This is how a "very decent" person" behaves? Don't think so.
Dad is identified as SIDNEY G. DAVIS III.
The media has been very vague about what was going on here. We're told in earlier articles that the babies were "in the care of" their father, and something about their mother "visiting" them the morning before the one son was killed. Was Davis custodial? As we very often see, there is a general media refusal to honestly and clearly report the situation.
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2015/04/08/rehoboth-beach-dad-pleads-guilty-shaking-infant-son-death/25478897/
Rehoboth Beach dad pleads guilty in infant son's death
Rachel Pacella, Salisbury (Md.) Daily Times 8:56 p.m. EDT April 8, 2015
Sidney G. Davis III also pleaded guilty to assaulting the infant's twin brother during a two-month period.
A Rehoboth Beach man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his infant son.
Sidney G. Davis III, 22, also pleaded guilty to a second-degree assault charge for harming the child's twin brother.
Davis shook 3-month-old Zha-den Davis on May 10 in a room at Sea Esta IV Motel at 20902 Coastal Highway after the baby had been crying, court documents said.
The baby was rushed to Beebe Memorial Hospital in Lewes and then to Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children, where he was treated for traumatic brain injuries, three rib fractures and massive retinal bleeding, the document said.
Dr. Adrienne Sekula-Perlman, of the New Castle County Medical Examiner's Office, ruled the child died of head trauma.
The second charge is from an assault against the infant's twin brother.
According to an indictment, Davis assaulted Zha-den's brother between March 15 and May 10, 2014. The twins were born Feb. 3, 2014.
Davis' charges were reduced from murder by abuse or neglect in the first degree and child abuse in the first degree, said his lawyer, Robert Robinson.
"Sidney is a very decent person," Robinson said. "He had a momentary lapse, and it was a tragic disaster."
Davis faces 10-33 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for June 12.
Showing posts with label Delaware. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delaware. Show all posts
Friday, April 10, 2015
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Dad charged with abusing 2-month-old baby, causing brain damage (Dover, Delaware)
Dad is identified as BRENDON P. SMITH.
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/2015/02/04/father-charged-abusing-baby-causing-brain-damage/22849333/
Father charged with abusing baby, causing brain damage
robin brown, The News Journal 10:29 a.m. EST February 4, 2015
A man has been arrested for child abuse after police say he shook his 2-month-old baby so hard, the infant suffered severe head injury.
Brendon P. Smith, 26, of the 600 block of Ross St. in Dover is being held at Vaughn Correctional Center near Smyrna after failing to post $305,000 bail, Dover police said.
On Tuesday, city detectives were called to Bayhealth Kent General in Dover for a child abuse investigation, said Lt. David E. Spicer, commander of the Criminal Investigation Unit.
Detectives determined Smith had shaken the baby several times, causing "severe head injury," including multiple brain hemorrhages, Spicer said.
The baby immediately was flown to Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Rockland, he said.
The child's condition was not disclosed.
Smith was charged with three counts of first-degree child abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/2015/02/04/father-charged-abusing-baby-causing-brain-damage/22849333/
Father charged with abusing baby, causing brain damage
robin brown, The News Journal 10:29 a.m. EST February 4, 2015
A man has been arrested for child abuse after police say he shook his 2-month-old baby so hard, the infant suffered severe head injury.
Brendon P. Smith, 26, of the 600 block of Ross St. in Dover is being held at Vaughn Correctional Center near Smyrna after failing to post $305,000 bail, Dover police said.
On Tuesday, city detectives were called to Bayhealth Kent General in Dover for a child abuse investigation, said Lt. David E. Spicer, commander of the Criminal Investigation Unit.
Detectives determined Smith had shaken the baby several times, causing "severe head injury," including multiple brain hemorrhages, Spicer said.
The baby immediately was flown to Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Rockland, he said.
The child's condition was not disclosed.
Smith was charged with three counts of first-degree child abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Dad charged with 1st-degree-murder in death of 3-month-old son (Reboboth Beach, Delaware)
Another "caretaking" father who couldn't hack normal infant crying, so he killed the baby.
Dad is identified as SIDNEY G. DAVIS III.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/delaware/2014/05/14/father-arrested-in-3-month-olds-death/9077869/
Father arrested in 3-month-old's death
Staff Report 9:48 a.m. EDT May 15, 2014
Frustrated that his 3-month-old son would not stop crying, a Rehoboth Beach man said he shook the baby violently Saturday morning until the infant stopped. Then, the 21-year-old father took a shower in the hotel room where the family was staying, police said Tuesday in court records.
When he checked on the boy later, the baby was not breathing and unconscious, prompting him to call 911, state police said.
Zhaden Davis, one of a set of twins, was rushed to Beebe Healthcare's hospital in Lewes and then to Nemours/A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, where he was treated for a traumatic brain bleed, three rib fractures on the left side of his body, massive retinal bleeding and a subdural hematoma of his brain, court records state.
About 10 hours later, doctors declared the infant brain dead, according to court records. The baby remained on a ventilator and died Sunday, Master Cpl. Gary Fournier said.
The father, Sidney G. Davis III, was charged with first-degree murder by neglect or abuse Tuesday after family members brought him to state police for questioning. Davis is being held in Sussex Correctional Institution after failing to post $100,000 cash bail.
The second twin boy was not injured and is being cared for by his mother, Fournier said.
The incident unfolded at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday when Davis called 911 about his son's condition and paramedics arrived at the Sea Esta IV Motel at 20902 Coastal Highway to find the baby not breathing.
Medics performed CPR
Randy Miller, manager of the Sea Esta III, was at Sea Esta IV. It was a quiet morning, she said, when, suddenly, about five police cars pulled into the hotel, followed by an ambulance.
The responders went to the third floor, she said. She followed them but did not enter the room. From the doorway, she could see medics performing CPR on Zhaden. The father, Sidney Davis, looked upset, she said.
Officers took the other baby out of the room, and Miller brought that child downstairs to the office. Then officers took that baby back, bringing him to the hospital in the same vehicle as his father, while Zhaden went in an ambulance, she said.
Doctors at Beebe were able to re-establish a heartbeat. An examination determined the infant suffered a traumatic brain bleed, which had led to his unconsciousness. He was then flown to A.I. DuPont in critical condition, Master Cpl. Fournier said.
An autopsy was performed by Dr. Adrienne Sekula-Perlman at the Medical Examiner's Office, who ruled the death to be homicide due to head trauma.
Calls to the hotel
When interviewed Tuesday by homicide detectives, Davis acknowledged he had been caring for the twins since 10 a.m. Friday while their mother, who neighbors and hotel employees identified as Rebecca Lee, visited her grandmother, court records state.
A hotel employee who did not want to be named said Lee called the hotel multiple times Friday asking to be put through to check on the babies, who had been sick, she said.
"She told me they were having problems," she said.
The employee never saw Davis or the twins, but said Lee was friendly and well-mannered.
Davis acknowledged during the police interview Zhaden initially started crying at about 6 p.m. Friday and he shook the baby to quiet him.
Lee returned briefly at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday and spent about 15 minutes with the twins before leaving for work.
Lee told detectives the twins were apparently fine, according to court records.
Saturday morning, after Lee left for work, the baby began crying again and Davis became frustrated because he would not stop, he told police.
'The baby was not breathing'
Davis told police he picked the boy up and "shook him violently until he stopped crying," police said. He then "went and took a shower, and when he checked on him he discovered the baby was not breathing and called 911."
A friend of Davis' aunt, Eugene Haines, said it was unlike him to act violently. Haines lives in Burton Village, a short distance from the hotel, and was shocked when he heard about the incident.
"It's a hell of a thing to live with," he said. "I'm just surprised, I never knew him to hurt a child or anything."
Davis would spend time in Burton Village visiting his aunt when he was a teen and would sometimes spend the night at Haines' house. Davis hadn't been around in a while, he said.
Lee and Davis were placed in Sea Esta IV by social services, according to Brandon Morris, general manager of Sea Esta III and IV.
"Normally, it's local residents who have a need of housing," Morris said.
State officials were not able to give out any information about the couple.
Three weeks ago, the Lewes-Rehoboth Association of Churches' Community Resource Center opened up a "baby pantry," receptionist Eleanor Whaley said. Lee visited frequently to get items for the twins, and the boys quickly became favorites.
"They were kind of the mascots of the baby pantry," she said. "When we knew the babies were coming, we made a special effort to make sure they were taken care of."
She said of Zhaden: "So, sadly missed now, so sadly missed already."
Key points
• Sidney G. Davis III, 21, of Rehoboth Beach is charged in the death of his 3-month-old son, Zhaden Davis.
• According to the Delaware State Police, Davis shook the infant twice while taking care of him.
• The cause of death was found to be homicide due to head trauma.
Dad is identified as SIDNEY G. DAVIS III.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/delaware/2014/05/14/father-arrested-in-3-month-olds-death/9077869/
Father arrested in 3-month-old's death
Staff Report 9:48 a.m. EDT May 15, 2014
Frustrated that his 3-month-old son would not stop crying, a Rehoboth Beach man said he shook the baby violently Saturday morning until the infant stopped. Then, the 21-year-old father took a shower in the hotel room where the family was staying, police said Tuesday in court records.
When he checked on the boy later, the baby was not breathing and unconscious, prompting him to call 911, state police said.
Zhaden Davis, one of a set of twins, was rushed to Beebe Healthcare's hospital in Lewes and then to Nemours/A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, where he was treated for a traumatic brain bleed, three rib fractures on the left side of his body, massive retinal bleeding and a subdural hematoma of his brain, court records state.
About 10 hours later, doctors declared the infant brain dead, according to court records. The baby remained on a ventilator and died Sunday, Master Cpl. Gary Fournier said.
The father, Sidney G. Davis III, was charged with first-degree murder by neglect or abuse Tuesday after family members brought him to state police for questioning. Davis is being held in Sussex Correctional Institution after failing to post $100,000 cash bail.
The second twin boy was not injured and is being cared for by his mother, Fournier said.
The incident unfolded at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday when Davis called 911 about his son's condition and paramedics arrived at the Sea Esta IV Motel at 20902 Coastal Highway to find the baby not breathing.
Medics performed CPR
Randy Miller, manager of the Sea Esta III, was at Sea Esta IV. It was a quiet morning, she said, when, suddenly, about five police cars pulled into the hotel, followed by an ambulance.
The responders went to the third floor, she said. She followed them but did not enter the room. From the doorway, she could see medics performing CPR on Zhaden. The father, Sidney Davis, looked upset, she said.
Officers took the other baby out of the room, and Miller brought that child downstairs to the office. Then officers took that baby back, bringing him to the hospital in the same vehicle as his father, while Zhaden went in an ambulance, she said.
Doctors at Beebe were able to re-establish a heartbeat. An examination determined the infant suffered a traumatic brain bleed, which had led to his unconsciousness. He was then flown to A.I. DuPont in critical condition, Master Cpl. Fournier said.
An autopsy was performed by Dr. Adrienne Sekula-Perlman at the Medical Examiner's Office, who ruled the death to be homicide due to head trauma.
Calls to the hotel
When interviewed Tuesday by homicide detectives, Davis acknowledged he had been caring for the twins since 10 a.m. Friday while their mother, who neighbors and hotel employees identified as Rebecca Lee, visited her grandmother, court records state.
A hotel employee who did not want to be named said Lee called the hotel multiple times Friday asking to be put through to check on the babies, who had been sick, she said.
"She told me they were having problems," she said.
The employee never saw Davis or the twins, but said Lee was friendly and well-mannered.
Davis acknowledged during the police interview Zhaden initially started crying at about 6 p.m. Friday and he shook the baby to quiet him.
Lee returned briefly at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday and spent about 15 minutes with the twins before leaving for work.
Lee told detectives the twins were apparently fine, according to court records.
Saturday morning, after Lee left for work, the baby began crying again and Davis became frustrated because he would not stop, he told police.
'The baby was not breathing'
Davis told police he picked the boy up and "shook him violently until he stopped crying," police said. He then "went and took a shower, and when he checked on him he discovered the baby was not breathing and called 911."
A friend of Davis' aunt, Eugene Haines, said it was unlike him to act violently. Haines lives in Burton Village, a short distance from the hotel, and was shocked when he heard about the incident.
"It's a hell of a thing to live with," he said. "I'm just surprised, I never knew him to hurt a child or anything."
Davis would spend time in Burton Village visiting his aunt when he was a teen and would sometimes spend the night at Haines' house. Davis hadn't been around in a while, he said.
Lee and Davis were placed in Sea Esta IV by social services, according to Brandon Morris, general manager of Sea Esta III and IV.
"Normally, it's local residents who have a need of housing," Morris said.
State officials were not able to give out any information about the couple.
Three weeks ago, the Lewes-Rehoboth Association of Churches' Community Resource Center opened up a "baby pantry," receptionist Eleanor Whaley said. Lee visited frequently to get items for the twins, and the boys quickly became favorites.
"They were kind of the mascots of the baby pantry," she said. "When we knew the babies were coming, we made a special effort to make sure they were taken care of."
She said of Zhaden: "So, sadly missed now, so sadly missed already."
Key points
• Sidney G. Davis III, 21, of Rehoboth Beach is charged in the death of his 3-month-old son, Zhaden Davis.
• According to the Delaware State Police, Davis shook the infant twice while taking care of him.
• The cause of death was found to be homicide due to head trauma.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Dad charged in death of 6-month-old daughter (Magnolia, Delaware)
Sounds like another one of those asinine deadbeat dads who was drafted into "childcare" while Mom worked. Notice that this idiot called the mother at work, and SHE was the one to call 911, not the idiot. Surprisingly common pattern with abusive male caretakers.
Dad is identified as RANDY D. MOSLEY.
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/2014/05/06/father-charged-infants-death/8758961/
Father charged with infant’s death
By Terri Sanginiti
The News Journal 9:45 a.m. EDT May 6, 2014
A Magnolia-area man surrendered to state police Monday to face charges that he recklessly caused the death of his 6-month-old daughter in October, police said Tuesday.
Randy D. Mosley, 27, of the first block of Marshview Drive in St. Jones Commons, was charged with felony endangering the welfare of a child by intentionally, knowingly or recklessly acting in a manner likely to cause injury thus causing death, said Master Cpl. Gary Fournier.
The incident leading to the charges occurred Oct. 11 when Mosley was caring for his infant daughter, Aryanna.
