This is why single mothers need to have custody rights automatically. And why we need to have police and CPS START PAYING ATTENTION TO MOTHERS.
And mothers need to have resources to support their kids. It's ridiculous that we have tons of corporate welfare and virtually nothing for struggling moms and kids.
UNNAMED DAD.
http://fox4kc.com/2016/06/09/mother-ends-life-support-for-daughter-found-abused-wondering-why-no-one-is-in-custody/
Furious metro mom: ‘Someone beat my child to death’
Posted 5:23 pm, June 9, 2016, by Robert Townsend, Updated at 05:56pm, June 9, 2016
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- A child is dead and a grieving Independence mother is left to wonder why. Myra Price made the most difficult decision a parent can ever make: she told doctors to take her daughter off life support.
FOX 4's Robert Townsend spoke with the heartbroken mother about her decision, and what led the family to such dire circumstances.
"I'm mad as hell right now. The crying is over. I've cried a lot and I've prayed a lot," a fuming, grief-stricken Price said.
"My baby was always smiling. She was always joyful. She loved to dance and she should be here with me right now," the 23-year-old mother said as she fought back tears.
Price is convinced someone severely beat her little girl.
"I had a feeling something was going on with her. Didn't nobody believe me, the police, asking them, asking DFS," Price said.
On Oct. 22 of last year, Price said she took her daughter, 3-year-old Honesty Sanders, to the child's paternal grandmother's home.
Price said she wanted her child to stay for a while with her ex-boyfriend's mother.
"I was off work for a couple of weeks. I asked her, 'Right now I'm struggling. I really need your help," Price explained.
Price said the grandmother took Honesty to the child's father's home in Kansas City, Kan.
During the last seven months, Price said she never saw her child again, and only spoke to Honesty on the phone three times.
"He would let me talk to her for a little bit or I be like, 'Honesty, are you okay?' He'd take the phone from her and that's how you know something was wrong," Price said.
More than a week ago, on May 27, Price said a KCK police detective called her from the University of Kansas Hospital, saying that her child was in the Intensive Care Unit.
A police spokesperson said earlier that morning, officers when to an apartment on Vermont Street in KCK and found Honesty was unresponsive.
Price said she rushed to the hospital and learned her child suffered critical injuries.
"If a baby comes in the hospital by themself unresponsive, brain-damaged, crushed lungs, that's showing bruises all over her body, that's abuse so I don't understand why there's nobody in custody," Price said.
Police said right now they're still interviewing people about the child's injuries.
On Monday, Price simply couldn't bear to see her child in such a state any longer, and the heart-wrenching decision to let Honesty go.
"Basically, she was a vegetable," Price explained. "I wasn't going to her hurt like that."
Although Honesty is now gone, her mother is not giving up the fight to find the person who injured her, promising, "Justice is going to be served for her."
Showing posts with label Missouri. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Missouri. Show all posts
Friday, June 10, 2016
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Girlfriend sentenced in beating death of 3-year-old boy; father had been awarded out-of-state visitation (Tampa, Florida)
Father JUSTIN GARWACKI had fought for out of state visitation over the objections of the protective mother. See our previous posts.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Florida.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/hillsborough-woman-found-guilty-of-lesser-charges-in-2010-death-of-toddler/2265057
Hillsborough woman escapes life sentence in 2010 death of toddler, is convicted of lesser offenses
By Sara DiNatale, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, February 11, 2016 2:42pm
Kara O'Connell, 26, is escorted from the courtroom during a break in her trial last week. The jury on Thursday found her guilty of manslaughter for her role in the 2010 death of 3-year-old John Taylor Baxley. The state says John's death followed weeks of abuse at the hands of his father, Justin Garwacki, 31, and O'Connell, his father's ex-girlfriend. Garwacki testified against his ex-girlfriend last week as part of a plea deal. The most serious charge O'Connell faced was first-degree murder. But she was found guilty of a lesser charge, allowing her to escape a life sentence. [SKIP O'ROURKE | Times]
Kara Connell faces up to 35 years in prison.
Last week Justin Garwacki testified against his ex-girlfriend Kara O'Connell during her first-degree murder trial in the 2010 death of Garwacki's child, 3-year-old John Taylor Baxley. On Thursday, O'Connell escaped a life sentence when a jury found her guilty of lesser charges. [SKIP O'ROURKE | Times]
TAMPA — When Kara O'Connell's trial started last week, she faced a life sentence for the brutal physical abuse the state said she inflicted on a 3-year-old boy weeks before his death in 2010.
One of the state's key witnesses against her was ex-boyfriend Justin Garwacki — the boy's father — who was also charged in his son's death. He testified against his ex-girlfriend in exchange for leniency.
The father may not have been as persuasive as prosecutors had hoped.
A jury on Thursday convicted O'Connell, 26, of lesser charges in the death of 3-year-old John Taylor Baxley, sparing her from spending the rest of her life in prison.
They found her not guilty of first-degree murder, the most serious charge she faced, which carries an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole. Instead, the jury found O'Connell guilty of manslaughter, aggravated manslaughter of a child and child abuse.
Her defense attorney, Anthony Rickman, said the father's time on the stand likely led the jury away from a first-degree murder conviction.
"My client did not cause the death of this child," Rickman said. "But it's a tragic situation and there's no winners here."
Jury deliberations started Wednesday and lasted for nine hours over two days. O'Connell faces up to 35 years in prison at her sentencing, which is set for March 18.
Garwacki, 31, was charged with second-degree murder, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison. But in exchange for his testimony, prosecutors will recommend that he serve 30 years in prison. Garwacki's sentencing is set to take place Tuesday.
Rickman said he spent 2½ hours cross-examining Garwacki last week. During that testimony, the attorney said, the father admitted he'd struck his son the day he was found dead. Garwacki also testified that he didn't see O'Connell touch the 3-year-old on that day, the attorney said.
However, the jury also heard Garwacki explain how he and O'Connell both slapped, whacked, punched and bit the 3-year-old in the weeks before his death, Hillsborough Assistant State Attorney Rita Peters said.
Garwacki testified that he once witnessed O'Connell pick the toddler up by the throat and hold him to a ceiling fan after he messed up reciting the alphabet.
The father acknowledged his part in the numerous bruises that covered his son's body. But when asked if he thought he killed his own son, Garwacki said no.
During his testimony, however, he admitted this to the court: "I wasn't a good father."
Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office spokesman Mark Cox said his office was satisfied with the jury's decision.
"This was a horrific case and we are pleased and respect the jury's verdict," he said.
Prosecutors said the child was punished for offenses such as wetting the bed or not eating his meals. After returning home from a drug buy on Aug. 10, 2010, Garwacki found his son had stopped breathing and called 911. Hillsborough sheriff's deputies found the child with a split lip, a broken arm and an open wound on his forehead.
Last week, Peters told the jury that the boy died because his immune system was crippled, a condition some researchers have linked to physical abuse.
"What it basically means is he stopped fighting," the prosecutor said. "His body could not fight off the injuries and he finally died, he gave up."
The boy was abused over a six-week period, prosecutors said, while he stayed with his father during a summer trip to Tampa.
The couple never took him to a doctor.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Florida.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/hillsborough-woman-found-guilty-of-lesser-charges-in-2010-death-of-toddler/2265057
Hillsborough woman escapes life sentence in 2010 death of toddler, is convicted of lesser offenses
By Sara DiNatale, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, February 11, 2016 2:42pm
Kara O'Connell, 26, is escorted from the courtroom during a break in her trial last week. The jury on Thursday found her guilty of manslaughter for her role in the 2010 death of 3-year-old John Taylor Baxley. The state says John's death followed weeks of abuse at the hands of his father, Justin Garwacki, 31, and O'Connell, his father's ex-girlfriend. Garwacki testified against his ex-girlfriend last week as part of a plea deal. The most serious charge O'Connell faced was first-degree murder. But she was found guilty of a lesser charge, allowing her to escape a life sentence. [SKIP O'ROURKE | Times]
Kara Connell faces up to 35 years in prison.
Last week Justin Garwacki testified against his ex-girlfriend Kara O'Connell during her first-degree murder trial in the 2010 death of Garwacki's child, 3-year-old John Taylor Baxley. On Thursday, O'Connell escaped a life sentence when a jury found her guilty of lesser charges. [SKIP O'ROURKE | Times]
TAMPA — When Kara O'Connell's trial started last week, she faced a life sentence for the brutal physical abuse the state said she inflicted on a 3-year-old boy weeks before his death in 2010.
One of the state's key witnesses against her was ex-boyfriend Justin Garwacki — the boy's father — who was also charged in his son's death. He testified against his ex-girlfriend in exchange for leniency.
The father may not have been as persuasive as prosecutors had hoped.
A jury on Thursday convicted O'Connell, 26, of lesser charges in the death of 3-year-old John Taylor Baxley, sparing her from spending the rest of her life in prison.
They found her not guilty of first-degree murder, the most serious charge she faced, which carries an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole. Instead, the jury found O'Connell guilty of manslaughter, aggravated manslaughter of a child and child abuse.
Her defense attorney, Anthony Rickman, said the father's time on the stand likely led the jury away from a first-degree murder conviction.
"My client did not cause the death of this child," Rickman said. "But it's a tragic situation and there's no winners here."
Jury deliberations started Wednesday and lasted for nine hours over two days. O'Connell faces up to 35 years in prison at her sentencing, which is set for March 18.
Garwacki, 31, was charged with second-degree murder, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison. But in exchange for his testimony, prosecutors will recommend that he serve 30 years in prison. Garwacki's sentencing is set to take place Tuesday.
Rickman said he spent 2½ hours cross-examining Garwacki last week. During that testimony, the attorney said, the father admitted he'd struck his son the day he was found dead. Garwacki also testified that he didn't see O'Connell touch the 3-year-old on that day, the attorney said.
However, the jury also heard Garwacki explain how he and O'Connell both slapped, whacked, punched and bit the 3-year-old in the weeks before his death, Hillsborough Assistant State Attorney Rita Peters said.
Garwacki testified that he once witnessed O'Connell pick the toddler up by the throat and hold him to a ceiling fan after he messed up reciting the alphabet.
The father acknowledged his part in the numerous bruises that covered his son's body. But when asked if he thought he killed his own son, Garwacki said no.
During his testimony, however, he admitted this to the court: "I wasn't a good father."
Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office spokesman Mark Cox said his office was satisfied with the jury's decision.
"This was a horrific case and we are pleased and respect the jury's verdict," he said.
Prosecutors said the child was punished for offenses such as wetting the bed or not eating his meals. After returning home from a drug buy on Aug. 10, 2010, Garwacki found his son had stopped breathing and called 911. Hillsborough sheriff's deputies found the child with a split lip, a broken arm and an open wound on his forehead.
Last week, Peters told the jury that the boy died because his immune system was crippled, a condition some researchers have linked to physical abuse.
"What it basically means is he stopped fighting," the prosecutor said. "His body could not fight off the injuries and he finally died, he gave up."
The boy was abused over a six-week period, prosecutors said, while he stayed with his father during a summer trip to Tampa.
The couple never took him to a doctor.
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Step pleads guilty to murder in death of 4-year-old boy; custodial dad still out on bond (Clinton County, Missouri)
We've posted on this case before. As often happens, the courts set up wife number #2 as The Evil Step, while dad is cast as clueless and inept. It's bull. It's sometimes the case that mothers are prevented from protecting their children because of death threats or beatings. But not men. Yet battered women are routinely held responsible for "failing to protect" while fathers seldom are despite the typical absence of any factors that would prevent them from doing so.
Dad is identifed as JUSTIN WEBB. See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Missouri.
http://www.clintoncountyleader.com/news/article_5d7e2ea0-c058-11e5-93c8-4f1ab1af2863.html
Webb pleads guilty to murder in child abuse case
Posted: Thursday, January 21, 2016 10:02 am | Updated: 10:08 am, Thu Jan 21, 2016.
By BECKY BLACK | Leader Editor
He would have been eight years old on January 3 – sharing his smile and energy at elementary school, playing in the snow, eating birthday cake. But Lucas Webb’s life was tragically cut short at the age of four because of child abuse and neglect.
The case against Melissa Webb has lingered in Clinton County since 2012 when she and her husband, Justin Webb, were charged with murder and child abuse after the death of Lucas. Justin was Lucas’ father; Melissa was his step-mother. Months became years as friends and loved ones begged for justice in Lucas’ name.
Last Tuesday, January 12, Melissa Webb appeared in Clinton County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to both counts, just two weeks ahead of the start of her jury trial. In front of the Honorable Judge Brent Elliott, Melissa waived her right to testify and was sentenced to 20 years on Count I – Murder in the Second Degree, and 15 years on Count II – Abuse or Neglect of a Child. According to online court records, the sentencing recommendation stated the sentences would run concurrent, or at the same time. Melissa has been in custody since charged in 2012 and with credit for time served could spend a maximum of 17 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. Assistant Attorney General for the State of Missouri Scott Fox worked the case as a special prosecutor for Clinton County. (The Leader made attempts to contact the Attorney General’s office for explanation of the sentencing, but Mr. Fox was not available for comment prior to press time.)
As the details still unfold surrounding Melissa and Justin’s plea agreements, the facts of the case still remain clear. Emergency responders were dispatched to the Webb home in Holt, Mo., on the afternoon of October 15, 2012, for an unresponsive child. Lucas was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy revealed his death was due to blunt force trauma to the abdomen approximately 12-24 hours before his death. During their investigation, Clinton County officers found Lucas had made a statement to an adult in late August that his stomach hurt after his step-mother had kicked him because she was mad. This finding confirmed what the autopsy revealed. Lucas had sustained fractured ribs six to eight weeks prior to his death.
In 2013, The Kansas City Star reported the release of the Department of Social Services documents surrounding Lucas’ case. Despite multiple hotlines over a handful of years, five days prior to his death, state workers had closed their abuse and neglect case labeling it “sufficient parenting”. Justin and Melissa had an excuse for every concern presented. His cries for help were silenced.
Also in the Star’s 2013 report, Department of Social Services spokesperson Rebecca Woelfel said the case had been reviewed and it was determined that “staff members violated agency policy” and those two employees were no longer working for the agency.
Justin Webb is currently out on bond. He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in 2014. All hearings for Justin have been canceled and nothing is scheduled. Social media posts on the “R.I.P. Lucas Webb” Facebook page state Melissa agreed to testify on Justin’s behalf as part of her plea.
