The real unanswered questions that aren't even posed here. How did a felon father with a
history of alcohol abuse, parole violations with apparently no interest in childrearing get SOLE CUSTODY of a 2-year-old girl? Who was behind this process? Whatever happened to this child' mother? And notice that Daddy had only managed to keep it together for three freaking months before killing (and apparently sexually abusing) the child.
Dad is identified as ROBERT ROBERTSON III.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for the State of Texas.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/reprieve-for-texas-death-row-inmate-convicted-of-killing-daughter/
Reprieve for death row inmate convicted of killing daughter, 2
Robert Roberson, III
/ CBS Fort Worth
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Attorneys who contended "junk science" was used to send a father to death row for killing his 2-year-old daughter 14 years ago have won a reprieve blocking the Texas inmate's execution set for next week.
Robert Roberson III, 49, was set to die Tuesday for the February 2002 death of his daughter, Nikki Curtis, at his home in Palestine in East Texas. But the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals sent his case back to his Anderson County trial court late Thursday to review claims he is innocent of capital murder. There is no timetable for the appeal to be resolved. One judge on the nine-member court, Lawrence Meyers, voted to refuse the reprieve and dismiss the appeal.
Lawyers argued Roberson's conviction was based on "junk science" and "false, misleading and scientifically invalid testimony" and that new scientific evidence establishes he would not have been convicted.
The child had serious head injuries, and Roberson contended she accidentally fell from a bed. Medical staff at a Palestine hospital called police because they considered the injuries suspicious. Physicians who examined her said bruises to her chin, cheek and jaw and a subdural hematoma - bleeding outside her brain but inside her skull - likely were intentional and no accident.
Nikki died the next day, Feb. 1, 2002, and a medical examiner ruled blunt force head injuries as the cause.
Defense attorney Benjamin Wolff told the appeals court that Nikki's death could be attributed to a number of things, such as undiagnosed meningitis, an accidental injury before Roberson began caring for her the day she died, a fall from the bed he didn't see or a fatal congenital condition.
The Anderson County District Attorney's office did not immediately respond to a message left Friday.
According to court records, Nikki had been living with Roberson and his girlfriend, Teddie Cox, for about three months after a court awarded him custody of the child.
Testimony from Cox, who was not the child's mother, showed he had no interest in caring for his daughter, but was her sole caretaker for the first time on Jan. 31, 2002, and was not pleased.
Prosecutors initially said Roberson sexually assaulted the 2-year-old, based on statements from a hospital nurse, but dropped that element of the capital murder charge late in the trial when evidence could not conclusively support it.
"But by then, the damage had been done," Wolff said in Roberson's appeal. "The state used this rank speculation to drive home its view that Robert was not just a poor, mentally impaired father struggling with sobriety, but a deviant - capable of raping and brutally shaking his own daughter to death."
Roberson was a parolee with previous convictions for burglary and theft and parole violations.
At least seven other Texas inmates have executions scheduled for the coming months, including one in July and four in August.
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Monday, June 20, 2016
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Dad with history of DV who murdered two daughters during custody/visitation to be executed (Dallas, Texas)
The mental illness plea is nothing but a red herring. This is a classic coercive control murder. Daddy with an extensive history of domestic violence (against at least two women that we are told of) "losing control" so he murders two children to "punish" the mother.
And yet, a father with this history was still granted custody/visitation rights with two young girls. That's what's insane.
Children are abused by definition when they are forced to live in a home where the mother, their caretaker, is beaten up and verbally abused on a regular basis.
That the father had reportedly never physically abused the children up to this point is irrelevant. That is not uncommon. But kids are never safe with a violent narcissist who sees other humans--especially women and children--as mere objects he can use and dispose of as he sees fit. Clearly, the kids were simply collateral damage in his efforts to further abuse/control their mother.
Dad is identified as JOHN BATTAGLIA.
See the Killer Dads and Custody List for Texas.
People sometimes ask why the data is not easily broken down by year. Here's an example. These murders took place in 2001, before this blog/project was started. A news account about the crime didn't come into any of my news feeds until 15 years had passed.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3514282/Dallas-man-set-executed-death-daughters-9-6.html
'I'm too delusional to die': Accountant who killed his two daughters, nine and six, while his ex-wife listened on the phone makes last-ditch plea to avoid execution
TODAY John David Battaglia, 60, killed daughters Faith and Liberty in 2001
He is appealing for more time to prove he is mentally incompetent
The murders came after his ex-wife reported he was harassing her
Was arrested at a tattoo parlor, getting two roses to remember his girls
Battaglia is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday in Huntsville
ByAnneta Konstantinides For Dailymail.comand
Associated Press
Published: 12:19 EST, 29 March 2016 | Updated: 23:58 EST, 29 March 2016
A Texas accountant who is set to die by lethal injection for killing his two young daughters while his ex-wife was listening on the phone has appealed for a stay of execution.
John Battaglia, 60, was arrested in May 2001 for fatally shooting daughters Faith, nine, and Liberty, six, at his Dallas apartment after calling their mother, Mary Jean Pearle.
Battaglia is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday. He is appealing the US Supreme Court and the Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals for more time to prove he is mentally incompetent.
Attorney Gregory Gardner, who is petitioning to represent Battaglia, claims he is delusional and should be entitled to a reprieve so he can get a fair hearing to determine his psychological state.
'The Supreme Court has ruled that since before our country was founded, society does not tolerate the execution of the insane,' Gardner told NBC News.
Battaglia said he didn't feel like he killed his daughters, whom he referred to as his 'best little friends', during an interview with the Dallas Morning News in 2014.
'I am a little bit in the blank about what happened,' he said, adding that he had photos of his girls displayed on the walls of his prison cell.
Battaglia is also petitioning for a new attorney. Gardner argued that his court-appointed lawyer abandoned Battaglia after the US Supreme Court refused to review his case in January.
At the time of the shootings, Battaglia was on probation for a Christmas 1999 attack on Pearle, who he beat up in front of his daughters. The couple divorced in 2000.
Battaglia violated his probation the following year with a threatening phone call to Pearle in which he called her names and swore at her.
Pearle reported the incident and Battaglia learned on May 2, 2001 that a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
That night was meant to be his last visit with his daughters, before he surrendered.
Pearle soon received a message from her mother that one her girls wanted to speak to her.
When Pearle called them, Battaglia put her on speakerphone and told Faith to ask her mother: 'Why do you want Daddy to go to jail?'
That's when Pearle heard her daughter cry out: 'No, Daddy, please don't, don't do it.'
Pearle yelled into the phone for the girls to run and heard gunshots, followed by Battaglia telling her: 'Merry f****** Christmas'.
Evidence showed Faith had been shot three times, and Liberty five. A semiautomatic pistol found near the kitchen door was among more than a dozen firearms recovered from Battaglia's apartment.
Battaglia went to a bar with a girlfriend following the shootings, and then to a tattoo parlor. He was inked with two large roses on his left arm, meant to represent his daughters.
When he walked outside, it took four officers to subdue and arrest him at 2am. A fully loaded revolver was found in his truck.
It was later discovered that Battaglia had recorded one last message to his daughters.
'Goodnight my little babies,' he said. 'I hope you're resting in a different place. I love you, and I wish that you had nothing to do with your mother.'
'She was evil and vicious and stupid. I love you dearly.'
Battaglia's trial attorneys called no witnesses during the guilt-innocence portion of his capital murder trial in 2002, and a Dallas County jury deliberated only 19 minutes before convicting him.
During the punishment phase, jurors heard defense testimony that Battaglia's bipolar disorder and other mental illness issues should convince them that a life prison sentence would be appropriate. They did not agree.
'To think a father could just gun down his little girls, it was just unbelievable,' Howard Blackmon, the lead prosecutor in the case, recalled last week.
'It was such a compelling case for the death penalty.'
The Texas Attorney General's Office argued there is no evidence in his prison medical file that suggests Battaglia is 'mentally ill, delusional, divorced from reality, on psychiatric medication, or otherwise does not comprehend his imminent execution'.
'His last-minute appeal amounts to a fishing expedition,' said Erich Dryden, an assistant Texas attorney general. 'The Court should deny his request.'
Pearle revealed that Battaglia had a history of physical abuse, both against her and his ex-wife.
'He did tell me before we married that he had gotten into an argument and hit his ex-wife,' Pearle told ABC News in 2002.
'He didn't tell me that he'd broken her nose.'
Pearle endured nine years of marriage littered with Battaglia's verbal abuse and short temper, where he would call her names and go on tirades that could last for 20 minutes.
But not once, she said, did he ever lay a hand on their daughters.
'He never spanked the children. He never raised his voice to the children. He never grabbed their arm,' she said. 'He did nothing but was loving to them.'
And yet, a father with this history was still granted custody/visitation rights with two young girls. That's what's insane.
Children are abused by definition when they are forced to live in a home where the mother, their caretaker, is beaten up and verbally abused on a regular basis.
That the father had reportedly never physically abused the children up to this point is irrelevant. That is not uncommon. But kids are never safe with a violent narcissist who sees other humans--especially women and children--as mere objects he can use and dispose of as he sees fit. Clearly, the kids were simply collateral damage in his efforts to further abuse/control their mother.
Dad is identified as JOHN BATTAGLIA.
See the Killer Dads and Custody List for Texas.
People sometimes ask why the data is not easily broken down by year. Here's an example. These murders took place in 2001, before this blog/project was started. A news account about the crime didn't come into any of my news feeds until 15 years had passed.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3514282/Dallas-man-set-executed-death-daughters-9-6.html
'I'm too delusional to die': Accountant who killed his two daughters, nine and six, while his ex-wife listened on the phone makes last-ditch plea to avoid execution
TODAY John David Battaglia, 60, killed daughters Faith and Liberty in 2001
He is appealing for more time to prove he is mentally incompetent
The murders came after his ex-wife reported he was harassing her
Was arrested at a tattoo parlor, getting two roses to remember his girls
Battaglia is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday in Huntsville
ByAnneta Konstantinides For Dailymail.comand
Associated Press
Published: 12:19 EST, 29 March 2016 | Updated: 23:58 EST, 29 March 2016
A Texas accountant who is set to die by lethal injection for killing his two young daughters while his ex-wife was listening on the phone has appealed for a stay of execution.
John Battaglia, 60, was arrested in May 2001 for fatally shooting daughters Faith, nine, and Liberty, six, at his Dallas apartment after calling their mother, Mary Jean Pearle.
Battaglia is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday. He is appealing the US Supreme Court and the Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals for more time to prove he is mentally incompetent.
Attorney Gregory Gardner, who is petitioning to represent Battaglia, claims he is delusional and should be entitled to a reprieve so he can get a fair hearing to determine his psychological state.
'The Supreme Court has ruled that since before our country was founded, society does not tolerate the execution of the insane,' Gardner told NBC News.
Battaglia said he didn't feel like he killed his daughters, whom he referred to as his 'best little friends', during an interview with the Dallas Morning News in 2014.