According to police, the baby was placed in her bassinet about 4 a.m. and awoke crying about 7:30 a.m. Mosley then moved the baby and bassinet from his bedroom to another room at the other end of the mobile home, changed her diaper and then gave her a bottle in the bassinet, police said.
Mosley propped the bottle in the baby’s mouth then wrapped a blanket around her head to hold the bottle, leaving her face exposed, police said. He then took another blanket and put it underneath the baby, tucking in her arms and folding the sides around her so she wouldn’t knock the bottle out of her mouth.
At that point, Mosley went back to sleep and awoke about 12:50 p.m. and checked on the baby to find the bottle out of her mouth and the blanket covering her face, Fournier said.
He told investigators that he left the room and returned to her bedroom a half-hour later to find the baby in the same position as he left her.
His attempts at waking her proved she was unresponsive, according to police.
Mosley then called the baby’s mother at work and she called 911, Fournier said.
When paramedics arrived, they rushed the baby to Kent General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
An autopsy conducted by the state Medical Examiner’s Office is pending, Fournier said.
Mosley was released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
Dad is identified as RANDY D. MOSLEY.
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/2014/05/06/father-charged-infants-death/8758961/
Father charged with infant’s death
By Terri Sanginiti
The News Journal 9:45 a.m. EDT May 6, 2014
A Magnolia-area man surrendered to state police Monday to face charges that he recklessly caused the death of his 6-month-old daughter in October, police said Tuesday.
Randy D. Mosley, 27, of the first block of Marshview Drive in St. Jones Commons, was charged with felony endangering the welfare of a child by intentionally, knowingly or recklessly acting in a manner likely to cause injury thus causing death, said Master Cpl. Gary Fournier.
The incident leading to the charges occurred Oct. 11 when Mosley was caring for his infant daughter, Aryanna.
According to police, the baby was placed in her bassinet about 4 a.m. and awoke crying about 7:30 a.m. Mosley then moved the baby and bassinet from his bedroom to another room at the other end of the mobile home, changed her diaper and then gave her a bottle in the bassinet, police said.
Mosley propped the bottle in the baby’s mouth then wrapped a blanket around her head to hold the bottle, leaving her face exposed, police said. He then took another blanket and put it underneath the baby, tucking in her arms and folding the sides around her so she wouldn’t knock the bottle out of her mouth.
At that point, Mosley went back to sleep and awoke about 12:50 p.m. and checked on the baby to find the bottle out of her mouth and the blanket covering her face, Fournier said.
He told investigators that he left the room and returned to her bedroom a half-hour later to find the baby in the same position as he left her.
His attempts at waking her proved she was unresponsive, according to police.
Mosley then called the baby’s mother at work and she called 911, Fournier said.
When paramedics arrived, they rushed the baby to Kent General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
An autopsy conducted by the state Medical Examiner’s Office is pending, Fournier said.
Mosley was released on $5,000 unsecured bail.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Dad charged with beating 1-year-old son with belt (Dover, Delaware)
Notice the evasive way this is written. We are told that "other family members" are now caring for the boy, but there is no explicit mention of a mother. Why? Is MARCUS MILLER a single father? Why is the mother erased from this story?
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Father-Son-Belt-Beating-254331651.html
Tuesday, Apr 8, 2014 | Updated 6:45 AM EDT
Father Strikes Son, 1, With Belt: Police
Police in Delaware say a 22-year-old Dover man has been charged with hitting his 1-year-old son with a belt.
Dover police Cpl. Mark Hoffman said Monday that officers were called to an apartment on Lakeview Drive over the weekend to investigate a report of child abuse.
Hoffman says an investigation determined that Marcus Miller had used his belt on his son several times, causing pain, bruising and swelling to the boy's back. Other family members are caring for the boy.
Miller is has been charged with second-degree assault, child abuse and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He is being held in Vaughn Correctional Center after failing to post $11,000 secured bail.
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Father-Son-Belt-Beating-254331651.html
Tuesday, Apr 8, 2014 | Updated 6:45 AM EDT
Father Strikes Son, 1, With Belt: Police
Police in Delaware say a 22-year-old Dover man has been charged with hitting his 1-year-old son with a belt.
Dover police Cpl. Mark Hoffman said Monday that officers were called to an apartment on Lakeview Drive over the weekend to investigate a report of child abuse.
Hoffman says an investigation determined that Marcus Miller had used his belt on his son several times, causing pain, bruising and swelling to the boy's back. Other family members are caring for the boy.
Miller is has been charged with second-degree assault, child abuse and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He is being held in Vaughn Correctional Center after failing to post $11,000 secured bail.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Millionaire dad convicted of raping 3-year-old daughter gets probation; judge says he would not "fare well" behind bars (Wilmington, Delaware)
When the abuser daddy is as wealthy as ROBERT H. RICHARDS IV, he's practically untouchable. Shame on Judge Jan Jurden for coddling this worthless piece of crap.
http://www.freep.com/article/20140330/NEWS07/303300113/Du-Pont-heir-s-sentence-for-raping-daughter-3-raises-questions
Du Pont heir's sentence for raping daughter, 3, raises questions
11:50 AM, March 30, 2014
By Cris Barrish
The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal
WILMINGTON, DEL. — A judge who sentenced a wealthy du Pont heir to probation for raping his 3-year-old daughter noted in her order that he “will not fare well” in prison and needed treatment instead of time behind bars, court records show.
Superior Court Judge Jan Jurden’s sentencing order for Robert H. Richards IV suggested that she considered unique circumstances when deciding his punishment for fourth-degree rape. Her observation that prison life would adversely affect Richards was a rare and puzzling rationale, several criminal justice authorities in Delaware said. Some also said her view that treatment was a better idea than prison is a justification typically used when sentencing drug addicts, not child rapists.
Richards’ 2009 rape case became public this month after attorneys for his ex-wife, Tracy, filed a lawsuit seeking compensatory and punitive damages for the abuse of his daughter.
The fact that Jurden expressed concern that prison wasn’t right for Richards came as a surprise to defense lawyers and prosecutors who consider her a tough sentencing judge. Several noted that prison officials can put inmates in protective custody if they are worried about their safety, noting that child abusers are sometimes targeted by other inmates.
“It’s an extremely rare circumstance that prison serves the inmate well,” said Delaware Public Defender Brendan J. O’Neill, whose office represents defendants who cannot afford a lawyer. “Prison is to punish, to segregate the offender from society, and the notion that prison serves people well hasn’t proven to be true in most circumstances.”
O’Neill said he and his deputies have often argued that a defendant was too ill or frail for prison, but he has never seen a judge cite it as a “reason not to send someone to jail.”
Richards was no frail defendant, court records show, listing him at 6-feet-4 and between 250 and 276 pounds. Nor do court records cite any physical illnesses.
O’Neill said the way the Richards case was handled might cause the public to be skeptical about “how a person with great wealth may be treated by the system.”
Richards, who is unemployed and supported by a trust fund, owns a 5,800-square-foot mansion in Greenville, Del., he bought for $1.8 million in 2005. He also lists a home in the exclusive North Shores neighborhood near Rehoboth Beach, according to the state’s sex abuse registry. His great-grandfather is du Pont family patriarch Irenee du Pont, and his father is Robert H. Richards III, a retired partner in the Richards Layton & Finger law firm.
Jurden, who has been a judge since 2001, and Superior Court President James T. Vaughn Jr. did not respond to questions last week about the case.
Deputy State Court Administrator Amy Quinlan said in an email that judges must consider the charges, state sentencing guidelines and “any mitigating or aggravating factors and recommendations” from prosecutors, defense lawyers, corrections officials and others. “That procedure was followed in this case as well.”
The lawsuit filed by Richards’ ex-wife accuses him of admitting to sexually abusing his infant son between 2005 and 2007, the same period when he abused his daughter starting when she was 3.
Police said they investigated allegations involving the boy in 2010 after his mother filed a complaint, but said they did not have sufficient evidence to justify charges. Investigators will take another look at the allegations included in the lawsuit, which are based on reports by probation officers.
State Attorney General Beau Biden’s office had initially indicted Richards on two counts of second-degree rape of a child – Class B violent felonies that carry a mandatory 10-year prison term for each count.
According to the arrest warrant filed by a New Castle County Police Detective JoAnna Burton in December 2007, the girl, then 5, told her grandmother, Donna Burg, that Richards sexually abused her.
Burg said the child reported that her father told her it was “our little secret” but said she didn’t want “my daddy touching me anymore.”
Tracy Richards, who confronted her then-husband, told police he admitted abusing his daughter but said “it was an accident and he would never do it again,” the warrant said.
Richards was free on $60,000 secured bail while awaiting trial on the charges that could have put him behind bars for years.
But in June 2008, just days before a scheduled trial, prosecutor Renee Hrivnak offered Richards a plea to a single count of fourth-degree rape, which carries no mandatory time, and he accepted, admitting in court that he abused his child.
“It was more than reasonable, an enlightened plea offer,” Richards attorney Eugene J. Maurer Jr. said.
Fourth-degree rape is a Class C violent felony that by law can bring up to 15 years in prison, though guidelines suggest zero to 2 1/2 years in prison.
At Richards’ February 2009 sentencing, Hrivnak recommended probation, Biden’s chief deputy Ian R. McConnel said, adding that in retrospect he wished she would have sought prison time. Hrivnak would not comment.
Biden spokesman Jason Miller said the attorney general – who routinely hails the prosecution of child predators as a top priority for his office – did not know about the case.
Miller said only Hrivnak and her supervisor, Allison Texter, were part of the decision on how to resolve the case. Texter, who is now in private practice in Wilmington, did not return calls for comment.
State Prosecutor Kathleen M. Jennings could not discuss the case, McConnel said, because she had represented Richards while he was on probation. Jennings, a former chief deputy attorney general, rejoined the office in November 2011 after about 15 years in private practice. She would not say when she represented Richards.
McConnel would not discuss the rationale behind the Richards’ plea deal and Hrivnak’s recommendation of probation for the fourth-degree rape conviction.
While judges have the latitude to sentence defendants within legal parameters, they are urged to follow more lenient guidelines established by the Delaware Sentencing Accountability Commission, a panel of judges and other top officials in the criminal justice system. The panel has a policy that prison should be reserved for violent offenders, including rapists.
Jurden gave Richards, who had no previous criminal record, an eight-year prison term, but suspended all the prison time for probation.
“Defendant will not fare well in Level 5 setting,” said the final line of her sentencing order. In Delaware’s correctional system, Level 5 is prison.
Joseph S. Grubb, chief New Castle County prosecutor, said he was not involved in the case, but stressed that whether Richards might suffer or thrive in prison was not something prosecutors considered.
“It’s not a concern for us,” Grubb said. “We try to do the right thing in each case. Absent that equation is the physical condition of the defendant.”
Grubb said he did not know “how the judge gathered” that Richards might have trouble in prison, but assumed the presentence report included information she used. That report was not available in the court file.
O’Neill, the public defender, said that while Jurden’s rationale surprised him, “I commend her for making such a courageous ruling. When I find the appropriate place, I’m going to make that argument.”
Kendall Marlowe, executive director of National Association for Counsel for Children, said the bottom line is that individuals who abuse youngsters deserve to be punished.
“Child protection laws are there to safeguard children, and adults who knowingly harm children should be punished,” said Marlow, whose nonprofit agency assists lawyers who handle child welfare cases.
“Our prisons should be more rehabilitative environments, but the prison system’s inadequacies are not a justification for letting a child molester off the hook.”
Defense lawyer Joseph A. Hurley said it makes sense to him that the judge would be concerned about Richards’ time in prison.
“Sure, they have protective custody, but that is solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. We’re not a third-world society,” Hurley said.
“Sex offenders are the lowest of the low in prison,” Hurley said. “He’s a rich, white boy who is a wuss and a child perv. The prison can’t protect them, and Jan Jurden knows that reality. She is right on.”
http://www.freep.com/article/20140330/NEWS07/303300113/Du-Pont-heir-s-sentence-for-raping-daughter-3-raises-questions
Du Pont heir's sentence for raping daughter, 3, raises questions
11:50 AM, March 30, 2014
By Cris Barrish
The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal
WILMINGTON, DEL. — A judge who sentenced a wealthy du Pont heir to probation for raping his 3-year-old daughter noted in her order that he “will not fare well” in prison and needed treatment instead of time behind bars, court records show.
Superior Court Judge Jan Jurden’s sentencing order for Robert H. Richards IV suggested that she considered unique circumstances when deciding his punishment for fourth-degree rape. Her observation that prison life would adversely affect Richards was a rare and puzzling rationale, several criminal justice authorities in Delaware said. Some also said her view that treatment was a better idea than prison is a justification typically used when sentencing drug addicts, not child rapists.
Richards’ 2009 rape case became public this month after attorneys for his ex-wife, Tracy, filed a lawsuit seeking compensatory and punitive damages for the abuse of his daughter.
The fact that Jurden expressed concern that prison wasn’t right for Richards came as a surprise to defense lawyers and prosecutors who consider her a tough sentencing judge. Several noted that prison officials can put inmates in protective custody if they are worried about their safety, noting that child abusers are sometimes targeted by other inmates.
“It’s an extremely rare circumstance that prison serves the inmate well,” said Delaware Public Defender Brendan J. O’Neill, whose office represents defendants who cannot afford a lawyer. “Prison is to punish, to segregate the offender from society, and the notion that prison serves people well hasn’t proven to be true in most circumstances.”
O’Neill said he and his deputies have often argued that a defendant was too ill or frail for prison, but he has never seen a judge cite it as a “reason not to send someone to jail.”
Richards was no frail defendant, court records show, listing him at 6-feet-4 and between 250 and 276 pounds. Nor do court records cite any physical illnesses.
O’Neill said the way the Richards case was handled might cause the public to be skeptical about “how a person with great wealth may be treated by the system.”
Richards, who is unemployed and supported by a trust fund, owns a 5,800-square-foot mansion in Greenville, Del., he bought for $1.8 million in 2005. He also lists a home in the exclusive North Shores neighborhood near Rehoboth Beach, according to the state’s sex abuse registry. His great-grandfather is du Pont family patriarch Irenee du Pont, and his father is Robert H. Richards III, a retired partner in the Richards Layton & Finger law firm.
Jurden, who has been a judge since 2001, and Superior Court President James T. Vaughn Jr. did not respond to questions last week about the case.
