Once again, a protective mother is ignored by the fathers rights-infiltrated CPS system.
The abusive custodial dad is identified as THOMAS JENNINGS JR.
http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/va-mom-pleads-for-cps-to-change-after-alleged-child-abuse/225036886
Va. mom pleads for CPS to change after alleged child abuse
A Virginia mother is begging CPS to change their procedures and investigate more after her 9-year-old son was nearly beaten to death.
Stephanie Ramirez, WUSA 6:05 PM. EST May 31, 2016
RICHMOND, Va. (WUSA9) -- A Virginia mother is begging CPS to change their procedures and investigate more after her 9-year-old son was nearly beaten to death.
Sheriff Deputies arrested the boy’s father on child abuse charges and told WUSa9 the father had been investigated before when he lived in Stafford County
“Try to follow-up. Try to follow-through, try to see that the child is in a safe place,” said 32-year-old Amy Brown outside of VCU Medical Center in Richmond, VA. That’s where her 9-year-old son, Elijah, is still be treated for severe injuries he sustained almost two-in-a-half weeks ago.
Brown told WUSA9 she’s been fighting for custody of her son Elijah for about two years and last year, had Elijah’s father, 37-year-old Thomas Jennings Jr., investigated after she found scars and bruises on Elijah’s back.
She said there was an open case, but they didn’t actually meet with a Child Protective Services case worker until the day of a custody hearing. She also said Elijah wasn’t forthcoming at the time.
“It’s been a struggle to get someone to believe us,” said Brown.
Brown said Elijah did eventually reveal information to doctors, so she tried again. She showed WUSA9 an email sent to Stafford County CPS in June 2015 making a plea to the department to reopen the case and describes not being able to reach an investigator.
Brown believes Jennings’ military background and steady job as well as her decision to go back to school impacted the case.
May 17, 2016 is when Spotsylvania County Sherif Deputies say Jennings brought Elijah to the hospital unresponsive and admitted to striking Elijah. Doctors discovered a ruptured spleen among other injuries. Medical staff performed CPS for more than 30 minutes to revive Elijah.
“I’m hoping somebody, somewhere, either in CPS with other counties or throughout the nation could just learn that it takes more than just one time to sit with them. Children need time to open up,” she said.
A Stafford County Public Information Officer responded in a statement saying, “We are aware of the case but Virginia law precludes us from discussing case specific information about any Social Services case.”
A spokesperson for the Virginia Department of Social Services wrote:
Although we are not permitted by law to release any information regarding this case. The procedure is as follows:
A local department of social services is required to respond to all valid reports of child abuse and neglect by either conducting an investigation or a family assessment. A safety assessment is done and a safety plan is put in place, if needed. The worker is required to interview and/ or observe the victim child, interview and/observe minor siblings residing in the home, interview the caretakers, observe the environment where the alleged abuse/neglect took place, and to interview collateral contacts who may have pertinent information. Once this information/evidence is gathered, if an investigation was conducted, the worker makes a determination if the case is founded or unfounded based on a preponderance of the evidence. Once a finding is made, the case cannot be re-opened or re-investigated. A new investigation can be initiated, if there is a new incident.
In terms of screening valid reports for priority, local departments of social services are provided with guidance based on the following:
1. The immediate danger to the child;
2. The severity of the type of abuse or neglect alleged;
3. The age and vulnerability of the child;
4. The circumstances surrounding the alleged abuse or neglect;
5. The physical and mental condition of the child; and
6. Reports made by mandated reporters.
Showing posts with label Virginia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virginia. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Custodial dad charged with 2nd-degree murder in death of 6-year-old son; what happened to this boy's mother? (Staunton, Virginia)
I did a quick search on this case, and found no article mentioning that the "girlfriend" was the boy's mother. At any rate, she would have been 13 when the boy was born, so that seems unlikely. But I see no mention of the mother anywhere else either. So what happened to her, given that this appears to be a custodial dad?
Dad is identified as STEVEN DECKER.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Virginia.
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Parents-of-Dead-Staunton-Boy-Arrested-and-Charged-367934701.html?ref=701
Father Arrested and Charged in Child's Death
Updated: Mon 2:35 PM, Feb 08, 2016
By: News Staff
STAUNTON, VA (NEWSPLEX) -- In a press release Saturday night, the Staunton Police Department says officers have arrested and charged the father of six-year-old Ezra Decker.
Police say 24-year-old Steven Decker has been charged with second-degree murder and felony child neglect.
The charges come after Ezra died at the University of Virginia Medical Center on Wednesday from severe head trauma.
Police have been investigating the death, even though family and friends say Ezra slipped and fell in the shower.
Decker's girlfriend, 19-year-old Brianna Connolly, has also been charged in connection with Ezra's death.
She is facing a felony child neglect charge.
Decker and Connolly are both also charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
They are being held at the Middle River Regional Jail.
Dad is identified as STEVEN DECKER.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Virginia.
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/Parents-of-Dead-Staunton-Boy-Arrested-and-Charged-367934701.html?ref=701
Father Arrested and Charged in Child's Death
Updated: Mon 2:35 PM, Feb 08, 2016
By: News Staff
STAUNTON, VA (NEWSPLEX) -- In a press release Saturday night, the Staunton Police Department says officers have arrested and charged the father of six-year-old Ezra Decker.
Police say 24-year-old Steven Decker has been charged with second-degree murder and felony child neglect.
The charges come after Ezra died at the University of Virginia Medical Center on Wednesday from severe head trauma.
Police have been investigating the death, even though family and friends say Ezra slipped and fell in the shower.
Decker's girlfriend, 19-year-old Brianna Connolly, has also been charged in connection with Ezra's death.
She is facing a felony child neglect charge.
Decker and Connolly are both also charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
They are being held at the Middle River Regional Jail.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Dad charged with involuntary manslaughter in shooting death of 3-month-old son; mother did NOT live in home (Franklin County, Virginia)
Yet another one of those cases where MUCH is left unsaid.
1) Where is this little boy's mother? Did killer daddy JEREMIAH NEIDERHISER have full custody? Joint custody?
2) Did the father have a history of violence before the parents' separation, but somehow got his "rights" anyway? Who gave these rights to this father?
3) And why the hell is the SHOOTING death of a 3-YEAR-OLD merely "manslaughter"? Why isn't this being treated as a homicide?
Suspect lots of fathers rights shenanigans behind this one. A new addition for the Killer Dads and Custody list for Virginia.
http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/smith-mountain-lake/franklin-co-father-charged-in-connection-to-sunday-shooting-death-of-3yearold-son/34903506
Franklin Co. father charged in connection to Sunday shooting death of 3-year-old son
Jeremiah Neiderhiser is charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony child abuse/neglect
Noell Saunders Web Staff, WDBJ7
POSTED: 10:42 AM EDT Aug 25, 2015 UPDATED: 07:43 PM EDT Aug 25, 2015
FRANKLIN CO., Va. - A Franklin County father is charged with involuntary manslaughter following the shooting death of his 3-year-old son.
Jeremiah Neiderhiser, 32, of Hardy, is also charged with felony child abuse/neglect.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office says the death of the boy is “suspicious.”
According to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the 3-year-old boy was reported unconscious and unresponsive at 10:52 a.m. Sunday on Heatherton Drive. The boy had no signs of blood, according to deputies.
Rescue crews tried to resuscitate the boy, but the child died at the home.
An autopsy done Monday found that the boy died from a small caliber gunshot wound.
"Certainly we've seen a share number of very traumatic events this year and unfortunately children are involved in those," Capt. Paul Caldwell of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office said.
Investigators say they may have questions for the child's mother who was not living at the home at the time of the boy's death.
And there is a possibility the father's charges could change once the investigation is complete.
Neiderhiser is being held in the Western Virginia Regional Jail on a $250,000 bond.
1) Where is this little boy's mother? Did killer daddy JEREMIAH NEIDERHISER have full custody? Joint custody?
2) Did the father have a history of violence before the parents' separation, but somehow got his "rights" anyway? Who gave these rights to this father?
3) And why the hell is the SHOOTING death of a 3-YEAR-OLD merely "manslaughter"? Why isn't this being treated as a homicide?
Suspect lots of fathers rights shenanigans behind this one. A new addition for the Killer Dads and Custody list for Virginia.
http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/smith-mountain-lake/franklin-co-father-charged-in-connection-to-sunday-shooting-death-of-3yearold-son/34903506
Franklin Co. father charged in connection to Sunday shooting death of 3-year-old son
Jeremiah Neiderhiser is charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony child abuse/neglect
Noell Saunders Web Staff, WDBJ7
POSTED: 10:42 AM EDT Aug 25, 2015 UPDATED: 07:43 PM EDT Aug 25, 2015
FRANKLIN CO., Va. - A Franklin County father is charged with involuntary manslaughter following the shooting death of his 3-year-old son.
Jeremiah Neiderhiser, 32, of Hardy, is also charged with felony child abuse/neglect.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office says the death of the boy is “suspicious.”
According to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the 3-year-old boy was reported unconscious and unresponsive at 10:52 a.m. Sunday on Heatherton Drive. The boy had no signs of blood, according to deputies.
Rescue crews tried to resuscitate the boy, but the child died at the home.
An autopsy done Monday found that the boy died from a small caliber gunshot wound.
"Certainly we've seen a share number of very traumatic events this year and unfortunately children are involved in those," Capt. Paul Caldwell of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office said.
Investigators say they may have questions for the child's mother who was not living at the home at the time of the boy's death.
And there is a possibility the father's charges could change once the investigation is complete.
Neiderhiser is being held in the Western Virginia Regional Jail on a $250,000 bond.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Dad pleads guilty to felony murder of 5-onth-old son (Pulaski, Virginia)
Dad is identified as HOWARD COLE.
http://www.roanoke.com/father-pleads-guilty-to-capital-murder-of-infant-son-cory/article_4faf247f-8f82-53e2-9f01-f20ced340cf6.html
Pulaski man pleads guilty to capital murder of baby son Cory Cole
Howard Cole pleaded guilty to capital murder for beating and strangling his 5-month-old.
Posted: Thursday, July 16, 2015 11:03 pm
By Cameron Austin
PULASKI — After Howard Cole killed his infant son, he placed the body in his car and drove to purchase alcohol. He began drinking as he drove around looking for a place to bury Cory Cole’s 5-month-old body.
Cole signed a plea agreement Thursday which will spare his life: He pleaded guilty to the capital murder of his son and was sentenced to life in prison. He could have faced the death penalty if the case had gone to trial.
