Dad gets 4 1/2 years for raping two daughters (County Clare, Ireland)

UNNAMED DAD gets a slap on the wrist for virtually destroying the lives of his daughters, now women. No mention of a mother in the home. Was there one?

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/criminal-court/clare-man-jailed-for-indecently-assaulting-his-two-daughters-1.2068689

Clare man jailed for indecently assaulting his two daughters

Man (80) sentenced to four and a half years for abuse in early 1970s

The man was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault after a week-long trial at the Central Criminal Court.

  Fri, Jan 16, 2015, 15:54 First published: Fri, Jan 16, 2015, 15:30

An 80-year-old man has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for indecently assaulting his two daughters in Co Clare during the early 1970s.

The man, who cannot be named in order to protect the anonymity of his victims, was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault after a week-long trial at the Central Criminal Court last month.

He had pleaded not guilty to 18 counts of indecently assaulting his daughter in a house and later a caravan in Co Clare on unknown dates between January 1971 and December 1973. She was aged between 11 and 13 at the time.

The man had also denied indecently assaulting another daughter twice in 1980 at a caravan in Co Clare, when she was aged 11 or 12.

During his trial, he made admissions to one of these offences. Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said he was effectively treating that admission as a plea of guilty.

The man was found not guilty of the second count in relation to his younger daughter.

Mr Justice McCarthy said the man’s abuse of his older daughter was at the most serious end of the scale of offending and involved the fundamental breach of trust of a particularly vulnerable child.

He said the abuse included incidents of “squalidity”.

The judge said the man’s age was the only mitigating factor, but that it was not significant as he seemed a healthy man.

The sentence was backdated to June 15th, 2014.

Mr Justice McCarthy also ordered the man be registered as a sex offender.

Det Gda Donal Corkery told Conor Devally SC, prosecuting, that the man’s daughter was nearly 11 when he started abusing her. He told her it was a loving relationship and that he wanted to have a child by her.

During the trial, the woman said her father told her he could not fight his feelings for her and that she would “learn to like it”.

The woman read out a victim impact statement to the court in which she said she had suffered from panic attacks, anxiety, nightmares and constant fear from an early age because of her father’s abuse. She said she has struggled to cope with what happened, and also with the fact that people might think she was a willing participant.

The woman said she found it very difficult to give evidence during the trial and felt she was reliving the abuse all over again. “I still live in fear of this man,” she said of her father.

Mr Justice McCarthy said the man’s other daughter was also the victim of a “grave breach of trust” and that the offence against her was at the middle range on the scale of seriousness. He said the accused had taken her to a caravan over a number of weeks, spoken to her of sexual matters and indecently assaulted her.

A victim impact statement was also read out on behalf of the second victim. She said she has suffered from anxiety attacks depression for years and has huge trust issues with men, including her husband. The woman said she never wants to leave home and feels a “dark cloud” hanging over her.

The man has no previous convictions.

Michael Bowman SC, defending, said the man did his best to provide for his children in terms of maintenance.

More trial delays for custodial dad charged with raping, murdering 14-year-old daughter in 2006 (Stanislaus County, California)

Update to the killer dads and custody list.

This case is so horrendous I can't even begin to summarize it. Custodial dad MARK EDWARD MESITI is just pure evil, and there is a lot of competition for that title.

Past posts can be found here.

http://www.cerescourier.com/section/11/article/3830/

Court: No conflict of interest in Mesiti case
• Murder defendant still without legal representation 

By Jeff Benziger POSTED July 9, 2014 10:25 a.m.

The quest to place Mark Edward Mesiti on trial for the murder of his 14-year-old Ceres daughter has been fraught with delays from the start.

The latest delay, however, was resolved recently by an appellate court which ruled that a prosecutor should not have been removed by Stanislaus Superior Court Judge John Freeland last August. Freeland removed Deputy District Attorney Annette Rees from the case saying that Mesiti planned to call her as a witness and thus presenting a conflict of interest.

The former Ceres man has been behind bars since March 28, 2009 to stand trial for the first-degree murder of his daughter, Alycia Augusta Mesiti. Authorities say he raped and sexually molested Alycia during 2005 and 2006, and then killed her on or around August 16, 2006. On March 25, 2009, Ceres Police found her body in the backyard of 3576 Alexis Avenue in Ceres where the family was living at the time of her murder.

Justices from the 5th District Court of Appeals -- Herbert Levy.Jennifer Detjen and Donald R. Franson Jr. - met on June 18 to hear the argument and determined that no conflict of interest was established.

Mesiti claimed there was a conflict with Rees because he said he spoke to Rees about a 2005 case that convicted his acquaintance, Gregory Joseph Ulrich, of sexually molesting Alycia. Ulrich went to jail after pleading no contest but has since died from cancer. Rees denied ever speaking to Mesiti about Ulrich and said she didn't recall a detective question the girl about Ulrich molesting her during her Child Abuse Interviews, Referrals and Evaluation (CAIRE) interview. The testimony of several others investigating the case cast doubts on the truthfulmess of Mesiti's claim.

Mesiti's move to get Rees off the case, said Deputy District Attorney Meghan Greerty last year, was nothing more than a lie designed to delay his death penalty case.

The three appellate court justices cited the fact that Judge Freeland viewed Mesiti's remarks as untruthful. Freeland defended his decision in the Fresno court saying it was a matter of admissibility of evidence and not his personal views that Mesiti was less than honest. The justices disagreed with Freeland and said they felt there was no conflict of interest with Rees helping to prosecuting the case against Mesiti.

"When ruling on a recusal motion, the trial court bears the responsibility of assessing the credibility of evidence before it," wrote Justice Levy in his opinion.

Mesiti claims that he's innocent of murder and that Ulrich murdered his daughter. Ulrich reportedly had been released from jail three days prior to Alycia's believed murder date. Ulrich was a registered sex offender who worked for Mesiti's home-based computer business on Faith Home Road.

District Attorney Birgit Fladager said her office looks forward to moving the case forward, although it's unclear who will represent Mesiti in court. His prior defense team of Robert Orenstein and Mark Sullivan are off the case. Mesiti had sent a communication to Orenstein that led to the "complete breakdown of the attorney-client relationship," said Orenstein.

In late 2012, Judge Freeland relieved defense attorney Robert Chase from the Mesiti case. Chase announced to the court that he had a potential conflict of interest. Chase was designated as Mesiti's "Keenan counsel," or the attorney who would represent Mesiti during the penalty phase should a jury find him guilty. Chase said he did not wish to abandon Mesiti but was forced to do so.

Death penalty cases require two lawyers defending a suspect. The second lawyer is required because the lawyer handling the trial may blow credibility with the jury after a finding of guilt, so a second attorney would represent the defendant during the sentencing phase.

Mesiti faces the death penalty if convicted of the murder and a total of 44 criminal counts, mostly sexual abuse charges. Rees has charged Mesiti with sexually assaulting two other female victims. The girls were not identified but their ages were listed as eight years of age and the other who was both 16 and 17 during the alleged abuse. The seven felony charges involving his alleged actions against the girls -- between July 2006 and July 2008 -- include unlawful sexual intercourse, committing lewd acts on a child, and furnishing illegal narcotics to a minor.

Mesiti moved from Ceres about six months after Alycia was reported missing; but three days after the body was unearthed police traced him to a Los Angeles apartment which had been used as a methamphetamine lab. Mesiti's girlfriend, Shelly Welborn Walker helped testify against Mesiti in the drug trial in which he was convicted on March 18, 2011 and sentenced to five years. He was turned over to Stanislaus County for the murder prosecution in June 2011.

Authorities say Mesiti drugged Alycia from July 2005 through May 2006 so that he could commit lewd and sexual acts with her.

Alycia had been reported missing two days after her alleged Aug. 13, 2006 disappearance. Mark Mesiti told police that Alycia traveled to the San Jose area on August 11, 2006, to spend the weekend with a friend and that she telephoned on August 13, reporting that she had instead gone camping with other friends but would not disclose her location nor who she was with. Police say Mr. Mesiti claimed to receive periodic calls from Alycia who assured her things were okay.

Mesiti's criminal record includes domestic violence against Alycia's mother, Roberta Allen, drunk driving and bank fraud. The girl reportedly did not get along with her mother, Roberta Allen, who has a history of mental depression and attempted suicide. Court officials expressed concerns about Alycia's handling and turned her over to her father in November 2005 despite his criminal record.

In 2005 Mark Mesiti moved from the Bay area to Alexis Avenue, a neighborhood west of Morgan Road and just blocks from Sinclear Elementary School. Alycia had been enrolled by her father to attend Central Valley High School on Sept. 15, 2005, but never attended. On Oct. 6, 2005 CUSD received a request for her records to be sent to Harbor High School in Santa Cruz.

