We've posted on joint custody dad DAVID CREATO JR. before.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for New Jersey.
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Murder-Charge-Against-Father-Will-Not-be-Dismissed-Judge-379700301.html
Murder Charge Will Stand for David Creato, Jr. in Death of Son: Judge
A judge has refused to dismiss murder charges filed against a New Jersey father accused of killing his 3-year-old son.
State Superior Court Judge John Kelley on Monday rejected a motion filed by Richard Fuschino Jr, the attorney for David Creato Jr.
Fuschino claimed that a medical examiner acted improperly while determining the cause of death for Brendan Creato and later misled a grand jury. But Camden County prosecutors have called those arguments "absurd.''
Prosecutors have said the boy suffered "homicidal violence.'' They say the 22-year-old Haddon Township man killed his son because the boy was impeding his relationship with a teenage girlfriend who allegedly resented Creato's dealings with the child's mother.
Creato remains jailed on $750,000 bail. He has pleaded not guilty to murder and child endangerment.
Showing posts with label New Jersey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Jersey. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Dad convicted of abusing infant son, leaving him blind, brain damaged: was "not suppposed to be" with son as "part of child custody agreement (Princeton, New Jersey)
Absolutely no explanation here as to how this abusive father managed to get access. Did he assault the mother? Threaten her? Abduct the child? Why was he not supposed to be with his son before? Previous history of child abuse, domestic violence? If so, why was the mother left to enforce this on her own? Why wasn't he locked up? Lots of unanswered questions here.
Dad is identified as BILLY ALLEN WHITE.
http://www.bdtonline.com/news/man-convicted-of-shaking-infant-son-leaving-him-blind-and/article_de191d68-ea60-11e5-9501-df969267815d.html
Man convicted of shaking infant son, leaving him blind and brain damaged, receives maximum sentence allowable
By GREG JORDAN Bluefield Daily Telegraph 7 hrs ago
Billy Allen White, 28, of Princeton waits for his sentencing hearing to begin before judge William Sadler in Princeton Monday afternoon.
PRINCETON — A father convicted of shaking his infant son and leaving him both blind and brain damaged received the maximum penalty allowable by law Monday in Mercer County Circuit Court.
Circuit Court Judge William Sadler proceeded to sentence Billy Allen White, 28, of Princeton after denying a motion for a new trial.
White was convicted in January on one charge of child abuse leading to serious injury. A jury found him not guilty on a second charge of child abuse. His son, Corey White, then 5 months old, was left with brain damage and retina scarring after being severely shaken. White testified at his trial that he panicked when his son stopped breathing in May 2014 and did not realize how hard he had shaken him. However, Dr. Joan Phillips, a physician specializing in child abuse and neglect cases, testified at White’s trial that the infant’s injuries were consistent with child abuse. She compared the sheer force needed to inflict his injuries with the force hitting the victim of a rollover car crash.
Sadler said White was not supposed to be with his son as part of a child custody agreement, and that the court found his excuse “ludicrous.”
“This is a child who has been sentenced to a life of suffering and debilitating injury,” Sadler said. “I can’t sentence him to a life of suffering like he sentenced this child.”
White was sentenced to a term of two to 10 years in prison, and Sadler stated he would recommend to the parole board that White serve as much time as possible. Sadler said under the law, he had to grant White 419 days credit for the time served in jail since his arrest.
Sadler also imposed a $1,000 fine, and granted a judgment against White for the medical expenses the state has incurred while treating Corey White. Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney George Sitler said he did not know the amount of money spent on treatment, but added the sum could be more than $1 million. White also must be registered as a child abuser for the remainder of his life.
Corey’s adoptive father, Woodrow Cecil Jr. gave the court an emotional statement before Sadler pronounced sentence.
“I’ll never understand how you could hurt this baby,” Cecil told White, going on to say how Corey still could not see, and could not walk, speak, or do anything of the things a 2-year-old child normally does.
“It’s never going to be enough, of course,” Cecil said after sentencing. “I wish he didn’t get time served.” Cecil added he understood Sadler was required by law to give White this credit, and that he planned to attend White’s parole hearings.
White was sent back to the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver pending his transfer to the state Department of Corrections.
Dad is identified as BILLY ALLEN WHITE.
http://www.bdtonline.com/news/man-convicted-of-shaking-infant-son-leaving-him-blind-and/article_de191d68-ea60-11e5-9501-df969267815d.html
Man convicted of shaking infant son, leaving him blind and brain damaged, receives maximum sentence allowable
By GREG JORDAN Bluefield Daily Telegraph 7 hrs ago
Billy Allen White, 28, of Princeton waits for his sentencing hearing to begin before judge William Sadler in Princeton Monday afternoon.
PRINCETON — A father convicted of shaking his infant son and leaving him both blind and brain damaged received the maximum penalty allowable by law Monday in Mercer County Circuit Court.
Circuit Court Judge William Sadler proceeded to sentence Billy Allen White, 28, of Princeton after denying a motion for a new trial.
White was convicted in January on one charge of child abuse leading to serious injury. A jury found him not guilty on a second charge of child abuse. His son, Corey White, then 5 months old, was left with brain damage and retina scarring after being severely shaken. White testified at his trial that he panicked when his son stopped breathing in May 2014 and did not realize how hard he had shaken him. However, Dr. Joan Phillips, a physician specializing in child abuse and neglect cases, testified at White’s trial that the infant’s injuries were consistent with child abuse. She compared the sheer force needed to inflict his injuries with the force hitting the victim of a rollover car crash.
Sadler said White was not supposed to be with his son as part of a child custody agreement, and that the court found his excuse “ludicrous.”
“This is a child who has been sentenced to a life of suffering and debilitating injury,” Sadler said. “I can’t sentence him to a life of suffering like he sentenced this child.”
