Dad is identified as MICHAEL WALSH. At minimum, he had out-of-state visitation. Or he may have had full custody. Notice we are not told the details about how and why this father had access to this child.
http://www.wandtv.com/story/32364452/7-year-old-found-in-lake-in-georgia-could-have-ties-to-champaign
7-year-old found in lake in Georgia could have ties to Champaign
Posted: Jul 03, 2016 1:39 PM EDT
Updated: Jul 05, 2016 5:23 PM EDT
ATLANTA – WANDNews has word from an NBC affiliate near Atlanta, Georgia, that a seven-year-old girl found dead in Lake Allatoona could have ties back here in Central Illinois.
Our partners at WXIA report a seven-year-old was killed this past Sunday or Monday, and police in East Point, Georgia, say they believe her father and his live-in girlfriend had a hand in her death. Authorities tell
WXIA they believe 27-year-old Michael Wash and 30-year-old Lasherae Davis drove 7-year-old Kamaire Wash to the lake and left her in the water.
WXIA reports boaters found a young girl’s body, Wednesday afternoon, that they believe is the missing girl. She had been in the water for around 48 hours.
This story has connections back to Illinois, with WXIA sources saying the girl’s mother is from Champaign, Illinois. WAND News has reached out to the woman believed to be the victim’s mother and will report any further developments.
In the meantime, WXIA reports the father faces charges of aggravated assault, child cruelty and concealing the girl’s death, and his girlfriend could be charged with being a party to the assault and cruelty, along with concealing the child’s death.
East Point Police tell WXIA they are not ready to charge them yet. Both suspects claim they put the girl to bed on Wednesday night, and she was missing with the door left open when they woke up.
Details are still developing in this case, with police not yet ready to confirm where, how and why Kamaire was killed.
The earliest the public will positively know the identity of the child, as well as the cause of death, would be Tuesday, after the Fourth of July holiday.
Showing posts with label Georgia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Georgia. Show all posts
Monday, July 11, 2016
Friday, April 1, 2016
Dad confesses to fatal beating of 2-year-old son during visitation (Douglas County, Georgia)
Yet another short-tempered violent father who never should have got his custody/visitaiton "rights."
This one is identified as COURTNEY CHAUVEZ CRAIG.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Georgia.
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crime-law/father-admits-beating-2-year-old-son-for-swearing-/nqxFJ/
Father admits beating 2-year-old son for swearing at him
10:10 p.m. Thursday, March 31, 2016 |
Investigators: The toddler swore at his father and refused to go to sleep
Police said Courtney Craig eventually admitted to attacking his son after investigators questioned him. .
A 23-year-old Douglas County man, accused of killing his 2-year-old son, said the toddler called him the “b-word,” which enraged him, Channel 2 Action News reported Thursday.
Courtney Chauvez Craig confessed to beating his son in anger, the station reported. King Davis, 2, of Louisiana, was visiting his father March 1, when he was found unresponsive in Craig’s Millwood Park apartment, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
Adults in the apartment called 911, but the toddler was dead when officers arrived. Craig was taken into custody because of the suspicious nature of the death, police said.
“Coming out of the shower, the child called him a b***h, and while he was aware of the child’s language in the past, he didn’t take kindly to the child using that term to him.
Also he refused to go to sleep and that angered him more,” said Douglas County Sheriff’s Investigator Jay Davies.
Physical evidence showed the boy had bruises on his torso and abdomen, Davies said.
“There was a bite mark on the child’s shoulder, on his back,” Davies said in court. “There were also contusions behind the ears, which is common in child abuse cases when a child is hit in the head.”
At first, Craig told investigators that his son got sick and may have had an allergic reaction after eating at a seafood restaurant, Channel 2 reported.
But after further questioning, Craig admitted to attacking the boy. “He acknowledged biting the child,” Davies said. That he punched him in the stomach and the chest.”
The investigator said the medical examiner found the toddler had several broken ribs, Channel 2 reported.
King’s mother, Shovannie Davis, was in the courtroom, according to the station. “I couldn’t bear with it, that’s why I had to step outside,” she told reporters. “Just hearing something like that was done to my child hurt me.”
She said the boy’s father never demonstrated any abusive behavior toward her their son in the past, according to Channel 2.
King’s grandmother said she felt depressed before, but now she felt angry. “I want justice for King,” Spanky Davis said. “I want justice to be served.”
Craig did not enter a plea during his first court appearance, according to Channel 2.
He is being charged with cruelty to children and felony murder.
This one is identified as COURTNEY CHAUVEZ CRAIG.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Georgia.
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crime-law/father-admits-beating-2-year-old-son-for-swearing-/nqxFJ/
Father admits beating 2-year-old son for swearing at him
10:10 p.m. Thursday, March 31, 2016 |
Investigators: The toddler swore at his father and refused to go to sleep
Police said Courtney Craig eventually admitted to attacking his son after investigators questioned him. .
A 23-year-old Douglas County man, accused of killing his 2-year-old son, said the toddler called him the “b-word,” which enraged him, Channel 2 Action News reported Thursday.
Courtney Chauvez Craig confessed to beating his son in anger, the station reported. King Davis, 2, of Louisiana, was visiting his father March 1, when he was found unresponsive in Craig’s Millwood Park apartment, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
Adults in the apartment called 911, but the toddler was dead when officers arrived. Craig was taken into custody because of the suspicious nature of the death, police said.
“Coming out of the shower, the child called him a b***h, and while he was aware of the child’s language in the past, he didn’t take kindly to the child using that term to him.
Also he refused to go to sleep and that angered him more,” said Douglas County Sheriff’s Investigator Jay Davies.
Physical evidence showed the boy had bruises on his torso and abdomen, Davies said.
“There was a bite mark on the child’s shoulder, on his back,” Davies said in court. “There were also contusions behind the ears, which is common in child abuse cases when a child is hit in the head.”
At first, Craig told investigators that his son got sick and may have had an allergic reaction after eating at a seafood restaurant, Channel 2 reported.
But after further questioning, Craig admitted to attacking the boy. “He acknowledged biting the child,” Davies said. That he punched him in the stomach and the chest.”
The investigator said the medical examiner found the toddler had several broken ribs, Channel 2 reported.
King’s mother, Shovannie Davis, was in the courtroom, according to the station. “I couldn’t bear with it, that’s why I had to step outside,” she told reporters. “Just hearing something like that was done to my child hurt me.”
She said the boy’s father never demonstrated any abusive behavior toward her their son in the past, according to Channel 2.
King’s grandmother said she felt depressed before, but now she felt angry. “I want justice for King,” Spanky Davis said. “I want justice to be served.”
Craig did not enter a plea during his first court appearance, according to Channel 2.
He is being charged with cruelty to children and felony murder.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Dad charged with killing 2-year-old son during out-of-state visitation (Douglasville, Georgia)
Dad is identified as COURTNEY CHAUVEZ CRAIG. See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Georgia.
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/Douglas-County-dad-charged-in-connection-with-2-ye/nqdfq/
Douglas County dad charged in connection with 2-year-old son’s death
7:27 p.m. Friday, March 4, 2016 | Filed in: Local News
Douglasville police are investigating the death of a Louisiana toddler who was visiting his father in Georgia, authorities said Thursday.
Two-year-old King Davis was visiting his father Courtney Chauvez Craig, 23, when he was found dead Tuesday inside Craig’s Millwood Park in Douglasville. Responding Douglasville officers determined the child’s death to be suspicious.
Craig was arrested and charged with cruelty to children and felony murder in connection with the case.
King’s mother and other family members told Channel 2 Action that they just want answers.
“We’re not holding any grudges. We want closure. We want to know what happened to King,” grandmother Spanky Davis told the station.
Two other people were in the apartment when police arrived and found the boy, according to the police report obtained by Channel 2. "There were multiple people there. Somebody knows what happened. He was a 2-year-old baby. Somebody knows what happened and they're hiding it," said Giana Davis, an aunt.
Jafari Molyneaux, a friend of Craig's, said he just saw both father and son this past weekend, according to Channel 2. "He was a great father," Molyneaux told the station. "I know for a fact that Courtney did not do harm to this child, I know he didn't."
Craig is currently being held without bond in the Douglas County Adult Detention Center, Lt. Glenn Daniel, Douglas County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Authorities said an autopsy is being performed to determine the toddler’s cause of death.
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/Douglas-County-dad-charged-in-connection-with-2-ye/nqdfq/
Douglas County dad charged in connection with 2-year-old son’s death
7:27 p.m. Friday, March 4, 2016 | Filed in: Local News
Douglasville police are investigating the death of a Louisiana toddler who was visiting his father in Georgia, authorities said Thursday.
Two-year-old King Davis was visiting his father Courtney Chauvez Craig, 23, when he was found dead Tuesday inside Craig’s Millwood Park in Douglasville. Responding Douglasville officers determined the child’s death to be suspicious.
Craig was arrested and charged with cruelty to children and felony murder in connection with the case.
King’s mother and other family members told Channel 2 Action that they just want answers.
“We’re not holding any grudges. We want closure. We want to know what happened to King,” grandmother Spanky Davis told the station.
Two other people were in the apartment when police arrived and found the boy, according to the police report obtained by Channel 2. "There were multiple people there. Somebody knows what happened. He was a 2-year-old baby. Somebody knows what happened and they're hiding it," said Giana Davis, an aunt.
Jafari Molyneaux, a friend of Craig's, said he just saw both father and son this past weekend, according to Channel 2. "He was a great father," Molyneaux told the station. "I know for a fact that Courtney did not do harm to this child, I know he didn't."
Craig is currently being held without bond in the Douglas County Adult Detention Center, Lt. Glenn Daniel, Douglas County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Authorities said an autopsy is being performed to determine the toddler’s cause of death.
Friday, March 4, 2016
Dad charged with felony murder for killing 2-year-old son during weekend visitation (Douglasville, Georgia)
As usual, no explanation as to whether dad's "rights" were court-ordered, or who was responsible if they were. Dad is identified as COURTNEY CRAIG.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Georgia.
http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/100141947-story
Douglasville father charged with murdering toddler son
By: Nathalie Pozo
Posted:Mar 03 2016 04:58PM EST Updated:Mar 04 2016 01:58PM EST
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. - Investigators have released new information about the "suspicious" death of a toddler in Douglas County.
It happened at the Millwood Park Apartments located in the 8200 block of Duralee Lane in Douglasville on Tuesday.
Police said 2-year-old King Davis spent the weekend with his father, Courtney Craig, 23, and died while in his dad's custody. Detectives won't say how the child died, but said Craig is responsible. He's been charged with felony murder and cruelty to children.
King's mother's family told FOX 5 they are heartbroken and angry over the little boy's death.
One neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said she is surprised because she never saw a child coming in or out of the apartment. Another neighbor, Shirley Fulton, who lives downstairs, said she was at the apartment complex located on Durable Lane when police arrived.
"I seen a couple of police cars out there.I seen the mother breaking down I said it must be her child, but I did not know what was going on," said Fulton. "It is really sad."
Craig was booked into the Douglas County Adult Detention Center without bond. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office and Douglasville Police are investigating the death.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Georgia.
http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/100141947-story
Douglasville father charged with murdering toddler son
By: Nathalie Pozo
Posted:Mar 03 2016 04:58PM EST Updated:Mar 04 2016 01:58PM EST
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. - Investigators have released new information about the "suspicious" death of a toddler in Douglas County.