Roberta Allen told Ceres police that she did not believe her daughter ran away and suspected foul play. That's when police stepped up their investigation of the property and brought in a cadaver-detecting canine. The body was found wrapped in heavy black plastic and bound with duct tape near the patio buried under feet of dirt.

Mesiti is scheduled to be back in court on July 25.

Dad ruled competent to stand trial in death of 5-week-old son; parents had just separated and baby killed during father's visitation (Winfield, West Virginia)

Still doing case updates on the killer dad and custody lists. This update comes from last summer.

Dad ROBERT JEREMY SMITH is accused of killing his 5-week-old son during visitation.  The parents had separated.

Though the father has a typical cover story regarding the boy's death (he "dropped" him), that doesn't exactly explain why the police found a bloody hammer in the house. Or why the baby had abrasions on his forehead and multiple skull fractures. Or why Dad cut his own throat in an apparent suicide attempt. Or why the baby's body was found in the back seat of a car.

Notice that Smith's own mother filed a domestic violence petition to gain custody of his first child  (from an earlier relationship) when that child showed up at the hospital with a "suspicious" injury. The mother's mother also claimed that Smith could be "controlling" and "violent."

Of course that petition was dismissed.

http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140628/GZ01/140629340

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Evaluation says Hurricane man accused of killing infant son competent to stand trial

By Ryan Quinn, Staff writer

WINFIELD, W.Va. — A psychiatric evaluation of the Hurricane man accused of killing his 5-week-old son has concluded that he’s competent to stand trial and states that he has “indicated a desire to defend himself and be judged not guilty.”

The evaluation, filed in Putnam County Circuit Court on Thursday, states that Robert Jeremy Smith said he wouldn’t consider a plea bargain because it would be an admission of guilt, but “later entertained the possibility of admitting to certain charges that did directly imply he intentionally harmed the child.”

Smith, 33, of Shank Avenue, is charged with death of a child by a parent as a result of child abuse. His son, Madden, was found dead in the back seat of a car on Venable Avenue, in Kanawha City, on May 21.

Smith also was there, with his throat cut — police said he apparently attempted suicide.Smith told police that Madden died after he accidentally dropped him from about chest-high after picking him up with his bad right arm. The evaluation notes that Smith was diagnosed with arm muscle atrophy in March.

“I urge people not to form a judgment too quickly in this case,” Shawn Bayliss, Smith’s attorney, told the Gazette-Mail on Thursday. “We have no idea what the evidence is going to show, but we believe it’s going to show that this was an accidental trauma, not an intentional or nefarious act.”

Bayliss said the situation is hard on every member of Smith’s family.

The report states that Smith doesn’t have a mental disease or defect and that he understands the proceedings against him and can rationally consult with his attorney. It also says Smith didn’t lack substantial capacity to understand his actions at the time of the alleged offense.

Huntington psychiatrist and neurologist Dr. Bobby Miller II performed the evaluation.

Bayliss referred Smith to Miller to “provide information regarding any psychiatric diagnosis, the examinee’s mental status, and forensic psychiatry opinions regarding the issue of competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and/or diminished capacity.”

The evaluation states that Smith denied that he was intoxicated at the time of the child’s death. He told police, according to a criminal complaint, that he had been watching Madden at his mother’s home when he picked the child up to change his diaper and accidentally dropped him. Smith said Madden began gasping for air, and then Smith couldn’t find a pulse. He said he attempted CPR but was unable to revive the boy, and that he shook the baby.

The complaint states that Madden had abrasions on his forehead when examined by paramedics, and appeared to have suffered multiple skull fractures.

Police said they found a hammer in the house with blood on it. The evaluation states that Smith “offered the possibility that more injuries would have occurred during his vigorous attempts of resuscitation while the child was on a hard surface.”

Smith said he is an unlikely person to harm a child because his father was murdered.

“He had purposed himself to be a super father,” the report states. “Between Mr. Smith and his wife they had 7 children including three children under the age of 1 from his current marriage.”

Smith said stress in his relationship with his wife included financial problems and the fact that one of their children was still in the hospital after being born with her intestines outside her body. He said they had decided to separate and live with their parents.

The evaluation states that Smith previously was treated at a Prestera Center in Charleston for depression and a three-year addiction to prescription pain medication. He said he attempted suicide once before the incident but that he’s not currently suicidal. He is under psychiatric care at the Western Regional Jail.

A March medical record said, “Depression with anxiety was noted to be a chronic problem” and that Smith “reported severe symptoms that occurred daily in his right arm” and had been complaining about weakness there since January 2013. In 2011, he was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, major depressive disorder and opioid abuse.

The report states that West Virginia Child Protective Services got an anonymous report in May that Smith was abusing drugs.

It also states that, in 2009, Smith and Megan Haynes, who is not Smith’s current wife, brought their first child, Maddox, to the hospital with what was “noted to be a suspicious injury.” 

“A protection plan was initiated and the parents were not allowed to be alone with the child,” the report states. The mothers of Smith and Haynes were placed on the parenting plan for Maddox, and Haynes’ mother “stated that she did not like Mr. Smith because he was controlling and could be violent.” However, “Despite the family dynamics and allegations, no maltreatment was substantiated.”

Smith’s mother tried to gain custody of Maddox by filing a domestic violence petition against Smith alleging that the child was in grave danger, but the DVP was dismissed.

Smith has a bail hearing set for 3:30 p.m. on July 9.

Dad avoids jail even after admitting to creating, distributing child porn (United Kingdom)

The typical coddling of a sexually abusive, porn sick dad. Dad is identified as BOBBY LAY.

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2014/08/19/father-avoids-jail-after-downloading-images-of-child-abuse/

PUBLISHED: August 19, 2014 11:59 am

Father avoids jail after downloading images of child abuse

A father who downloaded dozens of vile photos showing adults abusing young children has been spared a prison sentence.

Police found the pornographic pictures on Bobby Lay's laptop after carrying out a raid at his Wolverhampton home, Stafford Crown Court heard.

In his web browser's history, Lay had used search terms such as '14-year-old models' and 'underage porn pictures'.

Mr Neil Ahuja, prosecuting, said an examination of the computer also showed that he had uploaded two of the indecent photos on to a file-sharing website.

Lay, aged 33, of Sherwood Street, Whitmore Reans, admitted four charges of making indecent images of children and two of distributing indecent images.

He was given a three-year community order with sex offender treatment and ordered to register as a sex offender for five years, banned from working with children indefinitely and told to pay £535 costs.

Judge Paul Glenn told him: "The police found a number of indecent images at levels one to four on your laptop.

"The pictures were both girls and boys and some plainly very young.

"You raised the suggestion of a virus - I am tempted to say I have heard all that before. You mention anxiety and depression.

"Your final position seems to be you have no recollection of downloading - I find that hard to accept and I find it hard to accept you have no sexual attraction to children.

"You suffer from post traumatic stress, you have plainly been affected by finding out the quite tragic details of your early childhood. In your case there is more to be gained from rehabilitation rather than locking you up for a short period."

Mr Ahuja said the indecent pictures, found following the search on May 22 last year, comprised 397 at the least serious level one; 25 at level two; 68 at level three and 87 at the serious level four depicting children being abused by adults.

Some of the children were as young as four, while many were in the range of five to 10 years old.

Initially, Lay claimed there was a virus on his computer, then said he had been confused and that he had no sexual interest in children.

Mr Andrew Wallace, defending, said: "This is not a particularly aggravated case, it's a modest number of images and doesn't demonstrate someone who's poring over the internet looking for images of abuse."

Lay, who has a partner and a young son, was reluctant to accept what he had done because of the disgust shown by others.

Dad says abused he abused 2-month-old son because he was "depressed" (Limerick, Pennsylvania)

http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20140627/police-limerick-dad-violently-shook-2-month-old-baby

Police: Limerick dad violently shook 2-month-old baby

By FRANK OTTO Posted: 06/27/14, 10:16 AM EDT

LIMERICK — The father of a 2-month-old baby has been charged with shaking the child nearly to the point of death, according to court documents filed by the Limerick police.

Steve Edward Thompson, 43, was charged Tuesday with felony aggravated assault and three misdemeanors: simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and endangering the welfare of a child by a parent or guardian.

An affidavit of probable cause related to the case said the Limerick police and Trappe Fire Company Ambulance crews were dispatched to Troon Court in Limerick around 7:25 p.m. May 29 for the report of a baby not breathing.

“On arrival, officers found the baby in the care of his father,” the affidavit said.

Originally taken to Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, the baby was transported to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

The next day, a caseworker and Limerick detective went to the hospital and spoke with those on the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect team there.

They said the child had suffered “at least one subdural bleed to the brain,” according to the affidavit.

In an interview with the caseworker and police, Thompson reportedly confirmed that he was alone with the child. He said he was “carrying (the victim) in one arm. (The victim) got fidgety and jerked his head (and) fell from his arms onto a very soft, plush couch. (The victim) went limp and stopped breathing,” the affidavit said.