Dad is identifed as JUSTIN WEBB. See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Missouri.
http://www.clintoncountyleader.com/news/article_5d7e2ea0-c058-11e5-93c8-4f1ab1af2863.html
Webb pleads guilty to murder in child abuse case
Posted: Thursday, January 21, 2016 10:02 am | Updated: 10:08 am, Thu Jan 21, 2016.
By BECKY BLACK | Leader Editor
He would have been eight years old on January 3 – sharing his smile and energy at elementary school, playing in the snow, eating birthday cake. But Lucas Webb’s life was tragically cut short at the age of four because of child abuse and neglect.
The case against Melissa Webb has lingered in Clinton County since 2012 when she and her husband, Justin Webb, were charged with murder and child abuse after the death of Lucas. Justin was Lucas’ father; Melissa was his step-mother. Months became years as friends and loved ones begged for justice in Lucas’ name.
Last Tuesday, January 12, Melissa Webb appeared in Clinton County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to both counts, just two weeks ahead of the start of her jury trial. In front of the Honorable Judge Brent Elliott, Melissa waived her right to testify and was sentenced to 20 years on Count I – Murder in the Second Degree, and 15 years on Count II – Abuse or Neglect of a Child. According to online court records, the sentencing recommendation stated the sentences would run concurrent, or at the same time. Melissa has been in custody since charged in 2012 and with credit for time served could spend a maximum of 17 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. Assistant Attorney General for the State of Missouri Scott Fox worked the case as a special prosecutor for Clinton County. (The Leader made attempts to contact the Attorney General’s office for explanation of the sentencing, but Mr. Fox was not available for comment prior to press time.)
As the details still unfold surrounding Melissa and Justin’s plea agreements, the facts of the case still remain clear. Emergency responders were dispatched to the Webb home in Holt, Mo., on the afternoon of October 15, 2012, for an unresponsive child. Lucas was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy revealed his death was due to blunt force trauma to the abdomen approximately 12-24 hours before his death. During their investigation, Clinton County officers found Lucas had made a statement to an adult in late August that his stomach hurt after his step-mother had kicked him because she was mad. This finding confirmed what the autopsy revealed. Lucas had sustained fractured ribs six to eight weeks prior to his death.
In 2013, The Kansas City Star reported the release of the Department of Social Services documents surrounding Lucas’ case. Despite multiple hotlines over a handful of years, five days prior to his death, state workers had closed their abuse and neglect case labeling it “sufficient parenting”. Justin and Melissa had an excuse for every concern presented. His cries for help were silenced.
Also in the Star’s 2013 report, Department of Social Services spokesperson Rebecca Woelfel said the case had been reviewed and it was determined that “staff members violated agency policy” and those two employees were no longer working for the agency.
Justin Webb is currently out on bond. He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in 2014. All hearings for Justin have been canceled and nothing is scheduled. Social media posts on the “R.I.P. Lucas Webb” Facebook page state Melissa agreed to testify on Justin’s behalf as part of her plea.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Dad charged in shooting of 7-year-old daughter (Kansas City, Missouri)
Dad is identified as CRAIG TINSELY.
http://www.kshb.com/news/young-girl-suffers-non-life-threatening-injuries-in-shooting
UPDATE: Father charged in shooting of his 7-year-old daughter
The victim is expected to be OK
Nick Sloan, Ali Hoxie , Gary Brauer, Jane Monreal
12:19 PM, Oct 11, 2015 6:04 PM, Oct 12, 2015
Father shoots 7-year-old daughter, Kansas City police say
KSHB KANSAS CITY, Mo. - UPDATE, Oct. 12: The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office said a 32-year-old man has been charged in the shooting of his 7-year-old daughter.
Craig Tinsely faces two counts of first-degree domestic assault and two counts of armed criminal action.
According to court records, police were dispatched to the 8400 block of E. 93rd Terrace on Sunday and found the 7-year-old girl bleeding from the left hand and crying. She was transported to Children’s Mercy Hospital for treatment. Officers reported it appeared she also had a gunshot wound to the lower left back. Witnesses told police that the girl had come crying into a bedroom in the residence and the defendant pulled a gun from under the mattress and fired at the child.
Tinsley was earlier convicted of child abuse.
One witness told police the defendant fired the weapon four or five times.
Prosecutors have requested a bond of $150,000 cash.
-----
Kansas City police are investigating after a young girl was allegedly shot by her father on Sunday.
The shooting happened just after 11 a.m. Sunday on the 8400 block of E. 93rd Terrace in Kansas City, Mo.
Investigators confirm the 7-year-old was shot in the hand.
In a tweet, Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forté said the father was "allegedly drug impaired."
http://www.kshb.com/news/young-girl-suffers-non-life-threatening-injuries-in-shooting
UPDATE: Father charged in shooting of his 7-year-old daughter
The victim is expected to be OK
Nick Sloan, Ali Hoxie , Gary Brauer, Jane Monreal
12:19 PM, Oct 11, 2015 6:04 PM, Oct 12, 2015
Father shoots 7-year-old daughter, Kansas City police say
KSHB KANSAS CITY, Mo. - UPDATE, Oct. 12: The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office said a 32-year-old man has been charged in the shooting of his 7-year-old daughter.
Craig Tinsely faces two counts of first-degree domestic assault and two counts of armed criminal action.
According to court records, police were dispatched to the 8400 block of E. 93rd Terrace on Sunday and found the 7-year-old girl bleeding from the left hand and crying. She was transported to Children’s Mercy Hospital for treatment. Officers reported it appeared she also had a gunshot wound to the lower left back. Witnesses told police that the girl had come crying into a bedroom in the residence and the defendant pulled a gun from under the mattress and fired at the child.
Tinsley was earlier convicted of child abuse.
One witness told police the defendant fired the weapon four or five times.
Prosecutors have requested a bond of $150,000 cash.
-----
Kansas City police are investigating after a young girl was allegedly shot by her father on Sunday.
The shooting happened just after 11 a.m. Sunday on the 8400 block of E. 93rd Terrace in Kansas City, Mo.
Investigators confirm the 7-year-old was shot in the hand.
In a tweet, Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forté said the father was "allegedly drug impaired."
Monday, October 12, 2015
Dad charged in death of 3-month-old son (Lincoln County, Missouri)
Dad is identified as STEVE SCHNELL.
http://www.kmov.com/story/30221895/man-charged-with-child-abuse-after-shaking-baby
Baby dies after father allegedly shakes him
Posted: Oct 08, 2015 10:25 PM EST Updated: Oct 09, 2015 9:49 PM EST
By Christina Santiago
LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. (KMOV.com) - Investigators said they believe a Moscow Mills man is responsible for injuries that put a newborn in the hospital. That child was on life support, but died a day later.
Steve Schnell, 25, is charged with child abuse. He told deputies his three-month-old son was choking so he patted the boy on the back and shook him to revive him. Doctors said injuries were more likely from the baby being shaken.
The baby boy had bleeding in the brain and detached retinas.
http://www.kmov.com/story/30221895/man-charged-with-child-abuse-after-shaking-baby
Baby dies after father allegedly shakes him
Posted: Oct 08, 2015 10:25 PM EST Updated: Oct 09, 2015 9:49 PM EST
By Christina Santiago
LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. (KMOV.com) - Investigators said they believe a Moscow Mills man is responsible for injuries that put a newborn in the hospital. That child was on life support, but died a day later.
Steve Schnell, 25, is charged with child abuse. He told deputies his three-month-old son was choking so he patted the boy on the back and shook him to revive him. Doctors said injuries were more likely from the baby being shaken.
The baby boy had bleeding in the brain and detached retinas.
Monday, September 7, 2015
Custodial dad charged with "endangerment" in death of 2-year-old daughter; girl died from blunt force trauma to head (Carthage, Missouri)
Media reports thus far have been a little inconsistent and sketchy as to how dad ALBERT STEVEN O'CONNOR gained custody of this little girl and who gave it to him.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/news/preliminary-autopsy-findings-confirm-carthage-girl-died-from-blows-to/article_ef240536-50c9-11e5-9f82-b3728bbcfeb6.html
Preliminary autopsy findings confirm Carthage girl died from blows to head
Posted: Tuesday, September 1, 2015 11:53 am
Debby Woodin
Posted on Sep 1, 2015
by Debby Woodin
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Preliminary autopsy findings show that a 2-year-old Carthage girl died of blunt force trauma to the head, according to Police Chief Greg Dagnan.
Dagnan said the body of Emalata "Emma" Hoeft has been transferred to Ulmer Funeral Home in Carthage where it will have to be determined who will have rights to conduct final arrangements for the toddler.
Her father, Albert Steven O'Connor, 26, 1915 Missouri Ave. is in custody in lieu of $200,000 bond on a charge of felony endangerment of a child for leaving the girl home alone several times before her death.
The girl's biological mother lives in Hawaii. She and her family want to claim the girl's body for final rites, the police chief said.
The father's girlfriend, Tearra Diane Olson, 20, who was identified as his fiancee, is in custody in lieu of $750,000 surety bond and/or $250,000 cash bond, formally charged with felony child abuse resulting in death.
A patholigist has ruled the manner of death as homicide, Dagnan said, though investigators won't know the extent of the girl's injuries or whether there is evidence of past physical abuse until they receive a written report of the autopsy findings.
Olson allegedly told investigators that the girl was fussy on Friday night, screaming, crying and refusing to eat her dinner about 6 p.m. and that Olson struck the girl's head against a hard surface three times, according to an affidavit by Detective Ben Vogt filed in Jasper County Circuit Court at Joplin. Olson said the girl was not breathing and she put the girl to bed and closed the door, where emergency responders found her dead at 8:08 a.m. Saturday after being called to the couple's home because the girl was unresponsive.
Olston had been working at Flexolator and O'Connor at Butterball.
Though O'Connor has not been charged in connection with the girl's death, his charge of child endangerment is the result of statements he allegedly made to police that the couple had left the toddler home alone four times last week while they worked.
O'Connor told them the girl was left alone in her room with a sippy cup of water from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, according to an affidavit by Detective Adam Blankenship.
"Our belief is that she died Friday night," Dagnan said.
The couple has no other children, he said. The father and biological mother had a custody agreement between themselves that allowed the child to be in his custody, according to the police chief. There was no history of police calls to the couple's home and they had lived in Carthage only a few months, coming there from California, Dagnan said.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/news/preliminary-autopsy-findings-confirm-carthage-girl-died-from-blows-to/article_ef240536-50c9-11e5-9f82-b3728bbcfeb6.html
Preliminary autopsy findings confirm Carthage girl died from blows to head
Posted: Tuesday, September 1, 2015 11:53 am
Debby Woodin
Posted on Sep 1, 2015
by Debby Woodin
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Preliminary autopsy findings show that a 2-year-old Carthage girl died of blunt force trauma to the head, according to Police Chief Greg Dagnan.
Dagnan said the body of Emalata "Emma" Hoeft has been transferred to Ulmer Funeral Home in Carthage where it will have to be determined who will have rights to conduct final arrangements for the toddler.
Her father, Albert Steven O'Connor, 26, 1915 Missouri Ave. is in custody in lieu of $200,000 bond on a charge of felony endangerment of a child for leaving the girl home alone several times before her death.
The girl's biological mother lives in Hawaii. She and her family want to claim the girl's body for final rites, the police chief said.
The father's girlfriend, Tearra Diane Olson, 20, who was identified as his fiancee, is in custody in lieu of $750,000 surety bond and/or $250,000 cash bond, formally charged with felony child abuse resulting in death.
A patholigist has ruled the manner of death as homicide, Dagnan said, though investigators won't know the extent of the girl's injuries or whether there is evidence of past physical abuse until they receive a written report of the autopsy findings.
Olson allegedly told investigators that the girl was fussy on Friday night, screaming, crying and refusing to eat her dinner about 6 p.m. and that Olson struck the girl's head against a hard surface three times, according to an affidavit by Detective Ben Vogt filed in Jasper County Circuit Court at Joplin. Olson said the girl was not breathing and she put the girl to bed and closed the door, where emergency responders found her dead at 8:08 a.m. Saturday after being called to the couple's home because the girl was unresponsive.
Olston had been working at Flexolator and O'Connor at Butterball.
Though O'Connor has not been charged in connection with the girl's death, his charge of child endangerment is the result of statements he allegedly made to police that the couple had left the toddler home alone four times last week while they worked.
O'Connor told them the girl was left alone in her room with a sippy cup of water from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, according to an affidavit by Detective Adam Blankenship.
"Our belief is that she died Friday night," Dagnan said.
The couple has no other children, he said. The father and biological mother had a custody agreement between themselves that allowed the child to be in his custody, according to the police chief. There was no history of police calls to the couple's home and they had lived in Carthage only a few months, coming there from California, Dagnan said.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
"Caretaking" dad abuses 2-month-old son while Mom at work, but she's also charged for leaving him with dad (Forsyth, Missouri)
The double standard is breathtaking. Dad BRYAN JOSEPH MATLOCK is the one who admits to doing all the damage while Mom was at work. Yet Mom is charged with the same thing--endangering--for "failing" to stop this violent, obviously easily frustrated deadbeat father.
But really, what are her choices here? Mothers are continually lectured that mothers and fathers are interchangeable caretakers, when they clearly aren't. Mothers are routinely punished when they use their own judgment and try to make their own decisions about their infant caretakers or limit the father's access.
And yet mothers are also held responsible for the failures of "caretaker" dads, while working fathers are virtually never held responsible for anything the mother does.
And if she were to leave him and tell the family court that he was too rough with the baby, she would no doubt be labeled a liar and an alienator. Dad would easily repackage himself as the concerned "primary caretaker" who took care of the baby while the selfish mother was only interested in her "career." Abusers love this. Hurt the "b***ch" in the worse possible way--by taking her baby away from her for leaving his lazy, worthless @$$--and making her pay financially by sicking her with child support.
http://www.bransontrilakesnews.com/news_story/article_3c3123cc-50ca-11e5-8b0a-8baaa68503f7.html
Hollister couple facing felonies for child abuse
Posted: Tuesday, September 1, 2015 9:00 pm
Cliff Sain
FORSYTH — A Hollister couple is in jail relating to accusations of abuse against their two-month-old child, including the father swinging the child by his legs until his head hit a piece of furniture.
According to a police report from the Taney County Sheriff’s Office, the child’s father, Bryan Joseph Matlock, 28, is accused of injuring the infant several times; and the mother, Alexa Renee Smith, 21, is accused of endangering the child after leaving him in the care of Matlock.