It happened at the Millwood Park Apartments located in the 8200 block of Duralee Lane in Douglasville on Tuesday.
Police said 2-year-old King Davis spent the weekend with his father, Courtney Craig, 23, and died while in his dad's custody. Detectives won't say how the child died, but said Craig is responsible. He's been charged with felony murder and cruelty to children.
King's mother's family told FOX 5 they are heartbroken and angry over the little boy's death.
One neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said she is surprised because she never saw a child coming in or out of the apartment. Another neighbor, Shirley Fulton, who lives downstairs, said she was at the apartment complex located on Durable Lane when police arrived.
"I seen a couple of police cars out there.I seen the mother breaking down I said it must be her child, but I did not know what was going on," said Fulton. "It is really sad."
Craig was booked into the Douglas County Adult Detention Center without bond. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office and Douglasville Police are investigating the death.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Dad convicted of murdering 19-month-old daughter during weeklong visitation (Macon, Georgia)
We've posted on this case before. Earlier coverage clarified that the "wife" was in fact the step mother, and that this murder took place during visitation. Dad is ANTWON DOREZ DAVIS.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Georgia.
http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article61351457.html
February 19, 2016 4:25 PM
Macon father sentenced to life in prison in toddler daughter's 2012 death
Antwon Davis, 24, of Macon, pleaded guilty to murder Friday in the 2012 death of his 19-month-old daughter.
By AMY LEIGH WOMACK
Breazia Davis was 19 months old when she was rushed to a Macon hospital and later declared dead.
Authorities later determined she'd died of blunt force trauma to her body and brain, Bibb County prosecutor Dorothy Hull said Friday.
Her father, 24-year-old Antwon Dorez Davis pleaded guilty to murder in his daughter's death Friday and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. He'll first be eligible for release after serving 30 years.
Breazia had been staying with Davis and his wife on Forest Hill Road for a little more than a week before Davis called for help Nov. 6, 2012. She'd stopped breathing.
When questioned by police, Davis admitted striking his daughter and he was arrested, Hull said.
Defense attorney John Carter said his client was pleading guilty because he felt it was in his "best interest."
Speaking before his sentence was announced, Davis said, "I think I didn't do enough to protect my child."
"It's something I'll have to live with," he said.
Davis urged others to "take heed" and "love your children."
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Georgia.
http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article61351457.html
February 19, 2016 4:25 PM
Macon father sentenced to life in prison in toddler daughter's 2012 death
Antwon Davis, 24, of Macon, pleaded guilty to murder Friday in the 2012 death of his 19-month-old daughter.
By AMY LEIGH WOMACK
Breazia Davis was 19 months old when she was rushed to a Macon hospital and later declared dead.
Authorities later determined she'd died of blunt force trauma to her body and brain, Bibb County prosecutor Dorothy Hull said Friday.
Her father, 24-year-old Antwon Dorez Davis pleaded guilty to murder in his daughter's death Friday and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. He'll first be eligible for release after serving 30 years.
Breazia had been staying with Davis and his wife on Forest Hill Road for a little more than a week before Davis called for help Nov. 6, 2012. She'd stopped breathing.
When questioned by police, Davis admitted striking his daughter and he was arrested, Hull said.
Defense attorney John Carter said his client was pleading guilty because he felt it was in his "best interest."
Speaking before his sentence was announced, Davis said, "I think I didn't do enough to protect my child."
"It's something I'll have to live with," he said.
Davis urged others to "take heed" and "love your children."
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Custodial dad with outstanding criminal warrants charged with aggravated manslaughter for suffocation death of 6-year-old son (Englewood, Florida)
Still no explanation (surprise!) as to how a father with a history of abuse (animal cruelty) and other criminal behavior managed to get custody of a young child, much less who gave it to him. What happened to this boy's mother? Why has she been erased from the story?
Very typical news story concerning an obviously custodial father (who is not openly identified as such, but clearly is) along with lots of airbrushing and erasure of key points as to how this apparent killer managed to secure access to his victim.
Dad is identified as JAMES DEARMAN.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Florida.
http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/69627562-story
Dad, girlfriend arrested in son's Christmas Eve death
Shayla Reaves reports
Posted:Jan 06 2016 05:27AM EST Updated:Jan 06 2016 10:29AM EST
ENGLEWOOD (FOX 13) - A man and his girlfriend are behind bars following the death of a 6-year-old boy this past Christmas Eve.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office says it happened at a home in Englewood, where 31-year-old James Dearman and his girlfriend, 22-year-old Ashley Cole, were playing video games that night.
According deputies, Dearman’s 6-year-old son and his 7-year-old sibling were in the room, and had been told to stand with their faces to the wall. But things turned violent when the youngest turned around to look at the television.
Investigators say Dearman got angry and forced his son to lie on the couch, on his side with the cushions covering his mouth.
"He then pinned his son against that part of the couch using his body weight and pressed against him. The child repeatedly told him he couldn't breathe and eventually became unconscious," said Captain John Walsh of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies say after his son passed out, Dearman and Cole went to smoke a cigarette in the garage before they called for help.
Dearman reportedly told first responders that his son was unconscious and had stopped breathing. The boy was pronounced dead at the hospital, where they also spotted bruising on his back.
Investigators arrested Dearman the following Monday, December 28, for outstanding animal cruelty and damage to property warrants out of Georgia. He was later charged with aggravated child abuse, which was then upgraded to aggravated manslaughter of a child on New Year’s Eve.
Deputies arrested Dearman’s girlfriend, Cole, on Monday, January 4, after investigators learned she may have helped hold the boy down during the incident. She’s been charged with principal to aggravated manslaughter of a child.
Very typical news story concerning an obviously custodial father (who is not openly identified as such, but clearly is) along with lots of airbrushing and erasure of key points as to how this apparent killer managed to secure access to his victim.
Dad is identified as JAMES DEARMAN.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Florida.
http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/69627562-story
Dad, girlfriend arrested in son's Christmas Eve death
Shayla Reaves reports
Posted:Jan 06 2016 05:27AM EST Updated:Jan 06 2016 10:29AM EST
ENGLEWOOD (FOX 13) - A man and his girlfriend are behind bars following the death of a 6-year-old boy this past Christmas Eve.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office says it happened at a home in Englewood, where 31-year-old James Dearman and his girlfriend, 22-year-old Ashley Cole, were playing video games that night.
According deputies, Dearman’s 6-year-old son and his 7-year-old sibling were in the room, and had been told to stand with their faces to the wall. But things turned violent when the youngest turned around to look at the television.
Investigators say Dearman got angry and forced his son to lie on the couch, on his side with the cushions covering his mouth.
"He then pinned his son against that part of the couch using his body weight and pressed against him. The child repeatedly told him he couldn't breathe and eventually became unconscious," said Captain John Walsh of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies say after his son passed out, Dearman and Cole went to smoke a cigarette in the garage before they called for help.
Dearman reportedly told first responders that his son was unconscious and had stopped breathing. The boy was pronounced dead at the hospital, where they also spotted bruising on his back.
Investigators arrested Dearman the following Monday, December 28, for outstanding animal cruelty and damage to property warrants out of Georgia. He was later charged with aggravated child abuse, which was then upgraded to aggravated manslaughter of a child on New Year’s Eve.
Deputies arrested Dearman’s girlfriend, Cole, on Monday, January 4, after investigators learned she may have helped hold the boy down during the incident. She’s been charged with principal to aggravated manslaughter of a child.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Canada to review US extradition of protective mom (Ottawa, Canada)
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/canada-to-review-us-extradition-of-mom-1.1963881
Canada to review US extradition of mom
24 December 2015 at 12:31pm
By: AFP
Ottawa - Canada's attorney general said on Wednesday she would review the case of a Canadian woman facing extradition to the United States for allegedly stealing her children from their abusive American father.
“I have decided to reconsider this case,” Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould said in a statement, citing possible new facts in the years-long domestic dispute.
The woman, known only as “M” in court documents, has been fighting extradition since her arrest in 2010, and reportedly went on a brief hunger strike after Canada's top court ruled earlier this month that she could be sent to the US state of Georgia to face prosecution for interstate interference of a child custody order.
“M” and her former husband had three children before they divorced in 2001.
He was granted sole custody of the children while she received no visitation rights due to a substance abuse problem.
In October 2010 their father reported the children, who were 9, 10 and 14 years old at the time, missing.
Several weeks later, they turned up with their mother at a battered women's shelter in Quebec, and she was arrested.
But the children told Canadian child protection officials they ran away without their mother's knowledge and because of their father's abusive treatment and violence.
A Quebec judge would later grant the mother full custody of her children, which has not been challenged by their father.
The Supreme Court of Canada 4-3 split decision found extradition was justified in the case.
But dissenting justices wrote that the mother could not be found guilty on the abduction charge “since her intent was to protect the children from danger of imminent harm at the hands of their father.”
http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/canada-to-review-us-extradition-of-mom-1.1963881
Canada to review US extradition of mom
24 December 2015 at 12:31pm
By: AFP
Ottawa - Canada's attorney general said on Wednesday she would review the case of a Canadian woman facing extradition to the United States for allegedly stealing her children from their abusive American father.
“I have decided to reconsider this case,” Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould said in a statement, citing possible new facts in the years-long domestic dispute.
The woman, known only as “M” in court documents, has been fighting extradition since her arrest in 2010, and reportedly went on a brief hunger strike after Canada's top court ruled earlier this month that she could be sent to the US state of Georgia to face prosecution for interstate interference of a child custody order.
“M” and her former husband had three children before they divorced in 2001.
He was granted sole custody of the children while she received no visitation rights due to a substance abuse problem.
In October 2010 their father reported the children, who were 9, 10 and 14 years old at the time, missing.
Several weeks later, they turned up with their mother at a battered women's shelter in Quebec, and she was arrested.
But the children told Canadian child protection officials they ran away without their mother's knowledge and because of their father's abusive treatment and violence.
A Quebec judge would later grant the mother full custody of her children, which has not been challenged by their father.
The Supreme Court of Canada 4-3 split decision found extradition was justified in the case.
But dissenting justices wrote that the mother could not be found guilty on the abduction charge “since her intent was to protect the children from danger of imminent harm at the hands of their father.”
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Custodial dad sentenced to life in prison for beating death of 12-year-old son (Paulding County, Georgia)
We've posted on this case several times over the last two years. And sure enough, the fact that SHAYAA FORBES was a custodial father has been erased by the time he is sentenced. The fact that CPS enabled his crimes for years--also erased. The fact that Daddy got custody despite a history of domestic violence--also erased. See here for past posts.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for the State of Georgia.
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/judge-sentences-dad-life-prison-without-parole-aft/npJ8C/
Posted: 3:41 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, 2015
Dad sentenced to life in prison for beating son to death
PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — A local father will spend the rest of his life in prison for the beating death of his 12-year-old son.
Channel 2 Action News had the only camera in the courtroom as a judge handed down the sentence.
Channel 2's Aaron Diamant says this is one of the most horrific cases of child abuse he's ever covered.
In court, prosecutors said Eric Forbes, 12, lived his life in constant fear and pain.
They described his father as an unremorseful liar who mercilessly pounded his defenseless son for years.
Rickee Forbes shrieked just minutes after a Paulding County judge sentence her son, Shayaa Forbes, to life in prison without parole.
"I'm shocked by what I heard here today as to what a human being can do to another human being for whatever reasons,” Judge Kenneth Vison said.