'I am a little bit in the blank about what happened,' he said, adding that he had photos of his girls displayed on the walls of his prison cell.
Battaglia is also petitioning for a new attorney. Gardner argued that his court-appointed lawyer abandoned Battaglia after the US Supreme Court refused to review his case in January.
At the time of the shootings, Battaglia was on probation for a Christmas 1999 attack on Pearle, who he beat up in front of his daughters. The couple divorced in 2000.
Battaglia violated his probation the following year with a threatening phone call to Pearle in which he called her names and swore at her.
Pearle reported the incident and Battaglia learned on May 2, 2001 that a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
That night was meant to be his last visit with his daughters, before he surrendered.
Pearle soon received a message from her mother that one her girls wanted to speak to her.
When Pearle called them, Battaglia put her on speakerphone and told Faith to ask her mother: 'Why do you want Daddy to go to jail?'
That's when Pearle heard her daughter cry out: 'No, Daddy, please don't, don't do it.'
Pearle yelled into the phone for the girls to run and heard gunshots, followed by Battaglia telling her: 'Merry f****** Christmas'.
Evidence showed Faith had been shot three times, and Liberty five. A semiautomatic pistol found near the kitchen door was among more than a dozen firearms recovered from Battaglia's apartment.
Battaglia went to a bar with a girlfriend following the shootings, and then to a tattoo parlor. He was inked with two large roses on his left arm, meant to represent his daughters.
When he walked outside, it took four officers to subdue and arrest him at 2am. A fully loaded revolver was found in his truck.
It was later discovered that Battaglia had recorded one last message to his daughters.
'Goodnight my little babies,' he said. 'I hope you're resting in a different place. I love you, and I wish that you had nothing to do with your mother.'
'She was evil and vicious and stupid. I love you dearly.'
Battaglia's trial attorneys called no witnesses during the guilt-innocence portion of his capital murder trial in 2002, and a Dallas County jury deliberated only 19 minutes before convicting him.
During the punishment phase, jurors heard defense testimony that Battaglia's bipolar disorder and other mental illness issues should convince them that a life prison sentence would be appropriate. They did not agree.
'To think a father could just gun down his little girls, it was just unbelievable,' Howard Blackmon, the lead prosecutor in the case, recalled last week.
'It was such a compelling case for the death penalty.'
The Texas Attorney General's Office argued there is no evidence in his prison medical file that suggests Battaglia is 'mentally ill, delusional, divorced from reality, on psychiatric medication, or otherwise does not comprehend his imminent execution'.
'His last-minute appeal amounts to a fishing expedition,' said Erich Dryden, an assistant Texas attorney general. 'The Court should deny his request.'
Pearle revealed that Battaglia had a history of physical abuse, both against her and his ex-wife.
'He did tell me before we married that he had gotten into an argument and hit his ex-wife,' Pearle told ABC News in 2002.
'He didn't tell me that he'd broken her nose.'
Pearle endured nine years of marriage littered with Battaglia's verbal abuse and short temper, where he would call her names and go on tirades that could last for 20 minutes.
But not once, she said, did he ever lay a hand on their daughters.
'He never spanked the children. He never raised his voice to the children. He never grabbed their arm,' she said. 'He did nothing but was loving to them.'
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Teen dad who had broken up with baby's mom charged with capital murder in death of infant son (Edinburg, Texas)
Statistically, teen males are the most dangerous persons to have around infants--especially when they have broken up with the mother and are not bonded to her. They really should not have unsupervised custody/visitation rights for this reason. UNNAMED DAD.
http://www.krgv.com/story/31308334/teen-accused-in-sons-death-faces-judge
Teen Accused in Son’s Death Faces Judge
Posted: Feb 24, 2016 8:10 PM EST Updated: Feb 24, 2016 8:10 PM EST
EDINBURG – A 16-year-old charged with capital murder for the death of his infant son faced a judge again on Wednesday.
The teen will remain in juvenile detention until March 15, his next scheduled court appearance date. In the meantime, he’ll undergo a psychiatric evaluation to help decide how the case will proceed.
On Wednesday, new details were revealed about the case. The 16-year-old is only in ninth grade. He apparently had dropped out of school to work full-time to support his child.
The teen father and the 16-year-old mother of the baby broke up soon before the baby's death. The baby was alone with the father at his in-laws’ house, when he was found unresponsive.
The 16-year-old turned himself in, once the preliminary autopsy report revealed blunt force trauma to the baby’s head.
On Monday, the judge kept referring to an apparent confession in the case.
On Wednesday, the defense argued against the alleged confession. They said there are three statements from the teen; none are in his handwriting. Two of those statements were not notarized, and two did not have witnesses. The defense also said one statement was filed by a detaining officer, but the teen was not detained at the time of the statement.
“Confessions require constitutional safeguards,” said Robert Salinas, the teen’s court-appointed attorney. “You should be Mirandized by a judge. You should be reported your constitutional privileges, pursuant to Miranda versus Arizona. There is nothing in those statements that indicate they complied with the requirements of a voluntary accused statement.”
The teen father will turn 17 within the month. Judge Jesse Contreras said that doesn’t really change anything.
The judge expects the district attorney to file a petition to certify the teen as an adult, regardless of when his birthday is.
The baby who died was the teen’s only child.
http://www.krgv.com/story/31308334/teen-accused-in-sons-death-faces-judge
Teen Accused in Son’s Death Faces Judge
Posted: Feb 24, 2016 8:10 PM EST Updated: Feb 24, 2016 8:10 PM EST
EDINBURG – A 16-year-old charged with capital murder for the death of his infant son faced a judge again on Wednesday.
The teen will remain in juvenile detention until March 15, his next scheduled court appearance date. In the meantime, he’ll undergo a psychiatric evaluation to help decide how the case will proceed.
On Wednesday, new details were revealed about the case. The 16-year-old is only in ninth grade. He apparently had dropped out of school to work full-time to support his child.
The teen father and the 16-year-old mother of the baby broke up soon before the baby's death. The baby was alone with the father at his in-laws’ house, when he was found unresponsive.
The 16-year-old turned himself in, once the preliminary autopsy report revealed blunt force trauma to the baby’s head.
On Monday, the judge kept referring to an apparent confession in the case.
On Wednesday, the defense argued against the alleged confession. They said there are three statements from the teen; none are in his handwriting. Two of those statements were not notarized, and two did not have witnesses. The defense also said one statement was filed by a detaining officer, but the teen was not detained at the time of the statement.
“Confessions require constitutional safeguards,” said Robert Salinas, the teen’s court-appointed attorney. “You should be Mirandized by a judge. You should be reported your constitutional privileges, pursuant to Miranda versus Arizona. There is nothing in those statements that indicate they complied with the requirements of a voluntary accused statement.”
The teen father will turn 17 within the month. Judge Jesse Contreras said that doesn’t really change anything.
The judge expects the district attorney to file a petition to certify the teen as an adult, regardless of when his birthday is.
The baby who died was the teen’s only child.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Custodial dad, step accused of burning 7-year-old son (West Bend County, Texas)
Has to be a custodial father as there is no mention of a mother either reporting or ignoring the abuse. What happened to the mother is totally erased from the story, as often happens. Dad is identified as CHRISTOPHER FUNDERBURG, who clearly knows how to play the Clueless Daddy card.
http://abc13.com/news/boy-says-stepmom-burned-his-feet-as-punishment/1213383/
Couple accused in case of alleged child abuse that left boy's feet burned
By Kevin Quinn Monday, February 22, 2016 06:25PM
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Fort Bend county father and step-mother are accused of serious crimes for the way they allegedly punished their seven-year-old son and then refused to get him the medical attention he needed as a result.
Marie Horton, 27, is accused of injury to a child. She was just indicted by a grand jury following the September incident. According to court documents she was punishing the boy because she believed he lied about pulling the fire alarm at school. The boy told detectives that Horton filled the bath in their Waterview Estates home with water, held down his hands and put her foot against his legs to keep him in the tub. He says she told him, "If you don't stay in, I'll make you sit in the tub." Then he said she asked, "Why did you pull the alarm" and "Please tell me why so you can get out."
The burns were so bad, he told investigators, his skin was coming off immediately after he was finally let out of the tub. Doctors said they were second and third degree burns on his feet.
"Being a parent, that's not reason for punishment. You don't punish a child like that. That's abuse. Period," said neighbor Michelle Leban.
In court documents, Horton claims she turned on the water and left the bathroom, insisting she only realized something was wrong when she heard a fall and the boy screaming.
She's a registered nurse and says she didn't bring the child to the hospital because she thought she could take care of him by putting medicine on the injuries and wrapping them.
The boy's father, Christoper Funderburg, 29, is accused of injury to child by omission. He was at work when this happened. He says he didn't see his son's injuries until the next morning and told deputies he didn't think a trip to the ER was necessary because his wife, the nurse, was caring for his son. The boy though told detectives they didn't "know what to say to the doctors."
Horton admitted turning down the temperature on the hot water heater after the incident.
The boy told investigators it was not the first time he and his two siblings had been given what they call the "hot water punishment." The seven-year-old said Horton did this to him at least four times.
The attorney for Horton and Funderburg declined comment. Child Protective Services temporarily placed the boy and his two younger sisters with relatives. A CPS spokesperson says the boy is still recovering.
http://abc13.com/news/boy-says-stepmom-burned-his-feet-as-punishment/1213383/
Couple accused in case of alleged child abuse that left boy's feet burned
By Kevin Quinn Monday, February 22, 2016 06:25PM
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Fort Bend county father and step-mother are accused of serious crimes for the way they allegedly punished their seven-year-old son and then refused to get him the medical attention he needed as a result.
Marie Horton, 27, is accused of injury to a child. She was just indicted by a grand jury following the September incident. According to court documents she was punishing the boy because she believed he lied about pulling the fire alarm at school. The boy told detectives that Horton filled the bath in their Waterview Estates home with water, held down his hands and put her foot against his legs to keep him in the tub. He says she told him, "If you don't stay in, I'll make you sit in the tub." Then he said she asked, "Why did you pull the alarm" and "Please tell me why so you can get out."
The burns were so bad, he told investigators, his skin was coming off immediately after he was finally let out of the tub. Doctors said they were second and third degree burns on his feet.
"Being a parent, that's not reason for punishment. You don't punish a child like that. That's abuse. Period," said neighbor Michelle Leban.
In court documents, Horton claims she turned on the water and left the bathroom, insisting she only realized something was wrong when she heard a fall and the boy screaming.
She's a registered nurse and says she didn't bring the child to the hospital because she thought she could take care of him by putting medicine on the injuries and wrapping them.
The boy's father, Christoper Funderburg, 29, is accused of injury to child by omission. He was at work when this happened. He says he didn't see his son's injuries until the next morning and told deputies he didn't think a trip to the ER was necessary because his wife, the nurse, was caring for his son. The boy though told detectives they didn't "know what to say to the doctors."
