So if killer dad JUSTIN CHISOLM's schizophrenia is so severe and uncontrolled that he is "mentally incompentent", then why was he ever granted child visitation rights--supervised or unsupervised? Because frankly, for men this volatile and violent, having an unarmed/untrained "supervisor" around is no protection. JOSH POWELL killed his little boys with an axe and burned his house down during supervised visitation--after he managed to lock the supervisor outside.
Once again, we see how even certifiably mentally ill fathers are granted their "rights"--all at the expense of the kids.
Do you really think this little girl benefited in any way, shape, or form by having ongoing contact with this lunatic? Obviously not.
This is not to say that I don't have sympathy for people with mental illnesses. I just have more sympathy for kids who are stabbed to death--all because they forced into contact with violent, homicidal fathers.
http://lubbockonline.com/crime-and-courts/courts/2015-02-10/father-says-son-accused-childs-death-mentally-incompetent
Father says son accused in child's death is mentally incompetent
Michael Chisum says son has long history of mental illness
Posted: February 10, 2015 - 8:42pm | Updated: February 11, 2015 - 12:15am
By GABRIEL MONTE
A-J MEDIA
The father of a 29-year-old Lubbock man accused in the Feb. 1 slaying of his 4-year-old daughter said his son is mentally incompetent to take care of himself.
Michael Stephen Chisum filed Monday in Lubbock County Court at Law 2 an application to be appointed as the temporary guardian of Justin Chisum.
A hearing is set for Feb. 23, according to court documents.
Michael Chisum’s lawyer, Laura Beth Pleasant, declined to comment on the case until after the hearing.
Lubbock police arrested Justin Chisum Feb. 1 after they found the body of his daughter, Kylee Forrest, in the living room of his apartment.
Police said the girl died from blunt force trauma in a violent attack.
Chisum was reportedly naked when police apprehended him and admitted to officers he killed the girl, according to a warrant.
Courtney Forrest, who was Kylee Forrest’s legal guardian, told the A-J that Justin Chisum suffers from schizophrenia and was taking medication to treat it.
Michael Chisum, who resides in Addison, said in court documents his son has “a long history of mental illness, having been hospitalized and treated in at least seven different psychiatric hospitals spread among three different states over the past decade.”
He said his son is in need of medical treatment but is incapable of consenting to any because of his mental state.
Justin Chisum was booked Feb. 2 into the Lubbock County Detention Center where he remains at present.
His bond is set at $ 1 million, according to court records.
Showing posts with label schizophrenia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label schizophrenia. Show all posts
Monday, February 16, 2015
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Suit: DCFS contractor negligent before dad set two kids on fire (Cook County, Illinois)
Another case where the dad's rights trumped the rights of everybody else.
Dad is identified as NATHANIEL BELER.
http://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/7/71/245088/suit-dcfs-contractor-negligent-father-set-two-children-fire
Suit: DCFS contractor negligent before father set two children on fire
Posted: 12/29/2014, 08:07pm | Sam Charles
The county-appointed public guardian of a boy and girl who were set on fire by their father in late 2012 is suing a DCFS-contracted welfare agency, alleging its negligence led to the death of one child and the severe, ongoing injuries of the other.
Robert F. Harris, the appointed estate administrator of Nariyah Beler and the public guardian of her brother Naciere, filed the lawsuit Monday in Cook County Circuit Court against the Humboldt Park-based welfare agency Association House.
On Dec. 28, 2012, Nathaniel Beler set his two children, their mother and himself on fire at his mother’s West Side home, the suit stated. His daughter, 4-year-old Nariyah, and her mother, Taniya Johnson, died. His son Naciere, then 9, suffered burns to more than 40 percent of his body.
Beler’s death was ruled a suicide by self-immolation, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
In the months that led up to the fatal arson, Harris alleges, Association House and several of its employees breached duties that could have prevented Nariyah’s death and Naciere’s injuries.
DCFS recommended that Beler – a diagnosed schizophrenic and PCP addict with a history of going off his medication – should see his two children only in the company of a caseworker and in a “neutral” public place, the suit stated.
Under pressure from Beler, the assigned Association House caseworker allowed him to see his children at his mother’s house, the eventual scene of the fatal fire, the suit stated.
“Association House ignored or downplayed the severe danger that Mr. Beler posed,” the suit claims.
During an argument with Johnson in September 2012, Beler threatened to kill himself and his two children by pouring gasoline on them and lighting a match, the suit stated. Beler showed her two cans of gasoline, but she persuaded him to let her leave the home and go to work.
Once Johnson – who left her two children alone with Beler – got to work, her co-workers told her to call the police, leading to a standoff that eventually resulted in the safe release of both children and Beler’s involuntary commitment to a psychiatric hospital, the suit stated. There was enough gasoline in the home’s bathtub “to level the building.”
Association House knew Beler had a history of violent, erractic behavior when he was off his medication and no one from the agency ever tried to determine if he still was taking his prescriptions, the suit claims.
The agency also took Beler at his word when he said he was no longer using PCP and did not ever screen his urine to confirm he wasn’t using drugs, the suit alleges.
A representative from Association House could not be reached for comment Monday evening.
The six-count wrongful death and negligence suit seeks an unspecified amount in damages.
Dad is identified as NATHANIEL BELER.
http://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/7/71/245088/suit-dcfs-contractor-negligent-father-set-two-children-fire
Suit: DCFS contractor negligent before father set two children on fire
Posted: 12/29/2014, 08:07pm | Sam Charles
The county-appointed public guardian of a boy and girl who were set on fire by their father in late 2012 is suing a DCFS-contracted welfare agency, alleging its negligence led to the death of one child and the severe, ongoing injuries of the other.
Robert F. Harris, the appointed estate administrator of Nariyah Beler and the public guardian of her brother Naciere, filed the lawsuit Monday in Cook County Circuit Court against the Humboldt Park-based welfare agency Association House.
On Dec. 28, 2012, Nathaniel Beler set his two children, their mother and himself on fire at his mother’s West Side home, the suit stated. His daughter, 4-year-old Nariyah, and her mother, Taniya Johnson, died. His son Naciere, then 9, suffered burns to more than 40 percent of his body.
Beler’s death was ruled a suicide by self-immolation, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
In the months that led up to the fatal arson, Harris alleges, Association House and several of its employees breached duties that could have prevented Nariyah’s death and Naciere’s injuries.
DCFS recommended that Beler – a diagnosed schizophrenic and PCP addict with a history of going off his medication – should see his two children only in the company of a caseworker and in a “neutral” public place, the suit stated.
Under pressure from Beler, the assigned Association House caseworker allowed him to see his children at his mother’s house, the eventual scene of the fatal fire, the suit stated.
“Association House ignored or downplayed the severe danger that Mr. Beler posed,” the suit claims.
During an argument with Johnson in September 2012, Beler threatened to kill himself and his two children by pouring gasoline on them and lighting a match, the suit stated. Beler showed her two cans of gasoline, but she persuaded him to let her leave the home and go to work.
Once Johnson – who left her two children alone with Beler – got to work, her co-workers told her to call the police, leading to a standoff that eventually resulted in the safe release of both children and Beler’s involuntary commitment to a psychiatric hospital, the suit stated. There was enough gasoline in the home’s bathtub “to level the building.”
Association House knew Beler had a history of violent, erractic behavior when he was off his medication and no one from the agency ever tried to determine if he still was taking his prescriptions, the suit claims.
The agency also took Beler at his word when he said he was no longer using PCP and did not ever screen his urine to confirm he wasn’t using drugs, the suit alleges.
A representative from Association House could not be reached for comment Monday evening.
The six-count wrongful death and negligence suit seeks an unspecified amount in damages.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Dad who killed 9-year-old daughter during visitation had history of paranoid schizophrenia (Rochester, Minnesota)
Look, don't mean to be judgmental when it comes to mental illness. But who though it was a good idea to subject a 9-year-old child to visitation with a father who had a history of paranoid schizophrenia, including "psych-related incidents" with law enforcement? Was she supposed to figure out how to deal with somebody like this all on her own?
This is what happens when the "rights" of fathers are prioritized over the basic rights of children to life, safety, and security.
Dad is identified as BRADLEY JAMES HIGGINS.
http://www.postbulletin.com/news/crime/family-father-had-history-of-mental-illness/article_f1bae4f2-cd19-5477-af4b-a21326937707.html
Family: Father had history of mental illness
Ken Klotzbach
Police tape flutters in the wind outside the house at 4553 5th Street N.W. Monday morning where a man and a 9 year-old girl were found shot to death Sunday.
Posted: Tuesday, November 25, 2014 10:10 am | Updated: 10:41 am, Tue Nov 25, 2014.
Kay Fate
The Rochester man who killed his 9-year-old daughter during a Sunday afternoon visit, then shot himself, had a history of mental illness, authorities said today.
#Bradley James Higgins, 49, had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia about 10 years ago, family members told police, but there had been "nothing out of the ordinary" when his daughter, Mackenzie, came over for the afternoon, Police Lt. Casey Moilanen said.
#Though autopsies were completed Monday, the investigation remains open as law enforcement works with the medical examiner and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to review all the reports and evidence, he said.
#Final results of the autopsies, including toxicology tests, won't be available for weeks. The working premise, however, is the incident was a murder-suicide, Moilanen said.
#The initial report of the shooting came in at 4:02 p.m. Sunday, when Higgins' brother called police. When officers arrived at 4553 Fifth St. N.W., they found Higgins and his daughter, both deceased, in the basement of the home, the report says.
#Higgins had lived at the home with his brother's family since last month, Moilanen said. Mackenzie spent time with Higgins, as well as with her mother, who also lives in Rochester, since the parents' divorce about four years ago. The child was there for an afternoon visit at the time of the shooting; her mother arrived to pick her up as scheduled shortly before officers arrived at the home.
#Mackenzie was the couple's only child. She attended school in Stewartville, Moilanen said, where officials have activated their crisis plan to work with students.
#Moilanen said law enforcement had had "psych-related incidents" with Higgins since 2007, but was unsure if any of the encounters involved violence.
#"He had paranoid schizophrenia, but there had been no red flags" leading up to the shooting, Moilanen said.
#Higgins's brother, his significant other and their three children were in the home at the time of the shooting, the report says. His brother reported hearing loud noises from the basement, where Higgins lived, but didn't immediately check what happened. Moilanen declined to release any information about the number of shots fired or the type of weapon recovered. It was the first murder in the city of Rochester this year.
This is what happens when the "rights" of fathers are prioritized over the basic rights of children to life, safety, and security.
Dad is identified as BRADLEY JAMES HIGGINS.
http://www.postbulletin.com/news/crime/family-father-had-history-of-mental-illness/article_f1bae4f2-cd19-5477-af4b-a21326937707.html
Family: Father had history of mental illness
Ken Klotzbach
Police tape flutters in the wind outside the house at 4553 5th Street N.W. Monday morning where a man and a 9 year-old girl were found shot to death Sunday.
Posted: Tuesday, November 25, 2014 10:10 am | Updated: 10:41 am, Tue Nov 25, 2014.
Kay Fate
The Rochester man who killed his 9-year-old daughter during a Sunday afternoon visit, then shot himself, had a history of mental illness, authorities said today.