Earlier, Shayaa Forbes pleaded guilty to beating his son, Eric, to death in 2013 in their Acworth home.
Prosecutors told the judge Eric Forbes endured years of severe physical abuse by his father.
"He has no chance for parole. He has no chance at life because of the actions of the defendant. I'm asking that you hold him accountable,” prosecutor David Lyles said.
It took Lyles nearly an hour to list evidence of more than 100 recent and historic injuries discovered during Eric Forbes's autopsy.
"The first time I tried to get through it, I didn't finish it. There are literally are too many injuries on there to really comprehend,” Lyles said.
Shayaa Forbes' lawyers put up a couple character witnesses and read a statement from him
"I would like to give my deepest and sincerest apologies to my family," the lawyer said.
Eric Forbes' aunt seemed pleased with the sentence. "Losing my nephew is really no justice. If he's life in prison, then still, I'm still without my nephew. I'll never see him again,” Carrie Majors said.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for the State of Georgia.
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/judge-sentences-dad-life-prison-without-parole-aft/npJ8C/
Posted: 3:41 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, 2015
Dad sentenced to life in prison for beating son to death
PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — A local father will spend the rest of his life in prison for the beating death of his 12-year-old son.
Channel 2 Action News had the only camera in the courtroom as a judge handed down the sentence.
Channel 2's Aaron Diamant says this is one of the most horrific cases of child abuse he's ever covered.
In court, prosecutors said Eric Forbes, 12, lived his life in constant fear and pain.
They described his father as an unremorseful liar who mercilessly pounded his defenseless son for years.
Rickee Forbes shrieked just minutes after a Paulding County judge sentence her son, Shayaa Forbes, to life in prison without parole.
"I'm shocked by what I heard here today as to what a human being can do to another human being for whatever reasons,” Judge Kenneth Vison said.
Earlier, Shayaa Forbes pleaded guilty to beating his son, Eric, to death in 2013 in their Acworth home.
Prosecutors told the judge Eric Forbes endured years of severe physical abuse by his father.
"He has no chance for parole. He has no chance at life because of the actions of the defendant. I'm asking that you hold him accountable,” prosecutor David Lyles said.
It took Lyles nearly an hour to list evidence of more than 100 recent and historic injuries discovered during Eric Forbes's autopsy.
"The first time I tried to get through it, I didn't finish it. There are literally are too many injuries on there to really comprehend,” Lyles said.
Shayaa Forbes' lawyers put up a couple character witnesses and read a statement from him
"I would like to give my deepest and sincerest apologies to my family," the lawyer said.
Eric Forbes' aunt seemed pleased with the sentence. "Losing my nephew is really no justice. If he's life in prison, then still, I'm still without my nephew. I'll never see him again,” Carrie Majors said.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
"Primary caretaker" dad pleads guilty to involutary manslaughter in death of 3-month-old son; threw baby into because he was "frustrated" (Macon, Georgia)
Dad is identified as RICHARD ALLEN HICKS.
http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article38849418.html
Macon father sentenced to prison in infant son’s 2012 death
Richard Allen Hicks, 28, of Macon, pleaded guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the 2012 death of his infant son, Desmond.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by two years on probation.
By AMY LEIGH WOMACK
A little more than two years after Richard Allen Hicks was injured in a grenade attack in Iraq, he was charged with murder in the death of his 3-month-old son.
Hicks had served about five years in the U.S. Army.
After receiving the purple heart and other awards, he was honorably discharged in July 2011, his lawyer, Mark Beberman said during a Monday hearing in Bibb County Superior Court.
After finding it difficult to land a job, Hicks became the primary caregiver for his three children.
July 14, 2012, the mother of his youngest child, 3-month-old Desmond, came home and found the boy seemingly asleep on Hicks’ chest, said prosecutor Kevin Ströberg.
“She picked up Desmond and he wasn’t responsive. He wasn’t breathing,” Ströberg said.
After an unsuccessful attempt to revive the child by CPR, he was rushed to a local hospital where doctors discovered he had a fractured skull and a brain bleed.
The boy’s ribs also were fractured, Ströberg said.
Desmond was declared brain dead two days later, Ströberg said.
Hicks, 28, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Monday as part of an agreement with prosecutors.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by two years on probation.
Once released, Hicks also must complete Bibb County’s Veterans Court program as a condition of his probation.
Ströberg said Hicks initially denied knowing his son was ill, but later admitted he threw him into a bassinet after becoming “frustrated” by the child’s crying.
The injuries Desmond suffered couldn’t have been the result of an accident unless he’d “fallen from a height of two stories,” Ströberg said.
Had the case gone to trial, Beberman said he would have argued that Desmond’s death was an accident and his client suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The boy’s head struck a plastic music box attached to the bassinet, likely causing a slow brain bleed, he said.
Children suffering such an injury have been known to cry at first, but then get quiet and go to sleep and show no outward signs that something’s wrong as the brain swells, Beberman said.
There’s a good chance the rib injuries are a result of the CPR attempt, he said.
Hicks has been held at the county jail since his July 16, 2012, arrest, according to jail records.
http://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article38849418.html
Macon father sentenced to prison in infant son’s 2012 death
Richard Allen Hicks, 28, of Macon, pleaded guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the 2012 death of his infant son, Desmond.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by two years on probation.
By AMY LEIGH WOMACK
A little more than two years after Richard Allen Hicks was injured in a grenade attack in Iraq, he was charged with murder in the death of his 3-month-old son.
Hicks had served about five years in the U.S. Army.
After receiving the purple heart and other awards, he was honorably discharged in July 2011, his lawyer, Mark Beberman said during a Monday hearing in Bibb County Superior Court.
After finding it difficult to land a job, Hicks became the primary caregiver for his three children.
July 14, 2012, the mother of his youngest child, 3-month-old Desmond, came home and found the boy seemingly asleep on Hicks’ chest, said prosecutor Kevin Ströberg.
“She picked up Desmond and he wasn’t responsive. He wasn’t breathing,” Ströberg said.
After an unsuccessful attempt to revive the child by CPR, he was rushed to a local hospital where doctors discovered he had a fractured skull and a brain bleed.
The boy’s ribs also were fractured, Ströberg said.
Desmond was declared brain dead two days later, Ströberg said.
Hicks, 28, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Monday as part of an agreement with prosecutors.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by two years on probation.
Once released, Hicks also must complete Bibb County’s Veterans Court program as a condition of his probation.
Ströberg said Hicks initially denied knowing his son was ill, but later admitted he threw him into a bassinet after becoming “frustrated” by the child’s crying.
The injuries Desmond suffered couldn’t have been the result of an accident unless he’d “fallen from a height of two stories,” Ströberg said.
Had the case gone to trial, Beberman said he would have argued that Desmond’s death was an accident and his client suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The boy’s head struck a plastic music box attached to the bassinet, likely causing a slow brain bleed, he said.
Children suffering such an injury have been known to cry at first, but then get quiet and go to sleep and show no outward signs that something’s wrong as the brain swells, Beberman said.
There’s a good chance the rib injuries are a result of the CPR attempt, he said.
Hicks has been held at the county jail since his July 16, 2012, arrest, according to jail records.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Dad charged with felony murder in death of 10-week-old son (Lawrenceville, Georgia)
Poor mom. She's the mother of 10-week-old baby, forced to work the night shift. This is inhumane, the way mothers and infants are treated. Inadequate or non-existent paid maternity leaves. Forced to rely on violent men to do infant caregiving. And this is what happens so often....
Dad is identified as KELVIN ODOM.
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2015/sep/10/lawrenceville-father-charged-with-murder-in/
Lawrenceville father charged with murder in infant’s death
By Joshua Sharpe Thursday, September 10, 2015 Gwinnett Daily Post
Police are now calling 10-week-old Justice Odom’s death a murder.
They have charged his father, Kelvin Odom, 50, of Lawrenceville with felony murder, on top of the cruelty to children count he was initially given before the child died Sunday. The decision came after the medical examiner’s office found that the baby’s head injuries weren’t “consistent with the story the suspect has given us,” said Cpl. Michele Pihera, spokeswoman for Gwinnett County police.
The story is that the child fell off the couch last Wednesday morning.
Some are coming to the defense of Odom, who is a boxing instructor.
Andrea Muresan, who said she is a sergeant in the U.S. Army, told the Daily Post in an email she has known the man through boxing for more than six years and that he “is not only a great guy, but a great father.”
“We are very close and all I can say coach loves his children more than anything in this world. He is a positive face to the community,” she said. “I’m not here to take sides because a 10-week-old just passed away due to serious head injuries, and I have a 10-week-old myself…”
Yet, she said she can’t imagine Odom is capable of hurting the boy. # Warrants against Odom, however, say he acted maliciously toward the infant.
Police and firefighters were called to the Odom apartment at the Water Vista complex off Club Drive last Wednesday morning at about 4:30 a.m. in response to a call saying Justice wasn’t breathing. By the time they arrived, the child was reportedly breathing and appeared normal.
Odom declined to send him to the hospital, police said.
At about 7:40 a.m., the child’s mother came home from work and noticed the child having “breathing problems and altered color,” police said.
Later, at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, police reportedly learned that Justice had a fractured skull and closed head trauma.
Odom, with a tattoo of a boxing glove and “KO” on his bicep, was booked into the Gwinnett County jail last Thursday morning at 3 a.m and remains held without bond.
Dad is identified as KELVIN ODOM.
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2015/sep/10/lawrenceville-father-charged-with-murder-in/
Lawrenceville father charged with murder in infant’s death
By Joshua Sharpe Thursday, September 10, 2015 Gwinnett Daily Post
Police are now calling 10-week-old Justice Odom’s death a murder.
They have charged his father, Kelvin Odom, 50, of Lawrenceville with felony murder, on top of the cruelty to children count he was initially given before the child died Sunday. The decision came after the medical examiner’s office found that the baby’s head injuries weren’t “consistent with the story the suspect has given us,” said Cpl. Michele Pihera, spokeswoman for Gwinnett County police.
The story is that the child fell off the couch last Wednesday morning.
Some are coming to the defense of Odom, who is a boxing instructor.
Andrea Muresan, who said she is a sergeant in the U.S. Army, told the Daily Post in an email she has known the man through boxing for more than six years and that he “is not only a great guy, but a great father.”
“We are very close and all I can say coach loves his children more than anything in this world. He is a positive face to the community,” she said. “I’m not here to take sides because a 10-week-old just passed away due to serious head injuries, and I have a 10-week-old myself…”
Yet, she said she can’t imagine Odom is capable of hurting the boy. # Warrants against Odom, however, say he acted maliciously toward the infant.
Police and firefighters were called to the Odom apartment at the Water Vista complex off Club Drive last Wednesday morning at about 4:30 a.m. in response to a call saying Justice wasn’t breathing. By the time they arrived, the child was reportedly breathing and appeared normal.
Odom declined to send him to the hospital, police said.
At about 7:40 a.m., the child’s mother came home from work and noticed the child having “breathing problems and altered color,” police said.
Later, at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, police reportedly learned that Justice had a fractured skull and closed head trauma.
Odom, with a tattoo of a boxing glove and “KO” on his bicep, was booked into the Gwinnett County jail last Thursday morning at 3 a.m and remains held without bond.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Girlfriend of cusodial dad accused of murdering 5-week-old baby (Washington, Georgia)
Here's the question that's not being asked: Why is a five-week-old infant, basically a newborn, being subjected to any custody situation with Daddy and his new girlfriend?