Deputy State Court Administrator Amy Quinlan said in an email that judges must consider the charges, state sentencing guidelines and “any mitigating or aggravating factors and recommendations” from prosecutors, defense lawyers, corrections officials and others. “That procedure was followed in this case as well.”
The lawsuit filed by Richards’ ex-wife accuses him of admitting to sexually abusing his infant son between 2005 and 2007, the same period when he abused his daughter starting when she was 3.
Police said they investigated allegations involving the boy in 2010 after his mother filed a complaint, but said they did not have sufficient evidence to justify charges. Investigators will take another look at the allegations included in the lawsuit, which are based on reports by probation officers.
State Attorney General Beau Biden’s office had initially indicted Richards on two counts of second-degree rape of a child – Class B violent felonies that carry a mandatory 10-year prison term for each count.
According to the arrest warrant filed by a New Castle County Police Detective JoAnna Burton in December 2007, the girl, then 5, told her grandmother, Donna Burg, that Richards sexually abused her.
Burg said the child reported that her father told her it was “our little secret” but said she didn’t want “my daddy touching me anymore.”
Tracy Richards, who confronted her then-husband, told police he admitted abusing his daughter but said “it was an accident and he would never do it again,” the warrant said.
Richards was free on $60,000 secured bail while awaiting trial on the charges that could have put him behind bars for years.
But in June 2008, just days before a scheduled trial, prosecutor Renee Hrivnak offered Richards a plea to a single count of fourth-degree rape, which carries no mandatory time, and he accepted, admitting in court that he abused his child.
“It was more than reasonable, an enlightened plea offer,” Richards attorney Eugene J. Maurer Jr. said.
Fourth-degree rape is a Class C violent felony that by law can bring up to 15 years in prison, though guidelines suggest zero to 2 1/2 years in prison.
At Richards’ February 2009 sentencing, Hrivnak recommended probation, Biden’s chief deputy Ian R. McConnel said, adding that in retrospect he wished she would have sought prison time. Hrivnak would not comment.
Biden spokesman Jason Miller said the attorney general – who routinely hails the prosecution of child predators as a top priority for his office – did not know about the case.
Miller said only Hrivnak and her supervisor, Allison Texter, were part of the decision on how to resolve the case. Texter, who is now in private practice in Wilmington, did not return calls for comment.
State Prosecutor Kathleen M. Jennings could not discuss the case, McConnel said, because she had represented Richards while he was on probation. Jennings, a former chief deputy attorney general, rejoined the office in November 2011 after about 15 years in private practice. She would not say when she represented Richards.
McConnel would not discuss the rationale behind the Richards’ plea deal and Hrivnak’s recommendation of probation for the fourth-degree rape conviction.
While judges have the latitude to sentence defendants within legal parameters, they are urged to follow more lenient guidelines established by the Delaware Sentencing Accountability Commission, a panel of judges and other top officials in the criminal justice system. The panel has a policy that prison should be reserved for violent offenders, including rapists.
Jurden gave Richards, who had no previous criminal record, an eight-year prison term, but suspended all the prison time for probation.
“Defendant will not fare well in Level 5 setting,” said the final line of her sentencing order. In Delaware’s correctional system, Level 5 is prison.
Joseph S. Grubb, chief New Castle County prosecutor, said he was not involved in the case, but stressed that whether Richards might suffer or thrive in prison was not something prosecutors considered.
“It’s not a concern for us,” Grubb said. “We try to do the right thing in each case. Absent that equation is the physical condition of the defendant.”
Grubb said he did not know “how the judge gathered” that Richards might have trouble in prison, but assumed the presentence report included information she used. That report was not available in the court file.
O’Neill, the public defender, said that while Jurden’s rationale surprised him, “I commend her for making such a courageous ruling. When I find the appropriate place, I’m going to make that argument.”
Kendall Marlowe, executive director of National Association for Counsel for Children, said the bottom line is that individuals who abuse youngsters deserve to be punished.
“Child protection laws are there to safeguard children, and adults who knowingly harm children should be punished,” said Marlow, whose nonprofit agency assists lawyers who handle child welfare cases.
“Our prisons should be more rehabilitative environments, but the prison system’s inadequacies are not a justification for letting a child molester off the hook.”
Defense lawyer Joseph A. Hurley said it makes sense to him that the judge would be concerned about Richards’ time in prison.
“Sure, they have protective custody, but that is solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. We’re not a third-world society,” Hurley said.
“Sex offenders are the lowest of the low in prison,” Hurley said. “He’s a rich, white boy who is a wuss and a child perv. The prison can’t protect them, and Jan Jurden knows that reality. She is right on.”
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Custodial dad, step get prison sentence for torturous abuse of 12-year-old son over 3 months; what happened to this boy's mother? (Wilmington, Delaware)
Another story we almost missed this month.
Mom must have had all contact eliminated for this to go on for three long months.
Yet there is no explanation as to why. Was she deceased? "Missing"? Did she lose custody through the courts? If so how and through what judge?
Whenever you see an custodial dad who is this evil, vicious, and controlling, one should always ask why the mother has seemingly "disappeared" from the picture. What ever he doled out to this child he very likely doled out to the mother. So what happened? Silence, as usual.
Dad is identified as ROBERT HOHN.
Why the headline writer considers 6 years a "lengthy" prison sentence I have no idea.
http://news.delaware.gov/2013/12/06/newark-father-stepmother-receive-lengthy-prison-sentences-for-child-abuse/
Newark father, stepmother receive lengthy prison sentences for child abuse
Posted On: Friday, December 6th, 2013
Categories: Criminal Department of Justice Family Press Releases
Wilmington – Attorney General Beau Biden today announced that Robert Hohn and Shannon Watterson, a Newark couple, have received multi-year prison sentences for abusing and neglecting one of their children, a 12 year-old son, over a three-month period last fall.
“The lengthy sentences we sought and that were imposed upon these defendants today reflect the significant harm caused by child abuse and neglect and they send a clear message to child abusers that you will face significant consequences for your crimes,” Biden said today.
Hohn, then age 42, and Watterson, then age 40, of the 100 block of Brookside Boulevard in Newark, were arrested on November 28, 2012 by New Castle County Police and charged with child abuse after a police investigation revealed that their son had been physically abused and become malnourished after they locked him in his bedroom for a three-month period, causing serious physical injury by failing to feed him regularly, neglecting to provide medical care, and failing to enroll the child in an adequate educational curriculum. In addition, both were charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child for committing child abuse and/or assault against the child in the presence of three other children who were living in the home. The police investigation was initiated after the victim escaped from his home and responded to the residence of a neighbor, who contacted police.
This morning, New Castle County Superior Court Judge M. Jane Brady sentenced Shannon Watterson to five years and one month in prison and sentenced Robert Hohn, IV to six years and one month in prison. In addition, Judge Brady ordered both defendants, while incarcerated, to spend 10 days in solitary confinement each year beginning on November 28, the date of their arrest. She also ordered the pair to have no contact with the son who was the victim of their abuse and ordered them to have no contact with the three other children who lived in the household at the time of their arrest unless approved by Family Court.
Hohn and Watterson were indicted on multiple charges in March, 2013 and both pled guilty to one count of Assault 2nd Degree and one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in September, 2013. Both defendants have been incarcerated in lieu of $282,500 cash bail since their arrest. Biden reported that his office has closely monitored the welfare of the abused son who, now at 13 years-old, is happy and well cared for. “The vast majority of abused children are victimized by parents or others who have responsibility for their care,” Biden added. “It’s not a child’s responsibility to protect him- or herself, it’s ours and I urge all adults who suspect that a child is being abused or neglected to fulfill their legal and moral duty by contacting the Delaware Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-292-9582.”
Mom must have had all contact eliminated for this to go on for three long months.
Yet there is no explanation as to why. Was she deceased? "Missing"? Did she lose custody through the courts? If so how and through what judge?
Whenever you see an custodial dad who is this evil, vicious, and controlling, one should always ask why the mother has seemingly "disappeared" from the picture. What ever he doled out to this child he very likely doled out to the mother. So what happened? Silence, as usual.
Dad is identified as ROBERT HOHN.
Why the headline writer considers 6 years a "lengthy" prison sentence I have no idea.
http://news.delaware.gov/2013/12/06/newark-father-stepmother-receive-lengthy-prison-sentences-for-child-abuse/
Newark father, stepmother receive lengthy prison sentences for child abuse
Posted On: Friday, December 6th, 2013
Categories: Criminal Department of Justice Family Press Releases
Wilmington – Attorney General Beau Biden today announced that Robert Hohn and Shannon Watterson, a Newark couple, have received multi-year prison sentences for abusing and neglecting one of their children, a 12 year-old son, over a three-month period last fall.
“The lengthy sentences we sought and that were imposed upon these defendants today reflect the significant harm caused by child abuse and neglect and they send a clear message to child abusers that you will face significant consequences for your crimes,” Biden said today.
Hohn, then age 42, and Watterson, then age 40, of the 100 block of Brookside Boulevard in Newark, were arrested on November 28, 2012 by New Castle County Police and charged with child abuse after a police investigation revealed that their son had been physically abused and become malnourished after they locked him in his bedroom for a three-month period, causing serious physical injury by failing to feed him regularly, neglecting to provide medical care, and failing to enroll the child in an adequate educational curriculum. In addition, both were charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child for committing child abuse and/or assault against the child in the presence of three other children who were living in the home. The police investigation was initiated after the victim escaped from his home and responded to the residence of a neighbor, who contacted police.
This morning, New Castle County Superior Court Judge M. Jane Brady sentenced Shannon Watterson to five years and one month in prison and sentenced Robert Hohn, IV to six years and one month in prison. In addition, Judge Brady ordered both defendants, while incarcerated, to spend 10 days in solitary confinement each year beginning on November 28, the date of their arrest. She also ordered the pair to have no contact with the son who was the victim of their abuse and ordered them to have no contact with the three other children who lived in the household at the time of their arrest unless approved by Family Court.
Hohn and Watterson were indicted on multiple charges in March, 2013 and both pled guilty to one count of Assault 2nd Degree and one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in September, 2013. Both defendants have been incarcerated in lieu of $282,500 cash bail since their arrest. Biden reported that his office has closely monitored the welfare of the abused son who, now at 13 years-old, is happy and well cared for. “The vast majority of abused children are victimized by parents or others who have responsibility for their care,” Biden added. “It’s not a child’s responsibility to protect him- or herself, it’s ours and I urge all adults who suspect that a child is being abused or neglected to fulfill their legal and moral duty by contacting the Delaware Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-292-9582.”
Friday, September 27, 2013
Dad charged with aggravated manslaughter in death of 11-week-old daughter; allegedly threw her (Bridgeton, New Jersey)
Dad is identified as ANDREW RIEGLER. Wonder why there is so much uncertaintly here as to who the baby's mother was? The house the baby was carried out of is identified as Riegler's, not as the couple's. I'm guessing the mother did not live with the father, and that some kind of custody/visitation issue was at play here. But as usual, there is no clarification.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/prosecutors-say-millville-baby-s-fatal-injuries-caused-when-father/article_4647d74e-2781-11e3-8cbb-001a4bcf887a.html
Prosecutors say Millville baby's fatal injuries caused when father threw her
Posted: Friday, September 27, 2013 10:32 am
By THOMAS BARLAS, Staff Writer
BRIDGETON – Andrew Rieger recklessly caused the death of his 11-week-old daughter in part by throwing the infant onto a couch at his home early on Sept. 12, prosecutors alleged in Superior Court here on Friday.
The infant then fell onto a wooden floor, suffering the head trauma that eventually caused her death at a hospital for children in Delaware two days later, Cumberland County Assistant Prosecutor Christina Aiello charged.
Aiello, speaking during Rieger’s arraignment in the Cumberland County courthouse here, did not comment to the court as to why the 25-year-old Millville man threw his daughter onto the couch. Aiello declined comment on that issue after the 10-minute court proceeding ended, saying she needed to further review the evidence in the case.
Rieger, of East Oak Road, is charged with aggravated manslaughter, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child. He is being held in the Cumberland County jail here on $1 million cash bail. Rieger wore an orange jail jump suit while being arraigned on those charges before Superior Court Judge Robert Malestein.
Rieger appeared frightened as he stood next to his attorney, Vincent Pancari of Vineland, and made no statements to the court.
Aiello declined to provide a name for Rieger’s daughter, identifying her during the proceedings only as “A.R.”
Some of Rieger’s neighbors identified Rieger’s girlfriend as the child’s mother. They did not know her name.
Aiello would not identify the woman on Friday. Aiello said some members of the woman’s family were in the courtroom for Friday’s proceedings. Those family members were whisked out of the courtroom by staff from the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office after the arraignment ended and were taken to a small conference room. Those family members left the court house without comment.
Millville police said they first learned of the girl’s predicament when they were called to Inspira Medical Center Vineland at 5 a.m. on Sept. 12 to investigate reports of what they called the youth’s “suspicious injuries.” They said the baby had been taken to the medical center from Rieger’s home via ambulance, although they would not say who called for the ambulance.
The baby was eventually transported to Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., where she died on Sept. 14.
Rieger was originally charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child, according to authorities. Rieger was charged with the offenses in Delaware after he went to the hospital in connection with the girl’s injuries, they said. Rieger was then lodged in the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington on $75,000 cash bail pending extradition to New Jersey, they said.
Rieger was charged with aggravated manslaughter on Sept. 16 after his daughter died. Rieger was also transferred from custody in Delaware to the county jail.
During Friday’s proceedings, Pancari entered pleas of not guilty on behalf Rieger. Vincari also said he had no comment regarding his client’s bail, a matter that would be dealt with later.
Pancari said the Prosecutor’s Office will give him all pre-indictment discovery, or evidence, regarding Rieger’s case.
“Right now, I don’t have anything in front of me,” Pancari said.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/prosecutors-say-millville-baby-s-fatal-injuries-caused-when-father/article_4647d74e-2781-11e3-8cbb-001a4bcf887a.html
Prosecutors say Millville baby's fatal injuries caused when father threw her
Posted: Friday, September 27, 2013 10:32 am
By THOMAS BARLAS, Staff Writer
BRIDGETON – Andrew Rieger recklessly caused the death of his 11-week-old daughter in part by throwing the infant onto a couch at his home early on Sept. 12, prosecutors alleged in Superior Court here on Friday.
