Friday, May 27, 2016

Dad tortures, murder 13-month-old son during first custody visit (Brisbane, Australia)

UNNAMED DAD.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/man-sentenced-for-manslaughter-following-horrific-torture-and-killing-of-toddler/news-story/bf9ee4e0c908e666fdd21320f50103e4

Man sentenced for manslaughter following ‘horrific’ torture and killing of toddler

May 26, 2016 12:11am 
Vanda Carson
The Courier-Mail

A BRISBANE father-of-two has been sentenced to up to eight years behind bars for the brutal and “horrific” torture and killing of his vulnerable 13-month-old son.

The 29-year-old storeman appeared in the Supreme Court this morning before Justice Roslyn Atkinson.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to torture and manslaughter charges, but only after he initially lied to police, claiming the boy had slipped in the bath.

Crown Prosecutor Danny Boyle told the court the man had deliberately burned his son’s left foot on the kitchen stove after he “threw” the boy across the lounge-room into a wall, causing head injuries he would later die from.

The man tortured the child at Beenleigh between 12.43am and 8.20pm on December 28, 2012, when he had temporary custody of the child for two days.

A doctor told the court that the child would have suffered “severe physical pain and suffering”.

A paediatrician said “a lot of force” was required to cause the head injury.

The man also attempted to get his girlfriend to lie on his behalf and hide his crimes, asking her to tell police the child was “dopey and kept falling over all the time” and the child had “walked over the stove” after sitting on the kitchen bench.

He told his girlfriend in a recorded phone call: “I’ve got no remorse for nobody’s passing. I just got no feeling”.

Mr Boyle told the court that what “sets this case apart” from other parents who had killed their children was that this man continued to physically abuse his son “not withstanding” repeated protestations by his girlfriend and others, telling him to stop and go to hospital.

Mr Boyle said the man also failed to take his son to hospital even when his girlfriend’s sister commented the tot “did not look right”.

After he threw his son violently against the lounge room wall, and when the child was suffering swelling of the brain, he burned the child’s foot on the stove while his girlfriend was out getting dinner at McDonalds.

“(This) can only be described as a callous and deliberately cruel act toward the child, given the child had already suffered the injury which led to the child’s death,” Mr Boyle said.

The man threatened to kick his girlfriend in the face after she tried to shield the child, begging him to return the baby to his mother.

She told police the baby “looked miserable and not right” before she left the home to go to McDonald’s.

She later called an ambulance and the baby died in hospital on December 30 after his life support was switched off. An autopsy showed he was bruised from head to toe.

The man killed his son during his only ever custody visit.

The mother allowed the boy to stay with his father in the hope they would “bond” and build a trusting relationship.

The man contacted the mother via Facebook when the baby was one year old, asking to see photos of his son.

During the two days the boy was in his father’s care, the child’s mother repeatedly called the man on his phone and sent him texts, demanding he return child.

The man replied “No he’s alright”. He refused to tell the mother where he was staying and on one occasion told her “I’m the biological father you can’t do anything”.

The mother also contacted the police, asking them to check on her baby son.

She told the court that no jail term could take away the distress she feels when she thinks of the pain suffered by her “precious innocent boy” in his final moments.

The man has been in prison on remand.

A psychological report tendered to the court states the man has a “high risk” of killing again.

Protective mom speaks out after custodial dad sentenced in murder of 2-year-old son (Canada)

Just repulsive. Besides the killer custodial daddy, we need to hold Justice John McCarthy responsible for this murder.

Dad is identified as MARIO WINT.

http://www.yorkregion.com/news-story/6692201-mother-of-newmarket-boy-ty-wint-2-shares-her-story-after-boy-s-father-sentenced-for-murdering-him/

May 26, 2016

Mother of Newmarket boy Ty Wint, 2, shares her story after boy's father sentenced for murdering him

Toronto Star

Newmarket Era
By Jeremy Grimaldi

The young mother’s face brightens as she recalls the tiny son to whom she used to read goodnight stories.

“He was the best of all of us; he always did what he was asked,” she said “He was full of life and had the biggest heart, the brightest smile.”

But it didn’t take long for two-year-old Mathias “Ty” Wint’s flame to be snuffed out.

He was killed after being struck by his father, Mario Wint, the man Simcoe Children’s Aid Society workers — the agency meant to protect our province’s most vulnerable children — deemed best to care for him.

“(Ty) was not cut out for this world,” she adds, her eyes now cast downward. “He was too good for this world.”

It was on Jan. 22, 2015 when Ty was struck in the stomach so many times with such force that his liver and pancreas were split in two, resulting in his death.

Ty’s mother, Melissa, (not her real name), along with many in the community have been left deeply disturbed by the details of Ty’s story.

How Ty ended up in the care of Mario, who has a lengthy criminal history, is a question Melissa can’t answer, noting social workers delivered Ty to Mario’s house 41 days before the toddler’s death.

Given the private nature of the case, the agency, now named Simcoe Family Connexions, would not comment directly on its role in the affair.

Melissa’s story begins in Simcoe County, where she, herself, was in the care of the CAS from an early age.

She met Mario, who was born in Jamaica and grew up in Newmarket, about a decade ago in a Barrie nightclub.

Mario, now 30, was quiet, sweet, soft-spoken and a talented spoken-word musician.

“We became very close, very quickly,” she said. “We began dating and moved in together. That’s when the abuse started. You name it, he did it.”

The physical and psychological abuse and controlling behaviour, would carry on for many years.

“It was a nightmare… It became so bad I had to leave,” she said.

It didn’t take Melissa — by then in her early 20s— long before she discovered she was pregnant and Mario was nowhere to be found.

After eight months, he showed back up and said he wanted to be a dad.

This was the couple’s first child, a six-year-old whose identity is protected by the courts.

“The abuse started again almost immediately,” she said. “A week later, he threatened to leave with my baby. Three months later, he forcibly confined me.”

On Dec. 31, 2008, Wint kneed Melissa in the stomach and, about one month later, he kneed her in the rib-cage.

Melissa called the police and Mario was charged.

He pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm.

The next few years involved Mario leaving and then re-entering Melissa’s life, repeatedly promising things would be different.

“I loved him. I saw goodness, through all his bull****,” she added. “So I fought for what I believed in.”

Despite Mario’s promises, the abuse continued, often targeting Melissa’s stomach.

Often, his physical abuse was followed by threatening and harassing messages to her phone, leading to a criminal harassment conviction.

After having a second child, Ty, the abuse reached new heights.

One night, in 2010, after showing up at Melissa’s apartment, Mario grew enraged.

When she asked him to leave, he agreed, on one condition — he would be taking the couple’s son with him.

Melissa refused and picked up Ty. Mario came at her with a knife, threatening, “I’m going to cut you”.

“He said if I put him in jail again, he would do whatever he could to ensure I didn’t have my kids,” Melissa said.

She called police, who in turn notified CAS. Mario was arrested again and convicted of assault with a weapon and handed a six-month prison sentence.

