid Al Adha, the feast of Sacrifice on 24 September, police sources said.
Yara, the victim, was living with her father in Riyadh for the last three months. Her mother had separated from her father and has been raising the child till she was seven years old. "Her father refused to allow her live with me and three months ago, she went to live with him in Riyadh as per the regulations. She did not wish to move in with him, and she was very unhappy," the mother told Saudi daily Al Watan.
On 24 September, the father asked the child if she loved him, to which she replied "I don't love you". Furious at the reaction, the angry father ripped off a pipe from the air conditioner in the room and hit her with it. He then smashed her head with a metal can, police said.
The father in his statement told the police that he was trying to educate her. After punishing the child, he locked her up in a room. But later when he checked up on her, he saw that her condition had deteriorated. The child died on the way to the hospital, he told police.
The case is still pending in the court and the investigation is still on. The father is yet to be arrested.
But as the reports of the incident appeared in media, many in Saudi reacted with outrage against the actions of the father. "This is a most heinous crime and the criminal should be buried alive," Gulf News quoted a social media user, Abu Nawas.
Another social media user, Noor said "He should be put to death without delay."
Drunk, abusive formerly custodial dad assaults daycare worker for not handing over kids (Ronan, Montana)
It appears that this drunken lunatic of a father had custody before he lost it to CPS. Notice that there is NO MENTION of the mother. The unnamed girlfriend does not appear to be the mom, and I think daycare would have recognized the mother of these kids had she been caring for them.
So what happened to Mom? Who gave the idiot custody to begin with?
http://thenewsreports.com/day-care-worker-assaulted-for-not-handing-over-children-to-drunken-father/25451/kevin-sawyer
Day Care Worker Assaulted for Not Handing Over Children to Drunken Father
October 14, 2015
By Kevin Sawyer
A Montana day care worker was severely beaten and injured when she tried to protect three young children form a drunken father. A day care worker in Ronan, Montana was violently attacked when she refused to hand over three of her charges to the father of the children because he had no legal custody and because he was drunk. Martha McClure has been hospitalized for her injuries and remains afflicted with double vision due to the attack.
Francis Jackson, 31, father of three children who attend Martha’s Mini Day Care Center, showed up there last week accompanied by a woman who has not been identified. He demanded that his three children, all of whom are younger than 4 years old, be handed over to him, according to The Huffington Post.
When Jackson showed up at the day care center, he demanded that McClure release his children into his custody. McClure told police that she could smell alcohol on Jackson and refused to let the children go. McClure was aware that the Salish and Kootenai Tribal Child Protective Services had recently revoked Jackson’s custody rights and that he was not allowed to be anywhere near his children. The Child Protective Services agency currently has the legal custody of Jackson’s children.
When Jackson became agitated, McClure managed to push Jackson out of the room they were in and secured the door behind him. Jackson, then, became enraged and began hurling children’s toys, which included a small tricycle, at the dividing windows in an effort to get in. McClure, then, went out into the other room to confront Jackson and the woman that was with him.
McClure and Jackson were having angry words when the other woman smashed McClure in the face with a snow shovel. Jackson, right after, punched McClure in the face and then both Jackson and the woman hurried from the building without taking the children.
Jackson was arrested by police on the Kalispel Indian Reservation and was immediately charged with aggravated burglary. The woman who was with Jackson has yet to be arrested or identified. Police say charges and decisions are pending regarding the woman who hit McClure in the face with a snow shovel.
McClure had surgery done to her eyes and face and a social media photo shows her with two black eyes and some severe facial bruises and injuries. Her stepdaughter stated that McClure is “still in high spirits” and is anxious to return to work.
So what happened to Mom? Who gave the idiot custody to begin with?
http://thenewsreports.com/day-care-worker-assaulted-for-not-handing-over-children-to-drunken-father/25451/kevin-sawyer
Day Care Worker Assaulted for Not Handing Over Children to Drunken Father
October 14, 2015
By Kevin Sawyer
A Montana day care worker was severely beaten and injured when she tried to protect three young children form a drunken father. A day care worker in Ronan, Montana was violently attacked when she refused to hand over three of her charges to the father of the children because he had no legal custody and because he was drunk. Martha McClure has been hospitalized for her injuries and remains afflicted with double vision due to the attack.
Francis Jackson, 31, father of three children who attend Martha’s Mini Day Care Center, showed up there last week accompanied by a woman who has not been identified. He demanded that his three children, all of whom are younger than 4 years old, be handed over to him, according to The Huffington Post.
When Jackson showed up at the day care center, he demanded that McClure release his children into his custody. McClure told police that she could smell alcohol on Jackson and refused to let the children go. McClure was aware that the Salish and Kootenai Tribal Child Protective Services had recently revoked Jackson’s custody rights and that he was not allowed to be anywhere near his children. The Child Protective Services agency currently has the legal custody of Jackson’s children.
When Jackson became agitated, McClure managed to push Jackson out of the room they were in and secured the door behind him. Jackson, then, became enraged and began hurling children’s toys, which included a small tricycle, at the dividing windows in an effort to get in. McClure, then, went out into the other room to confront Jackson and the woman that was with him.
McClure and Jackson were having angry words when the other woman smashed McClure in the face with a snow shovel. Jackson, right after, punched McClure in the face and then both Jackson and the woman hurried from the building without taking the children.
Jackson was arrested by police on the Kalispel Indian Reservation and was immediately charged with aggravated burglary. The woman who was with Jackson has yet to be arrested or identified. Police say charges and decisions are pending regarding the woman who hit McClure in the face with a snow shovel.
McClure had surgery done to her eyes and face and a social media photo shows her with two black eyes and some severe facial bruises and injuries. Her stepdaughter stated that McClure is “still in high spirits” and is anxious to return to work.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
"Primary caretaker" dad pleads guilty to involutary manslaughter in death of 3-month-old son; threw baby into because he was "frustrated" (Macon, Georgia)
Dad is identified as RICHARD ALLEN HICKS.
http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article38849418.html
Macon father sentenced to prison in infant son’s 2012 death
Richard Allen Hicks, 28, of Macon, pleaded guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the 2012 death of his infant son, Desmond.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by two years on probation.
By AMY LEIGH WOMACK
A little more than two years after Richard Allen Hicks was injured in a grenade attack in Iraq, he was charged with murder in the death of his 3-month-old son.
Hicks had served about five years in the U.S. Army.
After receiving the purple heart and other awards, he was honorably discharged in July 2011, his lawyer, Mark Beberman said during a Monday hearing in Bibb County Superior Court.
After finding it difficult to land a job, Hicks became the primary caregiver for his three children.
July 14, 2012, the mother of his youngest child, 3-month-old Desmond, came home and found the boy seemingly asleep on Hicks’ chest, said prosecutor Kevin Ströberg.
“She picked up Desmond and he wasn’t responsive. He wasn’t breathing,” Ströberg said.
After an unsuccessful attempt to revive the child by CPR, he was rushed to a local hospital where doctors discovered he had a fractured skull and a brain bleed.
The boy’s ribs also were fractured, Ströberg said.
Desmond was declared brain dead two days later, Ströberg said.
Hicks, 28, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Monday as part of an agreement with prosecutors.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by two years on probation.
Once released, Hicks also must complete Bibb County’s Veterans Court program as a condition of his probation.
Ströberg said Hicks initially denied knowing his son was ill, but later admitted he threw him into a bassinet after becoming “frustrated” by the child’s crying.
The injuries Desmond suffered couldn’t have been the result of an accident unless he’d “fallen from a height of two stories,” Ströberg said.
Had the case gone to trial, Beberman said he would have argued that Desmond’s death was an accident and his client suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The boy’s head struck a plastic music box attached to the bassinet, likely causing a slow brain bleed, he said.
Children suffering such an injury have been known to cry at first, but then get quiet and go to sleep and show no outward signs that something’s wrong as the brain swells, Beberman said.
There’s a good chance the rib injuries are a result of the CPR attempt, he said.
Hicks has been held at the county jail since his July 16, 2012, arrest, according to jail records.
http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article38849418.html
Macon father sentenced to prison in infant son’s 2012 death
Richard Allen Hicks, 28, of Macon, pleaded guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the 2012 death of his infant son, Desmond.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by two years on probation.
By AMY LEIGH WOMACK
A little more than two years after Richard Allen Hicks was injured in a grenade attack in Iraq, he was charged with murder in the death of his 3-month-old son.
Hicks had served about five years in the U.S. Army.
After receiving the purple heart and other awards, he was honorably discharged in July 2011, his lawyer, Mark Beberman said during a Monday hearing in Bibb County Superior Court.
After finding it difficult to land a job, Hicks became the primary caregiver for his three children.
July 14, 2012, the mother of his youngest child, 3-month-old Desmond, came home and found the boy seemingly asleep on Hicks’ chest, said prosecutor Kevin Ströberg.
“She picked up Desmond and he wasn’t responsive. He wasn’t breathing,” Ströberg said.
After an unsuccessful attempt to revive the child by CPR, he was rushed to a local hospital where doctors discovered he had a fractured skull and a brain bleed.
The boy’s ribs also were fractured, Ströberg said.
Desmond was declared brain dead two days later, Ströberg said.
Hicks, 28, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Monday as part of an agreement with prosecutors.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by two years on probation.
Once released, Hicks also must complete Bibb County’s Veterans Court program as a condition of his probation.
Ströberg said Hicks initially denied knowing his son was ill, but later admitted he threw him into a bassinet after becoming “frustrated” by the child’s crying.
The injuries Desmond suffered couldn’t have been the result of an accident unless he’d “fallen from a height of two stories,” Ströberg said.
Had the case gone to trial, Beberman said he would have argued that Desmond’s death was an accident and his client suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The boy’s head struck a plastic music box attached to the bassinet, likely causing a slow brain bleed, he said.
Children suffering such an injury have been known to cry at first, but then get quiet and go to sleep and show no outward signs that something’s wrong as the brain swells, Beberman said.
There’s a good chance the rib injuries are a result of the CPR attempt, he said.
Hicks has been held at the county jail since his July 16, 2012, arrest, according to jail records.
Dad convicted of 1st-degree homicide in death of infant son (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Dad is identified as DAVID A. ALLEN SR.
http://www.channel3000.com/news/jury-convicts-milwaukee-father-in-shaken-baby-death-trial/35801882
Jury convicts Milwaukee father in shaken baby death trial
Published On: Oct 12 2015 03:53:56 PM CDT
MILWAUKEE - A jury has convicted a Milwaukee man accused of physical abuse that prosecutors said led to the 2013 death of his infant son.
Thirty-four-year-old David A. Allen Sr. was convicted Monday of first-degree reckless homicide, as well child abuse and child neglect, each causing great bodily injury.
The Journal Sentinel reports Allen faces up to 57 years in prison when he's sentenced Dec. 17.
Defense attorneys had brought in experts who challenged the medical presumption of shaken baby syndrome and Allen's own confession to abusing his son, known as Junior.
Doctors who testified for prosecutors said Junior's injuries were a classic case of shaken baby syndrome.
In closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Torbenson called the testimony by defense experts a "courtroom controversy," not a real medical debate.
http://www.channel3000.com/news/jury-convicts-milwaukee-father-in-shaken-baby-death-trial/35801882
Jury convicts Milwaukee father in shaken baby death trial
Published On: Oct 12 2015 03:53:56 PM CDT
MILWAUKEE - A jury has convicted a Milwaukee man accused of physical abuse that prosecutors said led to the 2013 death of his infant son.
Thirty-four-year-old David A. Allen Sr. was convicted Monday of first-degree reckless homicide, as well child abuse and child neglect, each causing great bodily injury.
The Journal Sentinel reports Allen faces up to 57 years in prison when he's sentenced Dec. 17.
Defense attorneys had brought in experts who challenged the medical presumption of shaken baby syndrome and Allen's own confession to abusing his son, known as Junior.
Doctors who testified for prosecutors said Junior's injuries were a classic case of shaken baby syndrome.
In closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Torbenson called the testimony by defense experts a "courtroom controversy," not a real medical debate.
Dad charged in shooting of 7-year-old daughter (Kansas City, Missouri)
Dad is identified as CRAIG TINSELY.
http://www.kshb.com/news/young-girl-suffers-non-life-threatening-injuries-in-shooting
UPDATE: Father charged in shooting of his 7-year-old daughter
The victim is expected to be OK
Nick Sloan, Ali Hoxie , Gary Brauer, Jane Monreal
12:19 PM, Oct 11, 2015 6:04 PM, Oct 12, 2015
Father shoots 7-year-old daughter, Kansas City police say
KSHB KANSAS CITY, Mo. - UPDATE, Oct. 12: The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office said a 32-year-old man has been charged in the shooting of his 7-year-old daughter.
Craig Tinsely faces two counts of first-degree domestic assault and two counts of armed criminal action.
According to court records, police were dispatched to the 8400 block of E. 93rd Terrace on Sunday and found the 7-year-old girl bleeding from the left hand and crying. She was transported to Children’s Mercy Hospital for treatment. Officers reported it appeared she also had a gunshot wound to the lower left back. Witnesses told police that the girl had come crying into a bedroom in the residence and the defendant pulled a gun from under the mattress and fired at the child.
Tinsley was earlier convicted of child abuse.
One witness told police the defendant fired the weapon four or five times.
Prosecutors have requested a bond of $150,000 cash.
-----
Kansas City police are investigating after a young girl was allegedly shot by her father on Sunday.
The shooting happened just after 11 a.m. Sunday on the 8400 block of E. 93rd Terrace in Kansas City, Mo.
Investigators confirm the 7-year-old was shot in the hand.
In a tweet, Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forté said the father was "allegedly drug impaired."
http://www.kshb.com/news/young-girl-suffers-non-life-threatening-injuries-in-shooting
UPDATE: Father charged in shooting of his 7-year-old daughter
The victim is expected to be OK
Nick Sloan, Ali Hoxie , Gary Brauer, Jane Monreal
12:19 PM, Oct 11, 2015 6:04 PM, Oct 12, 2015
Father shoots 7-year-old daughter, Kansas City police say
KSHB KANSAS CITY, Mo. - UPDATE, Oct. 12: The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office said a 32-year-old man has been charged in the shooting of his 7-year-old daughter.
Craig Tinsely faces two counts of first-degree domestic assault and two counts of armed criminal action.
According to court records, police were dispatched to the 8400 block of E. 93rd Terrace on Sunday and found the 7-year-old girl bleeding from the left hand and crying. She was transported to Children’s Mercy Hospital for treatment. Officers reported it appeared she also had a gunshot wound to the lower left back. Witnesses told police that the girl had come crying into a bedroom in the residence and the defendant pulled a gun from under the mattress and fired at the child.
Tinsley was earlier convicted of child abuse.
One witness told police the defendant fired the weapon four or five times.
Prosecutors have requested a bond of $150,000 cash.
-----
Kansas City police are investigating after a young girl was allegedly shot by her father on Sunday.
The shooting happened just after 11 a.m. Sunday on the 8400 block of E. 93rd Terrace in Kansas City, Mo.
Investigators confirm the 7-year-old was shot in the hand.
In a tweet, Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forté said the father was "allegedly drug impaired."
Custodial dad wants new venue, separate trial in torture-murder of 5-year-old daughter (Port Huron, Michigan)
The custodial dad is identified as ANDREW MAISON. We've posted on this case before. According to previous posts, dad legally speaking had joint custody, but shut off the mother's contact. Of course, the authorities don't object when the daddy does that--just the mom.
http://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2015/10/13/father-wants-new-venue-separate-trial-death-girl-5/73858972/
Father wants new venue, separate trial in death of girl, 5
Beth LeBlanc, Times Herald 4:51 p.m. EDT October 13, 2015
A Port Huron father is asking to be tried separately from his wife in the death of his 5-year-old daughter.
Frederick Lepley, Andrew Maison’s lawyer, states in the motion that his client would not receive a fair trial if he were tried alongside Hilery Maison.
“The Defendant Andrew Maison worked long hours outside the home, and left the child care duties relating to nutrition, medical care and discipline primarily to his wife,” the motion states. “…
Defendant Andrew Maison would be substantially prejudiced if he is tried with his co-defendant.
There is a high risk that a jury could hold him responsible for the neglect or abuse perpetrated by his wife.”