He was sentenced to an additional five years after pleading guilty to unlawful concealment of a body.
Cole, 33, listened as prosecutor Mike Fleenor described the details of the night Cory was murdered.
It was cold on that night – Jan. 29, 2014. Temperatures dropped to single digits. After driving for several miles, Cole pulled off Draper Valley Road a short distance from Interstate 81’s Exit 89. He walked almost 600 feet from the roadside to a line of trees where he began digging, though not very deep since the ground was frozen solid from the winter weather.
He buried his naked son less than a foot in the ground and pushed a pile of dead leaves over the burial site at the base of a tree.
The next day, authorities arrested Cole on a charge of felony child neglect, but did not know where Cory’s body was, Fleenor said on Thursday in court.
As they questioned Cole, detectives said, “We know your son is dead. We need you to help us find him. Is he in the water?” they asked.
“No,” Cole responded.
“Is he in the ground?” the detectives asked.
Cole nodded and said, “Yes.” After more questions, Cole told investigators, “I’ll take you to him.”
Investigators found Cory’s body on the south side of Draper Mountain. They later found a pair of infant pajamas in a trash bin in Pulaski. The garment was forensically analyzed and tested positive for both Cory and Howard Cole’s DNA.
Cole was indicted by a grand jury in April 2014 on a capital murder charge. Fleenor’s office said at that time the death penalty would be sought.
Fleenor did not comment in court Thursday about why his office accepted the plea deal.
According to Medical Examiner Amy Tharp’s autopsy report, Cory had 26 bruises on his head and neck. Blunt force injuries and asphyxiation by strangulation were declared as the cause of death.
Cory was reported missing Jan. 29, 2014, by his mother, Samantha Warden, who told police that Cole, her fiance at the time, had left with the child. She signed an arrest warrant affidavit on that same day, after she witnessed Cole pick Cory up and yell, “Shut the -- — up,” before throwing him 4 feet onto a nearby bed.
Warden, 30, was charged with felony child neglect in Cory’s death. She pleaded no contest in April and is serving a seven-year prison sentence.
Custody agreements stated that Cole was not supposed to be alone with the boy, but on Jan. 29, he and Warden argued and she left the baby with him.
Cole sat with his defense attorneys Jimmy Turk and Steve Milani during Thursday’s hearing. He answered Circuit Court Judge Marc Long’s questions almost entirely with either a yes or a no.
Only a handful of people sat in the almost empty courtroom — a different scene from the full courtroom when Warden was sentenced.
Long, who has often been vocal in cases regarding child abuse, made no comment to the defendant.
http://www.roanoke.com/father-pleads-guilty-to-capital-murder-of-infant-son-cory/article_4faf247f-8f82-53e2-9f01-f20ced340cf6.html
Pulaski man pleads guilty to capital murder of baby son Cory Cole
Howard Cole pleaded guilty to capital murder for beating and strangling his 5-month-old.
Posted: Thursday, July 16, 2015 11:03 pm
By Cameron Austin
PULASKI — After Howard Cole killed his infant son, he placed the body in his car and drove to purchase alcohol. He began drinking as he drove around looking for a place to bury Cory Cole’s 5-month-old body.
Cole signed a plea agreement Thursday which will spare his life: He pleaded guilty to the capital murder of his son and was sentenced to life in prison. He could have faced the death penalty if the case had gone to trial.
He was sentenced to an additional five years after pleading guilty to unlawful concealment of a body.
Cole, 33, listened as prosecutor Mike Fleenor described the details of the night Cory was murdered.
It was cold on that night – Jan. 29, 2014. Temperatures dropped to single digits. After driving for several miles, Cole pulled off Draper Valley Road a short distance from Interstate 81’s Exit 89. He walked almost 600 feet from the roadside to a line of trees where he began digging, though not very deep since the ground was frozen solid from the winter weather.
He buried his naked son less than a foot in the ground and pushed a pile of dead leaves over the burial site at the base of a tree.
The next day, authorities arrested Cole on a charge of felony child neglect, but did not know where Cory’s body was, Fleenor said on Thursday in court.
As they questioned Cole, detectives said, “We know your son is dead. We need you to help us find him. Is he in the water?” they asked.
“No,” Cole responded.
“Is he in the ground?” the detectives asked.
Cole nodded and said, “Yes.” After more questions, Cole told investigators, “I’ll take you to him.”
Investigators found Cory’s body on the south side of Draper Mountain. They later found a pair of infant pajamas in a trash bin in Pulaski. The garment was forensically analyzed and tested positive for both Cory and Howard Cole’s DNA.
Cole was indicted by a grand jury in April 2014 on a capital murder charge. Fleenor’s office said at that time the death penalty would be sought.
Fleenor did not comment in court Thursday about why his office accepted the plea deal.
According to Medical Examiner Amy Tharp’s autopsy report, Cory had 26 bruises on his head and neck. Blunt force injuries and asphyxiation by strangulation were declared as the cause of death.
Cory was reported missing Jan. 29, 2014, by his mother, Samantha Warden, who told police that Cole, her fiance at the time, had left with the child. She signed an arrest warrant affidavit on that same day, after she witnessed Cole pick Cory up and yell, “Shut the -- — up,” before throwing him 4 feet onto a nearby bed.
Warden, 30, was charged with felony child neglect in Cory’s death. She pleaded no contest in April and is serving a seven-year prison sentence.
Custody agreements stated that Cole was not supposed to be alone with the boy, but on Jan. 29, he and Warden argued and she left the baby with him.
Cole sat with his defense attorneys Jimmy Turk and Steve Milani during Thursday’s hearing. He answered Circuit Court Judge Marc Long’s questions almost entirely with either a yes or a no.
Only a handful of people sat in the almost empty courtroom — a different scene from the full courtroom when Warden was sentenced.
Long, who has often been vocal in cases regarding child abuse, made no comment to the defendant.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Teen commits suicide after being forced to live with custodial dad; protective mom files lawsuit (Chesterfield, Virginia)
Unfortunately, this is in many ways a typical scenario. Abusive dad secures custody (total control) over victim and shuts Mom off from any contact with the child whatsoever. Daddy then plays games with the kid's mental health supports, for which, of course, he is apparently not being held responsible for at all. Notice that this is an UNNAMED DAD....
http://www.nbc12.com/story/29208327/mom-of-teen-who-committed-suicide-files-wrongful-death-suit
Mom of teen who committed suicide files wrongful death suit
Posted: Jun 01, 2015 1:23 PM EDT Updated: Jun 02, 2015 12:52 AM EDT
By NBC12 Newsroom
CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - The mother of a Chesterfield high school student who committed suicide in 2013 has filed a wrongful death suit against two therapists, a counseling group, and the teen's biological father.
#17-year-old Cal Reilly hanged himself inside a tunnel at Chesterfield's Hampton Park, just days before graduation in May of 2013. His friends and former classmates later spray painted messages inside the tunnel in a gesture meant to memorialized the teen, but were arrested for graffiti and the messages were removed.
#Now Cal's mother, Darci Reilly, has filed suit against several people whom she claims did not prevent her son from taking his life. Reilly is seeking $6 million in damages.
#Darci Reilly's attorney, Mandy Wilson, says Cal's death stemmed from a nasty custody battle where he allegedly told one psychologist that if he had to live with his father, he would kill himself. Despite that, Wilson says one of the psychologists sent him to live with his father. At the time of the child's death, Reilly says she had no contact with her son, because of what she alleges are false accusations from these psychologists.
"What is alleged is heartbreaking, and includes everything from calling the police on (the child) out of anger, to requesting removal of him early from the one place that was actually treating him for a previous suicide attempt. We would ask anyone to reserve judgement against anyone unless and until they have read the full scope of the complaint," said Wilson in a statement to NBC12.
http://www.nbc12.com/story/29208327/mom-of-teen-who-committed-suicide-files-wrongful-death-suit
Mom of teen who committed suicide files wrongful death suit
Posted: Jun 01, 2015 1:23 PM EDT Updated: Jun 02, 2015 12:52 AM EDT
By NBC12 Newsroom
CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - The mother of a Chesterfield high school student who committed suicide in 2013 has filed a wrongful death suit against two therapists, a counseling group, and the teen's biological father.
#17-year-old Cal Reilly hanged himself inside a tunnel at Chesterfield's Hampton Park, just days before graduation in May of 2013. His friends and former classmates later spray painted messages inside the tunnel in a gesture meant to memorialized the teen, but were arrested for graffiti and the messages were removed.
#Now Cal's mother, Darci Reilly, has filed suit against several people whom she claims did not prevent her son from taking his life. Reilly is seeking $6 million in damages.
#Darci Reilly's attorney, Mandy Wilson, says Cal's death stemmed from a nasty custody battle where he allegedly told one psychologist that if he had to live with his father, he would kill himself. Despite that, Wilson says one of the psychologists sent him to live with his father. At the time of the child's death, Reilly says she had no contact with her son, because of what she alleges are false accusations from these psychologists.
"What is alleged is heartbreaking, and includes everything from calling the police on (the child) out of anger, to requesting removal of him early from the one place that was actually treating him for a previous suicide attempt. We would ask anyone to reserve judgement against anyone unless and until they have read the full scope of the complaint," said Wilson in a statement to NBC12.
Violent dad was scheduled to appear in court for child support, but killed 1-year-old daughter, her mom instead (Chesterfield, Virginia)
Where do you start with a vicious criminal like STANDFORD SHAW, who murdered his 1-year-old daughter, her mother, and two other innocent people?
Why were the previous charges of arson and murder dismissed?
Why was his previous conviction for assault not taken seriously given the previous allegations of arson and murder?
Given this history, why did it not raise a SERIOUS RED FLAG when he is choking the mother of his infant daughter, when choking is a HIGHLY RELIABLE INDICATOR of future homicidal behavior? What fool thought that tossing Mom an order of protection and giving dad weekend jail time was a good sentence for a chronically dangerous man like this?
So Daddy shoots to death a BABY and the baby's mom, and kills two other people when he crashes his car.
There was clearly a record of escalating violence here which the authorities ignored since it "only" involved women and children.
Then what is the crap about having Daddy pay child support, as if he were some ordinary father going through a divorce? Absolutely dangerous move, as this is the sort of trigger that sets these guys off on a killing spree. Again, he should have been in prison rather than providing him with additional reason to "get revenge" against this innocent baby and her mom.
http://www.nbc12.com/story/29209737/court-records-reveal-fathers-violent-past-before-chesterfield-mmurders
Court records reveal father's violent past before Chesterfield murders
Posted: Jun 01, 2015 4:01 PM EDT Updated: Jun 01, 2015 6:27 PM EDT
By Ashley Monfort
CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - We now know more about the father accused of murdering his estranged girlfriend and their daughter in Chesterfield. Stafford Shaw's violent past is being revealed in court records.