The report states police received a call from Matlock Aug. 26 that the boy was having difficulty breathing and was unresponsive. Matlock reportedly told police he had tripped and fallen on the child, causing the injuries.
According to the report, the boy was taken to Cox Medical Center Branson, but it was determined his injuries were serious enough that he was transported to CoxSouth hospital in Springfield. The report states that two separate physicians concluded the child’s injuries were not accidental. A physician’s report stated the injuries were not consistent with Matlock’s story. The child’s injuries include a subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhage, a partially healed posterior left-side rib fracture, multiple contusions and a possible bite mark on the boy’s arm.
After being given his Miranda rights, Matlock said that on Aug. 26, he was watching the boy while Smith was away at work. He told police he:
• hit the child in the face with a pillow multiple times.
• held the child upside down by his legs and swung him, causing him to hit his head on the wooden portion of a couch
• bit the child on his arm to cause him pain
• squeezed him very hard against his chest for about two or three minutes attempting to get him to be quiet
• squeezed him hard enough to cause bruising to his lower stomach area
• threw the child on the couch forcefully four or five times
According to the report, Matlock also told police he had hurt the child in the past and that his wife had caught him pinching the child to cause pain, and squeezing the child hard enough that he “heard something pop.” Matlock told police he believed that is when the fractured rib happened.
The report also states Matlock told police he wishes to hurt people sometimes and gets mad at people for no reason. He also reportedly stated that he is a horrible person.
Smith told police Matlock watches the child on a regular basis while she is at work and that the child did not have any injuries before she left him in Matlock’s care when she went to work Aug. 26, according to the report.
Smith reportedly told police that in the last month she had witnessed Matlock pinch the child; squeeze him; and bite him in the ear, causing bruises. She also told police she told Matlock she would leave him if he didn’t stop, according to the report.
Matlock and Smith are each charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, a class C felony. Matlock is also charged with abuse or neglect of a child, a class B felony. Matlock’s bond is set at $100,000, and Smith’s is at $25,000.
They both had a court hearing scheduled on Sept. 1. Results were not available by Branson Tri-Lakes News press time.
But really, what are her choices here? Mothers are continually lectured that mothers and fathers are interchangeable caretakers, when they clearly aren't. Mothers are routinely punished when they use their own judgment and try to make their own decisions about their infant caretakers or limit the father's access.
And yet mothers are also held responsible for the failures of "caretaker" dads, while working fathers are virtually never held responsible for anything the mother does.
And if she were to leave him and tell the family court that he was too rough with the baby, she would no doubt be labeled a liar and an alienator. Dad would easily repackage himself as the concerned "primary caretaker" who took care of the baby while the selfish mother was only interested in her "career." Abusers love this. Hurt the "b***ch" in the worse possible way--by taking her baby away from her for leaving his lazy, worthless @$$--and making her pay financially by sicking her with child support.
http://www.bransontrilakesnews.com/news_story/article_3c3123cc-50ca-11e5-8b0a-8baaa68503f7.html
Hollister couple facing felonies for child abuse
Posted: Tuesday, September 1, 2015 9:00 pm
Cliff Sain
FORSYTH — A Hollister couple is in jail relating to accusations of abuse against their two-month-old child, including the father swinging the child by his legs until his head hit a piece of furniture.
According to a police report from the Taney County Sheriff’s Office, the child’s father, Bryan Joseph Matlock, 28, is accused of injuring the infant several times; and the mother, Alexa Renee Smith, 21, is accused of endangering the child after leaving him in the care of Matlock.
The report states police received a call from Matlock Aug. 26 that the boy was having difficulty breathing and was unresponsive. Matlock reportedly told police he had tripped and fallen on the child, causing the injuries.
According to the report, the boy was taken to Cox Medical Center Branson, but it was determined his injuries were serious enough that he was transported to CoxSouth hospital in Springfield. The report states that two separate physicians concluded the child’s injuries were not accidental. A physician’s report stated the injuries were not consistent with Matlock’s story. The child’s injuries include a subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhage, a partially healed posterior left-side rib fracture, multiple contusions and a possible bite mark on the boy’s arm.
After being given his Miranda rights, Matlock said that on Aug. 26, he was watching the boy while Smith was away at work. He told police he:
• hit the child in the face with a pillow multiple times.
• held the child upside down by his legs and swung him, causing him to hit his head on the wooden portion of a couch
• bit the child on his arm to cause him pain
• squeezed him very hard against his chest for about two or three minutes attempting to get him to be quiet
• squeezed him hard enough to cause bruising to his lower stomach area
• threw the child on the couch forcefully four or five times
According to the report, Matlock also told police he had hurt the child in the past and that his wife had caught him pinching the child to cause pain, and squeezing the child hard enough that he “heard something pop.” Matlock told police he believed that is when the fractured rib happened.
The report also states Matlock told police he wishes to hurt people sometimes and gets mad at people for no reason. He also reportedly stated that he is a horrible person.
Smith told police Matlock watches the child on a regular basis while she is at work and that the child did not have any injuries before she left him in Matlock’s care when she went to work Aug. 26, according to the report.
Smith reportedly told police that in the last month she had witnessed Matlock pinch the child; squeeze him; and bite him in the ear, causing bruises. She also told police she told Matlock she would leave him if he didn’t stop, according to the report.
Matlock and Smith are each charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, a class C felony. Matlock is also charged with abuse or neglect of a child, a class B felony. Matlock’s bond is set at $100,000, and Smith’s is at $25,000.
They both had a court hearing scheduled on Sept. 1. Results were not available by Branson Tri-Lakes News press time.
Joint custody dad, fiancee charged in death of 2-year-old daughter; protective mother speaks out (Carthage, Missouri)
Due to the influence of fathers rights ideology, mothers are being pressured, brainwashed, and bullied into joint custody with fathers where there was never a marital relationship or even long-term committed relationship. That is insane in itself. But add a bullying, controlling violent father into the mix, a young child who cannot communicate with the mother, and thousands of miles of distance, and you have a recipe for disaster.
There is ZERO reason for a 2-year-old child being forced into joint custody. Young children need loving, consistent care by a primary caregiver. They do not need to be shipped from Hawaii to Missouri like so much freight.
Dad is identified as ALBERT STEVEN O'CONNOR.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Missouri.
http://www.carthagepress.com/article/20150902/NEWS/150909755/?Start=1
Mother speaks about girl killed in child abuse case
The mother of a two-year-old girl, found dead in a Carthage home had just last week booked a flight to Joplin to pick up the girl and take her to her home in Hawaii as part of a shared custody agreement she had with the baby's father.
By John Hacker Posted Sep. 2, 2015 at 9:41 AM
The mother of a two-year-old girl, found dead in a Carthage home had just last week booked a flight to Joplin to pick up the girl and take her to her home in Hawaii as part of a shared custody agreement she had with the baby's father.
Frida Hoeft hadn't seen little Emalata Hoeft since March in California.
“That was the last time I gave her the last hug and her last kiss and told her I'd be back for her soon,” Frida Hoeft said in a telephone interview with The Carthage Press. “Now I'm going to be back for her in a casket. It really sucks.”
What happened
Emalata Hoeft was found dead when Carthage fire, ambulance and police were called to the home at 1915 Missouri St. shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday for a medical call about an unresponsive child.
Medical personnel determined the child was dead and the man and woman in the home, who turned out to be the child's biological father and his fiancé, were questioned by police after they determined there was reason to believe the child's death was not natural causes.
Tearra Diane Olson, 20, and Albert Steven O'Connor, 26, were arrested on Saturday. #Olson was charged with the class A felony abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death, and is being held in the Jasper County Jail on a bond of $750,000 surety and $250,000 cash.
O'Connor was charged first degree endangering the welfare of a child and is being held on $200,000 bond cash or surety.
The probable cause affidavits, filed by Carthage police investigators to support the charges being sought against suspects, paint a picture of neglect turning into an explosion of physical abuse that resulted in the child's death.
CPD Det. Adam Blankenship said in the affidavit on O'Connor that O'Connor worked at the Butterball plant while Olson worked at Flex-o-Lators.
The affidavit alleges that O'Connor “left the two-year-old child at home alone while he and his fiancé were both at work, with no supervision and shut up in the child's bedroom with only a sippy cup of water to drink.”
The affidavit said this happened from 9 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. On Aug. 24, 25, 26 and 28.
The document also said a baby sitter who had cared for the child had not had her in her care since Aug. 21 because the babysitter was out of town.
Carthage Det. Ben Vogt wrote the affidavit in Olson's case.
He said officers were called to the home at 8:08 a.m. Saturday for the report of an unresponsive child.
He said officers contacted Olson and O'Connor and found the child dead in the back bedroom of the home.
“Tearra Diane Olson was later interviewed and disclosed to an officer that she struck (name redacted) head 3 times on a hard surface at approximately (6 p.m.) on Aug. 28, 015,” the affidavit said. “Olson stated she struck E.H. Due to her screaming, crying and refusing to eat her dinner. (Name redacted) was not breathing and Olson then placed (name redacted) in her bed and closed the door.”
Carthage Police Chief Greg Dagnan said O'Connor was apparently not home at the time that Olson is alleged to have struck the child's head on the hard surface.
A mother grieves
Frida Hoeft said her daughter was the love of her life and and a very happy child.
“She was just a happy baby,” Friday Hoeft said. “She loved to dance, she loved to put smiles on people's faces, she loved to just laugh out of nowhere, she loved to play. She just loved everybody. She never put a frown on nobody's face.”
Frida Hoeft said she met Steven O'Connor in California and they had a brief relationship before Emalata was born.
Hoeft grew up in Hawaii, where her family lives, and had moved to “the states” on two occasions after graduation, once in 2010 and then in 2012 when she met O'Connor.
Emalata was born in Sacramento and the relationship with O'Connor didn't last, but they were all living in California until early in 2015 when O'Connor announced he and his fiancé were moving to Missouri.
“Me and her father came to an agreement because he wanted to move to Carthage because his girlfriend, she apparently said her dad wanted them to move in,” Frida Hoeft said. “I said if you're going to move then I'm going to move with you or we're going to come to this agreement where we're going to share custody going back and forth with her. He said okay.”
The mother said O'Connor and Olson moved to Missouri and she returned to be with her family in Hawaii. Frida Hoeft said O'Connor and Olson moved to Carthage sometime in April and she tried to stay in contact with O'Connor, Olson and Emalata, but O'Connor made it difficult.
“They didn't keep me updated, Steven tends to give me attitude,” Hoeft said. “He doesn't want to tell me nothing and he'll lie to me about everything. He wasn't terribly honest with me. My whole family lives here and I was supposed to pick her up this Friday and I had just booked my flight. I was flying to Joplin.”
Now Frida Hoeft and her family are planning Emalata's funeral. Frieda said she plans to bury Emalata in a cemetery in Pearl City, Hawaii.
“I have family and friends and unknown people that I do not know are helping me by fundraising to bring her home and to help her have the funeral she deserves,” Frida said. “That's my main goal now, just to make sure she's back here and she's going to have the best funeral she can have because she needs a beautiful funeral just like how she was and still is. She still lives on in my life and everyone's life down here.”
There is ZERO reason for a 2-year-old child being forced into joint custody. Young children need loving, consistent care by a primary caregiver. They do not need to be shipped from Hawaii to Missouri like so much freight.
Dad is identified as ALBERT STEVEN O'CONNOR.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for Missouri.
http://www.carthagepress.com/article/20150902/NEWS/150909755/?Start=1
Mother speaks about girl killed in child abuse case
The mother of a two-year-old girl, found dead in a Carthage home had just last week booked a flight to Joplin to pick up the girl and take her to her home in Hawaii as part of a shared custody agreement she had with the baby's father.
By John Hacker Posted Sep. 2, 2015 at 9:41 AM
The mother of a two-year-old girl, found dead in a Carthage home had just last week booked a flight to Joplin to pick up the girl and take her to her home in Hawaii as part of a shared custody agreement she had with the baby's father.
Frida Hoeft hadn't seen little Emalata Hoeft since March in California.
“That was the last time I gave her the last hug and her last kiss and told her I'd be back for her soon,” Frida Hoeft said in a telephone interview with The Carthage Press. “Now I'm going to be back for her in a casket. It really sucks.”
What happened
Emalata Hoeft was found dead when Carthage fire, ambulance and police were called to the home at 1915 Missouri St. shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday for a medical call about an unresponsive child.
Medical personnel determined the child was dead and the man and woman in the home, who turned out to be the child's biological father and his fiancé, were questioned by police after they determined there was reason to believe the child's death was not natural causes.
Tearra Diane Olson, 20, and Albert Steven O'Connor, 26, were arrested on Saturday. #Olson was charged with the class A felony abuse or neglect of a child resulting in death, and is being held in the Jasper County Jail on a bond of $750,000 surety and $250,000 cash.
O'Connor was charged first degree endangering the welfare of a child and is being held on $200,000 bond cash or surety.
The probable cause affidavits, filed by Carthage police investigators to support the charges being sought against suspects, paint a picture of neglect turning into an explosion of physical abuse that resulted in the child's death.
CPD Det. Adam Blankenship said in the affidavit on O'Connor that O'Connor worked at the Butterball plant while Olson worked at Flex-o-Lators.
The affidavit alleges that O'Connor “left the two-year-old child at home alone while he and his fiancé were both at work, with no supervision and shut up in the child's bedroom with only a sippy cup of water to drink.”
The affidavit said this happened from 9 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. On Aug. 24, 25, 26 and 28.
The document also said a baby sitter who had cared for the child had not had her in her care since Aug. 21 because the babysitter was out of town.
Carthage Det. Ben Vogt wrote the affidavit in Olson's case.
He said officers were called to the home at 8:08 a.m. Saturday for the report of an unresponsive child.
He said officers contacted Olson and O'Connor and found the child dead in the back bedroom of the home.
“Tearra Diane Olson was later interviewed and disclosed to an officer that she struck (name redacted) head 3 times on a hard surface at approximately (6 p.m.) on Aug. 28, 015,” the affidavit said. “Olson stated she struck E.H. Due to her screaming, crying and refusing to eat her dinner. (Name redacted) was not breathing and Olson then placed (name redacted) in her bed and closed the door.”
Carthage Police Chief Greg Dagnan said O'Connor was apparently not home at the time that Olson is alleged to have struck the child's head on the hard surface.
A mother grieves
Frida Hoeft said her daughter was the love of her life and and a very happy child.
