Dad is identified as CHARLES HALL.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Iowa.
http://www.omaha.com/news/crime/father-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-in-death-of-/article_13b6b301-b0b1-5484-bfab-742ad041bfe7.html
Father sentenced to life in prison in death of 3-year-old daughter
Posted: Friday, February 26, 2016 12:00 am | Updated: 11:50 am, Fri Feb 26, 2016.
By Andrew J. Nelson / World-Herald staff writer
A former Chicago-area resident has been sentenced to life in prison in the 2015 death of his daughter in Bedford, Iowa.
District Judge John D. Lloyd passed the sentence against Charles Hall, 26, last week.
A jury returned two guilty verdicts in January in the death of 3-year-old Janyiah King at Hall’s home in Bedford, a city of about 1,400 about 100 miles southeast of Omaha.
Also sentenced last week was April Clair, 26, who was Hall’s live-in girlfriend on May 22 when she found Janyiah’s body. She had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of child endangerment resulting in bodily injury. Lloyd suspended her prison sentence and put her on probation for five years.
Clair initially was charged with child endangerment, but before the trial she pleaded guilty to child endangerment resulting in bodily injury, a lesser charge than the charge she initially faced, in return for truthful testimony in Hall’s trial.
On Tuesday, Hall’s lawyer filed notice that the sentence would be appealed, which frequently happens when a defendant receives a life sentence in Iowa.
Janyiah had been staying with Clair and Hall for several weeks. She normally lived in the Chicago area with her mother, Taylor County Attorney Clinton Spurrier has said.
At the trial, Clair testified that on May 22 she left their home at 9 a.m. She returned about 11:30 a.m. to find Hall outside the house, smoking a cigarillo. As he finished smoking, he said he needed to go get a tire fixed and left, Spurrier said.
Clair found Janyiah lying on the bathroom floor, unresponsive. An autopsy found that the child had died of asphyxiation, most likely by drowning, Spurrier said. The bathtub had standing water in it.
Both were charged with child endangerment causing serious injury.
The death was ruled a homicide, and prosecutors charged Hall with first-degree murder. Clair continued to face a charge because she did not seek medical help for the child after the girl suffered the injuries, Spurrier said.
Showing posts with label Iowa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iowa. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Dad found guilty of murdering 3-year-old daughter during visitaiton (Taylor County, Iowa)
Dad is identified as CHARLES HALL. See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Iowa.
http://www.omaha.com/news/crime/father-found-guilty-of-murder-in-death-of--year/article_33f3050d-a85b-5146-b7a4-2fdb8489410e.html
Father found guilty of murder in death of 3-year-old daughter
Posted: Friday, February 5, 2016 1:00 am | Updated: 3:43 pm, Fri Feb 5, 2016.
By Andrew J. Nelson / World-Herald staff writer
A 26-year-old former Chicago-area resident has been found guilty of murder and child endangerment in the death of his daughter at his southwest Iowa home.
Charles Hall’s trial took place last week. A jury returned two guilty verdicts Friday in the May death of 3-year-old Janyiah King at Hall’s home in Bedford.
Hall will be sentenced later this month, as will April Clair, 26, who was Hall’s live-in girlfriend on May 22 when she found Janyiah’s body. Clair has pleaded guilty to child endangerment resulting in bodily injury, a lesser charge than the initial endangerment charge, in return for truthful testimony in Hall’s trial.
Janyiah had been staying with Clair and Hall for several weeks leading up to her death. Janyiah normally lived in the Chicago area with her mother, but Clair and Hall had recently had a baby girl together, and Hall and Janyiah’s mother wanted to give Janyiah a chance to get to know her little sister, said Clint Spurrier, the Taylor County attorney.
At the trial, Clair testified that on May 22 she left their home at 9 a.m. to help a cousin with groceries. Hall was alone with the child. She returned about 11:30 a.m. to find Hall outside their home, smoking a cigarillo. As he finished smoking, he said he needed to go get a tire fixed and left.
Clair found Janyiah lying on the bathroom floor, unresponsive. She called 911. The first deputy on the scene found Janyiah’s body cold to the touch.
The child’s body had several recent injuries, including skin on her buttocks and face that had sloughed off from either burning or being struck. She had suffered blunt-force trauma to the backs of her legs and to the right side of her face, and had suffered burns, Spurrier said.
Hall and Clair told investigators they did not seek medical help after the child knocked a pot of boiling water onto herself about two weeks before, according to court documents. Both were charged with child endangerment causing serious injury.
An autopsy found that the child had died of asphyxiation, most likely by drowning, Spurrier said. The bathtub had standing water in it.
The death was ruled a homicide, and prosecutors charged Hall with first-degree murder. Clair continued to face a charge because she did not seek medical help for the child after she suffered the injuries, Spurrier said.
http://www.omaha.com/news/crime/father-found-guilty-of-murder-in-death-of--year/article_33f3050d-a85b-5146-b7a4-2fdb8489410e.html
Father found guilty of murder in death of 3-year-old daughter
Posted: Friday, February 5, 2016 1:00 am | Updated: 3:43 pm, Fri Feb 5, 2016.
By Andrew J. Nelson / World-Herald staff writer
A 26-year-old former Chicago-area resident has been found guilty of murder and child endangerment in the death of his daughter at his southwest Iowa home.
Charles Hall’s trial took place last week. A jury returned two guilty verdicts Friday in the May death of 3-year-old Janyiah King at Hall’s home in Bedford.
Hall will be sentenced later this month, as will April Clair, 26, who was Hall’s live-in girlfriend on May 22 when she found Janyiah’s body. Clair has pleaded guilty to child endangerment resulting in bodily injury, a lesser charge than the initial endangerment charge, in return for truthful testimony in Hall’s trial.
Janyiah had been staying with Clair and Hall for several weeks leading up to her death. Janyiah normally lived in the Chicago area with her mother, but Clair and Hall had recently had a baby girl together, and Hall and Janyiah’s mother wanted to give Janyiah a chance to get to know her little sister, said Clint Spurrier, the Taylor County attorney.
At the trial, Clair testified that on May 22 she left their home at 9 a.m. to help a cousin with groceries. Hall was alone with the child. She returned about 11:30 a.m. to find Hall outside their home, smoking a cigarillo. As he finished smoking, he said he needed to go get a tire fixed and left.
Clair found Janyiah lying on the bathroom floor, unresponsive. She called 911. The first deputy on the scene found Janyiah’s body cold to the touch.
The child’s body had several recent injuries, including skin on her buttocks and face that had sloughed off from either burning or being struck. She had suffered blunt-force trauma to the backs of her legs and to the right side of her face, and had suffered burns, Spurrier said.
Hall and Clair told investigators they did not seek medical help after the child knocked a pot of boiling water onto herself about two weeks before, according to court documents. Both were charged with child endangerment causing serious injury.
An autopsy found that the child had died of asphyxiation, most likely by drowning, Spurrier said. The bathtub had standing water in it.
The death was ruled a homicide, and prosecutors charged Hall with first-degree murder. Clair continued to face a charge because she did not seek medical help for the child after she suffered the injuries, Spurrier said.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Lawmakers Push for Mandatory Minimums in child deaths after custodial dad kills little girl (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Another case we've followed over the years. Dad is identified as ZYRIAH SCHLITTER.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Iowa.
http://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/lawmakers-push-for-mandatory-minimums-in-child-deaths
Lawmakers Push for Mandatory Minimums in Child Deaths
By Steffi Lee |Monday, January 18th 2016
Cedar Rapids, IA — (CBS2/FOX28) - Jeri King says not a day goes by where she doesn't remember her granddaughter, Kamryn Schlitter.
"I refuse to believe her death would be in vain," King said.
King lives in Arkansas now, but the Iowa native says the sentencing system of her home state still affects her hundreds of miles away.
In Iowa, depending on the ruling of a parole board, those convicted of child endangerment resulting in death may not have to serve the maximum 50 years in prison.
"The reality is, short of a first-degree murder conviction in the state of Iowa, everybody gets out of jail at some point in time," First. Asst. Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said.
Maybanks was the lead prosecutor in Kamryn's case. She died from blunt force head injuries and months of child abuse in 2010. A jury convicted her father, Zyriah Schlitter, and his ex-girlfriend, Amy Parmer, of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment resulting in a death.
"Once we do our job here in the courthouse and we obtain convictions against the individuals, what happens to them afterwards is really out of our hands," Maybanks said.
Maybanks says that's haunting to the prosecutors and the families involved in the heartbreak.
King says year after year, she's received letters in the mail from the Iowa Board of Parole, causing her entire family to relive the nightmare.
Under state law, both Schlitter and Parmer were immediately eligible for parole as soon as they stepped foot in prison.
"Our heart skips a beat and we hold our breath until we open it up and see the word 'deny' in there," King said.
Other families across the state experience the same worries. That's what sparked Rep. Dave Dawson (D-Sioux City) and Rep. Ken Rizer (R-Marion) to draft a bill requiring a minimum sentence for anyone serving a sentence for a conviction of child endangerment resulting in a death. It would deny parole or work release until the person serves at least 70 percent, or 35 years, of the maximum sentence of 50.
Dawson had a constituent voice their family's concerns, which is how he approached Rizer about putting together this bill. Rizer hopes the bipartisan effort will help it gain traction across the state.
"I was kind of surprised to find out that here in the state of Iowa, if a child is killed by shaking, that the person convicted would be eligible for parole immediately," Rizer said.
Rizer says that's an injustice. King says it takes away from the reason why those convicted enter prison in the first place.
"To me, a prison sentence has lost its value and reason when it becomes more about an incentive to be good while you're in prison, than it does punishment or rehabilitation," King said.
King says nothing will ever take away her family's pain, but not having to worry annually, will give them some closure.
"Peace of heart, for future families that will have to face this, unfortunately," she said.
Rizer and Dawson said once the bill is filed, they will work to get it to Governor Terry Branstad's desk.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Iowa.
http://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/lawmakers-push-for-mandatory-minimums-in-child-deaths
Lawmakers Push for Mandatory Minimums in Child Deaths
By Steffi Lee |Monday, January 18th 2016
Cedar Rapids, IA — (CBS2/FOX28) - Jeri King says not a day goes by where she doesn't remember her granddaughter, Kamryn Schlitter.