Mackenzie was found unresponsive at the Maisons’ Oak Street home May 26 after her stepmother, Hilery Maison, called 911.
Mackenzie was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police said she was malnourished, dehydrated and had pneumonia. She weighed 25 pounds.
Her 3-year-old sister, Makayla, was taken to the hospital for treatment of malnourishment. She weighed 17 pounds.
Hilery and Andrew Maison are facing charges of murder, two counts of torture and two counts of first-degree child abuse in Mackenzie’s death and Makayla’s alleged abuse.
Senior Assistant Prosecutor Mona Armstrong said the prosecutor’s office will oppose the request for separate trials.
“There really is no factual basis to support the request,” Armstrong said.
While there are circumstances that lead to separate trials for co-defendants, Armstrong said she doesn’t believe those circumstances apply in the Maisons' case.
Lepley also filed a motion for a change of venue Monday. The motion argues that demonstrators outside the courthouse, people wearing shirts demanding justice during the preliminary examination and media coverage of the case could prejudice jurors.
Lepley asks that either the venue is changed or those factors are considered during jury selection.
“…Potential jurors cannot, under the circumstances, be expected to remain impartial in light of the barrage of media coverage and social media posts that depict the Defendant as the person responsible for the death and or abuse,” the motion states.
Michael Boucher, Hilery Maison’s lawyer, also filed several motions last week, including one for a change of venue due to media coverage and negative community sentiment toward the Maisons.
The motions filed on behalf of Andrew and Hilery Maison will be discussed during an Oct. 19 hearing.
Boucher said he doesn't intend to file for a separate trial for Hilery Maison.
"We maintain that there is potentially an organic cause of this problem," Boucher said. "I have no intention of maintaining that one party is more responsible than the other.”
During a hearing Monday, Boucher and Lepley said they had located a pathologist who could possibly testify about other disorders or diseases that could have caused Mackenzie's death and Makayla's low weight and weakness.
They asked Circuit Judge Daniel Kelly to delay the trial to after March 1 to explore the possibility of other contributing causes. Kelly denied the request. The trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 3.
Calls to Lepley were not immediately returned.
http://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2015/10/13/father-wants-new-venue-separate-trial-death-girl-5/73858972/
Father wants new venue, separate trial in death of girl, 5
Beth LeBlanc, Times Herald 4:51 p.m. EDT October 13, 2015
A Port Huron father is asking to be tried separately from his wife in the death of his 5-year-old daughter.
Frederick Lepley, Andrew Maison’s lawyer, states in the motion that his client would not receive a fair trial if he were tried alongside Hilery Maison.
“The Defendant Andrew Maison worked long hours outside the home, and left the child care duties relating to nutrition, medical care and discipline primarily to his wife,” the motion states. “…
Defendant Andrew Maison would be substantially prejudiced if he is tried with his co-defendant.
There is a high risk that a jury could hold him responsible for the neglect or abuse perpetrated by his wife.”
Mackenzie was found unresponsive at the Maisons’ Oak Street home May 26 after her stepmother, Hilery Maison, called 911.
Mackenzie was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police said she was malnourished, dehydrated and had pneumonia. She weighed 25 pounds.
Her 3-year-old sister, Makayla, was taken to the hospital for treatment of malnourishment. She weighed 17 pounds.
Hilery and Andrew Maison are facing charges of murder, two counts of torture and two counts of first-degree child abuse in Mackenzie’s death and Makayla’s alleged abuse.
Senior Assistant Prosecutor Mona Armstrong said the prosecutor’s office will oppose the request for separate trials.
“There really is no factual basis to support the request,” Armstrong said.
While there are circumstances that lead to separate trials for co-defendants, Armstrong said she doesn’t believe those circumstances apply in the Maisons' case.
Lepley also filed a motion for a change of venue Monday. The motion argues that demonstrators outside the courthouse, people wearing shirts demanding justice during the preliminary examination and media coverage of the case could prejudice jurors.
Lepley asks that either the venue is changed or those factors are considered during jury selection.
“…Potential jurors cannot, under the circumstances, be expected to remain impartial in light of the barrage of media coverage and social media posts that depict the Defendant as the person responsible for the death and or abuse,” the motion states.
Michael Boucher, Hilery Maison’s lawyer, also filed several motions last week, including one for a change of venue due to media coverage and negative community sentiment toward the Maisons.
The motions filed on behalf of Andrew and Hilery Maison will be discussed during an Oct. 19 hearing.
Boucher said he doesn't intend to file for a separate trial for Hilery Maison.
"We maintain that there is potentially an organic cause of this problem," Boucher said. "I have no intention of maintaining that one party is more responsible than the other.”
During a hearing Monday, Boucher and Lepley said they had located a pathologist who could possibly testify about other disorders or diseases that could have caused Mackenzie's death and Makayla's low weight and weakness.
They asked Circuit Judge Daniel Kelly to delay the trial to after March 1 to explore the possibility of other contributing causes. Kelly denied the request. The trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 3.
Calls to Lepley were not immediately returned.
Convicted sex offender dad indicted for murder of 6-week-old daughter (Toms River, New Jersey)
Dad is identified as MICHAEL ROJAS.
http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2015/10/toms_river_father_indicted_for_murder_in_daughters.html
Toms River father indicted for murder in baby's death, report says
By Paul Milo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
October 08, 2015 at 7:58 PM
TOMS RIVER — A local man and convicted sex offender has been indicted on charges he murdered his baby daughter two years ago, app.com reported.
Michael Rojas, 38, and his wife Giovanna were arrested in 2014 and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated manslaughter. After further investigation, Michael Rojas' manslaughter charge was upgraded to murder. Charges against Giovanna Rojas will be dropped, authorities also said, after an investigation into when each parent was with the child prior to her sustaining her injuries.
Authorities say the six-week-old girl suffered compression-related trauma suggesting she had been squeezed in the August 2013 incident.
Michael Rojas was released from prison in 2011 after serving nearly two years for having consensual sex with a 15-year-old girl.
http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2015/10/toms_river_father_indicted_for_murder_in_daughters.html
Toms River father indicted for murder in baby's death, report says
By Paul Milo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
October 08, 2015 at 7:58 PM
TOMS RIVER — A local man and convicted sex offender has been indicted on charges he murdered his baby daughter two years ago, app.com reported.
Michael Rojas, 38, and his wife Giovanna were arrested in 2014 and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated manslaughter. After further investigation, Michael Rojas' manslaughter charge was upgraded to murder. Charges against Giovanna Rojas will be dropped, authorities also said, after an investigation into when each parent was with the child prior to her sustaining her injuries.
Authorities say the six-week-old girl suffered compression-related trauma suggesting she had been squeezed in the August 2013 incident.
Michael Rojas was released from prison in 2011 after serving nearly two years for having consensual sex with a 15-year-old girl.
Dad charged with "unlawful conduct" in asphyxiation death of 6-month-old son (York County, South Carolina)
Dad is identified as JOSEPH DOMINIC PESA. No mention of a mother in the home.
http://www.heraldonline.com/news/local/crime/article38216907.html
October 8, 2015
Warrant accuses Rock Hill father of shaking baby, causing death
Joseph Dominic Pesa, 19, charged with unlawful conduct toward a child
SLED arrest warrant accuses Pesa of putting the infant “face down” on a bed
ROCK HILL
A Rock Hill father was arrested Wednesday in a case involving a 6-month-old baby boy who was brought to the emergency room unresponsive in March, and later died.
Joseph Dominic Pesa, 19, was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child and taken to the city jail, Rock Hill Police Department records show. A judge on Wednesday set Pesa’s bond at $150,000.
The York County Coroner’s Office ruled the “most likely” cause of death for 6-month-old Jacob Pesa-Mendoza was asphyxia due to being placed face down on adult bedding. Coroner Sabrina Gast listed the baby’s manner of death as “unable to determine.”
The coroner’s office in March did not rule on the “manner of death” but, after reviewing medical records, autopsy/toxicology results, and interviewing caregivers and experts, Gast said the infant was prevented from being able to breathe.
A police spokesman said the case was turned over to the State Law Enforcement Division’s child fatality task force. An arrest warrant provided by SLED alleges Pesa shook the child, “causing his head to move uncontrollably.”
Pesa’s arrest warrant accuses him of putting the infant face down on a bed without seeking medical attention until “hours later.”
Rock Hill officers went to an apartment on India Hook Road where the infant was found unresponsive by EMS workers on March 16, the police report states.
Paramedics said the infant was having difficulty breathing and he was taken to the hospital. A news release from the coroner’s office states the infant was treated at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. He died March 21.
http://www.heraldonline.com/news/local/crime/article38216907.html
October 8, 2015
Warrant accuses Rock Hill father of shaking baby, causing death
Joseph Dominic Pesa, 19, charged with unlawful conduct toward a child
SLED arrest warrant accuses Pesa of putting the infant “face down” on a bed
ROCK HILL
A Rock Hill father was arrested Wednesday in a case involving a 6-month-old baby boy who was brought to the emergency room unresponsive in March, and later died.
Joseph Dominic Pesa, 19, was charged with unlawful conduct toward a child and taken to the city jail, Rock Hill Police Department records show. A judge on Wednesday set Pesa’s bond at $150,000.
The York County Coroner’s Office ruled the “most likely” cause of death for 6-month-old Jacob Pesa-Mendoza was asphyxia due to being placed face down on adult bedding. Coroner Sabrina Gast listed the baby’s manner of death as “unable to determine.”
The coroner’s office in March did not rule on the “manner of death” but, after reviewing medical records, autopsy/toxicology results, and interviewing caregivers and experts, Gast said the infant was prevented from being able to breathe.
A police spokesman said the case was turned over to the State Law Enforcement Division’s child fatality task force. An arrest warrant provided by SLED alleges Pesa shook the child, “causing his head to move uncontrollably.”
Pesa’s arrest warrant accuses him of putting the infant face down on a bed without seeking medical attention until “hours later.”
Rock Hill officers went to an apartment on India Hook Road where the infant was found unresponsive by EMS workers on March 16, the police report states.
Paramedics said the infant was having difficulty breathing and he was taken to the hospital. A news release from the coroner’s office states the infant was treated at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. He died March 21.
Dad in child custody "argument" arrested for threatening mom, damaging her car (Cornwall, Ontario, Canada)
Why violent men should not have child custody/visitation in any form. They just use the opportunity to further abuse/terrorize the mother and/or kids.
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.cornwallseawaynews.com/News/2015-10-09/article-4305210/Father-in-child-custody-argument-faces-four-charges/1
Father in child-custody argument faces four charges
Published on October 09, 2015
CORNWALL, Ontario - Cornwall police arrested a 48-year-old man on Wednesday following a domestic-incident complaint.
Adam Brazeau Cornwall Community Police Service (CCPS) blotter update.
According to the Cornwall Community Police Service, the suspect's estranged common-law wife was visiting his residence on October 7, when an argument erupted over the custody of their children.
The argument, which was taking place outside, escalated to the point that the woman locked herself in her vehicle.
Police say the suspect threatened to break the victim's window and punch her in the head, in addition to punching the hood of her vehicle causing damage and threatening further harm to the woman as she left the area.
CCPS were contacted and an investigation was conducted.
The man was arrested at the scene and transported to police HQ where he was held in custody for a bail hearing in a Cornwall court.
The suspect is facing three counts of domestic threats and one count of domestic mischief. His name is not being released to protect the victim's identity.
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.cornwallseawaynews.com/News/2015-10-09/article-4305210/Father-in-child-custody-argument-faces-four-charges/1
Father in child-custody argument faces four charges
Published on October 09, 2015
CORNWALL, Ontario - Cornwall police arrested a 48-year-old man on Wednesday following a domestic-incident complaint.
Adam Brazeau Cornwall Community Police Service (CCPS) blotter update.
According to the Cornwall Community Police Service, the suspect's estranged common-law wife was visiting his residence on October 7, when an argument erupted over the custody of their children.
The argument, which was taking place outside, escalated to the point that the woman locked herself in her vehicle.
Police say the suspect threatened to break the victim's window and punch her in the head, in addition to punching the hood of her vehicle causing damage and threatening further harm to the woman as she left the area.
CCPS were contacted and an investigation was conducted.
The man was arrested at the scene and transported to police HQ where he was held in custody for a bail hearing in a Cornwall court.
The suspect is facing three counts of domestic threats and one count of domestic mischief. His name is not being released to protect the victim's identity.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Dad charged in death of 3-month-old son (Lincoln County, Missouri)
Dad is identified as STEVE SCHNELL.
http://www.kmov.com/story/30221895/man-charged-with-child-abuse-after-shaking-baby
Baby dies after father allegedly shakes him
Posted: Oct 08, 2015 10:25 PM EST Updated: Oct 09, 2015 9:49 PM EST
By Christina Santiago
LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. (KMOV.com) - Investigators said they believe a Moscow Mills man is responsible for injuries that put a newborn in the hospital. That child was on life support, but died a day later.
Steve Schnell, 25, is charged with child abuse. He told deputies his three-month-old son was choking so he patted the boy on the back and shook him to revive him. Doctors said injuries were more likely from the baby being shaken.
The baby boy had bleeding in the brain and detached retinas.
http://www.kmov.com/story/30221895/man-charged-with-child-abuse-after-shaking-baby
Baby dies after father allegedly shakes him
Posted: Oct 08, 2015 10:25 PM EST Updated: Oct 09, 2015 9:49 PM EST
By Christina Santiago
LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. (KMOV.com) - Investigators said they believe a Moscow Mills man is responsible for injuries that put a newborn in the hospital. That child was on life support, but died a day later.
Steve Schnell, 25, is charged with child abuse. He told deputies his three-month-old son was choking so he patted the boy on the back and shook him to revive him. Doctors said injuries were more likely from the baby being shaken.
The baby boy had bleeding in the brain and detached retinas.
Dad sentenced for 2nd-degree murder of 4-month-old daughter (Columbus Junction, Iowa)
Dad is identified as OSCAR JIMINEZ.
http://www.ourquadcities.com/news/father-who-killed-baby-sentenced
Father who killed baby sentenced
Published 10/09 2015 04:36PM Updated 10/09 2015 04:36PM
WAPELLO, Iowa
A Columbus Junction father who caused the death of his baby girl learned his fate today.
In January four-month-old Marleen Jimenez of Columbus Junction, Iowa, died from severe head trauma at the University of Iowa Hospital.
The child's father, Oscar Jimenez, was arrested the day after the injured child was brought to the hospital. He later pleaded guilty to 2nd degree murder and multiple acts of child endangerment.
On Friday a Louisa County judge sentenced Jimenez to 50 years in prison on both counts, to run consecutively.
http://www.ourquadcities.com/news/father-who-killed-baby-sentenced
Father who killed baby sentenced
Published 10/09 2015 04:36PM Updated 10/09 2015 04:36PM
WAPELLO, Iowa
A Columbus Junction father who caused the death of his baby girl learned his fate today.
In January four-month-old Marleen Jimenez of Columbus Junction, Iowa, died from severe head trauma at the University of Iowa Hospital.
The child's father, Oscar Jimenez, was arrested the day after the injured child was brought to the hospital. He later pleaded guilty to 2nd degree murder and multiple acts of child endangerment.
On Friday a Louisa County judge sentenced Jimenez to 50 years in prison on both counts, to run consecutively.
Dad on trial for child abuse death of infant son (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Dad is identified as DAVID A. ALLEN SR.
http://www.startribune.com/jury-deliberating-wisconsin-case-alleging-shaken-baby-death/331889411/
Jury deliberating in trial of Milwaukee man accused in 2013 death of infant son
Associated Press October 10, 2015 — 5:30pm
MILWAUKEE — Jury deliberations are expected to resume Monday in the trial of a Milwaukee man accused of physical abuse that allegedly led to the 2013 death of his infant son.
Jurors began deliberating the case of David A. Allen Sr. shortly before 3 p.m. Friday but did not reach a verdict, the Journal Sentinel (http://bit.ly/1jhMHsX ) reported.
Allen, 34, and the boy's mother, took their son to a West Allis hospital on Oct. 6, 2012, after a day when he wasn't eating normally and seemed lethargic. After giving a series of changing explanations of what might have injured the boy, Allen admitted he squeezed the baby too hard once, and another time shook the boy when he wouldn't stop clawing at his face.
Junior was put in foster care, where his condition deteriorated until he died in April 2013. Prosecutors then charged Allen, already facing child abuse counts, with reckless homicide.