“She was just a happy baby,” Friday Hoeft said. “She loved to dance, she loved to put smiles on people's faces, she loved to just laugh out of nowhere, she loved to play. She just loved everybody. She never put a frown on nobody's face.”
Frida Hoeft said she met Steven O'Connor in California and they had a brief relationship before Emalata was born.
Hoeft grew up in Hawaii, where her family lives, and had moved to “the states” on two occasions after graduation, once in 2010 and then in 2012 when she met O'Connor.
Emalata was born in Sacramento and the relationship with O'Connor didn't last, but they were all living in California until early in 2015 when O'Connor announced he and his fiancé were moving to Missouri.
“Me and her father came to an agreement because he wanted to move to Carthage because his girlfriend, she apparently said her dad wanted them to move in,” Frida Hoeft said. “I said if you're going to move then I'm going to move with you or we're going to come to this agreement where we're going to share custody going back and forth with her. He said okay.”
The mother said O'Connor and Olson moved to Missouri and she returned to be with her family in Hawaii. Frida Hoeft said O'Connor and Olson moved to Carthage sometime in April and she tried to stay in contact with O'Connor, Olson and Emalata, but O'Connor made it difficult.
“They didn't keep me updated, Steven tends to give me attitude,” Hoeft said. “He doesn't want to tell me nothing and he'll lie to me about everything. He wasn't terribly honest with me. My whole family lives here and I was supposed to pick her up this Friday and I had just booked my flight. I was flying to Joplin.”
Now Frida Hoeft and her family are planning Emalata's funeral. Frieda said she plans to bury Emalata in a cemetery in Pearl City, Hawaii.
“I have family and friends and unknown people that I do not know are helping me by fundraising to bring her home and to help her have the funeral she deserves,” Frida said. “That's my main goal now, just to make sure she's back here and she's going to have the best funeral she can have because she needs a beautiful funeral just like how she was and still is. She still lives on in my life and everyone's life down here.”
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Dad charged in shooting death of 21-month-old son (Clayton, Missouri)
Dad is identified as COREY EPPS. No mention of the mother--is this a custody/visitation situation?
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/09/04/father-charged-in-toddlers-shooting-death/
Father Charged in Toddler’s Shooting Death
Brian Kelly September 4, 2015 1:25 PM
CLAYTON, Mo. (KMOX) – The father of the 21-month-old who shot and killed himself in Hanley Hills a couple of weeks ago is now charged in his son’s death.
Corey Epps, 26, is charged with child endangerment and tampering with evidence.
Police say Epps left a loaded semi-automatic weapon in a place where the child would often play.
He also allegedly removed the gun and shell casing before police arrived after the shooting.
Carter Epps shot himself Aug. 25 in his grandmother’s home in the 7700 block of Utica.
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/09/04/father-charged-in-toddlers-shooting-death/
Father Charged in Toddler’s Shooting Death
Brian Kelly September 4, 2015 1:25 PM
CLAYTON, Mo. (KMOX) – The father of the 21-month-old who shot and killed himself in Hanley Hills a couple of weeks ago is now charged in his son’s death.
Corey Epps, 26, is charged with child endangerment and tampering with evidence.
Police say Epps left a loaded semi-automatic weapon in a place where the child would often play.
He also allegedly removed the gun and shell casing before police arrived after the shooting.
Carter Epps shot himself Aug. 25 in his grandmother’s home in the 7700 block of Utica.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Dad gets life in prison for raping, sodomizing daughter for five years (Johnson County, Missouri)
No mention of the mother anywhere. I suspect that this was a custody/visitation situation, very possibly involving full custody for the father. Sexual abusers very often prefer to have full access/possession of their victims with no possibly interference from "pesky" moms.
Dad is identified as DARRON J. CHAPMAN.
http://www.gasconadecountyrepublican.com/news/owensville/article_715fc8fe-4bfd-11e5-97c3-b3fc9170a328.html
Life sentence for Chapman in child sex abuse case
Posted: Wednesday, August 26, 2015 9:19 am | Updated: 11:15 am, Wed Aug 26, 2015.
Posted on Aug 26, 2015
by Dave Marner
A former area resident was sentenced Thursday to 75 years in prison for sexually abusing his own daughter over a 5-year period which ended this past summer with the his arrest.
Rob Russell, prosecuting attorney of Johnson County, said Johnson County Circuit Judge Mike Wagner sentenced Darron J. Chapman, now 38, to four “life terms” of 30 years, to be served concurrently, and three additional 15-year terms — to be served consecutively to each other — following completion of the 30-year terms.
Chapman pleaded guilty in June to felony charges of statutory rape, three counts of statutory sodomy, first-degree child molestation, and two counts of possession of child pornography.
“There really wasn’t going to be probation in this case,” said Russell. “The true depths of this tragedy, the horrible and despicable nature, was not really made public. As a father, this is a case that’s almost unfathomable and you hope you never have one like this again.”
Chapman admitted to raping and sodomizing his own daughter on her fifth birthday in 2008. He was also charged with deviate sexual intercourse with her on a Father’s Day. Russell said the sexual assaults took place over a 5-year period until the girl was 10-years-old.
The allegations first came to light last summer, said Russell. The girl had been working on a history project about the Civil War during the school year. Russell said she told authorities she had been reading about how slaves were considered property and how females were often exploited by their owners.
“She put two-and-two together and though she was being treated like women in those textbooks,” said Russell.
When the girl questioned her father about his actions, Russell said investigators learned Chapman showed his daughter video clips of child pornography.
“He showed her adult on child pornography and told her this was normal father-child behavior,” said Russell.
Details of his crimes came to light in June 2014 when the girl underwent a forensic examination conducted by staff at ChildSafe of Missouri in Sedalia, Mo.
Chapman, who has been jailed in lieu of a $500,000 cash only bond since his arrest in July 2014, pleaded guilty on June 15 to all seven felony charges against him.
“I still can’t get my head around this,” said Russell who was glad the case was over and that the sentencing reflected the crime’s impact on the victim. “I think that’s reflected on how the court’s thought process was applied in sentencing. “It’s just despicable what he did.”
Russell said nothing in the Warrensburg police department’s year-long investigation indicated there were any other victims other than Chapman’s daughter. Chapman resigned his position of 13 years as information technology director for the Warrensburg school district only days prior to being arrested last summer.
“There’s no indication he had any other victims in this case,” said Russell.
Chapman was arrested June 24, 2014, attempting to enter Gasconade County.
Dad is identified as DARRON J. CHAPMAN.
http://www.gasconadecountyrepublican.com/news/owensville/article_715fc8fe-4bfd-11e5-97c3-b3fc9170a328.html
Life sentence for Chapman in child sex abuse case
Posted: Wednesday, August 26, 2015 9:19 am | Updated: 11:15 am, Wed Aug 26, 2015.
Posted on Aug 26, 2015
by Dave Marner
A former area resident was sentenced Thursday to 75 years in prison for sexually abusing his own daughter over a 5-year period which ended this past summer with the his arrest.
Rob Russell, prosecuting attorney of Johnson County, said Johnson County Circuit Judge Mike Wagner sentenced Darron J. Chapman, now 38, to four “life terms” of 30 years, to be served concurrently, and three additional 15-year terms — to be served consecutively to each other — following completion of the 30-year terms.
Chapman pleaded guilty in June to felony charges of statutory rape, three counts of statutory sodomy, first-degree child molestation, and two counts of possession of child pornography.
“There really wasn’t going to be probation in this case,” said Russell. “The true depths of this tragedy, the horrible and despicable nature, was not really made public. As a father, this is a case that’s almost unfathomable and you hope you never have one like this again.”
Chapman admitted to raping and sodomizing his own daughter on her fifth birthday in 2008. He was also charged with deviate sexual intercourse with her on a Father’s Day. Russell said the sexual assaults took place over a 5-year period until the girl was 10-years-old.
The allegations first came to light last summer, said Russell. The girl had been working on a history project about the Civil War during the school year. Russell said she told authorities she had been reading about how slaves were considered property and how females were often exploited by their owners.
“She put two-and-two together and though she was being treated like women in those textbooks,” said Russell.
When the girl questioned her father about his actions, Russell said investigators learned Chapman showed his daughter video clips of child pornography.
“He showed her adult on child pornography and told her this was normal father-child behavior,” said Russell.
Details of his crimes came to light in June 2014 when the girl underwent a forensic examination conducted by staff at ChildSafe of Missouri in Sedalia, Mo.
Chapman, who has been jailed in lieu of a $500,000 cash only bond since his arrest in July 2014, pleaded guilty on June 15 to all seven felony charges against him.
“I still can’t get my head around this,” said Russell who was glad the case was over and that the sentencing reflected the crime’s impact on the victim. “I think that’s reflected on how the court’s thought process was applied in sentencing. “It’s just despicable what he did.”
Russell said nothing in the Warrensburg police department’s year-long investigation indicated there were any other victims other than Chapman’s daughter. Chapman resigned his position of 13 years as information technology director for the Warrensburg school district only days prior to being arrested last summer.
“There’s no indication he had any other victims in this case,” said Russell.
Chapman was arrested June 24, 2014, attempting to enter Gasconade County.
Toddler dies years after being assaulted by dad, who was a "caretaker" with a criminal history of assault (St. Louis, Missouri)
Generally, fathers with a history of criminal assault are not great candidates for child caregivers.
We desperately need other options so mothers can stay in school.
Dad is identified as RUFUS LITTLE.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-louis-toddler-shaken-as-infant-dies-father-still-in/article_8f0d3af2-c25e-5d70-aef3-7d1ac0365c99.html
Toddler dies years after he was violently shaken by father at St. Louis home
August 21, 2015 2:15 am • By Joel Currier
ST. LOUIS • A young boy severely abused as an infant by his father several years ago has died of his injuries, authorities said.
Karon J. Little, who was 3 months old in December 2011 when he was vigorously shaken in his home, died about 9 a.m. Tuesday at Children’s Hospital in St. Louis.
Police have said the boy’s father, Rufus Little, shook Karon while caring for him Dec. 15, 2011, at the family’s home in the 4400 block of St. Louis Avenue.
Paramedics were sent to the home about 7:20 p.m. that day and found Karon without a pulse and not breathing, court records say. Two other children, who were 2 and 5 years old at the time, were also under Little’s care.
Little told police that he had been watching the three children at the home while his wife, who was Karon’s mother, was at school. Little told police that when he grew frustrated with the two older children, Karon began crying, and he picked up Karon and shook him “violently” until he stopped.
Little told police he then put Karon in his crib, checked on him an hour later and found him unresponsive. Karon suffered severe brain injuries and was reported in critical condition.
Little was charged that month with first-degree assault and abuse of a child.
After a five-day trial that ended Nov. 1, 2013, a jury found the boy’s father guilty of second-degree assault and child abuse. In January 2014, Little was sentenced to seven years in prison. Little, now 52, is serving that sentence at the Algoa Correctional Center in Jefferson City.
Susan Ryan, a spokeswoman for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, said prosecutors are reviewing the case “and exploring what legal options we have.”
The child had been in state custody since the abuse, but it was not clear where he received medical care, authorities said.
Little’s appeal on the assault and abuse convictions is pending, court records say. His public defender, Amy Lowe, declined to comment Thursday until she could get permission from Little.
Court records say that in addition to child abuse, Little’s criminal history includes drug and assault convictions in Virginia.
We desperately need other options so mothers can stay in school.
Dad is identified as RUFUS LITTLE.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-louis-toddler-shaken-as-infant-dies-father-still-in/article_8f0d3af2-c25e-5d70-aef3-7d1ac0365c99.html
Toddler dies years after he was violently shaken by father at St. Louis home
August 21, 2015 2:15 am • By Joel Currier
ST. LOUIS • A young boy severely abused as an infant by his father several years ago has died of his injuries, authorities said.
Karon J. Little, who was 3 months old in December 2011 when he was vigorously shaken in his home, died about 9 a.m. Tuesday at Children’s Hospital in St. Louis.
Police have said the boy’s father, Rufus Little, shook Karon while caring for him Dec. 15, 2011, at the family’s home in the 4400 block of St. Louis Avenue.
Paramedics were sent to the home about 7:20 p.m. that day and found Karon without a pulse and not breathing, court records say. Two other children, who were 2 and 5 years old at the time, were also under Little’s care.
Little told police that he had been watching the three children at the home while his wife, who was Karon’s mother, was at school. Little told police that when he grew frustrated with the two older children, Karon began crying, and he picked up Karon and shook him “violently” until he stopped.
Little told police he then put Karon in his crib, checked on him an hour later and found him unresponsive. Karon suffered severe brain injuries and was reported in critical condition.
Little was charged that month with first-degree assault and abuse of a child.
After a five-day trial that ended Nov. 1, 2013, a jury found the boy’s father guilty of second-degree assault and child abuse. In January 2014, Little was sentenced to seven years in prison. Little, now 52, is serving that sentence at the Algoa Correctional Center in Jefferson City.
Susan Ryan, a spokeswoman for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, said prosecutors are reviewing the case “and exploring what legal options we have.”
The child had been in state custody since the abuse, but it was not clear where he received medical care, authorities said.
Little’s appeal on the assault and abuse convictions is pending, court records say. His public defender, Amy Lowe, declined to comment Thursday until she could get permission from Little.
Court records say that in addition to child abuse, Little’s criminal history includes drug and assault convictions in Virginia.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Dad who abducted, murdered 1-year-old son had shared custody; protective mom had wanted sole custody, but lost (Urbandale, Illinois)
This is not good reporting. With any understanding of domestic violence and narcissistic personality disorder, you would not make the error of calling this a "troubled relationship" involving a father who "cared for his son."
First of all, there was nothing that was "troubling" about the "relationship" as such. Mom clearly tried to be responsible and do the right thing. She was dealing with a man who could not/would not hold a job, was unreliable, moved in an out of the home on a whim, and ultimately created (unspecified) "domestic disturbances." (I assume that this is a euphemism for domestic violence that the reporters can't bother to follow up on.) No charges followed (typical). So at any rate, the problems clearly laid with the father. Not mom. Not "the relationship."
Mom tried to protect her baby from this unreliable deadbeat and likely abuser by seeking sole custody, but her efforts were defeated. She got stuck with shared custody instead. Needless to say, abusers very typically use "custody disputes" as a way to create anxiety and stress for the mother, especially when the child in question is merely a baby or barely verbal toddler.