An ophthalmologist reportedly told police that the baby suffered “bilateral intra-retinal hemorrhages that were too numerous to count.”

The ophthalmologist told police that was a new injury and the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect team “listed the injury as ‘consistent with abusive head trauma (shaken baby syndrome)’ from (the victim) being shaken violently to the point of near death,” according to the affidavit.

Thompson also allegedly told a nurse during the baby’s care that he “shook the baby a bit.”

After interviewing Thompson again, police said he told them he shook the baby but “I don’t remember how many times or how hard,” claiming he did it to “get a response to wake him up” after the baby went limp after the initial drop he told police about.

Medical personnel told police that going limp was not consistent with an injury sustained from the fall Thompson described.

A doctor reportedly found ligament injuries in the baby’s neck as well as “an old brain bleed injury,” which he indicated were “highly concerning for repeated abuse.” That doctor classified the injuries as being “consistent” with the victim being “violently shaken,” according to police.

In a new interview June 3 with a Limerick detective and a caseworker, Thompson allegedly admitted, “I think I shook (the victim) harder than I should have,” then eventually told his mother, who was apparently present and said, “It is all my fault, Mom. I did this. I shook the baby vigorously.”

Interviewed once more, now just with police, Thompson allegedly described “vigorously shaking” the baby because “he was upset with himself for dropping” him.

“He admitted to ‘taking out his frustrations’ on (the victim) because he was mad at himself,” the affidavit said, and that the baby went limp after being shaken.

Thompson also allegedly told police that he had been depressed since the birth of the child and that “he and his wife did everything together prior to (the victim) being born.”

Two doctors told police that the injuries sustained by the baby were from “abuse only,” according to police.

Thompson was arraigned Thursday morning and his bail was set at $100,000, unsecured. It’s unclear if he was remanded to prison.

Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Sophia Polites is assigned to the case, police said.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 16.

Dad bashes head of 2-year-old son against floor; may be charged with attempted murder (Windhoek, Namibia)

UNNAMED DAD had the sads....as if that excuses this kind of crime against a baby.

http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?id=13289&page_type=story_detail&category_id=1

- NATIONAL | 2014-05-27

Man attempts to kill two-year-old son

Theresia Tjihenuna, Ndanki Kahiurika

A TWO-YEAR-OLD Windhoek boy survived after his head was bashed against the floor by his father who later attempted to commit suicide on Friday, police said yesterday.

Windhoek City Police superintendent Gerry Shikesho and police spokesman Inspector Stephen Nuuyi both confirmed the incident yesterday.

Nuuyi said the toddler was rushed to Medi-clinic, but was discharged, and is in a stable condition.

The unidentified 34-year-old father, who is believed to be on treatment for depression, was taken to the Windhoek Central Hospital where he was admitted.

“He was rushed to the Windhoek Central Hospital where he had an emergency head operation to save his life,” said Nuuyi, adding that the man was still detained in hospital and that his condition was unknown by late yesterday.

“The child has been discharged and police have opened a case of attempted murder against the father,” Nuuyi said.

Police said the man attacked the toddler in a fit of rage over unexplained reasons at the family home in Olympia’s Jan Becker Street around noon.

A G4S officer, Mungeli Engelbert, said he was on patrol in the area when a resident, who had heard the commotion called him to the house.

Engelbert said when he got to the house, he saw the mother of the child carrying the baby into a VW Golf and she drove out of the property. She told Engelbert to call the police as she rushed to toddler the hospital. Englebert said he saw the man moving about in the house and when he tried to open the doors, they were locked and the windows closed. He called an ambulance and they had to break a window to gain entry.

“We found the man sitting in the corner of the kitchen with a huge open wound on his head and saw more blood stains on the walls and floors,” Englebert said, adding that they then took the man to the hospital.

A police source, who declined to be named, said the man also tried to strangle his mother-in-law and stabbed his fiancée in the back, before attempting to commit suicide by cutting his wrists, and repeatedly hammering a nail into his own head.

Although a control officer at the City Police said the woman and her mother were receiving treatment at the Roman Catholic Hospital, the hospital said they had no records of such patients.

Nuuyi said police investigations into the case continues.

In another incident between 09h00 and 16h00 on Friday, a 47-year-old man at Farm Goededag near Windhoek committed suicide after stabbing his female co-worker in the chest six times. The victim, 42-year-old Apolonia Maritshane died of her injuries on the spot.

“He stabbed her and slit her throat with an unknown sharp object before walking two kilometres from the crime scene to where he hanged himself from a tree with a wire,” said Nuuyi. The man has been identified as Johannes Ditshabue.

The nature of the relationship between the two has not been established but police say the two were both workers at the farm.

A 38-year-old man at Otjomuise was punched to death by a security guard at a bar on Thursday afternoon.

Nuuyi said the man died after the guard punched him on the left side of the head. The deceased, whose name has not been provided, allegedly got into an argument with the security guard after he refused to be searched on entry into the bar.

The security guard apparently ran away from the scene following the incident and is still at large. Police investigations continue.

Dad arrested for attacking 1-year-old daughter during visitation; therapist recommends he take part in Fatherhood Program (Danvers, Massachusetts)

So many levels of wrong here. A fatherhood program is not going to fix a dad with a history of assault who attacks his 1-year-old daughter because he's jealous of her attachment to her mother.

This is nothing but indulgence of a violent man who needs to be kept away from children.

Dad is identified as BERNARD PEEPLES DAVIS.

http://www.newburyportnews.com/local/x2117350856/Father-held-in-attack-on-baby-in-Danvers-hotel?zc_p=0

April 25, 2014

Father held in attack on baby in Danvers hotel

BY JULIE MANGANIS STAFF WRITER

DANVERS — A Dorchester man is being held without bail, charged with grabbing his 1-year-old daughter’s face so hard that he broke the skin and pinning her down under his legs. The incident occurred during a visit at the Danvers hotel where she and her homeless mother had been living, police said.

The incident, which was recorded by the baby’s mother on a cellphone, occurred on the morning of March 30, but Bernard Peeples Davis, 43, wasn’t found until last week.

During a hearing Wednesday in Salem District Court, Judge Michael Lauranzano concluded that there are no conditions that could ensure the safety of the child and ordered Davis held without bail until trial on charges of assault and battery on a child causing injury.

Police were called to the Extended Stay America hotel on Route 1 on the afternoon of March 30 by the child’s mother, 33. She called police after Davis left.

The woman was living in the hotel with her two children by Davis, the 1-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy.

Davis, who visited every other weekend, had been irritated with the baby, who was teething and, because of that, fussier than usual, according to a police report.

“A switch flips with him,” the baby’s mother told police.

That morning, she told police, Davis repeatedly yelled, “Shut your mouth” at the child, who was seated on his lap, crying loudly.

As he yelled at her, he held his hand against her face and head, which caused the baby to continue crying loudly. Later, the girl’s mother saw bruises and puncture marks from fingernails on her face, as well as bruising that stretched from her shoulder to her chest.

At one point, the woman told police, Davis put the baby on the floor, then put his legs on top of her.

Police noted redness on the side of the baby’s face.

The Department of Children and Families was notified and took both children and their mother to Salem Hospital for evaluation.

Davis, who was arrested on a warrant last Tuesday, has a five-page criminal record that includes past incidents of assault.

But in a letter submitted to the court by his attorney, Davis’ therapist, Jane Brodie, called the incident “the one exception to a crime-free, four-year period.”

Defense attorney Ed Sargent argued against detention for Davis. He submitted the letter in support of that request.

The letter, from a therapist at Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury, said Davis is working on goals that include having parts of his criminal record sealed to improve his chances of getting housing and “steps toward employment.”

Davis, who has three children, including the two children living in Danvers, has been getting therapy for anxiety and depression, the therapist wrote. He also reported feeling “excluded” from the children during his biweekly visits because they are more attached to their mother.

The therapist said she believed “that he was not totally cognizant of what to expect from a 1-year-old and that he was expecting more self-control from her than she could deliver at her age.” Brodie said in her letter that she has recommended that he take part in the Fatherhood Nurturing Program, “which helps men of color become better parents.”

That program will have to wait, however. Davis will remain in custody at Middleton Jail pending trial, the judge ordered.

A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for May 21.

Dad poisons 16-month-old son, smothers him, throws him off bridge (China)

The police account doesn't pass the smell test.

We're supposed to believe that this guy's wife just up and left him and their son because of disagreements over "parenting issues" and because she "didn't make an effort to look after the family."

Then within MERE DAYS of this alleged occurrence, this supposedly normal father (if not being highly intelligent) is a depressed homicidal maniac who poisons the boy with pesticides and him, before dumping him in a bag which he throws off a bridge.

Bull crap.

First of all, this is a classic abuser accusation. She didn't take good care of me. Pure narcissism.