The two-week trial has highlighted uncertainty about whether "shaken baby syndrome" is always the only explanation for certain brain injuries in children.
Defense experts who questioned both the medical basis for concluding the infant died of child abuse and the validity of Allen's confession to shaking the child earned more than $40,000 for their efforts to create "a courtroom controversy," a prosecutor told a jury Friday.
Assistant District Attorney Matthew Torbenson called the experts "frequent fliers" who came from four states and England to "collect a paycheck" while trying to raise doubt that Allen's actions led to the death of his son.
Torbenson said there was no doubt that child abuse led to the boy's death. He cited diagnoses from local pediatric experts who treated David Allen Jr. at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. He said those were corroborated by Allen's admissions about squeezing, shaking and dropping his son in the fall of 2012, just months after the boy, who was born two months prematurely, was released from intensive care.
In addition to the brain injuries, the boy had 12 broken ribs.
In the defense closing argument, attorney Anthony Cotton reminded jurors of his experts' credentials, and said they testified because there is a contentious debate in the medical community about attributing certain injuries to child abuse without more evidence than particular brain conditions.
"Your job isn't to reconcile that debate," Cotton told the jury.
Cotton summarized defense experts' findings that conditions resulting from the boy's premature birth could have caused silent seizures, resulting in bleeding near his brain, and that his ribs were so weak they could have been broken by normal handling.
The defense attorney reminded jurors there were no bruises, skull fractures or evidence that the child screamed or reacted as would be expected around the time his father later said he had squeezed the boy too hard.
http://www.startribune.com/jury-deliberating-wisconsin-case-alleging-shaken-baby-death/331889411/
Jury deliberating in trial of Milwaukee man accused in 2013 death of infant son
Associated Press October 10, 2015 — 5:30pm
MILWAUKEE — Jury deliberations are expected to resume Monday in the trial of a Milwaukee man accused of physical abuse that allegedly led to the 2013 death of his infant son.
Jurors began deliberating the case of David A. Allen Sr. shortly before 3 p.m. Friday but did not reach a verdict, the Journal Sentinel (http://bit.ly/1jhMHsX ) reported.
Allen, 34, and the boy's mother, took their son to a West Allis hospital on Oct. 6, 2012, after a day when he wasn't eating normally and seemed lethargic. After giving a series of changing explanations of what might have injured the boy, Allen admitted he squeezed the baby too hard once, and another time shook the boy when he wouldn't stop clawing at his face.
Junior was put in foster care, where his condition deteriorated until he died in April 2013. Prosecutors then charged Allen, already facing child abuse counts, with reckless homicide.
The two-week trial has highlighted uncertainty about whether "shaken baby syndrome" is always the only explanation for certain brain injuries in children.
Defense experts who questioned both the medical basis for concluding the infant died of child abuse and the validity of Allen's confession to shaking the child earned more than $40,000 for their efforts to create "a courtroom controversy," a prosecutor told a jury Friday.
Assistant District Attorney Matthew Torbenson called the experts "frequent fliers" who came from four states and England to "collect a paycheck" while trying to raise doubt that Allen's actions led to the death of his son.
Torbenson said there was no doubt that child abuse led to the boy's death. He cited diagnoses from local pediatric experts who treated David Allen Jr. at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. He said those were corroborated by Allen's admissions about squeezing, shaking and dropping his son in the fall of 2012, just months after the boy, who was born two months prematurely, was released from intensive care.
In addition to the brain injuries, the boy had 12 broken ribs.
In the defense closing argument, attorney Anthony Cotton reminded jurors of his experts' credentials, and said they testified because there is a contentious debate in the medical community about attributing certain injuries to child abuse without more evidence than particular brain conditions.
"Your job isn't to reconcile that debate," Cotton told the jury.
Cotton summarized defense experts' findings that conditions resulting from the boy's premature birth could have caused silent seizures, resulting in bleeding near his brain, and that his ribs were so weak they could have been broken by normal handling.
The defense attorney reminded jurors there were no bruises, skull fractures or evidence that the child screamed or reacted as would be expected around the time his father later said he had squeezed the boy too hard.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Dad accused of assaulting 3-month-old son; baby in critical condition (Kenton County, Kentucky)
Once again: "Frustrated" dad who bashes the baby. And can't bother to get medical care.
Dad is identified as CASEY RADCLIFFE.
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/10/07/dad-accused-gravely-injuring-baby/73508400/
Dad accused of gravely injuring baby
Terry DeMio, 12:27 p.m. EDT October 8, 2015
A Northern Kentucky father faces an assault charge after he allegedly shook his baby, causing a severe brain injury.
A Northern Kentucky father is accused of violently shaking his infant, causing severe injury including hemorrhaging to the 3-month-old baby's brain.
Casey Radcliffe, 24, of Independence, is in the Kenton County jail, facing a charge of first-degree assault.
His next court hearing is set for Oct. 15. Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders said Wednesday that, because of the infant's grave condition, he anticipates going through with the preliminary court hearing rather than going directly to a grand jury to seek an expedient indictment.
"I'm waiting to see how the child responds to medical treatment," Sanders said, adding that, if the boy, "God forbid, doesn't make it," the case could become a murder case rather than first-degree assault.
The first-degree assault charge carries with it a 10- to 20-year sentence.
The baby boy, whose name is Raiden, is in Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in critical condition.
A warrant for Radcliffe's arrest issued Saturday states that the father caused a "grave risk of death" to the baby.
The warrant states, even though Radcliffe saw his child's physical reaction right after shaking the baby, the father put the infant in his crib rather than seeking medical help. Several hours later, when the mother returned home, she called a doctor after seeing her distressed infant. The doctor directed her to take the baby to Children's Hospital.
Dad is identified as CASEY RADCLIFFE.
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/10/07/dad-accused-gravely-injuring-baby/73508400/
Dad accused of gravely injuring baby
Terry DeMio, 12:27 p.m. EDT October 8, 2015
A Northern Kentucky father faces an assault charge after he allegedly shook his baby, causing a severe brain injury.
A Northern Kentucky father is accused of violently shaking his infant, causing severe injury including hemorrhaging to the 3-month-old baby's brain.
Casey Radcliffe, 24, of Independence, is in the Kenton County jail, facing a charge of first-degree assault.
His next court hearing is set for Oct. 15. Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders said Wednesday that, because of the infant's grave condition, he anticipates going through with the preliminary court hearing rather than going directly to a grand jury to seek an expedient indictment.
"I'm waiting to see how the child responds to medical treatment," Sanders said, adding that, if the boy, "God forbid, doesn't make it," the case could become a murder case rather than first-degree assault.
The first-degree assault charge carries with it a 10- to 20-year sentence.
The baby boy, whose name is Raiden, is in Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in critical condition.
A warrant for Radcliffe's arrest issued Saturday states that the father caused a "grave risk of death" to the baby.
The warrant states, even though Radcliffe saw his child's physical reaction right after shaking the baby, the father put the infant in his crib rather than seeking medical help. Several hours later, when the mother returned home, she called a doctor after seeing her distressed infant. The doctor directed her to take the baby to Children's Hospital.
Dad headed to jail after "violent encounter" (Manitoba, Canada)
As Bugs Bunny would say, what a maroon.
Daddy is identified as SHANE BAPTISTE.
http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/10/07/manitoba-father-headed-to-jail-for-violent-encounter-at-waterpark
Manitoba father headed to jail for violent encounter at waterpark
The Canadian Press
First posted: Wednesday, October 07, 2015 12:01 PM CDT | Updated: Wednesday, October 07, 2015 02:09 PM CDT
A Manitoba father has been sentenced to two years less a day after a family trip to a waterpark ended with a dangerous, high-speed chase down the Trans-Canada Highway with his wife and three children in the van.
Shane Baptiste, 39, pleaded guilty to several charges Tuesday, admitting he threatened a woman and punched an RCMP officer in the face.
He told court he feels bad about it, adding that he feels apologetic every day for what he did.
Baptiste took his family to Splash Island in Portage la Prairie, Man., on July 25 but the fun afternoon turned sour when he got into an argument with another patron and threatened to kill her and her family.
The woman, who works as a probation officer, called police but when an RCMP officer arrived moments later, Baptiste slugged him in the face.
Court was told several children at the waterpark witnessed the violent encounter, including Baptiste's own children.
Baptiste then ordered his family to get into their van and sped away, blowing through several stop signs and school zones at nearly 100 kilometres an hour, increasing that to 180 kilometres an hour once he hit the highway.
"This was probably the fastest his van could go," Crown attorney Joyce Dalmyn told court. "This is one of the most egregious motor vehicle flights from police we've seen. His speeds are ridiculous. Frankly, it's nothing shy of a miracle his three children weren't injured."
Baptiste eventually drove over a spike belt laid down by other RCMP officers and abandoned his van -- and his family -- by taking off on foot.
He turned himself in at a local police detachment days later, after his picture had been released to media outlets.
Baptiste has a lengthy prior criminal record which includes two previous assaults against police officers.
"He didn't think," defence lawyer Greg Brodsky told court. "He feels badly about his inappropriate behaviour. He acknowledges that he was driving in a ridiculous fashion."
Daddy is identified as SHANE BAPTISTE.
http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/10/07/manitoba-father-headed-to-jail-for-violent-encounter-at-waterpark
Manitoba father headed to jail for violent encounter at waterpark
The Canadian Press
First posted: Wednesday, October 07, 2015 12:01 PM CDT | Updated: Wednesday, October 07, 2015 02:09 PM CDT
A Manitoba father has been sentenced to two years less a day after a family trip to a waterpark ended with a dangerous, high-speed chase down the Trans-Canada Highway with his wife and three children in the van.
Shane Baptiste, 39, pleaded guilty to several charges Tuesday, admitting he threatened a woman and punched an RCMP officer in the face.
He told court he feels bad about it, adding that he feels apologetic every day for what he did.
Baptiste took his family to Splash Island in Portage la Prairie, Man., on July 25 but the fun afternoon turned sour when he got into an argument with another patron and threatened to kill her and her family.
The woman, who works as a probation officer, called police but when an RCMP officer arrived moments later, Baptiste slugged him in the face.
Court was told several children at the waterpark witnessed the violent encounter, including Baptiste's own children.
Baptiste then ordered his family to get into their van and sped away, blowing through several stop signs and school zones at nearly 100 kilometres an hour, increasing that to 180 kilometres an hour once he hit the highway.
"This was probably the fastest his van could go," Crown attorney Joyce Dalmyn told court. "This is one of the most egregious motor vehicle flights from police we've seen. His speeds are ridiculous. Frankly, it's nothing shy of a miracle his three children weren't injured."
Baptiste eventually drove over a spike belt laid down by other RCMP officers and abandoned his van -- and his family -- by taking off on foot.
He turned himself in at a local police detachment days later, after his picture had been released to media outlets.
Baptiste has a lengthy prior criminal record which includes two previous assaults against police officers.
"He didn't think," defence lawyer Greg Brodsky told court. "He feels badly about his inappropriate behaviour. He acknowledges that he was driving in a ridiculous fashion."
"Frustrated" dad faces felony battery charge in death of 2-month-old daughter (Franklin, Indiana)
Happens again and again. Unemployed/underemployed (and possibly unemployable) dad drafted into infant caregiving since Mom has to go back to work--since we don't have paid maternity leave requirements or anything. Of course, the @$$hole gets "frustrated" and bashes the baby. And, as almost always happens, our big Macho Hero is too much of a coward to call 911 or seek medical help. He leaves that task to Mom.
This time the dad is identified as JAMISON CYRUS ALLAN HENDLEY.
http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/local_story/Father-faces-felony-in-baby-s-_1444271184
Father faces felony in baby’s death
By Abby Armbruster
First Posted: October 07, 2015 - 10:26 pm Last Updated: October 07, 2015 - 10:27 pm
Frustrated with the baby’s crying, a Franklin father shook his 2-month-old daughter and then threw her across the room into a chair.
Jamison Cyrus Allan Hendley, 22, realized the baby was not breathing right. He then put the baby to bed and got into the shower. Shortly after, the baby’s mother came home from work and realized something was wrong with 2-month-old Braelyn and took her to the hospital.
Four days later, the baby died at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis. An autopsy showed the infant died of blunt force trauma to her head, causing massive brain injuries. Doctors at the hospital said the extent of the damage showed the injury wasn’t accidental. Days later and after multiple interviews with investigators, Hendley told police the details of what happened that day.
This week, he was charged with battery resulting in death of a child younger than 14. He could face 10 to 30 years in prison, Johnson County Prosecutor Brad Cooper said.
The charge is the highest level charge the prosecutor’s office can file for a shaken baby case, Cooper said, adding, “The evidence fits it.”
Hendley had been watching the baby since 2:30 p.m. Sept. 30, when Autumn Grissom, the baby’s mother, went to work. He first told police he became angry when the baby was crying and picked her up quickly and might have shaken her a little, according to the charging documents.
The next day, he told police the baby had fallen out of a stroller and that he had held her above a chair and dropped her into it. The baby fell onto the floor, the documents said.
Around 9 p.m., the baby started crying nonstop, and Hendley didn’t want to call 911 because he knew he had done something wrong, the documents said.
In another interview this week, Hendley told police he got frustrated with the baby’s crying and shook her. When she didn’t stop crying, he threw her across the room into a chair. The baby fell out of the chair and onto the floor, and then he knew she wasn’t breathing properly, the report said.
At 11:30 p.m., Grissom returned home from work and took the baby to the hospital. Hendley didn’t go with her.
Doctors found bruising on the baby’s right arm and leg, significant brain injury, significant retinal bleeding and retinal detachment and she was having constant seizures, according to the probable cause affidavit from the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Braelyn’s heart and valves were donated to two other infants, according to Michelle Ingle of Orleans, the baby’s grandmother. “With her having the traumatic brain injuries ... the only organ they were able to use was her heart,” Ingle said. Grissom wants to meet the babies who received Braelyn’s organs, Ingle said.
Hendley, 5700 U.S. 31 South, Franklin, remains in the Johnson County jail on $46,000 bond. He will go in front of a judge within the next week to hear his new charges, and a pretrial conference will be set within the next few months, Cooper said.
The Times-Mail of Bedford contributed to this report.
This time the dad is identified as JAMISON CYRUS ALLAN HENDLEY.
http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/local_story/Father-faces-felony-in-baby-s-_1444271184
Father faces felony in baby’s death
By Abby Armbruster
First Posted: October 07, 2015 - 10:26 pm Last Updated: October 07, 2015 - 10:27 pm
Frustrated with the baby’s crying, a Franklin father shook his 2-month-old daughter and then threw her across the room into a chair.
Jamison Cyrus Allan Hendley, 22, realized the baby was not breathing right. He then put the baby to bed and got into the shower. Shortly after, the baby’s mother came home from work and realized something was wrong with 2-month-old Braelyn and took her to the hospital.
Four days later, the baby died at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis. An autopsy showed the infant died of blunt force trauma to her head, causing massive brain injuries. Doctors at the hospital said the extent of the damage showed the injury wasn’t accidental. Days later and after multiple interviews with investigators, Hendley told police the details of what happened that day.
This week, he was charged with battery resulting in death of a child younger than 14. He could face 10 to 30 years in prison, Johnson County Prosecutor Brad Cooper said.
The charge is the highest level charge the prosecutor’s office can file for a shaken baby case, Cooper said, adding, “The evidence fits it.”
Hendley had been watching the baby since 2:30 p.m. Sept. 30, when Autumn Grissom, the baby’s mother, went to work. He first told police he became angry when the baby was crying and picked her up quickly and might have shaken her a little, according to the charging documents.
The next day, he told police the baby had fallen out of a stroller and that he had held her above a chair and dropped her into it. The baby fell onto the floor, the documents said.
Around 9 p.m., the baby started crying nonstop, and Hendley didn’t want to call 911 because he knew he had done something wrong, the documents said.
In another interview this week, Hendley told police he got frustrated with the baby’s crying and shook her. When she didn’t stop crying, he threw her across the room into a chair. The baby fell out of the chair and onto the floor, and then he knew she wasn’t breathing properly, the report said.
At 11:30 p.m., Grissom returned home from work and took the baby to the hospital. Hendley didn’t go with her.