The fathers rights people insist that any father with a pulse--no matter how violent, addicted, or crazy--should get joint custody at minimum. (Of course they prefer full father custody so women will be afraid to divorce them, but they don't like that brought out too often in mixed company.)
The predictable result: Daddy's still Not Happy. The self-centered, narcissistic deadbeat dad abducts the 1-year-old son, a baby really, Despite showy displays of affection that fool the babysitter (and very often other people as well), the man is incapable of real love or real empathy for another human being, even his own infant son. Like all sociopaths, he sees people only in terms of how they suit him and feed his narcissistic sense of entitlement. Right now, his only motivation is to punish the mom in the best way he knows how. And that is destroying her baby in a fiery inferno.
This is why fathers like this CAN'T be appeased with joint custody or any move that reinforces their sense of entitlement over other human beings.
Da is identified as ELVIS HABIBOVIC. Now on the Killer Dads and Custody list for Illinois.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2015/06/10/urbandale-amber-alert-death-burned-bodies-logan-habibovic-elvis-habibovic/71013982/
Amber Alert mom: 'What he did was terrible'
Grant Rodgers and Danielle Ferguson, 9:49 a.m. CDT June 11, 2015
HARRISON COUNTY, Mo. – Sheriff Josh Eckerson stood looking at the burned-out remains of a sport-utility vehicle, unsure of what he was seeing.
In the driver's seat was the charred body of an adult — along with what looked like a much smaller body that Eckerson dearly hoped wasn't what he thought.
"I really couldn't determine what it was," he said. "I didn't want to believe it."
When the Amber Alert came about 41/2 hours later from the Urbandale Police Department, Eckerson's fears were realized. He was a witness to the tragic ending to the lives of a 9-month-old boy and the father who abducted him hours earlier and more than 100 miles away.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jake Angle confirmed Wednesday that the bodies in the vehicle are believed to be little Logan Habibovic and his father, 33-year-old Elvis Habibovic.
Harrison County Coroner Jeremy Eivins said it could take 30 days or more to determine the cause of death because of the condition of the bodies.
But authorities found hosing near the vehicle, leading investigators to believe the two likely died from carbon monoxide poisoning from exhaust fumes, Eckerson said.
Investigators are continuing to look for answers behind the abduction and deaths. Logan's baby sitter and family friend Angela Charlier said Habibovic's relationship with Logan's mother, Melissa Zeimet, disintegrated last weekend over concerns about money, and he was forced to leave the Urbandale apartment they shared.
"I think he was very depressed," she said. #The baby sitter mourned Wednesday over the boy she'd cared for almost daily. Logan learned to crawl at 6 months. He was tall and skinny for his young age, Charlier said.
"He was pulling himself up on furniture," she said. "He was good at it. He just took off." #Logan would have turned 1 in August.
The abduction timeline
Habibovic picked up the boy around 11 a.m. that day, saying he just wanted to take his son on a walk, according to Charlier and a timeline released by police.
Zeimet called and spoke with Habibovic around 4:15 p.m. to be sure Logan would be home by 8 p.m.
Zeimet called Urbandale police at 8:19 p.m. to report the boy missing. It was only 30 minutes later that authorities in Missouri found a burned-out vehicle at the rural Grand Trace Conservation Area, 10 miles northwest of quiet Bethany, Mo. A passerby on a nearby highway had called the sheriff's department to report a plume of smoke.
Through the night before learning about the fire, Zeimet sent Habibovic frantic text messages, she said Wednesday. At 9:12 p.m., she texted, "How could you?"
Later, at 12:08 a.m., she sent, "If u bring him back safe and sound we make this all go away and you won't have any trouble."
"It was too late," Zeimet said in an interview. "They were already dead."
It would take about five hours before law enforcement in the two states connected the dots. Unaware of the gruesome discovery to their south, Urbandale police got authority to send an Amber Alert at 1:19 a.m. warning law enforcement to be on the lookout for Logan and Habibovic, who were likely traveling in a black 2003 Land Rover Discovery.
Missouri authorities saw that the charred vehicle matched the description from the Amber Alert. A vehicle identification number found on its frame confirmed their suspicion, said Eckerson, the county sheriff of 21/2 years.
Everything else, including the license plates, was destroyed by flames.
Urbandale police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol believe the remains of an infant and adult found in a burned vehicle are related to the Amber Alert issued early Wednesday morning. near Bethany, Missouri. Rodney White/The Register
"When we got the Amber Alert ... then I thought, 'This is probably what we're looking for,' " he said.
At 2 a.m., Eivins arrived and confirmed the second body was a young child's. Around the same time, Missouri authorities called Urbandale police, and two highway patrol officers immediately drove to the Des Moines suburb to do interviews and gather dental and DNA records for comparison.
The state fire marshal's office took evidence from the scene to determine whether any accelerants were used to fuel the fire. The SUV was taken away around 5 a.m.
Investigators are trying to determine how Habibovic and his son ended up in the parking lot of the 1,500-acre public hunting and fishing area, which is so isolated that Eckerson had to lead local responders through the turns, hills and rough roads to the vehicle.
At the site of the fire, a patch of blackened gravel remained and a nearby tree's leaves were singed up to about 15 feet above the ground.
"It's just hard to try to wrap your brain around someone, not only a parent, but any individual who would want to harm a child," Eckerson said. "An innocent individual who hasn't done anything, who really has just started their life. To do this is unbelievable."
#Troubled relationship
The parents met about a decade ago through a friend Zeimet knew at Iowa State University, she said.
Even before Zeimet got pregnant, Habibovic moved in with her in 2013 when he needed a place to stay, she said. It started a pattern: He'd move in with Zeimet for a few months at a time before leaving.
Most recently, he came back to the Urbandale apartment in late April after losing his job with Ankeny-based G & I Trucking, Zeimet said.
"He texted me and said, 'I just got fired, take good care of Logan if I don't make it home.' " Zeimet convinced her child's father to take a Greyhound bus back to the metro and move in, she said.
When she got pregnant with Logan, Habibovic was clear that he wanted her to have the child, she said. It was obvious when the two were together that the father cared for his son, Zeimet said.
She has pictures on her phone of the two together on Memorial Day, and Habibovic holding Logan behind the wheel of the Land Rover that they both died in Tuesday night.
His final act, though, was selfish and evil, Zeimet said.
"Maybe he wasn't a terrible person," she said. "But what he did was terrible."
Zeimet had to force Habibovic out on Sunday after fighting about money, she said. After losing his job at the trucking company, he was making less working for a construction company, she said.
Urbandale police visited Zeimet's Carole Circle apartment Sunday and Monday in response to a report of an "unwanted guest," records show. On Monday, Habibovic had come over claiming he needed a quick shower, but stayed for hours, Zeimet said.
The couple had other tensions in their relationship, records show.
In November, the mother filed a petition in Polk County District Court seeking sole custody of Logan, a move Habibovic initially opposed.
That same month, Urbandale police twice responded to calls at Zeimet's apartment — one for a welfare check and the second for a domestic disturbance. No incident report was taken on either call, according to police records.
Before the parents worked out a shared custody agreement in February, Habibovic successfully asked for a court-ordered genetic test to establish paternity of Logan.
There was an outpouring of condolences in 92 comments on Zeimet's Facebook page after she announced her son's death around 5 a.m.
"This is gut-wrenching," one commenter wrote. "I can't imagine the pain you are facing. Be strong."
Charlier remembered Logan as a happy baby. His active personality led his mother to call him a "little monkey," she said. A photo of Logan sticking his tongue out that was released with an early morning Amber Alert perfectly captured his personality. #He liked stuffed animals and blankets with monkeys on them.
"He always had his little fist in his mouth," Charlier said. "He was very loved."
"He laughed at everything and he was a happy baby," Zeimet said. "He was easy … it was like nature gave me this amazing baby." -- Reporter Danielle Ferguson contributed to this story.
First of all, there was nothing that was "troubling" about the "relationship" as such. Mom clearly tried to be responsible and do the right thing. She was dealing with a man who could not/would not hold a job, was unreliable, moved in an out of the home on a whim, and ultimately created (unspecified) "domestic disturbances." (I assume that this is a euphemism for domestic violence that the reporters can't bother to follow up on.) No charges followed (typical). So at any rate, the problems clearly laid with the father. Not mom. Not "the relationship."
Mom tried to protect her baby from this unreliable deadbeat and likely abuser by seeking sole custody, but her efforts were defeated. She got stuck with shared custody instead. Needless to say, abusers very typically use "custody disputes" as a way to create anxiety and stress for the mother, especially when the child in question is merely a baby or barely verbal toddler.
The fathers rights people insist that any father with a pulse--no matter how violent, addicted, or crazy--should get joint custody at minimum. (Of course they prefer full father custody so women will be afraid to divorce them, but they don't like that brought out too often in mixed company.)
The predictable result: Daddy's still Not Happy. The self-centered, narcissistic deadbeat dad abducts the 1-year-old son, a baby really, Despite showy displays of affection that fool the babysitter (and very often other people as well), the man is incapable of real love or real empathy for another human being, even his own infant son. Like all sociopaths, he sees people only in terms of how they suit him and feed his narcissistic sense of entitlement. Right now, his only motivation is to punish the mom in the best way he knows how. And that is destroying her baby in a fiery inferno.
This is why fathers like this CAN'T be appeased with joint custody or any move that reinforces their sense of entitlement over other human beings.
Da is identified as ELVIS HABIBOVIC. Now on the Killer Dads and Custody list for Illinois.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2015/06/10/urbandale-amber-alert-death-burned-bodies-logan-habibovic-elvis-habibovic/71013982/
Amber Alert mom: 'What he did was terrible'
Grant Rodgers and Danielle Ferguson, 9:49 a.m. CDT June 11, 2015
HARRISON COUNTY, Mo. – Sheriff Josh Eckerson stood looking at the burned-out remains of a sport-utility vehicle, unsure of what he was seeing.
In the driver's seat was the charred body of an adult — along with what looked like a much smaller body that Eckerson dearly hoped wasn't what he thought.
"I really couldn't determine what it was," he said. "I didn't want to believe it."
When the Amber Alert came about 41/2 hours later from the Urbandale Police Department, Eckerson's fears were realized. He was a witness to the tragic ending to the lives of a 9-month-old boy and the father who abducted him hours earlier and more than 100 miles away.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jake Angle confirmed Wednesday that the bodies in the vehicle are believed to be little Logan Habibovic and his father, 33-year-old Elvis Habibovic.
Harrison County Coroner Jeremy Eivins said it could take 30 days or more to determine the cause of death because of the condition of the bodies.
But authorities found hosing near the vehicle, leading investigators to believe the two likely died from carbon monoxide poisoning from exhaust fumes, Eckerson said.
Investigators are continuing to look for answers behind the abduction and deaths. Logan's baby sitter and family friend Angela Charlier said Habibovic's relationship with Logan's mother, Melissa Zeimet, disintegrated last weekend over concerns about money, and he was forced to leave the Urbandale apartment they shared.
"I think he was very depressed," she said. #The baby sitter mourned Wednesday over the boy she'd cared for almost daily. Logan learned to crawl at 6 months. He was tall and skinny for his young age, Charlier said.
"He was pulling himself up on furniture," she said. "He was good at it. He just took off." #Logan would have turned 1 in August.
The abduction timeline
Habibovic picked up the boy around 11 a.m. that day, saying he just wanted to take his son on a walk, according to Charlier and a timeline released by police.
Zeimet called and spoke with Habibovic around 4:15 p.m. to be sure Logan would be home by 8 p.m.
Zeimet called Urbandale police at 8:19 p.m. to report the boy missing. It was only 30 minutes later that authorities in Missouri found a burned-out vehicle at the rural Grand Trace Conservation Area, 10 miles northwest of quiet Bethany, Mo. A passerby on a nearby highway had called the sheriff's department to report a plume of smoke.
Through the night before learning about the fire, Zeimet sent Habibovic frantic text messages, she said Wednesday. At 9:12 p.m., she texted, "How could you?"
Later, at 12:08 a.m., she sent, "If u bring him back safe and sound we make this all go away and you won't have any trouble."
"It was too late," Zeimet said in an interview. "They were already dead."
It would take about five hours before law enforcement in the two states connected the dots. Unaware of the gruesome discovery to their south, Urbandale police got authority to send an Amber Alert at 1:19 a.m. warning law enforcement to be on the lookout for Logan and Habibovic, who were likely traveling in a black 2003 Land Rover Discovery.
Missouri authorities saw that the charred vehicle matched the description from the Amber Alert. A vehicle identification number found on its frame confirmed their suspicion, said Eckerson, the county sheriff of 21/2 years.
Everything else, including the license plates, was destroyed by flames.
Urbandale police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol believe the remains of an infant and adult found in a burned vehicle are related to the Amber Alert issued early Wednesday morning. near Bethany, Missouri. Rodney White/The Register
"When we got the Amber Alert ... then I thought, 'This is probably what we're looking for,' " he said.
At 2 a.m., Eivins arrived and confirmed the second body was a young child's. Around the same time, Missouri authorities called Urbandale police, and two highway patrol officers immediately drove to the Des Moines suburb to do interviews and gather dental and DNA records for comparison.
The state fire marshal's office took evidence from the scene to determine whether any accelerants were used to fuel the fire. The SUV was taken away around 5 a.m.
Investigators are trying to determine how Habibovic and his son ended up in the parking lot of the 1,500-acre public hunting and fishing area, which is so isolated that Eckerson had to lead local responders through the turns, hills and rough roads to the vehicle.
At the site of the fire, a patch of blackened gravel remained and a nearby tree's leaves were singed up to about 15 feet above the ground.
"It's just hard to try to wrap your brain around someone, not only a parent, but any individual who would want to harm a child," Eckerson said. "An innocent individual who hasn't done anything, who really has just started their life. To do this is unbelievable."
#Troubled relationship
The parents met about a decade ago through a friend Zeimet knew at Iowa State University, she said.
Even before Zeimet got pregnant, Habibovic moved in with her in 2013 when he needed a place to stay, she said. It started a pattern: He'd move in with Zeimet for a few months at a time before leaving.
Most recently, he came back to the Urbandale apartment in late April after losing his job with Ankeny-based G & I Trucking, Zeimet said.
"He texted me and said, 'I just got fired, take good care of Logan if I don't make it home.' " Zeimet convinced her child's father to take a Greyhound bus back to the metro and move in, she said.
When she got pregnant with Logan, Habibovic was clear that he wanted her to have the child, she said. It was obvious when the two were together that the father cared for his son, Zeimet said.