#Bradley James Higgins, 49, had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia about 10 years ago, family members told police, but there had been "nothing out of the ordinary" when his daughter, Mackenzie, came over for the afternoon, Police Lt. Casey Moilanen said.
#Though autopsies were completed Monday, the investigation remains open as law enforcement works with the medical examiner and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to review all the reports and evidence, he said.
#Final results of the autopsies, including toxicology tests, won't be available for weeks. The working premise, however, is the incident was a murder-suicide, Moilanen said.
#The initial report of the shooting came in at 4:02 p.m. Sunday, when Higgins' brother called police. When officers arrived at 4553 Fifth St. N.W., they found Higgins and his daughter, both deceased, in the basement of the home, the report says.
#Higgins had lived at the home with his brother's family since last month, Moilanen said. Mackenzie spent time with Higgins, as well as with her mother, who also lives in Rochester, since the parents' divorce about four years ago. The child was there for an afternoon visit at the time of the shooting; her mother arrived to pick her up as scheduled shortly before officers arrived at the home.
#Mackenzie was the couple's only child. She attended school in Stewartville, Moilanen said, where officials have activated their crisis plan to work with students.
#Moilanen said law enforcement had had "psych-related incidents" with Higgins since 2007, but was unsure if any of the encounters involved violence.
#"He had paranoid schizophrenia, but there had been no red flags" leading up to the shooting, Moilanen said.
#Higgins's brother, his significant other and their three children were in the home at the time of the shooting, the report says. His brother reported hearing loud noises from the basement, where Higgins lived, but didn't immediately check what happened. Moilanen declined to release any information about the number of shots fired or the type of weapon recovered. It was the first murder in the city of Rochester this year.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Dad charged with attempted murder in poisoning of 4-month-old daughter (Queensland, Australia)
I understand that Daddy has his family enablers--these guys always have the suck-ups on their side. But even the disability advocates are behind this little sh** who tortured this baby with powerful drugs? Disgusting. UNNAMED DAD.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/teen-dad-accused-of-poisoning-his-fourmonthold-daughter-20130829-2ssd9.html
Teen dad accused of poisoning his four-month-old daughter
August 29, 2013 - 1:25PM
A Queensland father poisoned his baby daughter with anti-psychotic drugs and forced her to swallow a 10 cent coin, police allege.
The 19-year-old unemployed man, who cannot be named, has been charged with attempted murder and was granted bail in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Police said his partner woke late on August 13 to find the couple’s four-month-old daughter struggling to breathe.
She had turned blue and was ‘‘pale and floppy’’ with a temperature of just 34 degrees, according to an affidavit tendered in court.
The infant was taken to hospital from the family’s Morayfield house, north of Brisbane, just after midnight.
Hospital staff noted she had a high heart rate and would scream in bouts.
A urine test found the antipsychotic pericyazine and the attention deficit disorder drug methylphenidate.
The father was on both drugs and suffered attention deficit disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
In hospital the infant vomited up a 10 cent piece, which doctors said she could not have ingested accidentally because she lacked the motor skills.
A day earlier the father had asked his partner and her parents what would happen if the child swallowed a coin and was told she would die.
He had an argument with his partner the night of the incident and had been the last to feed the baby around 11.30pm, according to the affidavit.
Police opposed bail, saying the man had a propensity for violence and was a risk to himself and others.
Legal Aid lawyer Rhianna Batt said he had mental health issues but no significant criminal history that indicated a risk.
She said he had the support of his mother, two sisters and disability advocates, who were all in court.
Magistrate Judy Daley said she was comforted by the man’s support network and did not believe he was a flight risk.
She granted bail on the condition he have no contact with his daughter or partner and that he would stay away from the Morayfield address.
The man has also been charged with use of a controlled drug, possession and stealing.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/teen-dad-accused-of-poisoning-his-fourmonthold-daughter-20130829-2ssd9.html
Teen dad accused of poisoning his four-month-old daughter
August 29, 2013 - 1:25PM
A Queensland father poisoned his baby daughter with anti-psychotic drugs and forced her to swallow a 10 cent coin, police allege.
The 19-year-old unemployed man, who cannot be named, has been charged with attempted murder and was granted bail in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Police said his partner woke late on August 13 to find the couple’s four-month-old daughter struggling to breathe.
She had turned blue and was ‘‘pale and floppy’’ with a temperature of just 34 degrees, according to an affidavit tendered in court.
The infant was taken to hospital from the family’s Morayfield house, north of Brisbane, just after midnight.
Hospital staff noted she had a high heart rate and would scream in bouts.
A urine test found the antipsychotic pericyazine and the attention deficit disorder drug methylphenidate.
The father was on both drugs and suffered attention deficit disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
In hospital the infant vomited up a 10 cent piece, which doctors said she could not have ingested accidentally because she lacked the motor skills.
A day earlier the father had asked his partner and her parents what would happen if the child swallowed a coin and was told she would die.
He had an argument with his partner the night of the incident and had been the last to feed the baby around 11.30pm, according to the affidavit.
Police opposed bail, saying the man had a propensity for violence and was a risk to himself and others.
Legal Aid lawyer Rhianna Batt said he had mental health issues but no significant criminal history that indicated a risk.
She said he had the support of his mother, two sisters and disability advocates, who were all in court.
Magistrate Judy Daley said she was comforted by the man’s support network and did not believe he was a flight risk.
She granted bail on the condition he have no contact with his daughter or partner and that he would stay away from the Morayfield address.
The man has also been charged with use of a controlled drug, possession and stealing.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Rapist daddy felt "sick" when he realized he would be classified as a pedophile (Australia)
UNNAMED DAD. No mention of a mother.
Words fail in describing the arrogance of this f***ing idiot.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/man-faces-court-on-incest-charges-20130719-2q94x.html
Man faces court on incest charges
Date July 19, 2013
A father who began sexually assaulting his daughter when she was 13 told police he felt "sick" when he realised he would be classified as a paedophile.
The 34-year-old, who cannot be named, appeared in a County Court on Friday after pleading guilty to three counts of incest and one count of an indecent act with a child aged under 16.
The offender said he had started abusing his daughter after finding "inappropriate" Facebook messages she had sent to a man who was a family friend.
He thought he was helping the girl by educating her about sex.
The man sexually abused his daughter between July 2011 and November last year. He was arrested in May after she confided in a counsellor.
On one occasion, the man sexually abused his daughter while driving her home from a counselling session she had attended to deal with the trauma of past sexual abuse by another family member.
The judge said that despite the man saying during his police interview that "I'm against paedophiles and I'm actually starting to feel sick... that now I'm classified as one", he had earlier been less than remorseful.
He said in the police interview that he thought he was doing the "right thing" when he abused the girl and stated that what he had done was not wrong as she had never told him no.
"This is not a single act, it's a 12-month course of conduct," the judge said.
"It's a little hard to understand how the realisation [that you're a paedophile] finally hits you in the interview.
"Either you know it's wrong all the long or you don't."
The man also said during his police interview: "I'm a screw up as a father, that's all I can say right now".
His daughter watched the court proceedings with her grandmother via video link.
The defence said the man's offending may have been influenced by his own history of sexual abuse and long-term cannabis use.
A psychiatric report of the man found that he may suffer from psychosis attributed to chronic cannabis use, but was more likely to suffer from mild chronic schizophrenia.
It was submitted by the defence that the man should be sentenced to a substantial period of parole to ensure his mental health treatment was adequate.
Prison had been a "very sobering" experience for the man, who had eaten less because HIV positive inmates were using utensils and touching food, and had seen assaults and heard rapes in adjacent cells.
"It's clear that my client and the community at large would benefit from a period of supervision for my client, the longer the better," the defence submitted, adding that it was accepted the man would be sent to prison.
The judge found that no medical condition had a significant impact on the father's culpability and his record of interview appeared to show a lack of understanding of the seriousness of his offending.
The court heard the man had struggled to understand why he could not have access to his other children. The prosecution said the offending had torn the family apart. Members of the girl's family were in court on Friday to represent the victim. The man will be sentenced on July 30.
Words fail in describing the arrogance of this f***ing idiot.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/man-faces-court-on-incest-charges-20130719-2q94x.html
Man faces court on incest charges
Date July 19, 2013
A father who began sexually assaulting his daughter when she was 13 told police he felt "sick" when he realised he would be classified as a paedophile.
The 34-year-old, who cannot be named, appeared in a County Court on Friday after pleading guilty to three counts of incest and one count of an indecent act with a child aged under 16.
The offender said he had started abusing his daughter after finding "inappropriate" Facebook messages she had sent to a man who was a family friend.
He thought he was helping the girl by educating her about sex.
The man sexually abused his daughter between July 2011 and November last year. He was arrested in May after she confided in a counsellor.
On one occasion, the man sexually abused his daughter while driving her home from a counselling session she had attended to deal with the trauma of past sexual abuse by another family member.
The judge said that despite the man saying during his police interview that "I'm against paedophiles and I'm actually starting to feel sick... that now I'm classified as one", he had earlier been less than remorseful.
He said in the police interview that he thought he was doing the "right thing" when he abused the girl and stated that what he had done was not wrong as she had never told him no.
"This is not a single act, it's a 12-month course of conduct," the judge said.
"It's a little hard to understand how the realisation [that you're a paedophile] finally hits you in the interview.
"Either you know it's wrong all the long or you don't."
The man also said during his police interview: "I'm a screw up as a father, that's all I can say right now".
His daughter watched the court proceedings with her grandmother via video link.
The defence said the man's offending may have been influenced by his own history of sexual abuse and long-term cannabis use.
A psychiatric report of the man found that he may suffer from psychosis attributed to chronic cannabis use, but was more likely to suffer from mild chronic schizophrenia.
It was submitted by the defence that the man should be sentenced to a substantial period of parole to ensure his mental health treatment was adequate.
Prison had been a "very sobering" experience for the man, who had eaten less because HIV positive inmates were using utensils and touching food, and had seen assaults and heard rapes in adjacent cells.
"It's clear that my client and the community at large would benefit from a period of supervision for my client, the longer the better," the defence submitted, adding that it was accepted the man would be sent to prison.
The judge found that no medical condition had a significant impact on the father's culpability and his record of interview appeared to show a lack of understanding of the seriousness of his offending.
The court heard the man had struggled to understand why he could not have access to his other children. The prosecution said the offending had torn the family apart. Members of the girl's family were in court on Friday to represent the victim. The man will be sentenced on July 30.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
"Primary caregiver" dad gets probation for inflicting life-threatening brain injuries on infant son (Scottsbluff, Nebraska)
Dad is identified as NATHAN PACE. Notice how he was appointed to be the "primary caregiver" while Mom worked. Presumably because his mental health issues (schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) made it difficult for him to hold a job. So we figure that this guy was then capable of handling the stress involved in caring for twin infants?
It's too bad that real mothering in our culture is so devalued and dismissed--as if any unemployed idiot can do it. And I'm not convinced that Dad's mental illnesses had a lot to do with this assault on his infant son. Plenty of "primary caretaker" dads with no apparent mental illness do the same thing, simply because they're "frustrated."
http://www.starherald.com/news/local_news/scottsbluff-man-sentenced-to-probation-in-child-abuse-case/article_88604ed4-fedf-11e1-8acc-001a4bcf887a.html
Scottsbluff man sentenced to probation in child abuse case
Posted: Saturday, September 15, 2012 3:15 am
By MAUNETTE LOEKS Staff Reporter
A Scottsbluff man accused of shaking his baby and causing serious injury has received a sentence of probation.