In all, he has 12 convictions, five of which involve domestic abuse.

Soon after his incarceration at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Mario called CAS to complain about Melissa, she said.

“He made the most unthinkable, outlandish allegations,” she added.

Her file was soon closed, Melissa said, after the social worker found no truth in the allegations.

However, the case was re-opened when Melissa’s father-in-law was murdered in Barrie.

She continues to maintain it was her own upbringing with the CAS and this murder that acted as the catalyst for the children’s removal from her home.

In November 2013, Ty, his older brother and a child from a former relationship were all taken from Melissa and given to foster parents.

When Mario was released from prison, he began weekly supervised visits with the boys, which eventually grew into unsupervised visits and then overnights once a week. Meanwhile, Melissa was still restricted to supervised visits.

“The (CAS) deemed him fit to be alone with those children even with his huge violent domestic abuse record,” Melissa said.

Mario then sought custody of the boys, landing a job at a factory and completing a number of courses to show his worth to the CAS and the courts, Melissa said.

“I fought for a year for those boys,” she added. “He’s a smooth talker and comes off as caring.”

On Dec. 14, 2014, Mario was granted temporary custody of the boys in Barrie by Justice John McCarthy to live at his basement apartment at 136 Longford Dr., in Newmarket.

Soon after this legal victory, Mario quit his job and went back on welfare, Melissa said.

Despite being required to check on the boys’ welfare, Melissa insists that CAS did not conduct a required check after 30 days.

The CAS could not comment, by law, on the allegation. Nonetheless, Mario was on his very best behaviour, Melissa said.

During this time, she was secretly checking for bruises, but found nothing on the boys.

“I didn’t notice any problems, not one,” she said.

By January 2015, Mario was having money troubles, so his mother, Valerie, was helping him out financially and Melissa was buying diapers for Ty.

The specifics of what happened between Mario and Ty on Jan. 22 remain unknown.

Mario pleaded guilty to striking Ty “more than once with significant force”, breaking the toddler’s back, while in a rage, according to court documents.

“He hit with significant force. I have been hit by Mario with force. I was in bed for one month,” Melissa said. “No child could survive that.”

Melissa still blames herself for Ty’s death, in part because she said she refused to see Mario after he texted her the day Ty died, begging her to visit him.

She continues to believe that it was Mario’s anger over her relationship with another man that led to Ty’s death.

“I wonder, if I had of gone (to visit him), would he still be here?” she said. To this day, it remains an open question whether Ty was even alive as Mario walked around town with him in a stroller, running errands.

In one surveillance image, Ty’s 23-pound frame was seen to be lying motionless in the buggy, arms extended outward.

Valerie, a nurse by training, told Mario to take the boy to the medical clinic when she saw him, but he ignored the advice, too scared of the consequences.

He not only lied to her about what had happened to the boy, but he also lied to the 911 operator, paramedics, police and friends who supported him.

When Melissa got to the hospital, she felt her boy’s body and he was cold, signifying to her that he’d been dead for hours.

When Mario walked in, she said he tried to talk to Ty, before falling to his knees and crying.

He told Melissa that Ty was sick, wouldn’t eat or drink and just died.

“He could have got help for my boy. He did nothing. He hid,” Melissa said, referring to Mario’s failure to call 911 for hours. “He’s a wolf in sheep clothing.”

Weeks later, as Melissa continued to mourn the loss of her son, she felt another blow to her gut.

She believes the CAS wanted to adopt out the two remaining boys.

“You’re not my mommy; I’m getting a new mommy,” Melissa said one of her boys told her.

About a month ago, Melissa lost all her sons, after they were adopted by another family.

Although covered by a publication ban, a victim impact statement read in court showed the two boys, who lost their baby brother, experienced severe psychological anguish.

After pleading guilty to manslaughter, Mario was handed a 10-year sentence by Justice Nathan Dwyer on Tuesday, minus time served.

If he achieves parole at the earliest opportunity, Mario will be out in 32 months.

Melissa wants a coroner’s inquest into Ty’s death and plans to sue the Simcoe CAS.

---------------------

Custodial dad, girlfriend charged with beating 5-year-old child (Monroe County, Pennsylvania)

Poorly written and edited account as the woman is sometimes referred to as a "girlfriend" and sometimes as a "stepmother." At any rate, a close reading shows that this is a custodial father--the child lives with him--and that the woman in question is not the child's mother.

Left unsaid, however, is how and why an apparently borderline homeless abuser managed to get custody of a 5-year-old girl. What happened to her mother? As usual, total media silence.

http://www.poconorecord.com/article/20160527/NEWS/160529591

Man accused of beating child in hotel and car

By Beth Brelje Posted May. 27, 2016 at 9:52 AM

A man who was living in a local hotel with his girlfriend and 5-year-old daughter has been charged with beating the child.

Ronald Alvin Lewis is charged after the child was discovered with two black eyes, bruising from the bridge of her nose to the right temple of the eyebrow and swelling in her eye, says a criminal complaint from state police at Swiftwater.

On April 25, the child was interviewed by a prosecuting detective in Union County, New Jersey, where she was staying with her aunt.

The child was living with her father and stepmother in a Pennsylvania hotel. The affidavit did not indicate the hotel or municipality where this happened.

The child described two violent incidents during which her father hit her with his hands and kicked her and at one point in the interview told the detective, “My dad was hitting me and I got wet because he punched my pee out … then I cried.”

The first assault allegedly happened when the child was in a vehicle with her father and his girlfriend, the child said. Her father hit her in the stomach because she was not listening.

The second assault allegedly happened in the hotel room when, she told police, her father grabbed her, placed her on the floor on her back and hit her in the leg. He then told her to put on her pajamas and she did. Then he allegedly hit her again. The child began bleeding from her nose so he threw her out of the hotel room because she was bleeding on the floor.

The girl got into the family’s vehicle and recalled having blood in her mouth. Then her father “dragged” her out of the vehicle, the complaint says.

The child told the detective that her father hit her on the back of her head which caused her to “get purple things” under her eyes — two black eyes. A photo of the child showed this.

On April 28, the child’s aunt was interviewed. She told the investigator that Lewis called her and said, “I hit her bad.”

The aunt called the girlfriend to get more information and then received a photo of the child with two black eyes.

The aunt drove to Pennsylvania, picked up the child and drove her to her own home in New Jersey, then made a report to the Pennsylvania Child Abuse Hotline, 800-932-0313.

State police issued a warrant for Lewis on May 24 on charges of assault and endangering welfare of children.

He was being held in Monroe County Correctional Facility on $25,000 bail as of Friday.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Protective mom files lawsuit against custodial dad for "missing" toddler (Waterville, Maine)

Not made clear in this particular article, but dad JUSTIN DIPIETRO had custody. Interesting coincidence that according to this article, the protective mother had filed for custody just two days before the little girl "disappeared." Seems Daddy also had previous issues with domestic violence, alcohol, assault charges , and probable child abuse. All huge red flags.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Maine.


http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/family-missing-maine-toddler-plans-file-lawsuit-39355813?yptr=yahoo


Family of Missing Maine Toddler Plans to File Lawsuit


By The Associated Press ·


WATERVILLE, Maine — May 25, 2016, 12:20 AM ET 


The family of a Maine toddler who went missing five years ago plans to sue the father and other adults who were with her when she was last seen.