"I refuse to believe her death would be in vain," King said.
King lives in Arkansas now, but the Iowa native says the sentencing system of her home state still affects her hundreds of miles away.
In Iowa, depending on the ruling of a parole board, those convicted of child endangerment resulting in death may not have to serve the maximum 50 years in prison.
"The reality is, short of a first-degree murder conviction in the state of Iowa, everybody gets out of jail at some point in time," First. Asst. Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said.
Maybanks was the lead prosecutor in Kamryn's case. She died from blunt force head injuries and months of child abuse in 2010. A jury convicted her father, Zyriah Schlitter, and his ex-girlfriend, Amy Parmer, of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment resulting in a death.
"Once we do our job here in the courthouse and we obtain convictions against the individuals, what happens to them afterwards is really out of our hands," Maybanks said.
Maybanks says that's haunting to the prosecutors and the families involved in the heartbreak.
King says year after year, she's received letters in the mail from the Iowa Board of Parole, causing her entire family to relive the nightmare.
Under state law, both Schlitter and Parmer were immediately eligible for parole as soon as they stepped foot in prison.
"Our heart skips a beat and we hold our breath until we open it up and see the word 'deny' in there," King said.
Other families across the state experience the same worries. That's what sparked Rep. Dave Dawson (D-Sioux City) and Rep. Ken Rizer (R-Marion) to draft a bill requiring a minimum sentence for anyone serving a sentence for a conviction of child endangerment resulting in a death. It would deny parole or work release until the person serves at least 70 percent, or 35 years, of the maximum sentence of 50.
Dawson had a constituent voice their family's concerns, which is how he approached Rizer about putting together this bill. Rizer hopes the bipartisan effort will help it gain traction across the state.
"I was kind of surprised to find out that here in the state of Iowa, if a child is killed by shaking, that the person convicted would be eligible for parole immediately," Rizer said.
Rizer says that's an injustice. King says it takes away from the reason why those convicted enter prison in the first place.
"To me, a prison sentence has lost its value and reason when it becomes more about an incentive to be good while you're in prison, than it does punishment or rehabilitation," King said.
King says nothing will ever take away her family's pain, but not having to worry annually, will give them some closure.
"Peace of heart, for future families that will have to face this, unfortunately," she said.
Rizer and Dawson said once the bill is filed, they will work to get it to Governor Terry Branstad's desk.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Dad sentenced for 2nd-degree murder of 4-month-old daughter (Columbus Junction, Iowa)
Dad is identified as OSCAR JIMINEZ.
http://www.ourquadcities.com/news/father-who-killed-baby-sentenced
Father who killed baby sentenced
Published 10/09 2015 04:36PM Updated 10/09 2015 04:36PM
WAPELLO, Iowa
A Columbus Junction father who caused the death of his baby girl learned his fate today.
In January four-month-old Marleen Jimenez of Columbus Junction, Iowa, died from severe head trauma at the University of Iowa Hospital.
The child's father, Oscar Jimenez, was arrested the day after the injured child was brought to the hospital. He later pleaded guilty to 2nd degree murder and multiple acts of child endangerment.
On Friday a Louisa County judge sentenced Jimenez to 50 years in prison on both counts, to run consecutively.
http://www.ourquadcities.com/news/father-who-killed-baby-sentenced
Father who killed baby sentenced
Published 10/09 2015 04:36PM Updated 10/09 2015 04:36PM
WAPELLO, Iowa
A Columbus Junction father who caused the death of his baby girl learned his fate today.
In January four-month-old Marleen Jimenez of Columbus Junction, Iowa, died from severe head trauma at the University of Iowa Hospital.
The child's father, Oscar Jimenez, was arrested the day after the injured child was brought to the hospital. He later pleaded guilty to 2nd degree murder and multiple acts of child endangerment.
On Friday a Louisa County judge sentenced Jimenez to 50 years in prison on both counts, to run consecutively.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Dad sentenced to 25 years in prison for death of 2-month-old son (Sioux City, Iowa)
Dad is identified as MICHAEL WILLIAMS.
http://www.kcci.com/news/father-sentenced-in-sons-malnutrition-death/34820022
Father sentenced in son’s malnutrition death
Published 7:41 AM CDT Aug 20, 2015
SIOUX CITY, Iowa —A 28-year-old Sioux City man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison in the death of his 2-month-old son and neglect of his two other children.
The Sioux City Journal reports Michael Williams pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges including child endangerment resulting in serious injury. The sentence is part of a plea deal.
According to authorities, 2-month-old Leonard Williams was taken to a hospital on April 29, 2014.
Authorities say an autopsy showed the child died of malnutrition and dehydration.
http://www.kcci.com/news/father-sentenced-in-sons-malnutrition-death/34820022
Father sentenced in son’s malnutrition death
Published 7:41 AM CDT Aug 20, 2015
SIOUX CITY, Iowa —A 28-year-old Sioux City man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison in the death of his 2-month-old son and neglect of his two other children.
The Sioux City Journal reports Michael Williams pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges including child endangerment resulting in serious injury. The sentence is part of a plea deal.
According to authorities, 2-month-old Leonard Williams was taken to a hospital on April 29, 2014.
Authorities say an autopsy showed the child died of malnutrition and dehydration.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Dad charged with urder in death of 3-year-old daughter (Bedford, Iowa)
We've posted on this case before. I still cannot find any clarification of the father's custodial status. The little girl's mother is mentioned no where--classic mother erasure. However, given that two weeks elapsed between her injuries and the time these two pieces of sh** contacted authorities, I'm thinking that dad CHARLES HALL was custodial.
http://www.ketv.com/news/iowa-father-charged-with-murder-in-3yearolds-death/34086862
Iowa father charged with murder in 3-year-old's death
Published 8:17 PM CDT Jul 09, 2015
BEDFORD, Iowa —A man arrested in May in connection with the death of his 3-year-old daughter in southwest Iowa has been charged with first-degree murder.
The Taylor County Attorney's Office announced Thursday that the charge was added against 25-year-old Charles Hall on July 2. A message left to his attorney was not immediately returned Thursday night.
Hall and his girlfriend, 25-year-old April Clair, were both arrested in late May on charges of child endangerment in connection with the death of Janyiah King.
Authorities responded to a 911 call at a residence in Bedford on May 22. Janyiah was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead. A full autopsy is pending but her death has been ruled a homicide.
Clair's attorney, Jane Orlanes, says she had no comment on behalf of her client.
http://www.ketv.com/news/iowa-father-charged-with-murder-in-3yearolds-death/34086862
Iowa father charged with murder in 3-year-old's death
Published 8:17 PM CDT Jul 09, 2015
BEDFORD, Iowa —A man arrested in May in connection with the death of his 3-year-old daughter in southwest Iowa has been charged with first-degree murder.
The Taylor County Attorney's Office announced Thursday that the charge was added against 25-year-old Charles Hall on July 2. A message left to his attorney was not immediately returned Thursday night.
Hall and his girlfriend, 25-year-old April Clair, were both arrested in late May on charges of child endangerment in connection with the death of Janyiah King.
Authorities responded to a 911 call at a residence in Bedford on May 22. Janyiah was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead. A full autopsy is pending but her death has been ruled a homicide.
Clair's attorney, Jane Orlanes, says she had no comment on behalf of her client.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Trial continues for dad charged in death of 2-month-old son (Sioux City, Iowa)
Dad is identified as MICHAEL WILLIAMS.
http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/trial-for-sioux-city-father-charged-in-baby-s-death/article_d78c914c-d723-567b-b119-a7826797abcc.html
Trial for Sioux City father charged in baby's death continued
6 hours ago • NICK HYTREK SIOUX CITY |
A Sioux City man charged in connection with his son's death has had a falling out with his attorney and will not go to trial next week.
Michael Williams said in a letter to the court he no longer trusted Matt Pittenger, his court-appointed attorney, because Pittenger did not have his best interests in mind and doesn't believe Williams is innocent.
Williams asked Pittenger to withdraw. At a Monday hearing, Pittenger told District Judge Jeffrey Neary that the attorney-client relationship with Williams had broken down.
Neary approved Williams' request and continued the July 7 trial date.
A new trial date will be set once Williams has a new attorney.
Williams told Neary his family is attempting to hire a private attorney to represent him.
Williams, 27, is charged in Woodbury County District Court with three counts of neglect of a dependent person and single counts of child endangerment resulting in the death of a child and child endangerment resulting in bodily injury of a child.
Williams had taken his dead 2-month-old son, Leonard Williams, to a hospital emergency room on April 29, 2014. An autopsy showed that the infant died of malnutrition and dehydration.
Woodbury County Attorney Patrick Jennings said at Monday's hearing that the continuation was warranted, but he did not want to see the case continue to drag out. Charges were filed in May 2014 and additional charges were filed in November.
The trial has been continued twice before, and Williams has twice been on the verge of agreeing to plead guilty, only to reject a plea offer.
"We can't continue to do this," Jennings said.
According to court documents, Williams told police he left the baby unsupervised for long periods of time in the apartment he shared with Leonard's mother, Rebekah Williams-McCarthy, in the 2800 block of West Fourth Street.
Williams-McCarthy faces the same charges as Williams. Her trial is set for Aug. 4.
http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/trial-for-sioux-city-father-charged-in-baby-s-death/article_d78c914c-d723-567b-b119-a7826797abcc.html
Trial for Sioux City father charged in baby's death continued
6 hours ago • NICK HYTREK SIOUX CITY |
A Sioux City man charged in connection with his son's death has had a falling out with his attorney and will not go to trial next week.
Michael Williams said in a letter to the court he no longer trusted Matt Pittenger, his court-appointed attorney, because Pittenger did not have his best interests in mind and doesn't believe Williams is innocent.
Williams asked Pittenger to withdraw. At a Monday hearing, Pittenger told District Judge Jeffrey Neary that the attorney-client relationship with Williams had broken down.
Neary approved Williams' request and continued the July 7 trial date.
A new trial date will be set once Williams has a new attorney.
Williams told Neary his family is attempting to hire a private attorney to represent him.