The infant then fell onto a wooden floor, suffering the head trauma that eventually caused her death at a hospital for children in Delaware two days later, Cumberland County Assistant Prosecutor Christina Aiello charged.
Aiello, speaking during Rieger’s arraignment in the Cumberland County courthouse here, did not comment to the court as to why the 25-year-old Millville man threw his daughter onto the couch. Aiello declined comment on that issue after the 10-minute court proceeding ended, saying she needed to further review the evidence in the case.
Rieger, of East Oak Road, is charged with aggravated manslaughter, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child. He is being held in the Cumberland County jail here on $1 million cash bail. Rieger wore an orange jail jump suit while being arraigned on those charges before Superior Court Judge Robert Malestein.
Rieger appeared frightened as he stood next to his attorney, Vincent Pancari of Vineland, and made no statements to the court.
Aiello declined to provide a name for Rieger’s daughter, identifying her during the proceedings only as “A.R.”
Some of Rieger’s neighbors identified Rieger’s girlfriend as the child’s mother. They did not know her name.
Aiello would not identify the woman on Friday. Aiello said some members of the woman’s family were in the courtroom for Friday’s proceedings. Those family members were whisked out of the courtroom by staff from the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office after the arraignment ended and were taken to a small conference room. Those family members left the court house without comment.
Millville police said they first learned of the girl’s predicament when they were called to Inspira Medical Center Vineland at 5 a.m. on Sept. 12 to investigate reports of what they called the youth’s “suspicious injuries.” They said the baby had been taken to the medical center from Rieger’s home via ambulance, although they would not say who called for the ambulance.
The baby was eventually transported to Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., where she died on Sept. 14.
Rieger was originally charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child, according to authorities. Rieger was charged with the offenses in Delaware after he went to the hospital in connection with the girl’s injuries, they said. Rieger was then lodged in the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington on $75,000 cash bail pending extradition to New Jersey, they said.
Rieger was charged with aggravated manslaughter on Sept. 16 after his daughter died. Rieger was also transferred from custody in Delaware to the county jail.
During Friday’s proceedings, Pancari entered pleas of not guilty on behalf Rieger. Vincari also said he had no comment regarding his client’s bail, a matter that would be dealt with later.
Pancari said the Prosecutor’s Office will give him all pre-indictment discovery, or evidence, regarding Rieger’s case.
“Right now, I don’t have anything in front of me,” Pancari said.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Dad indicted for murder of 3-month-old daughter (Newark, Delaware)
Okay, what was going on here? Why was a helpless baby in the "sole care" of a man with a history of "unlawful sexual contact" (rape?). Who made this decision? What happened to the mother of this infant? Did she even live with this man? Or is this a custody/visitation situation decided by the courts? Lots of unanswered questions...
Dad is identified as JAMES LOVE.
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=9237395
Newark father accused of murder in baby's death
Thursday, September 05, 2013
NEWARK, Del. - September 5, 2013 (WPVI) -- A man from Newark, Delaware has been indicted on murder charges in the death of his 3-month-old daughter.
James Love, 40, was charged with Murder by Abuse or Neglect for the death of the girl last summer.
Attorney General Beau Biden said on Thursday that paramedics were called to Love's home in the Carlton Court Apartments on August 7, 2012 after Love called 911 to say the baby was not breathing.
Biden said the girl, who was in the sole care of Love at the time, was unresponsive. The girl was rushed to the hospital but died two days later.
Police said an autopsy concluded that the girl died of multiple blunt force injuries and Love was responsible.
"The death of this young child shocks the conscience of us all," Biden said in a written statement. "Children are especially vulnerable to violent and abusive behavior by those who are responsible for their care and we're using the full force of the law to hold this individual accountable for his actions."
At the time of this week's indictment Love was already serving a prison sentence for a February, 2013 conviction for unlawful sexual contact.
Love was arraigned in prison on Wednesday.
Dad is identified as JAMES LOVE.
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=9237395
Newark father accused of murder in baby's death
Thursday, September 05, 2013
NEWARK, Del. - September 5, 2013 (WPVI) -- A man from Newark, Delaware has been indicted on murder charges in the death of his 3-month-old daughter.
James Love, 40, was charged with Murder by Abuse or Neglect for the death of the girl last summer.
Attorney General Beau Biden said on Thursday that paramedics were called to Love's home in the Carlton Court Apartments on August 7, 2012 after Love called 911 to say the baby was not breathing.
Biden said the girl, who was in the sole care of Love at the time, was unresponsive. The girl was rushed to the hospital but died two days later.
Police said an autopsy concluded that the girl died of multiple blunt force injuries and Love was responsible.
"The death of this young child shocks the conscience of us all," Biden said in a written statement. "Children are especially vulnerable to violent and abusive behavior by those who are responsible for their care and we're using the full force of the law to hold this individual accountable for his actions."
At the time of this week's indictment Love was already serving a prison sentence for a February, 2013 conviction for unlawful sexual contact.
Love was arraigned in prison on Wednesday.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Family of abusive dad arrested for cyberstalking murdered mom; mom killed while fighting for custody of kids (Wilmington, Delaware)
We've reported on this case many times over the years. All the way back when Daddy Dearest THOMAS MATUSIEWICZ kidnapped the kids, depriving them of contact with their mother, because JOINT CUSTODY wasn't good enough for him. Not enough abuse and control, doncha know.
A fathers rights lie you see a lot is that all the poor poor daddies wouldn't get all worked up if they just had "shared" custody. Bullsh**. You can't negotiate with terrorists, which is what these guys are. They want total complete control--and if pathological lying, slander, and human slaughter are deemed necessary to that end, they do it.
This case describes the abuser family pathology to the nth degree.
http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=932632#.Ugomx2T72Fc
Edcouch family arrested for cyber-stalking murdered in-law
by Cristina Garcia
Posted: 08.11.2013 at 9:33 PM
After loading up their family car with weapons, binoculars, restraints, an electric shock device, gas cans and a shovel, the Matusiewicz family allegedly all conspired to kill a Delaware woman who had married into their family
The recently unsealed federal indictment gives harrowing details about the family’s cyber-stalking and alleged conspiracy to kill their former in-law Christine Belford.
The murderous plan was put into motion when Thomas Matusiewicz drove from Edcouch to a Delaware courthouse where he shot and killed Belford, his son David’s ex-wife, just before she walked into the courtroom to fight for custody of her children.
Matusiewicz’s wife, Lenore Matusiewicz, his son, David Matusiewicz, and his daughter Amy Gonzalez had all denied any prior knowledge that the murder was going to take place.
But late last week, a federal grand jury in Delaware has indicted Lenore, David and Amy on four charges including cyber stalking, interstate stalking and conspiracy.
Federal agents arrested Lenore Matusiewicz and Amy Gonzalez in Hidalgo County late last week.
They are facing extradition to Delaware but the now-unsealed federal indictment gives harrowing details about the family’s conspiracy to kill David Matusiewicz’s ex-wife.
MOTIVE
Thomas Matusiewicz, shot his daughter in-law multiple times in the chest, killing her and one of her friend's in the lobby of a courthouse back in Delaware back in February.
Optometrist David Matusiewicz allegedly wanted custody of his children, who resided with their mother in Wilminton, Del.
The Matusiewicz family spent years stalking Belford before she was murdered, according to court documents.
MARRIAGE HISTORY
David Matusiewicz and Christine Belford were married for five years and had three children.
During the their divorce they fought for custody of the three girls.
Belford and David Matusiewicz were given joint custody of the three girls, which is when David Matusiewicz and his mother, Lenore Matusiewicz kidnapped the girls and fled the U.S.
Two years after the kidnapping, U.S. federal law enforcement agents located Lenore Matusiewicz and the three girls in Nicaragua.
The children were then reunited with their mother and lived with her in Delaware, about 1,500 miles from the Rio Grande Valley.
David Matusiewicz and his mother were imprisoned for their part in the kidnapping.
In 2011, David Matusiewicz’s parental rights were terminated even though he accused his ex-wife of sexually abusing the children.
FAMILY CONSPIRACY
David Matusiewicz spent a few years in prison.
He was then released to a halfway house and was under the supervision of a South Texas parole officer.
But according to the new federal indictment, he conspired with his family with the intent to kill his ex-wife, once released.
The family waged a campaign to ruin Christine’s reputation using social media, websites and YouTube, according to court documents.
The Matusiewicz family allegedly recruited people to stalk Belford and watch the children.
Some of the recruits allegedly provided license plate numbers and took photos of Belford’s home.
FALSE WEBSITE
Their mother Lenore Matusiewicz began publishing a webpage entitled, “A grandmother’s impossible choice and a father’s willingness to risk everything in order to rescue his three little girls.”
On the webpage were false claims about Belford including allegations of parental neglect and sexual abuse made by David Matusiewicz, according to the indictment.
Lenore Matusiewicz alleged that Belford wanted her son for his money.
The family then attempted to locate Barbra Walters and contact CNN in efforts to get a story out about their struggle for custody of the children.
The family then allegedly uploaded videos to YouTube entitles “Don’t Hurt Me Mommy” and “Another Unresolved Delaware Child Abuse Case.”
This was an attempt for word to be spread about the “true history” of the case, according to court documents.
SMEAR CAMPAIGN
The family then wrote to Belford’s church claiming she was sexually molesting her children, according to court documents.
The family recruited people to send photos of the children from Belford’s Facebook profile via email, according to the documents.
The Matusiewicz family obtained the real-estate listing including photos of inside her home and the children’s bedrooms of Belford’s home.
David Matusiewicz allegedly sent an email claiming he was the “First doc in the family and the first felon” and he was looking forward to his next battle in efforts to get his “daughters from their abusive mother.”
A woman then helped David Matusiewicz gain access to Belford’s personal Facebook profile and had multiple people checking out her house.
David Matusiewicz then left a note to his daughter Amy.
On the note, “Hopefully we can end this BS now-up to Dave,” was written, according to the indictment.
MURDER
In an email, David Matusiewicz and his mother said Belford was “scum and will always be…,” according to court documents.
Before David Matusiewicz left the Edcouch home, Amy was left with veteran funeral arrangements and a booklet on federal benefits for veterans.
A letter was allegedly left behind for Amy Gonzalez that said, “All my guns take them/protect them… they will be your only freedom in the coming years under what was once my gov’t. When gov’t takes your grandchildren away it ceases then being your gov’t.”
The Matusiewicz family then allegedly loaded up Honda CRV and a Honda Civic with photographs of Christine’s Belford’s children and residence, ammunition, a military style knife, a bullet proof vest and other items.
Before the murder, the Matusiewicz family visited family in New Jersey, according to court documents.
The next day, David Matusiewicz parked the Honda CRV in a parking garage of a hotel in downtown Wilmington.
David Matusiewicz’s and his father then entered the lobby where they stood in line for security screening, according to the documents.
Christine Belford and her friend entered the courthouse’s outer lobby.
Belford was then allegedly shot and killed.
Belford’s once sister-in-law made a request for custody of the three girls and sent a check to family court dated two days after the murder.
EXTRADITION
Federal agents arrested Lenore Matusiewicz and Amy Gonzalez in Hidalgo County late last week.
Their case has been assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter E. Ormsby in McAllen.
The two Edcouch women now face extradition to Delware where a federal jury will decide their fate.
A fathers rights lie you see a lot is that all the poor poor daddies wouldn't get all worked up if they just had "shared" custody. Bullsh**. You can't negotiate with terrorists, which is what these guys are. They want total complete control--and if pathological lying, slander, and human slaughter are deemed necessary to that end, they do it.
This case describes the abuser family pathology to the nth degree.
http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=932632#.Ugomx2T72Fc
Edcouch family arrested for cyber-stalking murdered in-law
by Cristina Garcia
Posted: 08.11.2013 at 9:33 PM
After loading up their family car with weapons, binoculars, restraints, an electric shock device, gas cans and a shovel, the Matusiewicz family allegedly all conspired to kill a Delaware woman who had married into their family
The recently unsealed federal indictment gives harrowing details about the family’s cyber-stalking and alleged conspiracy to kill their former in-law Christine Belford.
The murderous plan was put into motion when Thomas Matusiewicz drove from Edcouch to a Delaware courthouse where he shot and killed Belford, his son David’s ex-wife, just before she walked into the courtroom to fight for custody of her children.
Matusiewicz’s wife, Lenore Matusiewicz, his son, David Matusiewicz, and his daughter Amy Gonzalez had all denied any prior knowledge that the murder was going to take place.
But late last week, a federal grand jury in Delaware has indicted Lenore, David and Amy on four charges including cyber stalking, interstate stalking and conspiracy.
Federal agents arrested Lenore Matusiewicz and Amy Gonzalez in Hidalgo County late last week.
They are facing extradition to Delaware but the now-unsealed federal indictment gives harrowing details about the family’s conspiracy to kill David Matusiewicz’s ex-wife.
MOTIVE
Thomas Matusiewicz, shot his daughter in-law multiple times in the chest, killing her and one of her friend's in the lobby of a courthouse back in Delaware back in February.
Optometrist David Matusiewicz allegedly wanted custody of his children, who resided with their mother in Wilminton, Del.
The Matusiewicz family spent years stalking Belford before she was murdered, according to court documents.
MARRIAGE HISTORY
David Matusiewicz and Christine Belford were married for five years and had three children.
During the their divorce they fought for custody of the three girls.
Belford and David Matusiewicz were given joint custody of the three girls, which is when David Matusiewicz and his mother, Lenore Matusiewicz kidnapped the girls and fled the U.S.
Two years after the kidnapping, U.S. federal law enforcement agents located Lenore Matusiewicz and the three girls in Nicaragua.
The children were then reunited with their mother and lived with her in Delaware, about 1,500 miles from the Rio Grande Valley.
David Matusiewicz and his mother were imprisoned for their part in the kidnapping.
In 2011, David Matusiewicz’s parental rights were terminated even though he accused his ex-wife of sexually abusing the children.
FAMILY CONSPIRACY
David Matusiewicz spent a few years in prison.
He was then released to a halfway house and was under the supervision of a South Texas parole officer.
But according to the new federal indictment, he conspired with his family with the intent to kill his ex-wife, once released.
The family waged a campaign to ruin Christine’s reputation using social media, websites and YouTube, according to court documents.
The Matusiewicz family allegedly recruited people to stalk Belford and watch the children.
Some of the recruits allegedly provided license plate numbers and took photos of Belford’s home.