White was sentenced to a term of two to 10 years in prison, and Sadler stated he would recommend to the parole board that White serve as much time as possible. Sadler said under the law, he had to grant White 419 days credit for the time served in jail since his arrest.
Sadler also imposed a $1,000 fine, and granted a judgment against White for the medical expenses the state has incurred while treating Corey White. Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney George Sitler said he did not know the amount of money spent on treatment, but added the sum could be more than $1 million. White also must be registered as a child abuser for the remainder of his life.
Corey’s adoptive father, Woodrow Cecil Jr. gave the court an emotional statement before Sadler pronounced sentence.
“I’ll never understand how you could hurt this baby,” Cecil told White, going on to say how Corey still could not see, and could not walk, speak, or do anything of the things a 2-year-old child normally does.
“It’s never going to be enough, of course,” Cecil said after sentencing. “I wish he didn’t get time served.” Cecil added he understood Sadler was required by law to give White this credit, and that he planned to attend White’s parole hearings.
White was sent back to the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver pending his transfer to the state Department of Corrections.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Prosecutors: Joint custody dad murdered 3-year-old son to impress teen girlfriend (Camden County, New Jersey)
Lots of crap here. Blame the teenage girlfriend! She was so hostile about kids! How unnatural! Why, her blog posts on the subject where just "unbelievable"! She gave Daddy an ultimatum: me or the kid!
So freaking what.
Dad DAVID "D.J." CREATO JR. is an adult. What the hell was he doing with a teenager? Couldn't find anybody over 18 to date him? So he's dating a high school student? Notice there is no outrage about that. It's all about a kid who just wanted to be a kid.
What she thought or felt is immaterial. It is no crime for a young woman not to like children or prefer to be in a relationship with somebody who does not have children.
It was Daddy's choice to either give up his weekend custody time or stay in a relationship with this teenager. He apparently decided to kill the child instead.
Can't help but wonder whether this father was granted joint custody/visitation time despite a history of abuse and personal irresponsibility.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for New Jersey.
http://news.yahoo.com/dad-killed-son-3-fear-150100800.html
Dad Killed Son, 3, In Fear of Losing His Girlfriend Who Disliked Children: Prosecutors .
By Inside Edition
23 hours ago
A New Jersey man was charged with murdering his three-year-old son, allegedly killing the child because he feared the boy was getting in the way of his relationship with his teenage girlfriend, prosecutors said.
Little Brendan Creato was found dead on October 13, less than a mile from his dad’s apartment, where he had been dropped off a day earlier.
His father, David “D.J.” Creato, Jr., reported the toddler missing around 6 a.m., telling a 911 operator that he had woken up to find his son was missing.
“I just woke up and he wasn’t in my apartment,” Creato, 22, said. “I don’t know if he wandered out or what happened. I don’t know where he is.
“The door was locked. I guess he unlocked it and left,” he continued.
Brendan’s body was found by a K-9 unit partially submerged in water in a wooded area off South Park Drive about 9 a.m., officials said.
He was still wearing his pajamas.
The child’s cause of death is still undetermined, but medical examiners reportedly found he died of “homicidal violence,” prosecutors said.
Brendan’s brain showed a lack of oxygen before his death, indicating causes such as drowning, smothering or asphyxiation, WPVI reported.
He also had a fresh bruise near his collarbone, investigators said.
Investigators reportedly did not believe that Brenden went to that area on his own, as the boy’s socks were clean despite the muddy surroundings.
The area is very steep at one point and difficult to navigate, authorities said.
He was also known to be afraid of the dark, so it was unlikely he would have gone into the wooded area before it was daylight, prosecutors said.
There were no signs of forced entry at the home, where Brendan slept on a love seat nine feet from his dad’s bedroom, she continued.
“Never once had he left the apartment or his mother’s house or his grandparents’ by himself,” Shah said.
The boy’s father was arrested on Monday and charged with first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, officials said.
Prosecutors allege that Creato killed his own son after his 17-year-old girlfriend had told him she disliked children and “issued an ultimatum to him,” saying it was either her or him.
She told Creato that he would have to give up taking custody of Brendan every other weekend to be with her, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The pair had begun dating in June 2015 after meeting on the app Tinder, remaining together despite the girl’s open “dislike” of children, prosecutors said.
She had written a series of “unbelievable” blogs in which she described her “strong dislike of children,” Camden County Assistant Prosecutor Christine Shah said at Creato’s arraignment on Tuesday.
After the girl went away to college, she repeatedly threatened to break up with Creato, who had allegedly become jealous of a boy that she was talking to at school.
Creato reportedly logged into her social media accounts and at one point posed as the girl and told the boy to leave her alone.
Creato did not confess to killing his son, but allegedly told investigators that he felt “jealous and anxious” in the hours before he noticed his son was missing, and that he had been worried that the woman he loved had found someone else, the Inquirer wrote.
Shah said that on the night that Brendan was killed, Creato allegedly called his girlfriend eight times and that he noticed from her Snapchat account—a picture and video-sharing app—that she was with the “guy he was jealous of,” the paper reported.
Creato and the girl had visited the spot where Brendan’s body was found about 30 times, and he told investigators that it was his “favorite place… and he referred to it as spiritual to him,” Shah said.
The pair is still reportedly communicating.
If convicted of murder, Creato faces a minimum of 30 years in prison without parole and a maximum term of life in prison with at least 67 years without parole.
His bail was set at $750,000.
If he posts bail, Creato is not allowed to leave the state or make any contact with Brendan’s mother, Samantha Denoto, or her family.
Creato’s attorney, Richard Fuschino Jr., said his client had cooperated fully and truthfully with investigators.
“He spent an entire day answering questions of investigators,” Fuschino said, saying that the prosecutor’s version of what happened was improbable, the Inquirer wrote.