Williams, 27, is charged in Woodbury County District Court with three counts of neglect of a dependent person and single counts of child endangerment resulting in the death of a child and child endangerment resulting in bodily injury of a child.
Williams had taken his dead 2-month-old son, Leonard Williams, to a hospital emergency room on April 29, 2014. An autopsy showed that the infant died of malnutrition and dehydration.
Woodbury County Attorney Patrick Jennings said at Monday's hearing that the continuation was warranted, but he did not want to see the case continue to drag out. Charges were filed in May 2014 and additional charges were filed in November.
The trial has been continued twice before, and Williams has twice been on the verge of agreeing to plead guilty, only to reject a plea offer.
"We can't continue to do this," Jennings said.
According to court documents, Williams told police he left the baby unsupervised for long periods of time in the apartment he shared with Leonard's mother, Rebekah Williams-McCarthy, in the 2800 block of West Fourth Street.
Williams-McCarthy faces the same charges as Williams. Her trial is set for Aug. 4.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Dad assaults mom, hold two kids hostage in police standoff (Vinton, Iowa)
Dad has all the red flags for future fatalities. He needs to be stopped and dealt with now.
Dad is identified as JOSHUA CARL HENDRYX.
http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/vinton-child-tased-in-father-s-scuffle-with-police/article_b7dfb98d-c6bb-5ef2-9314-f87f44f75595.html
Vinton child tased in father's scuffle with police
June 12, 2015 6:59 pm • KCRG-The Gazette
VINTON | A Vinton man who assaulted a woman and held his two children captive Thursday has been charged with domestic abuse assault and child endangerment.
According to a release from the Vinton Police Department, officers with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Vinton police responded to a call of a man breaking things in a rage at 820 E. Fourth Street.
Police said upon arriving at the scene, the man, identified as Joshua Carl Hendryx, 34, had shut himself in the home alone with his two children, a 5-year-old and a 20-month-old.
Hendryx had assaulted the mother of the children, who had abrasions, bruises and scratches to her head and torso from being punched, choked and thrown against the wall and furniture, police said.
Police said Hendryx refused to allow the children to leave the house and would not cooperate with officers.
Police said the 5-year-old was able to escape the home unharmed. Police then entered the residence and found Hendryx holding the 20-month-old, shielding himself from police. Police said he remained highly agitated and refused to hand the child to officers despite their efforts to negotiate with him.
Police eventually were forced to physically control Hendryx while attempting to remove the child. Hendryx continued to fight back and police deployed a Taser.
Police said during the brief struggle Hendryx placed the child in the path of one of the four Taser probes that were fired. Three of the probes hit Hendryx, but one probe struck the child in the left foot. Officers were then able to remove the child and take Hendryx into custody.
The child was treated at Virginia Gay Hospital and then transferred to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where the probe was successfully removed. There were no complications with the removal of the probe and no other signs of injury to the child.
Hendryx was taken to the Benton County Jail. He has been charged with domestic abuse assault and child endangerment, both class D felonies, and interference with officials acts, a simple misdemeanor.
Dad is identified as JOSHUA CARL HENDRYX.
http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/vinton-child-tased-in-father-s-scuffle-with-police/article_b7dfb98d-c6bb-5ef2-9314-f87f44f75595.html
Vinton child tased in father's scuffle with police
June 12, 2015 6:59 pm • KCRG-The Gazette
VINTON | A Vinton man who assaulted a woman and held his two children captive Thursday has been charged with domestic abuse assault and child endangerment.
According to a release from the Vinton Police Department, officers with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and Vinton police responded to a call of a man breaking things in a rage at 820 E. Fourth Street.
Police said upon arriving at the scene, the man, identified as Joshua Carl Hendryx, 34, had shut himself in the home alone with his two children, a 5-year-old and a 20-month-old.
Hendryx had assaulted the mother of the children, who had abrasions, bruises and scratches to her head and torso from being punched, choked and thrown against the wall and furniture, police said.
Police said Hendryx refused to allow the children to leave the house and would not cooperate with officers.
Police said the 5-year-old was able to escape the home unharmed. Police then entered the residence and found Hendryx holding the 20-month-old, shielding himself from police. Police said he remained highly agitated and refused to hand the child to officers despite their efforts to negotiate with him.
Police eventually were forced to physically control Hendryx while attempting to remove the child. Hendryx continued to fight back and police deployed a Taser.
Police said during the brief struggle Hendryx placed the child in the path of one of the four Taser probes that were fired. Three of the probes hit Hendryx, but one probe struck the child in the left foot. Officers were then able to remove the child and take Hendryx into custody.
The child was treated at Virginia Gay Hospital and then transferred to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where the probe was successfully removed. There were no complications with the removal of the probe and no other signs of injury to the child.
Hendryx was taken to the Benton County Jail. He has been charged with domestic abuse assault and child endangerment, both class D felonies, and interference with officials acts, a simple misdemeanor.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Dad who abducted, murdered 1-year-old son had shared custody; protective mom had wanted sole custody, but lost (Urbandale, Illinois)
This is not good reporting. With any understanding of domestic violence and narcissistic personality disorder, you would not make the error of calling this a "troubled relationship" involving a father who "cared for his son."
First of all, there was nothing that was "troubling" about the "relationship" as such. Mom clearly tried to be responsible and do the right thing. She was dealing with a man who could not/would not hold a job, was unreliable, moved in an out of the home on a whim, and ultimately created (unspecified) "domestic disturbances." (I assume that this is a euphemism for domestic violence that the reporters can't bother to follow up on.) No charges followed (typical). So at any rate, the problems clearly laid with the father. Not mom. Not "the relationship."
Mom tried to protect her baby from this unreliable deadbeat and likely abuser by seeking sole custody, but her efforts were defeated. She got stuck with shared custody instead. Needless to say, abusers very typically use "custody disputes" as a way to create anxiety and stress for the mother, especially when the child in question is merely a baby or barely verbal toddler.
The fathers rights people insist that any father with a pulse--no matter how violent, addicted, or crazy--should get joint custody at minimum. (Of course they prefer full father custody so women will be afraid to divorce them, but they don't like that brought out too often in mixed company.)
The predictable result: Daddy's still Not Happy. The self-centered, narcissistic deadbeat dad abducts the 1-year-old son, a baby really, Despite showy displays of affection that fool the babysitter (and very often other people as well), the man is incapable of real love or real empathy for another human being, even his own infant son. Like all sociopaths, he sees people only in terms of how they suit him and feed his narcissistic sense of entitlement. Right now, his only motivation is to punish the mom in the best way he knows how. And that is destroying her baby in a fiery inferno.
This is why fathers like this CAN'T be appeased with joint custody or any move that reinforces their sense of entitlement over other human beings.
Da is identified as ELVIS HABIBOVIC. Now on the Killer Dads and Custody list for Illinois.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2015/06/10/urbandale-amber-alert-death-burned-bodies-logan-habibovic-elvis-habibovic/71013982/
Amber Alert mom: 'What he did was terrible'
Grant Rodgers and Danielle Ferguson, 9:49 a.m. CDT June 11, 2015
HARRISON COUNTY, Mo. – Sheriff Josh Eckerson stood looking at the burned-out remains of a sport-utility vehicle, unsure of what he was seeing.
In the driver's seat was the charred body of an adult — along with what looked like a much smaller body that Eckerson dearly hoped wasn't what he thought.
"I really couldn't determine what it was," he said. "I didn't want to believe it."
When the Amber Alert came about 41/2 hours later from the Urbandale Police Department, Eckerson's fears were realized. He was a witness to the tragic ending to the lives of a 9-month-old boy and the father who abducted him hours earlier and more than 100 miles away.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jake Angle confirmed Wednesday that the bodies in the vehicle are believed to be little Logan Habibovic and his father, 33-year-old Elvis Habibovic.
Harrison County Coroner Jeremy Eivins said it could take 30 days or more to determine the cause of death because of the condition of the bodies.
But authorities found hosing near the vehicle, leading investigators to believe the two likely died from carbon monoxide poisoning from exhaust fumes, Eckerson said.
Investigators are continuing to look for answers behind the abduction and deaths. Logan's baby sitter and family friend Angela Charlier said Habibovic's relationship with Logan's mother, Melissa Zeimet, disintegrated last weekend over concerns about money, and he was forced to leave the Urbandale apartment they shared.
"I think he was very depressed," she said. #The baby sitter mourned Wednesday over the boy she'd cared for almost daily. Logan learned to crawl at 6 months. He was tall and skinny for his young age, Charlier said.
"He was pulling himself up on furniture," she said. "He was good at it. He just took off." #Logan would have turned 1 in August.
The abduction timeline
Habibovic picked up the boy around 11 a.m. that day, saying he just wanted to take his son on a walk, according to Charlier and a timeline released by police.
Zeimet called and spoke with Habibovic around 4:15 p.m. to be sure Logan would be home by 8 p.m.
Zeimet called Urbandale police at 8:19 p.m. to report the boy missing. It was only 30 minutes later that authorities in Missouri found a burned-out vehicle at the rural Grand Trace Conservation Area, 10 miles northwest of quiet Bethany, Mo. A passerby on a nearby highway had called the sheriff's department to report a plume of smoke.
Through the night before learning about the fire, Zeimet sent Habibovic frantic text messages, she said Wednesday. At 9:12 p.m., she texted, "How could you?"
Later, at 12:08 a.m., she sent, "If u bring him back safe and sound we make this all go away and you won't have any trouble."
"It was too late," Zeimet said in an interview. "They were already dead."
It would take about five hours before law enforcement in the two states connected the dots. Unaware of the gruesome discovery to their south, Urbandale police got authority to send an Amber Alert at 1:19 a.m. warning law enforcement to be on the lookout for Logan and Habibovic, who were likely traveling in a black 2003 Land Rover Discovery.
Missouri authorities saw that the charred vehicle matched the description from the Amber Alert. A vehicle identification number found on its frame confirmed their suspicion, said Eckerson, the county sheriff of 21/2 years.
Everything else, including the license plates, was destroyed by flames.