Plus, in the vast majority of cases, these kinds of killers don't suddenly snap. They have been violent and abusive all along.

And how do we know all this about the mother? Daddy's say so? I would just about bet that the mother was abused as well, and driven out of the home. That is, if she was not killed as well....

Dad is identified only as FENG.


http://shanghaiist.com/2014/04/20/young-father-poisons-toddler.php

Young father poisons toddler, smothers him and throws him from bridge

A 16-month-old toddler named Yu was murdered by his own father, Feng, when the man fed his son pesticides then smothered him with tape to suffocate him upon finding that he was still alive. Wanting to make sure that his son was definitely dead, he put Yu in a bag and threw the bag from a 5-meter-high bridge, according to local reports.

In the early morning of 9th of Sep 2013, a few construction workers, who were working under a bridge in Shenyang, Liaoning province, found a bag containing the body of a baby whose nose, eyes and mouth were all covered by tape.

The police arrived soon after and confirmed the baby’s death. People who were at the scene told reporters that the baby was around 2 years old with chubby cheeks. He was wearing a striped coat and a pair of jeans. Some of his other clothes were inside the bag as well. The police immediately issued a search notice for the dead baby’s relatives. Ten days later, they shockingly confirmed that it was Yu’s father who had killed him.

This horrible killing happened only a few days after Feng’s wife Hong left the family. Feng and Hong got married in 2011 and had baby Yu, who was born with congenital clubfoot in June 2012. The couple had been constantly arguing with each other since Yu was born. Feng had argued with Hong because of her frequent visits to Internet cafes and over parenting issues. He claimed that Hong didn’t make an effort to look after the family. So, not wanting to deal with the volatile marriage, Hong chose to leave Feng and her baby. After Hong left, Feng became very anxious and depressed. Raising the son on his own apparently contributed to the anxiety and depression. On September 8, when Yu was sick and crying all day, Feng felt that he couldn’t deal with the baby anymore and decided to end the crying by killing Yu.

After police questioned Feng and he admitted the crime, they suspected he may have psychological problems. They sent him to Liaoning Forensic Hospital Mental Health Department where doctors were unable to diagnose any apparent mental issues. However, they found that his intelligence level was slightly lower than normal peoples’, and suspected that’s why he couldn’t control himself when he felt the impulse to kill his son. Although Feng confessed to murder, he lacked remorse and, at the time of the killing, he was not aware of the consequences of committing such a horrible crime.

The police concluded that Feng’s unhappy marriage with the boy’s mother Hong and the boy’s congenital clubfoot led to the father’s anxiety, depression and loss of faith in life. The child’s crying had, at the time, fueled his depression and anxiety symptoms more.

Feng has been prosecuted for intentional homicide.

By Mandy Yang

Killer dad repeatedly got diversion for violating protection orders; he finally murdered his two kids (Australia)

In an earlier article on killer dad EDWARD LIVINGSTONE, reporter David Fisher tried his best to frame Livingstone as poor "loving" father who just inexplicably killed his kids.

Now we see that even with Fisher's own evidence, this was totally untrue. Livingstone was totally coddled by the authorities and never held accountable for repeatedly violating the mother's order of protection. Finally, he just busted into the house and murdered the children.

And Daddy blames his anti-smoking medication for his behavior? Well, that's a new one. And I thought I had heard every ridiculous excuse there was for criminal behavior.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11209224

David Fisher Senior reporter of the year

Diversion for killer father a mistake

5:30 AM Tuesday Feb 25, 2014

Herald investigation Livingstone should have faced court for breach, papers show.

Child-killer Edward Livingstone should never have been given police diversion for an earlier breach of a protection order and it was a mistake he didn't face the court for it, according to court documents filed by a prosecutor.

The detail appears to have been missed by judicial and police staff, who arranged for Livingstone to do a 12-week domestic violence course to earn a waiver.

The granting of diversion is one of the issues being probed in an investigation into the deaths of Bradley, 9, and Ellen, 6, who were killed by their father before he took his own life.

The killings came last month when Livingstone stormed into the family home, from which he was barred by a protection order taken by wife Katharine Webb.

The detail emerged during a Herald search of the court file relating to Livingstone's two breaches of the protection order taken against him.

The first was dealt with through the police diversion scheme, meaning he escaped without conviction.

The second time Livingstone breached the order, he was given a discharge without conviction.

The apparent error over diversion for the first breach may have led to Livingstone receiving lighter treatment for the next breach.

He was twice able to flout a court order and approach Ms Webb without gaining a conviction.

Police prosecutor Katherine Saxton had opposed the discharge without conviction, telling the court a mistake had been made over his earlier breach. "The police diversion scheme prohibits diversion for breaches of court orders therefore this matter should not have been resolved this way."

Livingstone's lawyer had argued a conviction would cost him his job at the Department of Corrections.

But Ms Saxton said Ms Webb objected to her estranged husband being let off without a conviction. "She states it took a lot of courage to call the police on each occasion." Katherine Webb and her children Bradley and Ellen Livingstone. Katherine Webb and her children Bradley and Ellen Livingstone.

A police spokeswoman confirmed that diversion should not have been available. "This is because a breach of a court order is viewed as a serious incident and indicates that an offence against someone has occurred - hence there is no policy, practice or ability to consider diversion in these circumstances."

Detective Inspector Steve McGregor said the issue was part of the police's investigation.

Police interview full of contrition

"I am sorry I upset Kath."

The plaintive words are captured in a police interview of Edward Livingstone after he breached for a second time a protection order taken out by his estranged wife Katharine Webb.

The interview, on September 14, records his admission he breached the order. "I broke down," he told Constable Mark Tuten. "I couldn't rationalise anything."

He also minimised a prior breach of the order, saying he had simply emailed Ms Webb. In reality, he staked out the neighbourhood from which he was banned and went on to the family property.

In the second breach, he admitted ringing her. "I said I loved Bradley and Ellen. What happened between us, wasn't me that done it. It was a reaction to the Zyban [stop-smoking medication] that made me psychotic."

The reference, repeated in a November court affidavit, appears to relate to a May incident for which he was detained for psychiatric treatment. A doctor's letter on the file refers to Livingstone stopping the medication.

"This offending was largely caused by my untreated depression and inability to rationally deal with my relationship break-up."

Dad kills 3-year-old daughter in murder-suicide (Beaumont, Texas)

Dad is identified as TRAVETH QUINN.

http://www.news-journal.com/news/state/deaths-of-father-daughter-ruled-murder-suicide/article_810560b6-2d42-51aa-b920-e0806112ff69.html

Deaths of father, daughter ruled murder-suicide

Posted: Saturday, November 16, 2013 4:00 am

BEAUMONT (AP) — Authorities say the drowning deaths this past month of a man and young girl in Southeast Texas have been ruled a murder-suicide.

The Beaumont Enterprise reports 31-year-old Traveth Quinn took his 3-year-old daughter to a city pool that had closed weeks earlier. A Beaumont municipal worker who was checking the pool discovered the pair Oct. 10 in shallow water. Beaumont police spokeswoman Carol Riley says Quinn had a history of depression.

Custodial dad finally convicted of sexual abuse by testimony of adult daughter (Norfolk, Virginia)

Survivor stories like this one, where the child victim of sexual abuse finally receives justice and healing are inspiring in many ways. 

However, there is a tendency for the story to focus only on the individual's triumph against the rapist father. 

If you read this account carefully, it becomes evident that this father was able to obtain CUSTODY of this girl and her sister despite a past history of abuse. And the custody allowed the sexual abuse to continue for years afterwards. 

This narrative also suggests that the mother just somehow "dropped out" of her daughters' lives. 

But that's not typical of what we know from the research about abusive fathers, especially the ones intent on total custody. At least 99% of the time, they battered and/or raped the mother as well. Then they go on an all-out assault for full custody if the mother leaves. It's a way to punish the mother for "abandoning" them and to secure full control over the child victims. Typically, as we see in this case, the father denies the mother any visitation and contact. And the courts allow this again and again.

Who are the judges, social workers, guardian ad litems, etc. who allowed this man to rape these girls for so many years? They need to be held accountable as well. 

I'm glad this woman has reconciled with her mother and "forgiven" her. But I don't think the full story of what the mother endured is being told here. 

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/08/mighty-spirit-face-childhood-sexual-abuse

A mighty spirit The horror of sexual abuse and the weight of her decision to prosecute her father nearly cost a young Norfolk woman her life.

SUICIDE FACTS: U.S.
There are almost 1 million suicide attempts every year.
There are almost twice as many suicides as homicides.
Every 14 minutes, someone in the United States takes his or her own life. Suicide is the third leading cause of death of 15- to 24-year-olds.
More than 90 percent of those who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder.
SOURCES: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Hampton Roads Survivors of Suicide By Bill Sizemore

The Virginian-Pilot
September 1, 2013

NORFOLK

The colors of life are fading 

As the soul descends into nothing 

Alongside an illustration of tears falling from an eye, those words begin a series of drawings Christa Clemons created in her sketchbook over the course of a week in June 2009.