Horton admitted turning down the temperature on the hot water heater after the incident.
The boy told investigators it was not the first time he and his two siblings had been given what they call the "hot water punishment." The seven-year-old said Horton did this to him at least four times.
The attorney for Horton and Funderburg declined comment. Child Protective Services temporarily placed the boy and his two younger sisters with relatives. A CPS spokesperson says the boy is still recovering.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Custodial dad on trial for capital murder for beating death of 3-year-old daughter (Fort Worth, Texas)
Though it's not reported here, we know from past coverage of this case that dad ROBERT MARQUIS LAMAR WILLIAMS was custodial. See prior reports here. Also see the Killer Dads and Custody List for Texas.
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/northeast-tarrant/article57179528.html
January 28, 2016 7:51 PM
Attorney in Hurst child killing case says prosecutors ‘flipped a coin’ to choose defendant . Robert Williams, , is accused of beating his three-year-old daughter to death so badly he ruptured her liver in 2013.
By Mitch Mitchell
FORT WORTH — Anastasia Williams, described at her father’s capital murder trial as a happy, playful toddler, must have been killed by one of the three people who lived with her, attorneys told a Tarrant County jury on Thursday.
The jury later began deliberating whether Robert Marquis Lamar Williams, 28, of Hurst, is guilty of capital murder. If convicted, Williams will automatically be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A life sentence is what prosecutors Melinda Westmoreland and Dale Smith asked for. In her closing statement, Westmoreland told the jury that the father never cared for the child.
“She’s lying dead in her bed and what does he do? He takes the urine out of her potty and uses it to pass a drug test,” Westmoreland said.
“What do you see on her hands? Those are defensive wounds,” Westmoreland said. “This little girl who was just 3 years old knew that her father was beating her to death, but she couldn’t stop him because she was 3.”
Anastasia died March 22, 2013 from a lacerated liver, the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office ruled.
But defense attorney Bethel T. Zahaie told jurors they had another choice.
Also in the house the day Anastasia died was Fred LaRue, 24, an unemployed aspiring rapper. In the beginning police agreed, but they changed their mind, Zahaie said.
LaRue, who at one time used “Satanic Slayer” as a YouTube handle, disappeared for four days after Anastasia’s death, according to witness testimony.
LaRue testified that he performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Anastasia and knew she was dead when he left the apartment to pawn his cellphone.
The only evidence that LaRue performed CPR is his statement, Zahaie said.
“There are wrong convictions,” Zahaie said. “They did not do a thorough investigation in this case.
Hurst doesn’t want to admit that they made a mistake and the state of Texas doesn’t want to admit that they made a mistake.”
Initially Williams told police that the last time he saw his daughter alive was 6 a.m. and later he said it was 9 a.m., Smith said.
Williams initially told Hurst Detective Jacob Eubanks that he fed Anastasia, and then said he could not remember whether he fed Anastasia or not, and then said later that he did not feed her, Smith said.
If investigators had found one ounce of evidence that LaRue is a violent man, they would have told prosecutors, Smith said.
“They treated her like a dog,” Smith said. “A dog who didn’t even get a bathroom. She had to defecate in her own room. Look how he treated her. That’s how you know that he killed her because he didn’t care.”
John Stickles, one of three attorneys representing Williams, told the jury that the state has taken all week proving that his client is not a good guy, that he was a bad parent, that he was poor and that Anastasia’s life was hell.
The trial is not about that, Stickles said.
“Seems to me what they did was flip a coin,” Stickles said. “Tails, Fred ‘Satanic Slayer’ did it. Heads Robert Williams did it. What I’m doing is turning Robert Williams’ life over to you.”
The jury was sent home Thursday afternoon and will resume deliberations Friday.
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/northeast-tarrant/article57179528.html
January 28, 2016 7:51 PM
Attorney in Hurst child killing case says prosecutors ‘flipped a coin’ to choose defendant . Robert Williams, , is accused of beating his three-year-old daughter to death so badly he ruptured her liver in 2013.
By Mitch Mitchell
FORT WORTH — Anastasia Williams, described at her father’s capital murder trial as a happy, playful toddler, must have been killed by one of the three people who lived with her, attorneys told a Tarrant County jury on Thursday.
The jury later began deliberating whether Robert Marquis Lamar Williams, 28, of Hurst, is guilty of capital murder. If convicted, Williams will automatically be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A life sentence is what prosecutors Melinda Westmoreland and Dale Smith asked for. In her closing statement, Westmoreland told the jury that the father never cared for the child.
“She’s lying dead in her bed and what does he do? He takes the urine out of her potty and uses it to pass a drug test,” Westmoreland said.
“What do you see on her hands? Those are defensive wounds,” Westmoreland said. “This little girl who was just 3 years old knew that her father was beating her to death, but she couldn’t stop him because she was 3.”
Anastasia died March 22, 2013 from a lacerated liver, the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office ruled.
But defense attorney Bethel T. Zahaie told jurors they had another choice.
LaRue, who at one time used “Satanic Slayer” as a YouTube handle, disappeared for four days after Anastasia’s death, according to witness testimony.
LaRue testified that he performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Anastasia and knew she was dead when he left the apartment to pawn his cellphone.
The only evidence that LaRue performed CPR is his statement, Zahaie said.
Hurst doesn’t want to admit that they made a mistake and the state of Texas doesn’t want to admit that they made a mistake.”
Seems to me what they did was flip a coin. Tails, Fred ‘Satanic Slayer’ did it. Heads Robert Williams did it, John Stickles, Williams defense attorney.
Prosecutor Smith told that Williams changed his story about Anastasia’s last day several times. Initially Williams told police that the last time he saw his daughter alive was 6 a.m. and later he said it was 9 a.m., Smith said.
Williams initially told Hurst Detective Jacob Eubanks that he fed Anastasia, and then said he could not remember whether he fed Anastasia or not, and then said later that he did not feed her, Smith said.
If investigators had found one ounce of evidence that LaRue is a violent man, they would have told prosecutors, Smith said.
“They treated her like a dog,” Smith said. “A dog who didn’t even get a bathroom. She had to defecate in her own room. Look how he treated her. That’s how you know that he killed her because he didn’t care.”
John Stickles, one of three attorneys representing Williams, told the jury that the state has taken all week proving that his client is not a good guy, that he was a bad parent, that he was poor and that Anastasia’s life was hell.
The trial is not about that, Stickles said.
“Seems to me what they did was flip a coin,” Stickles said. “Tails, Fred ‘Satanic Slayer’ did it. Heads Robert Williams did it. What I’m doing is turning Robert Williams’ life over to you.”
The jury was sent home Thursday afternoon and will resume deliberations Friday.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Dad charged in drowning death of 3-month-old daughter (Lubbock, Texas)
Dad is identified as MICHAEL LIVESAY.
http://www.kcbd.com/story/30202255/lubbock-father-indicted-charged-in-drowning-death-of-3-month-old-daughter
Lubbock father indicted, charged in drowning death of 3-month-old daughter
Posted: Oct 06, 2015 9:00 PM EST Updated: Oct 06, 2015 9:00 PM EST
By KCBD Staff
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - 27-year-old Michael Livesay has been indicted on felony charges of injury to a child after the drowning death of his daughter Vera.
Emergency crews were called out to the 6100 block of 37th Street just after 10:45 a.m. on Sept. 23 in reference to a possible drowning. The infant was taken by ambulance to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
According to the arrest warrant, Livesay says he woke up with his daughter at 8 a.m. Wednesday and around 8:45 a.m. placed her in the bathtub in a bathtub seat before turning the water on.
Livesay says he scooted the infant toward the drain so the water was on her feet.
Livesay says he left the bathroom with the water still running. He says he then sat on the couch in the living room around 9 a.m. but fell asleep while Vera was alone in the bathtub. Around 9:15 a.m., Livesay woke up and realized Vera was still in the bathtub.
Livesay says he found his daughter face down in the bathtub full of water. He says the bathtub was two inches from overflowing. He grabbed Vera and ran to a neighbor's house, but says no one would help call 911. So, he ran back to his house and performed CPR on Vera for five minutes.
Livesay then called 911. Livesay told investigators at the scene that he had smoked marijuana on Tuesday. Livesay says this was the second time he had accidentally left Vera in the bathtub. The previous incident happened on September 18. He says the incident on Friday happened because he went to make coffee and had a towel stopping the drain. He says he saw the bathtub seat begin to rise in the water and got Vera out.
No other children were home at the time.
http://www.kcbd.com/story/30202255/lubbock-father-indicted-charged-in-drowning-death-of-3-month-old-daughter
Lubbock father indicted, charged in drowning death of 3-month-old daughter
Posted: Oct 06, 2015 9:00 PM EST Updated: Oct 06, 2015 9:00 PM EST
By KCBD Staff
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - 27-year-old Michael Livesay has been indicted on felony charges of injury to a child after the drowning death of his daughter Vera.
Emergency crews were called out to the 6100 block of 37th Street just after 10:45 a.m. on Sept. 23 in reference to a possible drowning. The infant was taken by ambulance to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
According to the arrest warrant, Livesay says he woke up with his daughter at 8 a.m. Wednesday and around 8:45 a.m. placed her in the bathtub in a bathtub seat before turning the water on.
Livesay says he scooted the infant toward the drain so the water was on her feet.
Livesay says he left the bathroom with the water still running. He says he then sat on the couch in the living room around 9 a.m. but fell asleep while Vera was alone in the bathtub. Around 9:15 a.m., Livesay woke up and realized Vera was still in the bathtub.
Livesay says he found his daughter face down in the bathtub full of water. He says the bathtub was two inches from overflowing. He grabbed Vera and ran to a neighbor's house, but says no one would help call 911. So, he ran back to his house and performed CPR on Vera for five minutes.
Livesay then called 911. Livesay told investigators at the scene that he had smoked marijuana on Tuesday. Livesay says this was the second time he had accidentally left Vera in the bathtub. The previous incident happened on September 18. He says the incident on Friday happened because he went to make coffee and had a towel stopping the drain. He says he saw the bathtub seat begin to rise in the water and got Vera out.
No other children were home at the time.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
One abuser dad gets 20 year, another acquitted (Houston, Texas)
The convicted dad is identified as SHAQUILLE LERON RAWLINS. He abandoned an 18-month-old infant with a skull fracture who later died.
Somehow dad LAPHONSON BATISTE got off, though three women from his own family thought he was guilty. But then the courts ignore what women think. Even the doctors thought he burned his baby girl intentionally. That didn't matter either.
http://www.theexaminer.com/stories/news/child%E2%80%99s-death-brings-20-year-sentence
Child’s death brings 20-year sentence
Submitted by James Shannon on September 28, 2015 - 12:00am .
The grim procession of cases involving battered babies continued at the Jefferson County Courthouse this week.