So freaking what.
Dad DAVID "D.J." CREATO JR. is an adult. What the hell was he doing with a teenager? Couldn't find anybody over 18 to date him? So he's dating a high school student? Notice there is no outrage about that. It's all about a kid who just wanted to be a kid.
What she thought or felt is immaterial. It is no crime for a young woman not to like children or prefer to be in a relationship with somebody who does not have children.
It was Daddy's choice to either give up his weekend custody time or stay in a relationship with this teenager. He apparently decided to kill the child instead.
Can't help but wonder whether this father was granted joint custody/visitation time despite a history of abuse and personal irresponsibility.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for New Jersey.
http://news.yahoo.com/dad-killed-son-3-fear-150100800.html
Dad Killed Son, 3, In Fear of Losing His Girlfriend Who Disliked Children: Prosecutors .
By Inside Edition
23 hours ago
A New Jersey man was charged with murdering his three-year-old son, allegedly killing the child because he feared the boy was getting in the way of his relationship with his teenage girlfriend, prosecutors said.
Little Brendan Creato was found dead on October 13, less than a mile from his dad’s apartment, where he had been dropped off a day earlier.
His father, David “D.J.” Creato, Jr., reported the toddler missing around 6 a.m., telling a 911 operator that he had woken up to find his son was missing.
“I just woke up and he wasn’t in my apartment,” Creato, 22, said. “I don’t know if he wandered out or what happened. I don’t know where he is.
“The door was locked. I guess he unlocked it and left,” he continued.
Brendan’s body was found by a K-9 unit partially submerged in water in a wooded area off South Park Drive about 9 a.m., officials said.
He was still wearing his pajamas.
The child’s cause of death is still undetermined, but medical examiners reportedly found he died of “homicidal violence,” prosecutors said.
Brendan’s brain showed a lack of oxygen before his death, indicating causes such as drowning, smothering or asphyxiation, WPVI reported.
He also had a fresh bruise near his collarbone, investigators said.
Investigators reportedly did not believe that Brenden went to that area on his own, as the boy’s socks were clean despite the muddy surroundings.
The area is very steep at one point and difficult to navigate, authorities said.
He was also known to be afraid of the dark, so it was unlikely he would have gone into the wooded area before it was daylight, prosecutors said.
There were no signs of forced entry at the home, where Brendan slept on a love seat nine feet from his dad’s bedroom, she continued.
“Never once had he left the apartment or his mother’s house or his grandparents’ by himself,” Shah said.
The boy’s father was arrested on Monday and charged with first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, officials said.
Prosecutors allege that Creato killed his own son after his 17-year-old girlfriend had told him she disliked children and “issued an ultimatum to him,” saying it was either her or him.
She told Creato that he would have to give up taking custody of Brendan every other weekend to be with her, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
The pair had begun dating in June 2015 after meeting on the app Tinder, remaining together despite the girl’s open “dislike” of children, prosecutors said.
She had written a series of “unbelievable” blogs in which she described her “strong dislike of children,” Camden County Assistant Prosecutor Christine Shah said at Creato’s arraignment on Tuesday.
After the girl went away to college, she repeatedly threatened to break up with Creato, who had allegedly become jealous of a boy that she was talking to at school.
Creato reportedly logged into her social media accounts and at one point posed as the girl and told the boy to leave her alone.
Creato did not confess to killing his son, but allegedly told investigators that he felt “jealous and anxious” in the hours before he noticed his son was missing, and that he had been worried that the woman he loved had found someone else, the Inquirer wrote.
Shah said that on the night that Brendan was killed, Creato allegedly called his girlfriend eight times and that he noticed from her Snapchat account—a picture and video-sharing app—that she was with the “guy he was jealous of,” the paper reported.
Creato and the girl had visited the spot where Brendan’s body was found about 30 times, and he told investigators that it was his “favorite place… and he referred to it as spiritual to him,” Shah said.
The pair is still reportedly communicating.
If convicted of murder, Creato faces a minimum of 30 years in prison without parole and a maximum term of life in prison with at least 67 years without parole.
His bail was set at $750,000.
If he posts bail, Creato is not allowed to leave the state or make any contact with Brendan’s mother, Samantha Denoto, or her family.
Creato’s attorney, Richard Fuschino Jr., said his client had cooperated fully and truthfully with investigators.
“He spent an entire day answering questions of investigators,” Fuschino said, saying that the prosecutor’s version of what happened was improbable, the Inquirer wrote.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Dad charged with murdering 3-year-old son during custody time (Camden County, New Jersey)
Notice that you have to get to the very end of the article to find out that the father in question was separated and/or divorced from the mother. And that some sort of access/custody arrangement was in place. Of course, as we so often see, whether the father had full custody, joint custody, or just periodic visitation is not explained. And of course we also have no idea WHO granted this father his "rights" and whether he had a past history that should have raised questions.
Dad is identified as DAVID CREATO JR.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for New Jersey.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/jersey-dad-charged-murder-year-boys-death-36223286
New Jersey Dad Charged With Murder in 3-Year-Old Boy's Death
By The Associated Press
CAMDEN, N.J. — Jan 11, 2016, 4:40 PM
The father of a 3-year-old boy found dead in a park last year has been charged with his murder, prosecutors announced Monday.
David Creato Jr., 22, also faces a child endangerment charge in the death of his son, Brendan. The child's body was found Oct. 13 in Cooper River Park about three hours after Creato reported him missing from his Haddon Township home.
When Creato called 911, he said he had woken up around 6 a.m. and soon realized the boy was gone.
"I don't know if he wandered out or what happened," Creato told the operator. "I don't know where he is. The door was locked. I guess he unlocked it and left."
The 911 call prompted a townwide search until the boy's body was found.