A little later that week, she wrote:

The pit is empty 

Beginning to fill with darkness 

No hope, no light, no life 

Just a lonely loveless world 

Soon after that, against a black background, she drew a pile of pills beside an open medicine bottle on a table with these words:

Take them 

No way out 

Clemons left work early that day and drove to a local psychiatric center. She told the intake worker she was having suicidal thoughts. She was given a statement to sign, promising to call a 24-hour crisis line before she harmed herself.

That evening, she called the number and got a recording. She left a message, but no one called back. Typical, she thought. No one wanted to help.

She could almost feel the peace she was longing for. In her sketchbook, she drew a single black flower with a two-word message: • I’m sorry

The next morning, she grabbed a Pepsi from the refrigerator, got into her car and downed 40 to 50 pills.

Then she drove to her workplace, a commercial shipyard in Norfolk, went into a warehouse, lay down and went to sleep.

An hour later she woke up, unable to walk. She crawled to a restroom. As she began to vomit, a co-worker found her, half-carried her to his truck and drove her to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

She drifted in and out of consciousness as doctors flushed her system.

Back home after the ordeal, she scrawled one more entry in her sketchbook:

I’m still here 

DIE ALREADY 
 ____

Clemons’ desperation that week in 2009 was rooted in a childhood steeped in verbal, physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

She grew up in Ohio, the second oldest of four girls. She remembers her father, David Clemons, as an authoritarian who belittled her in front of her siblings and subjected her to humiliating punishments. Clemons’ mother left her father, remarried and dropped out of her life after her father won custody of the two oldest girls.

When she was 16, she says, her father tried to force her to touch his genitals after a night of drinking. She pulled away, ran into her room, locked the door and cried herself to sleep.

Not until she was 24, however, did she find out how widespread the abuse was. Living in Norfolk after a stint in the Navy, she reconnected with a childhood friend who told her she had been abused by Clemons’ father as a teenager. 

Then she reached out to her younger sisters. They told her that their father had done things to them, too.

The day of that revelation is burned into her memory. “No, no, no!” she remembers screaming. “Why? They were innocent!”

After her hysteria calmed, she called the Belmont County, Ohio, Sheriff’s Department and reported her father as a suspected child sexual abuser.

Making the call was painful, she says.

“He and I were really, really close. He had a lot of psychological control over me. It was very conflicting, turning him in. I didn’t want him to hurt anyone else, but at the same time it was really heart-wrenching to accept that my father had done these things.

“I lived to make him happy, because I was scared of losing his love and affection. He was the only person who hadn’t abandoned me.”

By the time her father was arrested in November 2008, Clemons was overwhelmed by a welter of emotions. She felt ashamed, isolated, worthless. She seriously considered changing her name.

“It seemed everything he told me my whole life was a lie,” she says. “I felt completely alone.”

She felt anguish, too, over her younger sisters – for failing to protect them from the abuse and then forcing them to face a past they weren’t ready to deal with.

The criminal proceedings moved at a ponderous pace. With each delay in the trial date, Clemons fell further into a spiral of depression.

Trying to numb the pain, she began drinking too much. She had bouts of fatigue and wild mood swings. She became sexually promiscuous. She started burning herself with a cigarette lighter, as if inflicting physical pain would overcome her emotional distress. She still has the scars on her arms.

It was all a silent cry for help, she sees now.

“The signs were there, but no one picked up on them,” she says. “Nobody knew what was going on inside me, because I put on a mask.”

Her suicide attempt only intensified her feelings of shame and worthlessness.

“I felt like a failure on top of everything else,” she says. “It was like, I can’t even do this right.”

Nine months later, at his trial in February 2010, David Clemons was convicted on two counts of raping a child – his youngest daughter, who was age 4 at the time – and eight counts of sexual conduct with a minor, later amended on appeal to corruption of a minor – the family friend, who was 13 at the time. He was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison.

For Christa Clemons, who had undergone months of therapy after her suicide attempt, testifying against her father was liberating.

“Being able to face him and point him out to the jury – as scary as it was, it gave me closure,” she says. “After I stood up and said, ‘You did this,’ I was able to begin healing.

“It was like I faced my demon and confronted it, and I didn’t have to be afraid anymore.”

In a strange way, she says, her five years in the Navy helped steel her for the challenges ahead.

Military service wasn’t her idea. She wanted to go to culinary school. But her father, who served five years in the Navy in the 1980s, pushed her in that direction.

One day soon after she graduated from high school, she remembers, “He said, ‘Let’s have some father-daughter time.’ And he drove me to the recruiter’s office.”

As an engineman, a traditionally male job in the Navy, she faced repeated sexual harassment from higher-ranking male sailors, she says. Three times, she reported the perpetrators to her chain of command, but none was disciplined. In some cases, her complaints brought retaliation.

Ultimately, she received a medical discharge for chronic costochondritis, a painful inflammation of the cartilage between the sternum and the ribs. Doctors have told her it is stress-induced. She has only occasional mild flare-ups now.

“It all made me stronger and able to stand up to my father,” she says.

Likewise, her childhood friend who was victimized by Clemons’ father seems to have gained strength in the aftermath of the abuse.

“She got married and has a beautiful family,” she says. “She’s not letting it destroy her life.”

Clemons’ youngest sister, on the other hand, has had a rockier path, marked by brushes with the law and bouts of mental illness. Clemons doesn’t know where she is now, which tears at her heart.

 ____

Victims of sexual abuse are at high risk of suicide, according to Chris Gilchrist, a Chesapeake social worker and founder of Hampton Roads Survivors of Suicide, a support group.

“It’s a violation,” she says. “The victim feels shame. And when the abuser is a trusted person, the shame is heightened.”

Untreated depression is the leading cause of suicide, Gilchrist says.

“Trauma can change your brain chemistry. You can’t think your way out of it. Any thinking that leads someone to suicide is depressed thinking. It’s not reality-based.”

Counseling, often accompanied by medication, can help the sufferer get to the source of unresolved trauma and develop healthier coping skills, Gilchrist says.

“When emotional wounds are treated, they heal,” she says. “And they leave scars that empower you.”

Some people seem inherently better equipped than others to handle the stress, Gilchrist says, and Clemons seems to be living proof of that.

“There was something mighty in her spirit,” she says.

Clemons credits a constellation of other people for her recovery: Her boyfriend, who has been a consistent source of support. The detective in Ohio who pursued the case against her father with a relentless passion. Her sisters, who had the courage to come forward and confront their past.

Above all, she credits God. She has joined a church and found strength in its community of believers. God, she says, “has placed people in my life who were there when I needed them.”

She went back to school to pursue her original career path, culinary arts. She has nearly completed work on a bachelor’s degree in food service management and has landed a job with a local bakery.

The Virginian-Pilot does not typically identify victims of sexual abuse. But Clemons wanted to tell her story.

“I want people to know there is hope,” she says. “You don’t have to stay down in the pits and feel that life isn’t worth living.

“Bad things happen. It doesn’t mean it’s your fault, and you’re not alone. No matter what you’re going through, there’s somebody who’s been there, and they’ve made it out.”

Next Saturday, Clemons will walk in the annual Out of the Darkness Community Walk sponsored by Survivors of Suicide to help foster the healing of others touched by depression and suicide.

She has reconciled with her mother and is in regular contact with her. She has forgiven her, she says – and her father, too.

“It’s not for them, it’s for me,” she says. “Now I can let go of that weight that was holding me down. 

“It was hard, life-and-death hard. But it was worth it.

 “It was worth fighting for.”

Dad tries to cut throat of 8-year-old son (Burari, India)

Check out the excuses for violent dad SANJAY. He was drunk, he was "depressed" because his wife "left him." That's why he tried to chop of the head of his 8-year-old son with a kitchen knife. 

Total rubbish.

How much you want to bet that his wife didn't "leave" him per se, but was driven out of the home by this violent alcoholic lunatic to save her own life. That is, IF she is alive. Do we know that for a fact?

Or do we just assume this sh**head's story is true?

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Father-tries-to-cut-son-s-throat-with-knife-in-Burari/Article1-1105463.aspx

Father tries to cut son’s throat with knife in Burari
HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, August 09, 2013 First Published: 01:02 IST(9/8/2013) | Last Updated: 01:04 IST(9/8/2013) 

An eight-year-old boy was attacked by his father in drunken rage at their north Delhi residence on Thursday morning, the police said.

Identified as Sachin, the victim stays alone with his father, Sanjay, in Burari ever since his mother left him three months ago.