Urbandale police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol believe the remains of an infant and adult found in a burned vehicle are related to the Amber Alert issued early Wednesday morning. near Bethany, Missouri. Rodney White/The Register
"When we got the Amber Alert ... then I thought, 'This is probably what we're looking for,' " he said.
At 2 a.m., Eivins arrived and confirmed the second body was a young child's. Around the same time, Missouri authorities called Urbandale police, and two highway patrol officers immediately drove to the Des Moines suburb to do interviews and gather dental and DNA records for comparison.
The state fire marshal's office took evidence from the scene to determine whether any accelerants were used to fuel the fire. The SUV was taken away around 5 a.m.
Investigators are trying to determine how Habibovic and his son ended up in the parking lot of the 1,500-acre public hunting and fishing area, which is so isolated that Eckerson had to lead local responders through the turns, hills and rough roads to the vehicle.
At the site of the fire, a patch of blackened gravel remained and a nearby tree's leaves were singed up to about 15 feet above the ground.
"It's just hard to try to wrap your brain around someone, not only a parent, but any individual who would want to harm a child," Eckerson said. "An innocent individual who hasn't done anything, who really has just started their life. To do this is unbelievable."
#Troubled relationship
The parents met about a decade ago through a friend Zeimet knew at Iowa State University, she said.
Even before Zeimet got pregnant, Habibovic moved in with her in 2013 when he needed a place to stay, she said. It started a pattern: He'd move in with Zeimet for a few months at a time before leaving.
Most recently, he came back to the Urbandale apartment in late April after losing his job with Ankeny-based G & I Trucking, Zeimet said.
"He texted me and said, 'I just got fired, take good care of Logan if I don't make it home.' " Zeimet convinced her child's father to take a Greyhound bus back to the metro and move in, she said.
When she got pregnant with Logan, Habibovic was clear that he wanted her to have the child, she said. It was obvious when the two were together that the father cared for his son, Zeimet said.
She has pictures on her phone of the two together on Memorial Day, and Habibovic holding Logan behind the wheel of the Land Rover that they both died in Tuesday night.
His final act, though, was selfish and evil, Zeimet said.
"Maybe he wasn't a terrible person," she said. "But what he did was terrible."
Zeimet had to force Habibovic out on Sunday after fighting about money, she said. After losing his job at the trucking company, he was making less working for a construction company, she said.
Urbandale police visited Zeimet's Carole Circle apartment Sunday and Monday in response to a report of an "unwanted guest," records show. On Monday, Habibovic had come over claiming he needed a quick shower, but stayed for hours, Zeimet said.
The couple had other tensions in their relationship, records show.
In November, the mother filed a petition in Polk County District Court seeking sole custody of Logan, a move Habibovic initially opposed.
That same month, Urbandale police twice responded to calls at Zeimet's apartment — one for a welfare check and the second for a domestic disturbance. No incident report was taken on either call, according to police records.
Before the parents worked out a shared custody agreement in February, Habibovic successfully asked for a court-ordered genetic test to establish paternity of Logan.
There was an outpouring of condolences in 92 comments on Zeimet's Facebook page after she announced her son's death around 5 a.m.
"This is gut-wrenching," one commenter wrote. "I can't imagine the pain you are facing. Be strong."
Charlier remembered Logan as a happy baby. His active personality led his mother to call him a "little monkey," she said. A photo of Logan sticking his tongue out that was released with an early morning Amber Alert perfectly captured his personality. #He liked stuffed animals and blankets with monkeys on them.
"He always had his little fist in his mouth," Charlier said. "He was very loved."
"He laughed at everything and he was a happy baby," Zeimet said. "He was easy … it was like nature gave me this amazing baby." -- Reporter Danielle Ferguson contributed to this story.
First of all, there was nothing that was "troubling" about the "relationship" as such. Mom clearly tried to be responsible and do the right thing. She was dealing with a man who could not/would not hold a job, was unreliable, moved in an out of the home on a whim, and ultimately created (unspecified) "domestic disturbances." (I assume that this is a euphemism for domestic violence that the reporters can't bother to follow up on.) No charges followed (typical). So at any rate, the problems clearly laid with the father. Not mom. Not "the relationship."
Mom tried to protect her baby from this unreliable deadbeat and likely abuser by seeking sole custody, but her efforts were defeated. She got stuck with shared custody instead. Needless to say, abusers very typically use "custody disputes" as a way to create anxiety and stress for the mother, especially when the child in question is merely a baby or barely verbal toddler.
The fathers rights people insist that any father with a pulse--no matter how violent, addicted, or crazy--should get joint custody at minimum. (Of course they prefer full father custody so women will be afraid to divorce them, but they don't like that brought out too often in mixed company.)
The predictable result: Daddy's still Not Happy. The self-centered, narcissistic deadbeat dad abducts the 1-year-old son, a baby really, Despite showy displays of affection that fool the babysitter (and very often other people as well), the man is incapable of real love or real empathy for another human being, even his own infant son. Like all sociopaths, he sees people only in terms of how they suit him and feed his narcissistic sense of entitlement. Right now, his only motivation is to punish the mom in the best way he knows how. And that is destroying her baby in a fiery inferno.
This is why fathers like this CAN'T be appeased with joint custody or any move that reinforces their sense of entitlement over other human beings.
Da is identified as ELVIS HABIBOVIC. Now on the Killer Dads and Custody list for Illinois.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2015/06/10/urbandale-amber-alert-death-burned-bodies-logan-habibovic-elvis-habibovic/71013982/
Amber Alert mom: 'What he did was terrible'
Grant Rodgers and Danielle Ferguson, 9:49 a.m. CDT June 11, 2015
HARRISON COUNTY, Mo. – Sheriff Josh Eckerson stood looking at the burned-out remains of a sport-utility vehicle, unsure of what he was seeing.
In the driver's seat was the charred body of an adult — along with what looked like a much smaller body that Eckerson dearly hoped wasn't what he thought.
"I really couldn't determine what it was," he said. "I didn't want to believe it."
When the Amber Alert came about 41/2 hours later from the Urbandale Police Department, Eckerson's fears were realized. He was a witness to the tragic ending to the lives of a 9-month-old boy and the father who abducted him hours earlier and more than 100 miles away.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jake Angle confirmed Wednesday that the bodies in the vehicle are believed to be little Logan Habibovic and his father, 33-year-old Elvis Habibovic.
Harrison County Coroner Jeremy Eivins said it could take 30 days or more to determine the cause of death because of the condition of the bodies.
But authorities found hosing near the vehicle, leading investigators to believe the two likely died from carbon monoxide poisoning from exhaust fumes, Eckerson said.
Investigators are continuing to look for answers behind the abduction and deaths. Logan's baby sitter and family friend Angela Charlier said Habibovic's relationship with Logan's mother, Melissa Zeimet, disintegrated last weekend over concerns about money, and he was forced to leave the Urbandale apartment they shared.
"I think he was very depressed," she said. #The baby sitter mourned Wednesday over the boy she'd cared for almost daily. Logan learned to crawl at 6 months. He was tall and skinny for his young age, Charlier said.
"He was pulling himself up on furniture," she said. "He was good at it. He just took off." #Logan would have turned 1 in August.
The abduction timeline
Habibovic picked up the boy around 11 a.m. that day, saying he just wanted to take his son on a walk, according to Charlier and a timeline released by police.
Zeimet called and spoke with Habibovic around 4:15 p.m. to be sure Logan would be home by 8 p.m.
Zeimet called Urbandale police at 8:19 p.m. to report the boy missing. It was only 30 minutes later that authorities in Missouri found a burned-out vehicle at the rural Grand Trace Conservation Area, 10 miles northwest of quiet Bethany, Mo. A passerby on a nearby highway had called the sheriff's department to report a plume of smoke.
Through the night before learning about the fire, Zeimet sent Habibovic frantic text messages, she said Wednesday. At 9:12 p.m., she texted, "How could you?"
Later, at 12:08 a.m., she sent, "If u bring him back safe and sound we make this all go away and you won't have any trouble."
"It was too late," Zeimet said in an interview. "They were already dead."
It would take about five hours before law enforcement in the two states connected the dots. Unaware of the gruesome discovery to their south, Urbandale police got authority to send an Amber Alert at 1:19 a.m. warning law enforcement to be on the lookout for Logan and Habibovic, who were likely traveling in a black 2003 Land Rover Discovery.
Missouri authorities saw that the charred vehicle matched the description from the Amber Alert. A vehicle identification number found on its frame confirmed their suspicion, said Eckerson, the county sheriff of 21/2 years.
Everything else, including the license plates, was destroyed by flames.
Urbandale police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol believe the remains of an infant and adult found in a burned vehicle are related to the Amber Alert issued early Wednesday morning. near Bethany, Missouri. Rodney White/The Register
"When we got the Amber Alert ... then I thought, 'This is probably what we're looking for,' " he said.
At 2 a.m., Eivins arrived and confirmed the second body was a young child's. Around the same time, Missouri authorities called Urbandale police, and two highway patrol officers immediately drove to the Des Moines suburb to do interviews and gather dental and DNA records for comparison.
The state fire marshal's office took evidence from the scene to determine whether any accelerants were used to fuel the fire. The SUV was taken away around 5 a.m.
Investigators are trying to determine how Habibovic and his son ended up in the parking lot of the 1,500-acre public hunting and fishing area, which is so isolated that Eckerson had to lead local responders through the turns, hills and rough roads to the vehicle.
At the site of the fire, a patch of blackened gravel remained and a nearby tree's leaves were singed up to about 15 feet above the ground.
"It's just hard to try to wrap your brain around someone, not only a parent, but any individual who would want to harm a child," Eckerson said. "An innocent individual who hasn't done anything, who really has just started their life. To do this is unbelievable."
#Troubled relationship
The parents met about a decade ago through a friend Zeimet knew at Iowa State University, she said.
Even before Zeimet got pregnant, Habibovic moved in with her in 2013 when he needed a place to stay, she said. It started a pattern: He'd move in with Zeimet for a few months at a time before leaving.
Most recently, he came back to the Urbandale apartment in late April after losing his job with Ankeny-based G & I Trucking, Zeimet said.