FALSE WEBSITE
Their mother Lenore Matusiewicz began publishing a webpage entitled, “A grandmother’s impossible choice and a father’s willingness to risk everything in order to rescue his three little girls.”
On the webpage were false claims about Belford including allegations of parental neglect and sexual abuse made by David Matusiewicz, according to the indictment.
Lenore Matusiewicz alleged that Belford wanted her son for his money.
The family then attempted to locate Barbra Walters and contact CNN in efforts to get a story out about their struggle for custody of the children.
The family then allegedly uploaded videos to YouTube entitles “Don’t Hurt Me Mommy” and “Another Unresolved Delaware Child Abuse Case.”
This was an attempt for word to be spread about the “true history” of the case, according to court documents.
SMEAR CAMPAIGN
The family then wrote to Belford’s church claiming she was sexually molesting her children, according to court documents.
The family recruited people to send photos of the children from Belford’s Facebook profile via email, according to the documents.
The Matusiewicz family obtained the real-estate listing including photos of inside her home and the children’s bedrooms of Belford’s home.
David Matusiewicz allegedly sent an email claiming he was the “First doc in the family and the first felon” and he was looking forward to his next battle in efforts to get his “daughters from their abusive mother.”
A woman then helped David Matusiewicz gain access to Belford’s personal Facebook profile and had multiple people checking out her house.
David Matusiewicz then left a note to his daughter Amy.
On the note, “Hopefully we can end this BS now-up to Dave,” was written, according to the indictment.
MURDER
In an email, David Matusiewicz and his mother said Belford was “scum and will always be…,” according to court documents.
Before David Matusiewicz left the Edcouch home, Amy was left with veteran funeral arrangements and a booklet on federal benefits for veterans.
A letter was allegedly left behind for Amy Gonzalez that said, “All my guns take them/protect them… they will be your only freedom in the coming years under what was once my gov’t. When gov’t takes your grandchildren away it ceases then being your gov’t.”
The Matusiewicz family then allegedly loaded up Honda CRV and a Honda Civic with photographs of Christine’s Belford’s children and residence, ammunition, a military style knife, a bullet proof vest and other items.
Before the murder, the Matusiewicz family visited family in New Jersey, according to court documents.
The next day, David Matusiewicz parked the Honda CRV in a parking garage of a hotel in downtown Wilmington.
David Matusiewicz’s and his father then entered the lobby where they stood in line for security screening, according to the documents.
Christine Belford and her friend entered the courthouse’s outer lobby.
Belford was then allegedly shot and killed.
Belford’s once sister-in-law made a request for custody of the three girls and sent a check to family court dated two days after the murder.
EXTRADITION
Federal agents arrested Lenore Matusiewicz and Amy Gonzalez in Hidalgo County late last week.
Their case has been assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter E. Ormsby in McAllen.
The two Edcouch women now face extradition to Delware where a federal jury will decide their fate.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Custodial dad, step charged for starving, locking up 12-year-old son (Wilmington, Delaware)
Dad ROBERT HOHN is obviously a custodial dad, as you can't lock up a kid and starve them in a joint custody situation--at least not very easily. Notice that there is NO mention of this boy's mother or what happened to her. Is she alive, dead, "disappeared"? It is very important to follow up on the "missing" mothers in these stories, as abusive fathers are typically violent control freak partners as well.
Seems I'm seeing a lot of cases recently of custodial fathers veering from abuse into bonafide torture--starvation/malnutrition, imprisonment, systematic beatings, etc. I suspect that this reflects more abusive fathers getting and obtaining full custody, with no accountability for their conduct.
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/03/20/newark-father-stepmother-indicted-for-child-abuse/
Newark Father, Stepmother Indicted For Child Abuse
March 20, 2013 3:15 PM
WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) – A Newark couple was indicted on Wednesday for charges relating to the abuse and neglect of their 12-year-old son (see related story).
The indictment charges 42-year-old Robert Hohn and 40-year old Shannon Watterson with Child Abuse, Conspiracy, Unlawful Imprisonment, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
Authorities say Hohn and Watterson were arrested and charged in November 2012 after a police investigation revealed that their 12-year-old son had been physically abused and become malnourished while allegedly being locking in a bedroom of the family’s home.
The police investigation was initiated after the victim escaped from his home and went a neighbor’s house, who contacted police.
Attorney General Beau Biden noted in a statement on Wednesday that this case represents the first arrests made under Delaware’s new child abuse statute.
“Fortunately, our new child abuse statute is a powerful tool that we have used in this case and will continue to use to hold offenders accountable and better protect kids,” said Biden.
Hohn and Watterson have been incarcerated in lieu of $282,500 cash bail since their arrest.
Seems I'm seeing a lot of cases recently of custodial fathers veering from abuse into bonafide torture--starvation/malnutrition, imprisonment, systematic beatings, etc. I suspect that this reflects more abusive fathers getting and obtaining full custody, with no accountability for their conduct.
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/03/20/newark-father-stepmother-indicted-for-child-abuse/
Newark Father, Stepmother Indicted For Child Abuse
March 20, 2013 3:15 PM
WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) – A Newark couple was indicted on Wednesday for charges relating to the abuse and neglect of their 12-year-old son (see related story).
The indictment charges 42-year-old Robert Hohn and 40-year old Shannon Watterson with Child Abuse, Conspiracy, Unlawful Imprisonment, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
Authorities say Hohn and Watterson were arrested and charged in November 2012 after a police investigation revealed that their 12-year-old son had been physically abused and become malnourished while allegedly being locking in a bedroom of the family’s home.
The police investigation was initiated after the victim escaped from his home and went a neighbor’s house, who contacted police.
Attorney General Beau Biden noted in a statement on Wednesday that this case represents the first arrests made under Delaware’s new child abuse statute.
“Fortunately, our new child abuse statute is a powerful tool that we have used in this case and will continue to use to hold offenders accountable and better protect kids,” said Biden.
Hohn and Watterson have been incarcerated in lieu of $282,500 cash bail since their arrest.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Custodial dad, step charged with locking 12-year-old boy in room for three months (New Castle, Delaware)
What happened to this boy's mother? Is she dead? Alive, but stripped of custody? What?
Obviously dad ROBERT HOLM had full custody of his son to imprison him for three months. But there is no explanation as to how he got full access/possession of this poor boy. Typical.
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/20219987/del-father-stepmother-accused-of-locking-child-in-room
Dad, Stepmom Locked Boy In Room For 3 Months, Police Say
Posted: Nov 29, 2012 2:30 PM CST Updated: Nov 29, 2012 9:30 PM CST
NEW CASTLE COUNTY, Del. - A father and a stepmother in Delaware face child abuse charges after police say they locked their 12-year-old in a room for three months and physically abused him.
According to New Castle County police, the boy escaped Tuesday night from his home on the 100 block of Brookside Boulevard and went to a neighbor for help.
Police say the neighbor called officers after noticing the boy wasn't wearing any shoes, had bruises on his face and appeared to be malnourished.
During their investigation, police say they learned the child had been kept in a locked room since September and was only allowed out to use the bathroom.
Police say the windows to the boy's room were screwed shut, the door handle was installed backwards and the only furniture available to the boy was a lamp without a lampshade.
According to police, the child was 20 pounds below the average weight for his age.
Police say three other children were living in the home. FOX 29's Chris O'Connell reports the three kids are now staying with family members.
By Wednesday, police say they went to the suspects home, Robert Hohn, 41, and his wife Shannon Watterson, 39, and took them into custody.
The boy is currently being treated at A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children.
Obviously dad ROBERT HOLM had full custody of his son to imprison him for three months. But there is no explanation as to how he got full access/possession of this poor boy. Typical.
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/20219987/del-father-stepmother-accused-of-locking-child-in-room
Dad, Stepmom Locked Boy In Room For 3 Months, Police Say
Posted: Nov 29, 2012 2:30 PM CST Updated: Nov 29, 2012 9:30 PM CST
NEW CASTLE COUNTY, Del. - A father and a stepmother in Delaware face child abuse charges after police say they locked their 12-year-old in a room for three months and physically abused him.
According to New Castle County police, the boy escaped Tuesday night from his home on the 100 block of Brookside Boulevard and went to a neighbor for help.
Police say the neighbor called officers after noticing the boy wasn't wearing any shoes, had bruises on his face and appeared to be malnourished.
During their investigation, police say they learned the child had been kept in a locked room since September and was only allowed out to use the bathroom.
Police say the windows to the boy's room were screwed shut, the door handle was installed backwards and the only furniture available to the boy was a lamp without a lampshade.
According to police, the child was 20 pounds below the average weight for his age.
Police say three other children were living in the home. FOX 29's Chris O'Connell reports the three kids are now staying with family members.
By Wednesday, police say they went to the suspects home, Robert Hohn, 41, and his wife Shannon Watterson, 39, and took them into custody.
The boy is currently being treated at A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
"Loving" stay-at-home dad on trial for beating 3-month-old daughter to death for interrupting his video game (Seaford, Delaware)
JASON GALLAWAY seems to be another one of those "loving" stay-at-home dads (i.e. deadbeats who don't want to work but want to play video games all day in a life-long adolescence). While Mom was working, this moron apparently beat the baby to death for interrupting his play. There's evidence of prior abuse as well.
Why is it these guys who appear to be perfectly normal from a neurological standpoint claim they have this exaggerated "startle" trigger that causes them to "accidentally" drop the baby--and more than once? Oh pulleeze...
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120124/NEWS01/201240345/Trial-under-way-baby-s-death
Trial under way in baby's death
Jury hears two versions of story
1:02 AM, Jan. 24, 2012
Written by DAN SHORTRIDGE
The News Journal
Jason Gallaway was either a loving, caring father or a man who beat his 3-month-old daughter to death because her crying interrupted his video game.
Those were the dual and opposing portraits of the 32-year-old Seaford-area man that emerged Monday as he went on trial in the death of his daughter, Marissa, on a charge of murder by abuse.
She died Dec. 5, 2010, from injuries suffered three days earlier. Gallaway could get 15 years to life in prison if convicted.
Gallaway, 32, who took care of his daughter while his wife worked as a high school teacher, repeatedly physically abused Marissa, prosecutor Casey Ewart said during opening statements Monday. She said the little girl had suffered a fractured rib, fractured shoulder, fractured arm bone and had bruising on her face.
"It may be difficult to comprehend why a parent would abuse his child," she said. "But only the defendant knows what he did and why. ... This was not an accident."
Marissa's death was caused by injuries to her head, which prosecutors said happened because Gallaway struck her and the defense team said happened because she fell off his lap in a tragic accident.
The head injuries, Ewart said, could not have been caused by a 2-foot fall onto a floor. "They're more consistent with a fall from a two or three-story building," she told jurors.
Defense attorney Rob Robinson said Gallaway's life centered around his daughter.
He fed her, bathed her, dressed her, played with her and took her to doctor's appointments.
"In addition to the loss of his daughter, he has to defend himself against charges that he murdered her," Robinson said.
He noted that none of the doctors or nurses who performed her check-ups noticed anything that would have suggested abuse. Nor did Gallaway's wife, he said.
"Not once during that time did she think Marissa was in any danger from Jason Gallaway," Robinson said.
Gallaway sat beside his public defenders, Robinson and Dean Johnson, listening to opening arguments. He shook his head no when Ewart stated that he had killed his daughter.
Gallaway was originally arrested and charged with two counts of assault by abuse or neglect on Dec. 2, 2010, when he called 911 to report Marissa had stopped breathing. Police officers found her lying on a coffee table, skin blue. She was taken to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital, diagnosed with a fractured skull and three bleeds on her brain, then put on life support and transported to Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Rockland.
Gallaway told authorities he had dropped Marissa on the floor twice -- once that day, once the day before -- when she was sitting on his lap and he was doing exercises with her, but then was startled, Ewart said.
After her death, prosecutors re-arrested Gallaway and charged him with murder by abuse.
Ewart said Gallaway was tired and short of sleep before Marissa's death, and also played a lot of video games -- including the one that was paused on the TV screen when Seaford police arrived at the home, "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood." A manual for the game was propped open on the couch, she said.
Ewart said jurors will also hear the testimony of a prison inmate who shared Gallaway's cell, who will testify that Gallaway told him what he did to Marissa.
Robinson said jurors will hear from Gallaway, as well.
"Accidents can happen," he said. "Babies are fragile, and sadly, many die far too early."
Two weeks have been set aside for the trial, before Sussex County Superior Court Judge Richard F. Stokes.
Why is it these guys who appear to be perfectly normal from a neurological standpoint claim they have this exaggerated "startle" trigger that causes them to "accidentally" drop the baby--and more than once? Oh pulleeze...
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120124/NEWS01/201240345/Trial-under-way-baby-s-death
Trial under way in baby's death
Jury hears two versions of story
1:02 AM, Jan. 24, 2012
Written by DAN SHORTRIDGE
The News Journal
Jason Gallaway was either a loving, caring father or a man who beat his 3-month-old daughter to death because her crying interrupted his video game.
Those were the dual and opposing portraits of the 32-year-old Seaford-area man that emerged Monday as he went on trial in the death of his daughter, Marissa, on a charge of murder by abuse.
She died Dec. 5, 2010, from injuries suffered three days earlier. Gallaway could get 15 years to life in prison if convicted.
Gallaway, 32, who took care of his daughter while his wife worked as a high school teacher, repeatedly physically abused Marissa, prosecutor Casey Ewart said during opening statements Monday. She said the little girl had suffered a fractured rib, fractured shoulder, fractured arm bone and had bruising on her face.
"It may be difficult to comprehend why a parent would abuse his child," she said. "But only the defendant knows what he did and why. ... This was not an accident."
Marissa's death was caused by injuries to her head, which prosecutors said happened because Gallaway struck her and the defense team said happened because she fell off his lap in a tragic accident.
The head injuries, Ewart said, could not have been caused by a 2-foot fall onto a floor. "They're more consistent with a fall from a two or three-story building," she told jurors.
Defense attorney Rob Robinson said Gallaway's life centered around his daughter.
He fed her, bathed her, dressed her, played with her and took her to doctor's appointments.
"In addition to the loss of his daughter, he has to defend himself against charges that he murdered her," Robinson said.
He noted that none of the doctors or nurses who performed her check-ups noticed anything that would have suggested abuse. Nor did Gallaway's wife, he said.
"Not once during that time did she think Marissa was in any danger from Jason Gallaway," Robinson said.