Doctors found bruising on the baby’s right arm and leg, significant brain injury, significant retinal bleeding and retinal detachment and she was having constant seizures, according to the probable cause affidavit from the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Braelyn’s heart and valves were donated to two other infants, according to Michelle Ingle of Orleans, the baby’s grandmother. “With her having the traumatic brain injuries ... the only organ they were able to use was her heart,” Ingle said. Grissom wants to meet the babies who received Braelyn’s organs, Ingle said.
Hendley, 5700 U.S. 31 South, Franklin, remains in the Johnson County jail on $46,000 bond. He will go in front of a judge within the next week to hear his new charges, and a pretrial conference will be set within the next few months, Cooper said.
The Times-Mail of Bedford contributed to this report.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Dad's child abuse rescheduled; charged with abusing infant sons (Logan, Utah)
Dad is identified as RYAN UDY.
http://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/local/article_9bab8a04-6088-11e5-9734-f30b1b051e6c.html
Ryan Udy child abuse trial rescheduled for May 2016
Posted: Monday, September 21, 2015 11:45 am
Will Feelright
LOGAN — The child abuse trial for a 32-year-old Logan father, Ryan Udy, has been rescheduled for May 31, 2016, after attorneys for both sides asked for additional time to gather and review new evidence in the case.
Udy appeared in 1st District Court Monday morning. He faces two charges of child abuse, both second-degree felonies. His attorney told the court, they had met with state prosecutors and were requesting additional health records from when the victim had received medical treatment, since the alleged abuse.
Prosecutors have claimed Udy abused his infant son several times, breaking his arm, and causing bruises and other injuries. The abuse was reported in December 2012 and March 2013.
Defense attorneys argue Udy was only with the child for a short time and that the abuse was caused by the child's mother.
On September 2, an eight-day jury trial was postponed after a witness in the case claimed to have received two anonymous emails, describing how the mother reportedly abused the child.
Judge Brandon Maynard had tried to schedule the trial for January but later settled on the May date after prosecutors said the victim's mother was expecting a child in early spring.
Udy was ordered to appear again in court April 19 for a final pretrial conference.
http://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/local/article_9bab8a04-6088-11e5-9734-f30b1b051e6c.html
Ryan Udy child abuse trial rescheduled for May 2016
Posted: Monday, September 21, 2015 11:45 am
Will Feelright
LOGAN — The child abuse trial for a 32-year-old Logan father, Ryan Udy, has been rescheduled for May 31, 2016, after attorneys for both sides asked for additional time to gather and review new evidence in the case.
Udy appeared in 1st District Court Monday morning. He faces two charges of child abuse, both second-degree felonies. His attorney told the court, they had met with state prosecutors and were requesting additional health records from when the victim had received medical treatment, since the alleged abuse.
Prosecutors have claimed Udy abused his infant son several times, breaking his arm, and causing bruises and other injuries. The abuse was reported in December 2012 and March 2013.
Defense attorneys argue Udy was only with the child for a short time and that the abuse was caused by the child's mother.
On September 2, an eight-day jury trial was postponed after a witness in the case claimed to have received two anonymous emails, describing how the mother reportedly abused the child.
Judge Brandon Maynard had tried to schedule the trial for January but later settled on the May date after prosecutors said the victim's mother was expecting a child in early spring.
Udy was ordered to appear again in court April 19 for a final pretrial conference.
Dad charged with murdering 3-month-old daughter (Heathcote, Australia)
Dad is identified as JOBY ANTHONY ROWE.
http://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/father-charged-with-murdering-three-month-old-baby-girl-in-heathcote/story-fnii5sms-1227537343106
Father charged with murdering three-month-old baby girl in Heathcote
September 21, 20157:46pm
A man has been charged over the death of a baby in Heathcote last month.
THE father of a three-month-old baby girl has been charged with her murder.
Heathcote man Joby Anthony Rowe, 23, was behind bars Monday night after facing an out-of-sessions court hearing in Bendigo over the murder of daughter Alannah after being the subject of a homicide investigation for almost a month.
Baby Alannah, who was born premature, was rushed to hospital on August 29 after a call to triple-0. Alannah died the following day at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
It was reported at the time Mr Rowe had told friends Alannah had started coughing “hard’’ as he fed her a bottle just after she had woken.
It’s understood the baby’s mother, Stephanie Knibbs, heard the commotion and came running to help and they laid Alannah on the ground and tried to clear her airways.
The results of a post-mortem is believed to have directed the investigation into the little girl’s suspicious death.
Ms Knibbs spoke to police about the events leading up to the triple-0 call and police also appealed for other people with information to come forward.
Mr Rowe, who was questioned and released by police last month, is set to appear at Bendigo Magistrates’ Court Tuesday morning.
It came as police revealed no charges would be laid over the death of another baby at Hamilton on July 13.
Emergency services had been called to a house in Strachan St after receiving a report of a seriously ill child.
The 11-month-old boy was taken to Hamilton Hospital where he later died.
Investigators said they had spoken to a number of people in relation to the death and a post-mortem was conducted.
The death will now be the subject of a Coronial investigation.
http://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/father-charged-with-murdering-three-month-old-baby-girl-in-heathcote/story-fnii5sms-1227537343106
Father charged with murdering three-month-old baby girl in Heathcote
September 21, 20157:46pm
A man has been charged over the death of a baby in Heathcote last month.
THE father of a three-month-old baby girl has been charged with her murder.
Heathcote man Joby Anthony Rowe, 23, was behind bars Monday night after facing an out-of-sessions court hearing in Bendigo over the murder of daughter Alannah after being the subject of a homicide investigation for almost a month.
Baby Alannah, who was born premature, was rushed to hospital on August 29 after a call to triple-0. Alannah died the following day at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
It was reported at the time Mr Rowe had told friends Alannah had started coughing “hard’’ as he fed her a bottle just after she had woken.
It’s understood the baby’s mother, Stephanie Knibbs, heard the commotion and came running to help and they laid Alannah on the ground and tried to clear her airways.
The results of a post-mortem is believed to have directed the investigation into the little girl’s suspicious death.
Ms Knibbs spoke to police about the events leading up to the triple-0 call and police also appealed for other people with information to come forward.
Mr Rowe, who was questioned and released by police last month, is set to appear at Bendigo Magistrates’ Court Tuesday morning.
It came as police revealed no charges would be laid over the death of another baby at Hamilton on July 13.
Emergency services had been called to a house in Strachan St after receiving a report of a seriously ill child.
The 11-month-old boy was taken to Hamilton Hospital where he later died.
Investigators said they had spoken to a number of people in relation to the death and a post-mortem was conducted.
The death will now be the subject of a Coronial investigation.
4-year-old boy ordered to visit drug-addicted father who previously threatened boy's mother with shotgun (Australia)
The brutal triumph of the fathers rights movement--and the death of decency and common sense.
Gosh, what could possibly go wrong here?
Dad is identified as "Mr Tierney."
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/boy-4-ordered-to-visit-ice-dad/story-e6frg97x-1227551336821
Boy, 4, ordered to visit ice dad
The Australian
October 01, 2015 12:00AM
Nicola Berkovic
Legal affairs correspondent
A four-year-old boy has been ordered by a judge to spend at least two hours a fortnight with his father despite evidence the father had been using the drug ice and served jail time for allegedly threatening the mother with a shotgun.
The father had also previously threatened to slit his own throat with a knife and had taken the boy without consent at least twice and spirited him interstate.
Federal Circuit Court judge Warwick Neville made orders in Canberra for the boy to spend “no less than two hours per fortnight” with the father at a contact centre.
The father, known as “Mr Tierney”, had been fighting the mother to spend regular, substantial time with his son and had denied using ice.
But his drug screen showed he had been using methylamphetamine and the prescription painkiller Endone, also dubbed “hillbilly heroin”.
He also denied previously threatening the mother with a shotgun and instead said that he had been threatening to shoot himself.
Mr Tierney urged the court to allow him to care for his son every second weekend and every Tuesday after school.
But the mother, who was legally represented, said the boy should live with her and spend two hours a fortnight with the father while supervised at a contact centre.
Judge Neville said the father’s previous threats of violent self-harm and positive drug test “alone warranted” that his time with the child “should be supervised”.
He made interim orders for fortnightly supervised contact until a report from a court- appointed psychiatrist could be prepared.
It is not clear whether the mother of the four-year-old boy felt uneasy about her son spending time with his father.
However, Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston said she came across many cases in which mothers felt pressured to agree to court orders they did not feel were in their children’s best interests to avoid being seen as trying to alienate the other parent.
“No court should ever allow a parent to make that decision” and lawyers should fight harder to ensure they did not do so, she said. “We see it all the time and we hear it all the time and it’s heartbreaking,” she said.
“These are parents who want to protect their children from clearly dangerous partners, who are being advised by their own legal representation, because of the way the system currently works, to make decisions that are not in the best interests of their own children.”
She questioned how super- visors at a children’s contact centre could guarantee the safety of the boy if the father arrived under the influence of ice or armed with a weapon.
The West Australian mother of “Abbey” — a 17-year-old girl who committed suicide after being forced to spend time with her pedophile father — told The Australian yesterday that she had felt pressured to consent to family law orders for her daughter to have contact with her ex- husband even though her “gut said no”.
“You are thrown into this system where you have to consent,” she said. “My gut said no ... but there is pressure from all around you. It’s the best-case scenario in a no-win situation.”
Gosh, what could possibly go wrong here?
Dad is identified as "Mr Tierney."
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/boy-4-ordered-to-visit-ice-dad/story-e6frg97x-1227551336821
Boy, 4, ordered to visit ice dad
The Australian
October 01, 2015 12:00AM
Nicola Berkovic
Legal affairs correspondent
A four-year-old boy has been ordered by a judge to spend at least two hours a fortnight with his father despite evidence the father had been using the drug ice and served jail time for allegedly threatening the mother with a shotgun.
The father had also previously threatened to slit his own throat with a knife and had taken the boy without consent at least twice and spirited him interstate.
Federal Circuit Court judge Warwick Neville made orders in Canberra for the boy to spend “no less than two hours per fortnight” with the father at a contact centre.
The father, known as “Mr Tierney”, had been fighting the mother to spend regular, substantial time with his son and had denied using ice.
But his drug screen showed he had been using methylamphetamine and the prescription painkiller Endone, also dubbed “hillbilly heroin”.
He also denied previously threatening the mother with a shotgun and instead said that he had been threatening to shoot himself.
Mr Tierney urged the court to allow him to care for his son every second weekend and every Tuesday after school.
But the mother, who was legally represented, said the boy should live with her and spend two hours a fortnight with the father while supervised at a contact centre.
Judge Neville said the father’s previous threats of violent self-harm and positive drug test “alone warranted” that his time with the child “should be supervised”.
He made interim orders for fortnightly supervised contact until a report from a court- appointed psychiatrist could be prepared.
It is not clear whether the mother of the four-year-old boy felt uneasy about her son spending time with his father.
However, Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston said she came across many cases in which mothers felt pressured to agree to court orders they did not feel were in their children’s best interests to avoid being seen as trying to alienate the other parent.
“No court should ever allow a parent to make that decision” and lawyers should fight harder to ensure they did not do so, she said. “We see it all the time and we hear it all the time and it’s heartbreaking,” she said.
“These are parents who want to protect their children from clearly dangerous partners, who are being advised by their own legal representation, because of the way the system currently works, to make decisions that are not in the best interests of their own children.”
She questioned how super- visors at a children’s contact centre could guarantee the safety of the boy if the father arrived under the influence of ice or armed with a weapon.
The West Australian mother of “Abbey” — a 17-year-old girl who committed suicide after being forced to spend time with her pedophile father — told The Australian yesterday that she had felt pressured to consent to family law orders for her daughter to have contact with her ex- husband even though her “gut said no”.
“You are thrown into this system where you have to consent,” she said. “My gut said no ... but there is pressure from all around you. It’s the best-case scenario in a no-win situation.”
Dad charged with manslaughter in death of 7-month-old daughter (Perth, Australia)
Dad is identified as PAUL COSGROVE.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-30/perth-father-paul-james-cosgrove-faces-manslaughter-charge/6816798
Perth father Paul James Cosgrove charged with manslaughter over death of baby daughter
By Joanna Menagh
Posted 30 Sep 2015, 12:11am
Paul Cosgrove has been charged with assaulting his 7-month-old daughter
The charge against a Perth man accused of fatally assaulting his baby daughter has been upgraded to manslaughter.
Paul James Cosgrove was originally charged with causing grievous bodily harm to his seven-month-old daughter Lillian at their Ellenbrook home earlier this month.
The child was found unconscious and taken to Swan District Hospital before being transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital.
She died two days later.
Cosgrove appeared in Perth Magistrates Court where the charge was upgraded to manslaughter.
He was not required to plead and made no application for bail.
Cosgrove is due back in court next month.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-30/perth-father-paul-james-cosgrove-faces-manslaughter-charge/6816798
Perth father Paul James Cosgrove charged with manslaughter over death of baby daughter
By Joanna Menagh
Posted 30 Sep 2015, 12:11am
Paul Cosgrove has been charged with assaulting his 7-month-old daughter
The charge against a Perth man accused of fatally assaulting his baby daughter has been upgraded to manslaughter.
Paul James Cosgrove was originally charged with causing grievous bodily harm to his seven-month-old daughter Lillian at their Ellenbrook home earlier this month.
The child was found unconscious and taken to Swan District Hospital before being transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital.
She died two days later.
Cosgrove appeared in Perth Magistrates Court where the charge was upgraded to manslaughter.
He was not required to plead and made no application for bail.
Cosgrove is due back in court next month.
Dad who assaulted 6-week-old daughter, leaving her with permanent brain damage, successfully appeals "excessive" 7 1/2 year sentence (Scotland)
Classic abuser daddy coddling. Dad is identified only as SD.
http://www.scottishlegal.com/2015/10/05/baby-shaking-assault-father-successfully-challenges-excessive-sentence/
Baby-shaking assault father successfully challenges ‘excessive’ sentence
A father who left his baby daughter brain-damaged after shaking her and throwing her down on to a couch in a “deliberate and violent assault” has had his seven-and-a-half year prison sentence reduced following an appeal.
The Criminal Appeal Court quashed the sentence and imposed a custodial term of six years and nine months after ruling that the sentencing judge’s starting point of nine years – which was discounted due to the unnamed father’s guilty plea – was “not consistent with what was held to be appropriate in these cases”.
Lord Brodie and Lord Drummond Young heard that the appellant “SD” pled guilty at the trial diet of assaulting his six-week-old daughter to her severe injury, permanent impairment and to the danger of her life.
The High Court in Glasgow was told that he had become “frustrated” with the baby and “lost control” after she had kept her parents awake during the previous night.
While the sentencing judge accepted that there was “no wickednesss” in his actions, she viewed this as a “deliberate and violent assault” using a degree of force which was “obviously likely to cause serious harm” to a six-week-old baby, who was left with catastrophic, life threatening injuries.
On 31 March 2015 she sentenced the appellant to seven-and-a-half years’ imprisonment – discounted by around 15 per cent from nine years for the “utilitarian benefit” of the guilty plea, albeit that it had been tendered very late.
But the appellant challenged the sentencing judge’s characterisation of what he had done as being “obviously likely to cause serious harm”.
It was submitted that it would not have been apparent to a layman that such serious harm would be caused by the degree of force which had been used in the case.
There was a short period of shaking by a “hands on” father where there was “no history of previous abuse” of the child.
It was a “momentary loss of control” lasting a few seconds on the part of a young man who was a “loving father” and who had not previously served a custodial sentence.
In these circumstances it was argued that a starting point of nine years imprisonment was “clearly excessive”.
The appeal judges accepted that the consequences of the assault were “unintended” by the appellant, but did not accept the submission that the risk of some degree of serious harm to a young baby was not such as to be obvious to a layman.
Delivering the opinion of the court, Lord Brodie said: “On sentencing in a case of assault assessment of the seriousness of the offence will usually involve consideration of two potentially independent factors, the culpability of the offender’s act and the severity of the consequences of that act.
“We say potentially independent because the likelihood of it having adverse consequences is relevant to the judgment as to the culpability of a particular act. In this case, the consequences of the assault on the child were catastrophic.
“The sentencing judge says in her report that it is difficult to conceive of a more vulnerable victim than a six week old baby. We can only agree and we would see that as being clear to any parent, however inexperienced that parent may be.