"He texted me and said, 'I just got fired, take good care of Logan if I don't make it home.' " Zeimet convinced her child's father to take a Greyhound bus back to the metro and move in, she said.
When she got pregnant with Logan, Habibovic was clear that he wanted her to have the child, she said. It was obvious when the two were together that the father cared for his son, Zeimet said.
She has pictures on her phone of the two together on Memorial Day, and Habibovic holding Logan behind the wheel of the Land Rover that they both died in Tuesday night.
His final act, though, was selfish and evil, Zeimet said.
"Maybe he wasn't a terrible person," she said. "But what he did was terrible."
Zeimet had to force Habibovic out on Sunday after fighting about money, she said. After losing his job at the trucking company, he was making less working for a construction company, she said.
Urbandale police visited Zeimet's Carole Circle apartment Sunday and Monday in response to a report of an "unwanted guest," records show. On Monday, Habibovic had come over claiming he needed a quick shower, but stayed for hours, Zeimet said.
The couple had other tensions in their relationship, records show.
In November, the mother filed a petition in Polk County District Court seeking sole custody of Logan, a move Habibovic initially opposed.
That same month, Urbandale police twice responded to calls at Zeimet's apartment — one for a welfare check and the second for a domestic disturbance. No incident report was taken on either call, according to police records.
Before the parents worked out a shared custody agreement in February, Habibovic successfully asked for a court-ordered genetic test to establish paternity of Logan.
There was an outpouring of condolences in 92 comments on Zeimet's Facebook page after she announced her son's death around 5 a.m.
"This is gut-wrenching," one commenter wrote. "I can't imagine the pain you are facing. Be strong."
Charlier remembered Logan as a happy baby. His active personality led his mother to call him a "little monkey," she said. A photo of Logan sticking his tongue out that was released with an early morning Amber Alert perfectly captured his personality. #He liked stuffed animals and blankets with monkeys on them.
"He always had his little fist in his mouth," Charlier said. "He was very loved."
"He laughed at everything and he was a happy baby," Zeimet said. "He was easy … it was like nature gave me this amazing baby." -- Reporter Danielle Ferguson contributed to this story.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Dad abducts 9-month-old son, kills him in apparent murder-suicide (Urbandale, Iowa)
Dad is identified as ELVIS HABIBOVICH. Yet another sick and controlling a$$hole out to punish the mother in the worst way possible.
http://whotv.com/2015/06/10/bodies-found-in-burned-out-car-linked-to-urbandale-amber-alert/
Bodies Found in Burned Out SUV Linked to Urbandale Amber Alert
Posted 6:12 am, June 10, 2015, by Kelly Maricle, Updated at 06:35am, June 10, 2015
URBANDALE, Iowa — : An Amber Alert about the abduction of an Urbandale child has ended with tragic results.
The Urbandale Police Department says the body of an adult and an infant were found in a burned out vehicle believed to have been sought in connection with an Amber Alert.
The alert was issued early Wednesday morning for nine-month-old Logan Habibovich. He was believed to have been taken by his father, Elvis Habibovich.
Shortly after the Amber Alert was issued, Missouri State Highway Patrol contacted Urbandale police about a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle sought in the case. They found the vehicle burned out in a conservation area in Harrison County. Two bodies were found in the vehicle.
The child’s mother made a heartbreaking post to her Facebook page Wednesday morning:
We’ll bring you more information when it becomes available.
http://whotv.com/2015/06/10/bodies-found-in-burned-out-car-linked-to-urbandale-amber-alert/
Bodies Found in Burned Out SUV Linked to Urbandale Amber Alert
Posted 6:12 am, June 10, 2015, by Kelly Maricle, Updated at 06:35am, June 10, 2015
URBANDALE, Iowa — : An Amber Alert about the abduction of an Urbandale child has ended with tragic results.
The Urbandale Police Department says the body of an adult and an infant were found in a burned out vehicle believed to have been sought in connection with an Amber Alert.
The alert was issued early Wednesday morning for nine-month-old Logan Habibovich. He was believed to have been taken by his father, Elvis Habibovich.
Shortly after the Amber Alert was issued, Missouri State Highway Patrol contacted Urbandale police about a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle sought in the case. They found the vehicle burned out in a conservation area in Harrison County. Two bodies were found in the vehicle.
The child’s mother made a heartbreaking post to her Facebook page Wednesday morning:
We’ll bring you more information when it becomes available.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Dad, girlfriend arrested in death of 3-yearold daughter with severe burns; what happened to the little girl's mom? (Bedford, Iowa)
Is CHARLES HALL a custodial father? What happened to this little girl's mother?
Assuming these pieces of sh* are telling the truth, two weeks elapsed between the girl's burn injuries and her death. This is way too long for a two-year old to spend in visitation. At this age, they still need a secure bond with Mom more than they need to "visit" with Dad. So what was going on here? Did Dad have custody? Did this vicious father somehow eliminate the mother from the picture in the usual punish/control thing?
As typically happens, the media is silent on the matter.
This case has been added to the Killer Dads and Custody list for the State of Iowa.
http://www.kcci.com/news/2-charged-with-child-endangerment-in-death-investigation/33240480
New information released in 3-year-old's death investigation
UPDATED 9:22 AM CDT May 28, 2015
BEDFORD, Iowa —Investigators released more information Wednesday afternoon in the investigation into a 3-year-old girl's death.
Authorities said they responded to a 911 call for a child not breathing at 806 Washington St. Deputies found a 3-year-old girl, Janiya King, unresponsive.
She was pronounced dead by the medical examiner. Court documents indicate Janiya had severe burns on her face and right shoulder.
The Taylor County Sheriff's Office said two people were arrested and charged in the case last Friday.
Court records show 25-year-old April Clair, of Bedford, and 25-year-old Charles Hall, of Chicago, were charged with child endangerment causing serious injury.
Authorities said Hall is the girl's father. Clair is Hall's girlfriend.
Clair told authorities with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation that the girl accidentally knocked over a pot of boiling hot dog water onto herself two weeks ago.
She told authorities she didn't think it was necessary to seek medical attention.
However, authorities said the burns were so bad that they caused permanent disfigurement.
Clair also told investigators the girl fell down the stairs multiple times and became weaker, but still did not seek medical attention.
Neighbors said child endangerment charges are not enough in this case.
"I think that is an awful light charge with it being, you know, a child is dead," said neighbor Bethany Cavin.
Autopsy results are pending as the investigation continues.
Assuming these pieces of sh* are telling the truth, two weeks elapsed between the girl's burn injuries and her death. This is way too long for a two-year old to spend in visitation. At this age, they still need a secure bond with Mom more than they need to "visit" with Dad. So what was going on here? Did Dad have custody? Did this vicious father somehow eliminate the mother from the picture in the usual punish/control thing?
As typically happens, the media is silent on the matter.
This case has been added to the Killer Dads and Custody list for the State of Iowa.
http://www.kcci.com/news/2-charged-with-child-endangerment-in-death-investigation/33240480
New information released in 3-year-old's death investigation
UPDATED 9:22 AM CDT May 28, 2015
BEDFORD, Iowa —Investigators released more information Wednesday afternoon in the investigation into a 3-year-old girl's death.
Authorities said they responded to a 911 call for a child not breathing at 806 Washington St. Deputies found a 3-year-old girl, Janiya King, unresponsive.
She was pronounced dead by the medical examiner. Court documents indicate Janiya had severe burns on her face and right shoulder.
The Taylor County Sheriff's Office said two people were arrested and charged in the case last Friday.
Court records show 25-year-old April Clair, of Bedford, and 25-year-old Charles Hall, of Chicago, were charged with child endangerment causing serious injury.
Authorities said Hall is the girl's father. Clair is Hall's girlfriend.
Clair told authorities with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation that the girl accidentally knocked over a pot of boiling hot dog water onto herself two weeks ago.
She told authorities she didn't think it was necessary to seek medical attention.
However, authorities said the burns were so bad that they caused permanent disfigurement.
Clair also told investigators the girl fell down the stairs multiple times and became weaker, but still did not seek medical attention.
Neighbors said child endangerment charges are not enough in this case.
"I think that is an awful light charge with it being, you know, a child is dead," said neighbor Bethany Cavin.
Autopsy results are pending as the investigation continues.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Dad charged with 1st-degree murder in death of 22-day-old son (Burlington, Iowa)
Dad is identified as RANDALL PAYNE. No mention of a mother in the home.
http://www.kcci.com/news/father-charged-after-extensive-investigation-into-babys-death/33027434
Father charged after extensive investigation into baby's death
Published 3:40 PM CDT May 14, 2015
BURLINGTON, Iowa —A father was arrested and charged Thursday in the death of his 22-day-old son last year.
Des Moines County Sheriff Mike Johnstone said Randall Payne, 23, was charged with first-degree murder, felony child endangerment and multiple acts of child endangerment.
Authorities said Carter Payne died on Nov. 9 at his home in Burlington.
Authorities said the father was charged after an extensive investigation.
Payne is being held in the Des Moines County Jail pending bail of $1 million.
His next court appearance is scheduled for May 14.
http://www.kcci.com/news/father-charged-after-extensive-investigation-into-babys-death/33027434
Father charged after extensive investigation into baby's death
Published 3:40 PM CDT May 14, 2015
BURLINGTON, Iowa —A father was arrested and charged Thursday in the death of his 22-day-old son last year.
Des Moines County Sheriff Mike Johnstone said Randall Payne, 23, was charged with first-degree murder, felony child endangerment and multiple acts of child endangerment.
Authorities said Carter Payne died on Nov. 9 at his home in Burlington.
Authorities said the father was charged after an extensive investigation.
Payne is being held in the Des Moines County Jail pending bail of $1 million.
His next court appearance is scheduled for May 14.
Bail increased for dad charged in 2009 death of 4-month-old son (Sioux City, Iowa)
Dad is identified as PAUL HILL. Outrageous that he is being considered for bail for this second trial when he harassed mom/the family when he was out on bail the first time.
http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/bail-increased-for-sioux-city-father-charged-in-baby-s/article_b574a487-036f-5c85-b9cd-f1a1cc90db92.html
Bail increased for Sioux City father charged in baby's death
May 13, 2015 5:30 pm • NICK HYTREK
SIOUX CITY | A judge has increased the bail for a Sioux City man facing a new trial for the death of his 4-month-old daughter.