The Morning Sentinel reports the mother and her family believe a lawsuit "may be our only hope to bring justice" on behalf of the youngster, Ayla Reynolds.


No one has been charged in Ayla's disappearance. The toddler's father, Justin DiPietro, his girlfriend and his sister were together in the Waterville home before she was reported missing, and police say they know more than what they've told them about the toddler's disappearance.


The sister, Elisha DiPietro, told a TV show, "Crime Watch Daily," this week that her brother is a good father and that no crime was committed.

Monday, May 23, 2016

Custodial dad indicted in scalding death of 4-year-old son (Warren County, Ohio)

Evidence points toward ROBERT RITCHIE being a custodial father. There is mention of a step, but no mention of the mother at all. What happened to Mom, as often happens in these accounts, is simply ignored.


http://www.fox19.com/story/32040923/father-of-child-scalded-to-death-indicted-for-involuntary-manslaughter-endangering-children


Dad facing charges in son’s scalding death


Published: Monday, May 23rd 2016, 11:23 am EDT
Updated: Monday, May 23rd 2016, 1:44 pm EDT


Posted by FOX19 Digital Media Staff


WARREN COUNTY, OH (FOX19) - The father of the 4-year-old Franklin boy who died after being placed in a bathtub of scalding water has been indicted, Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell announced Monday.


Robert Ritchie is charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering children for the March death of Austin Cooper. The boy's stepmother, Anna Ritchie, was charged with murder in the days after his death.


Robert is accused of failing to seek medical treatment for Cooper, thereby resulting in the child's death, according to Fornshell.


The Warren County Coroner's Office ruled the boy died from Hypovolemic shock - the loss of blood and fluid.


The boy should not have died, Fornshell said. If he had received medical treatment, he would have had a more than 95 percent survival chance.


Anna is charged with scalding her stepson to death. She pleaded not guilty to a six-count indictment including murder charges last month.


Franklin police say Anna admitted to dipping Cooper's legs in scalding water as punishment and sending him to bed early on March 15.


Fornshell said investigators believe the boy was in the 134-degree water in a bathtub for 20 to 25 minutes. His skin was falling off and he was bleeding when he was removed.


Anna then dressed the child in pajamas and socks before putting him to bed at 4:30 p.m.


No one checked on the boy until 9:30 a.m. the next morning, when his dad found him, Fornshell said.


In an interview with WDTN, Robert claimed his son was already in bed when he got home from work on March 15.


He said he found Austin unresponsive the next morning and called 911.


Anna's trial date was set for Sept. 26. She faces 15 years to life in prison.

Trial begins for custodial dad of child found decomposed in crib (Medina, Ohio)

True to the Dastardly Dads axiom, a killer dad's custody status will be "forgotten" by the time he goes to trial. See past posts here.


Here's a quote from a July 2015 article: "A man who told police he put bags of garbage in his young daughter’s room to mask the smell of her decomposing body was granted sole custody of the toddler during a divorce last year."


So who gave this crazy sh** custody? Top secret as usual.


Dad is identified as ERIC WARFEL.


See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Ohio.


http://local12.com/news/nation-world/trial-begins-for-ohio-father-of-child-found-decomposed-in-crib


Trial begins for Ohio father of child found decomposed in crib


By WKRC |Monday, May 23rd 2016 


MEDINA, Ohio (WKRC) - A trial is set to start Monday for the father of a 21-month-old Ohio girl whose decomposed body was found in a crib.
Eric Warfel is charged with abuse of a corpse and evidence tampering.
His daughter Ember's body was discovered by a cable worker last July in a Medina apartment.
Warfel had another daughter who died three years ago and it was ruled a "sudden unexplained infant death."

Friday, May 20, 2016

Custodial dad accused of keeping 13-year-old daughter chained in basement (North Toledo, Ohio)

The headline is quite misleading. It implies some random father and son kidnapped a girl. You have to go FIVE PARAGRAPHS down to find out that this was the victim's father and that this was basically a case of false imprisonment and torture, not "kidnapping" as such.


The girl has been led to believe that her mother simply took of for Las Vegas. I'm rather curious as to how she "knows" this. Is this what Daddy told her? The one who has kept her chained at the ankle?


I would seriously doubt anything this sick psychopath told this girl. And I think that it needs to be verified that the mother is in fact alive, or whether she has been "disappeared" or is deceased for any reason. Because frankly, it is very likely the father was also abusive to the mother of these kids.


http://www.toledoblade.com/Police-Fire/2016/05/19/Father-son-accused-of-kidnapping-13-year-old-girl.html


Published: Thursday, 5/19/2016 - Updated: 9 hours ago


Father, son accused of kidnapping 13-year-old girl


Bonds set at $500,000 each for Timothy and Esten Ciboro


BLADE STAFF


Police have arrested Timothy Ciboro, 53, and his son, Esten Ciboro, 27, on a charge of kidnapping a 13-year-old girl and shackling her to a support beam in the basement of this house at 825 Noble Street in Toledo.


A 13-year-old girl rescued late Wednesday from a North Toledo home where she said she was kept shackled in a basement for as long as a year is now in foster care, along with two other children taken from the house, authorities said this afternoon.


The girl was rescued when she managed to uncuff herself around 9 p.m. Wednesday with a spare key and run away after the suspects both went for a jog in a park, according to a Toledo police report.


The girl was discovered by a woman who called police when she saw the girl walking in the 700 block of Water Street about 9:15 p.m. Wednesday. The woman told police the girl was carrying several bags and looked like a runaway. The woman told police that she went outside and convinced the victim to come indoors with her.


Once inside, the girl told the woman that her mother had left her and her two siblings and went to Las Vegas. She then told the woman her dad had taken her in but she had run away "because she gets in trouble for wetting the bed," for which he "puts handcuffs on her ankles" and "makes her sleep in the basement."


A judge set bonds at $500,000 each for the pair who were arrested at their residence early today and accused of kidnapping the girl, who told authorities she is the stepsister of younger defendant. The older defendant is a former Toledo firefighter.


During her basement captivity, the girl said she was “fed spoiled and old scraps of food and forced to defecate and void in a bucket containing ammonia,” according to court documents.


During their arraignment in Toledo Municipal Court on charges of kidnapping and child endangerment, Timothy Ciboro, 53, and Esten Ciboro, 27, were ordered held at the Lucas County jail in lieu of the bond pending their preliminary hearing May 26.


The victim told authorities she was “kept shackled by the ankle to a support beam in the basement of their [the suspects’] house for different periods of time, once lasting as long as a year,” [and] kept in the dark, according to a criminal complaint filed with the court.