He died after crashing his car while leading police on a chase on I-295. Two people in another car also died.
Now Shaw's family is speaking out and say there is more to the story.
Shaw was actually due in court this Friday for a child support hearing involving Leah, 1, his daughter and the youngest victim. And court documents show there was a history of violence with Leah's mother and another woman.
Months before police discovered the bodies of Morgan Rogers and her daughter Leah inside their Matoaca home, there was this protective order against Leah's father, Shaw. A criminal complaint says Shaw had "...grabbed (Morgan's ) throat and began choking her and bit her nose" and "She blacked out." Shaw was serving jail time on weekends for the assault.
On Friday, police say he murdered Morgan and Leah. He died after leading police on a chase and crashing on I-295.
"I cried out because that's my little," says Shaw's brother Charles Scott. "I know he had did some things but he is still my little brother bottom line, he is still my brother." Scott says his brother wanted to get back with is wife which upset Morgan. Before the crash, Scott says Shaw was on the phone with their sister. "This is what he said: She shot the baby as he was holding her and then the hurt from that, he shot her," says Scott. "There's no way he would have killed the child, there's no way."
But Chesterfield police say evidence shows Shaw shot his estranged girlfriend and their daughter to death. We asked if Scott ever thought his brother was violent. "That's not a side that we've seen," says Scott.
But according to court records, Shaw was found guilty of assaulting another woman seven years ago. In 1989, he was accused of murder and arson in Richmond, but that case was dismissed.
Scott says he would have told his brother to turn himself in.
Funeral arrangement for Morgan and Leah Rogers have not yet been made public.
Why were the previous charges of arson and murder dismissed?
Why was his previous conviction for assault not taken seriously given the previous allegations of arson and murder?
Given this history, why did it not raise a SERIOUS RED FLAG when he is choking the mother of his infant daughter, when choking is a HIGHLY RELIABLE INDICATOR of future homicidal behavior? What fool thought that tossing Mom an order of protection and giving dad weekend jail time was a good sentence for a chronically dangerous man like this?
So Daddy shoots to death a BABY and the baby's mom, and kills two other people when he crashes his car.
There was clearly a record of escalating violence here which the authorities ignored since it "only" involved women and children.
Then what is the crap about having Daddy pay child support, as if he were some ordinary father going through a divorce? Absolutely dangerous move, as this is the sort of trigger that sets these guys off on a killing spree. Again, he should have been in prison rather than providing him with additional reason to "get revenge" against this innocent baby and her mom.
http://www.nbc12.com/story/29209737/court-records-reveal-fathers-violent-past-before-chesterfield-mmurders
Court records reveal father's violent past before Chesterfield murders
Posted: Jun 01, 2015 4:01 PM EDT Updated: Jun 01, 2015 6:27 PM EDT
By Ashley Monfort
CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) - We now know more about the father accused of murdering his estranged girlfriend and their daughter in Chesterfield. Stafford Shaw's violent past is being revealed in court records.
He died after crashing his car while leading police on a chase on I-295. Two people in another car also died.
Now Shaw's family is speaking out and say there is more to the story.
Shaw was actually due in court this Friday for a child support hearing involving Leah, 1, his daughter and the youngest victim. And court documents show there was a history of violence with Leah's mother and another woman.
Months before police discovered the bodies of Morgan Rogers and her daughter Leah inside their Matoaca home, there was this protective order against Leah's father, Shaw. A criminal complaint says Shaw had "...grabbed (Morgan's ) throat and began choking her and bit her nose" and "She blacked out." Shaw was serving jail time on weekends for the assault.
On Friday, police say he murdered Morgan and Leah. He died after leading police on a chase and crashing on I-295.
"I cried out because that's my little," says Shaw's brother Charles Scott. "I know he had did some things but he is still my little brother bottom line, he is still my brother." Scott says his brother wanted to get back with is wife which upset Morgan. Before the crash, Scott says Shaw was on the phone with their sister. "This is what he said: She shot the baby as he was holding her and then the hurt from that, he shot her," says Scott. "There's no way he would have killed the child, there's no way."
But Chesterfield police say evidence shows Shaw shot his estranged girlfriend and their daughter to death. We asked if Scott ever thought his brother was violent. "That's not a side that we've seen," says Scott.
But according to court records, Shaw was found guilty of assaulting another woman seven years ago. In 1989, he was accused of murder and arson in Richmond, but that case was dismissed.
Scott says he would have told his brother to turn himself in.
Funeral arrangement for Morgan and Leah Rogers have not yet been made public.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Custodial dad murders 11-year-old daughter while protective mom on the phone (Chesapeake, Virginia)
Daddy's sick little drama at the end here was no doubt the grand finale for a long history of abuse of all kinds--which, of course, this article doesn't explore.
He probably feared that he would lose custody. That after years of isolating this girl from her mother, and no doubt engaging in non-stop bad-mouthing, Daddy's efforts to destroy the relationship wouldn't stick.
Mother had to be punished forever! No justice, no change. Even if a little girl had to die as collateral damage in his obsessive need to maintain control and destroy the mother.
Also not a word here on what judge gave dad JOHN JONAS custody, and what court whores supported that decision. They all have blood on their hands.
Once again, chalk up a victory for fathers rights....
http://wgntv.com/2015/05/14/daddy-daddy-what-are-you-doing-mom-hears-daughters-last-words-before-dad-kills-girl/
‘Daddy, daddy, what are you doing?’ Mom hears daughter’s last words before dad kills girl Posted 12:38 PM, May 14, 2015, by Tribune Media Wire
CHESAPEAKE, Va. – “Daddy, daddy, what are you doing?”
Those were the last words a Chesapeake mother heard over the phone before her 11-year-old daughter was murdered.
A close family friend told those details to WTKR.
Police say 11-year-old Tasha Jonas was shot by her own father, 49-year-old John Jonas, who then turned the gun on himself.
A neighbor found the bodies outside their Vine Grove home, near Fort Knox where John served as an Army Lt. Col.
“This definitely could have been prevented,” Tanja Manojlovic says, a friend of Tasha’s mother, Karina Jonas.
Manojlovic says she’s known Tasha and Karina Jonas for 10 years.
“Besides a tremendous amount of grief, there’s an overwhelming amount of anger,” Manojlovic says.
Anger, because she believes this all happened over a custody battle.
Manojlovic says Tasha moved with her father from Suffolk to Kentucky two years ago. And ever since, she says Karina fought to get Tasha back.
“Karina was fighting to tell the lawyers, the judges, the school, the social services,” she says.
A hearing was even scheduled for August, where Manojlovic says Tasha could choose which parent she wanted to live with.
“When it’s all said and done, we all look back and feel like we’ve all betrayed her in some level,” she says. “The system has betrayed her.”
Police have not confirmed a motive and they’re still waiting on autopsy results.
However, loved ones say those results won’t bring Tasha back.
“It hits home,” Rachel Given says, who worked with Karina. “Somebody personal, somebody you’ve known for eight years, watching her grow up and then now nothing. She won’t grow up.”
Family friends have organized a gofundme page to raise money needed to bring Tasha back home to Virginia.
He probably feared that he would lose custody. That after years of isolating this girl from her mother, and no doubt engaging in non-stop bad-mouthing, Daddy's efforts to destroy the relationship wouldn't stick.
Mother had to be punished forever! No justice, no change. Even if a little girl had to die as collateral damage in his obsessive need to maintain control and destroy the mother.
Also not a word here on what judge gave dad JOHN JONAS custody, and what court whores supported that decision. They all have blood on their hands.
Once again, chalk up a victory for fathers rights....
http://wgntv.com/2015/05/14/daddy-daddy-what-are-you-doing-mom-hears-daughters-last-words-before-dad-kills-girl/
‘Daddy, daddy, what are you doing?’ Mom hears daughter’s last words before dad kills girl Posted 12:38 PM, May 14, 2015, by Tribune Media Wire
CHESAPEAKE, Va. – “Daddy, daddy, what are you doing?”
Those were the last words a Chesapeake mother heard over the phone before her 11-year-old daughter was murdered.
A close family friend told those details to WTKR.
Police say 11-year-old Tasha Jonas was shot by her own father, 49-year-old John Jonas, who then turned the gun on himself.
A neighbor found the bodies outside their Vine Grove home, near Fort Knox where John served as an Army Lt. Col.
“This definitely could have been prevented,” Tanja Manojlovic says, a friend of Tasha’s mother, Karina Jonas.
Manojlovic says she’s known Tasha and Karina Jonas for 10 years.
“Besides a tremendous amount of grief, there’s an overwhelming amount of anger,” Manojlovic says.
Anger, because she believes this all happened over a custody battle.
Manojlovic says Tasha moved with her father from Suffolk to Kentucky two years ago. And ever since, she says Karina fought to get Tasha back.
“Karina was fighting to tell the lawyers, the judges, the school, the social services,” she says.
A hearing was even scheduled for August, where Manojlovic says Tasha could choose which parent she wanted to live with.
“When it’s all said and done, we all look back and feel like we’ve all betrayed her in some level,” she says. “The system has betrayed her.”
Police have not confirmed a motive and they’re still waiting on autopsy results.
However, loved ones say those results won’t bring Tasha back.
“It hits home,” Rachel Given says, who worked with Karina. “Somebody personal, somebody you’ve known for eight years, watching her grow up and then now nothing. She won’t grow up.”
Family friends have organized a gofundme page to raise money needed to bring Tasha back home to Virginia.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Dad gets 10 years for killing infant son (Chesterfield, Virginia)
| Dad is identified as BRADLEY W. SIMMONS. http://www.hopewellnews.com/article_7380.shtml#.VQZfT9E5C3A Dad gets 10 years for baby's death By Blake Belden, staff writer Mar 13, 2015, 10:39 |
CHESTERFIELD — A father who pleaded guilty to the death of his infant child was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Bradley W. Simmons, 24, who was living in Chesterfield at the time of his arrest, was originally charged with the second-degree murder of his less than two-month-old son and pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter in August 2014.
In March of 2013, Jayden, the infant son, was taken to the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center with injuries related to head trauma, formerly referred to as “Shaken Baby Syndrome.”