Gallaway sat beside his public defenders, Robinson and Dean Johnson, listening to opening arguments. He shook his head no when Ewart stated that he had killed his daughter.
Gallaway was originally arrested and charged with two counts of assault by abuse or neglect on Dec. 2, 2010, when he called 911 to report Marissa had stopped breathing. Police officers found her lying on a coffee table, skin blue. She was taken to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital, diagnosed with a fractured skull and three bleeds on her brain, then put on life support and transported to Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Rockland.
Gallaway told authorities he had dropped Marissa on the floor twice -- once that day, once the day before -- when she was sitting on his lap and he was doing exercises with her, but then was startled, Ewart said.
After her death, prosecutors re-arrested Gallaway and charged him with murder by abuse.
Ewart said Gallaway was tired and short of sleep before Marissa's death, and also played a lot of video games -- including the one that was paused on the TV screen when Seaford police arrived at the home, "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood." A manual for the game was propped open on the couch, she said.
Ewart said jurors will also hear the testimony of a prison inmate who shared Gallaway's cell, who will testify that Gallaway told him what he did to Marissa.
Robinson said jurors will hear from Gallaway, as well.
"Accidents can happen," he said. "Babies are fragile, and sadly, many die far too early."
Two weeks have been set aside for the trial, before Sussex County Superior Court Judge Richard F. Stokes.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Dad charged with assaulting 5-month-old daughter (Milton, Delaware)
Seems Daddy JEFF SCHAFFER tried to suffocate the baby after he got mad at Mom.
http://www.wgmd.com/?p=18808
Feb 27, 2011 posted by: Mari Lou-WGMD News
Teen father charged in infant assault
A 19 year old is charged with assault after he stuffed a shirt in his 5 month old infant’s mouth. State Police say Jeff Schaffer was arguing with his 17 year old girlfriend at her Milton home. Later she woke to hear the baby crying in another room. Schaffer was slow to open the door – and then saw the baby with the shirt in her mouth. The teen girl told police of other incidents of abuse and Schaffer is charged with assault and other offenses.
———————–
DSP News Release: Georgetown Man Charged in Infant Assault
Location: 23000 block Melendez Drive Milton, DE
DATE and TIME: February 25th 2011
Victim(s):
* 5 month old female infant Milton, DE
* 17 year old Milton, DE (female)
Defendant(s) Charge(s) and Bond Information:
Jeff P. Schaffer Jr-19 Georgetown, DE
* Assault Second Degree
* 3 counts Assault Third Degree
* Reckless Endangering First Degree
* Endangering the Welfare of a Child
* Offensive Touching
* Criminal Mischief Under $1,000
$11,700 secured bond Sussex Correctional Institute
Resume:
Milton-Delaware State Police Friday February 25, 2011 investigated an assault complaint in the 23000 block of Melendez Drive Milton Delaware.
A State Police investigation into an infant assault revealed that on the evening of February 24, 2011 a 17 year old Milton teenager became involved in an argument with her boyfriend Jeff P. Schaffer Jr. of Georgetown. The initial argument appeared to be over the 17 year old teen arriving home late from a study session.
Later the same evening the teenage victim was asleep on their living room couch shortly after 4 a.m., when she heard her 5 month old crying in another room. The 5 month old is the daughter of both Schaffer and the victim. When the teenage victim went to investigate the crying she noticed Schaffer had locked the door. Schaffer and the 5 month old victim were sleeping in the same room together.
Schaffer did not open the bedroom door for several minutes as the mother attempted to gain entry. When Schaffer finally unlocked the door the teenage victim observed a shirt stuffed into their baby’s mouth. Schaffer then removed the shirt from the 5 month olds’ mouth whose face appeared purple and grasping for air. (This incident was not immediately reported to the police) I currently don’t have information as to whether the victims received medical treatment.
Later Friday morning the 17 year old victim was walking to catch her bus with Schaffer following behind. Schaffer again began a confrontation with his girlfriend. Schaffer next broke apart a watch belonging to the victim and threw it at the back of her neck as she walked to the bus stop. The victim sustained minor injuries during this altercation and did not receive medical treatment.
The 17 year old victim reported several other incidents of abuse which occurred prior to this investigation involving Schaffer.
Schaffer was arraigned for several incidents of assault, reckless endangering, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal mischief. Schaffer is currently being held in Sussex Correctional Institute on $11,700 secured bond.
http://www.wgmd.com/?p=18808
Feb 27, 2011 posted by: Mari Lou-WGMD News
Teen father charged in infant assault
A 19 year old is charged with assault after he stuffed a shirt in his 5 month old infant’s mouth. State Police say Jeff Schaffer was arguing with his 17 year old girlfriend at her Milton home. Later she woke to hear the baby crying in another room. Schaffer was slow to open the door – and then saw the baby with the shirt in her mouth. The teen girl told police of other incidents of abuse and Schaffer is charged with assault and other offenses.
———————–
DSP News Release: Georgetown Man Charged in Infant Assault
Location: 23000 block Melendez Drive Milton, DE
DATE and TIME: February 25th 2011
Victim(s):
* 5 month old female infant Milton, DE
* 17 year old Milton, DE (female)
Defendant(s) Charge(s) and Bond Information:
Jeff P. Schaffer Jr-19 Georgetown, DE
* Assault Second Degree
* 3 counts Assault Third Degree
* Reckless Endangering First Degree
* Endangering the Welfare of a Child
* Offensive Touching
* Criminal Mischief Under $1,000
$11,700 secured bond Sussex Correctional Institute
Resume:
Milton-Delaware State Police Friday February 25, 2011 investigated an assault complaint in the 23000 block of Melendez Drive Milton Delaware.
A State Police investigation into an infant assault revealed that on the evening of February 24, 2011 a 17 year old Milton teenager became involved in an argument with her boyfriend Jeff P. Schaffer Jr. of Georgetown. The initial argument appeared to be over the 17 year old teen arriving home late from a study session.
Later the same evening the teenage victim was asleep on their living room couch shortly after 4 a.m., when she heard her 5 month old crying in another room. The 5 month old is the daughter of both Schaffer and the victim. When the teenage victim went to investigate the crying she noticed Schaffer had locked the door. Schaffer and the 5 month old victim were sleeping in the same room together.
Schaffer did not open the bedroom door for several minutes as the mother attempted to gain entry. When Schaffer finally unlocked the door the teenage victim observed a shirt stuffed into their baby’s mouth. Schaffer then removed the shirt from the 5 month olds’ mouth whose face appeared purple and grasping for air. (This incident was not immediately reported to the police) I currently don’t have information as to whether the victims received medical treatment.
Later Friday morning the 17 year old victim was walking to catch her bus with Schaffer following behind. Schaffer again began a confrontation with his girlfriend. Schaffer next broke apart a watch belonging to the victim and threw it at the back of her neck as she walked to the bus stop. The victim sustained minor injuries during this altercation and did not receive medical treatment.
The 17 year old victim reported several other incidents of abuse which occurred prior to this investigation involving Schaffer.
Schaffer was arraigned for several incidents of assault, reckless endangering, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal mischief. Schaffer is currently being held in Sussex Correctional Institute on $11,700 secured bond.
Friday, June 25, 2010
DASTARDLY DADS FROM THE ARCHIVES (Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina - 1995)
Children being murdered by their abusive fathers during visitation time is not exactly new. The murder of these three children by their father, DOUGLAS MONT, took place in 1995, over 15 years ago. But you do sense there was more outrage then. Note that even the police chief wondered who had failed, and why these murders were not prevented from happening. What has changed in 15 years? Only that with more joint custody and vistation agreements involving abusers, people seem to be more jaded about these things.
From the Eugene Register-Guard, February 20, 1995
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LHQVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kesDAAAAIBAJ&dq=father%20murder%20children&pg=6967%2C5098121
Father's murder of 3 children stuns small town
By the Associated Press
KILL DEVIL HILLS, NC--Residents left flowers and notes Monday on the blackened spot of pavement where the bodies of three murdered children were found in a burning van. Their father had committed suicide nearby.
Even Police Chief James Gradeless, a 20-year law enforcement veteran who also served with Special Forces in Vietnam, was shaken by what he saw this weekend in his normally quiet town.
"It's not a Kill Devil Hills story," Gradless said. "It's an American Story. It bothers all of our consciences because somewhere, someplace, society has failed to prevent this kind of thing from happening."
Douglas Mont, 35, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the woods about 150 feet from the First Flight airport parking lot where the van was found early Sunday.
His children were shot in the head with the same gun; they did not die in the fire, which was so hot it melted parts of the van, Gradeless said.
The children's mother, Nancy Mont, had reported them missing from their home in Seaford, Del., after they did not return from visiting their father. The couple had separated in August.
Cpl. Preston Lewis, a spokesman for the Delaware State Police, confirmed the identities of the children as Catrina J. Mont, 9; Daniel Preston Mont, 6; and Theresa Lynn Mont, 4.
On Monday morning, a green basket of silk flowers had been placed at the scene with a sign saying "Three little angels from Alex, Sam and Ray." The van and the bodies had been removed.
Later, Sheila Scheck, who lives near the airport in Collington, visited the scene and returned with flowers. "May God Bless These Children," her arrangement said.
The father "deserved a lot worse than he did to himself. I know that for sure," she said. "It was so close here and I've got a child of my own. I guess that's why it bothered me so much."
"It's just sad," Gradeless said, choking up with tears. "I tell you, when this is all over, I'm going to need some debriefing myself."
The town of 4,200, a short distance from Kitty Hawk where the Wright brothers made aviation history, had not seen a murder since a drug-related killing in 1978.
Investigators said they don't know why Mont took his children to North Carolina or why they were killed.
In Seaford, where the children lived with their mother, Nancy Mont and her family declined to talk to reporters. A mini-car and other toys were strewn about the back yard of the family's Cape Cod home, the biggest house on the block.
Neighbors Cory and Chris Jones, who live down the street with their three children, said Nancy Mont changed her routine after she and Mont separated, driving her children to and from the school bus stop, rather than letting them walk alone.
Court records indicate that she had accused her husband of abusing her last year, but state police said no charges were filed.
Under terms of the couple's visitation agreement, the children were not allowed overnight visits with their father, and Nancy Mont told authorities he had brought them back home on time until last weekend.
When they didn't return Saturday, she contacted police, and about 1:30 a.m. a passer-by saw the Ford Aerostar van on fire. Firefighters did not discover the children inside until after they had extinguished the flames.
Police searching for clues after the fire found a man lying on his stomach in the woods. When they asked him to put his hands up, he raised his right hand in the air, raised a handgun to his ear with his left hand and shot himself, Gradeless said. He was later identified as Mont.
From the Eugene Register-Guard, February 20, 1995
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LHQVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kesDAAAAIBAJ&dq=father%20murder%20children&pg=6967%2C5098121
Father's murder of 3 children stuns small town
By the Associated Press
KILL DEVIL HILLS, NC--Residents left flowers and notes Monday on the blackened spot of pavement where the bodies of three murdered children were found in a burning van. Their father had committed suicide nearby.
Even Police Chief James Gradeless, a 20-year law enforcement veteran who also served with Special Forces in Vietnam, was shaken by what he saw this weekend in his normally quiet town.
"It's not a Kill Devil Hills story," Gradless said. "It's an American Story. It bothers all of our consciences because somewhere, someplace, society has failed to prevent this kind of thing from happening."
Douglas Mont, 35, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the woods about 150 feet from the First Flight airport parking lot where the van was found early Sunday.
His children were shot in the head with the same gun; they did not die in the fire, which was so hot it melted parts of the van, Gradeless said.
The children's mother, Nancy Mont, had reported them missing from their home in Seaford, Del., after they did not return from visiting their father. The couple had separated in August.
Cpl. Preston Lewis, a spokesman for the Delaware State Police, confirmed the identities of the children as Catrina J. Mont, 9; Daniel Preston Mont, 6; and Theresa Lynn Mont, 4.
On Monday morning, a green basket of silk flowers had been placed at the scene with a sign saying "Three little angels from Alex, Sam and Ray." The van and the bodies had been removed.
Later, Sheila Scheck, who lives near the airport in Collington, visited the scene and returned with flowers. "May God Bless These Children," her arrangement said.
The father "deserved a lot worse than he did to himself. I know that for sure," she said. "It was so close here and I've got a child of my own. I guess that's why it bothered me so much."
"It's just sad," Gradeless said, choking up with tears. "I tell you, when this is all over, I'm going to need some debriefing myself."
The town of 4,200, a short distance from Kitty Hawk where the Wright brothers made aviation history, had not seen a murder since a drug-related killing in 1978.
Investigators said they don't know why Mont took his children to North Carolina or why they were killed.
In Seaford, where the children lived with their mother, Nancy Mont and her family declined to talk to reporters. A mini-car and other toys were strewn about the back yard of the family's Cape Cod home, the biggest house on the block.
Neighbors Cory and Chris Jones, who live down the street with their three children, said Nancy Mont changed her routine after she and Mont separated, driving her children to and from the school bus stop, rather than letting them walk alone.
Court records indicate that she had accused her husband of abusing her last year, but state police said no charges were filed.
Under terms of the couple's visitation agreement, the children were not allowed overnight visits with their father, and Nancy Mont told authorities he had brought them back home on time until last weekend.
When they didn't return Saturday, she contacted police, and about 1:30 a.m. a passer-by saw the Ford Aerostar van on fire. Firefighters did not discover the children inside until after they had extinguished the flames.
Police searching for clues after the fire found a man lying on his stomach in the woods. When they asked him to put his hands up, he raised his right hand in the air, raised a handgun to his ear with his left hand and shot himself, Gradeless said. He was later identified as Mont.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Dad with joint custody convicted of raping teen daughter (New Castle County, Delaware)
UNNAMED DAD had joint custody. He paid no child support. He paid no alimony. What a sweet deal for Daddy. But he has been convicted of raping his teen daughter shortly after he divorced the girl's mother, when the girl was just 11 years of age. The abuse continued until she was 15, when she could no longer stand it and finally told her mother.