Ja’Myra Nicole Rawlins was 18 months old on Sept. 12, 2013 when EMS personnel responding to a 911 call found her unresponsive at her North End home. The baby’s mother, Jazmine Thomas, told police she had left Ja’Myra with her father while she ran errands only to return and find her unconscious. The baby’s father, Shaquille Leron Rawlins, 20, had fled the house on foot before police and the ambulance arrived.
When police caught up with Rawlins, he denied any knowledge of how the injuries occurred but later claimed that while babysitting the child, he had tossed her into the air and failed to catch her, causing her to land on her head. He was arrested for causing injury to a child and jailed jailed on a $25,000 bond.
Ja’Myra was transported to Christus St. Elizabeth emergency room in critical condition, then immediately transferred to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, where she died two days later. Murder charges were filed against Rawlins after a preliminary autopsy conducted by the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office showed the young girl suffered a skull fracture with bleeding and bruising to both sides of her brain. The pathologist said he did not think the actions described by the suspect could have caused the injuries he observed, according to the arrest affidavit.
The murder charge was eventually reduced to reckless injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, no doubt because prosecutors had reason to fear the actions a jury might take. These cases can be difficult to prove; the young victims cannot testify, even when they survive.
Jurors recently acquitted a father on charges he intentionally or recklessly burned his baby daughter in August 2012. Laphonson Batiste’s mother, grandmother and sister believed him guilty, but a jury in Judge Raquel West’s court disagreed.
Doctors who treated Batiste’s daughter, Kimberly, testified her father intentionally dipped her in scalding water. She suffered second and third degree burns to 43 percent of her body and was treated in the ICU at Shriners Burn Hospital in Galveston. Because the child was burned on her back and bottom but not her legs, doctors believed Laphonson Batiste dipped his daughter in hot water. The jury didn’t buy it.
In the Rawlin’s case, prosecutor Ashley Molfino – perhaps mindful of what happened in the Batiste case – reluctantly agreed to a reduced charge, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. She was prepared to press for the maximum sentence for the life of Ja’Myra Rawlins.
That set the stage for a hearing this week in Criminal District Court for Judge John Stevens to accept Rawlins’ guilty plea to the reduced charge and pronounce sentence. Rawlins’ mother stood dry-eyed before the bench to ask for leniency for son.
“What about your grandchild?” asked an incredulous Judge Stevens.
“I lock myself in the bathroom or in my car to grieve privately for her,” she replied, and again asked the court to give him probation. Rawlins’ attorney, Sean Villery-Samuel, noted that because he had never been convicted of a felony, Rawlins was indeed eligible for probation. Stevens kept referring to the autopsy report describing the baby’s injuries, including a bruised sternum, multiple scratches, bruises and bite marks, which the defendant admitted inflicting.
But he had an explanation. “That’s just nibbling, know what I’m saying,” he offered.
Judge Stevens attached special significance to Rawlins leaving the scene. “The guilty flee where no man purseth, the righteous are as bold as a lion,” he said, citing Proverbs 28:1 and noting Rawlins did nothing to aid his wounded child.
Prosecutor Molfino, a catch in her voice and tears in her eyes – perhaps mindful of her own young child – reminded the court how this baby had suffered, and again asked for the maximum sentence of 20 years.
This list of the injuries inflicted on Ja’Myra finally proved too much for another defendant awaiting his hearing in orange jump suit, handcuffs and leg chains who broke courtroom decorum by loudly shouting, “Get me out of here; I can’t stand hearing this.”
Judge Stevens immediately ordered him to be silent. “Put your fingers in your ears if you have to,” said the judge. “You’ve got problems of your own,” a reference to the felony DWI charge that defendant was facing, reportedly with children in his car at the time he was arrested.
Extra deputies ringed the courtroom packed with Rawlins’ friends and family, who sat in silence as the judge made Rawlins acknowledge the elements of his guilty plea. Villery-Samuel asked for probation one final time before Judge Stevens imposed a sentence of 20 years in the institutional division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. There were groans from the audience and angry talk as they filed out. Loud weeping could be heard out in the hall from people who were somehow convinced he would get probation, as if the two years he had been jailed since Ja’Myra’s death had been sufficient atonement. There were reportedly postings on a Facebook page for a “Welcome Home, Shaq” party, but two years is not near enough in Judge Stevens court for the death of a child. The loud crying and angry shouts continued into the parking lot as deputies struggled to maintain order as rival groups of family members screamed at each other. The Beaumont Police responded to the scene and finally broke up the disturbance without violence.
Sometime later, shouts and screams could be heard from the holding cells behind the courtroom as Rawlins’ sentence got off to a rough start when he was attacked by the inmate who recoiled at his crimes.
Somehow dad LAPHONSON BATISTE got off, though three women from his own family thought he was guilty. But then the courts ignore what women think. Even the doctors thought he burned his baby girl intentionally. That didn't matter either.
http://www.theexaminer.com/stories/news/child%E2%80%99s-death-brings-20-year-sentence
Child’s death brings 20-year sentence
Submitted by James Shannon on September 28, 2015 - 12:00am .
The grim procession of cases involving battered babies continued at the Jefferson County Courthouse this week.
Ja’Myra Nicole Rawlins was 18 months old on Sept. 12, 2013 when EMS personnel responding to a 911 call found her unresponsive at her North End home. The baby’s mother, Jazmine Thomas, told police she had left Ja’Myra with her father while she ran errands only to return and find her unconscious. The baby’s father, Shaquille Leron Rawlins, 20, had fled the house on foot before police and the ambulance arrived.
When police caught up with Rawlins, he denied any knowledge of how the injuries occurred but later claimed that while babysitting the child, he had tossed her into the air and failed to catch her, causing her to land on her head. He was arrested for causing injury to a child and jailed jailed on a $25,000 bond.
Ja’Myra was transported to Christus St. Elizabeth emergency room in critical condition, then immediately transferred to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, where she died two days later. Murder charges were filed against Rawlins after a preliminary autopsy conducted by the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office showed the young girl suffered a skull fracture with bleeding and bruising to both sides of her brain. The pathologist said he did not think the actions described by the suspect could have caused the injuries he observed, according to the arrest affidavit.
The murder charge was eventually reduced to reckless injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, no doubt because prosecutors had reason to fear the actions a jury might take. These cases can be difficult to prove; the young victims cannot testify, even when they survive.
Jurors recently acquitted a father on charges he intentionally or recklessly burned his baby daughter in August 2012. Laphonson Batiste’s mother, grandmother and sister believed him guilty, but a jury in Judge Raquel West’s court disagreed.
Doctors who treated Batiste’s daughter, Kimberly, testified her father intentionally dipped her in scalding water. She suffered second and third degree burns to 43 percent of her body and was treated in the ICU at Shriners Burn Hospital in Galveston. Because the child was burned on her back and bottom but not her legs, doctors believed Laphonson Batiste dipped his daughter in hot water. The jury didn’t buy it.
In the Rawlin’s case, prosecutor Ashley Molfino – perhaps mindful of what happened in the Batiste case – reluctantly agreed to a reduced charge, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. She was prepared to press for the maximum sentence for the life of Ja’Myra Rawlins.
That set the stage for a hearing this week in Criminal District Court for Judge John Stevens to accept Rawlins’ guilty plea to the reduced charge and pronounce sentence. Rawlins’ mother stood dry-eyed before the bench to ask for leniency for son.
“What about your grandchild?” asked an incredulous Judge Stevens.
“I lock myself in the bathroom or in my car to grieve privately for her,” she replied, and again asked the court to give him probation. Rawlins’ attorney, Sean Villery-Samuel, noted that because he had never been convicted of a felony, Rawlins was indeed eligible for probation. Stevens kept referring to the autopsy report describing the baby’s injuries, including a bruised sternum, multiple scratches, bruises and bite marks, which the defendant admitted inflicting.
But he had an explanation. “That’s just nibbling, know what I’m saying,” he offered.
Judge Stevens attached special significance to Rawlins leaving the scene. “The guilty flee where no man purseth, the righteous are as bold as a lion,” he said, citing Proverbs 28:1 and noting Rawlins did nothing to aid his wounded child.
Prosecutor Molfino, a catch in her voice and tears in her eyes – perhaps mindful of her own young child – reminded the court how this baby had suffered, and again asked for the maximum sentence of 20 years.
This list of the injuries inflicted on Ja’Myra finally proved too much for another defendant awaiting his hearing in orange jump suit, handcuffs and leg chains who broke courtroom decorum by loudly shouting, “Get me out of here; I can’t stand hearing this.”
Judge Stevens immediately ordered him to be silent. “Put your fingers in your ears if you have to,” said the judge. “You’ve got problems of your own,” a reference to the felony DWI charge that defendant was facing, reportedly with children in his car at the time he was arrested.
Extra deputies ringed the courtroom packed with Rawlins’ friends and family, who sat in silence as the judge made Rawlins acknowledge the elements of his guilty plea. Villery-Samuel asked for probation one final time before Judge Stevens imposed a sentence of 20 years in the institutional division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. There were groans from the audience and angry talk as they filed out. Loud weeping could be heard out in the hall from people who were somehow convinced he would get probation, as if the two years he had been jailed since Ja’Myra’s death had been sufficient atonement. There were reportedly postings on a Facebook page for a “Welcome Home, Shaq” party, but two years is not near enough in Judge Stevens court for the death of a child. The loud crying and angry shouts continued into the parking lot as deputies struggled to maintain order as rival groups of family members screamed at each other. The Beaumont Police responded to the scene and finally broke up the disturbance without violence.
Sometime later, shouts and screams could be heard from the holding cells behind the courtroom as Rawlins’ sentence got off to a rough start when he was attacked by the inmate who recoiled at his crimes.
Monday, September 7, 2015
3-month-old baby injured by dad has died (Corpus Christi, Texas)
Dad is identified as RENE ANTHONY GARCIA.
http://www.caller.com/news/local/infant-injured-in-shaking-dies-1f1c976f-f1bc-0a8d-e053-0100007f47b3-325205001.html
Infant injured in shaking dies
by Staff Reports of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Posted: September 6, 2015 10:21 PM
An infant who police said was violently shaken by his father has died, officials said.
The 3-month-old boy died about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, said John Lennan with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
The boy's 46-year-old father was arrested Thursday after Corpus Christi police responded to a call about 3:45 p.m. for an unresponsive infant in the 4900 block of High Meadow Drive on the city's Southside.
The parents were attempting to administer CPR to the baby when officers arrived, according to a police news release Thursday. The baby had been on life support at Driscoll Children's Hospital.
Officers arrested Rene Anthony Garcia on suspicion of injury to a child, elderly or disabled, which is a first-degree felony.
His bail is set at $100,000, jail officials said. Police have said Garcia's charges may be ungraded.
The child's 25-year-old mother was home at the time of the incident, but she is not expected to be charged with a crime, police said.
http://www.caller.com/news/local/infant-injured-in-shaking-dies-1f1c976f-f1bc-0a8d-e053-0100007f47b3-325205001.html
Infant injured in shaking dies
by Staff Reports of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Posted: September 6, 2015 10:21 PM
An infant who police said was violently shaken by his father has died, officials said.
