Custodial dad charged with 2nd-degree murder in beating death of 14-year-old son (Jefferson Parish, Louisiana)

We've posted on this case before. As usual, the media refuses to clearly identify the accused killer as a custodial father, much less explain how he got custody or who gave it to him. But the hints are adding up. It definitely seems more likely than not that FURNELL DANIEL was custodial.

Why? Other than reporting the mother's grief, there is no mention that she saw signs of abuse and reported them or saw signs of abuse and failed to report them. Which suggests she was shut out of the picture--a very likely scenario with a father who is this violent. Abusive men are almost always controlling and possessive, and very often intent on stripping the mother of the thing that means the most to her--her own children. That they then turn around and then kill the kids is perfectly consistent with their abuse/control way of thinking.

Once again, the media is ignoring HOW and WHY this poor boy ended up in the home of this vicious sociopath.

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2016/03/waggaman_boy_father_stepmother.html

Father used broken-off crib railing in fatal beating of son, JPSO detective says

By Emily Lane, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on March 02, 2016 at 12:04 PM, updated March 03, 2016 at 9:07 AM

A Jefferson Parish man accused of beating his teenage son to death used a broken-off "2-by-4" railing from a crib in the attack, the same stick he kept in the family's living room to discipline his children, an investigator said court Wednesday (March 2).

The testimony came at a hearing for defendants in the Feb. 5 beating of 14-year-old Jalen Daniel. A judge found probable cause to charge Terri Daniel, the boy's stepmother, with second-degree murder.
The boy's father Furnell Daniel, who faces the same charge, waived his right to a preliminary exam in Jefferson Parish Commissioner Court.

The boy was taken to the hospital Feb. 6, a day after he was beaten, and died Feb. 11.

Homicide Det. Gabriel Faucetta, testifying at Terry Daniel's preliminary exam, said investigators learned Furnell Daniel, 43, used a crib railing about "4-or 5-feet in length, lacquer-finish 2-by-4."

Faucetta said one of Daniel's other children told investigators their father used the stick to paddle them, and kept the piece of wood in the corner of the living room, propped against the wall. Faucetta said after the fatal beating, deputies found the stick "exactly in that place." Furnell Daniel, 43, and his wife, Terri Daniel, 30, were rebooked with second-degree murder after Jalen Daniel died.

David Courcelle, Terri Daniel's attorney, said Furnell Daniel described the beating in a phone conversation with his wife the day before Jalen was brought to the hospital as an attempt at disciplining the child that "got out of hand."

Furnell Daniel initially told deputies at the hospital he paddled Jalen Feb. 5 and the child later became unresponsive after falling in the bathtub, Faucetta said. Emergency room doctors told detectives that the fatal injuries were consistent with abuse, Faucetta said, noting a wood splinter was removed from Jalen's head.

Courcelle argued that since Terri Daniel was not present at the time of the beating and could not have known the full extent of the injuries -- since he died from internal injuries -- she should not be criminally culpable for his death.

Courcelle questioned Faucetta about statements Terri Daniel gave about urging her husband to seek medical treatment for the boy prior to the afternoon of Feb. 6. Furnell Daniel did not heed her pleas. She also told deputies she asked Jalen if he needed to go to the hospital, Faucetta confirmed.

 "The 14-year-old child said no, and she went to bed," Faucetta said, recalling Terri Daniel's statement.

Faucetta said Terri Daniel was present overnight after the beating when Jalen Daniel exhibited symptoms of neurological damage, such as urinating on himself, vomiting and crying out in pain. The boy was not brought to the hospital until the next day, after he'd become unresponsive, Faucetta testified. "He is loved and will be missed by everyone that knew him," Jalen Daniel's mother said.

Courcelle also argued Terri Daniel might not have known Jalen was paddled with a stick, noting her husband, who was the disciplinarian in the family, previously used a belt to discipline the children.

Faucetta acknowledged Terri Daniel had no intent to hurt or kill the child. When Courcelle noted Terri Daniel displayed concern for the child by asking her husband to seek medical attention for Jalen Daniel, Faucetta responded, "I totally agree."

Jefferson Parish Commissioner Patricia Joyce, though, noted that second-degree murder does not require criminal intent. The part of the statute she said applies to the allegations against Terri Daniel speak to mistreatment or neglect of a juvenile resulting in death.

"This is a difficult case," Joyce said.

Terri Daniel remains jailed on a $100,000 bond. Furnell Daniel remains jaled on a $250,000 bond. A woman who identified herself as Terri Daniel's mother was in the court, along with other relatives, but declined to be interviewed.

Courcelle said the couple had a total of five children between them. In addition to the deceased 14-year-old, the others children were ages 15, 10, 4 and 2.