Creato was arrested Monday in Washington Township, Camden County prosecutors said. He's due to be arraigned Tuesday, and his bail has not yet been set.
Prosecutors declined to comment further on the charges, the investigation or what led them to consider as a Creato a suspect, citing court rules that they say prevent them from making statements outside of the courtroom that might prejudice the defendant's right to a fair trial.
Authorities have said that the boy's autopsy results were inconclusive and that a cause of death could not be determined. Creato's attorney, Richard Fuschino Jr., told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he would "vigorously defend this case."
Fuschino claimed that authorities pointed to Creato because pressure was mounting from the public to identify a suspect, and because there were no other obvious clues in the case. He said he worried that the indictment "is the result of just not having any other answers."
In the days after the body was found, Fuschino had said investigators told him his client was not a suspect. He also said Creato spoke to investigators without a lawyer present and had been told police had no suspects.
The indictment accuses Creato of purposely or knowingly causing the child's death or causing serious bodily injury that caused the death, but it did not provide further details on those allegations.
Brendan's father and his mother, Samantha Denoto, do not live together. She has not spoken publicly about her son's death since a vigil held the day the child's body was found.
Dad is identified as DAVID CREATO JR.
See the Killer Dads and Custody list for New Jersey.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/jersey-dad-charged-murder-year-boys-death-36223286
New Jersey Dad Charged With Murder in 3-Year-Old Boy's Death
By The Associated Press
CAMDEN, N.J. — Jan 11, 2016, 4:40 PM
The father of a 3-year-old boy found dead in a park last year has been charged with his murder, prosecutors announced Monday.
David Creato Jr., 22, also faces a child endangerment charge in the death of his son, Brendan. The child's body was found Oct. 13 in Cooper River Park about three hours after Creato reported him missing from his Haddon Township home.
When Creato called 911, he said he had woken up around 6 a.m. and soon realized the boy was gone.
"I don't know if he wandered out or what happened," Creato told the operator. "I don't know where he is. The door was locked. I guess he unlocked it and left."
The 911 call prompted a townwide search until the boy's body was found.
Creato was arrested Monday in Washington Township, Camden County prosecutors said. He's due to be arraigned Tuesday, and his bail has not yet been set.
Prosecutors declined to comment further on the charges, the investigation or what led them to consider as a Creato a suspect, citing court rules that they say prevent them from making statements outside of the courtroom that might prejudice the defendant's right to a fair trial.
Authorities have said that the boy's autopsy results were inconclusive and that a cause of death could not be determined. Creato's attorney, Richard Fuschino Jr., told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he would "vigorously defend this case."
Fuschino claimed that authorities pointed to Creato because pressure was mounting from the public to identify a suspect, and because there were no other obvious clues in the case. He said he worried that the indictment "is the result of just not having any other answers."
In the days after the body was found, Fuschino had said investigators told him his client was not a suspect. He also said Creato spoke to investigators without a lawyer present and had been told police had no suspects.
The indictment accuses Creato of purposely or knowingly causing the child's death or causing serious bodily injury that caused the death, but it did not provide further details on those allegations.
Brendan's father and his mother, Samantha Denoto, do not live together. She has not spoken publicly about her son's death since a vigil held the day the child's body was found.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Convicted sex offender dad indicted for murder of 6-week-old daughter (Toms River, New Jersey)
Dad is identified as MICHAEL ROJAS.
http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2015/10/toms_river_father_indicted_for_murder_in_daughters.html
Toms River father indicted for murder in baby's death, report says
By Paul Milo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
October 08, 2015 at 7:58 PM
TOMS RIVER — A local man and convicted sex offender has been indicted on charges he murdered his baby daughter two years ago, app.com reported.
Michael Rojas, 38, and his wife Giovanna were arrested in 2014 and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated manslaughter. After further investigation, Michael Rojas' manslaughter charge was upgraded to murder. Charges against Giovanna Rojas will be dropped, authorities also said, after an investigation into when each parent was with the child prior to her sustaining her injuries.
Authorities say the six-week-old girl suffered compression-related trauma suggesting she had been squeezed in the August 2013 incident.
Michael Rojas was released from prison in 2011 after serving nearly two years for having consensual sex with a 15-year-old girl.
http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2015/10/toms_river_father_indicted_for_murder_in_daughters.html
Toms River father indicted for murder in baby's death, report says
By Paul Milo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
October 08, 2015 at 7:58 PM
TOMS RIVER — A local man and convicted sex offender has been indicted on charges he murdered his baby daughter two years ago, app.com reported.
Michael Rojas, 38, and his wife Giovanna were arrested in 2014 and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated manslaughter. After further investigation, Michael Rojas' manslaughter charge was upgraded to murder. Charges against Giovanna Rojas will be dropped, authorities also said, after an investigation into when each parent was with the child prior to her sustaining her injuries.
Authorities say the six-week-old girl suffered compression-related trauma suggesting she had been squeezed in the August 2013 incident.
Michael Rojas was released from prison in 2011 after serving nearly two years for having consensual sex with a 15-year-old girl.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Dad charged with manslaughter in beating death of 5-month-old son (Fort Lee, New Jersey)
Dad is identified as YOSEOP CHOI.
http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/local/2015/08/08/father-charged-manslaughter-death-month-old/31334125/
Father charged with manslaughter in death of 5-month-old
Associated Press 4:01 p.m. EDT August 8, 2015
FORT LEE — Authorities have upgraded charges against the father of a 5-month-old boy prosecutors say died after he was beaten.
Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said in a statement Friday Yoseop Choi is now facing a charge of first-degree aggravated manslaughter.
The Fort Lee man is being held in Bergen County Jail on $1 million bail. He also faces aggravated assault and child endangerment charges.