Newborns need loving, consistent care--preferably with their mom. They don't need to be passed around and subjected to Daddy's resentful new girlfriend, who no doubt didn't like getting stuck with caretaking duties for a baby she is not the mother of.
Mothers need to have sole custody, and daddies need to butt out.
http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/Arrest-made-in-the-death-of-a-five-week-old-baby-in-Wilkes-County-323129201.html
UPDATE| Woman accused of murder of a five week old baby in Wilkes County makes first appearance
Posted: Fri 4:06 PM, Aug 28, 2015 By: staff
The woman accused of murder of a five week-old infant made her first appearance in court, according to the Wilkes County Sheriff
Friday, August 28, 2015
WASHINGTON, Ga. (WRDW) -- The woman accused of murder of a five week-old infant made her first appearance in court, according to the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office.
Wilkes County Sheriff Deputies say Takela Jones appeared in Magistrate Court earlier Friday. Jones will remain in custody, according to deputies.
The case will be sent to Wilkes County Superior Court for Jones' bond hearing, according to the Sheriff's Office.
According to investigators, Takela Jones, 21, was arrested and charged with murder. She is the girlfriend of the child's biological father Michael Wylie.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
WASHINGTON, Ga. (WRDW) -- A Wilkes County woman is facing charges for the murder of a five week old infant.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says on Monday, August 24 around 11:30 p.m., someone called 911 in reference to a unresponsive five week old infant, Sidney Lewis.
EMS took the baby from a home on Norman St. to Willis Memorial Hospital where she died a short time later.
The GBI Thomson Office was contacted on the morning on Tuesday, August 25 to assist Wilkes County Deputies with the suspicious death of the infant.
The GBI Medical Examiner's Office says it conducted an autopsy and determined the cause of death to be homicide as a result of severe intentional head injuries.
Investigators say Takela Jones, 21, was arrested and charged with murder.
She is the girlfriend of the child's biological father Michael Wylie.
The GBI and the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office are continuing the investigation.
Newborns need loving, consistent care--preferably with their mom. They don't need to be passed around and subjected to Daddy's resentful new girlfriend, who no doubt didn't like getting stuck with caretaking duties for a baby she is not the mother of.
Mothers need to have sole custody, and daddies need to butt out.
http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/Arrest-made-in-the-death-of-a-five-week-old-baby-in-Wilkes-County-323129201.html
UPDATE| Woman accused of murder of a five week old baby in Wilkes County makes first appearance
Posted: Fri 4:06 PM, Aug 28, 2015 By: staff
The woman accused of murder of a five week-old infant made her first appearance in court, according to the Wilkes County Sheriff
Friday, August 28, 2015
WASHINGTON, Ga. (WRDW) -- The woman accused of murder of a five week-old infant made her first appearance in court, according to the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office.
Wilkes County Sheriff Deputies say Takela Jones appeared in Magistrate Court earlier Friday. Jones will remain in custody, according to deputies.
The case will be sent to Wilkes County Superior Court for Jones' bond hearing, according to the Sheriff's Office.
According to investigators, Takela Jones, 21, was arrested and charged with murder. She is the girlfriend of the child's biological father Michael Wylie.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
WASHINGTON, Ga. (WRDW) -- A Wilkes County woman is facing charges for the murder of a five week old infant.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says on Monday, August 24 around 11:30 p.m., someone called 911 in reference to a unresponsive five week old infant, Sidney Lewis.
EMS took the baby from a home on Norman St. to Willis Memorial Hospital where she died a short time later.
The GBI Thomson Office was contacted on the morning on Tuesday, August 25 to assist Wilkes County Deputies with the suspicious death of the infant.
The GBI Medical Examiner's Office says it conducted an autopsy and determined the cause of death to be homicide as a result of severe intentional head injuries.
Investigators say Takela Jones, 21, was arrested and charged with murder.
She is the girlfriend of the child's biological father Michael Wylie.
The GBI and the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office are continuing the investigation.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Custodial dad gets life without parole in torture-murder of 10-year-old daughter (Gwinnett, Georgia)
As so often happens, that this murder involved a violent custodial father who was coddled and protected by CPS has been neatly erased. Also notice the Clueless Daddy/Wicked Stepmother schtick--very common in these cases.
Dad is identified as EMAN MOSS.
See our past posts. And the Killer Dads and Custody list for the state of Georgia.
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/gwinnett-dad-gets-life-without-parole-in-emani-mos/nnKfK/
Gwinnett dad gets life without parole in Emani Moss’ death
5:55 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, 2015 |
Nearly two years after her emaciated and burned body was found in a trash can outside her Gwinnett County apartment, Emani Moss’ father apologized Friday to “my beautiful princess, my first born, my baby girl” for his role in her tragic death.
“Daddy made a terrible mistake, and he is very sorry from the bottom of my heart,” Eman Moss read from a letter to his 10-year-old daughter during a sentencing hearing.
Moss, who pleaded guilty to murder in June, was then given life without parole.
As part of a plea deal, Moss has agreed to testify against his wife and Emani’s stepmother, Tiffany Moss, who prosecutors believe was the real force behind the child’s abuse and starvation death.
Emani weighed just 32 pounds when her body was pulled from the garbage on Nov. 2, 2013.
District Attorney Danny Porter has said it was always the prosecution’s contention that Tiffany Moss made sure her own two children were fed and clothed properly and that she starved her stepdaughter intentionally.
Eman Moss worked two jobs and was seldom home, the prosecution said. The father was described as a passive participant in the crime, one who failed to protect his biological daughter despite the abuse.
The case brought renewed scrutiny to Georgia’s child welfare system. The state fired two employees and punished four others, finding that employees and supervisors with the Division of Family and Children Services failed to assess the risks to Emani or to properly review the family’s troubled history.
In trying to make a case for a sentence of life with parole, Eman Moss’s lawyer, Christian Lamar, told the judge Friday that his client was not “a monster” but a father guilty of gross negligence.
Lamar said Tiffany Moss convinced her husband that if they sought medical care for Emani or went to the authorities, they would lose custody of their other children.
Lamar said Eman Moss tried to save his daughter’s life.
“He was trying to turn back the clock on something that he couldn’t because she was dying,” Lamar told the judge.
On the day his daughter’s body was found, police said Eman Moss called the authorities, threatening suicide. When officers arrived, he directed them to the trash can where they found his daughter’s charred body.
Eman Moss and Tiffany Moss both faced the death penalty when they entered not guilty pleas last year to their murder charges. The prosecutor recommended life without parole for the father in exchange for his testimony against his wife.
Porter has said the case warrants the death penalty because torture was involved. According to arrest warrants, Emani had been kept from eating for as many as a dozen days.
Gwinnett County Superior Court records obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution showed the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services agreed to a plea deal by then-Tiffany Nicole Brown that would give her five years’ probation on child cruelty charges for beating Emani in March 2010.
The trial for now Tiffany Moss has not been set, but it isn’t expected to start before next year, according to the prosecution.
In the letter he read to Emani on Friday, Eman Moss also addressed family and friends, and Gwinnett County, before being taken to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
“I hope everyone can find it in their heart to forgive me.”
Dad is identified as EMAN MOSS.
See our past posts. And the Killer Dads and Custody list for the state of Georgia.
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/gwinnett-dad-gets-life-without-parole-in-emani-mos/nnKfK/
Gwinnett dad gets life without parole in Emani Moss’ death
5:55 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, 2015 |
Nearly two years after her emaciated and burned body was found in a trash can outside her Gwinnett County apartment, Emani Moss’ father apologized Friday to “my beautiful princess, my first born, my baby girl” for his role in her tragic death.
“Daddy made a terrible mistake, and he is very sorry from the bottom of my heart,” Eman Moss read from a letter to his 10-year-old daughter during a sentencing hearing.
Moss, who pleaded guilty to murder in June, was then given life without parole.
As part of a plea deal, Moss has agreed to testify against his wife and Emani’s stepmother, Tiffany Moss, who prosecutors believe was the real force behind the child’s abuse and starvation death.
Emani weighed just 32 pounds when her body was pulled from the garbage on Nov. 2, 2013.
District Attorney Danny Porter has said it was always the prosecution’s contention that Tiffany Moss made sure her own two children were fed and clothed properly and that she starved her stepdaughter intentionally.
Eman Moss worked two jobs and was seldom home, the prosecution said. The father was described as a passive participant in the crime, one who failed to protect his biological daughter despite the abuse.
The case brought renewed scrutiny to Georgia’s child welfare system. The state fired two employees and punished four others, finding that employees and supervisors with the Division of Family and Children Services failed to assess the risks to Emani or to properly review the family’s troubled history.
In trying to make a case for a sentence of life with parole, Eman Moss’s lawyer, Christian Lamar, told the judge Friday that his client was not “a monster” but a father guilty of gross negligence.
Lamar said Tiffany Moss convinced her husband that if they sought medical care for Emani or went to the authorities, they would lose custody of their other children.
Lamar said Eman Moss tried to save his daughter’s life.
“He was trying to turn back the clock on something that he couldn’t because she was dying,” Lamar told the judge.
On the day his daughter’s body was found, police said Eman Moss called the authorities, threatening suicide. When officers arrived, he directed them to the trash can where they found his daughter’s charred body.
Eman Moss and Tiffany Moss both faced the death penalty when they entered not guilty pleas last year to their murder charges. The prosecutor recommended life without parole for the father in exchange for his testimony against his wife.
Porter has said the case warrants the death penalty because torture was involved. According to arrest warrants, Emani had been kept from eating for as many as a dozen days.
Gwinnett County Superior Court records obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution showed the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services agreed to a plea deal by then-Tiffany Nicole Brown that would give her five years’ probation on child cruelty charges for beating Emani in March 2010.
The trial for now Tiffany Moss has not been set, but it isn’t expected to start before next year, according to the prosecution.
In the letter he read to Emani on Friday, Eman Moss also addressed family and friends, and Gwinnett County, before being taken to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
“I hope everyone can find it in their heart to forgive me.”
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Dad on trial for murder of 8-month-old son (Columbus, Georgia)
A very typical pattern. Mom has to work, so deadbeat daddy appointed to be the caretaker. Moron can't take ordinary infantile crying, so he bashes the baby. Then he can't even bother to get medical help. That becomes the traumatized mother's job. Happens again and again....
Dad is identified as ERIC HINKSON.
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2015/07/23/3826656_murder-trial-jury-deliberating.html?rh=1
Murder trial: Jury deliberating father's fate in death of 8-month-old
By TIM CHITWOOD
July 23, 2015
A jury of seven men and five women Friday will resume deliberating the murder case against Shane Eric Hinkson after attorneys made their closing arguments Thursday about the death of Hinkson’s 8-month-old son in January 2012.
Jurors began deliberating at 2:45 p.m. Thursday and stopped at 5 p.m., though they spent part of that time reviewing a video recording of Hinkson’s interview with police the New Year’s Day his then-fiance rushed their child to St. Francis Hospital with a severe head injury. The boy named Alexander Cabanayan died at a pediatric trauma center in Atlanta on Jan. 6, 2012.
Attorneys presented the jury with two competing scenarios in their closings:
The defense claimed that if Hinkson injured his son, he did so purely by accident, and may have only exacerbated an existing ailment the child sustained elsewhere.
The prosecution maintained the evidence that Hinkson deliberately threw the child down in a fit of anger was clear, as was his failure to seek immediate medical care when he discovered the baby was hurt.