She has pictures on her phone of the two together on Memorial Day, and Habibovic holding Logan behind the wheel of the Land Rover that they both died in Tuesday night.
His final act, though, was selfish and evil, Zeimet said.
"Maybe he wasn't a terrible person," she said. "But what he did was terrible."
Zeimet had to force Habibovic out on Sunday after fighting about money, she said. After losing his job at the trucking company, he was making less working for a construction company, she said.
Urbandale police visited Zeimet's Carole Circle apartment Sunday and Monday in response to a report of an "unwanted guest," records show. On Monday, Habibovic had come over claiming he needed a quick shower, but stayed for hours, Zeimet said.
The couple had other tensions in their relationship, records show.
In November, the mother filed a petition in Polk County District Court seeking sole custody of Logan, a move Habibovic initially opposed.
That same month, Urbandale police twice responded to calls at Zeimet's apartment — one for a welfare check and the second for a domestic disturbance. No incident report was taken on either call, according to police records.
Before the parents worked out a shared custody agreement in February, Habibovic successfully asked for a court-ordered genetic test to establish paternity of Logan.
There was an outpouring of condolences in 92 comments on Zeimet's Facebook page after she announced her son's death around 5 a.m.
"This is gut-wrenching," one commenter wrote. "I can't imagine the pain you are facing. Be strong."
Charlier remembered Logan as a happy baby. His active personality led his mother to call him a "little monkey," she said. A photo of Logan sticking his tongue out that was released with an early morning Amber Alert perfectly captured his personality. #He liked stuffed animals and blankets with monkeys on them.
"He always had his little fist in his mouth," Charlier said. "He was very loved."
"He laughed at everything and he was a happy baby," Zeimet said. "He was easy … it was like nature gave me this amazing baby." -- Reporter Danielle Ferguson contributed to this story.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Dad gets probation for beating 8-year-old daughter, intentionally depriving her of sleep (Neosho, Missouri)
What the hell is wrong with this sadistic piece of sh**? His daughter falls asleep in school, so he puts her on forced marches as punishment? And then he can't figure out why she's exhausted, so he beats her? I think he knows very well what he's doing. And it's not "discipline" (however broadly defined). It's torture. It's meant to break and humiliate the victim.
If you subjected a political prisoner to this kind of treatment, it would be considered a human rights violation if not torture. Why is this any different?
So why is sicko daddy SCOTTY L. HUMPHRIES getting probation for this? Frankly I think the daughter's fears are correct. If somebody doesn't stop this sadistic creep, he will end up killing her. But of course, the courts are indulging him because she is "only" a female child and he is a father. Then if something horrible happens, they can all claim how "shocked" they are and how they have no idea what the motive was, and it's all just an unfathomable mystery, ya know?
Is there a mother in this home? Notice there is no mention of one.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/news/local_news/father-receives-probation-in-neosho-child-abuse-case/article_1c9770b2-2926-57ce-88a0-815337532ebe.html
Father receives probation in Neosho child-abuse case
Posted: Tuesday, March 24, 2015 6:58 pm
by Jeff Lehr
NEOSHO, Mo. — A Neosho man received a suspended sentence this week after pleading guilty to physical abuse of his 8-year-old daughter that included making her walk excessive lengths of time as punishment for falling asleep at school.
Scotty L. Humphries, 38, pleaded guilty to felony child abuse at a hearing Monday in Newton County Circuit Court. The defendant entered the plea in an agreement with the prosecutor's office that called for a suspended sentence. Circuit Judge Tim Perigo accepted the plea deal and assessed Humphries a five-year suspended term with five years on probation.
The defendant was charged with the offense last year following an investigation by the Newton County Sheriff's Department and child abuse investigators. According to a probable-cause affidavit, the girl told investigators that sometimes her father made her walk all day and that if she stopped walking or collapsed from exhaustion, he would spank her with a belt. She further stated that she was not allowed to eat the same food that others in their home ate.
The affidavit cites photographs of the child that showed bruising on her legs and behind, and injuries to her feet that appeared to be due to excessive walking. Investigators also obtained video that showed the girl lying on the ground because of exhaustion and crying out to her father: "You are going to kill me." On the video, Humphries grabbed the girl by her hair and her arm, and jerked her up off the ground. When she still would not walk, he took off his belt, causing her to begin running in fear of being struck with it.
The defendant told investigators that he would not be surprised if he had left bruises on her legs and behind. He also acknowledged making her walk all day long sometimes as punishment for falling asleep. He said he did so to make her stay awake. He also admitted making her eat different food from other children in the home because she tended to throw up her food, according to the affidavit.
If you subjected a political prisoner to this kind of treatment, it would be considered a human rights violation if not torture. Why is this any different?
So why is sicko daddy SCOTTY L. HUMPHRIES getting probation for this? Frankly I think the daughter's fears are correct. If somebody doesn't stop this sadistic creep, he will end up killing her. But of course, the courts are indulging him because she is "only" a female child and he is a father. Then if something horrible happens, they can all claim how "shocked" they are and how they have no idea what the motive was, and it's all just an unfathomable mystery, ya know?
Is there a mother in this home? Notice there is no mention of one.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/news/local_news/father-receives-probation-in-neosho-child-abuse-case/article_1c9770b2-2926-57ce-88a0-815337532ebe.html
Father receives probation in Neosho child-abuse case
Posted: Tuesday, March 24, 2015 6:58 pm
by Jeff Lehr
NEOSHO, Mo. — A Neosho man received a suspended sentence this week after pleading guilty to physical abuse of his 8-year-old daughter that included making her walk excessive lengths of time as punishment for falling asleep at school.
Scotty L. Humphries, 38, pleaded guilty to felony child abuse at a hearing Monday in Newton County Circuit Court. The defendant entered the plea in an agreement with the prosecutor's office that called for a suspended sentence. Circuit Judge Tim Perigo accepted the plea deal and assessed Humphries a five-year suspended term with five years on probation.
The defendant was charged with the offense last year following an investigation by the Newton County Sheriff's Department and child abuse investigators. According to a probable-cause affidavit, the girl told investigators that sometimes her father made her walk all day and that if she stopped walking or collapsed from exhaustion, he would spank her with a belt. She further stated that she was not allowed to eat the same food that others in their home ate.
The affidavit cites photographs of the child that showed bruising on her legs and behind, and injuries to her feet that appeared to be due to excessive walking. Investigators also obtained video that showed the girl lying on the ground because of exhaustion and crying out to her father: "You are going to kill me." On the video, Humphries grabbed the girl by her hair and her arm, and jerked her up off the ground. When she still would not walk, he took off his belt, causing her to begin running in fear of being struck with it.
The defendant told investigators that he would not be surprised if he had left bruises on her legs and behind. He also acknowledged making her walk all day long sometimes as punishment for falling asleep. He said he did so to make her stay awake. He also admitted making her eat different food from other children in the home because she tended to throw up her food, according to the affidavit.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Dad gets 15 years for killing 4-month-old son (Pineville, Missouri)
Not real clear, but it appears the parents were no longer together. Did this involve court-ordered joint custody/visitation? Dad is identified as TYLER WAELTZ.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/news/local_news/father-draws-prison-term-in-death-of-baby/article_06afe01d-127f-5c51-8874-3a9e8ab56b7d.html
Father draws prison term in death of baby
Posted: Wednesday, March 18, 2015 7:00 am
By Jeff Lehr
PINEVILLE, Mo. — A 20-year-old Pineville man pleaded guilty Tuesday and received a 15-year prison sentence for causing the death of his 4-month-old son a year ago by violently throwing him into a playpen and onto a couch.
Tyler Waeltz pleaded guilty in McDonald Circuit Court to abuse of a child resulting in death in a plea agreement calling for a 15-year prison term and waiving his right to a sentencing assessment. Circuit Judge Tim Perigo accepted the plea bargain and assessed the agreed-upon sentence.
The baby’s grandmother left the defendant's two children in his care on Feb. 17 of last year while she attended a funeral. A probable-cause affidavit filed in the case states that the children's mother had told the defendant that she found someone else and no longer wished to have him back in her life. He told investigators that this made him angry and that when the baby began crying, he dropped him into his playpen, where he landed on his head.
When the infant continued crying, he kicked the playpen “hard enough to turn it sideways,” the affidavit states. Later, he gave the boy a bath throughout which he continued crying. Waeltz said he then tossed the child onto a sectional couch. The baby’s body landed on the hard frame of the couch and Waeltz thought his head struck a toy truck that was wedged between the cushions.
He told investigators that his son’s eyes rolled back in his head and he began clinching his fists and gasping for air. He blew in the child’s face and shook him in an effort to get him breathing right, Waeltz told investigators.
The affidavit states that he then called a sister who advised him to call 911. The baby was taken to Mercy Hospital in Rogers, Arkansas, and then flown to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, where he died of the injuries.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/news/local_news/father-draws-prison-term-in-death-of-baby/article_06afe01d-127f-5c51-8874-3a9e8ab56b7d.html
Father draws prison term in death of baby
Posted: Wednesday, March 18, 2015 7:00 am
By Jeff Lehr
PINEVILLE, Mo. — A 20-year-old Pineville man pleaded guilty Tuesday and received a 15-year prison sentence for causing the death of his 4-month-old son a year ago by violently throwing him into a playpen and onto a couch.
Tyler Waeltz pleaded guilty in McDonald Circuit Court to abuse of a child resulting in death in a plea agreement calling for a 15-year prison term and waiving his right to a sentencing assessment. Circuit Judge Tim Perigo accepted the plea bargain and assessed the agreed-upon sentence.
The baby’s grandmother left the defendant's two children in his care on Feb. 17 of last year while she attended a funeral. A probable-cause affidavit filed in the case states that the children's mother had told the defendant that she found someone else and no longer wished to have him back in her life. He told investigators that this made him angry and that when the baby began crying, he dropped him into his playpen, where he landed on his head.
When the infant continued crying, he kicked the playpen “hard enough to turn it sideways,” the affidavit states. Later, he gave the boy a bath throughout which he continued crying. Waeltz said he then tossed the child onto a sectional couch. The baby’s body landed on the hard frame of the couch and Waeltz thought his head struck a toy truck that was wedged between the cushions.
He told investigators that his son’s eyes rolled back in his head and he began clinching his fists and gasping for air. He blew in the child’s face and shook him in an effort to get him breathing right, Waeltz told investigators.
The affidavit states that he then called a sister who advised him to call 911. The baby was taken to Mercy Hospital in Rogers, Arkansas, and then flown to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, where he died of the injuries.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Dad in "custody dispute" murdered two kids before police standoff (Springfield, Missouri)
The (deliberate?) police ignorance about this crime should be astounding, but is, in fact routine. This despite lots of research that clearly explains why fathers like WILLIAM R. WILLIAMS murder their kids. There is nothing "unfathomable" about it, nothing unusual. The murders fit a very common pattern. And these crimes ARE PREVENTABLE, despite their claims to the contrary.
Let's identify the red flags for them.
1) Fathers engaging in "custody disputes" (i.e. one-sided custody sieges against the mother) are highly likely to have histories of domestic violence and child abuse.
2) Notice that the father still appeared to have some sort of joint custody/visitation rights, as the mother had trouble AT LEAST ONCE BEFORE with retrieving them from the father. Clearly, the violent father has some serious control issues, which is an especially big red flag for this kind of crime.
3) The children were clearly in distress from the incident, although the rather stupid police officer failed to register that the crying was in fact distress. Given that the kids were only 2 and 4, they wouldn't be able to necessarily verbalize their distress well. But given that the little boy RAN TO HIS MOTHER, that alone speaks volumes.
4) The fact that Daddy was armed to the hilt is also a bad sign, especially in conjunction with everything else we know about him. Notice that after the earlier incident, the police didn't even bother to enter the father's apartment or investigate whether he had weaponry. Utter FAIL.
So no, this crime was preventable. Stop giving violent controlling fathers access to kids. Problem solved. See the Killer Dads and Custody list for MISSOURI to see similar crimes. Not so rare, are they?
http://www.news-leader.com/story/news/crime/2015/03/17/police-chief-lake-shore-apartments-standoff/24903879/?from=global&sessionKey&autologin
Police: Children were dead before standoff began
Amos Bridges, News-Leader
7:35 a.m. CDT March 18, 2015
Springfield police likely never had a chance of saving two young children found dead Monday at Lake Shore Apartments, according to Police Chief Paul Williams.
The chief said Tuesday that preliminary autopsy results indicate Brodie Williams, 4, and Marley Williams, 2, died of gunshot wounds at least a day before officers made entry into the apartment where the children's father, 51-year-old William R. Williams, engaged in an extended standoff with police.
"The children were probably killed 24 to 48 hours before we discovered them, before we went in," the chief said. "Unfortunately I think the children were already dead when we got the call."
William R. Williams, who was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, is thought to have died sometime between about noon Monday and the time police made entry into the apartment, shortly after 6 p.m.
An incident report released Tuesday afternoon said police initially were alerted after the suspect "called a third party and made an allegation that he had killed his two children and was waiting on officers to arrive so that he could kill himself."
Court documents show William R. Williams had filed for divorce from the children's mother and had been involved in a custody dispute. A Nov. 10 police report alleges that he had locked himself and the children in the apartment at least once before, although police did not enter the apartment then or note the presence of firearms.
Chief Paul Williams, who is not related to the suspect or victims, said officers worked to confirm the children's deaths during the hours-long standoff that ended Monday evening.
"Early on, our negotiators thought that to be the case," he said, noting that officers' actions — or in this case, decision to delay action — were based on the information at hand.
"When it transitioned into an 'armed and barricaded' situation (rather than a potential hostage situation) the sense of urgency goes away," he said. "We're going to stay as long as we need to."
"I can't think of anything we would have done differently," the chief said.
At the briefing, Williams said the suspect and police negotiators talked about the kids but the man never expressly acknowledged killing them. But he did make comments indicating he might kill himself or try to provoke police into killing him. Later Tuesday, the chief said he had since learned that the suspect had admitted killing the children in a phone call sometime Monday morning.
"He made comments about 'ending it, it's not going to end well,'" the chief said. "Throughout there was concern ... he was wanting us to do that for him."
Officers "would have taken a shot" if warranted
The chief said officers found "handguns, rifles and ammunition" in the apartment where William R. Williams and the children were found.
Officers were prepared to shoot the suspect, who at one point appeared on a balcony carrying a rifle. But the threshold for using deadly force was never crossed, the chief said.