Scotts Bluff County Judge Randall Lippstreu sentenced Nathan Pace, 34, of Scottsbluff, to five years of intensive probation. In his sentencing, Lippstreu said the probation sentence will allow the state to monitor Pace for a longer period of time than a jail sentence.
In August, Pace had agreed to a plea agreement in his case. Pace had been charged in February after his infant son suffered serious injuries while in his father’s care. Pace agreed to plead no contest to an amended charge of intentionally committing child abuse without causing injury, a Class IIIA felony charge. Prosecutors dropped a charge of child abuse resulting in injury, a Class II felony, that called for more stringent sentencing.
During sentencing, Scotts Bluff County Attorney Doug Warner acknowledged authorities are unsure of what Pace did that led to his son suffering brain injuries and fractured clavicle, but it is believed the boy had been severely shaken. In February 2011, he said doctors believed the injuries were life-threatening. With serious medical intervention, including surgery, the boy has recovered.
There is no reason that justifies using force on a child and no reasonable explanation for shaking a baby, causing serious injury, Warner said.
“No matter what the circumstances are, no matter what the stressors are, there is no legitimate reason to shake a baby,” Warner said, asking for the judge to impose the maximum sentence of 5 years in prison on the charge.
Scotts Bluff Public Defender Bernard Stratker cited Pace’s history of serious mental illness in asking the judge to sentence him to probation.
At age 30, he said, Pace had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Relatives have indicated that Pace has had no history of injuring others, but were more concerned about him injuring himself. Pace has been hospitalized in the past, including for suicide attempts.
At the time of the baby’s hospitalization, Pace was caregiver for his two infant twins while his wife worked. It was a lot to ask of the man, Straetker said.
“This has hurt him as well,” he said. “He has suffered as well.”
Straetker said his client “is not the typical person who comes through here.” He has had no criminal history and assessment tests showed him at low-risk to re-offend.
Pace also addressed the court, tearfully expressing his regret for injuring his son and saying that he wished he could turn back time.
“I know my actions hurt others, not just Brenner,” he said.
He even said he had been grateful for the time he has spent in jail. During his time in jail, he said, he has become closer to God and to himself.
In sentencing Pace to probation, Lippstreu said Pace would be eligible for jail time within two years, because of good time. He said he believed that a probation sentence would allow the state to monitor Pace for a longer time than a jail sentence.
“The court’s role is not just to impose a sentence, or of jail time, but to ensure the safety of the children, he said.
He said he felt the probation sentence would ensure the safety of the children for a longer time. As part of Pace’s probation sentence, Lippstreu imposed a special condition — Pace will not be allowed to spend time with his children unsupervised. He must be monitored at all times, Lippstreu said.
It's too bad that real mothering in our culture is so devalued and dismissed--as if any unemployed idiot can do it. And I'm not convinced that Dad's mental illnesses had a lot to do with this assault on his infant son. Plenty of "primary caretaker" dads with no apparent mental illness do the same thing, simply because they're "frustrated."
http://www.starherald.com/news/local_news/scottsbluff-man-sentenced-to-probation-in-child-abuse-case/article_88604ed4-fedf-11e1-8acc-001a4bcf887a.html
Scottsbluff man sentenced to probation in child abuse case
Posted: Saturday, September 15, 2012 3:15 am
By MAUNETTE LOEKS Staff Reporter
A Scottsbluff man accused of shaking his baby and causing serious injury has received a sentence of probation.
Scotts Bluff County Judge Randall Lippstreu sentenced Nathan Pace, 34, of Scottsbluff, to five years of intensive probation. In his sentencing, Lippstreu said the probation sentence will allow the state to monitor Pace for a longer period of time than a jail sentence.
In August, Pace had agreed to a plea agreement in his case. Pace had been charged in February after his infant son suffered serious injuries while in his father’s care. Pace agreed to plead no contest to an amended charge of intentionally committing child abuse without causing injury, a Class IIIA felony charge. Prosecutors dropped a charge of child abuse resulting in injury, a Class II felony, that called for more stringent sentencing.
During sentencing, Scotts Bluff County Attorney Doug Warner acknowledged authorities are unsure of what Pace did that led to his son suffering brain injuries and fractured clavicle, but it is believed the boy had been severely shaken. In February 2011, he said doctors believed the injuries were life-threatening. With serious medical intervention, including surgery, the boy has recovered.
There is no reason that justifies using force on a child and no reasonable explanation for shaking a baby, causing serious injury, Warner said.
“No matter what the circumstances are, no matter what the stressors are, there is no legitimate reason to shake a baby,” Warner said, asking for the judge to impose the maximum sentence of 5 years in prison on the charge.
Scotts Bluff Public Defender Bernard Stratker cited Pace’s history of serious mental illness in asking the judge to sentence him to probation.
At age 30, he said, Pace had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Relatives have indicated that Pace has had no history of injuring others, but were more concerned about him injuring himself. Pace has been hospitalized in the past, including for suicide attempts.
At the time of the baby’s hospitalization, Pace was caregiver for his two infant twins while his wife worked. It was a lot to ask of the man, Straetker said.
“This has hurt him as well,” he said. “He has suffered as well.”
Straetker said his client “is not the typical person who comes through here.” He has had no criminal history and assessment tests showed him at low-risk to re-offend.
Pace also addressed the court, tearfully expressing his regret for injuring his son and saying that he wished he could turn back time.
“I know my actions hurt others, not just Brenner,” he said.
He even said he had been grateful for the time he has spent in jail. During his time in jail, he said, he has become closer to God and to himself.
In sentencing Pace to probation, Lippstreu said Pace would be eligible for jail time within two years, because of good time. He said he believed that a probation sentence would allow the state to monitor Pace for a longer time than a jail sentence.
“The court’s role is not just to impose a sentence, or of jail time, but to ensure the safety of the children, he said.
He said he felt the probation sentence would ensure the safety of the children for a longer time. As part of Pace’s probation sentence, Lippstreu imposed a special condition — Pace will not be allowed to spend time with his children unsupervised. He must be monitored at all times, Lippstreu said.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Jury recommends that dad get 125-year sentence for abusing newborn son (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Why American moms need paid maternity leave: so they aren't forced to work and leave their newborns in the "care" of deadbeat a$$hole dads like JEFFERY REECE ISBELL.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=14&articleid=20120611_11_A5_CUTLIN496414
Jury recommends 125-year sentence in child abuse case
By AMANDA BLAND World Staff Writer
Published: 6/11/2012 2:24 AM
Last Modified: 6/11/2012 5:38 AM
A Tulsa County jury Friday recommended a man found guilty of abusing his newborn son serve 125 years in prison.
The man's 6-week-old child underwent emergency brain surgery in February 2011 after suffering a severe skull fracture and brain bleeding, according to a police affidavit filed in the case.
The child was in the care of his father, Jeffery Reece Isbell, now 25, at their Tulsa home when the baby was injured. He was charged in July 2011 with two counts of child abuse by injury.
A jury found Isbell guilty of causing a skull fracture, epidural hematoma and bruising as presented in the first count and recommended a 100-year sentence on the charge. Jurors also recommended a 25-year sentence after finding him guilty of causing rib fractures as presented in the second count.
Prosecutors asserted Isbell broke five of the baby's ribs by forcefully squeezing or slamming him in early February 2011, and 10 to 14 days later caused the skull and brain injuries by inflicting significant, and intentional, force on the child.
Isbell told Detective Mark Hodges during a Tulsa police investigation into the abuse that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and had not taken his medication in several years, according to the affidavit. He also told the detective he "sometimes blacks out but does not know it."
He told family members "maybe he had kicked (the baby) while he was asleep," the affidavit states.
The boy's mother found him when she returned home from work and took him to the hospital. She told police the child "appeared to be dead," the affidavit states.
"The injuries were so massive and caused by such force, that it could not have been accidental," Assistant District Attorney Sarah McAmis told the Tulsa World. "The skull fracture was so large that it was from extreme impact, so either he slammed the baby into the wood frame of the couch or punched or kicked the baby with significant force."
Isbell remains at the Tulsa Jail. He will be formally sentenced July 20.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=14&articleid=20120611_11_A5_CUTLIN496414
Jury recommends 125-year sentence in child abuse case
By AMANDA BLAND World Staff Writer
Published: 6/11/2012 2:24 AM
Last Modified: 6/11/2012 5:38 AM
A Tulsa County jury Friday recommended a man found guilty of abusing his newborn son serve 125 years in prison.
The man's 6-week-old child underwent emergency brain surgery in February 2011 after suffering a severe skull fracture and brain bleeding, according to a police affidavit filed in the case.
The child was in the care of his father, Jeffery Reece Isbell, now 25, at their Tulsa home when the baby was injured. He was charged in July 2011 with two counts of child abuse by injury.
A jury found Isbell guilty of causing a skull fracture, epidural hematoma and bruising as presented in the first count and recommended a 100-year sentence on the charge. Jurors also recommended a 25-year sentence after finding him guilty of causing rib fractures as presented in the second count.
Prosecutors asserted Isbell broke five of the baby's ribs by forcefully squeezing or slamming him in early February 2011, and 10 to 14 days later caused the skull and brain injuries by inflicting significant, and intentional, force on the child.
Isbell told Detective Mark Hodges during a Tulsa police investigation into the abuse that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and had not taken his medication in several years, according to the affidavit. He also told the detective he "sometimes blacks out but does not know it."
He told family members "maybe he had kicked (the baby) while he was asleep," the affidavit states.
The boy's mother found him when she returned home from work and took him to the hospital. She told police the child "appeared to be dead," the affidavit states.
"The injuries were so massive and caused by such force, that it could not have been accidental," Assistant District Attorney Sarah McAmis told the Tulsa World. "The skull fracture was so large that it was from extreme impact, so either he slammed the baby into the wood frame of the couch or punched or kicked the baby with significant force."
Isbell remains at the Tulsa Jail. He will be formally sentenced July 20.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Stepdad gets death penalty in stabbing death of wife, drowning death of her 6-year-old daughter (Dallas County, Texas)
Sometimes fathers rights people get into pious moralizing about evil boyfriends or stepdads, as if biological fathers were somehow pure and just in all things. When you look at the history of a guy like GARY GREEN, you realize how useless those distinctions are.
Green just got the death penalty for stabbing his wife to death, drowning her 6-year-old daughter, and essentially torturing her two sons. Oh, but that's a stepdad right? But these boys thought of Green as their dad and loved him as a dad. And notice that this guy also once choked a woman unconscious who was pregnant with "his" child. Guess that DNA link didn't help that unborn baby, huh? It's time we realized that scum is scum. To some extent, "boyfriends" or "stepdads" may be more prone to these things only because abusers and criminals aren't exactly known for their loving, long-term commitments to their partners.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/crime/stories/110610dnmetdeathpenalty.3b59aa8.html
Killer of woman, child in Oak Cliff gets death penalty
10:18 PM CDT on Friday, November 5, 2010
By SELWYN CRAWFORD / The Dallas Morning News
scrawford@dallasnews.com
Moments after a Dallas County jury sentenced Gary Green to death for fatally stabbing his wife Lovetta Armstead and drowning her 6-year-old daughter, the woman's two sons spoke to him in stirring victim impact statements that moved even veteran courtroom bailiffs to tears.