The suspects were arrested about 1:40 a.m. at their house at 825 Noble St., where they live with the older suspect’s three underage children.


The girl told police her mother had left them to go to Las Vegas. The girl was afraid to talk to the woman who discovered her on the street, according to the police report, because her captors had told her if she talked to strangers she would “get into more trouble.” She told police she was put in the basement for wetting the bed.


The girl told authorities she escaped by using a key to unshackle herself when the two suspect left the house to go for a jog in a park. She also told authorities she had not been to school since the first grade.


Robin Reese, the executive director of the Lucas County Children Services said that the agency has been aware of the Ciboro family since at least 2014 when someone saw the girl pick up a discarded bag of french fries from a a garbage container in a park and then eat them.


Service employees then stopped by the house but saw no signs of child abuse and left the girl there, she said.


This time, children services removed all three children from the house and placed them in foster care, Ms. Reese said. All three are fine, she said, adding that the victim’s hygiene was poor but she did not appear malnourished. It appears that the girl was the only child targeted for abuse by the suspects, she said.


Ms. Reese said all three children were home-schooled, may be why the suspects escaped detection for a while, because “the education process is helpful to us to keep an eye on families.”


The spokesman refused to reveal the girl's name or the names and genders of her siblings.


Timothy Ciboro was previously a Toledo firefighter until 2004, according to city and court records. Fire Chief Luis Santiago confirmed Mr. Ciboro was a firefighter.


"I remember him and I remember him not being a very good employee," the chief said.


In 2007, Mr. Ciboro filed a lawsuit against the city fire department in federal court and several lawsuits in Lucas County Common Pleas Court against the city.


He filed a harassment and wrongful termination suit against the city that year. He also filed a lawsuit against his union, Toledo Firefighters Local 92 for failure to represent, and a misuse of authority lawsuit against the arbitrator who heard his case. He was fired after being accused of demanding a discount on ice cream for a friend at a South Toledo ice cream stand in the summer of 2004.


In U.S. District Court in Toledo, Mr. Ciboro filed a complaint on Feb. 21, 2007 over a separate incident at his fiancee's residence. In the lawsuit, Mr. Ciboro claimed he was assaulted by fire Lt. Rico Daugherty and Firefighter William Bruss in February, 2005, while they were treating a diabetic man, who became ill at the home of Mr. Ciboro's fiancee.


Mr. Ciboro claimed he was shoved into a doorway and struck on the head, neck, and back in an altercation with firefighters. At the time, Mr. Ciboro was charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault and misconduct at an emergency. One of the assault charges was dismissed; a jury in Toledo Municipal Court found him not guilty of the other count. A judge found him guilty of misconduct at an emergency, a minor misdemeanor.


Neighbor Maria Luna, 41, said the house was occupied by the father and three children, one of whom is believed to be the victim. They lived at the house for at least seven years.


Family members mainly kept to themselves and were always respectful.


"We've sat here watching everybody around us. We didn't notice anything. What did we miss?" she said.


Travis Bell, 23, said he was shocked by the news of his neighbor. He described Tim Ciboro as standoffish, and said he attempted once to speak with him.


"He just went into the house and closed the door," Mr. Bell said.


Mr. Bell said this incident reminded him of Ariel Castro in Cleveland. Castro hanged himself in prison in 2013 after being sentenced to more than 1,000 years when he pleaded guilty to 937 counts including kidnapping and rape involving three women he kept hostage in his home.


In 2013, three women who were held captive for more than a decade escaped when Castro left to get food from a nearby fast-food restaurant.


Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight, and Gina DeJesus had been kidnapped when lured them into his vehicle with the offer of a ride, and held in his Seymour Avenue home. They escaped May 6, 2013. Two of the survivors were acquainted with Castro.


Lucas County Children Services is still in the early stages of collecting information about the Ciboros, such as their previous employment history.


"From our information, that name has been tied to that residence for quite some time but we don't know how long yet," Julie Malkin, Lucas County Children Services spokesman, said.


"This one is an unusual situation and that's all I can say about it at this point," Ms. Malkin said. "We're still pulling information together."

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Lawyer: Dad in custody fight who threw infant son off bridge won't be convicted of murder; mom was denied restraining order (Middletown, Connecticut)

We've posted on this case before. True to the Dastardly Dads axiom, lots of backstory is being "forgotten" as this case goes to trial. Namely that TONY MORENO had fought this mother for custody and had a history of domestic violence. And that the judge who denied the mother's restraining order and subsequently set up this murder actually had a name: BARRY C. PINKUS.

Past postings are here.

See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Connecticut.

http://fox61.com/2016/05/17/father-who-allegedly-threw-son-off-bridge-rejects-plea-lawyer-says-jury-wont-convict-him-of-murder/

Father who allegedly threw son off bridge rejects plea; lawyer says jury won’t convict him of murder

Posted 5:47 PM, May 17, 2016, by Samantha Schoenfeld and Laura Roberts, Updated at 12:33pm, May 18, 2016

MIDDLETOWN--The Middletown father who police say threw his son off a bridge has rejected a plea deal offered by prosecutors.

Tony Moreno is accused of killing his 7-month-old son Aaden on July 5, 2015 when he is said to have thrown the child off the Arrigoni Bridge, and then jumped off the bridge himself.

He was charged with murder and murder of a victim under the age of 16 and is being held on a $2 million bond.

Moreno's lawyer, Norm Pattis, met with prosecutors in the judge's chambers on Tuesday to discuss a plea deal, however, negotiations broke down.

Now the case is expected to go to trial in January. Pattis told FOX 61, "The state wants to settle this case on terms we think are ridiculous. We're confident that a jury will not find Mr. Moreno guilty of murder and we'll take our chances at trial."

Pattis could not tell us the terms of the plea because it could be prejudicial during sentencing, but he called the number "obscenely high."

Tony Moreno in court Last July, FOX 61 obtained a series of text messages exchanged between Moreno and the baby's mother, Adrianne Oyola, who had a restraining order out against Moreno weeks before the murder, but it was not extended at a hearing days before Aaden's death.

The text messages showed Moreno's mindset in the minutes before the incident.

Pattis said, "The jury will hear from Mr. Moreno about what actually took place on the bridge that night, not what police officers browbeat him into discussing in the wake of his child's death. No one should be subjected to a custodial interview when they watched their child go over a bridge and tumble to their death, yet this is what passes for law enforcement etiquette in Middletown. I'm looking forward to cross-examining those officers."

"We will unpack in studious detail what happened in the interrogation of Tony Moreno and a jury will decide whether what police got him to say is what happened or whether what Mr. Moreno will testify to is what happened," said Pattis.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Custodial dad stripped 8-year-old son named and chained him for five hours; mother has been "away" since boy was a baby (George Town, Malaysia)

Are you kidding? Mom has been "away" since this boy was a baby?


Take a closer look at Daddy, the one who stripped an 8-year-old child naked and chained him up. 