Fathers Rights people insist sexual abuse allegations against fathers are always lies spread by vindictive mothers. But take note of the fact that this mother had asked for NOTHING from this man, got nothing, and apparently agreed to joint custody. And still this is the outcome--a father who viciously abused his daughter--physically, emotionally, and sexually--for four years after the divorce.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100515/NEWS01/5150343/Anger--tears-as-pastor-sentenced-in-daughter-s-rape
Delaware courts: Anger, tears as pastor sentenced in daughter's rape
By SEAN O'SULLIVAN • The News Journal • May 15, 2010
Standing at a lectern in the center of a courtroom, the 16-year-old girl wavered, appearing unsure whether she should look down at her notes, across at her father sitting at the defense table or at the judge.
"Why?" she asked. "Why did you use me? Why did you do this to me?" And finally, in a halting but clear and calm tone, "Why couldn't you be a good dad? Why couldn't you be a good dad?"
Last year, a jury found her father, a New Castle County pastor whose name is being withheld to protect his daughter's identity, guilty of eight counts of first-degree rape and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child. He was facing a minimum mandatory sentence of 122 years in prison, with no time off for good behavior and no chance for parole.
According to Deputy Attorney General Diane C. Walsh, the 45-year-old, who had no previous criminal record, began raping the older of his two daughters in 2006, shortly after he divorced the girl's mother.
The mother also was in court, standing by her daughter as she gave her victim's impact statement. "I didn't ask for child support," she said, directly addressing her ex-husband. "I didn't ask for alimony. I just asked that we be good parents."
Despite what happened, the 16-year-old told her father that she still loved him and missed him and wished that he could see her go to her prom.
There were good times, she said. "I remember you taking me out to the movies at the mall and taking me out to eat. Why couldn't you stay like that? ... I just want things to be back like the old times. I just want to forgive you. But there is a part of my heart that can't."
It was clear the girl was hoping to hear from her father something he had implied in letters to the court and in text messages to the girl's mother that were seized by police: "I'm sorry."
The girl's mother told her former husband that she had finally come to forgive him, but added, in a clear, firm tone, like her daughter, "I'm still totally disappointed."
The father, dressed in an orange prison uniform, then rose to address the court. He started by complaining about his trial, without looking at his daughter, in a voice without emotion. He told Superior Court Judge Jan R. Jurden that despite the jury's verdict, he was innocent. "I'm not guilty of the allegations," he said, adding during the ensuing argument with the judge, "I'm not a belligerent man but ... you said I'd have a fair trial. I don't think I did."
At that moment, the 16-year-old's composure shattered. From the back of the courtroom, she shouted, "You did so do it!"
As her mother and a bailiff ushered her out, she wailed, "You lie! He can't even say sorry to me!"
Her muffled cries could still be heard as her father, unfazed, continued to argue with the judge and then with his own attorney, declaring he had a right to speak and he was going to say what he had to say.
Jurden ended the argument by ordering him out of the courtroom. About 20 minutes later, after Jurden handled several other sentencings, the man was brought back and the mother and daughter returned to the courtroom.
Jurden told the man that she would never forget his daughter's testimony at trial. "The poise, the grace, the sincerity ... and the pain. No child should ever have to go through what you put her through," she said.
According to Walsh, the rapes, which started when the girl was 11, ended at age 15 when during a night at her father's house, she refused his advances because she was cold. The father responded by making her sleep without blankets on a box spring and taking away a coat he had just bought her.
The next time she was scheduled to stay with her father in a joint custody arrangement, she refused and ultimately told her mother what had been happening.
Jurden told the man that even with a minimum mandatory sentence on each count, he will spend the rest of his natural life in prison. "And I hope you think about what you have done to your daughter every single hour of every single day."
She then sentenced him to the minimum mandatory 122 years.
He tried to speak one more time, but Jurden cut him off.
The girl and her mother returned to a room outside court, where sobs could be heard through the door.
Walsh said the state was satisfied with the outcome and hopes that the victim can find comfort in knowing that by coming forward, she almost certainly saved her younger sister from a similar fate.
Fathers Rights people insist sexual abuse allegations against fathers are always lies spread by vindictive mothers. But take note of the fact that this mother had asked for NOTHING from this man, got nothing, and apparently agreed to joint custody. And still this is the outcome--a father who viciously abused his daughter--physically, emotionally, and sexually--for four years after the divorce.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100515/NEWS01/5150343/Anger--tears-as-pastor-sentenced-in-daughter-s-rape
Delaware courts: Anger, tears as pastor sentenced in daughter's rape
By SEAN O'SULLIVAN • The News Journal • May 15, 2010
Standing at a lectern in the center of a courtroom, the 16-year-old girl wavered, appearing unsure whether she should look down at her notes, across at her father sitting at the defense table or at the judge.
"Why?" she asked. "Why did you use me? Why did you do this to me?" And finally, in a halting but clear and calm tone, "Why couldn't you be a good dad? Why couldn't you be a good dad?"
Last year, a jury found her father, a New Castle County pastor whose name is being withheld to protect his daughter's identity, guilty of eight counts of first-degree rape and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child. He was facing a minimum mandatory sentence of 122 years in prison, with no time off for good behavior and no chance for parole.
According to Deputy Attorney General Diane C. Walsh, the 45-year-old, who had no previous criminal record, began raping the older of his two daughters in 2006, shortly after he divorced the girl's mother.
The mother also was in court, standing by her daughter as she gave her victim's impact statement. "I didn't ask for child support," she said, directly addressing her ex-husband. "I didn't ask for alimony. I just asked that we be good parents."
Despite what happened, the 16-year-old told her father that she still loved him and missed him and wished that he could see her go to her prom.
There were good times, she said. "I remember you taking me out to the movies at the mall and taking me out to eat. Why couldn't you stay like that? ... I just want things to be back like the old times. I just want to forgive you. But there is a part of my heart that can't."
It was clear the girl was hoping to hear from her father something he had implied in letters to the court and in text messages to the girl's mother that were seized by police: "I'm sorry."
The girl's mother told her former husband that she had finally come to forgive him, but added, in a clear, firm tone, like her daughter, "I'm still totally disappointed."
The father, dressed in an orange prison uniform, then rose to address the court. He started by complaining about his trial, without looking at his daughter, in a voice without emotion. He told Superior Court Judge Jan R. Jurden that despite the jury's verdict, he was innocent. "I'm not guilty of the allegations," he said, adding during the ensuing argument with the judge, "I'm not a belligerent man but ... you said I'd have a fair trial. I don't think I did."
At that moment, the 16-year-old's composure shattered. From the back of the courtroom, she shouted, "You did so do it!"
As her mother and a bailiff ushered her out, she wailed, "You lie! He can't even say sorry to me!"
Her muffled cries could still be heard as her father, unfazed, continued to argue with the judge and then with his own attorney, declaring he had a right to speak and he was going to say what he had to say.
Jurden ended the argument by ordering him out of the courtroom. About 20 minutes later, after Jurden handled several other sentencings, the man was brought back and the mother and daughter returned to the courtroom.
Jurden told the man that she would never forget his daughter's testimony at trial. "The poise, the grace, the sincerity ... and the pain. No child should ever have to go through what you put her through," she said.
According to Walsh, the rapes, which started when the girl was 11, ended at age 15 when during a night at her father's house, she refused his advances because she was cold. The father responded by making her sleep without blankets on a box spring and taking away a coat he had just bought her.
The next time she was scheduled to stay with her father in a joint custody arrangement, she refused and ultimately told her mother what had been happening.
Jurden told the man that even with a minimum mandatory sentence on each count, he will spend the rest of his natural life in prison. "And I hope you think about what you have done to your daughter every single hour of every single day."
She then sentenced him to the minimum mandatory 122 years.
He tried to speak one more time, but Jurden cut him off.
The girl and her mother returned to a room outside court, where sobs could be heard through the door.
Walsh said the state was satisfied with the outcome and hopes that the victim can find comfort in knowing that by coming forward, she almost certainly saved her younger sister from a similar fate.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Abandoned toddler's dad charged in slaying of mother (Newark, New Jersey)
Dad DWAYNE JACKSON, who abducted then abandoned his 20-month-old daughter in a Newark gas station men's room, has been charged with the murder of her mother.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100227/NEWS01/2270335
Delaware crime: Toddler's dad charged in slaying of mother
Delaware officials decide options for little girl
By ADAM TAYLOR • The News Journal • February 27, 2010
The father of a 20-month-old girl abandoned in a Newark gas station was charged late Thursday with killing her mother, New Jersey officials said.
Dwayne Jackson suffocated Patricia Belizaire Sunday in New Jersey, then set her body on fire in New York state early Monday, authorities in Middlesex County, N.J., said.
Their daughter was found Sunday alone in a locked Shell station restroom at 804 S. College Ave.
The father was charged Thursday afternoon with kidnapping her.
And now that Hannah Belizaire Jackson's identity is known, officials in Delaware are reviewing options for the girl's future.
They include considering whether relatives or others who want to care for her are suitable guardians, said Joseph Smack of Delaware's Division of Child Services.
"A case like this is so overwhelming because the girl is so young and impressionable and will have so many issues," said Edwina Bell, a director for the nonprofit Professional Counseling Resources of Wilmington, who works with relatives of murder victims and children with incarcerated parents.
"I think the best course for the professionals in this case would be to take a holistic approach and deal with all her needs and recovery simultaneously."
Jackson, 25, of 3 Weldon Road in Edison, N.J., was charged about 10:30 p.m. Thursday with murdering Belizaire, also 25, of New Brunswick, N.J.
Investigators did not reveal a possible motive.
Jackson allegedly killed Belizaire in North Brunswick, then drove her body to a park in Ramapo, N.Y., where it was set on fire around 5:22 a.m. Monday, according to the investigation by the North Brunswick Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, both in New Jersey.
Authorities said Belizaire was asphyxiated.
Her charred and burning body was found by two newspaper carriers in the front parking lot of Manny Weldler Town Park.
Hannah was found in the gas station about 2:45 p.m. Sunday, Newark police said. Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office spokesman James O'Neill would not comment on whether authorities think Belizaire was killed before or after Hannah was abandoned.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100227/NEWS01/2270335
Delaware crime: Toddler's dad charged in slaying of mother
Delaware officials decide options for little girl
By ADAM TAYLOR • The News Journal • February 27, 2010
The father of a 20-month-old girl abandoned in a Newark gas station was charged late Thursday with killing her mother, New Jersey officials said.
Dwayne Jackson suffocated Patricia Belizaire Sunday in New Jersey, then set her body on fire in New York state early Monday, authorities in Middlesex County, N.J., said.
Their daughter was found Sunday alone in a locked Shell station restroom at 804 S. College Ave.
The father was charged Thursday afternoon with kidnapping her.
And now that Hannah Belizaire Jackson's identity is known, officials in Delaware are reviewing options for the girl's future.
They include considering whether relatives or others who want to care for her are suitable guardians, said Joseph Smack of Delaware's Division of Child Services.
"A case like this is so overwhelming because the girl is so young and impressionable and will have so many issues," said Edwina Bell, a director for the nonprofit Professional Counseling Resources of Wilmington, who works with relatives of murder victims and children with incarcerated parents.
"I think the best course for the professionals in this case would be to take a holistic approach and deal with all her needs and recovery simultaneously."
Jackson, 25, of 3 Weldon Road in Edison, N.J., was charged about 10:30 p.m. Thursday with murdering Belizaire, also 25, of New Brunswick, N.J.
Investigators did not reveal a possible motive.
Jackson allegedly killed Belizaire in North Brunswick, then drove her body to a park in Ramapo, N.Y., where it was set on fire around 5:22 a.m. Monday, according to the investigation by the North Brunswick Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, both in New Jersey.
Authorities said Belizaire was asphyxiated.
Her charred and burning body was found by two newspaper carriers in the front parking lot of Manny Weldler Town Park.
Hannah was found in the gas station about 2:45 p.m. Sunday, Newark police said. Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office spokesman James O'Neill would not comment on whether authorities think Belizaire was killed before or after Hannah was abandoned.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Dad "linked" to murder of mom and abduction/abandonment of 20-month-old daughter (Edison, New Jersey)
Dad DWAYNE JACKSON has been charged with abducting his 20-month-old daughter--and then abandoning her in a men's room. It appears he is also "linked" to the murder of little girl's mother as well. Was this daddy's idea for more father-daughter time? Guess he got tired of it pretty fast.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/edison_man_is_charged_with_aba.html
Edison man is charged with abducting, abandoning daughter at Delaware gas station
By Sue Epstein
February 25, 2010, 6:30PM
EDISON — The Middlesex County father of a toddler abandoned earlier this week in the men’s room of a Shell gas station in Delaware was charged today with her kidnapping, and he may also be linked to the death of a woman believed to be her mother, authorities said.
Authorities believe that a woman whose body was found burning in a park in Mosney, N.Y., less than 24 hours after the child was discovered in Delaware may have been the abandoned girl’s mother, said Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe.
The Rockland County Journal News, citing an unnamed law enforcement source, identified the woman as 24-year-old Patricia Belizaire of North Brunswick.
Zugibe would not confirm the woman who was burned in Ramapo was Belizaire, but he said it "does appear likely" that "the murder victim found in Rockland County is the mother of the abandoned child found in Newark, Delaware."
He could not reveal the victim’s identity because "we have no positive identification of her yet."
Dwayne Jackson, 25, of Edison has not been charged with the woman’s death, but he remains in the Middlesex County jail in lieu of $750,000 bail on kidnapping and child endangerment charges. Jackson’s 20-month-old daughter was found in the men’s room in Newark, Del., Sunday after a customer heard the little girl crying, authorities said.
Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan, whose office is overseeing the investigation, said police in Newark, Del., have also charged Jackson with reckless endangerment for leaving the child at the gas station.
The child is in good health and in the custody of the Division of Family Services in Delaware, Kaplan said in a statement this afternoon. She was identified as Jackson’s daughter after the child’s photograph was released to the news media, the prosecutor said.
He said the toddler lived with her mother in North Brunswick, but he would not identify the mother or the little girl.
The prosecutor’s office would not comment on the possible connection between the toddler’s kidnapping and the body of the woman found Monday morning.
But Detective Lt. Brad Weidel of the Ramapo, N.Y., Police Department said today "our investigation regarding this case has shifted and is now centering in Middlesex County, New Jersey."
In a press release Monday, Weidel said the Rockland County Medical Examiner ruled the woman’s death a homicide.
He described the woman as an African-American or dark-skinned Hispanic, approximately 18 years old. She was about 5-feet, 2-inches tall and weighed around 120 pounds. She had a tattoo on the lower portion of her back with the name, "Patricia."