"In this situation, if the subject had threatened someone or pointed his weapon at a citizen or officer ... we would have taken a shot," he said. "(But) he never presented the firearm or pointed it at anyone ... and he hadn't made any specific threat to anyone."
Negotiators kept in contact with the suspect by loudspeaker or cellphone for much the standoff, the chief said. "He was pretty active contacting people and responding until about noon (Monday)."
Law enforcement activity picked up briefly about that time but soon calmed.
"Come out the front door of your apartment. Do it now," an officer said into a bullhorn about 12:10 p.m. "This is your last chance."
Despite the officer's warning, the standoff continued. Members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol arrived after noon to relieve the Springfield tactical officers who had been on-site overnight, a transition that the police chief called seamless. Numerous ambulances and Springfield Fire Department vehicles also were on scene.
The apartment where William R. Williams had holed up was out of public view given how police secured the scene, making it hard to ascertain developments. Members of the media and Lake Shore residents who had been evacuated from their homes were kept well away from the area, as were family members of William R. Williams and the children.
"I understand the frustration from folks" who were displaced by the standoff, the chief said. "But at that point we're going to take as long as it takes" to resolve the situation safely.
The police chief noted that, in addition to the tactical officers involved in the daylong standoff, other police were at the complex interacting with those affected by the situation. "Officers engaged with family and friends for that same amount of time."
A truck marked as belonging to the fire department bomb squad arrived about 5 p.m. and a robot was deployed. A loud boom could be heard about 6:15 p.m. The chief said the sound was related to officers making entry into the apartment, although he declined to provide additional detail about tactics or equipment used.
Inside the apartment, officers found William R. Williams, along with the bodies of the children, all dead.
"There's really nothing we could do to prevent it," the chief said.
Divorce filings, custody dispute preceded deaths
Court records indicate Williams R. Williams filed for divorce in March 2014 from Brittnee Williams, whom he had married in May 2011, but the case was later dismissed. He filed again for divorce in Nov 4. The November divorce filing says that Williams worked for CST, LLC at the time.
Brittnee Williams and the children were living in Lebanon by then, according to the Nov. 10 incident report police released Tuesday.
The report said Brittnee Williams called police when her soon-to-be ex-husband did not return the children to her in Lebanon as per a custody agreement, which had not yet been signed by a judge. The report says William R. Williams had locked the children in his apartment and refused to open up when police arrived. In the report, an officer said the children could be heard crying "but it did not sound as though they were in distress."
William R. Williams at one point emerged onto the balcony with the children, according to the report. Later, while he was distracted, the 4-year-old boy opened the front door and ran to his mother. The 2-year-old girl was left in her father's custody while her mother sought a signed judge's order, according to the report.
Asked if Williams' family difficulties or a health issue had influenced his actions, Police Chief Paul Williams said he didn't know.
"It is unfathomable to me that a parent would kill their own children," the chief said. "We'll never know what led him to do this."
Timeline of the standoff
About 23 hours passed between the time police were called to unit 2809 at Lake Shore Apartments on Sunday and the time Special Response Team officers turned command over to detectives for crime scene processing, according to a timeline provided by the department.
Sunday
8:24 p.m. – Call made to 911
8:26 p.m. – Officers dispatched
8:31 p.m. – Officers arrive on scene and set up perimeter
8:50 p.m. – Negotiations begin
9:30 p.m. – Special Response Team activated
Monday
1:30 p.m. – Missouri State Highway Patrol takes over tactical operations, relieving Springfield officers
4:06 p.m. – Springfield Fire Department fire marshals arrive to assist with searching and clearing interior
5:52 p.m. – Officers implement plan to breach/gain access to the apartment
7:19 p.m. – Scene turned over to Springfield detectives for crime scene processing
Tuesday
5:25 a.m. – Detectives clear the scene
Quiet scene at apartment Tuesday
The tactical officers and detectives that had swarmed over the Lake Shore Apartment complex Sunday and Monday were gone by mid-morning Tuesday, replaced by maintenance workers who appeared to be fixing or assessing damage sustained during the standoff.
Workers appeared to be repairing the window of the unit where the bodies of William R. Williams and his children were found, as well as a nearby fence. Hazmat-clad individuals were inside the apartment; a nearby truck indicated they worked for Springfield-based Sunbelt Environmental Services.
Several individuals residing near Williams' unit — who would have been among those evacuated during the 23-hour standoff — declined to comment. After a short period, apartment complex staff told a News-Leader reporter and photographer they would be considered trespassing if they were not Lake Shore residents.
"We've got to protect everyone's emotions and privacy," the staff member said.
About three miles away at an apartment in the 4300 block of South Timbercreek Avenue — listed as the address of Williams, his wife and the two children on a November divorce filing — several residents who answered doors said they had either recently moved in or didn't know the family.
Thomas Gounley, News-Leader
Let's identify the red flags for them.
1) Fathers engaging in "custody disputes" (i.e. one-sided custody sieges against the mother) are highly likely to have histories of domestic violence and child abuse.
2) Notice that the father still appeared to have some sort of joint custody/visitation rights, as the mother had trouble AT LEAST ONCE BEFORE with retrieving them from the father. Clearly, the violent father has some serious control issues, which is an especially big red flag for this kind of crime.
3) The children were clearly in distress from the incident, although the rather stupid police officer failed to register that the crying was in fact distress. Given that the kids were only 2 and 4, they wouldn't be able to necessarily verbalize their distress well. But given that the little boy RAN TO HIS MOTHER, that alone speaks volumes.
4) The fact that Daddy was armed to the hilt is also a bad sign, especially in conjunction with everything else we know about him. Notice that after the earlier incident, the police didn't even bother to enter the father's apartment or investigate whether he had weaponry. Utter FAIL.
So no, this crime was preventable. Stop giving violent controlling fathers access to kids. Problem solved. See the Killer Dads and Custody list for MISSOURI to see similar crimes. Not so rare, are they?
http://www.news-leader.com/story/news/crime/2015/03/17/police-chief-lake-shore-apartments-standoff/24903879/?from=global&sessionKey&autologin
Police: Children were dead before standoff began
Amos Bridges, News-Leader
7:35 a.m. CDT March 18, 2015
Springfield police likely never had a chance of saving two young children found dead Monday at Lake Shore Apartments, according to Police Chief Paul Williams.
The chief said Tuesday that preliminary autopsy results indicate Brodie Williams, 4, and Marley Williams, 2, died of gunshot wounds at least a day before officers made entry into the apartment where the children's father, 51-year-old William R. Williams, engaged in an extended standoff with police.
"The children were probably killed 24 to 48 hours before we discovered them, before we went in," the chief said. "Unfortunately I think the children were already dead when we got the call."
William R. Williams, who was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, is thought to have died sometime between about noon Monday and the time police made entry into the apartment, shortly after 6 p.m.
An incident report released Tuesday afternoon said police initially were alerted after the suspect "called a third party and made an allegation that he had killed his two children and was waiting on officers to arrive so that he could kill himself."
Court documents show William R. Williams had filed for divorce from the children's mother and had been involved in a custody dispute. A Nov. 10 police report alleges that he had locked himself and the children in the apartment at least once before, although police did not enter the apartment then or note the presence of firearms.
Chief Paul Williams, who is not related to the suspect or victims, said officers worked to confirm the children's deaths during the hours-long standoff that ended Monday evening.
"Early on, our negotiators thought that to be the case," he said, noting that officers' actions — or in this case, decision to delay action — were based on the information at hand.
"When it transitioned into an 'armed and barricaded' situation (rather than a potential hostage situation) the sense of urgency goes away," he said. "We're going to stay as long as we need to."
"I can't think of anything we would have done differently," the chief said.
At the briefing, Williams said the suspect and police negotiators talked about the kids but the man never expressly acknowledged killing them. But he did make comments indicating he might kill himself or try to provoke police into killing him. Later Tuesday, the chief said he had since learned that the suspect had admitted killing the children in a phone call sometime Monday morning.
"He made comments about 'ending it, it's not going to end well,'" the chief said. "Throughout there was concern ... he was wanting us to do that for him."
Officers "would have taken a shot" if warranted
The chief said officers found "handguns, rifles and ammunition" in the apartment where William R. Williams and the children were found.
Officers were prepared to shoot the suspect, who at one point appeared on a balcony carrying a rifle. But the threshold for using deadly force was never crossed, the chief said.
"In this situation, if the subject had threatened someone or pointed his weapon at a citizen or officer ... we would have taken a shot," he said. "(But) he never presented the firearm or pointed it at anyone ... and he hadn't made any specific threat to anyone."
Negotiators kept in contact with the suspect by loudspeaker or cellphone for much the standoff, the chief said. "He was pretty active contacting people and responding until about noon (Monday)."
Law enforcement activity picked up briefly about that time but soon calmed.
"Come out the front door of your apartment. Do it now," an officer said into a bullhorn about 12:10 p.m. "This is your last chance."
Despite the officer's warning, the standoff continued. Members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol arrived after noon to relieve the Springfield tactical officers who had been on-site overnight, a transition that the police chief called seamless. Numerous ambulances and Springfield Fire Department vehicles also were on scene.
The apartment where William R. Williams had holed up was out of public view given how police secured the scene, making it hard to ascertain developments. Members of the media and Lake Shore residents who had been evacuated from their homes were kept well away from the area, as were family members of William R. Williams and the children.
"I understand the frustration from folks" who were displaced by the standoff, the chief said. "But at that point we're going to take as long as it takes" to resolve the situation safely.
The police chief noted that, in addition to the tactical officers involved in the daylong standoff, other police were at the complex interacting with those affected by the situation. "Officers engaged with family and friends for that same amount of time."
A truck marked as belonging to the fire department bomb squad arrived about 5 p.m. and a robot was deployed. A loud boom could be heard about 6:15 p.m. The chief said the sound was related to officers making entry into the apartment, although he declined to provide additional detail about tactics or equipment used.
Inside the apartment, officers found William R. Williams, along with the bodies of the children, all dead.
"There's really nothing we could do to prevent it," the chief said.
Divorce filings, custody dispute preceded deaths
Court records indicate Williams R. Williams filed for divorce in March 2014 from Brittnee Williams, whom he had married in May 2011, but the case was later dismissed. He filed again for divorce in Nov 4. The November divorce filing says that Williams worked for CST, LLC at the time.
Brittnee Williams and the children were living in Lebanon by then, according to the Nov. 10 incident report police released Tuesday.
The report said Brittnee Williams called police when her soon-to-be ex-husband did not return the children to her in Lebanon as per a custody agreement, which had not yet been signed by a judge. The report says William R. Williams had locked the children in his apartment and refused to open up when police arrived. In the report, an officer said the children could be heard crying "but it did not sound as though they were in distress."
William R. Williams at one point emerged onto the balcony with the children, according to the report. Later, while he was distracted, the 4-year-old boy opened the front door and ran to his mother. The 2-year-old girl was left in her father's custody while her mother sought a signed judge's order, according to the report.
Asked if Williams' family difficulties or a health issue had influenced his actions, Police Chief Paul Williams said he didn't know.
"It is unfathomable to me that a parent would kill their own children," the chief said. "We'll never know what led him to do this."
Timeline of the standoff
About 23 hours passed between the time police were called to unit 2809 at Lake Shore Apartments on Sunday and the time Special Response Team officers turned command over to detectives for crime scene processing, according to a timeline provided by the department.
Sunday
8:24 p.m. – Call made to 911
8:26 p.m. – Officers dispatched
8:31 p.m. – Officers arrive on scene and set up perimeter
8:50 p.m. – Negotiations begin
9:30 p.m. – Special Response Team activated
Monday
1:30 p.m. – Missouri State Highway Patrol takes over tactical operations, relieving Springfield officers
4:06 p.m. – Springfield Fire Department fire marshals arrive to assist with searching and clearing interior
5:52 p.m. – Officers implement plan to breach/gain access to the apartment
7:19 p.m. – Scene turned over to Springfield detectives for crime scene processing
Tuesday
5:25 a.m. – Detectives clear the scene
Quiet scene at apartment Tuesday
The tactical officers and detectives that had swarmed over the Lake Shore Apartment complex Sunday and Monday were gone by mid-morning Tuesday, replaced by maintenance workers who appeared to be fixing or assessing damage sustained during the standoff.
Workers appeared to be repairing the window of the unit where the bodies of William R. Williams and his children were found, as well as a nearby fence. Hazmat-clad individuals were inside the apartment; a nearby truck indicated they worked for Springfield-based Sunbelt Environmental Services.
Several individuals residing near Williams' unit — who would have been among those evacuated during the 23-hour standoff — declined to comment. After a short period, apartment complex staff told a News-Leader reporter and photographer they would be considered trespassing if they were not Lake Shore residents.
"We've got to protect everyone's emotions and privacy," the staff member said.
About three miles away at an apartment in the 4300 block of South Timbercreek Avenue — listed as the address of Williams, his wife and the two children on a November divorce filing — several residents who answered doors said they had either recently moved in or didn't know the family.
Thomas Gounley, News-Leader
Sunday, March 15, 2015
DA refuses to prosecute custodial dad accused of raping 8year-old son--even though abuse corroborated by child porn found in home (Nashville, Tennessee)
So all the child porn found at the Pedo Daddy's house, all the porn that corroborated the boy's rape....Mom somehow "coached" that into being too?
UNNAMED DAD.
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2015/03/13/advocacy-group-criticizes-da-child-rape-case/70312682/
Advocacy group criticizes DA over child rape case
Anita Wadhwani, awadhwani@tennessean.com 8:39 p.m. CDT March 14, 2015
A national child advocacy organization is criticizing Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk for the delay in prosecuting a father accused of raping his 8-year-old son — a case the FBI turned over to the district attorney's office three years ago.
The father, a 58-year-old Missouri veterinarian, was arrested in August of 2012 after a grand jury issued indictments on four counts of child rape and one count of aggravated sexual battery. In a letter to Funk this week, Child Justice, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, urged him to move forward with the trial. Executive Director Eileen King said she feared Funk would drop the case after a former prosecutor in charge of it left the district attorney's office. Funk is now serving as the chief prosecutor on the case.
"This child deserves some justice in his life after all that he has endured," wrote King. "Anything short of prosecuting this man who is believed to have committed these atrocities is, in our view, a miscarriage of justice."
Funk said he was reviewing the case as he would any other before proceeding. He will make a decision within the next three weeks about the next steps, he said.
The case has garnered national attention among advocates focused on how child sexual abuse allegations are handled in divorce courts and in the criminal justice system.