Authorities stated that Simmons offered varying accounts of what happened to the child, reporting that the baby fell off the bed, was hit in the head accidentally by a video game controller and that he shook the baby when it was unresponsive to try and revive him, among others.
Jayden died days later at the hospital, and Simmons has been held in jail since the incident occurred.
The prosecution, led by Chesterfield Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Erin Barr, argued that the medical facts show that Simmons committed a violent and aggressive act, shaking the baby so hard that a medical expert said the injuries are consistent with that of a high speed rollover accident.
“The death of a 5-week-old [child] is a worst case scenario. ... That’s what the maximum punishment is meant for,” Barr said, before asking the judge to sentence Simmons to 10 years in prison.
The defense, headed by attorney Sara Gaborik, argued that Simmons never intended the death of his own child, and that prior to the child being shaken he was unresponsive.
“While it may have been negligent ... it was because the child was unconscious,” Gaborik said, adding that Simmons did not have any criminal record prior to this incident.
Gaborik added that she watched Simmons cry in regards to his son’s death, and has value as a “productive citizen” in the future.
“This is a man who shows remorse. He shows remorse today,” Gaborik said, asking the judge to sentence no higher than time served.
Simmons stood before the court on the afternoon of Feb. 23 and said that not a single day goes by that he doesn’t think about Jaden’s death, and he is now medicated for anxiety and nightmares while incarcerated.
“This situation is the absolute last thing I ever wanted to happen to my son,” Simmons said before receiving his sentence.
He said that he will live with this for the rest of his life and he implored the judge to exercise any amount of leniency on sentencing for which he would be appreciative.
The defense and prosecution both said that they had medical experts who would have testified in court and offered opposing views on the evidence of Jaden’s autopsy.
Gaborik said that the defense would have called in a private practice forensic pathologist who would have testified that the child could have suffered rib fractures at birth which could have been aggravated by falling off the bed and causing the eventual death.
Barr said that the commonwealth would have called in a pediatric expert, the division chairman of pediatric services at the Virginia Medical Center, to testify that the injuries were consistent with having been “violently shaken” and they could not have happened from just falling off a bed.
After looking over the professional history and qualifications for both medical experts, Judge Steven C. McCallum found the commonwealth’s expert to hold greater weight based on the fact that the majority of his profession deals with the subject matter at hand whereas only a portion of the defense’s expert’s field relates to the pediatric autopsies.
McCallum sentenced Simmons to 10 years imprisonment in Chesterfield Circuit Court on Feb. 23, the maximum punishment for a class 5 felony, and a $2,500 fine.
Although the sentencing guidelines called for a period between no incarceration and six months in jail, McCallum called this “grossly disproportionate” to the facts presented to him in the case.
The judge stated that it is an established fact of the case that Simmons killed his son as a result of intentional acts, backed by “extensive medical evidence” showing bleeding and swelling in the child’s brain, therefore constituting adequate grounds for a voluntary manslaughter sentence.
McCallum rattled off a number of aggravating factors that supported his decision including the extremely young age of the child, the fact that a parent has a legal duty to protect their own child, “the complete lack of provocation by the victim” and that because this was not Simmons’s first child he should have already known how to properly raise a child.
McCallum said that he has “given this case as much thought as I could,” adding that someone can get up to five years in jail just for killing a chicken, before deviating high above the guidelines and sentencing Simmons to the maximum 10 years imprisonment for a class 5 felony.
Jaden’s maternal grandmother testified that the child’s death has caused a great deal of division within the family, and that it’s been hard for both her and her daughter to get back on their feet since it happened.
“I still love you, Brad,” she said on the witness stand while looking over to the defense table.
Simmons placed his head in his palms looking down at the floor on several occasions during the trial.
Brooke Sadler, the mother of Simmons’s first child, testified that Simmons was just as excited to be a father to their daughter as he was with Jaden.
“For as young as we both [were], he was an amazing dad,” Sadler said of Simmons, adding that he never displayed any anger issues with either her or their daughter.
Simmons’s mother, Mary, described her son as a “very loving father” and remembered the moment in the hospital when Jayden was born.
Bradley “was like a big kid” when he came running out of the room to tell me that he had a boy, Mary testified, adding that afterward he would often talk about how much he loved Jaden.
A recording of a phone call between Simmons, after he was first arrested, and Jayden’s mother was played during the trial.
Jayden was still alive in the hospital during the time of the recording, and Simmons could be heard saying “I miss him. Make sure you tell him that I love him.”
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Dad sentenced for abusing 5-month-old son; baby has permanent disabilities (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
Dads with a "prior conviction of assault and battery of a family member" probably don't make the best infant caregivers.
Dad is identified as CHARLES ADAM POTTER.
http://wavy.com/2015/03/02/father-sentenced-for-shaking-baby-causing-brain-damage/
Father sentenced for shaking baby, causing brain damage
By Catherine Rogers Published: March 2, 2015, 4:55 pm
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A Virginia Beach man will spend the next three decades in prison for abusing his 5-month-old son to the point of permanent brain damage.
In Virginia Beach Circuit Court Monday, 32-year-old Charles Adam Potter was sentenced to a 30-year prison term for aggravated malicious wounding and child abuse/neglect. The punishment was much greater than the maximum 12-year term recommend by Virginia State Sentencing Guidelines, according to Macie Pridgen with the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.
On October 24, 2012, Potter and his wife took their son to the CHKD emergency room in Norfolk and told doctors they heard popping noises in his back, according to the Commonwealth’s evidence. Medical scans showed the child’s ribs had been fractured, and a physician’s evaluation revealed evidence of bleeding in the infant’s brain.
Doctors determined the injuries were the result of the baby having been shaken and caused him to develop cerebral palsy. The child “will suffer from physical and intellectual defects for the remainder of his life,” Pridgen said.
Potter was arrested the next month, and during a recorded phone call from the Virginia Beach Correctional Center, he admitted to his wife that he “snapped” when he couldn’t calm their son down.
Potter, who has a prior conviction of assault and battery of a family member, filed an Alford plea this past November. An Alford plea is a type of guilty plea wherein the suspect admits only that the prosecution has enough evidence to persuade a jury to convict him.
Potter physically abused causing severe, permanent injuries to the child’s physical and intellectual well-being.
Dad is identified as CHARLES ADAM POTTER.
http://wavy.com/2015/03/02/father-sentenced-for-shaking-baby-causing-brain-damage/
Father sentenced for shaking baby, causing brain damage
By Catherine Rogers Published: March 2, 2015, 4:55 pm
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A Virginia Beach man will spend the next three decades in prison for abusing his 5-month-old son to the point of permanent brain damage.
In Virginia Beach Circuit Court Monday, 32-year-old Charles Adam Potter was sentenced to a 30-year prison term for aggravated malicious wounding and child abuse/neglect. The punishment was much greater than the maximum 12-year term recommend by Virginia State Sentencing Guidelines, according to Macie Pridgen with the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.
On October 24, 2012, Potter and his wife took their son to the CHKD emergency room in Norfolk and told doctors they heard popping noises in his back, according to the Commonwealth’s evidence. Medical scans showed the child’s ribs had been fractured, and a physician’s evaluation revealed evidence of bleeding in the infant’s brain.
Doctors determined the injuries were the result of the baby having been shaken and caused him to develop cerebral palsy. The child “will suffer from physical and intellectual defects for the remainder of his life,” Pridgen said.
Potter was arrested the next month, and during a recorded phone call from the Virginia Beach Correctional Center, he admitted to his wife that he “snapped” when he couldn’t calm their son down.
Potter, who has a prior conviction of assault and battery of a family member, filed an Alford plea this past November. An Alford plea is a type of guilty plea wherein the suspect admits only that the prosecution has enough evidence to persuade a jury to convict him.
Potter physically abused causing severe, permanent injuries to the child’s physical and intellectual well-being.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Dad gets 10 years for killing infant son (Chesterfield County, Virginia)
Dad is identified as BRADLEY W. SIMMONS.
http://www.richmond.com/news/local/central-virginia/article_11ead53f-048a-55f3-b65f-a1c2457c8ec0.html
Chesterfield father sentenced to 10 years in shaken baby death of son
Posted: Tuesday, February 24, 2015 6:15 pm
By MARK BOWES Richmond Times-Dispatch
A Chesterfield County father will spend 10 years behind bars for shaking his son so violently that it caused neurological devastation and eventually the boy’s death, 10 days after being hospitalized.
Judge Steven C. McCallum of Chesterfield Circuit Court imposed the maximum punishment allowed by law in sentencing Bradley W. Simmons, 23, to 10 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter in the March 23, 2013, death of Jayden W. Simmons. The judge also fined Simmons $2,500.
Jayden was 5 weeks old when authorities said Simmons shook his child with such force that it triggered cerebral and retinal hemorrhaging and a leg fracture. The child was taken to VCU Medical Center for treatment, but he died after being removed from life support after 10 days.
Chesterfield prosecutor Erin Barr said Simmons gave investigators several conflicting stories about how his son came to be injured.
He told investigators the boy had fallen off a bed after being left briefly unattended; that a bottle struck him after being knocked off a shelf into the crib; that he accidentally struck the infant in the head with a video-game controller while playing a game with the boy in his lap; and that he bumped the infant carrier on a post while they were walking.
“Ultimately after a number of interviews, he came out and admitted that he did shake him,” Barr said. “But he said that he shook him because he was unresponsive and was trying to get him to wake up.”
Had the case gone to trial, competing experts would have testified as to what the medical evidence showed, Barr said.
“Our theory was that the type of shaking that would cause these injuries was a violent shaking, and it doesn’t make any sense that someone would shake a child that violently to try to wake him up,” the prosecutor said.
Simmons, who originally was charged with second-degree murder, pleaded no contest to the reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter last August. #Both the prosecution and defense had subpoenaed physicians to testify at Monday’s sentencing hearing, but both sides agreed to stipulate each doctor’s testimony.
Simmons’ fiancee was also inside the family’s home in the 15200 block of Timsberry Circle when Jayden was injured, but she was elsewhere in the apartment at the time, Barr said. Simmons “was alone with the child.”
After the fiancee became aware of her baby’s condition, she and Simmons drove their child to the hospital but ended up stopping along the way at a nearby Chesterfield fire station. A paramedic crew transported the infant to VCU Medical Center.
Jayden was Simmons’ second child and his fiancee’s first. Simmons has a daughter from an earlier relationship, Barr said.
http://www.richmond.com/news/local/central-virginia/article_11ead53f-048a-55f3-b65f-a1c2457c8ec0.html
Chesterfield father sentenced to 10 years in shaken baby death of son
Posted: Tuesday, February 24, 2015 6:15 pm
By MARK BOWES Richmond Times-Dispatch
A Chesterfield County father will spend 10 years behind bars for shaking his son so violently that it caused neurological devastation and eventually the boy’s death, 10 days after being hospitalized.