"Hey, Gary," the youngest boy said cheerily as he peered out from the witness stand Friday at a stone-faced Green, who had also stabbed him in the stomach on that night in September 2009 after asking the boys – now 10 and 13 – why he should let them live.
"I loved you and thought you would never betray me like this. To me, you were my father, and I loved you like my own father. But I'm not going to let you take over my life. And I do hope that you suffer."
His older brother followed him to the stand and immediately issued a challenge to the man who killed his mother and sister Jazzmen.
"Gary Green, I want you to look me in the eye right here, right now and listen to what I have to say to you. You are nothing but a coward. You take other people's lives to make your own life better. I hope you feel pain like my mother and my sister. And I hope you die."
Green, 39, never looked at the boys as they spoke, or showed any emotion to the packed courtroom. He also didn't look a few minutes later when Dallas County prosecutors played a 33-second video of Jazzmen that caused audible sobbing throughout the courtroom. After the video, the girl's father, Ray Montgomery, addressed his daughter's killer.
"I hope you know how much you destroyed our lives, all because of your wrongdoing," Montgomery said. "You took my world when you took her life. All I wanted to hear from you was to say, 'I'm sorry,' or own up to what you did to my daughter. But you couldn't even do that."
Outside the courtroom, Montgomery said that the trial and having the chance to address Green had given him some closure. He noted that evidence in the trial showed others had been assaulted by Green in the past, including a woman he choked unconscious while she was pregnant with his child. He said the guilty verdict and death sentence were for them, too.
"I feel my daughter and her mother got justice served," said Montgomery, 30. "But not just justice for them, but for all the other victims that this man has hurt."
Testimony in the case showed that Green was upset because Armstead wanted to leave him. On Sept. 21, 2009, Green hogtied Jazzmen with duct tape and a telephone cord, then carried her into her mother's bedroom. There, Green used several knives – breaking two – to stab Armstead 28 times, all in front of her child.
Then he filled a bathtub with water and drowned the bound child. He went and picked up the boys from church and brought them home. He then made them hug and kiss the lifeless body of their mother.
Defense attorneys Paul Johnson, Kobby Warren and Brady Wyatt presented evidence showing that Green suffers from schizoaffective disorder, bipolar, which makes him wrongly believe that people are trying to hurt him.
"We tried to show the mental issues that we believed were an integral part of his life," Johnson said. "Obviously, the jury didn't agree with us. We're disappointed, but we don't quarrel with the verdict."
But prosecutors Andy Beach and Josh Healey said that it wasn't mental illness that drove Green to kill, but a selfish rage. And that rage, they said, is why he needed the death sentence.
"Gary Green is not a monster," Beach told jurors during Friday's closing arguments. "He's capable of monstrous conduct, but he's not a monster. He gets mad, he gets jealous, and then he gets violent. Wherever he is, Gary Green will always be a threat."
Green just got the death penalty for stabbing his wife to death, drowning her 6-year-old daughter, and essentially torturing her two sons. Oh, but that's a stepdad right? But these boys thought of Green as their dad and loved him as a dad. And notice that this guy also once choked a woman unconscious who was pregnant with "his" child. Guess that DNA link didn't help that unborn baby, huh? It's time we realized that scum is scum. To some extent, "boyfriends" or "stepdads" may be more prone to these things only because abusers and criminals aren't exactly known for their loving, long-term commitments to their partners.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/crime/stories/110610dnmetdeathpenalty.3b59aa8.html
Killer of woman, child in Oak Cliff gets death penalty
10:18 PM CDT on Friday, November 5, 2010
By SELWYN CRAWFORD / The Dallas Morning News
scrawford@dallasnews.com
Moments after a Dallas County jury sentenced Gary Green to death for fatally stabbing his wife Lovetta Armstead and drowning her 6-year-old daughter, the woman's two sons spoke to him in stirring victim impact statements that moved even veteran courtroom bailiffs to tears.
"Hey, Gary," the youngest boy said cheerily as he peered out from the witness stand Friday at a stone-faced Green, who had also stabbed him in the stomach on that night in September 2009 after asking the boys – now 10 and 13 – why he should let them live.
"I loved you and thought you would never betray me like this. To me, you were my father, and I loved you like my own father. But I'm not going to let you take over my life. And I do hope that you suffer."
His older brother followed him to the stand and immediately issued a challenge to the man who killed his mother and sister Jazzmen.
"Gary Green, I want you to look me in the eye right here, right now and listen to what I have to say to you. You are nothing but a coward. You take other people's lives to make your own life better. I hope you feel pain like my mother and my sister. And I hope you die."
Green, 39, never looked at the boys as they spoke, or showed any emotion to the packed courtroom. He also didn't look a few minutes later when Dallas County prosecutors played a 33-second video of Jazzmen that caused audible sobbing throughout the courtroom. After the video, the girl's father, Ray Montgomery, addressed his daughter's killer.
"I hope you know how much you destroyed our lives, all because of your wrongdoing," Montgomery said. "You took my world when you took her life. All I wanted to hear from you was to say, 'I'm sorry,' or own up to what you did to my daughter. But you couldn't even do that."
Outside the courtroom, Montgomery said that the trial and having the chance to address Green had given him some closure. He noted that evidence in the trial showed others had been assaulted by Green in the past, including a woman he choked unconscious while she was pregnant with his child. He said the guilty verdict and death sentence were for them, too.
"I feel my daughter and her mother got justice served," said Montgomery, 30. "But not just justice for them, but for all the other victims that this man has hurt."
Testimony in the case showed that Green was upset because Armstead wanted to leave him. On Sept. 21, 2009, Green hogtied Jazzmen with duct tape and a telephone cord, then carried her into her mother's bedroom. There, Green used several knives – breaking two – to stab Armstead 28 times, all in front of her child.
Then he filled a bathtub with water and drowned the bound child. He went and picked up the boys from church and brought them home. He then made them hug and kiss the lifeless body of their mother.
Defense attorneys Paul Johnson, Kobby Warren and Brady Wyatt presented evidence showing that Green suffers from schizoaffective disorder, bipolar, which makes him wrongly believe that people are trying to hurt him.
"We tried to show the mental issues that we believed were an integral part of his life," Johnson said. "Obviously, the jury didn't agree with us. We're disappointed, but we don't quarrel with the verdict."
But prosecutors Andy Beach and Josh Healey said that it wasn't mental illness that drove Green to kill, but a selfish rage. And that rage, they said, is why he needed the death sentence.
"Gary Green is not a monster," Beach told jurors during Friday's closing arguments. "He's capable of monstrous conduct, but he's not a monster. He gets mad, he gets jealous, and then he gets violent. Wherever he is, Gary Green will always be a threat."
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Dad: "Voices made me kill my son" (Paramatta, NSW, Australia)
UNNAMED DAD claims that "voices" made him stab his sleeping 12-year-old son. I guess the same "voices" then told him to shower and clean up the blood. I wonder if the "voices" also instructed him in what detergents to use for getting out blood stains. And not to attack the child until the mother went out.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/deadly-delusions-led-to-boys-stab-death/story-e6freuy9-1225936815083
Deadly delusions led to boy's stab death
Lisa Davies
From: The Daily Telegraph October 11, 2010 12:00AM
A FATHER claimed "voices made me kill my son" after he allegedly stabbed his 12-year-old child to death as the boy slept, a court was told yesterday.
The man then allegedly showered, walked outside and stabbed two other men near his unit block.
The father, 30, will undergo a psychiatric report after allegedly telling police as he was arrested on Saturday: "Voices in my head made me do it, voices made me kill my son."
The boy's grief-stricken mother was yesterday understood to be in the care of friends as her former partner faced Parramatta Bail Court.
The boy's father lived with his son and former girlfriend in the Terminus St house.
Police allege the youngster was asleep in his room and his father was watching television in the lounge room when the mother left to go shopping.
"At some stage the accused approached [his son] while he was sleeping and stabbed him numerous times. After the killing, the accused has attempted to clean blood from the unit and later showered to clean himself of the blood," police alleged in a document presented to the court.
A short time later he allegedly left the unit, approaching a mother and her son, 26, in the common area of the apartment complex.
"The accused has asked them if they had seen his cat, and then asked [the son] to help him look for his cat," police alleged.
The boy agreed, but at the end of a common walkway, the accused allegedly drew a knife and stabbed the young man in the chest.
Upon hearing his screams, another resident of the complex, a 50-year-old man, confronted the knife-wielding man, only to be stabbed in the chest, receiving a punctured lung. The man allegedly made the claims about voices in his head during a later interview with detectives.
"The accused made a number of admissions in relation to stabbing and killing his son, and also stabbing [the 26-year-old] with an intent to kill him," police said.
"He claims to suffer paranoid schizophrenia and said voices made him kill and stab [the other men]."
Magistrate Ian McRae refused bail. The man will reappear in Parramatta Local Court on November 11.
Hey, just wondering out loud here.
And they say that women control the mental health card....http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/deadly-delusions-led-to-boys-stab-death/story-e6freuy9-1225936815083
Deadly delusions led to boy's stab death
Lisa Davies
From: The Daily Telegraph October 11, 2010 12:00AM
A FATHER claimed "voices made me kill my son" after he allegedly stabbed his 12-year-old child to death as the boy slept, a court was told yesterday.
The man then allegedly showered, walked outside and stabbed two other men near his unit block.
The father, 30, will undergo a psychiatric report after allegedly telling police as he was arrested on Saturday: "Voices in my head made me do it, voices made me kill my son."
The boy's grief-stricken mother was yesterday understood to be in the care of friends as her former partner faced Parramatta Bail Court.
The boy's father lived with his son and former girlfriend in the Terminus St house.
Police allege the youngster was asleep in his room and his father was watching television in the lounge room when the mother left to go shopping.
"At some stage the accused approached [his son] while he was sleeping and stabbed him numerous times. After the killing, the accused has attempted to clean blood from the unit and later showered to clean himself of the blood," police alleged in a document presented to the court.
A short time later he allegedly left the unit, approaching a mother and her son, 26, in the common area of the apartment complex.
"The accused has asked them if they had seen his cat, and then asked [the son] to help him look for his cat," police alleged.
The boy agreed, but at the end of a common walkway, the accused allegedly drew a knife and stabbed the young man in the chest.
Upon hearing his screams, another resident of the complex, a 50-year-old man, confronted the knife-wielding man, only to be stabbed in the chest, receiving a punctured lung. The man allegedly made the claims about voices in his head during a later interview with detectives.
"The accused made a number of admissions in relation to stabbing and killing his son, and also stabbing [the 26-year-old] with an intent to kill him," police said.
"He claims to suffer paranoid schizophrenia and said voices made him kill and stab [the other men]."