The 3-month-old boy died about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, said John Lennan with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
The boy's 46-year-old father was arrested Thursday after Corpus Christi police responded to a call about 3:45 p.m. for an unresponsive infant in the 4900 block of High Meadow Drive on the city's Southside.
The parents were attempting to administer CPR to the baby when officers arrived, according to a police news release Thursday. The baby had been on life support at Driscoll Children's Hospital.
Officers arrested Rene Anthony Garcia on suspicion of injury to a child, elderly or disabled, which is a first-degree felony.
His bail is set at $100,000, jail officials said. Police have said Garcia's charges may be ungraded.
The child's 25-year-old mother was home at the time of the incident, but she is not expected to be charged with a crime, police said.
Dad gets life sentence for sexually abusing daughter during visitation (Fort Worth, Texas)
Notice the use of the passive tense here: "he was granted regular visitation." WHO granted sick pedo dad DANIEL GARCIA JR. visitation when he had had no contact with this girl from birth to seven? Was any of his past history with the step children known at that time?
http://www.wfaa.com/story/entertainment/television/2015/09/05/fort-worth-father-abuse-sentence/71790138/
North Texas man given life sentence for abuse of daughter
Marjorie Owens, WFAA 9:37 p.m. CDT September 5, 2015
FORT WORTH — A young girl's desire to connect with her father led to a tragic case of abuse that prosecutors say ultimately led to her "stolen innocence."
Daniel Garcia Jr. was sentenced to life in prison by a grand jury for sexually abusing his daughter over four years after he was granted regular visitations.
At the age of 7, the victim asked her mother if she could meet Garcia, her biological father, read a statement from District Attorney Sharen Wilson. Soon after their initial meeting, he was granted regular visitations, and the abuse began.
Prosecutors say the child endured abuse that escalated over a four-year period. "The girl, now a tween, quietly recounted her memories of the abuse to the jury the first day of the trial," Wilson said.
During her testimony, the young girl recounted how in addition to the abuse, she was forced to look at graphic pornography, including images of bestiality. "
And investigators recovered graphic Internet searches on Garcia's laptop, such as 'sex with my young daughter,'" Wilson said. "His laptop also revealed evidence Garcia had installed software enabling online peer file-sharing, regularly utilized by those possessing child pornography."
Garcia's father also took the stand. Previous to the abuse, the elderly father and his wife were granted custody of two of Garcia's other children. He also told the jury the father of two of Garcia's previous stepchildren also accused him of sexual abuse. Angered, the man attempted to shoot Garcia, but instead shot Garcia's father, who attempted to block the gunfire.
"This case was an ugly glimpse into the mind of a pedophile," said prosecutor David Alex. "I pray that we can break the stronghold they have over their young victims and get more of them off the streets."
http://www.wfaa.com/story/entertainment/television/2015/09/05/fort-worth-father-abuse-sentence/71790138/
North Texas man given life sentence for abuse of daughter
Marjorie Owens, WFAA 9:37 p.m. CDT September 5, 2015
FORT WORTH — A young girl's desire to connect with her father led to a tragic case of abuse that prosecutors say ultimately led to her "stolen innocence."
Daniel Garcia Jr. was sentenced to life in prison by a grand jury for sexually abusing his daughter over four years after he was granted regular visitations.
At the age of 7, the victim asked her mother if she could meet Garcia, her biological father, read a statement from District Attorney Sharen Wilson. Soon after their initial meeting, he was granted regular visitations, and the abuse began.
Prosecutors say the child endured abuse that escalated over a four-year period. "The girl, now a tween, quietly recounted her memories of the abuse to the jury the first day of the trial," Wilson said.
During her testimony, the young girl recounted how in addition to the abuse, she was forced to look at graphic pornography, including images of bestiality. "
And investigators recovered graphic Internet searches on Garcia's laptop, such as 'sex with my young daughter,'" Wilson said. "His laptop also revealed evidence Garcia had installed software enabling online peer file-sharing, regularly utilized by those possessing child pornography."
Garcia's father also took the stand. Previous to the abuse, the elderly father and his wife were granted custody of two of Garcia's other children. He also told the jury the father of two of Garcia's previous stepchildren also accused him of sexual abuse. Angered, the man attempted to shoot Garcia, but instead shot Garcia's father, who attempted to block the gunfire.
"This case was an ugly glimpse into the mind of a pedophile," said prosecutor David Alex. "I pray that we can break the stronghold they have over their young victims and get more of them off the streets."
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Joint custody dad kills 11-year-old daughter in murder-suicide (Fort Worth, Texas)
Yet another violent, controlling, narcissistic father who NEVER should have been allowed any child access after separation.
Not clear why this is an UNNAMED DAD.
http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/tarrant-county/2015/09/06/murder-suicide-suspected-after-girl-father-found-dead/71808044/
Murder-suicide suspected after girl, father found dead
WFAA Staff, WFAA.com 8:15 a.m. CDT September 6, 2015
FORT WORTH — An 11-year-old girl was found dead with her father Sunday morning in what police believe was a murder-suicide.
This happened overnight in the 36-hundred block of Mountcastle Drive in southeast Fort Worth.
Investigators said they responded to a "shooting call" around 4:30 a.m. Sunday. They found distraught relatives in the front yard of the home; the child and her 37-year-old father were dead inside from gunshot wounds.
"He and the mother had recently separated," Fort Worth police spokesman Lt. R.L. Krouse told reporters. "She was over here because this was her weekend to spend with her father."
Krouse said no one else was in the residence at the time of the shooting. The names of the dead have not been released.
Not clear why this is an UNNAMED DAD.
http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/tarrant-county/2015/09/06/murder-suicide-suspected-after-girl-father-found-dead/71808044/
Murder-suicide suspected after girl, father found dead
WFAA Staff, WFAA.com 8:15 a.m. CDT September 6, 2015
FORT WORTH — An 11-year-old girl was found dead with her father Sunday morning in what police believe was a murder-suicide.
This happened overnight in the 36-hundred block of Mountcastle Drive in southeast Fort Worth.
Investigators said they responded to a "shooting call" around 4:30 a.m. Sunday. They found distraught relatives in the front yard of the home; the child and her 37-year-old father were dead inside from gunshot wounds.
"He and the mother had recently separated," Fort Worth police spokesman Lt. R.L. Krouse told reporters. "She was over here because this was her weekend to spend with her father."
Krouse said no one else was in the residence at the time of the shooting. The names of the dead have not been released.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Dad arrested for injuring 3-month-old son; baby on life support (Corpus Christi, Texas)
Dad is identified as RENE ANTHONY GARCIA.
http://www.kiiitv.com/story/29961179/father-arrested-for-injury-to-a-child-three-month-old-on-life-support
Father Arrested for Injury to a Child, Three-Month Old on Life Support
Posted: Sep 04, 2015 12:35 PM EST Updated: Sep 04, 2015 6:01 PM EST
FROM THE CORPUS CHRISTI POLICE DEPARTMENT - A three-month old boy is on life support after he was shaken Thursday night, allegedly by his father, and nurses say they are not optimistic about the baby's recovery.
The father, 46-year old Rene Anthony Garcia, was arrested and charged with injury to a child. If the child dies, those charges will be upgraded to capital murder.
It was Thursday afternoon when Corpus Christi police responded to a home in the 4900 block of High Meadow Drive for a report of a three-month old baby not breathing, with CPR in progress. Officers arrived and found both parents of the little boy inside the residence. The baby was unresponsive and transported to Driscoll Children's Hospital in critical condition.
Corpus Christi Police Family Violence Detectives responded and during an investigation, it was determined that the child's father, 46-year old Rene Anthony Garcia, had physically assaulted the child by shaking him.
The father was arrested on charges of injury to a child, a first degree felony. The 25-year old mother, who was home at the time, has not been charged with a crime. There were no other children at the home.
At last report the child was on life support at the hospital and not expected to survive. If the child does die, charges against the father could be upgraded to capital murder.
http://www.kiiitv.com/story/29961179/father-arrested-for-injury-to-a-child-three-month-old-on-life-support
Father Arrested for Injury to a Child, Three-Month Old on Life Support
Posted: Sep 04, 2015 12:35 PM EST Updated: Sep 04, 2015 6:01 PM EST
FROM THE CORPUS CHRISTI POLICE DEPARTMENT - A three-month old boy is on life support after he was shaken Thursday night, allegedly by his father, and nurses say they are not optimistic about the baby's recovery.
The father, 46-year old Rene Anthony Garcia, was arrested and charged with injury to a child. If the child dies, those charges will be upgraded to capital murder.
It was Thursday afternoon when Corpus Christi police responded to a home in the 4900 block of High Meadow Drive for a report of a three-month old baby not breathing, with CPR in progress. Officers arrived and found both parents of the little boy inside the residence. The baby was unresponsive and transported to Driscoll Children's Hospital in critical condition.
Corpus Christi Police Family Violence Detectives responded and during an investigation, it was determined that the child's father, 46-year old Rene Anthony Garcia, had physically assaulted the child by shaking him.
The father was arrested on charges of injury to a child, a first degree felony. The 25-year old mother, who was home at the time, has not been charged with a crime. There were no other children at the home.
At last report the child was on life support at the hospital and not expected to survive. If the child does die, charges against the father could be upgraded to capital murder.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Dad pleads guilty to death of 18-month-old daughter (Beaumont, Texas)
Dad is identified as SHAQUILLE LERON RAWLINS.
http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Beaumont-father-admits-child-injury-6461960.php
Beaumont father admits child injury
By Manuella Libardi Published 10:32 am, Monday, August 24, 2015
A Beaumont man accused in the death of his toddler daughter could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison at a hearing next month.
Shaquille Leron Rawlins, 22, pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of injury to a child in the 2013 death of his 18-month-old daughter Ja'Myra. Rawlins, who was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury for murder, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge as part of a plea agreement with the state.
While Ja'Myra's autopsy showed she died from trauma to her head, prosecutors said they could not seek a murder conviction because the state could not prove Rawlins intended to kill the girl.
"As horrible as it is ... you have to work within the constraints of law," said Assistant District Attorney Ashley Molfino on Friday.
Rawlins, represented by Beaumont attorney Sean Villery-Samuel, faces between two and 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 at his Sept. 21 sentencing hearing.
According to a probable cause affidavit in the case, Rawlins was watching Ja'Myra on Sept. 12, 2013, when he said he accidentally dropped the toddler.
He told Beaumont police detectives that he threw Ja'Myra up in the air and failed to catch her. Rawlins said the toddler hit her head against the concrete floor and then stopped moving, the affidavit shows.
Ja'Myra's mother, who had been out running errands, called 911 when she returned home and found the girl unresponsive.