Senior Judge Gary Wenell raised Paul Hill's bail to $100,000 from $50,000 in an order filed Monday in Woodbury County District Court.
Hill, 25, has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment causing death for Tryniti Jo Hill's Feb. 17, 2009, death and is scheduled to stand trial Aug. 4. He remains in the Woodbury County Jail.
Assistant Woodbury County Attorney Jill Esteves had requested the bail increase, saying Hill was a risk to leave the area if released from custody because he has no local family ties. Tryniti's aunt also testified that Hill harassed the family while out on bail before his first trial.
Hill's attorneys had asked that his bail remain unchanged, saying he had attended all his hearings before his first trial.
Hill was found guilty in June 2010 and sentenced to 50 years in prison but was granted a new trial in January, when the Iowa Court of Appeals ruled that a district court judge should have granted Hill's application for postconviction relief and a new trial.
Hill claimed that police questioning him violated his right to remain silent when he admitted to striking Tryniti in the abdomen while buckling her into a car seat.
http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/bail-increased-for-sioux-city-father-charged-in-baby-s/article_b574a487-036f-5c85-b9cd-f1a1cc90db92.html
Bail increased for Sioux City father charged in baby's death
May 13, 2015 5:30 pm • NICK HYTREK
SIOUX CITY | A judge has increased the bail for a Sioux City man facing a new trial for the death of his 4-month-old daughter.
Senior Judge Gary Wenell raised Paul Hill's bail to $100,000 from $50,000 in an order filed Monday in Woodbury County District Court.
Hill, 25, has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment causing death for Tryniti Jo Hill's Feb. 17, 2009, death and is scheduled to stand trial Aug. 4. He remains in the Woodbury County Jail.
Assistant Woodbury County Attorney Jill Esteves had requested the bail increase, saying Hill was a risk to leave the area if released from custody because he has no local family ties. Tryniti's aunt also testified that Hill harassed the family while out on bail before his first trial.
Hill's attorneys had asked that his bail remain unchanged, saying he had attended all his hearings before his first trial.
Hill was found guilty in June 2010 and sentenced to 50 years in prison but was granted a new trial in January, when the Iowa Court of Appeals ruled that a district court judge should have granted Hill's application for postconviction relief and a new trial.
Hill claimed that police questioning him violated his right to remain silent when he admitted to striking Tryniti in the abdomen while buckling her into a car seat.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Judge considers bond for dad who admits punching, killing 4-month-old daughter; also harrased dead baby's mom before trial (Sioux City, Iowa)
That violent dad PAUL HILL would be even CONSIDERED for bail just shows how little regard the legal system has for the safety of mothers and children.
http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/father-charged-in-baby-s-death-is-flight-risk-state/article_f6c47574-c9a7-58a9-9806-dabd2f5fd27c.html
Sioux City father charged in baby's death is flight risk, state says
April 27, 2015 4:30 pm • NICK HYTREK SIOUX CITY |
With no family in the area and the knowledge of what prison is like, Paul Hill has no reason to stay in Sioux City and face a new trial for the death of his 4-month-old daughter, the girl's great-aunt said Monday.
"He's had a taste of prison and he's not going to like it, so he's going to run," said Kim Bursell, the grand-aunt of Tryniti Jo Hill, testifying why Hill's bond should be raised from $50,000 to $100,000.
Hill, 25, has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment causing death for Tryniti's Feb. 17, 2009, death and is scheduled to stand trial Aug. 4 in Woodbury County District Court.
Hill was found guilty in June 2010 and sentenced to 50 years in prison, but was granted a new trial in January, when the Iowa Court of Appeals ruled that a district court judge should have granted Hill's application for postconviction relief and a new trial.
Hill claimed that police questioning him violated his right to remain silent when he admitted to striking Tryniti in the abdomen while buckling her into a car seat.
Hill is being held in the Woodbury County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bond. Assistant Woodbury County Attorney Jill Esteves has asked that Hill's bond be increased because his parents no longer live here and he harassed Tryniti's mother, Kayla Hegge, and her family while out on bond prior to his first trial. His bond had been $75,000 when he was released before his first trial.
Hill's attorney, Hannah Vellinga, asked Senior Judge Gary Wenell to leave Hill's bond at $50,000. He attended all his hearings prior to his first trial, she said, and the case has essentially started over since the appeals court's decision.
"Our stance is that at this point, Mr. Hill is facing a new trial. He has not been convicted of anything," Vellinga said. Wenell said he would issue a ruling as soon as possible.
http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/father-charged-in-baby-s-death-is-flight-risk-state/article_f6c47574-c9a7-58a9-9806-dabd2f5fd27c.html
Sioux City father charged in baby's death is flight risk, state says
April 27, 2015 4:30 pm • NICK HYTREK SIOUX CITY |
With no family in the area and the knowledge of what prison is like, Paul Hill has no reason to stay in Sioux City and face a new trial for the death of his 4-month-old daughter, the girl's great-aunt said Monday.
"He's had a taste of prison and he's not going to like it, so he's going to run," said Kim Bursell, the grand-aunt of Tryniti Jo Hill, testifying why Hill's bond should be raised from $50,000 to $100,000.
Hill, 25, has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment causing death for Tryniti's Feb. 17, 2009, death and is scheduled to stand trial Aug. 4 in Woodbury County District Court.
Hill was found guilty in June 2010 and sentenced to 50 years in prison, but was granted a new trial in January, when the Iowa Court of Appeals ruled that a district court judge should have granted Hill's application for postconviction relief and a new trial.
Hill claimed that police questioning him violated his right to remain silent when he admitted to striking Tryniti in the abdomen while buckling her into a car seat.
Hill is being held in the Woodbury County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bond. Assistant Woodbury County Attorney Jill Esteves has asked that Hill's bond be increased because his parents no longer live here and he harassed Tryniti's mother, Kayla Hegge, and her family while out on bond prior to his first trial. His bond had been $75,000 when he was released before his first trial.
Hill's attorney, Hannah Vellinga, asked Senior Judge Gary Wenell to leave Hill's bond at $50,000. He attended all his hearings prior to his first trial, she said, and the case has essentially started over since the appeals court's decision.
"Our stance is that at this point, Mr. Hill is facing a new trial. He has not been convicted of anything," Vellinga said. Wenell said he would issue a ruling as soon as possible.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Father charged with 1st-degree murder in death of 4-month-old daughter (Columbus Junction, Iowa)
Dad is identified as OSCAR JIMINEZ.
http://www.kcci.com/news/father-now-charged-with-murder-in-babys-death/31015466
Father now charged with murder in baby's death
Published 4:40 PM CST Jan 30, 2015
COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa —An Iowa father faces additional charges Friday in the death of his 4-month-old daughter.
Oscar Jimenez is charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death. If convicted he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.
Jimenez was arrested and charged with multiple acts of child endangerment on Jan. 20.
An autopsy was performed at University of Iowa on Marleen Jimenez. The results are still pending, authorities said.
The investigation continues and is being conducted by the Iowa Department of Public Safety's Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Columbus Junction Police Department, Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Human Services, University of Iowa Decedent Care Unit, Louisa County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.
http://www.kcci.com/news/father-now-charged-with-murder-in-babys-death/31015466
Father now charged with murder in baby's death
Published 4:40 PM CST Jan 30, 2015
COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa —An Iowa father faces additional charges Friday in the death of his 4-month-old daughter.
Oscar Jimenez is charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death. If convicted he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.
Jimenez was arrested and charged with multiple acts of child endangerment on Jan. 20.
An autopsy was performed at University of Iowa on Marleen Jimenez. The results are still pending, authorities said.
The investigation continues and is being conducted by the Iowa Department of Public Safety's Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Columbus Junction Police Department, Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Human Services, University of Iowa Decedent Care Unit, Louisa County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.
Dad pleads guilty to murder of 4-mont-old son; had just been taken from adoptive parents weeks before (Des Moines, Iowa)
Dad is identified as DREW JAMES WEEHLER-SMITH.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/investigations/2015/01/30/father-infant-death-pleads-guilty-murder-wheeler-smith-adoptive-parents/22602191/
Father accused in infant's death pleads guilty to murder
Grant Rodgers, 2:36 p.m. CST January 30, 2015 A Des Moines father accused of killing his infant son pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Friday, avoiding a trial scheduled to start in February, said Polk County Attorney John Sarcone.
Prosecutors charged Drew James Weehler-Smith, 18, with first-degree murder in April of last year, alleging Weehler-Smith, then 17, killed his four-month-old son while the two were alone in an apartment where the child's mother lived. A medical examiner found that the infant, Gabriel King McFarland, died of head trauma.
The unusual case drew widespread media attention last year because Gabriel had been returned by his adoptive parents to his birth mother just weeks before his death. Ankeny couple Rachel and Heidi McFarland had adopted the infant after his birth, but Gabriel's birth mother, Markeya Atkins, wanted the child returned to her.
On the night of Gabriel's death, Weehler-Smith, then a junior at Des Moines Roosevelt High School, had been left alone with the child when Atkins went out to run errands. Police said that when Atkins returned, she saw Weehler-Smith driving away without the baby.
Atkins found Gabriel unresponsive in a chair inside the apartment. Weehler-Smith was scheduled to go to trial on Feb. 9, but will be sentenced on March 25.
A second-degree murder conviction under Iowa law is punishable by a 50-year prison sentence. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors are recommending to a judge that Weehler-Smith be required to serve at least 17 years before he's eligible for parole.
"Through negotiations of parties, that's what we agreed to," Sarcone said.
Weehler-Smith's attorney did not immediately return a phone call from a reporter.
The McFarlands filed a lawsuit in August against their adoption attorney, Jason Rieper, claiming that he botched the process and ultimately forced them to give the infant back to his birth mother. A 2016 trial date has been set in the case.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/investigations/2015/01/30/father-infant-death-pleads-guilty-murder-wheeler-smith-adoptive-parents/22602191/
Father accused in infant's death pleads guilty to murder
Grant Rodgers, 2:36 p.m. CST January 30, 2015 A Des Moines father accused of killing his infant son pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Friday, avoiding a trial scheduled to start in February, said Polk County Attorney John Sarcone.