Authorities say the boy died Thursday after being removed from life support at Bellevue Hospital in New York.
Choi brought the boy to the hospital July 28 in cardiac arrest.
He also had a severe head injury and a healing rib fracture.
Choi’s lawyer, Anthony Iacullo, has said his client pleaded not guilty to earlier charges but did not immediately return a message regarding the upgraded charge.
http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/local/2015/08/08/father-charged-manslaughter-death-month-old/31334125/
Father charged with manslaughter in death of 5-month-old
Associated Press 4:01 p.m. EDT August 8, 2015
FORT LEE — Authorities have upgraded charges against the father of a 5-month-old boy prosecutors say died after he was beaten.
Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said in a statement Friday Yoseop Choi is now facing a charge of first-degree aggravated manslaughter.
The Fort Lee man is being held in Bergen County Jail on $1 million bail. He also faces aggravated assault and child endangerment charges.
Authorities say the boy died Thursday after being removed from life support at Bellevue Hospital in New York.
Choi brought the boy to the hospital July 28 in cardiac arrest.
He also had a severe head injury and a healing rib fracture.
Choi’s lawyer, Anthony Iacullo, has said his client pleaded not guilty to earlier charges but did not immediately return a message regarding the upgraded charge.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Dad with history of DV holds baby hostage in 12-hour police standoff (Newark, New Jersey)
Once again, we see that a criminal abuser is a criminal abuser.
Dad is identified as RUDY SOTO.
http://kron4.com/2015/05/29/newark-police-activity-roads-closed/
Newark Standoff: Father in custody, baby is safe
By Stacey Baier
Published: May 29, 2015, 2:56 pm | Updated: May 29, 2015, 10:11 pm
UPDATE: 9:30 P.M. — Newark Police confirm the father is in custody, and the baby is safe.
According to police records, the man holding the baby captive was 37-year-old Rudy Soto.
The police report reads, “The patrol officers attempted to talk with the Soto, but he refused to speak to the officers. Officers initially feared the victim of the domestic violence may have also been inside the apartment. Officers were able to contact the victim, and were able to determine she was at work, but her one year old son was inside with the Soto, who is the father of the child. After 12 hours of negotiating with the Soto, he calmly exited the apartment with his baby in a stroller and surrendered to police. Soto has been taken into custody and the baby is safe and unharmed.”
UPDATE 5:00 P.M. — Police are negotiating with a domestic violence suspect who is allegedly holding a baby captive in Newark this evening, a Newark police commander said.
Commander Mike Carroll said the father has been involved in two other domestic violence incidents in the past two weeks, and a warrant is out for his arrest.
Carroll said police are going to be very patient because a baby is involved. Officers have thought they were going to be able to resolve the situation at numerous points today, but it has continued into this evening, Carroll said.
NEWARK (KRON) — Police are on the scene of a standoff situation at an apartment on Sycamore Street in Newark.
It is unknown how many people may be inside, but it’s believed at least one person is refusing to cooperate with police.
The incident began at 11:45 a.m. Sycamore Street is closed between Thornton Avenue and Mayhews Landing Road.
CHP is assisting.
People are advised to avoid the area.
Dad is identified as RUDY SOTO.
http://kron4.com/2015/05/29/newark-police-activity-roads-closed/
Newark Standoff: Father in custody, baby is safe
By Stacey Baier
Published: May 29, 2015, 2:56 pm | Updated: May 29, 2015, 10:11 pm
UPDATE: 9:30 P.M. — Newark Police confirm the father is in custody, and the baby is safe.
According to police records, the man holding the baby captive was 37-year-old Rudy Soto.
The police report reads, “The patrol officers attempted to talk with the Soto, but he refused to speak to the officers. Officers initially feared the victim of the domestic violence may have also been inside the apartment. Officers were able to contact the victim, and were able to determine she was at work, but her one year old son was inside with the Soto, who is the father of the child. After 12 hours of negotiating with the Soto, he calmly exited the apartment with his baby in a stroller and surrendered to police. Soto has been taken into custody and the baby is safe and unharmed.”
UPDATE 5:00 P.M. — Police are negotiating with a domestic violence suspect who is allegedly holding a baby captive in Newark this evening, a Newark police commander said.
Commander Mike Carroll said the father has been involved in two other domestic violence incidents in the past two weeks, and a warrant is out for his arrest.
Carroll said police are going to be very patient because a baby is involved. Officers have thought they were going to be able to resolve the situation at numerous points today, but it has continued into this evening, Carroll said.
NEWARK (KRON) — Police are on the scene of a standoff situation at an apartment on Sycamore Street in Newark.
It is unknown how many people may be inside, but it’s believed at least one person is refusing to cooperate with police.
The incident began at 11:45 a.m. Sycamore Street is closed between Thornton Avenue and Mayhews Landing Road.
CHP is assisting.
People are advised to avoid the area.
Dad with history of DV, "custody disputes" guns down mom and kills her in front of 7-year-old daughter (Monmouth County, New Jersey)
In many way a classic DV homicide. Mom had just left this violent control freak--one of the most riskiest times for women. Plus Dad PHIL SEIDLE was a cop who played at being model citizen, meaning he was becoming increasingly emboldened over time.
The custody "dispute" fits right in with the abuser's need for ongoing control over his victims. By demanding more time in his children's lives, he could continue his abuse of the family.
Of course, the fact that he shot Mom numerous times in front of a permanently traumatized 7-year-old girl proves he doesn't give a sh** about the kids. And he obviously didn't care that he was robbing nine kids of their mother.