“If only the defendant had called 911,” prosecutor William Hocutt IV told jurors. Instead Hinkson called the baby’s mother, Jennifer Cabanayan, who was working at Peachtree Mall, and told her “something bad had happened” and she needed to come to his Antietam Drive apartment.
She did not have a car, and had to have a coworker drive her there. Testimony showed Hinkson called her at 1:55 p.m. and she got to the hospital an hour later. If “every second matters” in a medical emergency, then think how many Hinkson wasted, Hocutt said: “The defendant delayed hundreds if not thousands of seconds.”
Defense attorney David Wolfe said what happened to the baby was nothing more than an accident that led to criminal charges. “You’ve heard the expression ‘you can indict a ham sandwich.’ The real expression is, ‘you can indict a ham sandwich for killing the pig,’” Wolfe told jurors, later adding, “There is nothing ‘grand’ about a ‘grand jury.’ I want you to know that.”
Wolfe said prosecutors were alleging Hinkson grabbed the baby under the chin and slammed him onto a bed: “That’s their theory now. That’s the thing they’re going to try to prove to you.”
The attorney said he had two children he used to throw up in the air and catch, and toss onto a bed. He looks at Hinkson and thinks, “There but for the grace of God go I,” he said.
He reiterated his theory that the infant would have survived had he got adequate emergency care at a level-1 trauma center — which Columbus does not have — but doctors at St. Francis Hospital failed to maintain the baby’s oxygen flow, accelerating his rapid decline.
He told jurors they had to find Hinkson not guilty if this resulted from an accident, and “that is precisely what we have here.”
Said Hocutt: “This was no accident. He intended to hurt that child.” Hinkson was angry because his fiancé went out with friends on New Year’s Eve and left him with the child, who wouldn’t stop crying as the parents overnight exchanged 79 heated text messages.
“He was stewing and stewing and stewing,” Hocutt said. “He picked that baby up right here and slammed him on the bed…. He kept doing it until that baby shut up, because he was tired of that baby crying.”
He referred to remarks Hinkson made later to police. Then an Army sergeant, Hinkson had returned from service in Iraq about a year earlier, and he was finding it hard to sleep and to control his temper.
In his recorded interview with police, he made remarks such as, “I got angry,” “I just lost it,” and “Sometimes I can’t control myself,” Hocutt noted, asking jurors, “Does that sound like an accident?” Of Wolfe’s claiming emergency room staff failed to maintain the baby’s oxygen flow, Hocutt countered that testing during the child’s treatment showed no drop in his oxygen levels.
The prosecutor noted also that three doctors testified the child died of abusive head injury, and even a physician testifying for the defense agreed that slamming a baby down on a bed could cause such trauma.
The jury must render a verdict on each of the five counts Hinkson’s charged with: malice or intentional murder; felony murder for allegedly killing the baby while committing aggravated assault; felony murder for allegedly killing the child while committing first-degree child cruelty; aggravated assault; and first-degree child cruelty.
The jury is to resume deliberating the case at 9 a.m. in Judge Frank Jordan Jr.’s Government Center court.
Dad is identified as ERIC HINKSON.
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2015/07/23/3826656_murder-trial-jury-deliberating.html?rh=1
Murder trial: Jury deliberating father's fate in death of 8-month-old
By TIM CHITWOOD
July 23, 2015
A jury of seven men and five women Friday will resume deliberating the murder case against Shane Eric Hinkson after attorneys made their closing arguments Thursday about the death of Hinkson’s 8-month-old son in January 2012.
Jurors began deliberating at 2:45 p.m. Thursday and stopped at 5 p.m., though they spent part of that time reviewing a video recording of Hinkson’s interview with police the New Year’s Day his then-fiance rushed their child to St. Francis Hospital with a severe head injury. The boy named Alexander Cabanayan died at a pediatric trauma center in Atlanta on Jan. 6, 2012.
Attorneys presented the jury with two competing scenarios in their closings:
The defense claimed that if Hinkson injured his son, he did so purely by accident, and may have only exacerbated an existing ailment the child sustained elsewhere.
The prosecution maintained the evidence that Hinkson deliberately threw the child down in a fit of anger was clear, as was his failure to seek immediate medical care when he discovered the baby was hurt.
“If only the defendant had called 911,” prosecutor William Hocutt IV told jurors. Instead Hinkson called the baby’s mother, Jennifer Cabanayan, who was working at Peachtree Mall, and told her “something bad had happened” and she needed to come to his Antietam Drive apartment.
She did not have a car, and had to have a coworker drive her there. Testimony showed Hinkson called her at 1:55 p.m. and she got to the hospital an hour later. If “every second matters” in a medical emergency, then think how many Hinkson wasted, Hocutt said: “The defendant delayed hundreds if not thousands of seconds.”
Defense attorney David Wolfe said what happened to the baby was nothing more than an accident that led to criminal charges. “You’ve heard the expression ‘you can indict a ham sandwich.’ The real expression is, ‘you can indict a ham sandwich for killing the pig,’” Wolfe told jurors, later adding, “There is nothing ‘grand’ about a ‘grand jury.’ I want you to know that.”
Wolfe said prosecutors were alleging Hinkson grabbed the baby under the chin and slammed him onto a bed: “That’s their theory now. That’s the thing they’re going to try to prove to you.”
The attorney said he had two children he used to throw up in the air and catch, and toss onto a bed. He looks at Hinkson and thinks, “There but for the grace of God go I,” he said.
He reiterated his theory that the infant would have survived had he got adequate emergency care at a level-1 trauma center — which Columbus does not have — but doctors at St. Francis Hospital failed to maintain the baby’s oxygen flow, accelerating his rapid decline.
He told jurors they had to find Hinkson not guilty if this resulted from an accident, and “that is precisely what we have here.”
Said Hocutt: “This was no accident. He intended to hurt that child.” Hinkson was angry because his fiancé went out with friends on New Year’s Eve and left him with the child, who wouldn’t stop crying as the parents overnight exchanged 79 heated text messages.
“He was stewing and stewing and stewing,” Hocutt said. “He picked that baby up right here and slammed him on the bed…. He kept doing it until that baby shut up, because he was tired of that baby crying.”
He referred to remarks Hinkson made later to police. Then an Army sergeant, Hinkson had returned from service in Iraq about a year earlier, and he was finding it hard to sleep and to control his temper.
In his recorded interview with police, he made remarks such as, “I got angry,” “I just lost it,” and “Sometimes I can’t control myself,” Hocutt noted, asking jurors, “Does that sound like an accident?” Of Wolfe’s claiming emergency room staff failed to maintain the baby’s oxygen flow, Hocutt countered that testing during the child’s treatment showed no drop in his oxygen levels.
The prosecutor noted also that three doctors testified the child died of abusive head injury, and even a physician testifying for the defense agreed that slamming a baby down on a bed could cause such trauma.
The jury must render a verdict on each of the five counts Hinkson’s charged with: malice or intentional murder; felony murder for allegedly killing the baby while committing aggravated assault; felony murder for allegedly killing the child while committing first-degree child cruelty; aggravated assault; and first-degree child cruelty.
The jury is to resume deliberating the case at 9 a.m. in Judge Frank Jordan Jr.’s Government Center court.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Death of teen boy severely abused by father in infancy ruled a homicide (Augusta, Georgia)
Dad is identified as JERRY LEE HOOD.
http://www.41nbc.com/story/d/story/death-of-teen-with-shaken-baby-syndrome-ruled-a-ho/20579/iEpOo-RUo02v543a4AV5bg
Death of teen with shaken baby syndrome ruled a homicide
07/22/2015 04:38 PM 07/22/2015 04:38 PM
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The death of an Augusta teenager who suffered from shaken baby syndrome dating back to 1999 has been ruled a homicide.
Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen tells The Augusta Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1CUBxTl) that the results of a Georgia Bureau of Investigation autopsy were returned last week, determining that 16-year-old September Watson died on Feb. 22 as the result of a brain injury she suffered 16 years ago.
Watson's father Jerry Lee Hood received a 20-year sentence in 2000 after being convicted of cruelty to children and aggravated battery for violently shaking Watson as an infant. Prosecutors said the incident caused Watson to become a quadriplegic.
Assistant District Attorney Natalie Paine told the newspaper it is too early to say if new charges will be filed against Hood.
http://www.41nbc.com/story/d/story/death-of-teen-with-shaken-baby-syndrome-ruled-a-ho/20579/iEpOo-RUo02v543a4AV5bg
Death of teen with shaken baby syndrome ruled a homicide
07/22/2015 04:38 PM 07/22/2015 04:38 PM
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The death of an Augusta teenager who suffered from shaken baby syndrome dating back to 1999 has been ruled a homicide.
Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen tells The Augusta Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1CUBxTl) that the results of a Georgia Bureau of Investigation autopsy were returned last week, determining that 16-year-old September Watson died on Feb. 22 as the result of a brain injury she suffered 16 years ago.
Watson's father Jerry Lee Hood received a 20-year sentence in 2000 after being convicted of cruelty to children and aggravated battery for violently shaking Watson as an infant. Prosecutors said the incident caused Watson to become a quadriplegic.
Assistant District Attorney Natalie Paine told the newspaper it is too early to say if new charges will be filed against Hood.
Monday, June 29, 2015
Dad arrested for abuse of 11-week-old daughter; baby in critical condition (Douglas, Georgia)
Dad is identified as FERRIS BATTLE.
http://www.wfxl.com/news/story.aspx?id=1223354
Father charged for injuring 11-week-old daughter
by Sasha Lenninger Posted: 06.27.2015 at 6:57 PM
Sasha Lenninger is a Reporter/Producer for Good Day.
The Douglas Police Department said last Saturday they were called about a possible child abuse case.
DOUGLAS, GA. -- The Douglas Police Department said last Saturday they were called about a possible child abuse case.
An 11-week-old had two fractures to her skull, multiple fractured ribs and a fractured leg. The child was taken to a hospital in Jacksonville where she remains in critical condition.
Doctors ruled her injures non-accidental and officials discovered she was with her father, 28-year-old Ferris Battle, when the injures happened.
Battle was arrested Friday and has been charged with aggravated battery (family violence) and cruelty to children in the first degree.
Battle is at the Duval County Sheriff’s Office awaiting extradition back to Douglas.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Douglas Police Department at 912-384-2222 or leave a tip at 912-260-3600.
http://www.wfxl.com/news/story.aspx?id=1223354
Father charged for injuring 11-week-old daughter
by Sasha Lenninger Posted: 06.27.2015 at 6:57 PM
Sasha Lenninger is a Reporter/Producer for Good Day.
The Douglas Police Department said last Saturday they were called about a possible child abuse case.
DOUGLAS, GA. -- The Douglas Police Department said last Saturday they were called about a possible child abuse case.
An 11-week-old had two fractures to her skull, multiple fractured ribs and a fractured leg. The child was taken to a hospital in Jacksonville where she remains in critical condition.
Doctors ruled her injures non-accidental and officials discovered she was with her father, 28-year-old Ferris Battle, when the injures happened.
Battle was arrested Friday and has been charged with aggravated battery (family violence) and cruelty to children in the first degree.
Battle is at the Duval County Sheriff’s Office awaiting extradition back to Douglas.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Douglas Police Department at 912-384-2222 or leave a tip at 912-260-3600.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Custodial dad pleads guilty to felony murder in torture death of 10-year-old daughter (Gwinnett County, Georgia)
There is a long, classic backstory behind this case: CPS incompetence and father-friendly/anti-child neglect. A mother who had fought for years to regain custody of a child she had lost to the man who beat her. See our previous posts HERE.
