http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/27852704/detail.html
Detective Says Father Planned To Dissolve Daughter's Body In Acid
Genesis Sims' Body Found In Monument Home Crawl Space
Deb Stanley, 7NEWS Producer
POSTED: 8:50 am MDT May 11, 2011
UPDATED: 10:32 am MDT May 11, 2011
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. -- A former Monument man accused in his daughter’s death wanted to dissolve her body in an acid-filled bathtub, a detective testified Tuesday according to the Colorado Springs Gazette.
The newspaper said El Paso County sheriff’s Detective Ralph Losasso told the court Hanif Sims changed his mind after reading on the Internet that he would need a plumber’s license to buy the acid he needed.
Sims originally faced a child abuse charge in the death of his daughter, Genesis. His girlfriend, Monique Lynch, had been charged with first-degree murder, but that charge was dropped after she pleaded guilty to child abuse causing death and agreed to testify against Sims.
Lynch faces 10 to 32 years in prison when she is sentenced June 30.
Sims and Lynch were arrested in July, two months after contractors found Genesis' body in a crawl space of a vacant home in Monument, about 50 miles south of Denver. The couple lived there in 2008, when Genesis was 7.
An autopsy could not determine how Genesis died, but concluded that her death was a homicide.
Shortly before their arrest, a couple claiming to be Sims and Lynch told KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs that they found Genesis unconscious in the bathroom and hid her body after having a ceremony with prayers and flowers.
However, in an April 29 interview at the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, Lynch told investigators she saw Sims grab his daughter by the throat and punch her in the chest, causing her to collapse, The Gazette reported.
Sims' attorney said Lynch's statements have been riddled with inconsistencies, according to The Gazette.
Previous Stories:
- May 9, 2011: Woman Pleads Guilty In Death Of Girl Found In Crawl Space
- January 20, 2011: Separate Trials Set For Couple In Girl's Death
- August 5, 2010: Police Say Monument Girl May Have Been Buried Alive
- July 26, 2010: 2 Sought In Monument Girl's Death Now In Colorado
- July 13, 2010: Monument Couple Waives Extradition From Nevada
- July 8, 2010: Facebook Message Leads To Couple's Arrest In Child Death Case
- July 7, 2010: Couple: We Buried 9-Year-Old Girl In Basement
- July 6, 2010: Positive Identification Made On Dead Child; Parents Sought
- May 27, 2010: NJ Officials Reported Abuse Of Monument Child
- May 25, 2010: Couple Sought In Child's Death Said To Be Homeless
- May 21, 2010: Police Seek Couple Who Lived In Home Where Girl's Body Found