Prosecutors charged Drew James Weehler-Smith, 18, with first-degree murder in April of last year, alleging Weehler-Smith, then 17, killed his four-month-old son while the two were alone in an apartment where the child's mother lived. A medical examiner found that the infant, Gabriel King McFarland, died of head trauma.
The unusual case drew widespread media attention last year because Gabriel had been returned by his adoptive parents to his birth mother just weeks before his death. Ankeny couple Rachel and Heidi McFarland had adopted the infant after his birth, but Gabriel's birth mother, Markeya Atkins, wanted the child returned to her.
On the night of Gabriel's death, Weehler-Smith, then a junior at Des Moines Roosevelt High School, had been left alone with the child when Atkins went out to run errands. Police said that when Atkins returned, she saw Weehler-Smith driving away without the baby.
Atkins found Gabriel unresponsive in a chair inside the apartment. Weehler-Smith was scheduled to go to trial on Feb. 9, but will be sentenced on March 25.
A second-degree murder conviction under Iowa law is punishable by a 50-year prison sentence. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors are recommending to a judge that Weehler-Smith be required to serve at least 17 years before he's eligible for parole.
"Through negotiations of parties, that's what we agreed to," Sarcone said.
Weehler-Smith's attorney did not immediately return a phone call from a reporter.
The McFarlands filed a lawsuit in August against their adoption attorney, Jason Rieper, claiming that he botched the process and ultimately forced them to give the infant back to his birth mother. A 2016 trial date has been set in the case.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
"Frustrated" dad abuses 10-month-old baby for crying (Arlington, Iowa)
Same old story. Mom is responsible, going to school. Dad is a short-tempered little sh** who is nevertheless drafted into doing infant care, which he is completely incapable of doing. And once again, the POS couldn't even bother to get medial care after he goes off on the baby for crying. Nope, Mom had to deal with the injuries when she finally got home.
Dad is identified as CODY M. RUSSELL.
http://www.hngnews.com/lodi_enterprise/news/local/article_ba2f6e1e-a710-11e4-8e5e-5ff3c5461fdb.html
Man charged with child abuse
Police investigate injuries to 10-month-old
Posted: Wednesday, January 28, 2015 11:11 am
Rachelle Blair Managing Editor
Posted on January 28, 2015
by Rachelle Blair
An Arlington man faces a felony child abuse charge after losing his temper with his 10-month old child.
Cody M. Russell, 21, Arlington, is out on a $5,000 signature bond after a Tuesday, Jan. 20 initial hearing in Columbia County Circuit Court. Russell faces more than 12 years in jail and up to $25,000 in fines for the felony child abuse charge.
On Thursday, Jan. 15, Columbia County Sheriff’s office reported to a Sun Prairie medical clinic to investigate suspicious bruises and injuries on a 10-month-old baby.
According to the criminal complaint, the child was left in the care of its father, Russell, while its mother was at school. When Russell picked the mother up from school he told her the child had cut its face by falling off the bed. After looking the child over, the mother discovered purple marks on the child’s neck and a laceration on it’s cheek, and decided to seek medical attention at the Sun Prairie clinic.
In the complaint, when confronted by detectives that his story didn’t match up with the injuries, Russell said “I just got really (expletive) mad, I picked [it] up by [its] neck and put [it] in [its] bed.”
According to law enforcement, Russell, angered after the baby wouldn’t stop crying, picked the baby up by placing his right hand around the child’s neck and held the child in the air, above the bed for a “good 10 seconds”.
In the complaint, Russell admitted he was “pretty frustrated” when he picked the child up. “Maybe I put [it] in [its] crib a little harder than I thought, but I don’t think [it] hit [its] head on anything.”
Russell is currently released on a signature bond with conditions not to contact the child, the mother or juveniles under the age
Dad is identified as CODY M. RUSSELL.
http://www.hngnews.com/lodi_enterprise/news/local/article_ba2f6e1e-a710-11e4-8e5e-5ff3c5461fdb.html
Man charged with child abuse
Police investigate injuries to 10-month-old
Posted: Wednesday, January 28, 2015 11:11 am
Rachelle Blair Managing Editor
Posted on January 28, 2015
by Rachelle Blair
An Arlington man faces a felony child abuse charge after losing his temper with his 10-month old child.
Cody M. Russell, 21, Arlington, is out on a $5,000 signature bond after a Tuesday, Jan. 20 initial hearing in Columbia County Circuit Court. Russell faces more than 12 years in jail and up to $25,000 in fines for the felony child abuse charge.
On Thursday, Jan. 15, Columbia County Sheriff’s office reported to a Sun Prairie medical clinic to investigate suspicious bruises and injuries on a 10-month-old baby.
According to the criminal complaint, the child was left in the care of its father, Russell, while its mother was at school. When Russell picked the mother up from school he told her the child had cut its face by falling off the bed. After looking the child over, the mother discovered purple marks on the child’s neck and a laceration on it’s cheek, and decided to seek medical attention at the Sun Prairie clinic.
In the complaint, when confronted by detectives that his story didn’t match up with the injuries, Russell said “I just got really (expletive) mad, I picked [it] up by [its] neck and put [it] in [its] bed.”
According to law enforcement, Russell, angered after the baby wouldn’t stop crying, picked the baby up by placing his right hand around the child’s neck and held the child in the air, above the bed for a “good 10 seconds”.
In the complaint, Russell admitted he was “pretty frustrated” when he picked the child up. “Maybe I put [it] in [its] crib a little harder than I thought, but I don’t think [it] hit [its] head on anything.”
Russell is currently released on a signature bond with conditions not to contact the child, the mother or juveniles under the age
Monday, January 26, 2015
Baby dies after being assaulted by dad (Iowa City, Iowa)
Dad is identified as OSCAR JIMINEZ.
http://whotv.com/2015/01/26/columbus-junction-baby-allegedly-injured-by-father-dies/
Columbus Junction Baby Allegedly Injured by Father Dies
Posted 6:42 pm, January 26, 2015, by Kelly Maricle
IOWA CITY, Iowa — A Columbus Junction baby being treated for severe head trauma has died from her injuries.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety says four-month-old Marleen Jimenez died Saturday at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City.
The father of the baby, 20-year-old Oscar Jimenez, is charged with one count of multiple acts of child endangerment in connection with the injuries.
An autopsy was performed Monday on the baby but officials have not released any results.
The investigation into the case continues.
http://whotv.com/2015/01/26/columbus-junction-baby-allegedly-injured-by-father-dies/
Columbus Junction Baby Allegedly Injured by Father Dies
Posted 6:42 pm, January 26, 2015, by Kelly Maricle
IOWA CITY, Iowa — A Columbus Junction baby being treated for severe head trauma has died from her injuries.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety says four-month-old Marleen Jimenez died Saturday at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City.
The father of the baby, 20-year-old Oscar Jimenez, is charged with one count of multiple acts of child endangerment in connection with the injuries.
An autopsy was performed Monday on the baby but officials have not released any results.
The investigation into the case continues.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Protective mom fights abusive custodial dad over disabled sons (Plymouth County, Iowa)
Since this is being covered in the Native American press, the issue is being framed as a Native mother being crushed by a white father. That angle obviously plays into it, no doubt about it.
But we have seen similar situations played out where ethnic/racial differences are not apparent. To a very large extent, this is testimony to how much power the fathers rights movement has been able to wield over the family courts and child "protection" system. And that also needs to be brought out.
The fact that 17-year-old boys are being silenced by the courts is very much a fathers rights thing. SHAME ON JUDGE EDWARD JACOBSON for engaging in heavy-handed FR tactics.
See our previous post here. For some reason, the father has not been identified in the media.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/11/20/sioux-mother-return-court-latest-fight-her-abused-sons-157916
Sioux Mother to Return to Court in Latest Fight for Her Abused Sons
Suzette Brewer 11/20/14
On Friday, November 21 another hearing is scheduled in the Iowa District Court in Plymouth County in an interstate custody showdown that has sparked national outrage among tribes and Indian child welfare advocates over the return of disabled twin brothers to the custody of their non-Indian father, who has six founded cases of child abuse on his record. One of the boys is wheelchair bound with cerebral palsy, while the other is blind and has autism.
Last June, Audre’y Eby, the twins’ Rosebud Sioux mother who resides in Nebraska, was jailed for a week in Iowa on kidnapping charges for refusing to return the boys back to their father after officials in Nebraska threatened her with child endangerment charges when they found evidence of abuse during an emergency room visit, in which blood and bruises were found on one of the boys’ groin area. The boys testified to officials in both states that their father’s girlfriend had kicked one of them after she caught him masturbating and that the father had threatened to “cut his privates off.”
Trapped between competing interstate jurisdictions, Eby said she had no choice but to keep her children, even though she subsequently went to jail in Iowa for trying to protect them from their abusers.
Eby kept the boys in Nebraska for a time, but subsequently moved them to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota in order to protect them from their father and his live-in girlfriend, both of whom have been placed on the Iowa Central Abuse Registry for physical abuse, denial of critical care and failure to provide proper supervision to the twins. In early October, the boys, who are now 17, were ordered to appear before Judge Edward Jacobson for testimony at a hearing, with which Eby complied. But rather than allowing the boys to testify as ordered, Jacobson instead ordered half a dozen police officers to physically remove the boys from their mother’s custody in the hallway of the courthouse in front of at least a dozen bystanders, who were shocked that the incident took place in such a public manner with no plan for a peaceful transfer, as usually is required under these circumstances. Eby said both boys were struggling and screaming to stay with her as they were being led away by law enforcement.
“Judge Jacobson said ‘I don’t allow children to testify in my court,’” said Eby. “The order was a ruse to get me to bring them [to Iowa] so they could take them from me.”
Subsequently, in a one-page ruling issued by Judge Edward Jacobson that only vaguely refers to the evidence that was presented, the boys were immediately ordered back to their father that day. Jacobson only mentioned that Eby had “absconded” with the children, in spite of the fact that the State of Nebraska had threatened her with child endangerment if she returned them to their father. Judge Jacobson also ordered that “Mr. Courtright shall have full care, custody, and control of both children. Visistation [sic] shall be at Mr. Courtright's discretion,” in spite of six founded charges of abuse on father’s record.