“We therefore consider that the sentencing judge was correct to approach this case as one which involved a significant degree of culpability as well as a catastrophic result. She was entitled to take the view that only a significant custodial sentence was appropriate.”
However, the judges noted that she was not addressed on the issue of “comparative justice” and said they did not consider that a starting point of nine years was consistent with what was held to be appropriate in these cases.
Lord Brodie added: “In the present case there was evidence that the appellant had shaken the baby and then violently thrown her down onto a couch. Whether or not the throwing of the infant onto the couch exacerbated her injuries, it pointed to an act of real aggression on the part of the appellant. We see that as something which requires to be reflected in the sentence imposed.
“Accordingly, we shall quash the sentence imposed on 31 March 2015 and impose an alternative sentence of six years and nine months. We have arrived at that figure by taking a starting point of eight years imprisonment and discounting that by a similar percentage to that adopted by the sentencing judge.”
October 5, 2015
http://www.scottishlegal.com/2015/10/05/baby-shaking-assault-father-successfully-challenges-excessive-sentence/
Baby-shaking assault father successfully challenges ‘excessive’ sentence
A father who left his baby daughter brain-damaged after shaking her and throwing her down on to a couch in a “deliberate and violent assault” has had his seven-and-a-half year prison sentence reduced following an appeal.
The Criminal Appeal Court quashed the sentence and imposed a custodial term of six years and nine months after ruling that the sentencing judge’s starting point of nine years – which was discounted due to the unnamed father’s guilty plea – was “not consistent with what was held to be appropriate in these cases”.
Lord Brodie and Lord Drummond Young heard that the appellant “SD” pled guilty at the trial diet of assaulting his six-week-old daughter to her severe injury, permanent impairment and to the danger of her life.
The High Court in Glasgow was told that he had become “frustrated” with the baby and “lost control” after she had kept her parents awake during the previous night.
While the sentencing judge accepted that there was “no wickednesss” in his actions, she viewed this as a “deliberate and violent assault” using a degree of force which was “obviously likely to cause serious harm” to a six-week-old baby, who was left with catastrophic, life threatening injuries.
On 31 March 2015 she sentenced the appellant to seven-and-a-half years’ imprisonment – discounted by around 15 per cent from nine years for the “utilitarian benefit” of the guilty plea, albeit that it had been tendered very late.
But the appellant challenged the sentencing judge’s characterisation of what he had done as being “obviously likely to cause serious harm”.
It was submitted that it would not have been apparent to a layman that such serious harm would be caused by the degree of force which had been used in the case.
There was a short period of shaking by a “hands on” father where there was “no history of previous abuse” of the child.
It was a “momentary loss of control” lasting a few seconds on the part of a young man who was a “loving father” and who had not previously served a custodial sentence.
In these circumstances it was argued that a starting point of nine years imprisonment was “clearly excessive”.
The appeal judges accepted that the consequences of the assault were “unintended” by the appellant, but did not accept the submission that the risk of some degree of serious harm to a young baby was not such as to be obvious to a layman.
Delivering the opinion of the court, Lord Brodie said: “On sentencing in a case of assault assessment of the seriousness of the offence will usually involve consideration of two potentially independent factors, the culpability of the offender’s act and the severity of the consequences of that act.
“We say potentially independent because the likelihood of it having adverse consequences is relevant to the judgment as to the culpability of a particular act. In this case, the consequences of the assault on the child were catastrophic.
“The sentencing judge says in her report that it is difficult to conceive of a more vulnerable victim than a six week old baby. We can only agree and we would see that as being clear to any parent, however inexperienced that parent may be.
“We therefore consider that the sentencing judge was correct to approach this case as one which involved a significant degree of culpability as well as a catastrophic result. She was entitled to take the view that only a significant custodial sentence was appropriate.”
However, the judges noted that she was not addressed on the issue of “comparative justice” and said they did not consider that a starting point of nine years was consistent with what was held to be appropriate in these cases.
Lord Brodie added: “In the present case there was evidence that the appellant had shaken the baby and then violently thrown her down onto a couch. Whether or not the throwing of the infant onto the couch exacerbated her injuries, it pointed to an act of real aggression on the part of the appellant. We see that as something which requires to be reflected in the sentence imposed.
“Accordingly, we shall quash the sentence imposed on 31 March 2015 and impose an alternative sentence of six years and nine months. We have arrived at that figure by taking a starting point of eight years imprisonment and discounting that by a similar percentage to that adopted by the sentencing judge.”
October 5, 2015
After being alone with baby for just 90 minutes, dad kills 11-week-old son (United Kingdom)
Dad is identified as JORDAN SAXTON.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/oct/05/father-jordan-saxton-jailed-manslaughter-baby-son-after-violently-shaking-him
Father jailed for manslaughter of baby son after violently shaking him
Jordan Saxton is cleared of murder but receives nine-year sentence after his 11-week-old son was left with ‘catastrophic’ brain injury and 18 fractures
Jordan Saxton claimed he had been feeding his son when he began to choke and stopped breathing. Monday 5 October 2015 13.01 EDT Last modified on Tuesday 6 October 2015 09.30 EDT
A young father killed his 11-week-old baby son by shaking him so violently that he suffered a “catastrophic” brain injury and 18 bone fractures.
Jordan Saxton, 22, had been left with baby Jayden for just 90 minutes when he attacked his son, damaging his head, legs and ribs, and blinding him because of damage he caused to blood vessels in the child’s eyes.
Saxton was jailed for nine years on Monday after a jury at Oxford crown court cleared him of murder but convicted him of manslaughter.
The jury was told by paramedics giving evidence that the injuries would have required “considerable force”, similar to that of a high-speed car crash.
The boy died two days after the attack in November last year.
Throughout the trial Saxton maintained his innocence and said he had been feeding his son at their home when he began to choke and stopped breathing.
However, doctors and paramedics saw no evidence of choking or food caught in his throat.
Paul Dunkels, prosecuting, said Saxton attacked Jayden because the child would not settle. He said:
“No doubt in an act of frustration with him because he would not settle, [Saxton] gripped him forcibly around the chest and shook him.”
Dunkels said Saxton had been looking after the boy at home in Faringdon, Oxfordshire, by himself because the child’s mother, Tracy, was visiting her father.
The prosecutor said: “She left at about 4.30pm. When she left there was no bruising and Jayden was behaving normally. The events must have happened after she left and Jayden was in the defendant’s care.”
Giving evidence, the boy’s mother said Saxton cheated on her while she was pregnant but was a “changed man” who doted on his first-born son.
She said she had “no concerns” over the way Saxton handled or looked after Jayden before his death.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/oct/05/father-jordan-saxton-jailed-manslaughter-baby-son-after-violently-shaking-him
Father jailed for manslaughter of baby son after violently shaking him
Jordan Saxton is cleared of murder but receives nine-year sentence after his 11-week-old son was left with ‘catastrophic’ brain injury and 18 fractures
Jordan Saxton claimed he had been feeding his son when he began to choke and stopped breathing. Monday 5 October 2015 13.01 EDT Last modified on Tuesday 6 October 2015 09.30 EDT
A young father killed his 11-week-old baby son by shaking him so violently that he suffered a “catastrophic” brain injury and 18 bone fractures.
Jordan Saxton, 22, had been left with baby Jayden for just 90 minutes when he attacked his son, damaging his head, legs and ribs, and blinding him because of damage he caused to blood vessels in the child’s eyes.
Saxton was jailed for nine years on Monday after a jury at Oxford crown court cleared him of murder but convicted him of manslaughter.
The jury was told by paramedics giving evidence that the injuries would have required “considerable force”, similar to that of a high-speed car crash.
The boy died two days after the attack in November last year.
Throughout the trial Saxton maintained his innocence and said he had been feeding his son at their home when he began to choke and stopped breathing.
However, doctors and paramedics saw no evidence of choking or food caught in his throat.
Paul Dunkels, prosecuting, said Saxton attacked Jayden because the child would not settle. He said:
“No doubt in an act of frustration with him because he would not settle, [Saxton] gripped him forcibly around the chest and shook him.”
Dunkels said Saxton had been looking after the boy at home in Faringdon, Oxfordshire, by himself because the child’s mother, Tracy, was visiting her father.
The prosecutor said: “She left at about 4.30pm. When she left there was no bruising and Jayden was behaving normally. The events must have happened after she left and Jayden was in the defendant’s care.”
Giving evidence, the boy’s mother said Saxton cheated on her while she was pregnant but was a “changed man” who doted on his first-born son.
She said she had “no concerns” over the way Saxton handled or looked after Jayden before his death.
Dad charged with 2nd-degree murder in smothering death of 5-month-old daughter (Baltimore, Maryland)
Dad is identified as JEFFERY MCKINNEY. Note that the mother apparently lives in Virginia, suggesting this is a custody/visitation case. Sounds like Daddy neglected to contact authorities for a long time, if the body had already passed the stage of rigor mortis.
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/infant-dies-at-johns-hopkins-homicide-detectives-investigating/35642788
By Kim Dacey
Baltimore man accused of smothering 5-month-old daughter
Jeffery McKinney, 23, charged with second-degree murder, child abuse
UPDATED 5:26 PM EDT Oct 05, 2015
BALTIMORE —A 23-year-old Baltimore man has been charged in the death of his 5-month-old daughter, city police said.
Police said officers responded at 5 p.m. Saturday to a home in the 6400 block of Sefton Avenue for a report of an unresponsive infant. The 5-month-old child was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital for treatment.
Police said medical staff discovered that the infant had passed the stage of rigor mortis, and 5-month-old Noran Lee Torbet was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Family members of the child were questioned and detectives centered on the child's father, identified as Jeffery McKinney, as a person of interest.
Police said McKinney confessed that he became frustrated when the infant would not stop crying. He placed a pillow on top of the baby to muffle the sound of her cries, police said.
"This was no accident. This was absolutely no accident. The suspect confessed to us there were several pillows placed over top of the baby's body to get it from crying," Baltimore police Director T.J. Smith said.
After realizing that his daughter was unresponsive, police said, McKinney put the baby on the edge of the mattress against the bedroom wall and piled pillows on top of her.
Police said McKinney went downstairs and asked family members if they had seen the infant. Once they found the child, the infant’s grandmother immediately began CPR while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
"You talk about an absolute tragedy. This is not an exciting announcement that a murderer is off the street, it's a 5-month-old who's dead as a result. There's a mother who doesn't have the child, there's a grandmother who doesn't have her granddaughter any longer as a result of these actions," Smith said.
Neighbors said the family kept to themselves. They said Sefton Avenue is a street with many young families.
"I couldn't imagine that happening to my daughter. A child's innocent, really. Can't do too much to people. It's sad when anybody gets harmed, but what could a child do to you to kill them?" said Neil Armstrong, who has a 9-month-old daughter.
A neighbor who did not want to be identified said she saw McKinney last week with his baby daughter.
"The baby was crying in the stroller down here, but when he walked back here, he talked to my husband and I. We were out with our dogs, he was holding the baby and loving the baby and said his girlfriend was in Virginia," the neighbor said.
McKinney was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, assault and child abuse.
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/infant-dies-at-johns-hopkins-homicide-detectives-investigating/35642788
By Kim Dacey
Baltimore man accused of smothering 5-month-old daughter
Jeffery McKinney, 23, charged with second-degree murder, child abuse
UPDATED 5:26 PM EDT Oct 05, 2015
BALTIMORE —A 23-year-old Baltimore man has been charged in the death of his 5-month-old daughter, city police said.
Police said officers responded at 5 p.m. Saturday to a home in the 6400 block of Sefton Avenue for a report of an unresponsive infant. The 5-month-old child was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital for treatment.
Police said medical staff discovered that the infant had passed the stage of rigor mortis, and 5-month-old Noran Lee Torbet was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Family members of the child were questioned and detectives centered on the child's father, identified as Jeffery McKinney, as a person of interest.
Police said McKinney confessed that he became frustrated when the infant would not stop crying. He placed a pillow on top of the baby to muffle the sound of her cries, police said.
"This was no accident. This was absolutely no accident. The suspect confessed to us there were several pillows placed over top of the baby's body to get it from crying," Baltimore police Director T.J. Smith said.
After realizing that his daughter was unresponsive, police said, McKinney put the baby on the edge of the mattress against the bedroom wall and piled pillows on top of her.
Police said McKinney went downstairs and asked family members if they had seen the infant. Once they found the child, the infant’s grandmother immediately began CPR while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
"You talk about an absolute tragedy. This is not an exciting announcement that a murderer is off the street, it's a 5-month-old who's dead as a result. There's a mother who doesn't have the child, there's a grandmother who doesn't have her granddaughter any longer as a result of these actions," Smith said.
Neighbors said the family kept to themselves. They said Sefton Avenue is a street with many young families.
"I couldn't imagine that happening to my daughter. A child's innocent, really. Can't do too much to people. It's sad when anybody gets harmed, but what could a child do to you to kill them?" said Neil Armstrong, who has a 9-month-old daughter.
A neighbor who did not want to be identified said she saw McKinney last week with his baby daughter.
"The baby was crying in the stroller down here, but when he walked back here, he talked to my husband and I. We were out with our dogs, he was holding the baby and loving the baby and said his girlfriend was in Virginia," the neighbor said.
McKinney was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, assault and child abuse.
Dad sentenced to prison for severely beating 7-week-old baby (Yorkville, Illinois)
Dad is identified as JOHN BURTON JR.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/crime/ct-abn-yorkville-child-abuse-st-1007-20151006-story.html
Yorkville father sentenced to prison for beating infant son
Yorkville man sentenced for abusing infant son Erika Wurst
Aurora Beacon-News
Yorkville man sentenced to 18 years in prison for beating son
A Yorkville father has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to physically abusing his infant son and leaving him severely injured for life, Kendall County State's Attorney Eric Weis announced Monday.
John Burton Jr., 23, 2100 block of Bluebird Lane, was convicted of felony aggravated battery to a child stemming from an April 2013 incident at his home.
Prosecutors said on that day, Yorkville police responded to Burton's home for reports of a child in distress. Paramedics said the 7-week-old baby's mother had begun administering CPR, but the baby needed critical medical assistance.
Weis said the baby was airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center following initial treatment at an Aurora hospital. Medical staff at Loyola observed multiple injuries, including bruising along the left cheek, eyelid, neck and ear, he said.
Weis said a CT scan revealed subdural hemorrhages and doctors also observed a mid-shaft femoral fracture on the child's leg. Doctors determined the injuries were consistent with physical abuse.
According to Weis, Burton, who was with the child at the time of the injuries, was interviewed by investigators and admitted to abusing his child.
As a result of the traumatic brain injury, the child now suffers from cerebral palsy and is blind, Weis said.
The cerebral palsy has caused him to have very poor muscle tone and he cannot control his body movements, he said.
Weis said the child is seen by eight different types of doctors, takes 12 different medications, attends 10 different therapies every week and is fed through a gastro-intestinal tube.
During Burton's sentencing, the child's mother read an emotional, four-page victim impact statement about the changes to her life and that of her small child.
"I will likely never hear him say "I love you Mom,'" she told Kendall County Judge Timothy McCann. "I will never see my once healthy son grow into the man he should have become. I can never see the world through my child's eyes because of your (Burton's) actions. (His) mind and body are locked into his own private jail cell."
Weis commended the efforts of the Yorkville Police Department and the medical personnel for their efforts in the case.
"Unfortunately, no sentence will allow this innocent child to lead a normal and healthy life due to the actions of John Burton," he said. " As his mother told the court, while his (Burton's) sentence will some day be served, this child will be serving a life sentence that no one should have to endure."
Burton will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his 18-year sentence.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/crime/ct-abn-yorkville-child-abuse-st-1007-20151006-story.html
Yorkville father sentenced to prison for beating infant son
Yorkville man sentenced for abusing infant son Erika Wurst
Aurora Beacon-News
Yorkville man sentenced to 18 years in prison for beating son
A Yorkville father has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to physically abusing his infant son and leaving him severely injured for life, Kendall County State's Attorney Eric Weis announced Monday.
John Burton Jr., 23, 2100 block of Bluebird Lane, was convicted of felony aggravated battery to a child stemming from an April 2013 incident at his home.