Magistrate Ian McRae refused bail. The man will reappear in Parramatta Local Court on November 11.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Closing statement given in dad charged with torturing 6-week-old son to death (Barstow, California)
Dad DAVON JOHNSON is currently on trial for the torture-murder of his 6-week-old son. The defense is arguing that Daddy is mentally ill and "inexperienced." How "inexperienced" do you have to be that you don't realize that you are torturing a baby? In fact, it sounds like a typical murdered baby case where dad was "frustrated" by a crying infant. And why was this baby in daddy's "sole care?" Where is the mother?
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/infant-9384-statements-torture.html
Closing statements given in infant torture-death trial
October 04, 2010 4:54 PM
By AARON DOME, staff writer
BARSTOW • The fate of a 23-year-old Barstow man charged with torturing his 6-week-old son to death now rests with a jury.
Attorneys made their closing statements today in the trial of Davon Johnson, 23, who is charged with willful cruelty to a child resulting in great bodily injury or death and torture in the death of his seven week-old son, Zyeir Johnson, who died at Loma Linda Medical Center on July 13.
Two portraits were painted of Johnson by attorneys: Deliberate baby torturer and mentally ill and inexperienced father.
District defense attorney Sean Daugherty said that Johnson willfully tortured his infant son in an attempt to take out his frustration about the child’s crying, while defense attorney Paul Henderson said Johnson suffered from schizophrenia and was an inexperienced father unaware he was hurting his child.
Daugherty pointed to the wide variety of injuries on Zyeir’s body and the fact that Zyeir was in Davon’s sole care before he was hospitalized as evidence to convict Davon on torture charges.
“The defendant intended to cause cruel or extreme pain,” said Daugherty. “You have evidence that (Zyeir) was brutalized. A doctor testified that a chart (showing injuries) would be completely shaded in.”
Throughout the trial, jurors were shown graphic images of a number of injuries to Zyeir’s body, both internal and external.
Daugherty said that Zyeir’s injuries cannot be confused with injuries caused by an inexperienced parent mishandling a baby.
“Sometimes babies get dropped or fall but they don’t end up at Loma Linda (Medical Center) and they don’t end up dead,” said Daugherty. “The explanation that Davon was just too rough is not reasonable.”
Defense Attorney Henderson said that Johnson was a diagnosed schizophrenic off of his prescribed medication who owned up to handling his child too harshly after initially lying to police about Zyeir falling from a bed. Henderson also speculated that healing injuries on Zyeir’s body may have been caused by relatives who cared for the infant in the past.
Henderson said that Davon was unaware of the severity of the injuries to his son and may have been having a psychotic episode while the injures were inflicted.
“It is reasonable to conclude that (Davon) was having a psychotic episode when this happened,” said Henderson.
In his rebuttal, Daugherty said the case is not a “not guilty by reason of insanity” case and that there is no evidence that Davon was having a psychotic episode when Zyeir was injured.
If Davon is convicted, he could face 25 years to life in prison.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/infant-9384-statements-torture.html
Closing statements given in infant torture-death trial
October 04, 2010 4:54 PM
By AARON DOME, staff writer
BARSTOW • The fate of a 23-year-old Barstow man charged with torturing his 6-week-old son to death now rests with a jury.
Attorneys made their closing statements today in the trial of Davon Johnson, 23, who is charged with willful cruelty to a child resulting in great bodily injury or death and torture in the death of his seven week-old son, Zyeir Johnson, who died at Loma Linda Medical Center on July 13.
Two portraits were painted of Johnson by attorneys: Deliberate baby torturer and mentally ill and inexperienced father.
District defense attorney Sean Daugherty said that Johnson willfully tortured his infant son in an attempt to take out his frustration about the child’s crying, while defense attorney Paul Henderson said Johnson suffered from schizophrenia and was an inexperienced father unaware he was hurting his child.
Daugherty pointed to the wide variety of injuries on Zyeir’s body and the fact that Zyeir was in Davon’s sole care before he was hospitalized as evidence to convict Davon on torture charges.
“The defendant intended to cause cruel or extreme pain,” said Daugherty. “You have evidence that (Zyeir) was brutalized. A doctor testified that a chart (showing injuries) would be completely shaded in.”
Throughout the trial, jurors were shown graphic images of a number of injuries to Zyeir’s body, both internal and external.
Daugherty said that Zyeir’s injuries cannot be confused with injuries caused by an inexperienced parent mishandling a baby.
“Sometimes babies get dropped or fall but they don’t end up at Loma Linda (Medical Center) and they don’t end up dead,” said Daugherty. “The explanation that Davon was just too rough is not reasonable.”
Defense Attorney Henderson said that Johnson was a diagnosed schizophrenic off of his prescribed medication who owned up to handling his child too harshly after initially lying to police about Zyeir falling from a bed. Henderson also speculated that healing injuries on Zyeir’s body may have been caused by relatives who cared for the infant in the past.
Henderson said that Davon was unaware of the severity of the injuries to his son and may have been having a psychotic episode while the injures were inflicted.
“It is reasonable to conclude that (Davon) was having a psychotic episode when this happened,” said Henderson.
In his rebuttal, Daugherty said the case is not a “not guilty by reason of insanity” case and that there is no evidence that Davon was having a psychotic episode when Zyeir was injured.
If Davon is convicted, he could face 25 years to life in prison.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Dad stabs mom to death during child visitation (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Notice that the reporter practically blames this mom for her own murder, because she allegedly made the "mistake" of "letting" her child do a weekend visitation with the child's abusive, crazy father, LEE ALLEN.
A better question might be this: Why was this mother put in the situation of having to placate or "work with" a whack job dad? Given his "violent past" (which is outlined below), why didn't the authorities keep him in jail? Why did they only give him probation, refuse to prosecute, or let him out on bail? Why was it up to a 19-year-old young woman to keep herself and her child safe? Frankly, the only thing this woman could have done to really protect herself was to have gunned this dude down first. But then she would be in prison, wouldn't she?
But notice that this article does take note of how many of these violent abusers kill because authorities refuse to prosecute them for earlier offences, acquit them, or let them out on bail or parole. Start throwing these guys in jail and keep them there. Then we'll see a reduction in the death toll.
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2010/09/murdered_woman_in_new_orleans.html
Murdered woman in New Orleans tried but could not escape abusive boyfriend
Published: Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 7:50 PM
Updated: Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 11:48 AM
Ramon Antonio Vargas, The Times-Picayune
Rodnika Hall did everything she could to escape her abusive, schizophrenic boyfriend.
She called police each time she was beaten. She took out restraining orders. She moved out of town with their young daughter.
But the 19-year-old made one mistake: She let her daughter spend the weekend with the child's father, Lee Allen, 18.
On Monday morning, when Hall went to pick up the baby, Allen allegedly stabbed Hall to death as his own mother watched.
Authorities "can't keep losing ... people like this," said Dianne Hall, Rodnika's aunt, as she mourned with her relatives Tuesday. "They knew something was wrong with that boy. Rodnika reported him too many times for them not to."
Police say Allen attacked Hall inside his mother's home in the 14000 block of Wales Street about 7 a.m., according to documents filed in Criminal District Court. Officers arrived to find Allen holding the bloodied victim in his arms. Still conscious, Hall told them that Allen had stabbed her several times.
Officers immediately arrested Allen and took him to police headquarters. Paramedics, meanwhile, rushed Hall to Interim LSU Public Hospital, where she died from her wounds, coroner's chief investigator John Gagliano said.
Detectives wrote in court filings that they interviewed a witness who heard Hall crying for help and watched Allen carry out the killing. The witness, they said, overheard Allen pleading for Hall "not to relay to the police what had just occurred."
In a telephone interview Tuesday, Irene Allen, the suspect's mother, identified herself as the person who witnessed the murder.
"There is nothing I can say (in defense of) my son," she said. "I was right there when I saw him do it."
The 5 foot, 10-inch, 221-pound Allen -- who suffers from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to paperwork from his previous arrests -- was booked into jail on a charge of first-degree murder. He faces life in prison or execution if convicted of that crime.
A violent past
Allen and Hall began dating about four years ago, according to their relatives. Allen's sister, Zina Amacker, said Hall was the only person her brother ever had a romantic relationship with.
Doctors prescribed several medications to treat Allen's conditions, but nothing worked, Amacker said.
The couple had a daughter about a year ago. Right around then, the first in a series of violent incidents erupted involving the young father.
On Nov. 16, 2009, Allen argued with Hall at the intersection of North Roman and Arts streets because he was upset that she would not sleep with him in the same bed, police said. He punched her in the face, cutting her lower lip, and struck her in the right hand with a stick. Hall called the police and had Allen arrested.
Allen pleaded guilty to simple battery and received one year of probation from Magistrate Commissioner Marie Bookman.
On April 21, police arrested Allen a second time, after they were called to investigate a fight between Allen and his brother, who was then 15.
Allen, during a shouting match, shoved his brother to the ground before jumping on top of him and choking him with his hands, according to a police report. Their sister burst into the room and shouted, "Stop! Stop!" Allen then balled up his fist and hit his younger brother in the mouth before police arrested him, the report said.
Prosecutors in July refused to try the case, however.
On June 2, Hall again called police after an argument with Allen. She and Allen were in the 3000 block of Baronne Street with their daughter when he grew angry and punched Hall in the face and body, leaving bruises on her right cheek and left arm, according to the police report. Hall also told police that Allen had grabbed her by the hair and dragged her along the sidewalk.
Police jailed Allen on a charge of domestic abuse battery. Records show he posted $5,000 bail and received court orders to stay away from Hall, wear an electronic-monitoring bracelet and live at his mother's house.
Judge Gerard Hansen said Tuesday that Allen had been complying with the court's instructions.
While waiting for a resolution to the case, Rodnika Hall and her daughter moved into a relative's home in Lafayette to get away from Allen, according to Hall's mother, Karen Hall. The toddler, however, spent last weekend visiting her father.
When Hall went to pick up the baby, she was murdered.
"She was scared to go down there," Karen Hall said. "She did not want to go. But she went to pick her baby up."
Suspect's relatives want him punished, helped
Hall's murder marks yet another case in which a domestic violence suspect who received little to no punishment in court has subsequently been accused of murder.
In the spring, 78-year-old Alfred Andrews allegedly gunned down his 31-year-old wife, her mother and her sister in Treme before shooting himself in the face. Bookman, who is leaving the bench Oct. 16, just two days earlier had acquitted Andrews of misdemeanor battery after he allegedly pushed his wife to the floor when she tried to leave their bedroom.
Meanwhile, Damian Jordan, 22, is accused of fatally shooting his uncle's wife, her two children and her sister in an Upper 9th Ward home. He was on probation at the time for striking his girlfriend in the face with the butt of a rifle.
Experts say there have been improvements in domestic violence prosecutions since the cases have been moved from Municipal Court to state court. For example, state judges can dole out harsher penalties. District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro recently reported an 85 percent conviction rate, while more than half the domestic violence cases in Municipal Court were dismissed.
The cases involving Allen, Andrews and Jordan reveal the system is not always adequate, however.
"(Allen) shouldn't have come out the first time," Dianne Hall said, her arm around Karen Hall's shoulder. "Now, she's gone."
Several of Allen's relatives also pleaded for authorities to strip him of his freedom.