Do you think he is somehow incapable of beating, torturing, or even killing the boy's mother?


Do you think that even if she is still alive and well somewhere, she is able to come back and safely claim her son or "co-parent" with this torturer?


Honestly, the media just assumes we're all idiots. "Away" my @$$.


UNNAMED DAD.


http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/cops-to-refer-father-of-chained-boy-to-dpp


Cops to refer father of chained boy to DPP


Wednesday May 18, 2016 08:01 AM GMT+8


GEORGE TOWN, May 18 ― Police will refer the case of a 45-year-old school van driver who allegedly stripped naked and chained his eight-year-old son at a stairway of his flat for five hours in Paya Terubong last weekend to the deputy public prosecutor’s office soon for further action.


George Town police chief ACP Mior Farid Alathrash Wahid said police had already recorded the father’s statement and released him on police bail on Monday afternoon.


“We would complete our investigation soon and submit the investigation papers to the DPP’s office for the next course of action,” he said adding that if there were any elements of abuse appropriate action would be taken under the Children Act 2001 for child abuse.


In the incident, the father allegedly stripped his son naked and chained him for being naughty from 10pm on Saturday until 3am on Sunday.


A resident spotted the boy when he came home on Saturday night and took photographs and a video, and uploaded them on his Facebook page. The photographs and video had gone viral since.


Following media reports on the incident, the police investigated the case although no police report was lodged by anyone.


The boy has been placed under the care of the Welfare Department and police supervision since Monday.


Department director Said Sidup said the boy was warded at the Penang Hospital for medical observation following his traumatic experience.


“The boy’s health and mental condition will be supervised by the medical officers. We want to make sure he is in normal health.


“We are also trying to locate the mother of the boy who was said to be away since he was eight months’ old,” he said.

Dad charged with beating 8-year-old daughter during weekend custody/visitation time (Calumet, Oklahoma)

Once again, it is highly likely Daddy had a history of violence and abuse before he separated from the mother. But of course he got his custody "rights" anyway.


Dad is identified as GREGORY BINGHAM.


http://kfor.com/2016/05/17/calumet-man-facing-charges-of-child-abuse/


Oklahoma man accused of beating his 8-year-old daughter multiple times


Posted 6:46 pm, May 17, 2016, by Sheldra Brigham, Updated at 06:19am, May 18, 2016


CALUMET, Okla. - A Calumet man is facing charges of child abuse. He's accused of beating his daughter on and off over a 45-minute period.


Gregory Bingham is facing one count of child abuse after returning his 8-year-old to her mother after a weekend visit at his home.


"What happened is she had gone to pick up her daughter and she was changing her clothes so they could go to Yukon to another event. She realized she had severe bruising around her butt, thighs and legs," said Chris West.


That's when Canadian County Undersheriff West said the mother called authorities.


"When the mother realized the girl had been severely beaten, had bruised black and blue, I'm talking several dozen stripes from a leather belt. She reportedly had received multiple beatings in a 24-hour period," West said.


The child was examined and questioned and her father, Bingham, was arrested. Deputies said he admitted the spanking was excessive.


According to investigators, Bingham stated he spanked his daughter on her backside on eight separate occasions over a 45-minute period with three 'licks' each time for a total of 24 strikes.


"Kids go through a lot of trauma when that happens, because kids are trusting to adults, especially parents," West said. It's the type of abuse officials are seeing more and more of - a line that is crossed when spanking turns to beating. "Oklahoma allows ordinary force, which includes spanking, paddling and switching. At DHS, we look at number of factors. The biggest one is the age. But, what's appropriate for a 13-year-old is not the same for a 3-year-old. So, we consider are there marks and where the bruises are located, the intent or reason for the discipline or punishment," said Katelynn Burns, DHS.


Bingham is out of jail on a $10,000 bond.

Murder charge will stand for joint custody dad in death of 3-year-old son (New Jersey)

We've posted on joint custody dad DAVID CREATO JR. before.


See the Killer Dads and Custody list for New Jersey.


http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Murder-Charge-Against-Father-Will-Not-be-Dismissed-Judge-379700301.html


Murder Charge Will Stand for David Creato, Jr. in Death of Son: Judge


A judge has refused to dismiss murder charges filed against a New Jersey father accused of killing his 3-year-old son.


State Superior Court Judge John Kelley on Monday rejected a motion filed by Richard Fuschino Jr, the attorney for David Creato Jr.


Fuschino claimed that a medical examiner acted improperly while determining the cause of death for Brendan Creato and later misled a grand jury. But Camden County prosecutors have called those arguments "absurd.''


Prosecutors have said the boy suffered "homicidal violence.'' They say the 22-year-old Haddon Township man killed his son because the boy was impeding his relationship with a teenage girlfriend who allegedly resented Creato's dealings with the child's mother.


Creato remains jailed on $750,000 bail. He has pleaded not guilty to murder and child endangerment.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Dad arrested in child exchange; charged with attempted murder (Shasta County, California)

Yet another dad who never should have been allowed any custody/visitation rights.

Dad is identified as SHEA MONTGOMERY.

http://www.redding.com/news/local/Deputies-Dad-arrested-in-child-exchange-379566061.html

Deputies: Dad arrested in child exchange

Posted: 2:45 a.m.

A child exchange turned violent Saturday afternoon in Castella, resulting in the arrest of the biological father for investigation of attempted murder, domestic violence and child abuse, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office reported.

The female victim called for help about 4:35 p.m.only after she regained consciousness from being strangled by the father, Shea Montgomery, 40, according to the sheriff's office.

The woman told deputies she was assaulted and her life was threatened by Montgomery in the child custody exchange of their 14-month-old child, deputies said.

Deputies said Montgomery strangled the woman, telling her he would kill her, their child and himself.

The woman tried to break free by scratching Montgomery on his face and elsewhere, but she lost consciousness from being strangled, deputies said.

On regaining consciousness, she said she saw Montgomery walking away with their child, deputies said.

While deputies were en route to Castella in northern Shasta County, the sheriff's office contacted the California Highway Patrol for assistance. A CHP unit found Montgomery along with the woman and child, who was found safe and unharmed, the sheriff's office said.

Deputies met up with the CHP unit and put Montgomery under arrest and then took him to jail.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Four-year-old girl murdered by custodial dad let down by courts, social workers (United Kingdom)

As so often happens, not one word as to how the murdered girl's mother was erased from her life before Daddy assumed custody.


Once again, the courts, social workers just fawn all over Daddy and do nothing until it's too late.


The killer dad is identified as CARL WHEATLEY.


http://www.itv.com/news/2016-05-11/toddler-murdered-by-father-let-down-by-courts-and-social-workers/


11 May 2016 at 1:20pm


Little girl murdered by father let down by courts and social workers


Carl Wheatley was found guilty of murdering his daughter Alexa-Marie Quinn.


By Catherine Ellis


A four-year-old girl who was killed by her father was let down by social workers and local authorities, according to a report into her death.