This poor woman. His freaking cop friends standing there doing nothing while Daddy shot her again and again. The only way she could have survived this divorce is if Dad had been locked up years ago for his assaults and death threats--which obviously didn't happen. And wouldn't happen, given the intensely corrupt nature of the New Jersey criminal justice (criminal protection) system.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3129177/Divorced-police-officer-father-nine-pleads-not-guilty-shooting-dead-ex-wife-7-year-old-daughter.html
'Porn-addicted' police officer and father-of-nine pleads not guilty to shooting dead his ex-wife in front of their 7-year-old daughter
Sgt. Phil Seidle, 51, from Neptune Township, New Jersey, charged with first-degree murder in ex-wife Tamara's shooting death
Police say Seidle pursued his wife, then got out of his car and fired several rounds into Tamara Seidle's vehicle
The couple's 7-year-old daughter, the youngest of their nine children, was in Philip Seidle's car at the time of the killing; she was unharmed
Seidle was arrested after 30-minute standoff with police during which he held gun to his head Witnesses heard the officer complain that he didn't want to pay alimony anymore and have limited access to his children
Tamara Seidle claimed in divorce complaint her husband was a porn addict and an adulterer who held her at gunpoint while she was pregnant
By Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com
Published: 00:12 EST, 18 June 2015 | Updated: 04:37 EST, 18 June 2015
A recently divorced New Jersey police officer accused of chasing and gunning down his ex-wife with his service weapon as their youngest daughter watched made his first court appearance Wednesday and entered a not guilty plea.
A shackled Neptune Township police Sgt. Phil Seidle, 51, was led into Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Honora O'Brien Kilgallen's courtroom, where he was formally charged with first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child.
He continues to be held in jail on $2million, as his attorney's efforts to have the bail amount lowered to $1.2million proved unsuccessful.
Judge Killgallen rejected the request for a lower bail and ordered Seidle to have no contact with his children or his late ex-wife's family, reported NJ.com. The 51-year-old also must surrender his passport.
Defense attorney Edward Bertucio argued that his client was an upstanding member of the community and a veteran law enforcement officer who was not a flight risk.
But Marc LeMieux, first assistant prosecutor for Monmouth County, contended that facing a first-degree murder charge that carries a 30 years to life sentence could drive Seidle to flee.
The custody "dispute" fits right in with the abuser's need for ongoing control over his victims. By demanding more time in his children's lives, he could continue his abuse of the family.
Of course, the fact that he shot Mom numerous times in front of a permanently traumatized 7-year-old girl proves he doesn't give a sh** about the kids. And he obviously didn't care that he was robbing nine kids of their mother.
This poor woman. His freaking cop friends standing there doing nothing while Daddy shot her again and again. The only way she could have survived this divorce is if Dad had been locked up years ago for his assaults and death threats--which obviously didn't happen. And wouldn't happen, given the intensely corrupt nature of the New Jersey criminal justice (criminal protection) system.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3129177/Divorced-police-officer-father-nine-pleads-not-guilty-shooting-dead-ex-wife-7-year-old-daughter.html
'Porn-addicted' police officer and father-of-nine pleads not guilty to shooting dead his ex-wife in front of their 7-year-old daughter
Sgt. Phil Seidle, 51, from Neptune Township, New Jersey, charged with first-degree murder in ex-wife Tamara's shooting death
Police say Seidle pursued his wife, then got out of his car and fired several rounds into Tamara Seidle's vehicle
The couple's 7-year-old daughter, the youngest of their nine children, was in Philip Seidle's car at the time of the killing; she was unharmed
Seidle was arrested after 30-minute standoff with police during which he held gun to his head Witnesses heard the officer complain that he didn't want to pay alimony anymore and have limited access to his children
Tamara Seidle claimed in divorce complaint her husband was a porn addict and an adulterer who held her at gunpoint while she was pregnant
By Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com
Published: 00:12 EST, 18 June 2015 | Updated: 04:37 EST, 18 June 2015
A recently divorced New Jersey police officer accused of chasing and gunning down his ex-wife with his service weapon as their youngest daughter watched made his first court appearance Wednesday and entered a not guilty plea.
A shackled Neptune Township police Sgt. Phil Seidle, 51, was led into Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Honora O'Brien Kilgallen's courtroom, where he was formally charged with first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child.
He continues to be held in jail on $2million, as his attorney's efforts to have the bail amount lowered to $1.2million proved unsuccessful.
Judge Killgallen rejected the request for a lower bail and ordered Seidle to have no contact with his children or his late ex-wife's family, reported NJ.com. The 51-year-old also must surrender his passport.
Defense attorney Edward Bertucio argued that his client was an upstanding member of the community and a veteran law enforcement officer who was not a flight risk.
But Marc LeMieux, first assistant prosecutor for Monmouth County, contended that facing a first-degree murder charge that carries a 30 years to life sentence could drive Seidle to flee.
'He turned into a criminal and a murderer,' Lemieux said of the officer.
Seidle was suspended without pay from his $120,000-a-year job after his arrest Tuesday.
Dressed in a yellow jail garb, a teary-eyed Seidle was observed mouthing the words 'I love you' to his relatives seated in the courtroom.
Seidle had his 7-year-old daughter in the front seat of his car while he pursued a black Volkswagen Jetta driven by his ex-wife, Tamara, shortly before 11.30am Tuesday.
The chase ended moments later when Tamara Seidle crashed into a parked car.
Philip Seidle then emerged from his vehicle and fired his .40-caliber Glock service weapon several times into the woman's vehicle through the driver's side, fatally wounding her, according to police.
He then pointed the gun at his head, but changed his mind, made his way around the Jetta and fired more rounds through the windshield, said Charles Webster, spokesman of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, during a press conference.
Questions have been raised about the actions of the arresting officers, who chose not to shoot Seidle when he briefly stopped firing on his wife.
'That's under investigation at this point in time,' said prosecutor Marc Lemieux.
Police officers who happened to be in the neighborhood for an unrelated traffic accident saw the shooting unfold and took the child from her father's silver Honda Pilot. The girl apparently was not injured.