The criminal charges followed years of claims by the child's mother that her ex-husband was sexually abusing their son. A pediatrician, a child therapist and a caseworker with the Department of Children's Services also alleged the boy had been sexually abused, but no charges were filed until a 2011 FBI investigation found pornography and other items at the father's home that prosecutors said corroborate the boy's story.
By then, however, the mother had lost primary custody of the boy. A Robertson County family court judge had ruled that the mother's repeated insistence that her son was being sexually abused was untrue, "obsessive," and harmful to the child. He awarded custody of the boy to the now-accused father in 2007.
The father's attorneys have argued that the boy has been coached all along into making false accusations by the mother, who now has custody again.
The Tennessean does not identify victims of alleged sexual abuse and is withholding the parents' names to protect the identity of the child.
The case has been delayed once pending appeal on an interim order from the court, which rejected the father's efforts to require the boy undergo a psychiatric evaluation. An appeals court upheld the ruling. Then the chief prosecutor on the case resigned, among a group of lawyers who departed after Funk was elected as district attorney.
Reach Anita Wadhwani at 615-259-8092 or on Twitter @AnitaWadhwani.
UNNAMED DAD.
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2015/03/13/advocacy-group-criticizes-da-child-rape-case/70312682/
Advocacy group criticizes DA over child rape case
Anita Wadhwani, awadhwani@tennessean.com 8:39 p.m. CDT March 14, 2015
A national child advocacy organization is criticizing Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk for the delay in prosecuting a father accused of raping his 8-year-old son — a case the FBI turned over to the district attorney's office three years ago.
The father, a 58-year-old Missouri veterinarian, was arrested in August of 2012 after a grand jury issued indictments on four counts of child rape and one count of aggravated sexual battery. In a letter to Funk this week, Child Justice, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, urged him to move forward with the trial. Executive Director Eileen King said she feared Funk would drop the case after a former prosecutor in charge of it left the district attorney's office. Funk is now serving as the chief prosecutor on the case.
"This child deserves some justice in his life after all that he has endured," wrote King. "Anything short of prosecuting this man who is believed to have committed these atrocities is, in our view, a miscarriage of justice."
Funk said he was reviewing the case as he would any other before proceeding. He will make a decision within the next three weeks about the next steps, he said.
The case has garnered national attention among advocates focused on how child sexual abuse allegations are handled in divorce courts and in the criminal justice system.
The criminal charges followed years of claims by the child's mother that her ex-husband was sexually abusing their son. A pediatrician, a child therapist and a caseworker with the Department of Children's Services also alleged the boy had been sexually abused, but no charges were filed until a 2011 FBI investigation found pornography and other items at the father's home that prosecutors said corroborate the boy's story.
By then, however, the mother had lost primary custody of the boy. A Robertson County family court judge had ruled that the mother's repeated insistence that her son was being sexually abused was untrue, "obsessive," and harmful to the child. He awarded custody of the boy to the now-accused father in 2007.
The father's attorneys have argued that the boy has been coached all along into making false accusations by the mother, who now has custody again.
The Tennessean does not identify victims of alleged sexual abuse and is withholding the parents' names to protect the identity of the child.
The case has been delayed once pending appeal on an interim order from the court, which rejected the father's efforts to require the boy undergo a psychiatric evaluation. An appeals court upheld the ruling. Then the chief prosecutor on the case resigned, among a group of lawyers who departed after Funk was elected as district attorney.
Reach Anita Wadhwani at 615-259-8092 or on Twitter @AnitaWadhwani.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Dad charged with felony child abuse in death of 3-month-old son (Festus, Missouri)
Dad is identified as CODY BUNCH.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2937923/Cody-Bunch-Festus-Missouri-charged-child-abuse-death-three-month-old-son-Aiden-Bunch.html
Father, 21, who claimed son's fatal brain injury happened when he 'fell over carrying the baby' facing life in jail after being charged with abuse
Cody Bunch was charged in January for child abuse resulting in death
Infant son Aiden died from injuries caused by 'abusive head trauma'
Bunch told police that he was holding the boy and then fell over
He is being held in Jefferson County Jail on a $500,000, cash-only bond
By Evan Bleier For Dailymail.com
Published: 10:38 EST, 3 February 2015 | Updated: 12:04 EST, 3 February 2015
A 21-year-old Missouri father has been charged with felony child abuse after his baby son died from a traumatic brain injury last month.
Cody Bunch of Festus told police three-month-old Aiden was injured when he fell over while carrying him.
Aiden was hurt on January 6 and the infant died at St. Louis Children's Hospital after he was taken off life support four days later.
After doctor's discovered evidence of seven prior injuries, Bunch was charged on January 16 with 'child abuse resulting in death' and he is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $500,000, cash-only bond.
If found guilty of the Class A felony, which is equivalent to a manslaughter or murder charge, Bunch faces a minimum sentence of ten years and a maximum of life behind bars.
Police arrived at the family's apartment around 2.15 am after Aiden’s mother, Brooke Besch, called 911 and reported the boy was not breathing.
When they arrived, Bunch told them he had fallen down while he was holding the boy, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
An autopsy revealed the boy had seven contusions inside his scalp, swollen neck ligaments and a subdural hematoma. A doctor found the injuries were caused by 'abusive head trauma' and not from a fall.
Lieutenant Sgt. Jim Kausler of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said: 'Through the course of the investigation we determined that there was some head trauma. 'We questioned the last people to have custody, the mother and father.
'There was more than one injury that he [Bunch] wasn't telling us about.'
Neighbors in Bunch's apartment complex said he was unemployed after recently losing his job, KTVI reported. A family member called the situation a 'nightmare'.
In a Facebook post he sent to community page Jeffo 411 on January 15, the day after Aiden's memorial service, Bunch wrote: 'Hi, I'm Cody. I recently just had my 3 month old son pass away.
'Therefor [sic], I have ALOT of stuff that is going to be donated for people in need, and would like to help someone.
'The smaller stuff we are just giving away, and some of the bigger stuff we will sell for a reasonable price.
'If anyone is interested please let me know. Have a good night, and day.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2937923/Cody-Bunch-Festus-Missouri-charged-child-abuse-death-three-month-old-son-Aiden-Bunch.html
Father, 21, who claimed son's fatal brain injury happened when he 'fell over carrying the baby' facing life in jail after being charged with abuse
Cody Bunch was charged in January for child abuse resulting in death
Infant son Aiden died from injuries caused by 'abusive head trauma'
Bunch told police that he was holding the boy and then fell over
He is being held in Jefferson County Jail on a $500,000, cash-only bond
By Evan Bleier For Dailymail.com
Published: 10:38 EST, 3 February 2015 | Updated: 12:04 EST, 3 February 2015
A 21-year-old Missouri father has been charged with felony child abuse after his baby son died from a traumatic brain injury last month.
Cody Bunch of Festus told police three-month-old Aiden was injured when he fell over while carrying him.
Aiden was hurt on January 6 and the infant died at St. Louis Children's Hospital after he was taken off life support four days later.
After doctor's discovered evidence of seven prior injuries, Bunch was charged on January 16 with 'child abuse resulting in death' and he is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $500,000, cash-only bond.
If found guilty of the Class A felony, which is equivalent to a manslaughter or murder charge, Bunch faces a minimum sentence of ten years and a maximum of life behind bars.
Police arrived at the family's apartment around 2.15 am after Aiden’s mother, Brooke Besch, called 911 and reported the boy was not breathing.
When they arrived, Bunch told them he had fallen down while he was holding the boy, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
An autopsy revealed the boy had seven contusions inside his scalp, swollen neck ligaments and a subdural hematoma. A doctor found the injuries were caused by 'abusive head trauma' and not from a fall.
Lieutenant Sgt. Jim Kausler of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said: 'Through the course of the investigation we determined that there was some head trauma. 'We questioned the last people to have custody, the mother and father.
'There was more than one injury that he [Bunch] wasn't telling us about.'
Neighbors in Bunch's apartment complex said he was unemployed after recently losing his job, KTVI reported. A family member called the situation a 'nightmare'.
In a Facebook post he sent to community page Jeffo 411 on January 15, the day after Aiden's memorial service, Bunch wrote: 'Hi, I'm Cody. I recently just had my 3 month old son pass away.
'Therefor [sic], I have ALOT of stuff that is going to be donated for people in need, and would like to help someone.
'The smaller stuff we are just giving away, and some of the bigger stuff we will sell for a reasonable price.
'If anyone is interested please let me know. Have a good night, and day.'
Monday, February 2, 2015
Dad arrested in death of 3-month-old son (Festus, Missouri)
Dad is identified as CODY N. BUNCH. No mention of a mother in the home.
http://www.kmov.com/news/crime/Father-suspected-of-child-abuse-resulting-in-death-of-3-month-old--290529001.html
Father suspected of child abuse resulting in death of 3-month-old
KMOV.com
Posted on February 2, 2015 at 8:44 AM
Updated today at 12:05 PM
FESTUS, Mo. (KMOV.com) – The father of a 3-month-old has been arrested on suspicion of child abuse which resulted in the death of his son.
Festus Police say a 3-month-old boy was found not breathing in the Oak Knoll apartments on January 6 at 2:15 a.m. The boy was taken via ambulance to a children’s hospital for treatment.
Four days after the boy was found, he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Doctors told detectives the boy suffered a severe brain injury caused by trauma.
The boy’s father, Cody N. Bunch, 21, is charged with one count of abuse of a child-resulting in death and is being held on a $500,000 cash only bond.
http://www.kmov.com/news/crime/Father-suspected-of-child-abuse-resulting-in-death-of-3-month-old--290529001.html
Father suspected of child abuse resulting in death of 3-month-old
KMOV.com
Posted on February 2, 2015 at 8:44 AM
Updated today at 12:05 PM
FESTUS, Mo. (KMOV.com) – The father of a 3-month-old has been arrested on suspicion of child abuse which resulted in the death of his son.
Festus Police say a 3-month-old boy was found not breathing in the Oak Knoll apartments on January 6 at 2:15 a.m. The boy was taken via ambulance to a children’s hospital for treatment.
Four days after the boy was found, he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Doctors told detectives the boy suffered a severe brain injury caused by trauma.
The boy’s father, Cody N. Bunch, 21, is charged with one count of abuse of a child-resulting in death and is being held on a $500,000 cash only bond.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Dad set for arraingnment hearing; accused of throwing, shaking, and biting 3-month-old son (Hannibal, Missouri)
Dad is identified as EUGENE MELTON.
http://www.connecttristates.com/news/story.aspx?id=1149343#.VLiKNdE5Bio
Hannibal man set for arraignment hearing on child abuse charges
by KHQA Newsdesk
Posted: 01.14.2015 at 5:01 PM Updated: 01.14.2015 at 7:20 PM
HANNIBAL, MO. -- A Hannibal man will have an arraignment hearing on Friday on child abuse charges.
Eugene Melton, 23, will face trial after being accused of abusing his 3-month-old son on Dec. 2.
He is accused of throwing, shaking and biting the infant.
The infant was transferred from Hannibal Regional Hospital to Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis with a broken femur, bite marks and bleeding in the brain.
Melton has requested a change of judge in the case.
http://www.connecttristates.com/news/story.aspx?id=1149343#.VLiKNdE5Bio
Hannibal man set for arraignment hearing on child abuse charges
by KHQA Newsdesk
Posted: 01.14.2015 at 5:01 PM Updated: 01.14.2015 at 7:20 PM
HANNIBAL, MO. -- A Hannibal man will have an arraignment hearing on Friday on child abuse charges.
Eugene Melton, 23, will face trial after being accused of abusing his 3-month-old son on Dec. 2.
He is accused of throwing, shaking and biting the infant.
The infant was transferred from Hannibal Regional Hospital to Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis with a broken femur, bite marks and bleeding in the brain.
Melton has requested a change of judge in the case.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Dad gets 10 years for felony abuse of newborn daughter (Joplin, Missouri)
Dad is identified as CODY W. WILLIAMS.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/news/crime_and_courts/joplin-father-sent-to-prison-in-shaken-baby-case/article_dd612dc6-6640-5d85-b010-2bc3cd5a0bd1.html
Joplin father sent to prison in 2014 shaken-baby case
Posted: Tuesday, January 13, 2015 3:11 pm
A 26-year-old Joplin father received a 10-year sentence Monday on a conviction for felony child abuse of his newborn baby.
Circuit Judge David Dally assessed Cody W. Williams the prison term at a sentencing hearing in Jasper County Circuit Court. Williams had pleaded guilty to the charge Nov. 3 in a plea agreement limiting the prison time he might receive to no more than 10 years.
The defendant’s 6-week-old daughter, Desileigh, was brought to the emergency room of Freeman Hospital West suffering seizures on the morning of Jan. 2, 2014. Doctors soon decided the girl had suffered a shaken-baby injury and she was flown by medical helicopter to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.
The father was interviewed by child-abuse investigators later the same day and placed under arrest.
Williams admitted that he had shaken his daughter when she would not stop crying about 3:30 a.m. inside their home at 114 S. Butler Ave. He demonstrated with a doll what he had done with his daughter and an investigator wrote in a probable-cause affidavit that he “violently shook the (doll) more than one time.”
http://www.joplinglobe.com/news/crime_and_courts/joplin-father-sent-to-prison-in-shaken-baby-case/article_dd612dc6-6640-5d85-b010-2bc3cd5a0bd1.html
Joplin father sent to prison in 2014 shaken-baby case
Posted: Tuesday, January 13, 2015 3:11 pm
A 26-year-old Joplin father received a 10-year sentence Monday on a conviction for felony child abuse of his newborn baby.
Circuit Judge David Dally assessed Cody W. Williams the prison term at a sentencing hearing in Jasper County Circuit Court. Williams had pleaded guilty to the charge Nov. 3 in a plea agreement limiting the prison time he might receive to no more than 10 years.
The defendant’s 6-week-old daughter, Desileigh, was brought to the emergency room of Freeman Hospital West suffering seizures on the morning of Jan. 2, 2014. Doctors soon decided the girl had suffered a shaken-baby injury and she was flown by medical helicopter to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.
The father was interviewed by child-abuse investigators later the same day and placed under arrest.
Williams admitted that he had shaken his daughter when she would not stop crying about 3:30 a.m. inside their home at 114 S. Butler Ave. He demonstrated with a doll what he had done with his daughter and an investigator wrote in a probable-cause affidavit that he “violently shook the (doll) more than one time.”
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