Judge Steven C. McCallum of Chesterfield Circuit Court imposed the maximum punishment allowed by law in sentencing Bradley W. Simmons, 23, to 10 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter in the March 23, 2013, death of Jayden W. Simmons. The judge also fined Simmons $2,500.
Jayden was 5 weeks old when authorities said Simmons shook his child with such force that it triggered cerebral and retinal hemorrhaging and a leg fracture. The child was taken to VCU Medical Center for treatment, but he died after being removed from life support after 10 days.
Chesterfield prosecutor Erin Barr said Simmons gave investigators several conflicting stories about how his son came to be injured.
He told investigators the boy had fallen off a bed after being left briefly unattended; that a bottle struck him after being knocked off a shelf into the crib; that he accidentally struck the infant in the head with a video-game controller while playing a game with the boy in his lap; and that he bumped the infant carrier on a post while they were walking.
“Ultimately after a number of interviews, he came out and admitted that he did shake him,” Barr said. “But he said that he shook him because he was unresponsive and was trying to get him to wake up.”
Had the case gone to trial, competing experts would have testified as to what the medical evidence showed, Barr said.
“Our theory was that the type of shaking that would cause these injuries was a violent shaking, and it doesn’t make any sense that someone would shake a child that violently to try to wake him up,” the prosecutor said.
Simmons, who originally was charged with second-degree murder, pleaded no contest to the reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter last August. #Both the prosecution and defense had subpoenaed physicians to testify at Monday’s sentencing hearing, but both sides agreed to stipulate each doctor’s testimony.
Simmons’ fiancee was also inside the family’s home in the 15200 block of Timsberry Circle when Jayden was injured, but she was elsewhere in the apartment at the time, Barr said. Simmons “was alone with the child.”
After the fiancee became aware of her baby’s condition, she and Simmons drove their child to the hospital but ended up stopping along the way at a nearby Chesterfield fire station. A paramedic crew transported the infant to VCU Medical Center.
Jayden was Simmons’ second child and his fiancee’s first. Simmons has a daughter from an earlier relationship, Barr said.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Dad arrested for felony child abuse of 3-month-old son (Henrico County, Virginia)
Notice that the usual rote and meaningless reactions by the neighbors are reported ("shocked," "saddened"), but there is no mention of a mother in the home. Or anywhere else.
Dad is identified as TRAVON OWENS.
http://wtvr.com/2015/02/04/travon-owens-felony-child-neglect-3-month-old/
Henrico father arrested after 3-month old son is hospitalized
Posted 7:29 pm, February 4, 2015, by Sandra Jones, Updated at 07:31pm, February 4, 2015
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A 25-year-old father is behind bars accused of abusing his three-month-old son.
Henrico police charged Travon Owens with felony child neglect and malicious wounding after his three-month-old son was hospitalized.
Investigators said the charges stem from an incident at the 11 North at White Oaks Apartments off North Laburnum Avenue, but are releasing few details in this case since it involves a minor.
Investigators said the victim was taken to VCU Medical Center last week for a fracture.
While examining the baby, doctors noticed injuries that were consistent with abuse. As a result, hospital officials contacted police and Owens was arrested.
People who live at the apartment complex where the incident allegedly happened were shocked and saddened by the news.
CBS 6 News reached out to Owens at Henrico Jail West, but he declined our request for an interview.
Owens, who was arraigned Wednesday morning, is scheduled to appear in court on March 9.
Dad is identified as TRAVON OWENS.
http://wtvr.com/2015/02/04/travon-owens-felony-child-neglect-3-month-old/
Henrico father arrested after 3-month old son is hospitalized
Posted 7:29 pm, February 4, 2015, by Sandra Jones, Updated at 07:31pm, February 4, 2015
HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A 25-year-old father is behind bars accused of abusing his three-month-old son.
Henrico police charged Travon Owens with felony child neglect and malicious wounding after his three-month-old son was hospitalized.
Investigators said the charges stem from an incident at the 11 North at White Oaks Apartments off North Laburnum Avenue, but are releasing few details in this case since it involves a minor.
Investigators said the victim was taken to VCU Medical Center last week for a fracture.
While examining the baby, doctors noticed injuries that were consistent with abuse. As a result, hospital officials contacted police and Owens was arrested.
People who live at the apartment complex where the incident allegedly happened were shocked and saddened by the news.
CBS 6 News reached out to Owens at Henrico Jail West, but he declined our request for an interview.
Owens, who was arraigned Wednesday morning, is scheduled to appear in court on March 9.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Dad on trial for felony murder in beating death of 2-year-old son; father only "involved" due to paternity test (Lynchburg, Virginia)
Dad is identified as OLIVER SEIGEFRED FELIX.
Why it is a bad idea to "involve" a father who otherwise couldn't be bothered except for a paternity test. These guys are inevitably not bonded to the mother or the child. And they certainly resent child support....All these factors put the baby at severe risk.
http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/trial-underway-for-man-accused-in-the-death-of-/article_d540002c-acad-11e4-a365-df0da62cc12f.html
Trial underway for man accused in the death of 2-year-old child
Posted: Wednesday, February 4, 2015 3:38 pm
Justin Faulconer
Happy, playful 2-year-old Simeon Tyler left his mother’s care to walk over to his father on April 18, 2013 to be picked up as his mother went to work, prosecutors told a jury in Lynchburg Circuit Court on Wednesday.
But hours later, Oliver Seigefred Felix suddenly returned the injured child to his mother Sharhonda Tyler in a barely conscious state and suffering from seizures, Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Janell Johnson said in her opening remarks the first day of a trial against Felix, accused of felony murder in the toddler’s death.
Leigh Drewry, Felix’s attorney, told jurors the commonwealth’s version of events was not as simple as Johnson laid out and the injuries took place over time and not solely at his client’s hands.
“This was not all caused on one day in the course of a few hours and it was not all Mr. Felix’s fault,” Drewry said.
Felix, 40, of Lynchburg, also is charged with child abuse and child endangerment. Simeon Tyler was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital with significant injuries on April 18, 2013 and was taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center for emergency care. He died nine days later.
Johnson said in court Wednesday Felix became involved in Simeon’s life only after a paternity test. He agreed to watch his son a couple days per week while Sharhonda Tyler worked. On April 18, 2013, Johnson said Felix called Sharhonda Tyler and said: “your son’s not breathing.”
Felix did not immediately call 911 or rush Simeon to a hospital and instead went in the opposite direction to meet Simeon’s mother at her job on Timberlake Road. Scans showed Simeon suffered an injury to his brain, which caused bleeding and swelling.
Emergency surgery was performed, Johnson said. X-rays of the boy’s chest showed he had several rib fractures and doctors said a “type of force” was necessary to cause those injuries along with hemorrhaging behind his eyes, Johnson said.
The damage would have left Simeon unable to walk, eat or play and doctors believe they were not caused by a simple fall or a bump on the head, Johnson said. The trauma came from shaking the boy’s body so hard his brain to shake violently inside the skull, she said.
Drewry said the injuries were “complicated.” Simeon suffered an earlier stroke and “injuries took place after a matter of days,” he said.
The jury of eight men and six women would have to consider who had the child, when they had him and other participants, Drewry said, stopping short of identifying names.
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Bethany Harrison played a 911 call a co-worker and friend of Sharhonda Tyler’s testified she made when Felix dropped Simeon off. Earlier that morning the friend said Simeon was “being his normal self” but suddenly he was unresponsive in his mother’s arms, eyes rolled back in his head and showing no movement at all.
Todd Davis of the Lynchburg Fire Department testified he responded to the scene at about 5:30 p.m. and started patient care as Simeon was displaying “seizure-like activity.” The boy was unconscious and breathing poorly, Davis testified.
An emergency room nurse at Lynchburg General Hospital said Simeon was unresponsive and transferred by helicopter to UVa. The nurse testified Felix told her he came out of the bedroom and saw his son was slumped over and put him to bed.
The nurse said Felix told her he tried to wake up Simeon but he wasn’t successful and the child’s jaw was clenched. He called the mother to say Simeon wasn’t acting right, the nurse testified.
John Jane Jr., a pediatric neurosurgeon at UVa, performed brain surgery on Simeon on April 18. Jane testified Simeon was suffering from increased brain pressure and surgery was designed to alleviate it.
The boy’s chances of making a good recovery were low, Jane said, so he made what he believed was the heroic measure to pursue surgery, which he said he felt was the best that could be done to give the child a chance. He survived nine days until he was declared brain dead. Jane said he believes the surgery was the reason Simeon’s life was prolonged.
Simeon’s head and neck had sustained a forceful trauma, Jane said. Harrison asked if a simple fall could have caused such injuries and Jane responded the injuries were not consistent with a fall from a standing position or from a distance such as a bed.
A large portion of the left side of his brain was swollen, which would leave the right side of his body weak, Jane said.
“He would not be speaking, walking, talking,” he said.
Felix, in a black suit and a purple tie, was silent and attentive during the proceedings Wednesday. Though the events took place in 2013, he wasn’t arrested until March after a grand jury indictment.
The jury selection Wednesday was impacted by a delay after the courthouse was evacuated because of a bomb threat. Judge F. Patrick Yeatts said it was not how the opening day of the jury trial was scripted but told jurors the threat had nothing to do with the Felix case.
Prosecutors will resume calling witnesses at 9 a.m. today.
Why it is a bad idea to "involve" a father who otherwise couldn't be bothered except for a paternity test. These guys are inevitably not bonded to the mother or the child. And they certainly resent child support....All these factors put the baby at severe risk.
http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/trial-underway-for-man-accused-in-the-death-of-/article_d540002c-acad-11e4-a365-df0da62cc12f.html
Trial underway for man accused in the death of 2-year-old child
Posted: Wednesday, February 4, 2015 3:38 pm
Justin Faulconer
Happy, playful 2-year-old Simeon Tyler left his mother’s care to walk over to his father on April 18, 2013 to be picked up as his mother went to work, prosecutors told a jury in Lynchburg Circuit Court on Wednesday.
But hours later, Oliver Seigefred Felix suddenly returned the injured child to his mother Sharhonda Tyler in a barely conscious state and suffering from seizures, Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Janell Johnson said in her opening remarks the first day of a trial against Felix, accused of felony murder in the toddler’s death.