"Our hearts go out to Rodnika's family," said Allen's sister Zina Amacker. "My brother has problems. He needs help. I don't know if jail is the place. But I'm not making excuses. He deserves to be locked up in an institution somewhere for the rest of his life."
Another of his sisters, Irene Amacker, added, "He deserves whatever he gets. He does not deserve to be let go."
Ramon Antonio Vargas can be reached at rvargas@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3371.
A better question might be this: Why was this mother put in the situation of having to placate or "work with" a whack job dad? Given his "violent past" (which is outlined below), why didn't the authorities keep him in jail? Why did they only give him probation, refuse to prosecute, or let him out on bail? Why was it up to a 19-year-old young woman to keep herself and her child safe? Frankly, the only thing this woman could have done to really protect herself was to have gunned this dude down first. But then she would be in prison, wouldn't she?
But notice that this article does take note of how many of these violent abusers kill because authorities refuse to prosecute them for earlier offences, acquit them, or let them out on bail or parole. Start throwing these guys in jail and keep them there. Then we'll see a reduction in the death toll.
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2010/09/murdered_woman_in_new_orleans.html
Murdered woman in New Orleans tried but could not escape abusive boyfriend
Published: Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 7:50 PM
Updated: Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 11:48 AM
Ramon Antonio Vargas, The Times-Picayune
Rodnika Hall did everything she could to escape her abusive, schizophrenic boyfriend.
She called police each time she was beaten. She took out restraining orders. She moved out of town with their young daughter.
But the 19-year-old made one mistake: She let her daughter spend the weekend with the child's father, Lee Allen, 18.
On Monday morning, when Hall went to pick up the baby, Allen allegedly stabbed Hall to death as his own mother watched.
Authorities "can't keep losing ... people like this," said Dianne Hall, Rodnika's aunt, as she mourned with her relatives Tuesday. "They knew something was wrong with that boy. Rodnika reported him too many times for them not to."
Police say Allen attacked Hall inside his mother's home in the 14000 block of Wales Street about 7 a.m., according to documents filed in Criminal District Court. Officers arrived to find Allen holding the bloodied victim in his arms. Still conscious, Hall told them that Allen had stabbed her several times.
Officers immediately arrested Allen and took him to police headquarters. Paramedics, meanwhile, rushed Hall to Interim LSU Public Hospital, where she died from her wounds, coroner's chief investigator John Gagliano said.
Detectives wrote in court filings that they interviewed a witness who heard Hall crying for help and watched Allen carry out the killing. The witness, they said, overheard Allen pleading for Hall "not to relay to the police what had just occurred."
In a telephone interview Tuesday, Irene Allen, the suspect's mother, identified herself as the person who witnessed the murder.
"There is nothing I can say (in defense of) my son," she said. "I was right there when I saw him do it."
The 5 foot, 10-inch, 221-pound Allen -- who suffers from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to paperwork from his previous arrests -- was booked into jail on a charge of first-degree murder. He faces life in prison or execution if convicted of that crime.
A violent past
Allen and Hall began dating about four years ago, according to their relatives. Allen's sister, Zina Amacker, said Hall was the only person her brother ever had a romantic relationship with.
Doctors prescribed several medications to treat Allen's conditions, but nothing worked, Amacker said.
The couple had a daughter about a year ago. Right around then, the first in a series of violent incidents erupted involving the young father.
On Nov. 16, 2009, Allen argued with Hall at the intersection of North Roman and Arts streets because he was upset that she would not sleep with him in the same bed, police said. He punched her in the face, cutting her lower lip, and struck her in the right hand with a stick. Hall called the police and had Allen arrested.
Allen pleaded guilty to simple battery and received one year of probation from Magistrate Commissioner Marie Bookman.
On April 21, police arrested Allen a second time, after they were called to investigate a fight between Allen and his brother, who was then 15.
Allen, during a shouting match, shoved his brother to the ground before jumping on top of him and choking him with his hands, according to a police report. Their sister burst into the room and shouted, "Stop! Stop!" Allen then balled up his fist and hit his younger brother in the mouth before police arrested him, the report said.
Prosecutors in July refused to try the case, however.
On June 2, Hall again called police after an argument with Allen. She and Allen were in the 3000 block of Baronne Street with their daughter when he grew angry and punched Hall in the face and body, leaving bruises on her right cheek and left arm, according to the police report. Hall also told police that Allen had grabbed her by the hair and dragged her along the sidewalk.
Police jailed Allen on a charge of domestic abuse battery. Records show he posted $5,000 bail and received court orders to stay away from Hall, wear an electronic-monitoring bracelet and live at his mother's house.
Judge Gerard Hansen said Tuesday that Allen had been complying with the court's instructions.
While waiting for a resolution to the case, Rodnika Hall and her daughter moved into a relative's home in Lafayette to get away from Allen, according to Hall's mother, Karen Hall. The toddler, however, spent last weekend visiting her father.
When Hall went to pick up the baby, she was murdered.
"She was scared to go down there," Karen Hall said. "She did not want to go. But she went to pick her baby up."
Suspect's relatives want him punished, helped
Hall's murder marks yet another case in which a domestic violence suspect who received little to no punishment in court has subsequently been accused of murder.
In the spring, 78-year-old Alfred Andrews allegedly gunned down his 31-year-old wife, her mother and her sister in Treme before shooting himself in the face. Bookman, who is leaving the bench Oct. 16, just two days earlier had acquitted Andrews of misdemeanor battery after he allegedly pushed his wife to the floor when she tried to leave their bedroom.
Meanwhile, Damian Jordan, 22, is accused of fatally shooting his uncle's wife, her two children and her sister in an Upper 9th Ward home. He was on probation at the time for striking his girlfriend in the face with the butt of a rifle.
Experts say there have been improvements in domestic violence prosecutions since the cases have been moved from Municipal Court to state court. For example, state judges can dole out harsher penalties. District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro recently reported an 85 percent conviction rate, while more than half the domestic violence cases in Municipal Court were dismissed.
The cases involving Allen, Andrews and Jordan reveal the system is not always adequate, however.
"(Allen) shouldn't have come out the first time," Dianne Hall said, her arm around Karen Hall's shoulder. "Now, she's gone."
Several of Allen's relatives also pleaded for authorities to strip him of his freedom.
"Our hearts go out to Rodnika's family," said Allen's sister Zina Amacker. "My brother has problems. He needs help. I don't know if jail is the place. But I'm not making excuses. He deserves to be locked up in an institution somewhere for the rest of his life."
Another of his sisters, Irene Amacker, added, "He deserves whatever he gets. He does not deserve to be let go."
Ramon Antonio Vargas can be reached at rvargas@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3371.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Dad accused of murdering mom, 13-week-old daughter won't face death penalty because he's "mentally ill" (Seattle, Washington)
Seems the Kings County Prosecutor's Office has decided that dad DANIEL HICKS is "mentally ill" and therefore will not face the death penalty for the shooting death of his girlfriend and their 13-week-old daughter. He was acting under "extreme mental disturbance," you see, even though he was apparently "rational" enough to re-load his weapon at least twice.
You really think that murderous moms have a monopoly on the mental health card? Not even close. But don't accuse the prosecutors of being soft or anything. They are perfectly capable of pursuing a death penalty case--IF you are an accused cop killer, or a woman-boyfriend killer combination.
You really think that murderous moms have a monopoly on the mental health card? Not even close. But don't accuse the prosecutors of being soft or anything. They are perfectly capable of pursuing a death penalty case--IF you are an accused cop killer, or a woman-boyfriend killer combination.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012915019_hicks17m.html
Originally published Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 11:26 AM
Prosecutors won't seek death for man accused of killing girlfriend, infant girl
A Seattle man accused of shooting his girlfriend and their 13-week-old daughter days before Christmas last year will not face the death penalty because he is mentally ill, the King County Prosecutor's Office announced Thursday.
By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter
A Seattle man accused of shooting his girlfriend and their 13-week-old daughter days before Christmas last year will not face the death penalty because he is mentally ill, the King County Prosecutor's Office announced Thursday.
Daniel Hicks, 30, used a .45-caliber handgun to shoot Jennifer Morgan at least 12 times and his daughter at least seven times on Dec. 21 inside their home on Seattle's Beacon Hill, according to charging documents. Seattle police believe that Hicks reloaded his weapon at least twice to kill Morgan, 28, and Emma.
A spokesman for King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg's office said that Hicks' mental illness was a crucial reason for not seeking the death penalty.
"The defense presented evidence from experts suggesting that the defendant may have been acting under extreme mental disturbance. It's not considered a defense, but it is a recognized mitigating factor," said spokesman Dan Donohoe. Because Hicks is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, he faces an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted.
Hicks has been in jail since his arrest Dec. 28 in Santa Cruz, Calif., where he allegedly fled after the slayings. Police say they located him after tracing a collect phone call he placed from a pay phone in Santa Cruz to a relative in Seattle.
Kevin Dolan, one of Hicks' lawyers, said that the defense presented Satterberg with a thick packet of information detailing Hicks' severe mental illness.
"The mental illness is the major factor in this case," Dolan said. "It doesn't detract from the terrible thing he did, but it's the major factor that a prosecutor has to consider in determining whether or not to seek the most stringent penalty he can."
Mental illness was a common trait in some members of Hicks' family, Dolan said. His great-grandfather committed suicide and his grandfather killed his wife and son. Prosecutors say that Hicks' grandfather, Marlen Hicks, killed Hicks' grandmother and his own son in 1983. Marlen Hicks, who claimed he was insane, was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder in December 1983 and was later sentenced to life in prison. In addition, Dolan said Hicks' uncle killed his wife and two others.
Dolan said that Hicks was abused as a child and started attending mental health counseling at the age of 6. While Dolan declined to say what mental illness Hicks has been diagnosed with, he said some of the man's relatives have been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Relatives of Hicks and Morgan told police that Hicks had been depressed and suicidal for some time. His condition worsened when he learned his girlfriend of nine years was pregnant, charging documents said. He wanted Morgan to have an abortion, claiming she "was just trying to trap him with the pregnancy," the papers say.
Morgan told her mother Hicks was upset the baby was a girl instead of a boy, charges said. He also "became very jealous and suspicious of Jennifer," and questioned if he was the baby's biological father.
Renee Morgan, the slain woman's mother, found her daughter and granddaughter slain in their home. After killing his family, Hicks left behind a note for his brother in which he compared himself to his mentally ill grandfather, according to charging papers The note read, "I am sick, like Grandpa. Sorry cannot fix life. Please live for yourself and not others. Do not cry," according to court charging documents.
The announcement in the Hicks case comes two weeks after Satterberg said his office will seek the death penalty against Christopher Monfort, who is charged in the Halloween night slaying of Seattle police Officer Timothy Brenton.
Satterberg's office is also seeking the death penalty against Michele Anderson and her former boyfriend, Joseph McEnroe, who are accused of killing six members of Anderson's family in Carnation on Christmas Eve 2007.
Earlier this year, convicted Conner Schierman was condemned to death for murdering a woman, her sister and her two children in Kirkland 2006.
Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report.
Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Judge: Dad competent for trial in baby torture case (Jorupa, California)
A judge has ruled that dad JEREMIAH SCOTT is mentally competent to stand trial on charges of torture and child abuse of his two young daughters. One was just a 4-month-old infant. We've posted on this case before.
http://blogs.pe.com/news/digest/2010/08/judge-rules-jurupa-area-man-co.html
JURUPA: Dad competent for trial in baby torture case
By PE News on August 31, 2010 2:56 PM
A Jurupa-area father accused of torturing his young daughters is mentally competent to stand trial, a Riverside Superior Court judge ruled today.
Judge Richard T. Fields also set a Sept. 29 preliminary hearing for Jeremiah Scott, 23.
Scott was charged with two counts each of torture, child abuse and inflicting corporal injury on a child after his two daughters — one a toddler and the other an infant — were found tied up on the floor of a bedroom at the Jurupa-area home where Scott lived with the mother of the girls.
Investigators said the girls showed signs of having been beaten. One of the girls, who was 4-months-old at the time, had a sock stuffed in her mouth.
Scott has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Fields appointed two psychologists to examine Scott after a psychologist who examined him for the defense concluded that he is schizophrenic and unable to assist in his defense.
Fields made his ruling after reviewing the reports submitted by the court-appointed psychologists.
— SANDRA STOKLEY
http://blogs.pe.com/news/digest/2010/08/judge-rules-jurupa-area-man-co.html
JURUPA: Dad competent for trial in baby torture case
By PE News on August 31, 2010 2:56 PM
A Jurupa-area father accused of torturing his young daughters is mentally competent to stand trial, a Riverside Superior Court judge ruled today.
Judge Richard T. Fields also set a Sept. 29 preliminary hearing for Jeremiah Scott, 23.
Scott was charged with two counts each of torture, child abuse and inflicting corporal injury on a child after his two daughters — one a toddler and the other an infant — were found tied up on the floor of a bedroom at the Jurupa-area home where Scott lived with the mother of the girls.
Investigators said the girls showed signs of having been beaten. One of the girls, who was 4-months-old at the time, had a sock stuffed in her mouth.
Scott has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Fields appointed two psychologists to examine Scott after a psychologist who examined him for the defense concluded that he is schizophrenic and unable to assist in his defense.
Fields made his ruling after reviewing the reports submitted by the court-appointed psychologists.
— SANDRA STOKLEY
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Dad charged with torturing daughters (Riverside, California)
Dad JEREMIAH SCOTT will be examined to see if he's mentally competent to stand trial for the torture and child abuse of his two young daughters. A shrink has previously labeled him as schizophrenic.
http://cbs2.com/local/father.torture.Riverside.2.1818959.html
Jul 22, 2010 7:42 am US/Pacific
Father Charged With Torturing Daughters
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP)
A man accused of torturing his two young daughters will be examined to determine if he's mentally competent to stand trial.
A Riverside judge this week appointed two doctors to examine 23-year-old Jeremiah Scott and report back next month.
Prosecutors claim Scott tortured his 18-month-old daughter, Miah, and 4-month-old daughter, Jasmine. They were found by their grandparents in a home in Jurupa in February. Investigators say both girls were tied up and had been beaten. One had a sock stuffed in her mouth.
A psychologist who examined Scott last month concluded he's schizophrenic.
Scott has pleaded not guilty to two counts each of torture, child abuse and inflicting corporal injury on a child.
http://cbs2.com/local/father.torture.Riverside.2.1818959.html
Jul 22, 2010 7:42 am US/Pacific
Father Charged With Torturing Daughters
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP)
A man accused of torturing his two young daughters will be examined to determine if he's mentally competent to stand trial.
A Riverside judge this week appointed two doctors to examine 23-year-old Jeremiah Scott and report back next month.
Prosecutors claim Scott tortured his 18-month-old daughter, Miah, and 4-month-old daughter, Jasmine. They were found by their grandparents in a home in Jurupa in February. Investigators say both girls were tied up and had been beaten. One had a sock stuffed in her mouth.
A psychologist who examined Scott last month concluded he's schizophrenic.
Scott has pleaded not guilty to two counts each of torture, child abuse and inflicting corporal injury on a child.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Dad guilty of assaulting 10-year-old son; was picking up son from mother's for visitation (Lara, Australia)
Here's a great story for the "alienation" crowd. Guess you dimwits might have some difficulties grasping the subtleties here, but pay close attention.
Dad SIMON PRIUS shows up to pick up his 10-year-old son for visitation, and immediately starts yelling abuse and calling the mother names. Naturally, the little boy is upset by the way his mother is being treated, and refuses to go with the father (I'm sure the idiots are screaming "maternal alienation" now). So the loving daddy grabs the kid, then the kid falls and bloodies his nose. When mom reacted, Daddy let go of the boy and grabbed her by the throat. Now, do you think Daddy might have contributed to the boy's dislike here? Or shall we just blame it all on Mummy. Don't answer, I know you always blame Mummy no matter what.
Of course, Daddy's attorney tries to make like this is a "relationship" problem with each party contributing to "ongoing difficulties." Which is BS. Seems pretty clear to me who the abuser is in this "relationship."
But just in case that excuse doesn't do the job, we can always blame Daddy's "depression" and "schizophrenia." Which is also done. So much for mothers monopolizing the "mental illness excuse."
So if the guy is this mentally ill, why does he have visitation? Oh yea. The only dads in Australia with no visitation rights are dead, cold, and buried.
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2010/02/17/146711_news.html
Lara man guilty of assaulting son
Karen Matthews
February 17th, 2010
A LARA man who assaulted his 10-year-old son during a dispute with the child's mother was suffering from depression at the time.
A Geelong court was told that after bloodying the boy's nose, Simon Pruis grabbed his de facto by the throat.
Pruis, 36, of Ware St, pleaded guilty in Geelong Magistrates' Court yesterday to two counts of unlawful assault.
Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Kerrie Moroney said Pruis went to his de facto 's home to pick up his children on May 8 last year. She said that when Pruis arrived, he began yelling abuse at his de facto and calling her names.
"Upset at the way Pruis was speaking to his mother, the boy refused to go with his father," Sen-Constable Moroney said. "Pruis then grabbed the boy by the arm and the child fell down the veranda steps, suffering a blood nose."
Sen-Constable Moroney said that when his de facto tried to intervene, Pruis let go of the boy and grabbed her by the throat.
"The boy ran off and Pruis yelled at him, 'Come back you little bastard'," Sen-Constable Moroney said.
"When police arrived the child had a large amount of blood on the front of his clothing and the de facto had red marks and suffered soreness to her neck.
"Pruis also had a graze to the left side of his head."
Sue Fridey, for Pruis, said each party had contributed to ongoing difficulties.
Ms Fridey said Pruis had been diagnosed as schizophrenic and was suffering from depression at the time.
"He has little recollection of what he said," Ms Fridey said. "The child's blood nose was purely accidental.
"There was a general tussle between the parents and the matter escalated from there."
Ms Fridey said the relationship between Pruis and his partner was a difficult one with ongoing problems.
"They part then reconcile, part then reconcile," she said.
Magistrate Ian von Einem convicted Pruis on both counts and placed him on a 12-month community-based order with 80 hours of unpaid community work.
Dad SIMON PRIUS shows up to pick up his 10-year-old son for visitation, and immediately starts yelling abuse and calling the mother names. Naturally, the little boy is upset by the way his mother is being treated, and refuses to go with the father (I'm sure the idiots are screaming "maternal alienation" now). So the loving daddy grabs the kid, then the kid falls and bloodies his nose. When mom reacted, Daddy let go of the boy and grabbed her by the throat. Now, do you think Daddy might have contributed to the boy's dislike here? Or shall we just blame it all on Mummy. Don't answer, I know you always blame Mummy no matter what.
Of course, Daddy's attorney tries to make like this is a "relationship" problem with each party contributing to "ongoing difficulties." Which is BS. Seems pretty clear to me who the abuser is in this "relationship."
But just in case that excuse doesn't do the job, we can always blame Daddy's "depression" and "schizophrenia." Which is also done. So much for mothers monopolizing the "mental illness excuse."
So if the guy is this mentally ill, why does he have visitation? Oh yea. The only dads in Australia with no visitation rights are dead, cold, and buried.
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2010/02/17/146711_news.html
Lara man guilty of assaulting son
Karen Matthews
February 17th, 2010
A LARA man who assaulted his 10-year-old son during a dispute with the child's mother was suffering from depression at the time.
A Geelong court was told that after bloodying the boy's nose, Simon Pruis grabbed his de facto by the throat.
Pruis, 36, of Ware St, pleaded guilty in Geelong Magistrates' Court yesterday to two counts of unlawful assault.
Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Kerrie Moroney said Pruis went to his de facto 's home to pick up his children on May 8 last year. She said that when Pruis arrived, he began yelling abuse at his de facto and calling her names.
"Upset at the way Pruis was speaking to his mother, the boy refused to go with his father," Sen-Constable Moroney said. "Pruis then grabbed the boy by the arm and the child fell down the veranda steps, suffering a blood nose."
Sen-Constable Moroney said that when his de facto tried to intervene, Pruis let go of the boy and grabbed her by the throat.
"The boy ran off and Pruis yelled at him, 'Come back you little bastard'," Sen-Constable Moroney said.
"When police arrived the child had a large amount of blood on the front of his clothing and the de facto had red marks and suffered soreness to her neck.
"Pruis also had a graze to the left side of his head."
Sue Fridey, for Pruis, said each party had contributed to ongoing difficulties.
Ms Fridey said Pruis had been diagnosed as schizophrenic and was suffering from depression at the time.
"He has little recollection of what he said," Ms Fridey said. "The child's blood nose was purely accidental.
"There was a general tussle between the parents and the matter escalated from there."
Ms Fridey said the relationship between Pruis and his partner was a difficult one with ongoing problems.
"They part then reconcile, part then reconcile," she said.
Magistrate Ian von Einem convicted Pruis on both counts and placed him on a 12-month community-based order with 80 hours of unpaid community work.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sentence delayed for dad accused of killing 5-month-old daughter, family dog (Erie, Pennsylvania)
Dad VINCENT DAVIS just can't seem to stick to one story. First he pleads guilty to killing his 5-month-old daughter and the family dog, then he didn't do it. Then he...sort of did it. I'm thinking...he did do it. Only prison isn't looking like a very amusing prospect. That's why we're seeing the sudden development of the mental illness excuse here, too.
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100123/NEWS02/301229895
Sentence postponed for Erie man accused of killing baby, dog
Sentencing in killing delayed
By ED PALATTELLA
ed.palattella@timesnews.com
When he pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and cruelty to animals in September, Erie resident Vincent Davis admitted to killing his 5-month-old daughter and the family dog in February.
When he wrote to his sentencing judge in November, Davis, a 25-year-old with psychiatric problems, changed his position.
He said he did not kill his daughter.
And on Friday, when he stood before Erie County Judge William R. Cunningham, waiting to be sentenced, Davis offered yet another version of events.
He acknowledged that he was responsible for the death of his daughter, Savonnia Davis, but he said he never intended to kill her. He said he was shaking her while she was crying, but she slipped out of his hands and hit her head on the floor.
"I didn't do it," Vincent Davis told Cunningham.
After listening to the conflicting statements and reviewing Davis' mental health, Cunningham adjourned the sentencing hearing and indefinitely postponed it.