She was taken to a local hospital, but was later transferred via helicopter to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, where she was pronounced dead two days later.
According to her autopsy, Ja'Myra died from a skull fracture that caused bleeding and bruising to both sides of her brain.
The pathologist with the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office who performed the girl's autopsy said he did not think the events Rawlins described could have caused the injuries, according to the affidavit.
Rawlins first told detectives, who observed the girl had injuries to her chest and back, that he did not know what happened to Ja'Myra.
He said he left her alone only briefly and then found her unconscious.
It was later that he told detectives he accidentally dropped the girl, the affidavit said.
http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Beaumont-father-admits-child-injury-6461960.php
Beaumont father admits child injury
By Manuella Libardi Published 10:32 am, Monday, August 24, 2015
A Beaumont man accused in the death of his toddler daughter could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison at a hearing next month.
Shaquille Leron Rawlins, 22, pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of injury to a child in the 2013 death of his 18-month-old daughter Ja'Myra. Rawlins, who was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury for murder, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge as part of a plea agreement with the state.
While Ja'Myra's autopsy showed she died from trauma to her head, prosecutors said they could not seek a murder conviction because the state could not prove Rawlins intended to kill the girl.
"As horrible as it is ... you have to work within the constraints of law," said Assistant District Attorney Ashley Molfino on Friday.
Rawlins, represented by Beaumont attorney Sean Villery-Samuel, faces between two and 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 at his Sept. 21 sentencing hearing.
According to a probable cause affidavit in the case, Rawlins was watching Ja'Myra on Sept. 12, 2013, when he said he accidentally dropped the toddler.
He told Beaumont police detectives that he threw Ja'Myra up in the air and failed to catch her. Rawlins said the toddler hit her head against the concrete floor and then stopped moving, the affidavit shows.
Ja'Myra's mother, who had been out running errands, called 911 when she returned home and found the girl unresponsive.
She was taken to a local hospital, but was later transferred via helicopter to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, where she was pronounced dead two days later.
According to her autopsy, Ja'Myra died from a skull fracture that caused bleeding and bruising to both sides of her brain.
The pathologist with the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office who performed the girl's autopsy said he did not think the events Rawlins described could have caused the injuries, according to the affidavit.
Rawlins first told detectives, who observed the girl had injuries to her chest and back, that he did not know what happened to Ja'Myra.
He said he left her alone only briefly and then found her unconscious.
It was later that he told detectives he accidentally dropped the girl, the affidavit said.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Dad accused of violently shaking 3-month-old son, throwing him off bed (Atascosa County, Texas)
Dad is identified as JOSE ANTHONY JUAREZ JR.
http://www.foxsanantonio.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/father-accused-violently-shaking-3monthold-son-knocking-him-off-bed-15250.shtml#.VdSWD_-FMth
Father accused of violently shaking 3-month-old son, knocking him off bed
Updated: Wednesday, August 19 2015, 06:44 AM CDT 9
By MELISSA VEGA Fox San Antonio
ATASCOSA COUNTY -- A father is sitting in jail, and his 3-month-old son is in the hospital. Officials say the injuries are so bad, the baby may not survive.
Jose Anthony Juarez Jr. was arrested and booked into the Atascosa County Jail Monday night. According to Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward, the 26-year-old has been charged with a first degree felony of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury.
Soward tells Fox San Antonio deputies responded to a home off Dogosh Road Sunday evening, and found a baby boy who wasn't breathing.
The three month old baby was rushed to Southwest Regional Medical Center in Jourdanton, and later transported to a San Antonio Hospital.
"According to medical personnel, it does not look good for the little boy", said Soward. Soward went on to say when investigators interviewed Juarez a second time, he allegedly admitted to shaking his son.
"In his confession to Sheriff's investigators he admitted to violently shaking the baby two times for about 8 to 10 seconds each, and then tossed the child on the bed, spun the child with his arm, and knocked the baby off the bed onto the floor", added Soward.
Soward says it took Juarez about an hour before he called 9-1-1, and his first phone call was to the child's mother.
The child's mother told Juarez to call authorities. If the baby does not survive, Soward says Juarez' charge could possibly be upgraded to Capital Murder.
http://www.foxsanantonio.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/father-accused-violently-shaking-3monthold-son-knocking-him-off-bed-15250.shtml#.VdSWD_-FMth
Father accused of violently shaking 3-month-old son, knocking him off bed
Updated: Wednesday, August 19 2015, 06:44 AM CDT 9
By MELISSA VEGA Fox San Antonio
ATASCOSA COUNTY -- A father is sitting in jail, and his 3-month-old son is in the hospital. Officials say the injuries are so bad, the baby may not survive.
Jose Anthony Juarez Jr. was arrested and booked into the Atascosa County Jail Monday night. According to Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward, the 26-year-old has been charged with a first degree felony of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury.
Soward tells Fox San Antonio deputies responded to a home off Dogosh Road Sunday evening, and found a baby boy who wasn't breathing.
The three month old baby was rushed to Southwest Regional Medical Center in Jourdanton, and later transported to a San Antonio Hospital.
"According to medical personnel, it does not look good for the little boy", said Soward. Soward went on to say when investigators interviewed Juarez a second time, he allegedly admitted to shaking his son.
"In his confession to Sheriff's investigators he admitted to violently shaking the baby two times for about 8 to 10 seconds each, and then tossed the child on the bed, spun the child with his arm, and knocked the baby off the bed onto the floor", added Soward.
Soward says it took Juarez about an hour before he called 9-1-1, and his first phone call was to the child's mother.
The child's mother told Juarez to call authorities. If the baby does not survive, Soward says Juarez' charge could possibly be upgraded to Capital Murder.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Violent dad murders mom during child custody exchange (Houston, Texas)
This is what happens when fathers rights are privileged over the rights of women and children to basic safety and security.
UNNAMED DAD.
2 Children Witness Father Kill Mother, Self: Police
Updated at 9:54 AM CDT on Thursday, Aug 6, 2015
Authorities in suburban Houston said a man shot the mother of his children as the two were transferring custody of their boys and then turned the gun on himself.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that the couple had recently separated and met Wednesday evening at a convenience store in The Woodlands so that one could hand over their two boys to the other.
Authorities said the children witnessed the shooting, as did others at the store at the time. KHOU-TV in Houston reported one boy is 14 and the other 11.
The man died at the scene and the woman was transported to a hospital where she later died. Neither has been identified.
The boys were not physically harmed.
Dad arrested for killing 9-month-old son (Silsbee, Texas)
After Daddy beat an elderly relative, she should have been kept in jail. He certainly shouldn't have been allowed around babies.
Dad is identified as DONNY DOMINIQUE RATCLIFF.
http://www.khou.com/story/news/crime/2015/08/07/father-arrested-9-month-old-sons-death/31324773/
Father arrested in 9-month-old son's death
KBMT-TV, Beaumont 9:27 p.m. CDT August 7, 2015
SILSBEE -- A spokesperson for the Silsbee Police Department Friday said a father was arrested in connection with the Feb. 13 death his 9-month-old son.
Donny Dominique Ratcliff, 42, is charged in the death of his child Donatello Ratcliff. Detectives said Ratcliff confessed to the crime, saying he suffocated the baby with his hands after the infant would not stop crying.
Detectives said Ratcliff told them he did not use a weapon -- only his bare hands.
A statement issued by police says Silsbee officers in February were called to the Tiger Village Trailer Park, located in the 1300 block of Robinson Road, to Trailer# 41, to investigate a report of an unresponsive child. The child was taken to a Beaumont hospital where he was subsequently pronounced dead. An autopsy was ordered and the results indicated the child died from asphyxia.
The investigation led officers to suspect the father had intentionally caused the death of the child.
Police say Ratcliff confessed on Aug. 6. They say he has since cooperated with authorities.
Ratcliff was formally charged Friday with capital murder of a child under 10 years of age. He has been arraigned by Hardin County Justice of the Peace Chris Ingram, who set bond at $825,000.
Ratcliff was already in jail for several months because detectives said after the baby's death, Ratcliff beat an elderly relative of his wife's.
Ratcliff is currently being held in the Hardin County Jail.
Silsbee is about about 30 minutes north of Beaumont.
Dad is identified as DONNY DOMINIQUE RATCLIFF.
http://www.khou.com/story/news/crime/2015/08/07/father-arrested-9-month-old-sons-death/31324773/
Father arrested in 9-month-old son's death
KBMT-TV, Beaumont 9:27 p.m. CDT August 7, 2015
SILSBEE -- A spokesperson for the Silsbee Police Department Friday said a father was arrested in connection with the Feb. 13 death his 9-month-old son.
Donny Dominique Ratcliff, 42, is charged in the death of his child Donatello Ratcliff. Detectives said Ratcliff confessed to the crime, saying he suffocated the baby with his hands after the infant would not stop crying.
Detectives said Ratcliff told them he did not use a weapon -- only his bare hands.
A statement issued by police says Silsbee officers in February were called to the Tiger Village Trailer Park, located in the 1300 block of Robinson Road, to Trailer# 41, to investigate a report of an unresponsive child. The child was taken to a Beaumont hospital where he was subsequently pronounced dead. An autopsy was ordered and the results indicated the child died from asphyxia.
The investigation led officers to suspect the father had intentionally caused the death of the child.
Police say Ratcliff confessed on Aug. 6. They say he has since cooperated with authorities.
Ratcliff was formally charged Friday with capital murder of a child under 10 years of age. He has been arraigned by Hardin County Justice of the Peace Chris Ingram, who set bond at $825,000.
Ratcliff was already in jail for several months because detectives said after the baby's death, Ratcliff beat an elderly relative of his wife's.
Ratcliff is currently being held in the Hardin County Jail.
Silsbee is about about 30 minutes north of Beaumont.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Dad kills 2-year-old son by shoving paper towel down his throat (Dallas, Texas)
I think dad ANTONIO STRANGE is quite mistaken as to who the a$$hole was in this situation.
Notice that there is no mention of a mother in this home--or anywhere else.
http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2015/08/father-arrested-on-felony-charge-after-death-of-his-toddler-son.html/
Father told Dallas police he shoved paper towels down misbehaving toddler’s throat before he died
Elise Schmelzer
Published: August 9, 2015 9:45 pm
Editor’s note: This post has been updated to include information from an arrest affidavit.
Dallas police arrested a father whose child died after he shoved paper towels down the toddler’s throat Sunday.
Antonio Strange, 24, told police the 2-year-old was being an “a**hole” while he was trying to feed the child Sunday morning in their apartment in the 3800 block of Gannon Lane, according to the warrant for his arrest.
Strange told police he shoved paper towels down Ayden Strange’s throat in an attempt to remove food from the boy’s mouth.
Strange previously told police that he found the child unresponsive after he had stepped out of the apartment for a “moment” and left the child alone, police said.