Prosecutors said on that day, Yorkville police responded to Burton's home for reports of a child in distress. Paramedics said the 7-week-old baby's mother had begun administering CPR, but the baby needed critical medical assistance.
Weis said the baby was airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center following initial treatment at an Aurora hospital. Medical staff at Loyola observed multiple injuries, including bruising along the left cheek, eyelid, neck and ear, he said.
Weis said a CT scan revealed subdural hemorrhages and doctors also observed a mid-shaft femoral fracture on the child's leg. Doctors determined the injuries were consistent with physical abuse.
According to Weis, Burton, who was with the child at the time of the injuries, was interviewed by investigators and admitted to abusing his child.
As a result of the traumatic brain injury, the child now suffers from cerebral palsy and is blind, Weis said.
The cerebral palsy has caused him to have very poor muscle tone and he cannot control his body movements, he said.
Weis said the child is seen by eight different types of doctors, takes 12 different medications, attends 10 different therapies every week and is fed through a gastro-intestinal tube.
During Burton's sentencing, the child's mother read an emotional, four-page victim impact statement about the changes to her life and that of her small child.
"I will likely never hear him say "I love you Mom,'" she told Kendall County Judge Timothy McCann. "I will never see my once healthy son grow into the man he should have become. I can never see the world through my child's eyes because of your (Burton's) actions. (His) mind and body are locked into his own private jail cell."
Weis commended the efforts of the Yorkville Police Department and the medical personnel for their efforts in the case.
"Unfortunately, no sentence will allow this innocent child to lead a normal and healthy life due to the actions of John Burton," he said. " As his mother told the court, while his (Burton's) sentence will some day be served, this child will be serving a life sentence that no one should have to endure."
Burton will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his 18-year sentence.
Dad sentenced to 50 years for rape, torture-murder of 19-day-old daughter (Newhall, California)
Since Daddy apparently raped the baby before or after killing her, not sure why this doesn't qualify as a "special circumstance" murder eligible for the death penalty.
Dad is identified as MATTHEW BRENDAN WARNER.
http://www.signalscv.com/section/36/article/143258/
UPDATE: Newhall father sentenced to 50 years to life for murder of newborn daughter
By Jim Holt
Signal Senior Staff Writer
Posted: October 6, 2015 1:53 p.m. Updated: October 6, 2015 4:03 p.m.
As expected, a Newhall man who last month pleaded no contest to first-degree murder in the death of his 19-day-old daughter was sentenced Tuesday to 50 years to life in state prison, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said.
Matthew Brendan Warner, 30, of Newhall, appeared Tuesday in San Fernando Superior Court where he was sentenced, but not until he heard from the dead girl’s mother and grandmother, Deputy District Attorney Julie Kramer told The Signal Tuesday.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Walgren heard victim impact statements from Ellorah Rose Warner’s mother and grandmother before sentencing.
“They talked about the loss Ellorah’s death has had on them,” Kramer said outside the courtroom. “It was very emotional,” she said. “The mother said she’s never going to get a chance to pick out a Halloween costume for her daughter.
“She talked about Thanksgiving and Christmas. She said she would never be able to take her to meet Santa,” Kramer said.
“The girl’s grandmother told the court that she wore a locket and that Ellorah’s hair was in the locket, and that it was only thing she would ever have of her granddaughter,” she said. “She said the loss was something she would carry with her forever.”
Warner entered a no contest plea last month to one count of first-degree murder and admitted a prior strike conviction.
He killed Ellorah Warner at their home in Newhall while the baby’s mother was at work on Jan. 23, Kramer said.
He then claimed the newborn had been kidnapped and a search was launched to find her, she said.
Warner eventually led authorities to the victim’s body, which he had hidden in the cab of a truck parked in a nearby parking lot.
After his arrest, Warner faced charges of assault of a child causing death, torture, oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child under 10 years old, and aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Those charges were dismissed as part of his negotiated settlement, DA spokesman Ricardo Santiago said last month.
Warner “was charged with first-degree murder, not a special circumstance murder,” so the death penalty was not considered in the case, Santiago said. “In California only murders with a specific set of special circumstance allegations (are) eligible for the death penalty,” he said.
Those can include murders committed during a robbery or rape, or if someone has committed multiple murders.
Dad is identified as MATTHEW BRENDAN WARNER.
http://www.signalscv.com/section/36/article/143258/
UPDATE: Newhall father sentenced to 50 years to life for murder of newborn daughter
By Jim Holt
Signal Senior Staff Writer
Posted: October 6, 2015 1:53 p.m. Updated: October 6, 2015 4:03 p.m.
As expected, a Newhall man who last month pleaded no contest to first-degree murder in the death of his 19-day-old daughter was sentenced Tuesday to 50 years to life in state prison, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said.
Matthew Brendan Warner, 30, of Newhall, appeared Tuesday in San Fernando Superior Court where he was sentenced, but not until he heard from the dead girl’s mother and grandmother, Deputy District Attorney Julie Kramer told The Signal Tuesday.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Walgren heard victim impact statements from Ellorah Rose Warner’s mother and grandmother before sentencing.
“They talked about the loss Ellorah’s death has had on them,” Kramer said outside the courtroom. “It was very emotional,” she said. “The mother said she’s never going to get a chance to pick out a Halloween costume for her daughter.
“She talked about Thanksgiving and Christmas. She said she would never be able to take her to meet Santa,” Kramer said.
“The girl’s grandmother told the court that she wore a locket and that Ellorah’s hair was in the locket, and that it was only thing she would ever have of her granddaughter,” she said. “She said the loss was something she would carry with her forever.”
Warner entered a no contest plea last month to one count of first-degree murder and admitted a prior strike conviction.
He killed Ellorah Warner at their home in Newhall while the baby’s mother was at work on Jan. 23, Kramer said.
He then claimed the newborn had been kidnapped and a search was launched to find her, she said.
Warner eventually led authorities to the victim’s body, which he had hidden in the cab of a truck parked in a nearby parking lot.
After his arrest, Warner faced charges of assault of a child causing death, torture, oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child under 10 years old, and aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Those charges were dismissed as part of his negotiated settlement, DA spokesman Ricardo Santiago said last month.
Warner “was charged with first-degree murder, not a special circumstance murder,” so the death penalty was not considered in the case, Santiago said. “In California only murders with a specific set of special circumstance allegations (are) eligible for the death penalty,” he said.
Those can include murders committed during a robbery or rape, or if someone has committed multiple murders.
Dad charged with 2nd-degree murder in death of 3-month-old daughter (Bossier City, Louisiana)
Dad is identified as SEAN CHRISTOPHER MORTON.
http://www.ksla.com/story/30199824/charges-against-bossier-father-upgraded-to-murder-after-infants-death
Charges against Bossier father upgraded to murder after infant's death
Posted: Oct 06, 2015 3:57 PM EST Updated: Oct 06, 2015 5:03 PM EST
By KSLA Staff
BOSSIER CITY, LA (KSLA) - The Bossier City father accused of shaking his infant daughter is now facing a murder charge.
Police say 3-month-old Malaysia Morton died from her injuries Monday at University Health hospital in Shreveport.
The child was originally taken to Willis-Knighton Bossier just after 1:00 a.m. Saturday after her father, 27-year-old Sean Christopher Morton, reportedly noticed something was wrong.
Hospital staff contacted police claiming the baby's injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome. The child was then transferred to University Health where she was listed in critical condition. Malaysia Morton ultimately died from her injuries.
During their investigation, authorities arrested Sean Morton, initially charging him with second degree cruelty to a juvenile.
Tuesday, Sean Morton's charges were upgraded to second degree murder following the infant's death.
Sean Morton remains in the Bossier Parish Maximum Security Facility where his bond is set at $500,000.
http://www.ksla.com/story/30199824/charges-against-bossier-father-upgraded-to-murder-after-infants-death
Charges against Bossier father upgraded to murder after infant's death
Posted: Oct 06, 2015 3:57 PM EST Updated: Oct 06, 2015 5:03 PM EST
By KSLA Staff
BOSSIER CITY, LA (KSLA) - The Bossier City father accused of shaking his infant daughter is now facing a murder charge.
Police say 3-month-old Malaysia Morton died from her injuries Monday at University Health hospital in Shreveport.
The child was originally taken to Willis-Knighton Bossier just after 1:00 a.m. Saturday after her father, 27-year-old Sean Christopher Morton, reportedly noticed something was wrong.
Hospital staff contacted police claiming the baby's injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome. The child was then transferred to University Health where she was listed in critical condition. Malaysia Morton ultimately died from her injuries.
During their investigation, authorities arrested Sean Morton, initially charging him with second degree cruelty to a juvenile.
Tuesday, Sean Morton's charges were upgraded to second degree murder following the infant's death.
Sean Morton remains in the Bossier Parish Maximum Security Facility where his bond is set at $500,000.
Dad charged in drowning death of 3-month-old daughter (Lubbock, Texas)
Dad is identified as MICHAEL LIVESAY.
http://www.kcbd.com/story/30202255/lubbock-father-indicted-charged-in-drowning-death-of-3-month-old-daughter
Lubbock father indicted, charged in drowning death of 3-month-old daughter
Posted: Oct 06, 2015 9:00 PM EST Updated: Oct 06, 2015 9:00 PM EST
By KCBD Staff
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - 27-year-old Michael Livesay has been indicted on felony charges of injury to a child after the drowning death of his daughter Vera.
Emergency crews were called out to the 6100 block of 37th Street just after 10:45 a.m. on Sept. 23 in reference to a possible drowning. The infant was taken by ambulance to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
According to the arrest warrant, Livesay says he woke up with his daughter at 8 a.m. Wednesday and around 8:45 a.m. placed her in the bathtub in a bathtub seat before turning the water on.
Livesay says he scooted the infant toward the drain so the water was on her feet.
Livesay says he left the bathroom with the water still running. He says he then sat on the couch in the living room around 9 a.m. but fell asleep while Vera was alone in the bathtub. Around 9:15 a.m., Livesay woke up and realized Vera was still in the bathtub.
Livesay says he found his daughter face down in the bathtub full of water. He says the bathtub was two inches from overflowing. He grabbed Vera and ran to a neighbor's house, but says no one would help call 911. So, he ran back to his house and performed CPR on Vera for five minutes.
Livesay then called 911. Livesay told investigators at the scene that he had smoked marijuana on Tuesday. Livesay says this was the second time he had accidentally left Vera in the bathtub. The previous incident happened on September 18. He says the incident on Friday happened because he went to make coffee and had a towel stopping the drain. He says he saw the bathtub seat begin to rise in the water and got Vera out.
No other children were home at the time.
http://www.kcbd.com/story/30202255/lubbock-father-indicted-charged-in-drowning-death-of-3-month-old-daughter
Lubbock father indicted, charged in drowning death of 3-month-old daughter
Posted: Oct 06, 2015 9:00 PM EST Updated: Oct 06, 2015 9:00 PM EST
By KCBD Staff
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - 27-year-old Michael Livesay has been indicted on felony charges of injury to a child after the drowning death of his daughter Vera.
Emergency crews were called out to the 6100 block of 37th Street just after 10:45 a.m. on Sept. 23 in reference to a possible drowning. The infant was taken by ambulance to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
According to the arrest warrant, Livesay says he woke up with his daughter at 8 a.m. Wednesday and around 8:45 a.m. placed her in the bathtub in a bathtub seat before turning the water on.
Livesay says he scooted the infant toward the drain so the water was on her feet.
Livesay says he left the bathroom with the water still running. He says he then sat on the couch in the living room around 9 a.m. but fell asleep while Vera was alone in the bathtub. Around 9:15 a.m., Livesay woke up and realized Vera was still in the bathtub.
Livesay says he found his daughter face down in the bathtub full of water. He says the bathtub was two inches from overflowing. He grabbed Vera and ran to a neighbor's house, but says no one would help call 911. So, he ran back to his house and performed CPR on Vera for five minutes.
Livesay then called 911. Livesay told investigators at the scene that he had smoked marijuana on Tuesday. Livesay says this was the second time he had accidentally left Vera in the bathtub. The previous incident happened on September 18. He says the incident on Friday happened because he went to make coffee and had a towel stopping the drain. He says he saw the bathtub seat begin to rise in the water and got Vera out.
No other children were home at the time.
Dad pleads guilty to murder of 2-month-old daughter (Erie, Pennsylvania)
Dad is identified as WENDELL T. MULKEY.
http://www.goerie.com/corry-father-to-plead-guilty-in-infant-death
Corry father to plead guilty in infant death
ERIE, Pa. -- A Corry father plans to plead guilty to third-degree murder in the March 2014 death of his 2-month-old daughter, his lawyer said.
Wendell T. Mulkey, 27, who had been scheduled to face trial Monday, is now scheduled for a plea hearing that day before Erie County Judge Daniel Brabender, according to court records.
Mulkey's lawyer, Eric Hackwelder, said Mulkey intends to plead guilty to felony charges of third-degree murder, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
The child, identified in court records as "S.M.," died of abusive head trauma March 10, 2014, at UPMC's Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. An autopsy showed she also suffered 34 fractures to her ribs and leg bones that were in various stages of healing.
The plea would allow Mulkey to avoid the possibility of a life sentence. Had Mulkey gone to trial, the prosecution planned to seek a conviction for first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life with no parole.
Hackwelder said the plea decision was driven in part by the fact the infant's mother, Miranda C. Fay, 21, entered a plea agreement Friday and pledged to testify against Mulkey at his trial. Hackwelder also said that statements Fay and Mulkey made to investigators could have been used against Mulkey at trial.
Hackwelder said some infant death cases are resolved with pleas to involuntary manslaughter, which is a death caused by a defendant's recklessness, but Mulkey's daughter had multiple injuries, some of them healing.
"That is why we came to the conclusion we did," he said.
His client, Hackwelder said, is also deeply remorseful.
"It was his call. That is what he wanted to do. I think it is the right call," he said.
First Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz declined to comment.
Third-degree murder is a malicious, unintentional killing. It carries a 20-year maximum sentence.
The case began with Fay's 911 call on March 10, 2014.
A doctor who examined S.M. in the hospital in Pittsburgh discovered bruises on the baby's face, back and chest. S.M.'s brain and retinas were bleeding, the doctor said.
She concluded S.M. died of abusive head trauma and physical abuse.
According to a criminal complaint, Mulkey and Fay told investigators in a March 11, 2014, interview that the baby had not had any medical problems before her death. They said she was solely in their care in their home on East Airport Road in Corry.
Mulkey admitted he had lost his temper and shaken S.M. on previous occasions, investigators said.
He also said that on one occasion while changing the baby's diaper, he heard her leg make a "popping" sound, which he said might have been her leg breaking.
Fay pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges of endangering the welfare of a child on Friday. She admitted that between Feb. 10 and March 10, 2014, she failed to seek medical help for her child when she knew that the child had suffered a broken leg, rib fractures and severe head injuries, allegedly inflicted by Mulkey.
http://www.goerie.com/corry-father-to-plead-guilty-in-infant-death
Corry father to plead guilty in infant death
ERIE, Pa. -- A Corry father plans to plead guilty to third-degree murder in the March 2014 death of his 2-month-old daughter, his lawyer said.
Wendell T. Mulkey, 27, who had been scheduled to face trial Monday, is now scheduled for a plea hearing that day before Erie County Judge Daniel Brabender, according to court records.
Mulkey's lawyer, Eric Hackwelder, said Mulkey intends to plead guilty to felony charges of third-degree murder, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
The child, identified in court records as "S.M.," died of abusive head trauma March 10, 2014, at UPMC's Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. An autopsy showed she also suffered 34 fractures to her ribs and leg bones that were in various stages of healing.
The plea would allow Mulkey to avoid the possibility of a life sentence. Had Mulkey gone to trial, the prosecution planned to seek a conviction for first-degree murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life with no parole.
Hackwelder said the plea decision was driven in part by the fact the infant's mother, Miranda C. Fay, 21, entered a plea agreement Friday and pledged to testify against Mulkey at his trial. Hackwelder also said that statements Fay and Mulkey made to investigators could have been used against Mulkey at trial.
Hackwelder said some infant death cases are resolved with pleas to involuntary manslaughter, which is a death caused by a defendant's recklessness, but Mulkey's daughter had multiple injuries, some of them healing.
"That is why we came to the conclusion we did," he said.
His client, Hackwelder said, is also deeply remorseful.