Leigh Drewry, Felix’s attorney, told jurors the commonwealth’s version of events was not as simple as Johnson laid out and the injuries took place over time and not solely at his client’s hands.
“This was not all caused on one day in the course of a few hours and it was not all Mr. Felix’s fault,” Drewry said.
Felix, 40, of Lynchburg, also is charged with child abuse and child endangerment. Simeon Tyler was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital with significant injuries on April 18, 2013 and was taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center for emergency care. He died nine days later.
Johnson said in court Wednesday Felix became involved in Simeon’s life only after a paternity test. He agreed to watch his son a couple days per week while Sharhonda Tyler worked. On April 18, 2013, Johnson said Felix called Sharhonda Tyler and said: “your son’s not breathing.”
Felix did not immediately call 911 or rush Simeon to a hospital and instead went in the opposite direction to meet Simeon’s mother at her job on Timberlake Road. Scans showed Simeon suffered an injury to his brain, which caused bleeding and swelling.
Emergency surgery was performed, Johnson said. X-rays of the boy’s chest showed he had several rib fractures and doctors said a “type of force” was necessary to cause those injuries along with hemorrhaging behind his eyes, Johnson said.
The damage would have left Simeon unable to walk, eat or play and doctors believe they were not caused by a simple fall or a bump on the head, Johnson said. The trauma came from shaking the boy’s body so hard his brain to shake violently inside the skull, she said.
Drewry said the injuries were “complicated.” Simeon suffered an earlier stroke and “injuries took place after a matter of days,” he said.
The jury of eight men and six women would have to consider who had the child, when they had him and other participants, Drewry said, stopping short of identifying names.
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Bethany Harrison played a 911 call a co-worker and friend of Sharhonda Tyler’s testified she made when Felix dropped Simeon off. Earlier that morning the friend said Simeon was “being his normal self” but suddenly he was unresponsive in his mother’s arms, eyes rolled back in his head and showing no movement at all.
Todd Davis of the Lynchburg Fire Department testified he responded to the scene at about 5:30 p.m. and started patient care as Simeon was displaying “seizure-like activity.” The boy was unconscious and breathing poorly, Davis testified.
An emergency room nurse at Lynchburg General Hospital said Simeon was unresponsive and transferred by helicopter to UVa. The nurse testified Felix told her he came out of the bedroom and saw his son was slumped over and put him to bed.
The nurse said Felix told her he tried to wake up Simeon but he wasn’t successful and the child’s jaw was clenched. He called the mother to say Simeon wasn’t acting right, the nurse testified.
John Jane Jr., a pediatric neurosurgeon at UVa, performed brain surgery on Simeon on April 18. Jane testified Simeon was suffering from increased brain pressure and surgery was designed to alleviate it.
The boy’s chances of making a good recovery were low, Jane said, so he made what he believed was the heroic measure to pursue surgery, which he said he felt was the best that could be done to give the child a chance. He survived nine days until he was declared brain dead. Jane said he believes the surgery was the reason Simeon’s life was prolonged.
Simeon’s head and neck had sustained a forceful trauma, Jane said. Harrison asked if a simple fall could have caused such injuries and Jane responded the injuries were not consistent with a fall from a standing position or from a distance such as a bed.
A large portion of the left side of his brain was swollen, which would leave the right side of his body weak, Jane said.
“He would not be speaking, walking, talking,” he said.
Felix, in a black suit and a purple tie, was silent and attentive during the proceedings Wednesday. Though the events took place in 2013, he wasn’t arrested until March after a grand jury indictment.
The jury selection Wednesday was impacted by a delay after the courthouse was evacuated because of a bomb threat. Judge F. Patrick Yeatts said it was not how the opening day of the jury trial was scripted but told jurors the threat had nothing to do with the Felix case.
Prosecutors will resume calling witnesses at 9 a.m. today.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Dad found guilty of aggravated malicious wounding of 3-year-old daughter (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
According to this somewhat sketchy coverage, the mother retained custody and has moved out of state. It is not clear whether the parents were together when the assault happened or whether they were separated and the assault took place during the father's access time.
Dad is identified as ERICO SAWYER.
http://www.13newsnow.com/story/news/2014/07/07/update-virginia-beach-father-indicted-for-child-abuse-/14829726/
UPDATE: Virginia Beach father guilty of child abuse
Staff, 13News Now 3:46 p.m. EST January 22, 2015
UPDATE 1/22/14: Erico Sawyer was found guilty of aggravated malicious wounding and child neglect. He could receive up to life in prison plus 10 years. Sawyer will be formally sentenced on April 20th.
UPDATE 7/7/13: Erico Sawyer was indicted for aggravated malicious wounding Monday.
Sawyer was originally charged with malicious wounding, which carries a maximum of 20 years. He had a court date of June 17 where he was expected to plead guilty, but Erico changed his mind. He has now been indicted for aggravated malicious wounding, which carries a penalty of 20 years to life in prison.
According to the Commonwealth's Attorney Office, the baby and her mother have moved to Colorado, and the only detail the spokewoman could offer is that the baby was hospitalized for about a month and is expected to live.
Sawyer remains in custody on no bond.
UPDATE 9/20/12.: Erico Sawyer appeared in court today and was not granted bond; the little girl is on life support. The child's grandmother says the girl had strokes on both sides of her brain and they may have to remove part of her skull to reduce the swelling in her brain.
He is due in court for a preliminary hearing on September 30.
*****
VIRGINIA BEACH -- A 3-year-old child is in a Norfolk hospital in critical condition and her father is facing charges.
Police say the girl was taken to Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters Monday around 3:30 p.m., but they did not reveal the nature of her injuries.
Following an investigation at the hospital, detectives arrested 28-year-old Erico Gerard Sawyer of the 2200 block of Acorn Cove in Virginia Beach.
He's in jail charged with felony child neglect.
This case remains under investigation.
Dad is identified as ERICO SAWYER.
http://www.13newsnow.com/story/news/2014/07/07/update-virginia-beach-father-indicted-for-child-abuse-/14829726/
UPDATE: Virginia Beach father guilty of child abuse
Staff, 13News Now 3:46 p.m. EST January 22, 2015
UPDATE 1/22/14: Erico Sawyer was found guilty of aggravated malicious wounding and child neglect. He could receive up to life in prison plus 10 years. Sawyer will be formally sentenced on April 20th.
UPDATE 7/7/13: Erico Sawyer was indicted for aggravated malicious wounding Monday.
Sawyer was originally charged with malicious wounding, which carries a maximum of 20 years. He had a court date of June 17 where he was expected to plead guilty, but Erico changed his mind. He has now been indicted for aggravated malicious wounding, which carries a penalty of 20 years to life in prison.
According to the Commonwealth's Attorney Office, the baby and her mother have moved to Colorado, and the only detail the spokewoman could offer is that the baby was hospitalized for about a month and is expected to live.
Sawyer remains in custody on no bond.
UPDATE 9/20/12.: Erico Sawyer appeared in court today and was not granted bond; the little girl is on life support. The child's grandmother says the girl had strokes on both sides of her brain and they may have to remove part of her skull to reduce the swelling in her brain.
He is due in court for a preliminary hearing on September 30.
*****
VIRGINIA BEACH -- A 3-year-old child is in a Norfolk hospital in critical condition and her father is facing charges.
Police say the girl was taken to Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters Monday around 3:30 p.m., but they did not reveal the nature of her injuries.
Following an investigation at the hospital, detectives arrested 28-year-old Erico Gerard Sawyer of the 2200 block of Acorn Cove in Virginia Beach.
He's in jail charged with felony child neglect.
This case remains under investigation.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Dad charged with murder in death of infant son (Suffolk, Virginia)
Dad is identified as ARTHUR LEE SMITH JR.
http://wavy.com/2014/12/29/man-charged-with-second-degree-murder-in-death-of-baby/
Father charged with murder in baby death investigation
By WAVY News
Published: December 29, 2014, 2:59 pm | Updated: December 30, 2014, 12:07 pm
SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Suffolk police confirm they have charged a father wanted in Norfolk for the death of his infant child.
Arthur Lee Smith Jr., 25, was arrested Saturday and charged with second-degree murder, according to the Norfolk Police Department.
The charges stem from an incident last Tuesday when officers responded to a home in the 6200 block of Bewells Point Road for a report of an unresponsive infant. The child was taken to the Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters where he was later pronounced dead.
The ongoing investigation is being handled by the Norfolk Police Homicide Division, which has identified Smith as the baby’s father. Norfolk police said they aren’t sure right now if Smith is a resident of Norfolk or Suffolk.
Smith Jr. was arraigned Tuesday morning in Norfolk. He has a review court date scheduled Jan. 12.
Stay with WAVY 10 for more on this developing story.
http://wavy.com/2014/12/29/man-charged-with-second-degree-murder-in-death-of-baby/
Father charged with murder in baby death investigation
By WAVY News
Published: December 29, 2014, 2:59 pm | Updated: December 30, 2014, 12:07 pm
SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Suffolk police confirm they have charged a father wanted in Norfolk for the death of his infant child.
Arthur Lee Smith Jr., 25, was arrested Saturday and charged with second-degree murder, according to the Norfolk Police Department.
The charges stem from an incident last Tuesday when officers responded to a home in the 6200 block of Bewells Point Road for a report of an unresponsive infant. The child was taken to the Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters where he was later pronounced dead.
The ongoing investigation is being handled by the Norfolk Police Homicide Division, which has identified Smith as the baby’s father. Norfolk police said they aren’t sure right now if Smith is a resident of Norfolk or Suffolk.
Smith Jr. was arraigned Tuesday morning in Norfolk. He has a review court date scheduled Jan. 12.
Stay with WAVY 10 for more on this developing story.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Dad convicted of felony child abuse for puncturing baby's throat; gets 30 months in prison (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Dad is identified as ROBERT E. HAAS IV.
http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-cc-haas-abuse-sentencing-1126-20141124,0,1626776.story
James City father will serve 30 months for damage to child's throat
By Susan Robertson The Virginia Gazette
8:17 a.m. EST, November 25, 2014
WILLIAMSBURG — A James City father convicted of sticking a finger down his baby's throat and causing serious injury was sentenced Monday to two and a half years in prison.
In July Robert E. Haas IV, 28, was found guilty of felony child abuse by a jury. The panel recommended the 30-month prison sentence and a $1,000 fine. On Monday, Circuit Judge Michael E. McGinty upheld and imposed the sentencing recommendation, noting that he felt it was appropriate.