The father called 911 when Ayden became unresponsive, police said. Paramedics arrived and dislodged a compact wad of paper towels the size of a golf ball from the toddler’s throat, according to the warrant. He died at the apartment, the warrant says.
Ayden’s cause of death had yet to be determined Monday morning, according to the Dallas County medical examiner’s office.
Strange was arrested on a charge of reckless injury to a child, a second-degree felony. He remained in the Dallas County Jail on Monday in lieu of $250,000 bail.
Notice that there is no mention of a mother in this home--or anywhere else.
http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2015/08/father-arrested-on-felony-charge-after-death-of-his-toddler-son.html/
Father told Dallas police he shoved paper towels down misbehaving toddler’s throat before he died
Elise Schmelzer
Published: August 9, 2015 9:45 pm
Editor’s note: This post has been updated to include information from an arrest affidavit.
Dallas police arrested a father whose child died after he shoved paper towels down the toddler’s throat Sunday.
Antonio Strange, 24, told police the 2-year-old was being an “a**hole” while he was trying to feed the child Sunday morning in their apartment in the 3800 block of Gannon Lane, according to the warrant for his arrest.
Strange told police he shoved paper towels down Ayden Strange’s throat in an attempt to remove food from the boy’s mouth.
Strange previously told police that he found the child unresponsive after he had stepped out of the apartment for a “moment” and left the child alone, police said.
The father called 911 when Ayden became unresponsive, police said. Paramedics arrived and dislodged a compact wad of paper towels the size of a golf ball from the toddler’s throat, according to the warrant. He died at the apartment, the warrant says.
Ayden’s cause of death had yet to be determined Monday morning, according to the Dallas County medical examiner’s office.
Strange was arrested on a charge of reckless injury to a child, a second-degree felony. He remained in the Dallas County Jail on Monday in lieu of $250,000 bail.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Dad beats 20-month-old daughter over potty training (Austin, Texas)
Dad is identified as BRYANT KEITH DAVIS.
http://kxan.com/2015/07/21/man-arrested-for-alleged-severe-abuse-of-20-month-child/
Austin dad allegedly beat toddler, pulled tooth over potty issues
By Dave Byknish Published: July 21, 2015, 10:00 pm | Updated: July 22, 2015, 12:36 pm
AUSTIN (KXAN) — U.S. Marshals took 27-year-old Bryant Keith Davis into custody Tuesday after his 20-month-old girl needed to be revived following cardiac arrest related to severe bodily injury.
On July 9 around 3:15 p.m. Austin-Travis County EMS was called to an apartment at 8907 Tronewood Drive for a child having a seizure. EMS transported the child to Dell Children’s Medical Center, where she went into cardiac arrest.
The child was found in a severe state — with 16 rib fractures, liver and spleen lacerations, a possible collapsed lung, facial bruising and a brain bleed, according to an official Austin Police Department warrant.
Davis initially told investigators he did not know how the child got hurt. He claimed that while watching the child on July 7, he heard a child fall while playing on an outdoor play set; he said when he went to look, the victim’s step-sibling was helping brush dirt off her. He also said she had minor injuries at that point. He told investigators over the next couple days he saw the girl’s condition getting worse, including breathing problems. And he called 911 two days after the initial incident Davis outlined.
Austin police investigators had Davis participate in a re-enactment of his reported incident on Sunday. During the re-enactment, police say Davis explained the girl had gone to the bathroom on the living room floor on July 9. He demonstrated on a doll that he hit the girl in the rib area and then put her over his knee to spank her, according to investigators. He then reportedly yelled at her to use the toilet.
According to the warrant, Davis “forcefully took the victim to the restroom and told her to use the restroom while he cleaned up the waste from the living room.” When he eventually walked by the bathroom, police say he noticed the girl was standing in the bowl of the toilet. He demonstrated that he picked her up and forcefully slammed her onto the toilet seat, which caused her to hit her head on the toilet lid, according to police. He told them he then took her back to the living room to continue “teaching her a lesson” and slapped her on the back of the head.
Later in the day, when the child was having breathing problems, Davis said he administered a breathing treatment and that during that treatment the child had a seizure, according to investigators. Davis said he pulled the mouthpiece out of her clenched mouth, which removed a front tooth.
However, two doctors at Dell Children’s Medical Center said the toddler’s wounds are consistent with physical abuse, and she remains hospitalized.
Meanwhile, Davis has been charged with injury to a child with serious bodily injury — a first-degree felony. He is currently booked into the Travis County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
Child Protective Services says they are also investigating the case and has since removed the victim’s 3-year-old sibling from the home. The agency said there were no prior history with the Davis family.
Davis’ Criminal History
•2005 – Aggravated Robbery (Houston), pleaded guilty, served 2 years in jail
•2014 – Assault w/ Bodily Injury of Family Member (Austin), pleaded guilty, served 100 days in jail
•2013 – Manufacturing / Delivery of Controlled Substance (Houston), pleaded guilty, served 10 months in jail
•2011 – Possession of Controlled Substance (Houston), pleaded guilty, served 4 months in jail
•2010 – Assault w/ Bodily Injury (Houston), pleaded guilty, served 50 days in jail
•2010 – Possession of Controlled Substance (Houston), pleaded guilty, served 6 months in jail
http://kxan.com/2015/07/21/man-arrested-for-alleged-severe-abuse-of-20-month-child/
Austin dad allegedly beat toddler, pulled tooth over potty issues
By Dave Byknish Published: July 21, 2015, 10:00 pm | Updated: July 22, 2015, 12:36 pm
AUSTIN (KXAN) — U.S. Marshals took 27-year-old Bryant Keith Davis into custody Tuesday after his 20-month-old girl needed to be revived following cardiac arrest related to severe bodily injury.
On July 9 around 3:15 p.m. Austin-Travis County EMS was called to an apartment at 8907 Tronewood Drive for a child having a seizure. EMS transported the child to Dell Children’s Medical Center, where she went into cardiac arrest.
The child was found in a severe state — with 16 rib fractures, liver and spleen lacerations, a possible collapsed lung, facial bruising and a brain bleed, according to an official Austin Police Department warrant.
Davis initially told investigators he did not know how the child got hurt. He claimed that while watching the child on July 7, he heard a child fall while playing on an outdoor play set; he said when he went to look, the victim’s step-sibling was helping brush dirt off her. He also said she had minor injuries at that point. He told investigators over the next couple days he saw the girl’s condition getting worse, including breathing problems. And he called 911 two days after the initial incident Davis outlined.
Austin police investigators had Davis participate in a re-enactment of his reported incident on Sunday. During the re-enactment, police say Davis explained the girl had gone to the bathroom on the living room floor on July 9. He demonstrated on a doll that he hit the girl in the rib area and then put her over his knee to spank her, according to investigators. He then reportedly yelled at her to use the toilet.
According to the warrant, Davis “forcefully took the victim to the restroom and told her to use the restroom while he cleaned up the waste from the living room.” When he eventually walked by the bathroom, police say he noticed the girl was standing in the bowl of the toilet. He demonstrated that he picked her up and forcefully slammed her onto the toilet seat, which caused her to hit her head on the toilet lid, according to police. He told them he then took her back to the living room to continue “teaching her a lesson” and slapped her on the back of the head.
Later in the day, when the child was having breathing problems, Davis said he administered a breathing treatment and that during that treatment the child had a seizure, according to investigators. Davis said he pulled the mouthpiece out of her clenched mouth, which removed a front tooth.
However, two doctors at Dell Children’s Medical Center said the toddler’s wounds are consistent with physical abuse, and she remains hospitalized.
Meanwhile, Davis has been charged with injury to a child with serious bodily injury — a first-degree felony. He is currently booked into the Travis County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
Child Protective Services says they are also investigating the case and has since removed the victim’s 3-year-old sibling from the home. The agency said there were no prior history with the Davis family.
Davis’ Criminal History
•2005 – Aggravated Robbery (Houston), pleaded guilty, served 2 years in jail
•2014 – Assault w/ Bodily Injury of Family Member (Austin), pleaded guilty, served 100 days in jail
•2013 – Manufacturing / Delivery of Controlled Substance (Houston), pleaded guilty, served 10 months in jail
•2011 – Possession of Controlled Substance (Houston), pleaded guilty, served 4 months in jail
•2010 – Assault w/ Bodily Injury (Houston), pleaded guilty, served 50 days in jail
•2010 – Possession of Controlled Substance (Houston), pleaded guilty, served 6 months in jail
"Caretaking" dad charged with abusing son while mom worked; 90% of baby's brain damaged (San Antonio, Texas)
This story has become all too typical. Deadbeat dad drafted into doing "caretaking" while Mom is forced to work to support the family. Daddy abuses the baby, and then can't even be bothered to get medical help. That's Mom's job too.
Sick of these @$$holes.
Dad is identified as JEREMY VALDERAS.
http://www.kens5.com/story/news/2015/07/21/father-arrested-accused-of-shaking-infant-son/30487871/
Father arrested, accused of shaking infant son
KENS 5 7:27 p.m. CDT July 21, 2015
A man has been arrested and is accused of abusing his infant son.
According to an arrest affidavit, the child was left in the care of his father, Jeremy Valderas, 21, on July 8 while his mother was at work. When the mother returned home, the affidavit states that she noticed the baby was breathing abnormally and struggled to open his eyes.
The mother attempted to take the child to the hospital but was driving at such a high rate of speed, the affidavit states, that police pulled her over and called EMS upon seeing the child's condition. EMS took the child to Methodist Hospital, according to the affidavit. There, doctors said he suffered a brain bleed, blown right pupil, abrasions to his face and other injuries. Doctors noted that the injuries are consistent with Shaken Baby Syndrome, according to the affidavit.
The mother and Valderas were both questioned by detectives that night and released. During the questioning, Valderas said he did not harm the child but admitted to being the only one to have contact with the child during the hours the mother was at work.
On July 13, a detective with SAPD went to Methodist Children's Hospital to check on the baby, according to the affidavit. The detective was told that the baby's brain was 90% damaged and suffered permanent injuries, according to the affidavit.
On July 21, Valderas voluntarily returned to police headquarters to provide an additional statement. According to the affidavit, Valderas confirmed his previous statement and said the baby was fine when the mother left for work. This time, the affidavit said Valderas acknowledged there was something wrong with the baby and attempted to perform CPR. He admitted that he never called EMS to check on him, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit also indicates that Valderas provided inconsistent statements that differed from the text messages he sent the babies mother the day of the incident.
Valderas faces a charge of injury to a child with intent.
Sick of these @$$holes.
Dad is identified as JEREMY VALDERAS.
http://www.kens5.com/story/news/2015/07/21/father-arrested-accused-of-shaking-infant-son/30487871/
Father arrested, accused of shaking infant son
KENS 5 7:27 p.m. CDT July 21, 2015
A man has been arrested and is accused of abusing his infant son.
According to an arrest affidavit, the child was left in the care of his father, Jeremy Valderas, 21, on July 8 while his mother was at work. When the mother returned home, the affidavit states that she noticed the baby was breathing abnormally and struggled to open his eyes.