The tattoo also had a stem of a flower with a rose on top. He said the victim had undergone gallbladder surgery in the month before her death.
Belizaire’s public profile on Facebook prominently displays a picture of a young daughter that is very similar to photos released by Delaware police of the girl found abandoned at the Shell station Monday.
Several friends posted comments mourning her apparent death late tonight. Belizaire lists herself as single and names her daughter as "Hannah Nia Jackson" on the web page.
James O’Neill, a spokesman for Kaplan, would not comment on whether Jackson is tied to the woman’s death.
Neighbors who lived near Jackson’s home on Weldon Road in Edison said Jackson was a security guard at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. They said he lived at the Weldon Road house with his wife and two sons, but no one saw a young girl at the house.
Star-Ledger staff writer James Queally and Ryan Hutchins of the New Jersey Local News Service contributed to this report.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/edison_man_is_charged_with_aba.html
Edison man is charged with abducting, abandoning daughter at Delaware gas station
By Sue Epstein
February 25, 2010, 6:30PM
EDISON — The Middlesex County father of a toddler abandoned earlier this week in the men’s room of a Shell gas station in Delaware was charged today with her kidnapping, and he may also be linked to the death of a woman believed to be her mother, authorities said.
Authorities believe that a woman whose body was found burning in a park in Mosney, N.Y., less than 24 hours after the child was discovered in Delaware may have been the abandoned girl’s mother, said Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe.
The Rockland County Journal News, citing an unnamed law enforcement source, identified the woman as 24-year-old Patricia Belizaire of North Brunswick.
Zugibe would not confirm the woman who was burned in Ramapo was Belizaire, but he said it "does appear likely" that "the murder victim found in Rockland County is the mother of the abandoned child found in Newark, Delaware."
He could not reveal the victim’s identity because "we have no positive identification of her yet."
Dwayne Jackson, 25, of Edison has not been charged with the woman’s death, but he remains in the Middlesex County jail in lieu of $750,000 bail on kidnapping and child endangerment charges. Jackson’s 20-month-old daughter was found in the men’s room in Newark, Del., Sunday after a customer heard the little girl crying, authorities said.
Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan, whose office is overseeing the investigation, said police in Newark, Del., have also charged Jackson with reckless endangerment for leaving the child at the gas station.
The child is in good health and in the custody of the Division of Family Services in Delaware, Kaplan said in a statement this afternoon. She was identified as Jackson’s daughter after the child’s photograph was released to the news media, the prosecutor said.
He said the toddler lived with her mother in North Brunswick, but he would not identify the mother or the little girl.
The prosecutor’s office would not comment on the possible connection between the toddler’s kidnapping and the body of the woman found Monday morning.
But Detective Lt. Brad Weidel of the Ramapo, N.Y., Police Department said today "our investigation regarding this case has shifted and is now centering in Middlesex County, New Jersey."
In a press release Monday, Weidel said the Rockland County Medical Examiner ruled the woman’s death a homicide.
He described the woman as an African-American or dark-skinned Hispanic, approximately 18 years old. She was about 5-feet, 2-inches tall and weighed around 120 pounds. She had a tattoo on the lower portion of her back with the name, "Patricia."
The tattoo also had a stem of a flower with a rose on top. He said the victim had undergone gallbladder surgery in the month before her death.
Belizaire’s public profile on Facebook prominently displays a picture of a young daughter that is very similar to photos released by Delaware police of the girl found abandoned at the Shell station Monday.
Several friends posted comments mourning her apparent death late tonight. Belizaire lists herself as single and names her daughter as "Hannah Nia Jackson" on the web page.
James O’Neill, a spokesman for Kaplan, would not comment on whether Jackson is tied to the woman’s death.
Neighbors who lived near Jackson’s home on Weldon Road in Edison said Jackson was a security guard at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. They said he lived at the Weldon Road house with his wife and two sons, but no one saw a young girl at the house.
Star-Ledger staff writer James Queally and Ryan Hutchins of the New Jersey Local News Service contributed to this report.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
12-year-old boy urges prison for torture abuse by custodial dad, girlfriend (Wilmington, Delaware)
Custodial dad PEDRO RIVERA has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the child abuse/torture of his 12-year-old son. It seems Dad had custody because the mother has had some drug problems. However, it doesn't appear that Mom ever inflicted systematic torture or abuse on her child. That was the specialty of Daddy and the new girlfriend.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100116/NEWS01/1160328
Delaware crime: Boy urges prison for dad, woman
12-year-old writes of brutal treatment
By SEAN O'SULLIVAN • The News Journal • January 16, 2010
WILMINGTON -- The 12-year-old boy who was admitted to Christiana Hospital near death last February, suffering from hypothermia with burns and bruises covering his body after being brutally disciplined by his father and a girlfriend, stood in court Friday to see his tormentors for possibly the last time.
"I want my dad and Megan [Brazell] to be put in jail for as long as possible for what they did to me," he said in a letter that was read by his guardian ad-litem, Nicholas Krayer, standing by the boy's side. "For all the times they beat me with a belt and threw me on the ground. For all the times they made me stand in the freezing cold shower. For all the times they made me lie in the water with ice cubes in it. For all the times they locked me in the bathroom for days with no food or water. ... For all the times they told me I was worthless and was never going to be anything in life."
The boy also talked about being dangled over a balcony and having his hands held over a stove.
A few moments later, Superior Court Judge John E. Babiarz Jr. sentenced 30-year-old Pedro Rivera to 15 years in prison and Brazell, 26, to three years in prison.
Deputy Attorney General Phyllis Scully asked Babiarz to give Rivera the maximum for assault by abuse or neglect -- 25 years -- and Brazell five years for her admission to second degree assault.
But the 12-year-old, who is now living with foster parents, later said that he was not disappointed and now felt safe after seeing both taken out of the courtroom in handcuffs.
The child first came to the attention of authorities on Feb. 15 after a neighbor in the Village of Windhover apartments in Bear called police to report possible child abuse.
When police arrived, Brazell first denied either Rivera or the then-11-year-old were home, but police then saw Rivera emerging from a back room and found the boy inside a closet on his hands and knees and shaking.
He was so cold that when he arrived at Christiana Hospital, Scully said, it took ER workers four attempts to get any kind of temperature.
She said the infraction that led the father to submerge his son in ice-cold water for 40 minutes was taking some macaroni and cheese because he was hungry. She added that the first infraction that apparently kicked off the weeks of abuse, starting around Christmas, was taking a cookie without permission.
She said the infraction that led the father to submerge his son in ice-cold water for 40 minutes was taking some macaroni and cheese because he was hungry. She added that the first infraction that apparently kicked off the weeks of abuse, starting around Christmas, was taking a cookie without permission.
The boy ended up with his father in November 2008 when the boy's biological mother --who was having drug problems and felt she could no longer take care of the child -- left him.
According to Scully, Brazell apparently thought this was an inconvenience and she lobbied Rivera to get the boy to leave. Scully said Brazell told investigators that the 11-year-old was not vigilant enough in watching her two 1-year-old twins and when she got home at night, she didn't want to deal with him, so she locked him in a room.
And while her attorney, Joe Hurley, said Brazell was largely a bystander who administered the abusive treatment once and was sometimes a victim herself, Scully said Brazell told investigators she was the one who came up with "military stuff," like making the boy stand on one foot and hop. She also said there was evidence Brazell administered similarly harsh punishment to a 5-year-old who briefly stayed with the family.
Rivera's attorney, John Malik, said there was no justifying the abuse, which he said was torture and put the child "through hell." But he said by way of an explanation that Rivera had been abused both physically and sexually when he was a child, then continued the pattern with his own son -- like other abusers.
He also said Rivera was in a marijuana-induced haze at the time of the incident and his arrest. New Castle County police said 20 bags of marijuana were found in Rivera's bedroom.
Rivera apologized to the court, his family and his son. "I know what I did was wrong. I should have called for help but my pride was in the way. I know my family looks at me differently," he said in a letter read by Malik, adding, "I know I let you down as a father."
Later, after hearing his son's statement, Rivera said he loved his son but knows the boy may never forgive him.
Brazell, in her comments to the court, said she was sorry "for these tragic events," and added that she was glad the boy was now with people who can properly look after him.
Babiarz, however, pointed out that in all her statements Brazell never expressed remorse or regret for her actions, only regret at "these tragic events."
Afterward, outside court, after Rivera and Brazell had been taken away, the soft-spoken 12-year-old said, "I'll be happy if I never see them again."
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100116/NEWS01/1160328
Delaware crime: Boy urges prison for dad, woman
12-year-old writes of brutal treatment
By SEAN O'SULLIVAN • The News Journal • January 16, 2010
WILMINGTON -- The 12-year-old boy who was admitted to Christiana Hospital near death last February, suffering from hypothermia with burns and bruises covering his body after being brutally disciplined by his father and a girlfriend, stood in court Friday to see his tormentors for possibly the last time.
"I want my dad and Megan [Brazell] to be put in jail for as long as possible for what they did to me," he said in a letter that was read by his guardian ad-litem, Nicholas Krayer, standing by the boy's side. "For all the times they beat me with a belt and threw me on the ground. For all the times they made me stand in the freezing cold shower. For all the times they made me lie in the water with ice cubes in it. For all the times they locked me in the bathroom for days with no food or water. ... For all the times they told me I was worthless and was never going to be anything in life."
The boy also talked about being dangled over a balcony and having his hands held over a stove.
A few moments later, Superior Court Judge John E. Babiarz Jr. sentenced 30-year-old Pedro Rivera to 15 years in prison and Brazell, 26, to three years in prison.
Deputy Attorney General Phyllis Scully asked Babiarz to give Rivera the maximum for assault by abuse or neglect -- 25 years -- and Brazell five years for her admission to second degree assault.
But the 12-year-old, who is now living with foster parents, later said that he was not disappointed and now felt safe after seeing both taken out of the courtroom in handcuffs.
The child first came to the attention of authorities on Feb. 15 after a neighbor in the Village of Windhover apartments in Bear called police to report possible child abuse.
When police arrived, Brazell first denied either Rivera or the then-11-year-old were home, but police then saw Rivera emerging from a back room and found the boy inside a closet on his hands and knees and shaking.
He was so cold that when he arrived at Christiana Hospital, Scully said, it took ER workers four attempts to get any kind of temperature.
She said the infraction that led the father to submerge his son in ice-cold water for 40 minutes was taking some macaroni and cheese because he was hungry. She added that the first infraction that apparently kicked off the weeks of abuse, starting around Christmas, was taking a cookie without permission.
She said the infraction that led the father to submerge his son in ice-cold water for 40 minutes was taking some macaroni and cheese because he was hungry. She added that the first infraction that apparently kicked off the weeks of abuse, starting around Christmas, was taking a cookie without permission.
The boy ended up with his father in November 2008 when the boy's biological mother --who was having drug problems and felt she could no longer take care of the child -- left him.
According to Scully, Brazell apparently thought this was an inconvenience and she lobbied Rivera to get the boy to leave. Scully said Brazell told investigators that the 11-year-old was not vigilant enough in watching her two 1-year-old twins and when she got home at night, she didn't want to deal with him, so she locked him in a room.
And while her attorney, Joe Hurley, said Brazell was largely a bystander who administered the abusive treatment once and was sometimes a victim herself, Scully said Brazell told investigators she was the one who came up with "military stuff," like making the boy stand on one foot and hop. She also said there was evidence Brazell administered similarly harsh punishment to a 5-year-old who briefly stayed with the family.
Rivera's attorney, John Malik, said there was no justifying the abuse, which he said was torture and put the child "through hell." But he said by way of an explanation that Rivera had been abused both physically and sexually when he was a child, then continued the pattern with his own son -- like other abusers.
He also said Rivera was in a marijuana-induced haze at the time of the incident and his arrest. New Castle County police said 20 bags of marijuana were found in Rivera's bedroom.
Rivera apologized to the court, his family and his son. "I know what I did was wrong. I should have called for help but my pride was in the way. I know my family looks at me differently," he said in a letter read by Malik, adding, "I know I let you down as a father."
Later, after hearing his son's statement, Rivera said he loved his son but knows the boy may never forgive him.
Brazell, in her comments to the court, said she was sorry "for these tragic events," and added that she was glad the boy was now with people who can properly look after him.
Babiarz, however, pointed out that in all her statements Brazell never expressed remorse or regret for her actions, only regret at "these tragic events."
Afterward, outside court, after Rivera and Brazell had been taken away, the soft-spoken 12-year-old said, "I'll be happy if I never see them again."
Monday, November 23, 2009
Dad brings 4-month-old baby to drug buy (New Castle, Delaware)
Dad STEPHAN VICKERS has been arrested on drug and child endangerment charges after bringing his 4-month-old son to a drug buy.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20091122/NEWS/91122015/Father+of+4-month-old+takes+him+on+drug+buy
Father of 4-month-old takes him on drug buy
The Associated Press • November 22, 2009
Police in New Castle have arrested four men on drug charges, including a man who brought his 4-month-old baby along with his friends to purchase drugs.
Police say they were called to the Castle Brook apartment complex Friday afternoon for reports of a suspicious vehicle.
That¹s where officers say they found 25-year-old Stephan Vickers of New Castle, along with three friends and Vickers¹ 4-month-old son.
Police say the group had just finished buying drugs from someone at the apartment complex. Officers discovered a plastic bag containing marijuana next to the baby, as well as drug paraphernalia nearby.
All four suspects are charged with child endangerment and drug possession.
The other suspects are 23-year-old Drew Norris, 24-year-old Craig Anderson and 25-year-old Metreed Spruill.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20091122/NEWS/91122015/Father+of+4-month-old+takes+him+on+drug+buy
Father of 4-month-old takes him on drug buy
The Associated Press • November 22, 2009
Police in New Castle have arrested four men on drug charges, including a man who brought his 4-month-old baby along with his friends to purchase drugs.
Police say they were called to the Castle Brook apartment complex Friday afternoon for reports of a suspicious vehicle.
That¹s where officers say they found 25-year-old Stephan Vickers of New Castle, along with three friends and Vickers¹ 4-month-old son.
Police say the group had just finished buying drugs from someone at the apartment complex. Officers discovered a plastic bag containing marijuana next to the baby, as well as drug paraphernalia nearby.
All four suspects are charged with child endangerment and drug possession.
The other suspects are 23-year-old Drew Norris, 24-year-old Craig Anderson and 25-year-old Metreed Spruill.
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