Alexa-Marie Quinn was murdered by her father Carl Wheatley in March 2014, less than three months after Bedford Borough Council granted him custody.


Local agencies have been criticised in the report for "shortcomings" in their response to the suspicion that Alexa-Marie may have been at risk of harm.


What we know about Alexa-Marie


Alexa-Marie Quinn was found dead at her home in March 2014.


She had been beaten to death by her father.


She had suffered more than 60 injuries, including a bruise from her stomach to her ankles, and two lost teeth when she died in March 2014.


The four-year-old had been in Wheatley's care for the three months leading up to her death, after previously being cared for by foster parents.


Concerns had been raised about Wheatley's contact with Alexa-Marie by her foster carers in Bedford in May 2013.


Further worries about her contact with Wheatley had come up at a review the following month.


The trial of Alexa-Marie's father


Serious Case Review: Findings A Serious Case Review is launched when a child dies or is seriously injured where abuse or neglect is thought to be involved, to find out what lessons can be learned by local professionals and organisations to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.


The Serious Case Review published by Hertfordshire's Safeguarding Children's Board revealed a number of findings. These include:


Finding: There were weaknesses in management within and between different local authorities and social work teams in the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire boroughs. These led to a lack of full understanding of potential risks that Alexa-Marie was exposed to.


Finding: There were shortcomings in the response to the suspicion that child protection risks may have left Alexa-Marie at harm.


Finding: All parties in the courts did not appropriately consider the implications of a psychiatric report on Carl Wheatley from September 2013.


Recommendations


The Serious Case Review made a number of recommendations for local agencies involved in the case to safeguard children in the future.


These included: reviews of training given to social workers and lawyers, reviewing case management arrangements for student social workers and looking into current guidance on children's contact arrangements following a move to a new permanent placement.


Phil Picton, chairman of the Safeguarding Children Board, said that Alexa-Marie was "a very vulnerable little girl" who was placed into the care of a man who went on to kill her. 


During Alexa-Marie’s last days, Carl Wheatley deliberately misled professionals and resisted the efforts of those who were concerned for his daughter’s safety and tried to contact her.


All parties involved have cooperated fully with the Serious Case Review process and the Safeguarding Children Board has robust systems in place to monitor the implementation of the report’s recommendations.


– Phil Picton, Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Board


Last updated Wed 11 May 2016

Dad with history of DV assaults 3-year-old son during weekend custody/visitation (Jackson County, Mississippi)

The names sounded vaguely familiar so I looked them up to see if we had posted on them before. Sure enough, dad NATHAN BLAKE MCCRORY has a history of domestic violence and had weekend custody/visitation. Of course, the media "forgot" to tell you about it this time....


See here.




http://www.wapt.com/news/mississippi/jackson-county-father-accused-of-child-abuse/39469942


Jackson County father accused of child abuse


3-year-old’s wounds include suspected cigarette burns, bleeding on brain
UPDATED 2:30 PM CDT May 10, 2016


PASCAGOULA, Miss. —A detective testified 3-year-old Zander Saucier had at least 30 wounds to his body, including suspected cigarette and lighter burns and bleeding on the brain, when he was brought to Singing River Hospital last month.


The Sun Herald reported that the boy's father, Nathan Blake McCrory, 24, is accused of causing the injuries to his son. McCrory was in Jackson County Court on Monday for a preliminary hearing on felony charges of child abuse and one count of marijuana cultivation.


Judge T. Larry Wilson determined there was enough evidence in the case to be bound over to a grand jury for indictment.


Detective Eddie Clark testified at the hearing and talked about some of the other injuries Zander suffered.


McCrory claims the boy suffered the injuries by falling down the stairs.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Custodial dad suspected in murder-suicide involving 10-month-old baby (D'Iberville, Mississippi)

Though the article below doesn't make it clear, this one does clarify that UNNAMED DAD was in fact custodial, that the baby lived with dad and the grandparents. Not one of the articles I have seen on this apparent murder-suicide explain what happened to the mom, how an emotionally unstable father got custody, or who gave him custody.


http://www.wect.com/story/31892036/police-child-found-dead-father-dead-in-apparent-suicide


Police: Child found dead, father dead in apparent suicide


Published: Wednesday, May 4th 2016, 4:28 pm


EDT D'IBERVILLE, MS (WLOX) - An investigation is underway in D’Iberville involving a dead 10-month-old and a father who apparently hung himself from an apartment stairwell.


Police Chief Wayne Payne said police and medical crews were called to the Landmark Apartments on Lamey Bridge Rd. around 4:10 a.m. Wednesday. Payne said first responders found the child dead on the floor of an apartment.


According to police, the child’s grandfather woke up his son around 4 a.m. to tell him the 10-month-old was unresponsive. Payne said the grandfather found the child on the floor and called 911.


According to the grandfather, his son hysterically ran out of the apartment while they were waiting for police to arrive.


Payne said police searched for the father and found him hanging from the stairwell of an adjacent apartment building a short time later.


The man was rushed to the hospital by ambulance, where he was later pronounced dead.


“Anytime an infant child like that dies, it's tragic. It is a tragic event and we hate to see things like this, said D’Iberville Police Department Capt. Marty Griffin. "We’re working, looking to find the answers and the reason why.”


Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove expects to perform an autopsy Thursday to determine a cause of death. He said right now, this is being treated as a homicide investigation.

Dad with shared custody convicted of 2nd-degree murder in fatal beating of 7-month-old son (Vista, California)

We live in a culture that is increasingly putting the pressure on mothers to "share" custody with men who are little more than sperm donors. In many cases they were never married to these men, and the relationship didn't even last through the pregnancy. These guys have no prior relationship with the infant. They are not bonded to the mother--or by extension--to the baby.


Babies need a consistent loving caregiver, generally the mother. They do not benefit from going off for TEN WHOLE DAYS with a "frustrated" father who cannot deal with normal infant crying. Because we ignore this basic common sense rule, babies are killed.


Dad is identified as STANFORD MOROCHO. See the Killer Dads and Custody list for California.


http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/may/04/marine-baby-death-sentencing/


Father gets 15 years to life in baby’s murder
Camp Pendleton Marine ‘beat the child for a week,’ a prosecutor said


By Dana Littlefield | 4:31 p.m. May 4, 2016


VISTA — In a case a prosecutor described as “heartbreaking,” a former Camp Pendleton Marine who fatally beat his 7-month-old son was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years to life in prison.


Stanford Morocho, 23, pleaded guilty in March to second-degree murder in the 2014 death of his son, Emilio Michael Harvey. He was arrested in December 2014, on the day he brought his baby to a Naval hospital on the Marine base.


Emilio was not breathing.


The child’s mother, Jannelle Harvey, had a brief relationship with the defendant and later gave birth to their son. Although their relationship had ended, the parents had an informal agreement to share custody of the child.


Harvey, formerly a lance corporal in the Marine Corps, wept at the sentencing hearing in Vista Superior Court as she stood in front of a judge to speak about her loss. Because Harvey was too emotional to do so, a friend read Harvey’s written statement in the courtroom.