Dad EMAN MOSS is on our Killer Dads and Custody list for Georgia.
http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/failed-to-death/2015/06/08/emani-moss-father-accepts-plea-deal/28708823/
Emani Moss' father accepts plea deal
New details have emerged in a child abuse story that Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter says is one of the worst cases he has seen in 30 years – the death of 10-year-old Emani Moss.
WXIA La'Tasha Givens, WXIA-TV, Atlanta 6:12 p.m. EDT June 8, 2015
GWINNETT COUNTY, GA (WXIA) – New details have emerged in a child abuse story that Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter says is one of the worst cases he has seen in 30 years – the death of 10-year-old Emani Moss.
Emani's case shocked everyone in the community and led to significant change within the state child welfare system.
Emani was starved, burned and left inside a trash dumpster for dead. Her father and stepmother were both arrested and charged with her death. Now, her father's plea has been made public.
Porter says Eman Moss knew his daughter is was sick and losing weight, but he failed to seek medical attention for her. Investigators said that although he helped dispose of the girl's body, they do not believe he was the main culprit in her death. So a plea deal was offered that takes away the death penalty.
"His involvement was one of neglect, rather than intent, and that was confirmed through is proffer – and that's been a lot through the evidence we gathered during the course of the investigation," Porter said. "I think once the risk of the death penalty had been removed, he was willing to accept the sentence of life without parole."
Eman Moss pleaded guilty on two counts of felony murder, two counts of first degree child cruelty, and one felony count of concealing the death of another.
Now, all eyes are on his wife, the girl's stepmother, Tiffany. She has remained silent, never once giving police any statement on how the girl died.
11Alive News has investigated the death of Emani Moss, as well as the state's Department of Family and Children Services, the state agency charged with protecting our children.
Our investigation led to the removal of multiple DFCS employees. We will continue to hold the powerful accountable when it comes to our children and continue to follow Emani's case through to its final end.
Dad EMAN MOSS is on our Killer Dads and Custody list for Georgia.
http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/failed-to-death/2015/06/08/emani-moss-father-accepts-plea-deal/28708823/
Emani Moss' father accepts plea deal
New details have emerged in a child abuse story that Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter says is one of the worst cases he has seen in 30 years – the death of 10-year-old Emani Moss.
WXIA La'Tasha Givens, WXIA-TV, Atlanta 6:12 p.m. EDT June 8, 2015
GWINNETT COUNTY, GA (WXIA) – New details have emerged in a child abuse story that Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter says is one of the worst cases he has seen in 30 years – the death of 10-year-old Emani Moss.
Emani's case shocked everyone in the community and led to significant change within the state child welfare system.
Emani was starved, burned and left inside a trash dumpster for dead. Her father and stepmother were both arrested and charged with her death. Now, her father's plea has been made public.
Porter says Eman Moss knew his daughter is was sick and losing weight, but he failed to seek medical attention for her. Investigators said that although he helped dispose of the girl's body, they do not believe he was the main culprit in her death. So a plea deal was offered that takes away the death penalty.
"His involvement was one of neglect, rather than intent, and that was confirmed through is proffer – and that's been a lot through the evidence we gathered during the course of the investigation," Porter said. "I think once the risk of the death penalty had been removed, he was willing to accept the sentence of life without parole."
Eman Moss pleaded guilty on two counts of felony murder, two counts of first degree child cruelty, and one felony count of concealing the death of another.
Now, all eyes are on his wife, the girl's stepmother, Tiffany. She has remained silent, never once giving police any statement on how the girl died.
11Alive News has investigated the death of Emani Moss, as well as the state's Department of Family and Children Services, the state agency charged with protecting our children.
Our investigation led to the removal of multiple DFCS employees. We will continue to hold the powerful accountable when it comes to our children and continue to follow Emani's case through to its final end.
Friday, April 17, 2015
DCF fails to find evidence of child abuse, even though doctor did; funny how that happens when the abusive dad is rich and famous and wants sole custody (Atlanta, Georgia)
Dad is DWIGHT HOWARD--one of a long list of rich abusive fathers who are going after sole custody these days.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/dwight-howard-will-not-face-charges-in-atlanta-child-abuse-investigation-195510253.html
Dwight Howard will not face charges in Atlanta child abuse investigation
By Dan Devine
April 13, 2015 3:55 PM
Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard will not face charges of child abuse in connection with an investigation into alleged physical disciplining of his then-6-year-old son, Braylon.
Royce Reed, Braylon's mother, filed a complaint against Howard in August alleging that Howard had whipped their son with a belt. A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Children and Families told TMZ in November that the investigation was "being closed with no substantiated findings of physical injuries." A subsequent TMZ report, however, indicated that the doctor who examined Braylon's injuries reported them as being consistent with a history "of being struck with a belt numerous times by his father."
While the allegation were reported in Florida, the alleged abuse in question was said to have taken place in Georgia. Following the TMZ reports, authorities in Georgia re-opened their investigation into child abuse claims against Howard. The 29-year-old center was not arrested or charged with any crime as authorities investigated the claims.
On Monday, nearly five months after the resumption of investigation, Atlanta police announced that they will not press charges against the eight-time All-Star, according to Mark Berman of KRIV-TV FOX 26 in Houston:
"I can confirm we are not moving forward with charges in this case," said Sgt. Gregory Lyon, in an email to FOX 26 Sports.
Howard's attorney, David Oscar Markus, is pleased with the decision.
"We are gratified that the Atlanta Police Department, after fully examining the frivolous allegations against Dwight Howard, has closed the case and decided not to proceed with charges," said Markus in a statement to FOX 26 Sports.
"Dwight Howard will continue to act in the best interest of his children and do whatever is necessary to protect their welfare."
Howard filed a motion in November seeking sole custody of Braylon that continues to wend its way through the courts, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Howard has struggled with injuries this season, missing 37 games with an ailing right knee. Since returning to action 2 1/2 weeks ago, Howard has seen limited floor time, averaging just 21.6 minutes per game in eight appearances.
He's performed well in that curbed action, though, averaging 13.8 points on 66.2 percent shooting to go with nine rebounds and just under two combined blocks and steals per contest, including three sraight double-doubles. Along with the consistently strong play of MVP candidate James Harden, Howard's recent uptick in form has given a Rockets club that continues to fight tooth-and-nail in a battle for the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference playoff hierarchy hope that, despite the other damaging injuries they've sustained of late, they've still got a real chance of advancing past the opening round of the playoffs for the first time since 2009, and past the conference semifinals for the first time since 1997.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/dwight-howard-will-not-face-charges-in-atlanta-child-abuse-investigation-195510253.html
Dwight Howard will not face charges in Atlanta child abuse investigation
By Dan Devine
April 13, 2015 3:55 PM
Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard will not face charges of child abuse in connection with an investigation into alleged physical disciplining of his then-6-year-old son, Braylon.
Royce Reed, Braylon's mother, filed a complaint against Howard in August alleging that Howard had whipped their son with a belt. A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Children and Families told TMZ in November that the investigation was "being closed with no substantiated findings of physical injuries." A subsequent TMZ report, however, indicated that the doctor who examined Braylon's injuries reported them as being consistent with a history "of being struck with a belt numerous times by his father."
While the allegation were reported in Florida, the alleged abuse in question was said to have taken place in Georgia. Following the TMZ reports, authorities in Georgia re-opened their investigation into child abuse claims against Howard. The 29-year-old center was not arrested or charged with any crime as authorities investigated the claims.
On Monday, nearly five months after the resumption of investigation, Atlanta police announced that they will not press charges against the eight-time All-Star, according to Mark Berman of KRIV-TV FOX 26 in Houston:
"I can confirm we are not moving forward with charges in this case," said Sgt. Gregory Lyon, in an email to FOX 26 Sports.
Howard's attorney, David Oscar Markus, is pleased with the decision.
"We are gratified that the Atlanta Police Department, after fully examining the frivolous allegations against Dwight Howard, has closed the case and decided not to proceed with charges," said Markus in a statement to FOX 26 Sports.
"Dwight Howard will continue to act in the best interest of his children and do whatever is necessary to protect their welfare."
Howard filed a motion in November seeking sole custody of Braylon that continues to wend its way through the courts, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Howard has struggled with injuries this season, missing 37 games with an ailing right knee. Since returning to action 2 1/2 weeks ago, Howard has seen limited floor time, averaging just 21.6 minutes per game in eight appearances.
He's performed well in that curbed action, though, averaging 13.8 points on 66.2 percent shooting to go with nine rebounds and just under two combined blocks and steals per contest, including three sraight double-doubles. Along with the consistently strong play of MVP candidate James Harden, Howard's recent uptick in form has given a Rockets club that continues to fight tooth-and-nail in a battle for the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference playoff hierarchy hope that, despite the other damaging injuries they've sustained of late, they've still got a real chance of advancing past the opening round of the playoffs for the first time since 2009, and past the conference semifinals for the first time since 1997.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Judge admits to secret communication with attorney giving father custody (Evans, Georgia)
These kinds of shenanigans are distressingly common. Even in my case, the guardian ad litem, Sandra Fischer Swanson, routinely shared documents with the ex's attorney while "forgetting" to send them to mine. That was in Chautauqua County, New York. And I have known of cases like this one, where the mother lost custody in a secret ex parte hearing. It happened to a very good friend of mine.
http://www.wtoc.com/story/28192794/judge-admits-to-secret-communication-with-attorney-about-custody-order
Judge admits to secret communication with attorney about custody order
Posted: Feb 24, 2015 8:26 PM EST Updated: Feb 24, 2015 10:15 PM EST
By Nick Lulli
EVANS, GA (WFXG) - New developments tonight in the child custody case we've been following since last June involving a local judge being looked into by the judicial qualifications committee.
First, the Georgia appeals court said that judge misinterpreted law when he denied a Columbia County mother custody. Then, he said he would consider removing himself from the case because the mother's attorney said he was biased against her.
But, according to court records Judge Daniel "Danny" Craig didn't do that; instead, he suspended all visitation rights of the mom in addition to admitting to secret communications outside the courtroom with the dad's attorney, which allowed the father to arrange the kids' removal from the state. Plus, the two independent custody experts on the case said the mom posed no danger to the children.
Julia Bloodworth, the most recent guardian ad litem on the case, who has two decades worth of experience with children, in an affidavit said the judge coordinated his plans with the father's attorney to remove the children from Augusta, without the mom, the guardian, or her attorney even knowing the kids were gone from school.
The Columbia County mother is revealing her face because she wants the community to understand what she calls injustice.
In a September order, Judge Craig said her children's expression of being “afraid and concerned” to live with their mom was “comparatively profound."
But Judge Craig never presented any evidence in his order of physical or emotional abuse, and the guardian ad litem said she never saw any either.
"No, no, I was not abusing our children," said the mother. "We had a guardian ad litem. She says in her affidavit she spent more time working with our family then any other in her two decades of experience, and there was no concern by her.”
Days after the the most recent order, guardian Julia Bloodworth filed an affidavit with the court.
In it – she said, “In all of my conversations with them, including many phone calls with [the son], neither of the children ever acted or sounded as if they were afraid of their mother or concerned for their personal welfare at their mother's home.” In addition, Bloodworth said it may have been the father who was “manipulating” them through the use of parental alienation - allegations the father's attorney denies.