Tamara Seidle, 51, was taken to a hospital, where she died a short time later. No other injuries were reported in the shooting.
The shooting was followed by a 30-minute police standoff, during which Seldie held a gun to his head before officers convinced him to surrender. He was then taken into custody.
The couple had nine children, ranging in age from 7 to 24, and their divorce was finalized late last month. Authorities say the shooting apparently was spurred by an ongoing child custody dispute.
Michael Terrell, who witnessed the shooting, told the Asbury Park Press that Seidle was yelling at his ex-wife about their child custody fights, how he was tired of paying her alimony and having limited access to their children.
'The guy was in the middle of the street,' Terrell told the newspaper. 'He was saying, "I'm tired of going to court."'
Seidle then raised his gun, firing multiple shots at the woman.
'It was shocking,' Terrell said.
Another eyewitness, Trina Poysner, recalled hearing Seidle cry out in despair: 'My kids, my kids! I'm not going to see them anymore.'
Seidle, 51, is a US Navy veteran who served as a sergeant with the Neptune Township Police Department. He has served on the force for 22 years.
Township resident Dianna Harris told the newspaper that Seidle was a popular officer who cared about the community. Harris, who is president of the Neptune-based Midtown Urban Renaissance Corporation, said Seidle would often visit the nonprofit group's community garden.
'He was a well-respected cop in the area,' Harris said. 'Nobody knows what triggered this, and that's what makes it so sad.'
But court documents paint a starkly different picture of the well-respected law enforcement official and model family man.
In a complaint filed by Tamara Seidle two years ago, the mother of nine accused her husband of nearly 25 years of holding a gun to her head while she was pregnant.
On another occasion, the officer allegedly kicked his wife in the stomach while she was pregnant.
In her divorce complaint, Mrs Seidle described her spouse as a violent man who was addicted to pornography and video games, and who was unfaithful to her in the course of their tumultuous marriage.
Susan Doremus, who worked with Tamara Seidle during Neptune school athletic events and booster club functions, said the 51-year-old was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
After battering mom, drunk dad takes 17-month-old son hostage and threatens to harm him with a knife; dad shot dead by SWAT team (Middletown, New Jersey)
Thank goodness the baby wasn't hurt in this little piece of Daddy Drama. Guess with Daddy dead, there is no chance Daddy will be pulling any of this crap in the future. Good riddance.
Dad is identified as SCOTT MCALLISTER.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-jersey-father-holding-baby-hostage-fatally-shot-by-swat-team/
By/Crimesider Staff/CBS/AP /May 27, 2015, 1:36 PM
Father holding baby hostage shot dead by SWAT team
MIDDLETOWN, N.J. -- A New Jersey man who was holding his 17-month-old son hostage was fatally shot by a member of the Monmouth County, N.J., SWAT team, reports CBS New York.
The child's mother called police around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night. She said 39-year-old Scott McAllister was intoxicated, had beaten her and was threatening to harm their child with a knife, according to a statement released by the office of New Jersey Attorney General John Jay Hoffman.
When police arrived, the mother of the child had fled from the house, officials said.
McAllister was locked inside his Middletown home with the boy and refused to allow police to enter, according to police. Hostage negotiators tried for hours to get McAllister to turn over his child.
The negotiations ended around 4:30 a.m., when the county SWAT team forced its way in and an officer shot McAllister.
The identity of the officer who shot McAllister has not yet been released and authorities have not said how many times McAllister was shot.
McAllister's son, who was near him according to police, was not harmed.
Neighbors, many of whom were outside during the shooting, told CBS New York that McAllister was a fisherman, but few knew other details about him.
The state Attorney General's Shooting Response Team -- which looks into shootings involving state troopers and emergency response personnel -- is investigating the shooting to determine if it was justified.
Dad is identified as SCOTT MCALLISTER.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-jersey-father-holding-baby-hostage-fatally-shot-by-swat-team/
By/Crimesider Staff/CBS/AP /May 27, 2015, 1:36 PM
Father holding baby hostage shot dead by SWAT team
MIDDLETOWN, N.J. -- A New Jersey man who was holding his 17-month-old son hostage was fatally shot by a member of the Monmouth County, N.J., SWAT team, reports CBS New York.
The child's mother called police around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night. She said 39-year-old Scott McAllister was intoxicated, had beaten her and was threatening to harm their child with a knife, according to a statement released by the office of New Jersey Attorney General John Jay Hoffman.
When police arrived, the mother of the child had fled from the house, officials said.
McAllister was locked inside his Middletown home with the boy and refused to allow police to enter, according to police. Hostage negotiators tried for hours to get McAllister to turn over his child.
The negotiations ended around 4:30 a.m., when the county SWAT team forced its way in and an officer shot McAllister.
The identity of the officer who shot McAllister has not yet been released and authorities have not said how many times McAllister was shot.
McAllister's son, who was near him according to police, was not harmed.
Neighbors, many of whom were outside during the shooting, told CBS New York that McAllister was a fisherman, but few knew other details about him.
The state Attorney General's Shooting Response Team -- which looks into shootings involving state troopers and emergency response personnel -- is investigating the shooting to determine if it was justified.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Dad, girlfriend charged with aggravated assault of 2-year-old daughter during his weekend visitation; little girl partially paralyzed (Atlantic City, New Jersey)
Dad is identified as JACOB LIHN.
http://www.nj.com/south/index.ssf/2015/05/atlantic_city_toddler_partially_paralyzed_after_br.html
Partially paralyzed N.J. toddler recovering after alleged assault by dad, girlfriend
Andy Polhamus | For NJ.com on May 26, 2015 at 7:10 AM, updated May 26, 2015 at 5:02 PM
Jacob Lihn and Jennifer Pandorf, of Washington Township, are charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
Alayna Lihn loves to have her picture taken. Whenever a camera is pointed her way, she grins and calls out "cheese!" as if acting on instinct.