"He took his finger and shoved it down his infant child's throat," said Maureen Kufro, assistant commonwealth's attorney, as she reminded the court of the facts of the case. "So forcefully that it punctured the throat."
At trial the child's mother testified she was getting ready for work when she heard her daughter coughing, then entered the living room to find her in Haas's arms spitting up blood. She added that Haas told her not to dial 911.
She told the court that while at the hospital, Haas said he believed the baby was choking and tried to clear her airway. The baby was transferred from Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center to Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk for specialized care, according to her mother, who said at that time there was still no indication of what causing the bleeding.
Doctor's scoped the baby's throat and found the cause of the bleeding — a 11/2 centimeter laceration to the muscle at the back of the throat, according to Dr. Norrell Atkinson, a former child abuse pediatrician at CHKD. She said blunt force trauma was the cause of the injury.
At CHKD, Haas became nervous, according to the child's mother. She said he stated "it's all my fault" and later admitted to sticking his finger down their daughter's throat.
In a Feb. 11 interview with James City County Social Services, Haas recounted the incident. Tina Sawyer, a social worker, testified that Haas told her sticking his finger down the baby's throat caused the bleeding.
Defense attorney Patrick Bales asked McGinty to consider allowing Haas to complete the therapy program he was engaged in before he began serving his sentence. Mark Mortier, a counselor at Genesis Counseling Center, said Haas had been coming to the center since February to seek help in balancing his emotions and cultivating life coping skills. He added that Haas and his wife were also in couples therapy.
Haas was intellectually tested as part of the therapy program and demonstrated an I.Q. of 74. According to Mortier, 70 is intellectually disabled. He noted Haas was about 5 weeks away from completing the program.
Asked by Kufro what the benefit of completion would be if Haas was going to spend 21/2 years in prison, Mortier said the skills he'd acquired might help him cope in prison. Kufro argued against delaying the start of Haas's sentence, and she asked the time begin immediately. She said, regardless of the therapy, Haas didn't deserve that mercy.
"He wanted a jury trial," she said. "He got it, and now he has to face the consequences."
http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-cc-haas-abuse-sentencing-1126-20141124,0,1626776.story
James City father will serve 30 months for damage to child's throat
By Susan Robertson The Virginia Gazette
8:17 a.m. EST, November 25, 2014
WILLIAMSBURG — A James City father convicted of sticking a finger down his baby's throat and causing serious injury was sentenced Monday to two and a half years in prison.
In July Robert E. Haas IV, 28, was found guilty of felony child abuse by a jury. The panel recommended the 30-month prison sentence and a $1,000 fine. On Monday, Circuit Judge Michael E. McGinty upheld and imposed the sentencing recommendation, noting that he felt it was appropriate.
"He took his finger and shoved it down his infant child's throat," said Maureen Kufro, assistant commonwealth's attorney, as she reminded the court of the facts of the case. "So forcefully that it punctured the throat."
At trial the child's mother testified she was getting ready for work when she heard her daughter coughing, then entered the living room to find her in Haas's arms spitting up blood. She added that Haas told her not to dial 911.
She told the court that while at the hospital, Haas said he believed the baby was choking and tried to clear her airway. The baby was transferred from Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center to Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk for specialized care, according to her mother, who said at that time there was still no indication of what causing the bleeding.
Doctor's scoped the baby's throat and found the cause of the bleeding — a 11/2 centimeter laceration to the muscle at the back of the throat, according to Dr. Norrell Atkinson, a former child abuse pediatrician at CHKD. She said blunt force trauma was the cause of the injury.
At CHKD, Haas became nervous, according to the child's mother. She said he stated "it's all my fault" and later admitted to sticking his finger down their daughter's throat.
In a Feb. 11 interview with James City County Social Services, Haas recounted the incident. Tina Sawyer, a social worker, testified that Haas told her sticking his finger down the baby's throat caused the bleeding.
Defense attorney Patrick Bales asked McGinty to consider allowing Haas to complete the therapy program he was engaged in before he began serving his sentence. Mark Mortier, a counselor at Genesis Counseling Center, said Haas had been coming to the center since February to seek help in balancing his emotions and cultivating life coping skills. He added that Haas and his wife were also in couples therapy.
Haas was intellectually tested as part of the therapy program and demonstrated an I.Q. of 74. According to Mortier, 70 is intellectually disabled. He noted Haas was about 5 weeks away from completing the program.
Asked by Kufro what the benefit of completion would be if Haas was going to spend 21/2 years in prison, Mortier said the skills he'd acquired might help him cope in prison. Kufro argued against delaying the start of Haas's sentence, and she asked the time begin immediately. She said, regardless of the therapy, Haas didn't deserve that mercy.
"He wanted a jury trial," she said. "He got it, and now he has to face the consequences."
Monday, October 27, 2014
Dad gets life in prison for killing 11-month-old daughter and her mother to avoid child support (Prince George's County, Virginia)
Another "whatever happened to" follow-up from the killer dads and custody list.
Dad RICHMOND PHILLIPS was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in March 2013 for the murders of his 11-month-old daughter and her mother. Dad wanted to avoid child support.
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/03/richmond-phillips-sentencing-to-come-after-murder-of-wynetta-wright-baby-daughter-86552.html
Richmond Phillips sentenced for murder of Wynetta Wright, baby daughter
By Brad Bell March 22, 2013 - 08:18 am
The former MPD officers who killed his mistress and left their 11-month-old daughter to die in a hot car in 2011 will spend the rest of his life in jail.
Richmond Phillips, who was convicted in January of fatally shooting Wynetta Wright and then leaving their young daughter, Jaylin, to die was sentenced to two life sentences plus 20 years in prison Friday.
Phillips will not have the possibility of parole.
Wright and her daughter were found dead in May of 2011, shortly before she and Phillips were supposed to appear in court for a child support hearing. Shortly thereafter, the 20-year-old mother was found dead inside Oxon Run Stream Valley Park.
Jaylin was later found dead inside a car in the 2400 block of Southern Avenue.
Thank you Jesus, because justice has been served," said Wright's mother, Wyvette Wright.
She says she's hoped for the death penalty, but she is glad the judge threw away the key
"He is the devil himself, there's no other way to put it. He was heartless, senseless, didn't care about nothing," Wyvette said.
Everett Tucker, Wynetta's father, added, " I just think he is a true monster. I don't believe he had remorse or anything for what he did. I just think he's a true monster."
During his trial, prosecutors spun Phillips, then 39, as a liar and a cheater who would do anything to conceal his mistress and child from his wife. Before the murder, he had served as a narcotics officer with the Metropolitan Police Department for eight years.
Tucker says the sentence lifted a weight, and he hopes his daughter and granddaughter can rest in peace.
"Two beautiful people," Tucker continued. "They still in my life, but they up here with the Lord right about now."
Dad RICHMOND PHILLIPS was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in March 2013 for the murders of his 11-month-old daughter and her mother. Dad wanted to avoid child support.
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/03/richmond-phillips-sentencing-to-come-after-murder-of-wynetta-wright-baby-daughter-86552.html
Richmond Phillips sentenced for murder of Wynetta Wright, baby daughter
By Brad Bell March 22, 2013 - 08:18 am
The former MPD officers who killed his mistress and left their 11-month-old daughter to die in a hot car in 2011 will spend the rest of his life in jail.
Richmond Phillips, who was convicted in January of fatally shooting Wynetta Wright and then leaving their young daughter, Jaylin, to die was sentenced to two life sentences plus 20 years in prison Friday.
Phillips will not have the possibility of parole.
Wright and her daughter were found dead in May of 2011, shortly before she and Phillips were supposed to appear in court for a child support hearing. Shortly thereafter, the 20-year-old mother was found dead inside Oxon Run Stream Valley Park.
Jaylin was later found dead inside a car in the 2400 block of Southern Avenue.
Thank you Jesus, because justice has been served," said Wright's mother, Wyvette Wright.
She says she's hoped for the death penalty, but she is glad the judge threw away the key
"He is the devil himself, there's no other way to put it. He was heartless, senseless, didn't care about nothing," Wyvette said.
Everett Tucker, Wynetta's father, added, " I just think he is a true monster. I don't believe he had remorse or anything for what he did. I just think he's a true monster."
During his trial, prosecutors spun Phillips, then 39, as a liar and a cheater who would do anything to conceal his mistress and child from his wife. Before the murder, he had served as a narcotics officer with the Metropolitan Police Department for eight years.
Tucker says the sentence lifted a weight, and he hopes his daughter and granddaughter can rest in peace.
"Two beautiful people," Tucker continued. "They still in my life, but they up here with the Lord right about now."
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Dad, step charged with abusing three young daughters (Newport News, Virginia)
So is NICHOLAS DEWAYNE BURIST a custodial father? Not real clear. But no mention of the mother either.
http://www.13newsnow.com/story/news/local/mycity/norfolk/2014/10/17/newport-news-couple-charged/17429347/
Father, step-mother charged with abusing 3 young girls
Police charged a couple with abusing 3 young girls.
13News Now 5:25 p.m. EDT October 17, 2014
NEWPORT NEWS -- The father and step-mother of three young girls are facing several charges of abuse after a report was made by the children's grandfather.
According to Newport News Police, the girls, ages 14, 10 and 5, were abused while in the custody of 35-year-old Nicholas Dewayne Burist and his wife, 45-year-old Loleane Burist, during May and June of 2014. The couple was arrested October 14.
Nicholas Burist is charged abduction, malicious wounding, stalking, child abuse and injuries to children.
Loleane Burist is charged with abduction and injuries to children.
http://www.13newsnow.com/story/news/local/mycity/norfolk/2014/10/17/newport-news-couple-charged/17429347/
Father, step-mother charged with abusing 3 young girls
Police charged a couple with abusing 3 young girls.
13News Now 5:25 p.m. EDT October 17, 2014
NEWPORT NEWS -- The father and step-mother of three young girls are facing several charges of abuse after a report was made by the children's grandfather.
According to Newport News Police, the girls, ages 14, 10 and 5, were abused while in the custody of 35-year-old Nicholas Dewayne Burist and his wife, 45-year-old Loleane Burist, during May and June of 2014. The couple was arrested October 14.
Nicholas Burist is charged abduction, malicious wounding, stalking, child abuse and injuries to children.