Bloodworth said she wasn't involved in the drafting of the order at all, which she feels, may go against her contract and order written and signed by the very same judge.
"The guardian who knew our family wasn't allowed to speak," said the mother. "She wasn't heard. And that was the whole point of her being assigned to our case."
In the order, Judge Craig admits to calling one of the the father's three attorney days before the order was issued to make sure the father would be in Augusta for the execution of the order, which would allow him to move the children to Ohio, denying the mom a hearing that's required under Georgia law. $I asked the mom, "the guardian ad litem didn't know? You didn't know? Only your ex-husband's attorneys?"
“And Judge Danny Craig," said mom said.
But Judge Craig signed a certificate of service swearing he'd served all parties with his order before filing it with the clerk's office. The clerk's office time stamp shows it being clocked in at 11:50 in the morning, while Judge Craig's fax time stamp shows it didn't get sent to the mom's attorney until nearly three and a half hours later.
"Our children were already gone out of school, before my attorney was notified," said the mother. "We didn't know. We were the last to know."
That's right: the mom sent her kids to school, and she didn't know they were gone until they didn't get off the school bus.
"[I am] stunned, even though so much has happened that didn't seem right," the mother said. "It's still shocking that it was this blatant."
Judge Craig said he can't comment on this case because it's an active case.
But one of the attorney's for the surgeon ex-husband did agree to speak on the case during an on the record meeting at her Augusta law firm.
Barbara Barnett 'Bobi' Claridge disagrees with the assertion her behavior is considered improper because during the phone call the judge only said:
“Have your client here on a date certain; tell me what that day is.”
Claridge said she was not aware the judge didn't make the same phone call to the mom's attorney.
“I do not know if he did or did not relate that information to Ms. Portnoy," said Claridge.
I then asked if she knew the children were gone before the mom's side even knew; Claridge said she did.
“I was aware the order was issued, my client was told to pick them, and did so," said Claridge.
Upon further investigation into this case, we found in court documents that a previous psychologist guardian also hired by Judge Craig to determine custody for the same children in this case also recommended the children remain in the mother's care.
According to the final divorce order in that case, Judge Craig also “found” that there was no evidence in favor of the mom, thereby totally denying the existence of that psychologist which he had appointed.
http://www.wtoc.com/story/28192794/judge-admits-to-secret-communication-with-attorney-about-custody-order
Judge admits to secret communication with attorney about custody order
Posted: Feb 24, 2015 8:26 PM EST Updated: Feb 24, 2015 10:15 PM EST
By Nick Lulli
EVANS, GA (WFXG) - New developments tonight in the child custody case we've been following since last June involving a local judge being looked into by the judicial qualifications committee.
First, the Georgia appeals court said that judge misinterpreted law when he denied a Columbia County mother custody. Then, he said he would consider removing himself from the case because the mother's attorney said he was biased against her.
But, according to court records Judge Daniel "Danny" Craig didn't do that; instead, he suspended all visitation rights of the mom in addition to admitting to secret communications outside the courtroom with the dad's attorney, which allowed the father to arrange the kids' removal from the state. Plus, the two independent custody experts on the case said the mom posed no danger to the children.
Julia Bloodworth, the most recent guardian ad litem on the case, who has two decades worth of experience with children, in an affidavit said the judge coordinated his plans with the father's attorney to remove the children from Augusta, without the mom, the guardian, or her attorney even knowing the kids were gone from school.
The Columbia County mother is revealing her face because she wants the community to understand what she calls injustice.
In a September order, Judge Craig said her children's expression of being “afraid and concerned” to live with their mom was “comparatively profound."
But Judge Craig never presented any evidence in his order of physical or emotional abuse, and the guardian ad litem said she never saw any either.
"No, no, I was not abusing our children," said the mother. "We had a guardian ad litem. She says in her affidavit she spent more time working with our family then any other in her two decades of experience, and there was no concern by her.”
Days after the the most recent order, guardian Julia Bloodworth filed an affidavit with the court.
In it – she said, “In all of my conversations with them, including many phone calls with [the son], neither of the children ever acted or sounded as if they were afraid of their mother or concerned for their personal welfare at their mother's home.” In addition, Bloodworth said it may have been the father who was “manipulating” them through the use of parental alienation - allegations the father's attorney denies.
Bloodworth said she wasn't involved in the drafting of the order at all, which she feels, may go against her contract and order written and signed by the very same judge.
"The guardian who knew our family wasn't allowed to speak," said the mother. "She wasn't heard. And that was the whole point of her being assigned to our case."
In the order, Judge Craig admits to calling one of the the father's three attorney days before the order was issued to make sure the father would be in Augusta for the execution of the order, which would allow him to move the children to Ohio, denying the mom a hearing that's required under Georgia law. $I asked the mom, "the guardian ad litem didn't know? You didn't know? Only your ex-husband's attorneys?"
“And Judge Danny Craig," said mom said.
But Judge Craig signed a certificate of service swearing he'd served all parties with his order before filing it with the clerk's office. The clerk's office time stamp shows it being clocked in at 11:50 in the morning, while Judge Craig's fax time stamp shows it didn't get sent to the mom's attorney until nearly three and a half hours later.
"Our children were already gone out of school, before my attorney was notified," said the mother. "We didn't know. We were the last to know."
That's right: the mom sent her kids to school, and she didn't know they were gone until they didn't get off the school bus.
"[I am] stunned, even though so much has happened that didn't seem right," the mother said. "It's still shocking that it was this blatant."
Judge Craig said he can't comment on this case because it's an active case.
But one of the attorney's for the surgeon ex-husband did agree to speak on the case during an on the record meeting at her Augusta law firm.
Barbara Barnett 'Bobi' Claridge disagrees with the assertion her behavior is considered improper because during the phone call the judge only said:
“Have your client here on a date certain; tell me what that day is.”
Claridge said she was not aware the judge didn't make the same phone call to the mom's attorney.
“I do not know if he did or did not relate that information to Ms. Portnoy," said Claridge.
I then asked if she knew the children were gone before the mom's side even knew; Claridge said she did.
“I was aware the order was issued, my client was told to pick them, and did so," said Claridge.
Upon further investigation into this case, we found in court documents that a previous psychologist guardian also hired by Judge Craig to determine custody for the same children in this case also recommended the children remain in the mother's care.
According to the final divorce order in that case, Judge Craig also “found” that there was no evidence in favor of the mom, thereby totally denying the existence of that psychologist which he had appointed.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Custodial dad, step get life in prison for murder of 3-year-old son (Dodge County, Georgia)
Utter silence on how custodial dad DAVID EDWARD SMITH gained custody and who gave it to him. It also sounds like the mother did not have visitation, or she would have been aware of the extent of the abuse. It is not uncommon for this to happen with severely abusive custodial fathers--it's a way to exercise their abuse/control/punishment thing over the mother while also avoiding any interference in their battering of the victim.
http://www.macon.com/2015/02/23/3602425_dodge-county-dad-girlfriend-get.html?rh=1
Dodge County dad, girlfriend get life in boy’s murder
By JOE KOVAC JR. February 23, 2015
A Dodge County father and the live-in girlfriend he met online were sentenced to life in prison Monday in the child-abuse death of the father’s 3-year-old son.
The boy, Zackory Dean Smith-Chick, died last March of what a medical examiner described as extensive “inflicted trauma” over a period of about two weeks.
Blows to the head and skeletal injuries contributed to the child’s death. Both his legs were broken at the thigh.
The boy’s father, David Edward Smith, 31, and the father’s girlfriend, Kaiko Smith, 32, pleaded guilty to felony murder on Monday. They also pleaded guilty to a child-cruelty charge.
Though they share a last name, the pair were not married. They met on the Internet in early 2013. David Smith, who had custody of Zackory, was then staying with his mother west of Atlanta, and Kaiko Smith lived in upstate New York. Records linked to her name list the email handle “AsianLove9999.”
Later that year, David Smith moved Kaiko Smith and her two children, ages 12 and 15, to Georgia. In January of last year, along with Zackory, they settled in a mobile home on the outskirts of Eastman. The boy’s mother and maternal kin lived in the area.
His fatal injuries happened about the time of his third birthday last February.
By the time anyone called for help on March 14, Zackory was near death. He died at the county hospital soon after being taken there by ambulance.
Kaiko Smith later admitted striking Zackory, likely with her hands, Oconee Circuit District Attorney Tim Vaughn said Monday.
There was no evidence the child was struck with a weapon.
“There is no explanation,” Vaughn said. “She just did it.”
The boy’s father was charged because he failed to intervene.
“(The father) was there every day, in and out, and he did nothing to protect the child,” Vaughn said. “And he did nothing to seek medical aid for the child until it was too late.”
When investigators searched Kaiko Smith’s cellphone, they found a video where she had recorded an obviously injured Zackory.
In the clip, as if toying with him, she prodded him to crawl into bed under his own power, Vaughn said. “He was screaming in anguish because he had two broken legs.”
The Smiths said nothing in court Monday when given the chance.
Though they were arrested in Dodge County last year, they have been locked up in a neighboring county much of the time.
“We’ve had to put them in another jail,” Vaughn said, “because the inmates here were not happy with them.”
http://www.macon.com/2015/02/23/3602425_dodge-county-dad-girlfriend-get.html?rh=1
Dodge County dad, girlfriend get life in boy’s murder
By JOE KOVAC JR. February 23, 2015
A Dodge County father and the live-in girlfriend he met online were sentenced to life in prison Monday in the child-abuse death of the father’s 3-year-old son.
The boy, Zackory Dean Smith-Chick, died last March of what a medical examiner described as extensive “inflicted trauma” over a period of about two weeks.
Blows to the head and skeletal injuries contributed to the child’s death. Both his legs were broken at the thigh.
The boy’s father, David Edward Smith, 31, and the father’s girlfriend, Kaiko Smith, 32, pleaded guilty to felony murder on Monday. They also pleaded guilty to a child-cruelty charge.
Though they share a last name, the pair were not married. They met on the Internet in early 2013. David Smith, who had custody of Zackory, was then staying with his mother west of Atlanta, and Kaiko Smith lived in upstate New York. Records linked to her name list the email handle “AsianLove9999.”
Later that year, David Smith moved Kaiko Smith and her two children, ages 12 and 15, to Georgia. In January of last year, along with Zackory, they settled in a mobile home on the outskirts of Eastman. The boy’s mother and maternal kin lived in the area.
His fatal injuries happened about the time of his third birthday last February.
By the time anyone called for help on March 14, Zackory was near death. He died at the county hospital soon after being taken there by ambulance.
Kaiko Smith later admitted striking Zackory, likely with her hands, Oconee Circuit District Attorney Tim Vaughn said Monday.
There was no evidence the child was struck with a weapon.
“There is no explanation,” Vaughn said. “She just did it.”
The boy’s father was charged because he failed to intervene.
“(The father) was there every day, in and out, and he did nothing to protect the child,” Vaughn said. “And he did nothing to seek medical aid for the child until it was too late.”
When investigators searched Kaiko Smith’s cellphone, they found a video where she had recorded an obviously injured Zackory.
In the clip, as if toying with him, she prodded him to crawl into bed under his own power, Vaughn said. “He was screaming in anguish because he had two broken legs.”
The Smiths said nothing in court Monday when given the chance.
Though they were arrested in Dodge County last year, they have been locked up in a neighboring county much of the time.
“We’ve had to put them in another jail,” Vaughn said, “because the inmates here were not happy with them.”