“Around 11 am, Sanjay, who was heavily drunk and has been suffering from depression ever since his wife walked out and left him to take care of Sachin on his own, attacked Sachin with a kitchen knife,” said an officer.

According to the police, Sanjay hacked at Sachin’s throat with the knife in a bid to chop off his neck but could not succeed given his drunken state.

When his neighbours rushed to the child’s aid after hearing his screams, Sanjay, fearing for his own life, consumed a vial of acid. The police were informed and a team rushed the father and son to the Sushruta Trauma Centre.

“Sachin was admitted with severe injuries to his neck. Thankfully, only a few mild gashes were inflicted on his neck. He is stable. His father, meanwhile, is unconscious but out of danger,” the officer said.

Enquiries made from the victim’s neighbours revealed that Sanjay had been suffering from depression for months and was given to heavy drinking which would usually begin early in the day. “We have registered a case of attempt to murder against Sanjay and arreste him after he is discharged from the hospital to arrest him,” the officer added.

Dad who violently shook newborn more than once avoids jail--because he was "depressed" (Melbourne, Australia)

Oh that poor daddy! So stressed and depressed. He just couldn't help assaulting the baby on at least three occasions!

This is bullsh**. More father coddling at its finest.

UNNAMED DAD. 

http://bigpondnews.com/articles/National-Regional/2013/08/08/Vic_father_avoids_jail_for_shaking_baby_894776.html

Vic father avoids jail for shaking baby

Thursday, August 08, 2013 » 05:43pm

A Melbourne father who lost control and shook his newborn baby has avoided jail.

The father was 18 when he shook the baby boy on three separate occasions in 2011.

One of the episodes left the baby, who was aged about one month, in need of hospital treatment. 

Sentencing the father on Thursday, Victorian County Court Judge Jane Patrick said his offending was serious.

'Your son was a few weeks old and very vulnerable,' she said. 'You ought to have been protecting him, but instead you lost control of your own behaviour and shook him.'

The baby suffered injuries to his brain and leg, but does not appear to have any developmental problems.

Judge Patrick said she accepted the situation was stressful for the young father.

She said she took into account the fact the father had depression, a mood disorder and acquired brain injury.

 The man's young age was also a significant sentencing consideration and jail would be counterproductive to his rehabilitation, Judge Patrick said.

The father pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless conduct endangering life and one count of recklessly causing serious injury.

Judge Patrick placed the father on a community correction order that includes 100 hours unpaid community work.

Single dad never charged for molesting daughter, taking child porn photos (Plano, Texas)

UNNAMED DAD. The abuse started right after the mother died. And law enforcement will not prosecute for all the usual reasons--statute of limitations, blah blah. 

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/headlines/20130720-plano-victim-hopes-her-story-helps-others-understand-the-impact-of-child-pornography.ece

Plano victim hopes her story helps others understand the impact of child pornography

By DIANE JENNINGS Staff Writer
Published: 20 July 2013 10:40 PM Updated: 21 July 2013 12:25 AM

April, 39, tossed a dozen envelopes sealed with red evidence tape on the table.

Inside were childhood photographs she said were taken by her father, not of birthdays and Christmas gatherings but of April in the nude and in sexually suggestive poses.

Her father is a charming guy, April said. But he made her childhood hell, she said, by taking pornographic photos of her and molesting her.

April, not her real name, agreed to tell her story in hopes of helping people understand the impact of child pornography on its victims. As in most cases, the perpetrator was someone she knew, not a stranger.

And like many offenders, he was never charged with a crime. By the time April, who grew up in Plano, decided to press charges, police told her the statute of limitations had expired. That statute was lifted several years ago but was not made retroactive.

Her father admitted he took the photos but said he never showed them to anyone else. He also said he does not collect child pornography.

April said he started taking pictures of her naked when she was around 5, shortly after her mother’s suicide. 

When she entered puberty, her father said he wanted to document her “development into a woman,” April said.

He took the lineup-style photos of her standing nude near the dining-room drapes because he said they made a “nice backdrop,” April said.

Her father said he “had reasons for taking them. They might not have been good reasons, and if I had it to do again, I probably would not have.”

The sexual contact started around age 12, April said. She recalled her father coming into her room and asking, “Do you want to have some fun?”

When she was around 16, April found the courage to object. Though her father quit molesting her, she said, the photo sessions continued.

“The night of my homecoming dance, he took pictures of me in my stockings,” she said.

April remembers feeling humiliated and embarrassed during the photo sessions, even though she smiled because her father insisted, she said.

The sessions finally ended when she left home.

She did well in college and grad school, landed a good job, married and had a child.

“I live in a really nice house. I have a really cute kid. I work for a major corporation. I handle stress really well,” she said. “Nobody would ever know.”

But privately, she suffered from debilitating depression.

Eventually, she found an incest recovery group, where members understood her pain.

With encouragement, she approached Plano police about what she said her father had done. She took the photos — which she said she removed from her father’s house — with her, but it was too late.

Her father said the photos were always her property and he kept them for her until she had a safe place to keep them.

Though the legal system didn’t help April, she said therapy did. She still gets emotional, but “it’s not my shame,” she said through tears. “It’s his.”

Several years ago, April confronted her father, with whom she’d cut off most contact.

She recalled him saying his behavior was wrong, but “I thought I was helping you and teaching you, preparing you.”

In an effort to improve their relationship, the two agreed to attend counseling together.

“I don’t think we’ve moved forward as successfully as I’d hoped,” her father said.

He declined to comment further on the advice of a counselor.

April said she appreciates his efforts, but the next meeting will be her last.

She’s tried, she said, but “I can’t ever forgive him.”

“I’ll never be done dealing with this,” April said. “It’s like PTSD — it stays with you forever.”

Dad murders four kids (Merced, California)

Once again, we have a deadbeat dad who killed the kids to "punish" mom for leaving his sorry @$$. Despite the bull crap from the fathers rights groups about "alienating" mothers, it is clear that Mom continued to include this moody "depressed" idiot at family birthdays and the like--only to be repaid like this. You can't please these emotional terrorists by granting them joint custody or catering to their every whim (the actual custody arrangement is not clarified here). 

Notice that Daddy killed the step kids and his own biological offspring with equal indifference. 

The killer dad is identified as JOHN HOGAN. 

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=125830&page=1

Ex-Husband Killed Woman's 4 Kids

Aug. 26

Christine McFadden seemed to have it all — a great career, a beautiful home, and four terrific children. 

But her world collapsed around her when she returned from her morning walk on March 26. The 44-year-old Merced, Calif., veterinarian found her ex-husband's vehicle parked in the driveway, and the body of her daughter in the hallway. She fled to a neighbor's house to call police.

"This is Christine McFadden. I think my ex-husband has killed my children," McFadden said in a frantic call to 911, made available to Good Morning America.

"Talk to me. What's going on?" the operator said.

"I don't know. I walk in the house. I think my daughter is dead in the hallway," McFadden said. "I left … My ex-husband is John Hogan. You need several police. He's an ex-cop. But send someone, if they're still alive."

All four of her children were slain by McFadden's ex-husband. First, Hogan, 49, killed her sons from a previous marriage, 15-year-old Stanley Willis and 14-year-old Stuart Willis. Both boys were both found shot to death in their beds. Their sister, 17-year-old Melanie Willis, struggled with Hogan in the hallway, but he killed her, too.

Hogan brought little Michelle Hogan, the only of the four who was his biological child, to the master bedroom. He shot her in the torso, and then killed himself.

A Message Left One Clue

Hogan left only one clue as to why he went on the killing rampage.

At 6:33 that morning the former Santa Clara sheriff's deputy left his best friend a disturbing voice-mail message.

"I'm bankrupt, morally, physically, emotionally, monetarily. My body's gone, my mind is gone," Hogan said in the message. "I have nothing left."

The message angers and mystifies McFadden, who says she included her ex-husband in the children's birthdays and holidays after their divorce the previous year.

Now she must mark those occasions without her children. But the distraught mother has found that support from people in her community has helped the grieving process.

Hours after the murders, hundreds of people gathered at the local church, and later held a candlelight vigil.

At the funeral, more than 2,000 mourners gathered to pay their respects to her children: Melanie, the scholar; Stanley, the football star; Stuart, the soccer phenomenon; and Michelle, who wanted to be a veterinarian, just like her mom.

Five Months Later

Five months after the tragedy, McFadden says she cries every day and takes heavy medication as she struggles through the grief. The question of why the tragedy happened haunts her every day. 

McFadden said her ex-husband was never physically abusive to the kids or her. He would sometimes lose his temper over small things, flare-ups that were marked by Hogan yelling and screaming profanities, but not demonstrating physical violence.

"There was never, never any threat," McFadden said on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America.

Hogan had been invited to Michelle's birthday party right before the murders, as he was invited to all the holidays, McFadden said.

All of the kids and their friends were there, and it was a beautiful day. Everyone else was happy, but Hogan sat in the corner by himself.