"It was his call. That is what he wanted to do. I think it is the right call," he said.
First Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz declined to comment.
Third-degree murder is a malicious, unintentional killing. It carries a 20-year maximum sentence.
The case began with Fay's 911 call on March 10, 2014.
A doctor who examined S.M. in the hospital in Pittsburgh discovered bruises on the baby's face, back and chest. S.M.'s brain and retinas were bleeding, the doctor said.
She concluded S.M. died of abusive head trauma and physical abuse.
According to a criminal complaint, Mulkey and Fay told investigators in a March 11, 2014, interview that the baby had not had any medical problems before her death. They said she was solely in their care in their home on East Airport Road in Corry.
Mulkey admitted he had lost his temper and shaken S.M. on previous occasions, investigators said.
He also said that on one occasion while changing the baby's diaper, he heard her leg make a "popping" sound, which he said might have been her leg breaking.
Fay pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges of endangering the welfare of a child on Friday. She admitted that between Feb. 10 and March 10, 2014, she failed to seek medical help for her child when she knew that the child had suffered a broken leg, rib fractures and severe head injuries, allegedly inflicted by Mulkey.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Dad charged with abusing 5-month-old son while mom at work; baby has several skull fractures (Troy, Ohio)
Dad is identified as DILLON A. SPADE.
http://www.whio.com/news/news/crime-law/troy-man-accused-of-roughing-up-infant-son/nnq6y/
Updated: 6:33 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015 | Posted: 9:10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015
Bail set at $100K for dad in child abuse case
Breaking News Staff
TROY — UPDATE @ 6:19 p.m. (Sept. 30): Bail of $100,000 was ordered for a Troy man on felony child endangering/abuse charges accusing him of causing head injuries to his 5-month-old son.
Dillon A. Spade, 22, remains in Miami County Jail following arraignment in county Municipal Court. Troy police reports state they were called early Tuesday to Dayton Children’s Hospital on a report of the child having several skull fractures that appeared to be non-accidental.
The boy initially was taken from a Troy motel where he was staying with his dad, mother and a 3-year-old girl to Upper Valley Medical Center, and then transferred to Children’s.
Police said during questioning they learned Dillon Spade was caring for the two children while their mother was at work. He at first said nothing happened but after added that he “admitted to shaking (the child) and hitting his head on the wall mirror” after he would not stop crying.
Police said the child’s mother then admitted that her husband told her what had happened earlier. She added that after the child’s head hit the mirror, Dillon Spade said he “threw (the child) on the bed and he bounced off the bed and onto the floor on top of (the other child),” police reported. Dillon Spade’s next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6.
FIRST REPORT:
A 22-year-old man is in jail accused of roughing up his infant son, who was taken Dayton Children’s Hospital.
Dillon Spade was booked into the Miami County Jail just after 6 p.m. on a single count of felony child endangering, according to online jail records.
Spade is believed to be the child’s father and there are no other children involved as far as police know, Troy Patrolman Tim Weaver said. Spade’s wife, believed to be 21, has not been accused in the investigation, the officer said.
Weaver said the case involving the 5-month-old began Monday night as a squad run to the Royal Inn Motel, on Brukner Drive.
The infant was taken to Upper Valley Medical Center for an apparent seizure, then transferred to Dayton Children’s Hospital. Weaver said a social worker from the hospital called police.
We’re told the injuries are believed to involve a skull fracture.
Weaver said police are not sure why the Spades were at the motel.
Spade remained in jail on Tuesday night, awaiting arraignment.
http://www.whio.com/news/news/crime-law/troy-man-accused-of-roughing-up-infant-son/nnq6y/
Updated: 6:33 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015 | Posted: 9:10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015
Bail set at $100K for dad in child abuse case
Breaking News Staff
TROY — UPDATE @ 6:19 p.m. (Sept. 30): Bail of $100,000 was ordered for a Troy man on felony child endangering/abuse charges accusing him of causing head injuries to his 5-month-old son.
Dillon A. Spade, 22, remains in Miami County Jail following arraignment in county Municipal Court. Troy police reports state they were called early Tuesday to Dayton Children’s Hospital on a report of the child having several skull fractures that appeared to be non-accidental.
The boy initially was taken from a Troy motel where he was staying with his dad, mother and a 3-year-old girl to Upper Valley Medical Center, and then transferred to Children’s.
Police said during questioning they learned Dillon Spade was caring for the two children while their mother was at work. He at first said nothing happened but after added that he “admitted to shaking (the child) and hitting his head on the wall mirror” after he would not stop crying.
Police said the child’s mother then admitted that her husband told her what had happened earlier. She added that after the child’s head hit the mirror, Dillon Spade said he “threw (the child) on the bed and he bounced off the bed and onto the floor on top of (the other child),” police reported. Dillon Spade’s next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6.
FIRST REPORT:
A 22-year-old man is in jail accused of roughing up his infant son, who was taken Dayton Children’s Hospital.
Dillon Spade was booked into the Miami County Jail just after 6 p.m. on a single count of felony child endangering, according to online jail records.
Spade is believed to be the child’s father and there are no other children involved as far as police know, Troy Patrolman Tim Weaver said. Spade’s wife, believed to be 21, has not been accused in the investigation, the officer said.
Weaver said the case involving the 5-month-old began Monday night as a squad run to the Royal Inn Motel, on Brukner Drive.
The infant was taken to Upper Valley Medical Center for an apparent seizure, then transferred to Dayton Children’s Hospital. Weaver said a social worker from the hospital called police.
We’re told the injuries are believed to involve a skull fracture.
Weaver said police are not sure why the Spades were at the motel.
Spade remained in jail on Tuesday night, awaiting arraignment.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Dad who killed newborn daughter two years ago now convicted of attempted murder of infant boy (Glasgow, Scotland)
Dad is identified as IAN RUDDOCK.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/609363/Glasgow-dad-who-killed-baby-faces-jail
Glasgow dad who killed baby faces jail
A TWISTED father who shook his newborn daughter to death two years ago and later tried to murder another infant is behind bars.
By David Scott
PUBLISHED: 00:01, Fri, Oct 2, 2015
Ian Ruddock killed his five-week old daughter, Olivia, at their family home
Ian Ruddock killed five-week-old Olivia at the family home and two years later attacked the second child.
He was convicted of culpable homicide and attempted murder.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the 34-year-old evaded justice and the baby’s fate was only discovered after doctors treating his second victim tipped off police.
The court heard Ruddock left the boy with a fractured skull and ribs – similar to injuries suffered by Olivia. Ruddock, of Shawlands in Glasgow, told the court: “I was trying to get her to wake up. I can just remember holding her and trying to get her to wake up. I don’t remember very much at all. I do not remember much for the next few weeks.”
Asked whether he believed he had harmed his daughter, the father-of-three replied: “I don’t believe for a minute that I’ve caused her death. It’s not even remotely possible.”
Two years after Olivia was killed at a house in Williamwood, East Renfrewshire, Ruddock targeted another child in Glasgow.
He seized the boy – who can’t be identified for legal reasons – inflicting blunt force trauma to his head and body.
Police launched their investigation after hospital staff treated the boy, detectives discovering what happened to Olivia when checking Ruddock’s past.
Consultant radiologist Greg Irwin, who worked at Glasgow’s Yorkhill Children’s Hospital, told the court there was “incontrovertible” evidence Olivia sustained three fractured ribs before her death.
At the time, doctors concluded she had died from bronchial pneumonia.
Mr Irwin said it was a “regular occurrence” for medical staff to misdiagnose fractures.
Ruddock’s wife, Wendy, 37, told the court she “never believed” her husband had done anything wrong after Olivia’s death in March 2011.
Last night, Detective Chief Inspector Maxine Martin said: “It is difficult to understand how anyone could harm a defenceless child, let alone her father, who should have been there to protect her. This was a particularly difficult case due to the passage of time, the ages of the children and complexity of the medical evidence.”
Sentence on Ruddock was deferred and he was remanded in custody.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/609363/Glasgow-dad-who-killed-baby-faces-jail
Glasgow dad who killed baby faces jail
A TWISTED father who shook his newborn daughter to death two years ago and later tried to murder another infant is behind bars.
By David Scott
PUBLISHED: 00:01, Fri, Oct 2, 2015
Ian Ruddock killed his five-week old daughter, Olivia, at their family home
Ian Ruddock killed five-week-old Olivia at the family home and two years later attacked the second child.
He was convicted of culpable homicide and attempted murder.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the 34-year-old evaded justice and the baby’s fate was only discovered after doctors treating his second victim tipped off police.
The court heard Ruddock left the boy with a fractured skull and ribs – similar to injuries suffered by Olivia. Ruddock, of Shawlands in Glasgow, told the court: “I was trying to get her to wake up. I can just remember holding her and trying to get her to wake up. I don’t remember very much at all. I do not remember much for the next few weeks.”
Asked whether he believed he had harmed his daughter, the father-of-three replied: “I don’t believe for a minute that I’ve caused her death. It’s not even remotely possible.”
Two years after Olivia was killed at a house in Williamwood, East Renfrewshire, Ruddock targeted another child in Glasgow.
He seized the boy – who can’t be identified for legal reasons – inflicting blunt force trauma to his head and body.
Police launched their investigation after hospital staff treated the boy, detectives discovering what happened to Olivia when checking Ruddock’s past.
Consultant radiologist Greg Irwin, who worked at Glasgow’s Yorkhill Children’s Hospital, told the court there was “incontrovertible” evidence Olivia sustained three fractured ribs before her death.
At the time, doctors concluded she had died from bronchial pneumonia.
Mr Irwin said it was a “regular occurrence” for medical staff to misdiagnose fractures.
Ruddock’s wife, Wendy, 37, told the court she “never believed” her husband had done anything wrong after Olivia’s death in March 2011.
Last night, Detective Chief Inspector Maxine Martin said: “It is difficult to understand how anyone could harm a defenceless child, let alone her father, who should have been there to protect her. This was a particularly difficult case due to the passage of time, the ages of the children and complexity of the medical evidence.”
Sentence on Ruddock was deferred and he was remanded in custody.
Dad charged in assault on 3-month-old son (Ogden, Utah)
Dad is identified as CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON.
http://www.standard.net/Courts/2015/10/02/Ogden-father-suspected-of-shaking-baby-causing-hemorrhages.html
Ogden father suspected of shaking baby, causing hemorrhages
Friday , October 02, 2015 - 6:29 PM
By TAYLOR HINTZ Standard-Examiner staff
OGDEN -- An Ogden man accused of shaking his infant son hard enough to cause several hemorrhages and broken ribs appeared before Judge Michael DiReda Thursday, Oct. 1, for a preliminary hearing.
Christopher Anderson, 21, is charged with child abuse and intentionally inflicting serious physical injury, second-degree felonies. He was booked into Weber County Jail July 28 and made bail Aug. 4 through a $10,000 bond posted by Hy & Mike’s Bail Bonds.
On July 21, South Ogden police responded to an emergency call from Christopher Anderson, 21, at his apartment in the area of 3700 South Grant Ave. There, Anderson was found rubbing his 3-month-old infant’s chest and told law enforcement that his son was having a hard time breathing to the point his body had gone limp. Police, however, found the infant was not responsive, according to court documents. Anderson was the only person home with the infant.
Anderson said the child was napping when he heard him struggling for air. The father said he picked the boy up and shook him to “bring him out of it.” He also attempted to do CPR, according to the statement.
The child was transported first to McKay Dee Hospital and then to Primary Children’s Medical Center via LifeFlight. According to the statement, the infant continued to have seizures for several days as a result of the abuse.
Karen Hansen, a doctor with Safe and Healthy Families, treated the child and found a subdural hemorrhage, possibly two weeks old, and another fresh hemorrhage on the right side closer to the brain. A retinal study also found hemorrhaging in both eyes. Hansen advised that medical issues were symptoms of “shaken baby syndrome.”.
A skeletal exam also found two broken ribs, according to the statement. Hansen said the long-term effects are still unknown but the significant brain damage will cause the child to have medical problems longterm.
George Zamora, the baby’s grandfather, said although the boy is doing better since going to the hospital, he still suffers from the traumatic event.
“Because of the brain trauma, he forgot how to swallow. He can’t take anything by mouth, he has to have a feeding tube,” Zamora said. “There’s some paralysis on his left side and his legs aren’t working as well as the doctors were hoping.” Zamora, who is now caring for the child after a no contact order was issued against Anderson, also said he hopes that awareness of his grandson’s injuries will help bring justice against Anderson.
“Second of all, we want people to know that this is a problem. There’s ways you can handle things without hurting a baby,“ Zamora said. ”But first of all, I want people to know about this so Carter can receive justice. This isn’t something he should have gone through.“
Anderson is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing 9 a.m. Dec. 4.
http://www.standard.net/Courts/2015/10/02/Ogden-father-suspected-of-shaking-baby-causing-hemorrhages.html
Ogden father suspected of shaking baby, causing hemorrhages
Friday , October 02, 2015 - 6:29 PM
By TAYLOR HINTZ Standard-Examiner staff
OGDEN -- An Ogden man accused of shaking his infant son hard enough to cause several hemorrhages and broken ribs appeared before Judge Michael DiReda Thursday, Oct. 1, for a preliminary hearing.
Christopher Anderson, 21, is charged with child abuse and intentionally inflicting serious physical injury, second-degree felonies. He was booked into Weber County Jail July 28 and made bail Aug. 4 through a $10,000 bond posted by Hy & Mike’s Bail Bonds.
On July 21, South Ogden police responded to an emergency call from Christopher Anderson, 21, at his apartment in the area of 3700 South Grant Ave. There, Anderson was found rubbing his 3-month-old infant’s chest and told law enforcement that his son was having a hard time breathing to the point his body had gone limp. Police, however, found the infant was not responsive, according to court documents. Anderson was the only person home with the infant.
Anderson said the child was napping when he heard him struggling for air. The father said he picked the boy up and shook him to “bring him out of it.” He also attempted to do CPR, according to the statement.
The child was transported first to McKay Dee Hospital and then to Primary Children’s Medical Center via LifeFlight. According to the statement, the infant continued to have seizures for several days as a result of the abuse.
Karen Hansen, a doctor with Safe and Healthy Families, treated the child and found a subdural hemorrhage, possibly two weeks old, and another fresh hemorrhage on the right side closer to the brain. A retinal study also found hemorrhaging in both eyes. Hansen advised that medical issues were symptoms of “shaken baby syndrome.”.
A skeletal exam also found two broken ribs, according to the statement. Hansen said the long-term effects are still unknown but the significant brain damage will cause the child to have medical problems longterm.
George Zamora, the baby’s grandfather, said although the boy is doing better since going to the hospital, he still suffers from the traumatic event.
“Because of the brain trauma, he forgot how to swallow. He can’t take anything by mouth, he has to have a feeding tube,” Zamora said. “There’s some paralysis on his left side and his legs aren’t working as well as the doctors were hoping.” Zamora, who is now caring for the child after a no contact order was issued against Anderson, also said he hopes that awareness of his grandson’s injuries will help bring justice against Anderson.
“Second of all, we want people to know that this is a problem. There’s ways you can handle things without hurting a baby,“ Zamora said. ”But first of all, I want people to know about this so Carter can receive justice. This isn’t something he should have gone through.“
Anderson is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing 9 a.m. Dec. 4.
Dad beats 4-year-old daughter to death for "failing" to cover her head (India)
Dad is identified as JAFAR HUSSAIN.
http://www.asianage.com/india/father-thrashes-four-year-old-death-failing-cover-her-head-388
Father thrashes four-year-old to death for failing to cover her head
Oct 03, 2015 | Age Correspondent
Victim’s mother filed an FIR after the accused asked her to bury the body in their home
Bareilly: In a shocking case, a four-year-old Muslim girl was allegedly thrashed to death by her father for failing to cover her head while eating her food in a village near Bareilly, according to reports.
Uttar Pradesh police said that the incident took place on Friday noon, when the little girl Farheen was having lunch with her mother. The father of the girl, Jafar Hussain flew into a rage when he saw that his daughter did not have her head covered. Hussain then picked the little girl up from the floor and repeatedly flung her against the ground for failing to notice that her dupatta had slipped from her head.