Eby has had no contact with her children since that time and that the boys’ father has threatened her that she will “never see them again” if she continues with the case.
“One can say that these young men fell through the cracks,” says Frank LaMere, the director of the Four Directions Community Center in Sioux City, Iowa. “The people over in Plymouth County absolutely knew what was happening to these boys and they turned a blind eye. The DHS and the officers of the court are very aware of the abuse charges against their father, but they feel no responsibility whatsoever in spite of the fact that these allegations have been confirmed and are on the record.”
LaMere says that he intends to be at the hearing on Friday, along with other members of the Native community to show their support for the twins and their mother, who they feel is victim of the racist policies toward Native parents in courtrooms across the country.
“If a Native man had six allegations of abuse on his record, he would be serving five to 10 years in prison,” said LaMere, who is a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. “But we have a white father and a white girlfriend with six founded charges and what does Judge Jacobson do? He gives the abused children back to their perpetrators and throws the Indian mother in jail. I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years of Indian child welfare experience.”
Next week, Eby and LaMere are scheduled to attend the 12th Annual March to Honor Lost Children in Sioux City. For 12 years, says LaMere, it has been necessary to organize these marches and events to raise awareness of the challenges faced by Native community members who find themselves locked in a never-ending battle with child welfare systems across the country.
“We have worked hard to build a good relationship with officials here in Woodbury County,” said LaMere. “But there are countless counties across the country that ignore the Indian Child Welfare Act. Sadly, they forget that ICWA is not a ‘defense’ strategy – it is federal law. And we want to ensure that they are attentive to the requirements of the law.”
But we have seen similar situations played out where ethnic/racial differences are not apparent. To a very large extent, this is testimony to how much power the fathers rights movement has been able to wield over the family courts and child "protection" system. And that also needs to be brought out.
The fact that 17-year-old boys are being silenced by the courts is very much a fathers rights thing. SHAME ON JUDGE EDWARD JACOBSON for engaging in heavy-handed FR tactics.
See our previous post here. For some reason, the father has not been identified in the media.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/11/20/sioux-mother-return-court-latest-fight-her-abused-sons-157916
Sioux Mother to Return to Court in Latest Fight for Her Abused Sons
Suzette Brewer 11/20/14
On Friday, November 21 another hearing is scheduled in the Iowa District Court in Plymouth County in an interstate custody showdown that has sparked national outrage among tribes and Indian child welfare advocates over the return of disabled twin brothers to the custody of their non-Indian father, who has six founded cases of child abuse on his record. One of the boys is wheelchair bound with cerebral palsy, while the other is blind and has autism.
Last June, Audre’y Eby, the twins’ Rosebud Sioux mother who resides in Nebraska, was jailed for a week in Iowa on kidnapping charges for refusing to return the boys back to their father after officials in Nebraska threatened her with child endangerment charges when they found evidence of abuse during an emergency room visit, in which blood and bruises were found on one of the boys’ groin area. The boys testified to officials in both states that their father’s girlfriend had kicked one of them after she caught him masturbating and that the father had threatened to “cut his privates off.”
Trapped between competing interstate jurisdictions, Eby said she had no choice but to keep her children, even though she subsequently went to jail in Iowa for trying to protect them from their abusers.
Eby kept the boys in Nebraska for a time, but subsequently moved them to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota in order to protect them from their father and his live-in girlfriend, both of whom have been placed on the Iowa Central Abuse Registry for physical abuse, denial of critical care and failure to provide proper supervision to the twins. In early October, the boys, who are now 17, were ordered to appear before Judge Edward Jacobson for testimony at a hearing, with which Eby complied. But rather than allowing the boys to testify as ordered, Jacobson instead ordered half a dozen police officers to physically remove the boys from their mother’s custody in the hallway of the courthouse in front of at least a dozen bystanders, who were shocked that the incident took place in such a public manner with no plan for a peaceful transfer, as usually is required under these circumstances. Eby said both boys were struggling and screaming to stay with her as they were being led away by law enforcement.
“Judge Jacobson said ‘I don’t allow children to testify in my court,’” said Eby. “The order was a ruse to get me to bring them [to Iowa] so they could take them from me.”
Subsequently, in a one-page ruling issued by Judge Edward Jacobson that only vaguely refers to the evidence that was presented, the boys were immediately ordered back to their father that day. Jacobson only mentioned that Eby had “absconded” with the children, in spite of the fact that the State of Nebraska had threatened her with child endangerment if she returned them to their father. Judge Jacobson also ordered that “Mr. Courtright shall have full care, custody, and control of both children. Visistation [sic] shall be at Mr. Courtright's discretion,” in spite of six founded charges of abuse on father’s record.
Eby has had no contact with her children since that time and that the boys’ father has threatened her that she will “never see them again” if she continues with the case.
“One can say that these young men fell through the cracks,” says Frank LaMere, the director of the Four Directions Community Center in Sioux City, Iowa. “The people over in Plymouth County absolutely knew what was happening to these boys and they turned a blind eye. The DHS and the officers of the court are very aware of the abuse charges against their father, but they feel no responsibility whatsoever in spite of the fact that these allegations have been confirmed and are on the record.”
LaMere says that he intends to be at the hearing on Friday, along with other members of the Native community to show their support for the twins and their mother, who they feel is victim of the racist policies toward Native parents in courtrooms across the country.
“If a Native man had six allegations of abuse on his record, he would be serving five to 10 years in prison,” said LaMere, who is a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. “But we have a white father and a white girlfriend with six founded charges and what does Judge Jacobson do? He gives the abused children back to their perpetrators and throws the Indian mother in jail. I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years of Indian child welfare experience.”
Next week, Eby and LaMere are scheduled to attend the 12th Annual March to Honor Lost Children in Sioux City. For 12 years, says LaMere, it has been necessary to organize these marches and events to raise awareness of the challenges faced by Native community members who find themselves locked in a never-ending battle with child welfare systems across the country.
“We have worked hard to build a good relationship with officials here in Woodbury County,” said LaMere. “But there are countless counties across the country that ignore the Indian Child Welfare Act. Sadly, they forget that ICWA is not a ‘defense’ strategy – it is federal law. And we want to ensure that they are attentive to the requirements of the law.”
Friday, August 22, 2014
Dad found guilty of 1st-degree murder in beating death of 7-week-old daughter; baby killed the first time he did infant care alone (Waterloo, Iowa)
Actually Daddy managed to kill the baby within ONE HOUR of his first attempt at infant care. It's too bad we don't have longer maternity leaves in this country....
Dad is identified as TREVOR EUGENE SMITH.
http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/father-sentenced-in-son-s-death/article_8b1116ca-ffd1-54f7-9d7a-14da769efeab.html
Father sentenced in daughter's death
August 18, 2014 5:00 pm • By Jeff Reinitz
WATERLOO | Aubriana Christian’s mother said she still struggles to understand what happened.
The 7-week-old baby girl died days after paramedics and police found her unresponsive in her Waterloo apartment Sept. 26, 2012. Jurors later found the child’s father, 28-year-old Trevor Eugene Smith, guilty of first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death.
On Monday, Samantha Christian told the court of her struggles with the loss in the form of a letter she wrote to the daughter.
“I’ve replayed it over and over in my mind, trying to imagine what went through your daddy’s mind. I can’t. I simply can’t bring myself to even fathom the thoughts that could have possibly entered his mind,” Samantha Christian said.
Prosecutors said Smith was left alone with Aubriana for the first time after the mother returned to work following maternity leave. About an hour after she left, Smith called 911 to report a problem with the child.
Authorities said Smith eventually admitted to shaking the baby because she wouldn’t stop crying. He said he also dropped her on a bed and let her fall back onto a changing table.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. I’m sorry you can’t be here to grow and laugh and play,” Samantha Christian said.
“We found justice for you, so you can rest peacefully, now,” she said.
Judge Kellyann Lekar sentenced Smith to life without parole, which is the mandatory sentenced for first-degree murder. Child endangerment is punishable by up to 50 years in prison, but that charge was combined with the life term. He also was ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution.
Smith declined to address the court Monday.
The defense requested a new trial, arguing that the state improperly used its witnesses to discredit a defense doctor before she could take the stand to testify. Lekar dismissed the motion for a new trial.
Dad is identified as TREVOR EUGENE SMITH.
http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/father-sentenced-in-son-s-death/article_8b1116ca-ffd1-54f7-9d7a-14da769efeab.html
Father sentenced in daughter's death
August 18, 2014 5:00 pm • By Jeff Reinitz
WATERLOO | Aubriana Christian’s mother said she still struggles to understand what happened.
The 7-week-old baby girl died days after paramedics and police found her unresponsive in her Waterloo apartment Sept. 26, 2012. Jurors later found the child’s father, 28-year-old Trevor Eugene Smith, guilty of first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death.
On Monday, Samantha Christian told the court of her struggles with the loss in the form of a letter she wrote to the daughter.
“I’ve replayed it over and over in my mind, trying to imagine what went through your daddy’s mind. I can’t. I simply can’t bring myself to even fathom the thoughts that could have possibly entered his mind,” Samantha Christian said.
Prosecutors said Smith was left alone with Aubriana for the first time after the mother returned to work following maternity leave. About an hour after she left, Smith called 911 to report a problem with the child.
Authorities said Smith eventually admitted to shaking the baby because she wouldn’t stop crying. He said he also dropped her on a bed and let her fall back onto a changing table.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. I’m sorry you can’t be here to grow and laugh and play,” Samantha Christian said.
“We found justice for you, so you can rest peacefully, now,” she said.
Judge Kellyann Lekar sentenced Smith to life without parole, which is the mandatory sentenced for first-degree murder. Child endangerment is punishable by up to 50 years in prison, but that charge was combined with the life term. He also was ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution.
Smith declined to address the court Monday.
The defense requested a new trial, arguing that the state improperly used its witnesses to discredit a defense doctor before she could take the stand to testify. Lekar dismissed the motion for a new trial.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)