At the time, Hogan was not working regularly, had very little money, and was depressed. Meanwhile, McFadden had a successful and lucrative veterinary practice, owned an expensive home, and had custody of the four kids.

McFadden believes Hogan did not kill the children because he disliked or hated them, but simply as a way to strike back at her. He was angry with her because she was happy and successful.

Fulfilling Children’s Destinies

Now, she believes that her current reason to exist is to do the work that her children were destined to do.

Melanie, her teenage daughter, was a ballet dancer and had many close friends.

Stanley was a star athlete and a charmer, a favorite with the girls.

Stuart was a thoughtful child, who was just coming out of his shell. His soccer coach recently received a call from an Olympic scout who described a player he was interested in, and the coach had to explain that Stuart couldn't try out for the team, because he had been killed.

And Michelle was warm, loved everyone, and wanted to grow up to be just like her older sister and brothers. She loved being at the vet's office most of all.

Using contributions from people who sent her donations after the slayings, McFadden has set up a "friendship scholarship" for someone nominated by classmates who consider the applicant a wonderful, loyal friend. She says it's a tribute to her daughter Melanie, who had a wonderful group of friends. She is also setting up a project to add an addition to the University of California at Merced library, and a children's playroom for the new Mercy Hospital in Merced.

"I feel my children were such incredible people and I want the world to hear about them," McFadden said. "I want to memorialize them and to allow them to do for the world what I think they would have done to make their mark on the world."

 For more information: MSSM Foundation, PMB 121, 3144 North 'G' Street #125, Merced, CA, 95340.

Abusive custodial dad found guilty of abetting suicide of 11-year-old son (India)

Notice that the mother had reportedly left the father. Somehow (surprise!) this abusive piece of crap of a dad got custody of their son--only to abuse him so badly that the boy eventually committed suicide. 

How much you want to bet that the mother was beaten as well? 

Dad is identified as DIWAN SINGH.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/father-gets-5year-ri-for-driving-son-to-commit-suicide/1039548/

Father gets 5-year RI for driving son to commit suicide

Sukanya Shetty Posted: Dec 03, 2012 at 0320 hrs IST

Coming down heavily on a 40-year-old man who constantly beat his 11-year old, which allegedly pushed him to commit suicide, Sewree fast track court last week convicted him for abetting suicide.

Sessions Judge N G Gimekar sentenced Diwan Singh to five-years rigorous imprisonment. Singh, who worked with an LPG cylinder agency was arrested on July 12, 2011, after his son consumed a bottle of pesticide and died.

According to the prosecution, the child was depressed and was regularly beaten by his father. On the day of the incident, Singh had beaten up his son Jai for bunking school regularly. Twice in the past, Jai had bunked school and Singh, fearing that his son was abducted, had filed a complaint with the police.

“The child was disinterested in studies. Singh wanted his son to study. Everytime he (victim) bunked, his father was informed by the school authorities, and would consequently beat his son regularly," an officer from Oshiwara police station said.

On the day of the incident when Diwan Singh came back home to have lunch, he saw his son playing. He apparently lost his cool and hit his son to a point that their neighbours were forced to intervene. But Singh did not relent, and continued to beat his son.

Medical reports show the child suffered 20 injuries. Neighbours deposed against Singh and chronicled several instances when he had beaten up his child. One witness also hinted at the possibility of the child being depressed. “The child was a loner and was always nervous,” said one of the witnesses. While the police had booked Singh under the charge of abetment of suicide, the defence maintained that Singh was only guilty of beating his son and not pushing him to commit suicide.

“Singh just decided to teach his son a lesson. He did not know he would lose his son in the bargain,” said his defence lawyer Ravindra Javanjal. He claimed that on receiving the complete order copy, he would appeal against the sentence.

Singh made an emotional statement claiming that he only wanted his child to be disciplined. “Singh’s wife has left him. He had told the court that he loved his child and only hoped that he (the child) did not bunk school,” Javanjal added.

Accepting public prosecutor Ashok Joshi's argument that a maximum punishment was must in such cases and a strong message should be sent out to the society, Judge Gimekar sentenced Singh to five-years RI. Having spent over 16 months in the jail, court has ordered that period in jail to be set off from his punishment.

Dad gets 15 years for raping daughter during visitation (Clare, Ireland)

Okay. Just want to make sure I have this straight. UNNAMED DAD was a deadbeat (no job, no job skills) and an alchoholic. He has previous convictions for "minor matters." (We don't know how "minor" these matters are because we aren't told what they were). EXCEPT we are told that HE HAD BEEN REGISTERED AS A SEX OFFENDER on a "previous date."

How "previous"? Before he got his visitation rights with his 8-year-old daughter? Or after?

Why did this worthless bastard have access to this child at all? Oh right. Fathers rights. Very powerful in the UK, you know.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/courts/father-jailed-for-15-years-for-raping-young-daughter-3284210.html


Father jailed for 15 years for raping young daughter

Monday November 05 2012

A CLARE man has been jailed for 15 years for raping and sexually assaulting his young daughter.

The defendant gave his then eight year old daughter alcohol and cigarettes and made her watch a pornographic film as he abused her. He continues to deny the charges and claims the girl’s mother put her up to it.

A sentencing hearing heard that the girl has gone from “a happy fun loving child” to one with severe depression. Her mother said in a statement that she worries how her child will handle her teenage years when she fully realises what happened to her.

Last month a Central Criminal Court jury took under two hours to convict the 50-year-old man of raping the girl between October 1, 2009 and October 22, 2010, in County Westmeath.

The jury also found him guilty of two counts of sexual assault at the same address between the same dates and one count of sexual assault in County Clare, between October 22 and October 26, 2010.

He was also found guilty of inviting the child to observe a pornographic film between October 1, 2009 and October 22, 2010, in Westmeath. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy imposed a combination of consecutive and concurrent sentences which gave a cumulative jail term of 15 years taking into account suspended portions of the terms.

The man had been registered as a sex offender on a previous date.

He imposed a 15 year term on the rape charge, but suspended the final five years, and then imposed a consecutive term of three years and then a further consecutive term of four years with the final two years suspended.

He noted that the showing the child pornographic images might be called “a form of grooming.”

Detective Garda Niall Stack told prosecuting counsel Patrick Marrinan SC that the abuse came to light when the girl’s mother noticed her acting strangely. The child eventually told her what happened after learning in school about “bad secrets”.

The abuse happened in her house and when she visited her father. The girl told specialist gardai that he made her watch an adult film on which she recognised acts her father was doing with her.

On his arrest, the man said he would never lay a finger on his daughter and that the allegations were coming from her mother.

The court heard that the defendant has no job or skills and has a drink problem. He has previous convictions for minor matters.

Mr Marrinan told Mr Justice McCarthy that the Director of Public Prosecutions believes the offending is on the upper end of the scale.

Defence counsel Anthony Sammon SC said he could offer no mitigation or remorse because his client maintains his innocence. However he added that his client had instructed him to conduct “virtually no cross-examination” of the child during the trial.

Former custodial dad pleads guilty to strangling young sons to death during unsupervised visitation (Edmonton, Canada)

Another crazy @$$ father who was indulged by the authorities with all his "rights." Even when this dude ADMITTED he was "suicidal, depressive, and had sociopathic tendencies," he was still allowed unsupervised access to these kids. Sick but all too believable. Just another major f*** up by child protective services. Check out how long it took to get full custody away from this fruitcake. 

This sh** used total premeditation in these double murders. He drugged the kids before strangling them. He expresses no remorse. He gave ample warning as to his intentions at every step of the way. Even told the shrink he would kill the kids.Dozens of red flags. All ignored. 

When are mothers and kids going to get a right to life and basic safety and security? When are we going to stop catering to the crazy killer daddies and letting them run the show?

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Father+pleads+guilty+strangling+young+sons+death/7490434/story.html

Father pleads guilty for strangling young sons to death

BY RYAN CORMIER, EDMONTON JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2, 2012

EDMONTON - An Edmonton man who believed he was about to lose custody of his two young sons pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of first-degree murder for strangling them less than a week before Christmas.

Court heard that Jason Bruce Cardinal, 33, and the boy’s mother were involved in a custody dispute due to his mental health problems when he killed the children on the night of Dec. 19, 2010.

That day, Andrea Badger, the mother of the three- and six-year-old boys, was scheduled to pick them from Cardinal’s home after an unsupervised weekend visit. Cardinal was allowed such visits despite the fact he’d told Children’s Services earlier that year he was suicidal, depressive and had sociopathic tendencies.

When no one answered Cardinal’s door all day, police were called that evening, according to an agreed statement of facts.

Inside the Abbottsfield Road townhouse, they found Cardinal on his bed suffering from self-inflicted wounds to his forearms from a box cutter, with one dead child on either side of him. For a few moments, until they pulled back the covers, police thought Cardinal and the boys were sleeping.