The mother who was eyewitness to the gruesome incident, told the police in her statement that the incident had happened in front of the entire family. The girl’s mother claims that she tried to intervene and save the child, but the accused beat her up. She failed to stop him and he continued to assault the child till she died from the impact of her injuries. Hussain then allegedly asked his wife to bury little Farheen inside their house, but the mother refused to comply with his demand and filed a FIR against him.
“Police have arrested the father for killing his daughter and we are questioning him about the incident,” superintendent of police BK Srivastav said.
The police questioned some of the neighbours, who described the accused as “mentally unstable”, they said that he was a staunch Muslim who did not interact with anybody, not even his relatives. Hussain lives with his wife Naeem and their four children in the village, while their eldest child is five, the youngest is a ten month old baby.
According to the neighbours, the family is extremely poor and sometimes would have to go without food. Fear gripped them when they came to know about Farheen’s murder, and nobody dared enter the house until the police arrived at the crime scene.
http://www.asianage.com/india/father-thrashes-four-year-old-death-failing-cover-her-head-388
Father thrashes four-year-old to death for failing to cover her head
Oct 03, 2015 | Age Correspondent
Victim’s mother filed an FIR after the accused asked her to bury the body in their home
Bareilly: In a shocking case, a four-year-old Muslim girl was allegedly thrashed to death by her father for failing to cover her head while eating her food in a village near Bareilly, according to reports.
Uttar Pradesh police said that the incident took place on Friday noon, when the little girl Farheen was having lunch with her mother. The father of the girl, Jafar Hussain flew into a rage when he saw that his daughter did not have her head covered. Hussain then picked the little girl up from the floor and repeatedly flung her against the ground for failing to notice that her dupatta had slipped from her head.
The mother who was eyewitness to the gruesome incident, told the police in her statement that the incident had happened in front of the entire family. The girl’s mother claims that she tried to intervene and save the child, but the accused beat her up. She failed to stop him and he continued to assault the child till she died from the impact of her injuries. Hussain then allegedly asked his wife to bury little Farheen inside their house, but the mother refused to comply with his demand and filed a FIR against him.
“Police have arrested the father for killing his daughter and we are questioning him about the incident,” superintendent of police BK Srivastav said.
The police questioned some of the neighbours, who described the accused as “mentally unstable”, they said that he was a staunch Muslim who did not interact with anybody, not even his relatives. Hussain lives with his wife Naeem and their four children in the village, while their eldest child is five, the youngest is a ten month old baby.
According to the neighbours, the family is extremely poor and sometimes would have to go without food. Fear gripped them when they came to know about Farheen’s murder, and nobody dared enter the house until the police arrived at the crime scene.
Dad charged with homicide in death of 2-month-old infant, mom charged with "endangering" for failure to protect, seek medical care (Erie, Pennsylvania)
Do I know for a fact that the mom did everything within her actual power to save this baby? No.
But I know that 14 years in prison is a lot longer than many fathers serve who actually kill babies.
Dad is identified as WENDELL T. MULKEY.
http://www.goerie.com/mother-enters-plea-in-corry-infant-death-case
Mother enters plea in Corry infant death case
By Lisa Thompson 814-870-1802
Erie Times-News
October 3, 2015 06:29 AM
ERIE, Pa. -- The mother of a Corry 2-month-old who died in 2014 of severe head trauma has agreed to testify against the child's father when he stands trial on homicide charges in mid-October.
Miranda C. Fay, 21, appeared in Erie County Court on Friday to plead guilty to reduced charges stemming from the abuse and death of her daughter.
Fay pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges of endangering the welfare of a child and agreed to testify against the baby's father, Wendell T. Mulkey, 27, who is scheduled to face trial on homicide and related charges Oct. 12.
In exchange for Fay's plea and her pledge to testify against Mulkey, First Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz dropped one third-degree felony count of endangering the welfare of a child.
With the plea, Fay admitted that between Feb. 10 and March 10, 2014, she failed to seek medical help for her child when she knew that the child had suffered a broken leg, rib fractures and severe head injuries, allegedly inflicted by Mulkey.
Fay said little at the hearing. She indicated she understood her rights and was guilty of the crimes.
She is being held in the Erie County Prison after failing to post $150,000 bond.
Fay was pregnant at the time of her and Mulkey's arrests in March. She recently delivered the child, who is now in the custody of the Erie County Office of Children and Youth, the Erie County District Attorney's Office said.
Fay faces up to 14 years in prison and a $30,000 fine at sentencing, which Judge William R. Cunningham scheduled for Nov. 6. She is being represented by Assistant Public Defender John Bonanti.
Mulkey, who is in the Erie County Prison with no bond set, is accused of homicide and two felony counts each of aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child in the March 10, 2014, death of the couple's daughter.
The infant, identified in court records only as S.M., suffered severe head trauma and 34 fractures to her ribs and leg bones that were in various stages of healing, the prosecution has said. Investigators had to wait for a review of medical evidence before they could file charges in March.
According to a criminal complaint, Mulkey and Fay told investigators in a March 11, 2014, interview that the baby had not had any medical problems before her death on March 10, 2014. They said she was solely in their care in their home on East Airport Road in Corry.
Mulkey admitted he had lost his temper and shaken S.M. on previous occasions, investigators said.
He also said that on one occasion while changing the baby's diaper, he heard her leg make a "popping" sound, which he said might have been her leg breaking.
But I know that 14 years in prison is a lot longer than many fathers serve who actually kill babies.
Dad is identified as WENDELL T. MULKEY.
http://www.goerie.com/mother-enters-plea-in-corry-infant-death-case
Mother enters plea in Corry infant death case
By Lisa Thompson 814-870-1802
Erie Times-News
October 3, 2015 06:29 AM
ERIE, Pa. -- The mother of a Corry 2-month-old who died in 2014 of severe head trauma has agreed to testify against the child's father when he stands trial on homicide charges in mid-October.
Miranda C. Fay, 21, appeared in Erie County Court on Friday to plead guilty to reduced charges stemming from the abuse and death of her daughter.
Fay pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges of endangering the welfare of a child and agreed to testify against the baby's father, Wendell T. Mulkey, 27, who is scheduled to face trial on homicide and related charges Oct. 12.
In exchange for Fay's plea and her pledge to testify against Mulkey, First Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz dropped one third-degree felony count of endangering the welfare of a child.
With the plea, Fay admitted that between Feb. 10 and March 10, 2014, she failed to seek medical help for her child when she knew that the child had suffered a broken leg, rib fractures and severe head injuries, allegedly inflicted by Mulkey.
Fay said little at the hearing. She indicated she understood her rights and was guilty of the crimes.
She is being held in the Erie County Prison after failing to post $150,000 bond.
Fay was pregnant at the time of her and Mulkey's arrests in March. She recently delivered the child, who is now in the custody of the Erie County Office of Children and Youth, the Erie County District Attorney's Office said.
Fay faces up to 14 years in prison and a $30,000 fine at sentencing, which Judge William R. Cunningham scheduled for Nov. 6. She is being represented by Assistant Public Defender John Bonanti.
Mulkey, who is in the Erie County Prison with no bond set, is accused of homicide and two felony counts each of aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child in the March 10, 2014, death of the couple's daughter.
The infant, identified in court records only as S.M., suffered severe head trauma and 34 fractures to her ribs and leg bones that were in various stages of healing, the prosecution has said. Investigators had to wait for a review of medical evidence before they could file charges in March.
According to a criminal complaint, Mulkey and Fay told investigators in a March 11, 2014, interview that the baby had not had any medical problems before her death on March 10, 2014. They said she was solely in their care in their home on East Airport Road in Corry.
Mulkey admitted he had lost his temper and shaken S.M. on previous occasions, investigators said.
He also said that on one occasion while changing the baby's diaper, he heard her leg make a "popping" sound, which he said might have been her leg breaking.
Mom blamed for "allowing" violent pedophiliac father to live with her; father now charged with murdering 3-year-old daughter (Raleigh, North Carolina)
So a mother with three kids under seven is blamed by the authorities for "failing" to keep the kids safe from their homicidal, suicidal, (allegedly) mentally ill father who has also admitted to having pedophiliac fantasies.
They order her to take lots of (useless) classes and get an (often useless) order of protection, but apparently do nothing to get him off the streets or out of the home, and do nothing to actually support of her. He should have been thrown in a mental hospital a long time ago, but no. Blame Mom for trying to cope with this violent man alone.
Dad is identified as ALAN TYSHEEN EUGENE LASSITER.
Contrast with the custodial father in the post below, who dumped his kid on a girlfriend with suicidal, self-cutting, drug addiction issues. He does nothing to intervene, despite previous CPS concerns, and isn't blamed at all much less arrested.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article37403967.html
Wake report: Mother allowed ‘homicidal’ father to remain with family
Mother of children never sought protective order
Wake County social workers developed ‘safety plan’
Father was not supposed to have contact with children
By Anne Blythe and Thomasi McDonald
RALEIGH
A man accused of trying to drown his children had been living with them and their mother in Durham for nearly six months despite Wake County Human Services recommendations that he have no contact with them.
Alan Tysheen Eugene Lassiter, the 29-year-old father of three, is in Central Prison now, accused of one count of first-degree murder in the drowning death of his 3-year-old daughter and two charges of attempted murder related to an incident in Durham on Sept. 21.
On that Sunday evening, police said Lassiter threw Calista, 3, and her 5-year-old sister Bethany into a pond at the Audubon Lake apartments, near The Streets at Southpoint.
Police said Lassiter called 911 just after 9 p.m. and said Child Protective Services was trying to take his children. The caller told the dispatcher he had tried to get help because he was dealing with “pedophilia things” and “sexual desires,” but that the agency turned its back on him.
Lassiter’s 7-year-old son, Alan Lassiter Jr., was at the pond but got away.
Off-duty Durham County Sheriff’s Deputy David Earp, who lives at the apartment complex, pulled the girls from the pond. Calista was unconscious and died at the hospital two days later.
Wake County Human Services acknowledged on Friday that it was conducting internal reviews and an investigation into its involvement with the Lassiter family.
Though the work of Child Protective Services typically is kept confidential, state law allows the disclosure of information in the event of a child’s death.
Wake County Human Services became involved with the Lassiter family on Feb. 8, when a report of alleged neglect of Calista and her siblings came to the office.
Alan Lassiter, according to the report, was having suicidal and homicidal thoughts, which included harming the children.
Human Services workers began an immediate assessment of the situation, which included meeting with the three children and their mother, Ashley Ivey Lassiter. Not only did the assessors learn that Alan Lassiter was having suicidal, homicidal and inappropriate sexual thoughts about his children, they also learned that he had been involuntarily committed at WakeBrook Crisis Stabilization Center.
After his discharge on Feb. 16, just eight days after the first report to Wake County Human Services, Alan Lassister reportedly went to Durham to live with family.
On Feb. 20, the Durham County Department of Social Services assisted Wake County by interviewing Lassister. Under the “safety plan” put in place, Lassister agreed to continue getting mental health treatment and have no contact with his children until cleared by Wake County Social Services.
By March 17, the case for neglect had been substantiated by Wake County assessors, and the family was referred to Child Protective In-Home Services, according to the report released Friday.
Both parents were required to participate in classes, counseling and treatment programs in an attempt to make the home safe for the children. Alan Lassister was required to take anger management classes as well as get mental health treatment, and he sought help finding work.
Ashley Lassiter was required to get counseling and training in parenting skills.
Between March 17 and Sept. 18, Wake County Human Services workers had multiple meetings with the family. Alan Lassiter, according to the report, was not getting mental health treatment as regularly as recommended, and they did not think he was in good enough shape to have contact with his children.
Ashley Lassister had been advised to obtain a domestic violence restraining order but did not follow through with that recommendation, the report states.
The report contends that Ashley Lassiter told the social worker that Alan Lassiter no longer lived with the family and that she did not think the court order was necessary.
But after the drowning incident, Wake County Human Services workers discovered that Alan Lassiter had been living with the children and their mother since April. The report also states that their investigation showed that the children’s mother allowed Alan Lassister “to take the children to Durham,” but does not specify when or where.
Wake County Human Services workers obtained a court order to place the surviving children in county custody after the fatal incident. According to the report released Friday by Lisa Cauley, the Child Welfare Division director with Wake County Human Services, the boy and girl remain in county custody.
They order her to take lots of (useless) classes and get an (often useless) order of protection, but apparently do nothing to get him off the streets or out of the home, and do nothing to actually support of her. He should have been thrown in a mental hospital a long time ago, but no. Blame Mom for trying to cope with this violent man alone.
Dad is identified as ALAN TYSHEEN EUGENE LASSITER.
Contrast with the custodial father in the post below, who dumped his kid on a girlfriend with suicidal, self-cutting, drug addiction issues. He does nothing to intervene, despite previous CPS concerns, and isn't blamed at all much less arrested.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article37403967.html
Wake report: Mother allowed ‘homicidal’ father to remain with family
Mother of children never sought protective order
Wake County social workers developed ‘safety plan’
Father was not supposed to have contact with children
By Anne Blythe and Thomasi McDonald
RALEIGH
A man accused of trying to drown his children had been living with them and their mother in Durham for nearly six months despite Wake County Human Services recommendations that he have no contact with them.
Alan Tysheen Eugene Lassiter, the 29-year-old father of three, is in Central Prison now, accused of one count of first-degree murder in the drowning death of his 3-year-old daughter and two charges of attempted murder related to an incident in Durham on Sept. 21.
On that Sunday evening, police said Lassiter threw Calista, 3, and her 5-year-old sister Bethany into a pond at the Audubon Lake apartments, near The Streets at Southpoint.
Police said Lassiter called 911 just after 9 p.m. and said Child Protective Services was trying to take his children. The caller told the dispatcher he had tried to get help because he was dealing with “pedophilia things” and “sexual desires,” but that the agency turned its back on him.
Lassiter’s 7-year-old son, Alan Lassiter Jr., was at the pond but got away.
Off-duty Durham County Sheriff’s Deputy David Earp, who lives at the apartment complex, pulled the girls from the pond. Calista was unconscious and died at the hospital two days later.
Wake County Human Services acknowledged on Friday that it was conducting internal reviews and an investigation into its involvement with the Lassiter family.
Though the work of Child Protective Services typically is kept confidential, state law allows the disclosure of information in the event of a child’s death.
Wake County Human Services became involved with the Lassiter family on Feb. 8, when a report of alleged neglect of Calista and her siblings came to the office.
Alan Lassiter, according to the report, was having suicidal and homicidal thoughts, which included harming the children.
Human Services workers began an immediate assessment of the situation, which included meeting with the three children and their mother, Ashley Ivey Lassiter. Not only did the assessors learn that Alan Lassiter was having suicidal, homicidal and inappropriate sexual thoughts about his children, they also learned that he had been involuntarily committed at WakeBrook Crisis Stabilization Center.
After his discharge on Feb. 16, just eight days after the first report to Wake County Human Services, Alan Lassister reportedly went to Durham to live with family.
On Feb. 20, the Durham County Department of Social Services assisted Wake County by interviewing Lassister. Under the “safety plan” put in place, Lassister agreed to continue getting mental health treatment and have no contact with his children until cleared by Wake County Social Services.
By March 17, the case for neglect had been substantiated by Wake County assessors, and the family was referred to Child Protective In-Home Services, according to the report released Friday.
Both parents were required to participate in classes, counseling and treatment programs in an attempt to make the home safe for the children. Alan Lassister was required to take anger management classes as well as get mental health treatment, and he sought help finding work.
Ashley Lassiter was required to get counseling and training in parenting skills.
Between March 17 and Sept. 18, Wake County Human Services workers had multiple meetings with the family. Alan Lassiter, according to the report, was not getting mental health treatment as regularly as recommended, and they did not think he was in good enough shape to have contact with his children.
Ashley Lassister had been advised to obtain a domestic violence restraining order but did not follow through with that recommendation, the report states.
The report contends that Ashley Lassiter told the social worker that Alan Lassiter no longer lived with the family and that she did not think the court order was necessary.
But after the drowning incident, Wake County Human Services workers discovered that Alan Lassiter had been living with the children and their mother since April. The report also states that their investigation showed that the children’s mother allowed Alan Lassister “to take the children to Durham,” but does not specify when or where.
Wake County Human Services workers obtained a court order to place the surviving children in county custody after the fatal incident. According to the report released Friday by Lisa Cauley, the Child Welfare Division director with Wake County Human Services, the boy and girl remain in county custody.
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