The mother attempted to take the child to the hospital but was driving at such a high rate of speed, the affidavit states, that police pulled her over and called EMS upon seeing the child's condition. EMS took the child to Methodist Hospital, according to the affidavit. There, doctors said he suffered a brain bleed, blown right pupil, abrasions to his face and other injuries. Doctors noted that the injuries are consistent with Shaken Baby Syndrome, according to the affidavit.
The mother and Valderas were both questioned by detectives that night and released. During the questioning, Valderas said he did not harm the child but admitted to being the only one to have contact with the child during the hours the mother was at work.
On July 13, a detective with SAPD went to Methodist Children's Hospital to check on the baby, according to the affidavit. The detective was told that the baby's brain was 90% damaged and suffered permanent injuries, according to the affidavit.
On July 21, Valderas voluntarily returned to police headquarters to provide an additional statement. According to the affidavit, Valderas confirmed his previous statement and said the baby was fine when the mother left for work. This time, the affidavit said Valderas acknowledged there was something wrong with the baby and attempted to perform CPR. He admitted that he never called EMS to check on him, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit also indicates that Valderas provided inconsistent statements that differed from the text messages he sent the babies mother the day of the incident.
Valderas faces a charge of injury to a child with intent.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Dad convicted and sentenced for sexually abusing daughter, other children (Collins County, Texas)
Dad is identified as DANNY RICHARD MINOR. No mention of a mother in the home. Was this a custody/visitation situation?
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/07/31/man-fathers-daughters-child-arrested-for-sexual-abuse/
Man Fathers Daughter’s Child, Arrested For Sexual Abuse
July 31, 2015 3:56 PM
MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) – Danny Richard Minor, 40, of The Colony, was sentenced to life confinement without the possibility of parole for three counts of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child and life confinement for two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, announced Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis.
From 2002 until 2009 when Minor lived in Plano, he molested two related children and an unrelated child. One child disclosed the abuse in 2009, but conflicting statements prevented detectives from moving forward at that time.
Minor cut off ties with Plano and moved to The Colony where the abuse continued. The case was reactivated in June 2014 when a second child came forward and provided corroborating information for the 2009 disclosure. Two additional cases resulted from that disclosure. Minor was arrested and a search warrant was obtained for his DNA. A paternity test confirmed that Minor is the biological father of his daughter’s child.
The jury returned a guilty verdict Thursday for three counts of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child and two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child. On Friday, the jury sentenced Minor to life confinement without the possibility of parole on each count of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child and life confinement on each count of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child.
Assistant District Attorneys Sarah Preston and Shannon Miller prosecuted the case, assisted by District Attorney Investigator Stephanie Strickland. The case was investigated by Plano Police Department Detectives Chris Jones and Brian Pfahning. Judge Chris Oldner presided over the case.
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/07/31/man-fathers-daughters-child-arrested-for-sexual-abuse/
Man Fathers Daughter’s Child, Arrested For Sexual Abuse
July 31, 2015 3:56 PM
MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) – Danny Richard Minor, 40, of The Colony, was sentenced to life confinement without the possibility of parole for three counts of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child and life confinement for two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, announced Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis.
From 2002 until 2009 when Minor lived in Plano, he molested two related children and an unrelated child. One child disclosed the abuse in 2009, but conflicting statements prevented detectives from moving forward at that time.
Minor cut off ties with Plano and moved to The Colony where the abuse continued. The case was reactivated in June 2014 when a second child came forward and provided corroborating information for the 2009 disclosure. Two additional cases resulted from that disclosure. Minor was arrested and a search warrant was obtained for his DNA. A paternity test confirmed that Minor is the biological father of his daughter’s child.
The jury returned a guilty verdict Thursday for three counts of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child and two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child. On Friday, the jury sentenced Minor to life confinement without the possibility of parole on each count of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child and life confinement on each count of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child.
Assistant District Attorneys Sarah Preston and Shannon Miller prosecuted the case, assisted by District Attorney Investigator Stephanie Strickland. The case was investigated by Plano Police Department Detectives Chris Jones and Brian Pfahning. Judge Chris Oldner presided over the case.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Custodial dad, step accused of strangling, beating child (Tom Green County, Texas)
These two freaks were basically inflicting torture on this child. Let's be clear about that.
Dad JACOB ANDREW FERRO is obviously custodial (thought that fact isn't explicitly stated). There is no mention of the mother either protesting or failing to protect. There is no mention of the mother at all.
So as we always ask in cases like this: What happened to Mom? Given that this is what Daddy does to a child, what do you think he meted out to the mother? Is she around at all? Has she "disappeared"? Is she deceased? If she is, do we know if it was from natural causes?
Lots of unanswered issues here.
http://sanangelolive.com/news/crime/2015-07-27/tom-green-county-father-and-stepmother-accused-strangling-beating-child
Tom Green County Father and Stepmother Accused of Strangling, Beating Child
By Chelsea Reinhard | Jul. 27, 2015 12:51 pm
The father and stepmother of a Tom Green County child are each facing multiple felony charges of child abuse and endangerment following accusations that include strangulation and beating the victim with a wooden board.
Jacob Andrew Ferro, 35, and Janice Annette Crickett (aka Janice Dawson Hesskew), 37, were jailed last week on warrants for injury to a child causing bodily injury and endangering a child by criminal negligence. The arrests follow on the heels of an investigation conducted by Tom Green County Sheriff’s Detective Martha Ibarra that included several forensic interviews during which the child detailed at least three instances of abuse.
According to complaints Ibarra wrote from the content of forensic interviews, the first instance of abuse allegedly took place on Sept. 12, 2014, when both Crickett and Ferro were striking the child with a wooden paddle on the legs and arms. When the victim attempted to wrest the board from Crickett’s hands, Ferro put the child in a chokehold, impeding breathing for five seconds and only loosening his grip when the child stopped kicking, the complaint states. Ferro then grabbed the child by the hair and tried pulling the child up, reaching for the child’s shirt and yanking the victim to a standing position, the complaint states. Crickett stood idly by and failed to intervene, Ibarra wrote.
A second instance of abuse reported during the interviews allegedly took place on April 10 and again involved strangulation, Ibarra wrote. On that occasion, the complaint states, Ferro again put the victim in a chokehold and Crickett sat and watched, “and only removed the cigarette that fell from [Ferro’s] mouth onto his stomach as [he] sat on the couch…still holding [the victim] in a chokehold,” the complaint states.
The final instance of abuse is alleged to have taken place on June 4, the complaint states, when Ferro beat the child across the back with a modified wooden paddle measuring 3.5 inches wide and 22 inches long. According to the complaints, Crickett encouraged Ferro to assault the child for stealing food and lying. One of the victim’s four siblings corroborated the story, stating that Crickett ordered a “swat” for every lie, Ibarra reported. Ferro’s assault on the child’s lower back caused bruising witnessed by all four siblings, and the child was sent to a room afterward because the child would not stay still, the complaint states.
The exact age and sex of the child was not provided in redacted copies of the complaints, however the age was noted as “14 years of age or younger”.
Jacob Andrew Ferro was arrested on three warrants for injury to a child with bodily injury on July 23 and was booked into the Tom Green County Jail. He was released on the following day after posting a $20,000 bond. Injury to a child causing bodily injury is a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine not to exceed $10,000.
Janice Annette Crickett was arrested on two warrants for endangering a child by criminal negligence on July 21 and was released on the following day after posting a $15,000 bond. Endangering a child by criminal negligence is a state jail felony punishable by 180 days to two years in a state jail and a fine not to exceed $10,000.
Dad JACOB ANDREW FERRO is obviously custodial (thought that fact isn't explicitly stated). There is no mention of the mother either protesting or failing to protect. There is no mention of the mother at all.
So as we always ask in cases like this: What happened to Mom? Given that this is what Daddy does to a child, what do you think he meted out to the mother? Is she around at all? Has she "disappeared"? Is she deceased? If she is, do we know if it was from natural causes?
Lots of unanswered issues here.
http://sanangelolive.com/news/crime/2015-07-27/tom-green-county-father-and-stepmother-accused-strangling-beating-child
Tom Green County Father and Stepmother Accused of Strangling, Beating Child
By Chelsea Reinhard | Jul. 27, 2015 12:51 pm
The father and stepmother of a Tom Green County child are each facing multiple felony charges of child abuse and endangerment following accusations that include strangulation and beating the victim with a wooden board.
Jacob Andrew Ferro, 35, and Janice Annette Crickett (aka Janice Dawson Hesskew), 37, were jailed last week on warrants for injury to a child causing bodily injury and endangering a child by criminal negligence. The arrests follow on the heels of an investigation conducted by Tom Green County Sheriff’s Detective Martha Ibarra that included several forensic interviews during which the child detailed at least three instances of abuse.
According to complaints Ibarra wrote from the content of forensic interviews, the first instance of abuse allegedly took place on Sept. 12, 2014, when both Crickett and Ferro were striking the child with a wooden paddle on the legs and arms. When the victim attempted to wrest the board from Crickett’s hands, Ferro put the child in a chokehold, impeding breathing for five seconds and only loosening his grip when the child stopped kicking, the complaint states. Ferro then grabbed the child by the hair and tried pulling the child up, reaching for the child’s shirt and yanking the victim to a standing position, the complaint states. Crickett stood idly by and failed to intervene, Ibarra wrote.
A second instance of abuse reported during the interviews allegedly took place on April 10 and again involved strangulation, Ibarra wrote. On that occasion, the complaint states, Ferro again put the victim in a chokehold and Crickett sat and watched, “and only removed the cigarette that fell from [Ferro’s] mouth onto his stomach as [he] sat on the couch…still holding [the victim] in a chokehold,” the complaint states.
The final instance of abuse is alleged to have taken place on June 4, the complaint states, when Ferro beat the child across the back with a modified wooden paddle measuring 3.5 inches wide and 22 inches long. According to the complaints, Crickett encouraged Ferro to assault the child for stealing food and lying. One of the victim’s four siblings corroborated the story, stating that Crickett ordered a “swat” for every lie, Ibarra reported. Ferro’s assault on the child’s lower back caused bruising witnessed by all four siblings, and the child was sent to a room afterward because the child would not stay still, the complaint states.
The exact age and sex of the child was not provided in redacted copies of the complaints, however the age was noted as “14 years of age or younger”.
Jacob Andrew Ferro was arrested on three warrants for injury to a child with bodily injury on July 23 and was booked into the Tom Green County Jail. He was released on the following day after posting a $20,000 bond. Injury to a child causing bodily injury is a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison and a fine not to exceed $10,000.
Janice Annette Crickett was arrested on two warrants for endangering a child by criminal negligence on July 21 and was released on the following day after posting a $15,000 bond. Endangering a child by criminal negligence is a state jail felony punishable by 180 days to two years in a state jail and a fine not to exceed $10,000.
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