One of the boys had a towel wrapped around his neck and the other a pillowcase. Tests later showed that Cardinal had sedated the boys with morphine before strangling them. Two empty syringes labelled with the boys’ names were found in the home.

Cardinal’s intent was to kill himself along with his sons, court heard.

“It is difficult to imagine a crime more heinous than killing your own child while they were at their most vulnerable, drugged and asleep,” Crown prosecutor Allison Downey-Damato told court. “A suicidal mind can be as devastating as a homicidal one.”

While still in hospital, Cardinal told police that what happened to his sons was the “right thing.” He could not live if his boys were taken away from him and they were now safe, he said.

Cardinal and Badger met in 2001 and were living as a common-law couple by 2002. By 2008, they had two sons and Badger had given primary custody to Cardinal so she could work in northern Alberta.

By January 2010, Badger was concerned about Cardinal’s mental state and his ability to care for the boys. The next month, in an agreement with provincial Children’s Services, the boys moved to Bonnyville with Badger so Cardinal could concentrate on his mental health. He told Children’s Services he had mental health issues, including obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression and anti-social personality disorder with sociopathic tendencies, according to court documents.

Cardinal admitted to Children’s Services that he was suicidal. He had a gun, he said, and if he did commit suicide he would shoot himself as both his father and grandfather had. That admission led to the boys being formally taken out of his custody.

Later in 2010, Cardinal was granted unsupervised weekends with the boys.

Investigators found farewell letters on Cardinal’s computer to his mother, uncle and Badger. His mother received the letters in the mail after the boys were murdered. There was also a will in the home.

Court heard that Cardinal started writing about his plan to kill his sons and himself on Dec. 5, two weeks before the boys were killed.

Police found several written notes around the home that revealed Cardinal’s plan and detailed the steps he took, the medications needed and where the boys would die. 

“Wait for boys to die or fall asleep,” one read. “Smother if needed.”

Badger dropped the boys at Cardinal’s on Dec. 17 for a weekend visit. The next day, Cardinal and his sons played games, put up their Christmas tree and went sledding. A family support worker drove them to Cardinal’s psychologist for an appointment, but did not notice anything was wrong.

In December 2010, Cardinal told a psychiatrist, “if they are not returned, I will die with my children.” 

In court, Badger read a victim impact statement in which she said they were once a happy, loving family.

“The only comfort I have is knowing my babies are in heaven and can’t be hurt or harmed ever again.”

Badger had no sympathy for Cardinal as he watched from the prisoner’s box.

“He is the weakest coward I have ever known and I wonder why he had taken my babies lives instead of just his own,” she said through tears.

Defence lawyer Alex Pringle told court that Cardinal’s mental health problems were not enough to absolve him of legal responsibility. “He was not psychotic. He knew what he was doing.”

Cardinal, a large man with a thin beard and glasses, chose to say nothing when given a chance to address the court.

 He will now serve a life sentence with no chance of parole for at least 25 years.

A fatality inquiry will be held into the two deaths, but it has not yet been scheduled.

Dad jailed for 8 years for assault on 2-month-old daughter; baby left with fractured skull, ribs, and ankle (Bradford, England, United Kingdom)

The unbelievable excuses made for this violent UNNAMED DAD. He was "depressed". He was "under pressure." Oh, and my personal favorite: He was "frustrated."

Whatta load of hot steaming crap. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2218981/Father-jailed-fracturing-month-old-baby-daughters-skull-squeezing-hard-ribs-popped-horrendous-attack.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Father jailed for fracturing two-month-old baby daughter's skull and squeezing her so hard her ribs 'popped' in 'horrendous' attack

He broke her ankle by twisting her leg, fractured her skull and broke her ribs in three separate attacks

Jailed for eight years for causing baby grievous bodily harm with intent 

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 07:28 EST, 17 October 2012 | UPDATED: 08:07 EST, 17 October 2012

A father has been jailed for eight years after fracturing his baby daughter’s skull, ribs and ankle in three separate cowardly attacks.

The 24-year-old, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, lost his temper when he was looking after her for an hour while his partner and her mother went shopping.

He squeezed the little girl’s ribs so hard that they 'popped' at the sides, Leeds Crown Court was told on Tuesday.

He broke her ankle by twisting her leg and fractured her skull.

He was convicted by a jury at Bradford Crown Court in July of three offences of causing the two-month-old baby grievous bodily harm with intent on December 28, 2010.

A jury was told the girl’s injuries were typical of those caused by someone frustrated by the demands of a baby and losing control.

They heard the man was under pressure at home at the time and suffering from depression.

Sentencing him, Judge Christopher Batty told the father the consequences of what he did will live with him forever. 

He inflicted three separate, serious injuries after losing his temper over a prolonged period of time. 

'They were against a little baby, who was only two months old, with whose care you were trusted,' Judge Batty said.

Tina Landale, mitigating, said he had no previous convictions for violence and he still denied that he had harmed his baby.

After the case, Detective Constable Donna Hector, of the Bradford District Children’s Safeguarding Unit, said: 'This was a horrendous attack on a two-month-old girl who had no way of defending herself against the superior strength of this man.

'He tried to hide his actions, blaming an accident for the severe injuries she had sustained.

 'It was clear from our investigations, however, that they had been the result of a sustained assault.'

Dad on trial for murdering mom, her father during child custody exchange (Costa Mesa, California)

The DA's opening comments seem pretty darn charitable. Based on the descriptions of the murders below, these acts don't sound at all like a heated crime of passion by a loving father. They sound like a cold-blooded double execution. Notice the part where the father-in-law had thrown up his hands in surrender, and this dude allegedly continued to shoot him, even after he was down.

Also notice that the mother and her father were put in harm's way by a child custody exchange, and that this apparent executioner had been assigned the "care" of a 7-year-old disabled child (who is now motherless).

Daddy comes across as the kind of classic psychopath who fights for custody, just so he continue to toy with, control, and ultimately torture/murder his victims. I suspect that this wasn't brand new behavior, but somehow, Daddy got awarded his "rights" anyway. I'm assuming this was court-ordered, though the article doesn't say. But somehow I don't think this was really voluntary on Mom's part, or something she was comfortable with. Very often when mothers are afraid, they'll bring along a man for the child exchange. I'm thinking that may have been the case here.

Once again, contrary to fathers' rights propaganda, we see that fathers are not killing because they don't have their "rights." On the contrary, this apparent psycho was given all kinds of rights--which he leveraged to allegedly ambush and massacre two people, people who were apparently forced by the system to deal with him. When are the innocent people going to have their rights???

Of course, as we previously mentioned, we're not actually informed whether this was court-ordered visitation (i.e. a state-enabled murder). But maybe that's the point. By not going into all that, we don't need to reveal the names of the judge(s) or other incompetent and/or crooked court officials who set up this crime, do we?

Dad is identified as ROBERT ALAN LEHMANN.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/09/man-killed-wife-father-in-law-in-dispute-over-daughter-da-says.html

Man killed ex-wife, father-in-law in dispute over daughter, D.A. says

September 24, 2012 | 8:59 am

 A prosecutor made clear that Robert Alan Lehmann loved his daughter and wanted her to receive the best possible education and treatment for her development disabilities.

But that love and concern ultimately fueled a heated battle between him and his ex-wife, whom he stands accused of shooting dead alongside her father in front of his Costa Mesa home, prosecutors asserted in opening statements last week.

Lehmann, 37, is accused of two counts of murder. The charges include sentencing enhancements for lying in wait and for multiple murders. If convicted, he faces two life sentences in state prison without the possibility of parole.

On May 3, 2011, as he waited for Emily Ford, 32, to arrive and take custody of their 7-year-old special-needs daughter, Lehmann took antidepressants and drank beer before loading a magazine into his Beretta 9mm handgun, prosecutor Matt Murphy told jurors.

Murphy said Lehmann sent a text message to his ex-wife: "I've sent them away so they don't have to see."

She replied that she would soon arrive at the house on Santa Clara Circle.

When Ford arrived, Lehmann shot her in the chest and later shot her father, Russell Ford, through his arm raised in self-defense, Murphy alleged.

Lehmann then loaded another magazine and shot Russell Ford in the buttocks, back and back of the head, as the 62-year-old lay face down at the end of the driveway, Murphy said.

He then allegedly walked to where Emily Ford lay and emptied the magazine into the back of her head, the prosecution said.

Lehmann returned to his house, where he called 911, then "collapsed" on his lawn and waited for police, defense attorney Jeremy Goldman said.

In a 911 recording played for jurors, Lehmann told a dispatcher that he took medication.

"I took an overdose," Lehmann said in a groggy voice. "I'm going to go ahead and lay down now."

When asked by the dispatcher whether the shooting victims needed paramedics, Lehmann replied, "No, they're dead."