“My world was flipped upside down as I was required to navigate the unthinkable,” Harvey wrote in her letter, describing how she struggled to go on after learning of her baby’s death. She said she found it too difficult to fulfill her duties, and was honorably discharged from the military.


“I lost my baby, I lost my household, I lost the Marine Corps and I lost my identity,” the letter read.


She noted that she and others should have been preparing to celebrate Emilio’s birthday this month — he would have been 2. Instead, she was in court standing near the man responsible for her child’s murder.


“Emilio could not run away,” she said in her letter. “He could not say no... .”


Harvey said it breaks her heart to know that she only got to hear her son call her “Mama” once.\


Judge K. Michael Kirkman sentenced Morocho to the prison term prescribed by law. “It’s my opinion that the defendant should never be released from prison,” the judge said. “This is a horrible crime.”


Prosecutors have said Morocho abused his son between Dec. 2, 2014, when he took physical custody, and Dec. 12, 2014, when the baby was flown to Rady Children’s Hospital after he was taken to the Camp Pendleton base Naval hospital for a medical emergency.


Hospital staff notified Oceanside police about 9:15 a.m. that the baby had died.


According to court documents, medical staffers at the hospital found that Emilio had suffered skull and rib fractures. The Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the manner of death was homicide.


Morocho admitted to investigators that he had squeezed the baby’s ribs, smacked him on his buttocks and legs when he would not stop crying, and hit his head on a door, according to a pre-sentencing report. He also said he had pinched the baby on the chin when he was upset with the child.


After the hearing, Deputy District Attorney Ryan Saunders put it more succinctly: “He beat the child for a week.”


On Wednesday, Morocho spoke directly to Harvey in the courtroom, saying he was sorry for all the pain she had been through. His voice quivering, he said he loved Harvey because she would always be the mother of their son.


“I’m sorry for this tragedy that occurred,” the defendant said. “I hope that you will forgive me one day.”


Morocho was in a relationship with another woman, Savoeun Meas, and was living with her at the time the baby died. Prosecutors contend that she witnessed the abuse but did nothing to stop or report it.


Meas, a Marine sergeant, has pleaded guilty to felony child endangerment. She faces up to six years in prison at a hearing scheduled for May 18.

Abusive dad unhappy about child custody defies restraining order, murders three (Jacksonville, Florida)

So if dad MURRAY LANCASTER violated a restraining order and had been arrested for battery and resisting arrest, then WHY was he able to run around and murder three different people? Why wasn't his @$$ parked in jail where it belonged? It's because Florida is notoriously indifferent to domestic violence. No surprise that this batterer/killer also tried to use a custody battle to further extend his abuse/control--that's what abusers and killers do.


No doubt there are some sick fathers rights people out there arguing that this poor little spree killer was "driven" to it. But then they have never met a violent criminal they didn't just love to pieces.


http://www.newsweek.com/florida-shooting-green-cove-springs-455233


Florida Shooting Suspect Dead After Allegedly Killing Ex-Wife, Ex-Girlfriend and Her Father By Lucy Westcott On 5/3/16 at 3:30 PM


Three people were shot dead in Green Cove Springs, northern Florida on Tuesday. A manhunt for the suspect, identified as Murray Lancaster, is underway. A man in northern Florida on Tuesday allegedly abducted his ex-girlfriend from Keeping It Classy beauty salon and then later shot to death the woman and her father as well as his ex-wife before turning the gun on himself.


During a manhunt for the suspect, Murray Lancaster, 41, SWAT teams surrounded a property in Green Cove Springs, about 33 miles south of Jacksonville. Lancaster’s body was found by officials inside a camper trailer. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.


Lancaster allegedly abducted his ex-girlfriend, Valorie Short, on Tuesday morning at around 9:45 a.m. after holding her and her co-workers at gunpoint. He then drove her to an area near the Magnolia Point Golf & Country Club, where Short’s father, Welland “Buddy” Short, was encouraged to meet them. Lancaster shot and killed them both, Florida news outlet WFAA 8 reports, before driving to the Rosemary Hill Road Landfill, the workplace of his ex-wife, Erica Green, where he allegedly shot and killed her.


According to Jacksonville news outlet News4Jax, one of the victims was pregnant. Valorie Short is believed to have two young sons and Green also has two young children. Green was engaged to another man, according to local news.


Lancaster is the nephew of Scott Lancaster, a former sheriff of Clay County, and is also related to Larry Lancaster, a former Clay County commissioner. Officials did not have contact with Lancaster before he killed himself, though Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler said he went to a local school to try to say goodbye to his children. A teacher at the school told police Lancaster was not able to see them.


During a press conference on Tuesday, Beseler said Short had a restraining order against Lancaster. The suspect, who was last week fired from the Georgia-Pacific Mill in nearby Palatka, recently violated the court order filed against him by Short and was arrested for her battery and for resisting arrest.


The motive in the shooting is still unknown, but Beseler said it involves a “domestic-type situation where divorces and child custody” were involved.


“The incident is over and everyone is safe at this point,” said Beseler. “This is a terrible and tragic event for our community.”


Also on Tuesday, a separate, unrelated shooting occurred in nearby Palatka after a man allegedly shot his girlfriend in the parking lot of the local health department. The woman, whose name has not been released, was killed and the shooter was at-large.

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Dad gets full child custody after murder charges dropped for killing child's mother...over child custody (Spokane, Washington)

Headline is actually incorrect if you read through article. Dad JON RITCHEY was charged with murder in the kidnapping and point-blank, shot-in-the-face murder of the mother. The motive: she apparently wanted child custody (and for good reason, given the kind of person he obviously is).
And now the corrupt, FR-infested legal system has dropped the murder charges and given the killer FULL CUSTODY. Daddy, we're told, is all cool, 'cause he's taking one of the fathering classes--probably one of those "classes" designed to help violent felons get custody.
Sounds unbelievable, but this sh** is happening every day now.
Unfortunately, the legislation remedy suggested is all wrong. We don't need laws guaranteeing grandparents visitation. We need laws blocking killers and violent felons from getting any custody rights. Period.




http://www.khq.com/story/31883537/sins-of-the-father-man-who-gave-assistance-to-girlfriends-killer-will-get-to-raise-their-son


Sins of the Father: Man who gave assistance to girlfriend's killer will get to raise their son


Posted: May 03, 2016 9:25 PM EDT Updated: May 04, 2016 12:01 AM EDT


by Hayley Guenthner, KHQ Local News Anchor & Reporter




SPOKANE, Wash. - In a few short weeks, the 4-year-old son of a murdered Spokane woman will be taken away from the only parents he knows, and given to the man who gave criminal assistance to his mother's killer.




"It's like losing my best friend," said David Wilson.




March 11, 2013, was the worst day imaginable for David and Carrie Wilson. Carrie had to identify her daughter by her tattoos.