Cunningham did not provide a reason for his decision -- he had a clerk make the announcement after he left the courtroom -- but Davis' behavior at the aborted hearing appeared to give Cunningham pause.
Davis was returned to the Erie County Prison, where he is being held without bond. His court-appointed lawyer, John Moore, declined to comment, as did District Attorney Jack Daneri.
Friday's events were in some ways to be expected. Davis in August backed out of a plea before Cunningham after Davis balked at admitting he killed the dog, Marley, a Jack Russell terrier.
Davis then pleaded guilty in September, but only after Cunningham went through a lengthy process to make sure Davis knew what he was doing in entering the plea.
"It happened," Davis said at that hearing. "It is on me."
Davis with the plea admitted he killed his daughter and the dog on Feb. 24 at 211 E. 30th St., where Davis' daughter and her mother lived.
Davis faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in state prison. He was supposed to be sentenced in November, but Cunningham postponed that hearing to Friday so the judge could review a psychiatric evaluation.
Davis suffers from a schizoaffective disorder, which includes delusional thoughts and mood problems, according to court records. He also has a history of abusing alcohol and using marijuana.
Under the state sentencing guidelines, Davis' recommended sentence with the guilty plea would be nine to 18 years in state prison. If Davis were to withdraw his plea and be convicted at trial, the sentence could be longer.
Davis' mother, Twanda Davis, talked to her crying son during a break in Friday's hearing.
"We don't hate you," she said. "We all love you."
She said afterward she plans to visit her son in prison Tuesday and urge him to stick with the guilty plea so Cunningham can sentence him.
"It is the right thing to do," Twanda Davis said.
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100123/NEWS02/301229895
Sentence postponed for Erie man accused of killing baby, dog
Sentencing in killing delayed
By ED PALATTELLA
ed.palattella@timesnews.com
When he pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and cruelty to animals in September, Erie resident Vincent Davis admitted to killing his 5-month-old daughter and the family dog in February.
When he wrote to his sentencing judge in November, Davis, a 25-year-old with psychiatric problems, changed his position.
He said he did not kill his daughter.
And on Friday, when he stood before Erie County Judge William R. Cunningham, waiting to be sentenced, Davis offered yet another version of events.
He acknowledged that he was responsible for the death of his daughter, Savonnia Davis, but he said he never intended to kill her. He said he was shaking her while she was crying, but she slipped out of his hands and hit her head on the floor.
"I didn't do it," Vincent Davis told Cunningham.
After listening to the conflicting statements and reviewing Davis' mental health, Cunningham adjourned the sentencing hearing and indefinitely postponed it.
Cunningham did not provide a reason for his decision -- he had a clerk make the announcement after he left the courtroom -- but Davis' behavior at the aborted hearing appeared to give Cunningham pause.
Davis was returned to the Erie County Prison, where he is being held without bond. His court-appointed lawyer, John Moore, declined to comment, as did District Attorney Jack Daneri.
Friday's events were in some ways to be expected. Davis in August backed out of a plea before Cunningham after Davis balked at admitting he killed the dog, Marley, a Jack Russell terrier.
Davis then pleaded guilty in September, but only after Cunningham went through a lengthy process to make sure Davis knew what he was doing in entering the plea.
"It happened," Davis said at that hearing. "It is on me."
Davis with the plea admitted he killed his daughter and the dog on Feb. 24 at 211 E. 30th St., where Davis' daughter and her mother lived.
Davis faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in state prison. He was supposed to be sentenced in November, but Cunningham postponed that hearing to Friday so the judge could review a psychiatric evaluation.
Davis suffers from a schizoaffective disorder, which includes delusional thoughts and mood problems, according to court records. He also has a history of abusing alcohol and using marijuana.
Under the state sentencing guidelines, Davis' recommended sentence with the guilty plea would be nine to 18 years in state prison. If Davis were to withdraw his plea and be convicted at trial, the sentence could be longer.
Davis' mother, Twanda Davis, talked to her crying son during a break in Friday's hearing.
"We don't hate you," she said. "We all love you."
She said afterward she plans to visit her son in prison Tuesday and urge him to stick with the guilty plea so Cunningham can sentence him.
"It is the right thing to do," Twanda Davis said.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Dad sentenced to 4 years in prison for stabbing 14-year-old daughter (Alliston, Ontario, Canada)
Dad KAMAL KHANNA has pleaded guilty to attempted murder in his vicious knife attack on his 14-year-old daughter, and has been sentenced to 4 years in prison. The attack took place while the mom was at work.
Dad blames his untreated schizophrenia--and that his daughter was "disrespectful" to him. Despite the fact that this guy has harangued his family from prison--though he was ordered by the courts not to contact them--he could be eligible for parole in two years. Nice news for a girl who continues to have PTSD flashbacks. Tells you a lot about societal priorities, doesn't it? The priorities sure aren't with the victims, that's more than obvious.
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2253631
Dad sentenced for attack on child
COURT: Alliston man headed to prison for stabbing daughter
Posted By TRACY MCLAUGHLIN
Posted 6 hours ago
An Alliston father who viciously attacked his 14-year-old daughter with a knife as she lay sleeping in her bed pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to prison yesterday in Barrie court.
Kamal Khanna, 46, showed no emotion as he sat in the prisoner's box as his wife sat in the front row of the court.
He was sentenced to four years and four months in prison, and received a two-for-one credit for the time he has already served in jail since his arrest two years ago.
Court heard how his daughter, Ashna Khanna, woke up to a nightmare early one school morning to see her father standing above her, stabbing and punching her. In terror, she fled to her sister's room, but he chased her and punch her and stab her in the face, head, chest and abdomen as her 10-year-old sister watched in horror. The younger girl ran to a neighbour's for help and called police, then called her mother, who had left for work a short time earlier.
Meanwhile, Ashna pretended to lay unconscious and her father finally ceased his attack and left the room, but returned moments later to see her standing up. Again, he began to stab and beat her and hold his hand over her face so that she couldn't breathe. Again, the girl lay still and pretended to be unconscious and her father left to change his bloodied clothes.
In her victim impact statement to the court, the girl's mother, Sangeeta, said she will never forget being at work when her youngest daughter called, screaming, "Daddy is killing Ashna!"
She rushed to her Alliston home to see her daughter covered in blood being removed on a stretcher.
She suffered multiple stab wounds and facial fractures and was rushed to Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto where she underwent hours of surgeries to her head, lungs and kidneys.
In her victim impact statement to the court, the girl, now 16 and a high-achieving student, told the court how she relives flashbacks of the horror each time she looks in the mirror at the scars that cover her body.
"They are a constant reminder of what my daddy did to his baby girl," she said.
"It is so hard when I see girls complain about their flawless stomachs being too fat ; their unscarred chests being too flat. No one understands how blessed they are."
Still, she said she wants to use her own tragedy to help others who have suffered.
"Life is tough. It can break you, I learned that early" she said. "My father almost ended my life, but I lived because one day my pain and suffering will help others."
The court heard Kamal, a banker who graduated with an MBA and moved to Canada from India in 1982, suffered from schizophrenia and often refused to take his medication. Hours after the stabbing, he admitted to police that he used a 12-inch kitchen knife and intended to kill his daughter because she was disrespectful to him. He also said he had been under a lot of stress because his mother recently died and he had been in a recent car accident.
But Justice Michelle Fuerst ruled that his illness was no excuse for the vicious attack on his helpless, sleeping daughter.
"Such an illness does not excuse a person from criminal responsibility," said the judge, who asked the media to be considerate of the family, which has suffered after much publicity.
"I have some doubts that he recognizes the severity of his offence," said the judge.
She noted that after his arrest, Khanna called his family collect while in jail on several occasions to ask them if they would forgive him and let him come home. He lost his telephone privileges as he was under court order to not contact his family.
The judge also recommended that he continue to be treated and have his medication monitored while in custody.
Khanna will be eligible for parole in about two years.
Dad blames his untreated schizophrenia--and that his daughter was "disrespectful" to him. Despite the fact that this guy has harangued his family from prison--though he was ordered by the courts not to contact them--he could be eligible for parole in two years. Nice news for a girl who continues to have PTSD flashbacks. Tells you a lot about societal priorities, doesn't it? The priorities sure aren't with the victims, that's more than obvious.
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2253631
Dad sentenced for attack on child
COURT: Alliston man headed to prison for stabbing daughter
Posted By TRACY MCLAUGHLIN
Posted 6 hours ago
An Alliston father who viciously attacked his 14-year-old daughter with a knife as she lay sleeping in her bed pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to prison yesterday in Barrie court.
Kamal Khanna, 46, showed no emotion as he sat in the prisoner's box as his wife sat in the front row of the court.
He was sentenced to four years and four months in prison, and received a two-for-one credit for the time he has already served in jail since his arrest two years ago.
Court heard how his daughter, Ashna Khanna, woke up to a nightmare early one school morning to see her father standing above her, stabbing and punching her. In terror, she fled to her sister's room, but he chased her and punch her and stab her in the face, head, chest and abdomen as her 10-year-old sister watched in horror. The younger girl ran to a neighbour's for help and called police, then called her mother, who had left for work a short time earlier.
Meanwhile, Ashna pretended to lay unconscious and her father finally ceased his attack and left the room, but returned moments later to see her standing up. Again, he began to stab and beat her and hold his hand over her face so that she couldn't breathe. Again, the girl lay still and pretended to be unconscious and her father left to change his bloodied clothes.
In her victim impact statement to the court, the girl's mother, Sangeeta, said she will never forget being at work when her youngest daughter called, screaming, "Daddy is killing Ashna!"
She rushed to her Alliston home to see her daughter covered in blood being removed on a stretcher.
She suffered multiple stab wounds and facial fractures and was rushed to Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto where she underwent hours of surgeries to her head, lungs and kidneys.
In her victim impact statement to the court, the girl, now 16 and a high-achieving student, told the court how she relives flashbacks of the horror each time she looks in the mirror at the scars that cover her body.
"They are a constant reminder of what my daddy did to his baby girl," she said.
"It is so hard when I see girls complain about their flawless stomachs being too fat ; their unscarred chests being too flat. No one understands how blessed they are."
Still, she said she wants to use her own tragedy to help others who have suffered.
"Life is tough. It can break you, I learned that early" she said. "My father almost ended my life, but I lived because one day my pain and suffering will help others."
The court heard Kamal, a banker who graduated with an MBA and moved to Canada from India in 1982, suffered from schizophrenia and often refused to take his medication. Hours after the stabbing, he admitted to police that he used a 12-inch kitchen knife and intended to kill his daughter because she was disrespectful to him. He also said he had been under a lot of stress because his mother recently died and he had been in a recent car accident.
But Justice Michelle Fuerst ruled that his illness was no excuse for the vicious attack on his helpless, sleeping daughter.
"Such an illness does not excuse a person from criminal responsibility," said the judge, who asked the media to be considerate of the family, which has suffered after much publicity.
"I have some doubts that he recognizes the severity of his offence," said the judge.
She noted that after his arrest, Khanna called his family collect while in jail on several occasions to ask them if they would forgive him and let him come home. He lost his telephone privileges as he was under court order to not contact his family.
The judge also recommended that he continue to be treated and have his medication monitored while in custody.
Khanna will be eligible for parole in about two years.
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