Loleane Burist is charged with abduction and injuries to children.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Custodial "caretaker" dad charged with severely beating 6-month-old son (Pulaski, Virginia)
So it appears Dad STEVEN EDWARD AKERS got custody because Mom was in jail for some dubious reason, like "getting caught up with the wrong people." Does that mean drugs? Who knows. At any rate, Dad sounds much worse, and he was still walking around. And nearly killing his infant son in the process.
http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/pulaski-man-charged-with-abusing-6monthold-son/28110174
Pulaski man charged with abusing 6-month-old son
WDBJ7 New River Valley Newsroom Bureau Chief Orlando Salinas Orlando
POSTED: 06:00 PM EDT Sep 17, 2014
PULASKI, Va. -- - A Pulaski father is accused of severely beating his 6-month old son.
We got a tip from a viewer late Tuesday night about this story. This reporter found out both the baby's father and mother are in jail.
Ashley White said she knew the baby's family. This reporter showed a picture of the injured baby to White.
"Stories like this just absolutely eat me alive. I don't see how anyone can ever do this to a poor innocent child," White said.
Pulaski Police Detective Wes Ratcliff said that last Friday at around 10 p.m. they got a phone call.
"An anonymous caller called the police department and wanted the officers to do a welfare check on an infant, 6-months-old," Ratcliff said.
Ratcliff said officers showed up at the Washington Square apartment complex. They rang the bell and knocked on the door.
"When the infant was found, we did find him with severe injuries. It did take the officers some time to locate the caretaker of the child," Ratcliff said.
That caretaker was the baby's father, 23-year-old Steven Edward Akers. He is in jail, charged with child abuse and neglect of his son, Steven, who carries his father's first name.
Steven Akers' Facebook page is full of photographs. His profile picture shows him holding his son.
Police tell me the baby's mother is also in jail in Central Virginia on an unrelated charge.
White said until Wednesday, she never knew the baby was in any danger.
"She was a good person from what I understand. She got caught up with the wrong people. She was in jail and I guess she trusted the guy she left the baby with," White said.
Detective Ratcliff offered the final word on 6-month-old Steven.
"The baby is safe. We caught it in time, thanks to an anonymous caller. And she saved that baby's life," Ratcliff said.
http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/pulaski-man-charged-with-abusing-6monthold-son/28110174
Pulaski man charged with abusing 6-month-old son
WDBJ7 New River Valley Newsroom Bureau Chief Orlando Salinas Orlando
POSTED: 06:00 PM EDT Sep 17, 2014
PULASKI, Va. -- - A Pulaski father is accused of severely beating his 6-month old son.
We got a tip from a viewer late Tuesday night about this story. This reporter found out both the baby's father and mother are in jail.
Ashley White said she knew the baby's family. This reporter showed a picture of the injured baby to White.
"Stories like this just absolutely eat me alive. I don't see how anyone can ever do this to a poor innocent child," White said.
Pulaski Police Detective Wes Ratcliff said that last Friday at around 10 p.m. they got a phone call.
"An anonymous caller called the police department and wanted the officers to do a welfare check on an infant, 6-months-old," Ratcliff said.
Ratcliff said officers showed up at the Washington Square apartment complex. They rang the bell and knocked on the door.
"When the infant was found, we did find him with severe injuries. It did take the officers some time to locate the caretaker of the child," Ratcliff said.
That caretaker was the baby's father, 23-year-old Steven Edward Akers. He is in jail, charged with child abuse and neglect of his son, Steven, who carries his father's first name.
Steven Akers' Facebook page is full of photographs. His profile picture shows him holding his son.
Police tell me the baby's mother is also in jail in Central Virginia on an unrelated charge.
White said until Wednesday, she never knew the baby was in any danger.
"She was a good person from what I understand. She got caught up with the wrong people. She was in jail and I guess she trusted the guy she left the baby with," White said.
Detective Ratcliff offered the final word on 6-month-old Steven.
"The baby is safe. We caught it in time, thanks to an anonymous caller. And she saved that baby's life," Ratcliff said.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Dad suspected of abusing 3-week-old son; baby has 16 bone fractures (Roanoke, Virginia)
UNNAMED DAD and no mention of a mother in the home.
http://www.wset.com/story/26349264/father-suspected-of-abusing-three-week-old-son
Father Suspected Of Abusing Three Week Old Son
Posted: Aug 22, 2014 4:34 PM EDT
By David Tate
Roanoke, VA - Detectives are investigating a possible case of child abuse that, according to court records, left a three week old child with 16 different broken bones.
According to the search warrant on file, in Roanoke Circuit Court, the father admitted to the abuse because he wouldn't stop crying.
The young boy suffered from 13 rib fractures, fractures to both collar bones and a broken leg.
The warrant goes on to say that the nature of the injuries were deemed, by authorities, to be non-accidental and caused by "intense gripping" by an adult.
The father of the child is reported in the affidavit as admitting to such behavior only after police confronted him with the evidence.
The affidavit shows the father originally told emergency crews that he tripped over an animal while on some stairs with the child in his hands.
When crews arrived the baby was unresponsive and was revived at Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
http://www.wset.com/story/26349264/father-suspected-of-abusing-three-week-old-son
Father Suspected Of Abusing Three Week Old Son
Posted: Aug 22, 2014 4:34 PM EDT
By David Tate
Roanoke, VA - Detectives are investigating a possible case of child abuse that, according to court records, left a three week old child with 16 different broken bones.
According to the search warrant on file, in Roanoke Circuit Court, the father admitted to the abuse because he wouldn't stop crying.
The young boy suffered from 13 rib fractures, fractures to both collar bones and a broken leg.
The warrant goes on to say that the nature of the injuries were deemed, by authorities, to be non-accidental and caused by "intense gripping" by an adult.
The father of the child is reported in the affidavit as admitting to such behavior only after police confronted him with the evidence.
The affidavit shows the father originally told emergency crews that he tripped over an animal while on some stairs with the child in his hands.
When crews arrived the baby was unresponsive and was revived at Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
Monday, August 4, 2014
Trial set for dad who had "joint shared custody"; charged with murdering 5-month-old son (Pulaski County, Virginia)
What idiotic judge gave this obviously volatile and violent father joint custody of an infant? The judge must have known he was a threat, because the poor mother was ordered to supervise all his visits and keep the baby “within sight and hearing” at all times. That is a huge burden to put on this mother. How is a lone woman supposed to keep a vicious criminal in line? It's as if she were set up to fail, and then trashed for it.
Dad is identified as HOWARD COLE.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/crime/pulaski_county/two-week-jury-trial-set-in-pulaski-county-capital-murder/article_5d6d8ff8-44b6-5ab8-be54-9a303c76662f.html
Two week jury trial set in Pulaski County capital murder case
Posted: Monday, August 4, 2014 10:49 am
By Melissa Powell
A two-week jury trial is scheduled for June in the capital murder case of a Pulaski father accused of killing his 5-month-old son.
Howard Cole, 32, appeared briefly in Pulaski County Circuit Court on Monday so that his case could be set, county Commonwealth’s Attorney Mike Fleenor said. The trial is scheduled to begin June 1, 2015.
In addition to capital murder, Cole is facing a charge of illegal disposal of a body. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty for Cole.
Infant Cory Cole was first reported missing Jan. 29 by his mother, who told police that her fiance, Howard Cole, had left with the infant. She signed an arrest warrant affidavit on that same day accusing Cole of abusing Cory.
When Cole was arrested on a child abuse charge Jan. 30, Cory Cole was not with him. He was questioned as to the infant’s whereabouts and well-being, and later led detectives to a rural area where he said he had taken and left the infant, according to a search warrant filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court.
Cory Cole’s body was located Jan. 30 in a rural area of Draper off Old Route 100. Whether the infant had been alive when he was abandoned in the woods was not clear in the warrant.
Cory Cole’s mother, Samantha Warden, 30, separately is facing one count of felony child neglect. She was indicted on that charge in July, and a hearing date in her case is scheduled to be set on Sept. 4.
At Warden’s preliminary hearing in May, county Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Justin Griffith called two Pulaski County investigators to the stand to testify that Warden — also known as Samantha Anna-Jane Taylor — and Howard Cole shared joint custody of the child, but Warden was supposed to supervise visits between the boy and his father. The child was supposed to stay “within sight and hearing,” according to a custody agreement read aloud in court.
Warden told police that on Jan. 26, she watched Howard Cole abuse Cory Cole when he “flung” the boy onto a bed.
The next day, the mother and father got into an argument and Warden left the child with Howard Cole, according to testimony.
Both Cole and Warden are being held in the New River Valley Regional Jail, according to online records
Dad is identified as HOWARD COLE.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/crime/pulaski_county/two-week-jury-trial-set-in-pulaski-county-capital-murder/article_5d6d8ff8-44b6-5ab8-be54-9a303c76662f.html
Two week jury trial set in Pulaski County capital murder case
Posted: Monday, August 4, 2014 10:49 am
By Melissa Powell
A two-week jury trial is scheduled for June in the capital murder case of a Pulaski father accused of killing his 5-month-old son.
Howard Cole, 32, appeared briefly in Pulaski County Circuit Court on Monday so that his case could be set, county Commonwealth’s Attorney Mike Fleenor said. The trial is scheduled to begin June 1, 2015.
In addition to capital murder, Cole is facing a charge of illegal disposal of a body. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty for Cole.
Infant Cory Cole was first reported missing Jan. 29 by his mother, who told police that her fiance, Howard Cole, had left with the infant. She signed an arrest warrant affidavit on that same day accusing Cole of abusing Cory.
When Cole was arrested on a child abuse charge Jan. 30, Cory Cole was not with him. He was questioned as to the infant’s whereabouts and well-being, and later led detectives to a rural area where he said he had taken and left the infant, according to a search warrant filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court.
Cory Cole’s body was located Jan. 30 in a rural area of Draper off Old Route 100. Whether the infant had been alive when he was abandoned in the woods was not clear in the warrant.
Cory Cole’s mother, Samantha Warden, 30, separately is facing one count of felony child neglect. She was indicted on that charge in July, and a hearing date in her case is scheduled to be set on Sept. 4.
At Warden’s preliminary hearing in May, county Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Justin Griffith called two Pulaski County investigators to the stand to testify that Warden — also known as Samantha Anna-Jane Taylor — and Howard Cole shared joint custody of the child, but Warden was supposed to supervise visits between the boy and his father. The child was supposed to stay “within sight and hearing,” according to a custody agreement read aloud in court.
Warden told police that on Jan. 26, she watched Howard Cole abuse Cory Cole when he “flung” the boy onto a bed.
The next day, the mother and father got into an argument and Warden left the child with Howard Cole, according to testimony.
Both Cole and Warden are being held in the New River Valley Regional Jail, according to online records
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