"It has taken me 2.5 years just to be able to just look at her picture and just see her and not the big hole in her face," Carried said.




Court documents paint a brutal picture of Heather's final moments of life. Heather was kidnapped and handcuffed. She was able to briefly break free, only to be caught by her killer near SFCC and shot at point-blank range in the face. 
"To tell you the truth, I didn't want to live. I wanted to die," Carrie said.




Police only added to their agony when they told the Wilsons who was behind Heather's death. Detectives arrested the father of Heather's child, Jon Ritchey, along with his uncle, Gary Stoddard. Prosecutors charged them both with murder. Court documents point to the possible motive: Who would get to raise the couple's little boy.
"He's the one who had everything to lose when Heather said she was going to take him to court for custody," Carrie said. "Seems like two weeks after that, she was gone."




With the child's mother dead and his father in jail, David and Carrie were all he had. Slowly, together, they started rebuilding their lives. That was until that deep wound was reopened.




Jon Ritchey's murder charge was dropped. In its place was a plea deal for rendering criminal assistance in Heather's murder. With credit for time served, Ritchey was a free man. And the worst was yet to come for Heather's family. Jon Ritchey wanted his child back.
After a four day trial, a judge awarded him full custody.




"If he would have been a drug addict who got clean, you know, I understand that part," Carried said. "But he was involved in a murder, and of the child's mother. Where should he have any rights? He took those rights from Heather. She never gets to see her little boy again."




Right now, Ritchey gets weekly play dates and therapy sessions with his son. Overnight visits will come in June and by July, the boy will be out of the place he's called home for the past three years.


"I felt like I was being torn up from the inside out," David said. "He's my child."




The law disagrees. The court decided Mr. Ritchey is currently able to meet his son's basic needs and has the capacity for providing appropriate parenting and care for him. They said he's employed and even enrolled himself in a nurturing father's class since his release from jail.




Spokane Family Law Attorney David Crouse has been doing this job for more than 20 years and said this is how our state works.




"There's absolutely no question that you do have to move mountains now to prove that biological parent is unfit," he said.




Crouse said Washington judges have to look at the current status of the biological parent.




"It makes a lot of people involved in the system sad," he said.




But not as sad as Carrie and David who will soon live again with that all too familiar ache of loss.




The grandparents are working on an appeal but they're financially strapped. If the appeal doesn't work, the only way Carrie and David will see the boy again is if Jon Ritchey agrees to that.


Grandparents in Washington don't have rights to their grandkids like other states. The group Grandparents Rights of Washington State is pushing initiative 1431.




It would give grandparents the ability to petition the court for visitation. They need 250,000 signatures showing support by July 8. If they succeed, it will be on the November ballot.

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Custodial dad on trial for torturing son still has unsupervised visitation with other kids (Ontario, Canada)

At first you might chalk some of this up to incompetence. But as it goes on and on, down to this freaking piece of sh** of a father CONTINUING to get UNSUPERVISED VISITATION that this is thorough and complete corruption of the family court system by the fathers rights people.

And all their names are being withheld to "protect" the identity of the boy. The boy they set up for torture. Uh huh.

http://www.ottawasun.com/2016/04/29/mountie-in-child-abuse-trial-has-unsupervised-visits-with-his-other-children

Mountie in child abuse trial has unsupervised visits with his other children 

By Gary Dimmock
First posted: Friday, April 29, 2016 08:16 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, April 29, 2016 08:36 PM EDT

The Mountie on trial for torturing and starving his shackled, naked 11-year-old son in a darkened Kanata basement is free on bail and has unsupervised weekend visits with his two other sons, who are younger than the first-born son he is accused of almost starving to death in 2013.

The father, who has admitted that he burned his oldest son’s genitals because he thought the boy was the devil, can still play with his other sons on weekends. The unsupervised visits happen outside of Ottawa and the stepmother, who is also on trial, is not present for the visits.

The father has said he chained and handcuffed his son in the basement, and that he rationed the boy’s meals down to just two peanut-butter pitas a day. He also confessed that he burned his son with a lighter and once hit him so hard with the back of his hand that the boy was left with a broken tooth, court has heard.

The victim was sent to live with his father after his mother died in 2009. The boy’s maternal grandmother went to court in 2011 to try to win visitation rights, but a judge rejected her motion. The boy was distraught about his mother’s death and torn between his maternal and paternal family. The judge who dismissed the grandmother’s motion relied on the Mountie’s story and the child psychologist he enlisted.

The psychologist recommended the boy should remain in the full-time care of the father and his wife, both of whom are now on trial.

The same psychologist told the boy’s father in 2010 that he couldn’t “terrorize” his son, and warned him that if he kept punishing the boy, he’d have to call in the child-protection office.

The judge who heard the case was also aware of allegations that the Mountie was an abusive father.

Still, the judge ruled the boy’s maternal family could not have visitation rights. In the 2011 decision, the judge said the father was to send report cards and a school photograph of the boy to his maternal relatives. And if there was correspondence between the boy and his maternal family, the judge ruled that the controlling Mountie was allowed to read all letters sent to the boy he later tortured.

Two years after that ruling, on Feb. 12, 2013, the boy escaped his chains and fled his Kanata basement in search of water. He weighed only 50 pounds and doctors said he had almost starved to death.

One neighbour spotted the boy crouched at his garden tap with an empty water bottle in hand, so he filled it up for the boy in the kitchen, handing it back to him through the patio door.

“I thought I was looking at a ghost. His face was sunken. He looked very old,” the neighbour testified last year at the trial, which began last September.

The boy’s father and stepmother are accused of keeping the boy shackled in their basement for six months. Both are charged with aggravated assault, forcible confinement, and failure to provide necessities of life.

One of their neighbours testified that the boy showed up at their front door around suppertime on the day of his escape.

She told court that she hadn’t seen the boy in a year and a half.

He used to be “chubby, happy and full of energy,” she said. “He was completely changed. I couldn’t recognize him.”

The boy appeared nervous, she said, and fumbled for piggy-bank change from his pocket, offering it while asking if he could stay at her home.

She started walking the boy back to his own home, but when the boy complained of back pain, her husband called the police.

Crown attorney Michael Boyce also called another neighbour to testify about the boy. She said he was small for his age, and occasionally wasn’t wearing proper winter clothes while waiting for the morning school bus, usually alone and across the street from where the other kids stood while his father watched from a car parked down the road.

The woman testified that the boy wasn’t allowed to go to birthday parties in the neighbourhood. She said that when she offered the thirsty boy a juice box, he said he had to go ask his father for permission. The boy returned and said he wasn’t allowed, the neighbour recalled.

The boy’s father and stepmother are prohibited from talking to one another, according to their bail conditions. The suspended Mountie is also charged with careless storage of 9-mm Luger. Lawyers for both of the accused declined to comment Friday.

The Children’s Aid Society has a policy not to comment on such cases.

The trial, presided by Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Maranger, continues Monday. There is a publication ban on several witnesses — including the child psychologist — to protect the identity of the boy.