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Violent father awarded joint custody, but still slaughtered kids and ex-wife (Douglasville, Georgia)
Article is poorly written and misleading.
The first few paragraphs are devoted to the unsubstantiated speculations of the killer's enabling sister, who is in total denial. All of this has the purpose of setting up the man who killed four people, and wounded two more as a figure of sympathy--he "snapped" because he was "under stress" from losing his job, etc. We're supposed to feel sorry for him because he was supposedly forced to leave the military when the mother got pregnant--and that was 13 years ago. Plus, we're supposed to believe it was some huge hardship when he was forced to move "about a dozen miles" to be closer to the kids after the divorce, even though it meant he was pulled away from his "close knit family."
This doesn't even pass the smell test. Boo hoo poor you. NOT.
Twelve miles is nothing, especially in a state like Georgia where people tend to do a lot of driving. I sincerely doubt this was the equivalent of the ex moving halfway across the country. He wasn't forced to move at all. It's total bullsh**.
Of course, it's following by the usual shoulder shrugging by the cops. We don't know why he did it, blah blah. More total bulsh**.
Meanwhile, if you MANAGE to keep reading, you find out that this poor little thing was anything but. He obviously had a long history of violence and abuse--which is only hinted at here.
Since the 2006 divorce, he fought the mother constantly over custody--a common strategy among abusers.
A year and a half ago, Mom was successful in getting a TEMPORARY order of protection--and that in a state where they are notoriously hard to get. The mother reported that he had forced his way into her home and raped her. I sincerely doubt that was an isolated incident either. They never are.
But Daddy is coddled. Though he is told to stay away from the home, HE STILL KEEPS JOINT CUSTODY, and still gets the kids HALF THE TIME. So much for poor daddies being discriminated against.
At first, Mom is forced to facilitate this by doing the exchange at a public place-as if that was some guarantee of safety. It's not, as there are any number of women and children documented at Dastardly Dads who were killed under precisely these circumstances.
So who is the freaking victim here? Poor Daddy? Or the mother and kids who are forced into harm's way so a home invader and rapist can have his "rights"?
And that public exchange deal expired in October. So now Daddy is coming to the house! Oh and did we mention he was miffed about paying a fairly minimal amount to support FIVE CHILDREN?
So eventually he starts this blood bath, this slaughter involving his own kids, and his sister makes up some crazy bull about him "snapping" cause he moved a dozen miles or something, and the cops just can't act stupid enough about the motive.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
Dad is identified as CEDRIC PRATHER JR.
http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/state_news/father-who-shot-ex-wife-kids-had-fought-over-child/article_2b54ecea-b0cb-11e4-bfb1-d32c63cd4d91.html
Father who shot ex-wife, kids had fought over child custody
Posted: Tuesday, February 10, 2015 5:15 am Associated Press
DOUGLASVILLE (AP) — Cedric Prather Jr.’s three children were his whole life and when he lost his job as a truck driver recently, the pressure over supporting them may have led him to snap and kill four people, his sister said Monday.
The shooting rampage happened just after 3 p.m. Saturday. Prather, 33, parked about a quarter mile away and walked inside the suburban Atlanta home of his ex-wife, Latoya A. Andrews, police said.
Prather gunned down Andrews and her boyfriend, Joseph Terry Brown, and killed two of Prather’s children, including one who begged him not to pull the trigger, police said. He also shot two other children, leaving them critically injured. He then killed himself in the street.
“His children were his life,” Prather’s sister Jerdonna Sawyer told The Associated Press. “He wasn’t crazy at all. He just chose a terrible way to deal with his pressure and his stress.”
Prather left no note explaining his actions, Douglas County sheriff’s Capt. Bruce Ferguson said.
“I can’t tell you why he did it,” Ferguson said. “All I can do is to say he snapped or he had enough is what we’ve concluded in our investigation.”
Prather left the military when Andrews was pregnant with their first child to be with her and help support the family. He moved about a dozen miles down the road to Douglasville from Villa Rica to be closer to his children after he and Andrews divorced and she moved, even though it meant moving farther from his close-knit family, Sawyer said.
He felt enormous stress from trying to be a provider and a parent, and that was exacerbated recently when he lost his job as a truck driver because his driver’s license was suspended, Sawyer said.
#Court records show Prather and Andrews divorced in 2006, and Sawyer said the two had gone back and forth over their children since then. Andrews got a protective order against him a year and a half ago, court records show.
Prather killed his 7-year-old daughter, London, and 9-year-old son, Jeremiah. He also critically wounded Andrews’ 15-year-old daughter, Demeshia Owens, and Brown’s 7-year-old daughter, Jada Brown.
Prather’s oldest child, a 13-year-old boy, was not home at the time.
Andrews had asked judge for a temporary protective order in August 2013. At one point, she wrote, Prather forced his way inside her locked home when she was there alone. He also pinned her down on the stairs and sexually assaulted her, she wrote in a court filing.
The court documents didn’t indicate whether criminal charges were ever sought, and there is no record of charges.
The judge ordered Prather to stay away from Andrews and her home. Meetings for him to pick up and drop off the children were to take place in the Douglasville Police Department parking lot, according to the order, which expired Oct. 9.
In December 2013, the state officials said in a court filing that Prather owed $31,800 in past-due child support. He and Andrews eventually reached a custody agreement in last May that allowed the children to spend about half their time with their father.
“We’re all hurting,” she said. “We’ve all had a great loss."
A few months later, the court issued a final order for him to pay $437 a month in child support and pay a past-due sum to be determined.
Police said the pair also fought about taxes but could not provide any more details about that.
Prather used a .45-caliber handgun to shoot all the victims and himself, and stopped at least once to reload. The sheriff’s office is working with federal authorities to see if he bought the gun legally.
Prather’s family is feeling deep grief and is also heartbroken for the families of Andrews and Brown, Sawyer said.
The first few paragraphs are devoted to the unsubstantiated speculations of the killer's enabling sister, who is in total denial. All of this has the purpose of setting up the man who killed four people, and wounded two more as a figure of sympathy--he "snapped" because he was "under stress" from losing his job, etc. We're supposed to feel sorry for him because he was supposedly forced to leave the military when the mother got pregnant--and that was 13 years ago. Plus, we're supposed to believe it was some huge hardship when he was forced to move "about a dozen miles" to be closer to the kids after the divorce, even though it meant he was pulled away from his "close knit family."
This doesn't even pass the smell test. Boo hoo poor you. NOT.
Twelve miles is nothing, especially in a state like Georgia where people tend to do a lot of driving. I sincerely doubt this was the equivalent of the ex moving halfway across the country. He wasn't forced to move at all. It's total bullsh**.
Of course, it's following by the usual shoulder shrugging by the cops. We don't know why he did it, blah blah. More total bulsh**.
Meanwhile, if you MANAGE to keep reading, you find out that this poor little thing was anything but. He obviously had a long history of violence and abuse--which is only hinted at here.
Since the 2006 divorce, he fought the mother constantly over custody--a common strategy among abusers.
A year and a half ago, Mom was successful in getting a TEMPORARY order of protection--and that in a state where they are notoriously hard to get. The mother reported that he had forced his way into her home and raped her. I sincerely doubt that was an isolated incident either. They never are.
But Daddy is coddled. Though he is told to stay away from the home, HE STILL KEEPS JOINT CUSTODY, and still gets the kids HALF THE TIME. So much for poor daddies being discriminated against.
At first, Mom is forced to facilitate this by doing the exchange at a public place-as if that was some guarantee of safety. It's not, as there are any number of women and children documented at Dastardly Dads who were killed under precisely these circumstances.
So who is the freaking victim here? Poor Daddy? Or the mother and kids who are forced into harm's way so a home invader and rapist can have his "rights"?
And that public exchange deal expired in October. So now Daddy is coming to the house! Oh and did we mention he was miffed about paying a fairly minimal amount to support FIVE CHILDREN?
So eventually he starts this blood bath, this slaughter involving his own kids, and his sister makes up some crazy bull about him "snapping" cause he moved a dozen miles or something, and the cops just can't act stupid enough about the motive.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
Dad is identified as CEDRIC PRATHER JR.
http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/news/state_news/father-who-shot-ex-wife-kids-had-fought-over-child/article_2b54ecea-b0cb-11e4-bfb1-d32c63cd4d91.html
Father who shot ex-wife, kids had fought over child custody
Posted: Tuesday, February 10, 2015 5:15 am Associated Press
DOUGLASVILLE (AP) — Cedric Prather Jr.’s three children were his whole life and when he lost his job as a truck driver recently, the pressure over supporting them may have led him to snap and kill four people, his sister said Monday.
The shooting rampage happened just after 3 p.m. Saturday. Prather, 33, parked about a quarter mile away and walked inside the suburban Atlanta home of his ex-wife, Latoya A. Andrews, police said.
Prather gunned down Andrews and her boyfriend, Joseph Terry Brown, and killed two of Prather’s children, including one who begged him not to pull the trigger, police said. He also shot two other children, leaving them critically injured. He then killed himself in the street.
“His children were his life,” Prather’s sister Jerdonna Sawyer told The Associated Press. “He wasn’t crazy at all. He just chose a terrible way to deal with his pressure and his stress.”
Prather left no note explaining his actions, Douglas County sheriff’s Capt. Bruce Ferguson said.
“I can’t tell you why he did it,” Ferguson said. “All I can do is to say he snapped or he had enough is what we’ve concluded in our investigation.”
Prather left the military when Andrews was pregnant with their first child to be with her and help support the family. He moved about a dozen miles down the road to Douglasville from Villa Rica to be closer to his children after he and Andrews divorced and she moved, even though it meant moving farther from his close-knit family, Sawyer said.
He felt enormous stress from trying to be a provider and a parent, and that was exacerbated recently when he lost his job as a truck driver because his driver’s license was suspended, Sawyer said.
#Court records show Prather and Andrews divorced in 2006, and Sawyer said the two had gone back and forth over their children since then. Andrews got a protective order against him a year and a half ago, court records show.
Prather killed his 7-year-old daughter, London, and 9-year-old son, Jeremiah. He also critically wounded Andrews’ 15-year-old daughter, Demeshia Owens, and Brown’s 7-year-old daughter, Jada Brown.
Prather’s oldest child, a 13-year-old boy, was not home at the time.
Andrews had asked judge for a temporary protective order in August 2013. At one point, she wrote, Prather forced his way inside her locked home when she was there alone. He also pinned her down on the stairs and sexually assaulted her, she wrote in a court filing.
The court documents didn’t indicate whether criminal charges were ever sought, and there is no record of charges.
The judge ordered Prather to stay away from Andrews and her home. Meetings for him to pick up and drop off the children were to take place in the Douglasville Police Department parking lot, according to the order, which expired Oct. 9.
In December 2013, the state officials said in a court filing that Prather owed $31,800 in past-due child support. He and Andrews eventually reached a custody agreement in last May that allowed the children to spend about half their time with their father.
“We’re all hurting,” she said. “We’ve all had a great loss."
A few months later, the court issued a final order for him to pay $437 a month in child support and pay a past-due sum to be determined.
Police said the pair also fought about taxes but could not provide any more details about that.
Prather used a .45-caliber handgun to shoot all the victims and himself, and stopped at least once to reload. The sheriff’s office is working with federal authorities to see if he bought the gun legally.
Prather’s family is feeling deep grief and is also heartbroken for the families of Andrews and Brown, Sawyer said.
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