But her smile is a little lopsided these days, and as she sat on her mother's lap recently at rehab facility, Alayna hugged her mom with only one arm. That's because the left side of her body is still paralyzed from a brutal beating the toddler allegedly sustained at the hands of her father and his girlfriend.
Jacob Lihn, 25, and Jennifer Pandorf, 34, of Lupus Lane in Washington Township, Gloucester County, have been charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child for the April 11 attack. Alayna, 2, was beaten so badly that she had retinal hemorrhaging and bleeding on the brain. Doctors determined that she had also suffered a seizure and a stroke.
Melissa Velez, Alayna's mom, said she got a text message from Lihn just before she left to pick Alayna up from a routine weekend visit with her father. The message said the little girl had a swollen face from a possible allergic reaction. When Velez saw her daughter, however, the girl's eyes were swollen shut, and her entire body was limp. She rushed Alayna immediately to a hospital, where doctors told her the injuries were the result of severe abuse.
For two days, no one was sure whether Alayna would survive. #"They were letting three or four of us sleep in the ICU," said Velez. Alayna made it, however, and is recovering in a pediatric rehabilitation ward.
"We're managing, family-wise," said Velez, sitting in the room the two now share at a children's hospital in Marlton. "She's not moving her left arm and leg. That's what we're in rehabilitation for."
Alayna has at least three weeks left before she can go home to Atlantic City. Her days start early, with speech and physical therapy beginning at about 7:30 a.m. She hasn't been home in weeks, but she's still cheerful and precocious, naming all the animals painted on the walls in the corridor and talking to everyone she meets.
"Even before the whole incident, she was wonderful," said Velez. "Everybody she saw, she would say hello. She's never been one to cry."
In the first few days after she regained consciousness — Alayna could not open her eyes for two days after the assault — she was scared and distrusting.
"At first it was a lot of 'don't touch me! I only want Mommy,'" said Wallace Chapman, an old family friend. But on a couple of particularly difficult occasions, Alayna refused to let even her mother touch her.
It was a different Alayna than anyone had seen before, one that bore no resemblance to the one now playing with her mom's cell phone in between bites of finely-chopped beef and potatoes. She had tried to eat an apple the day before, but the muscles in her mouth wouldn't cooperate.
"I feel good!" Alayna said without hesitation when a reporter asked how she was doing. She is making progress regaining the use of her left leg, but is more reluctant with her arm.
"I'm just thankful," said Velez of her daughter's survival, although details of the incident have not yet been released. "My only hope is that the truth finally comes out. I want [Lihn and Pandorf] to say what happened, and I want justice served. This was clearly abuse."
Velez has also missed several weeks of work. The single mom is a manager at a beachfront restaurant and bar in Atlantic City, and has had to spend most of her time in Marlton, catching a bus to get from her home to the hospital.
"It's like something you'd see on a TV show," said Whitney Brennan of Egg Harbor Township, Velez's close friend. "You'd never expect something like this to happen, and when it does, it's crazy. My daughter and Alayna are 11 days apart. I couldn't imagine going through this."
With that in mind, Brennan has started an online fundraiser to help Velez pay the bills while she's out of work.
"It's just Melissa taking care of everything. She works her butt off," Brennan said. "I want to make sure that when Alayna gets out, she has a place to go."
Anyone interested in donating to the fund can do so by visiting gofundme.com/ryce8zg.
Alayna has finally regained the weight she lost while she was in the ICU, and her speech is getting back to normal. In a few more weeks, doctors will make a decision on whether she can go home.
"She's getting back to the child she was," Velez said. "I just want the old Alayna back."
http://www.nj.com/south/index.ssf/2015/05/atlantic_city_toddler_partially_paralyzed_after_br.html
Partially paralyzed N.J. toddler recovering after alleged assault by dad, girlfriend
Andy Polhamus | For NJ.com on May 26, 2015 at 7:10 AM, updated May 26, 2015 at 5:02 PM
Jacob Lihn and Jennifer Pandorf, of Washington Township, are charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
Alayna Lihn loves to have her picture taken. Whenever a camera is pointed her way, she grins and calls out "cheese!" as if acting on instinct.
But her smile is a little lopsided these days, and as she sat on her mother's lap recently at rehab facility, Alayna hugged her mom with only one arm. That's because the left side of her body is still paralyzed from a brutal beating the toddler allegedly sustained at the hands of her father and his girlfriend.
Jacob Lihn, 25, and Jennifer Pandorf, 34, of Lupus Lane in Washington Township, Gloucester County, have been charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child for the April 11 attack. Alayna, 2, was beaten so badly that she had retinal hemorrhaging and bleeding on the brain. Doctors determined that she had also suffered a seizure and a stroke.
Melissa Velez, Alayna's mom, said she got a text message from Lihn just before she left to pick Alayna up from a routine weekend visit with her father. The message said the little girl had a swollen face from a possible allergic reaction. When Velez saw her daughter, however, the girl's eyes were swollen shut, and her entire body was limp. She rushed Alayna immediately to a hospital, where doctors told her the injuries were the result of severe abuse.
For two days, no one was sure whether Alayna would survive. #"They were letting three or four of us sleep in the ICU," said Velez. Alayna made it, however, and is recovering in a pediatric rehabilitation ward.
"We're managing, family-wise," said Velez, sitting in the room the two now share at a children's hospital in Marlton. "She's not moving her left arm and leg. That's what we're in rehabilitation for."
Alayna has at least three weeks left before she can go home to Atlantic City. Her days start early, with speech and physical therapy beginning at about 7:30 a.m. She hasn't been home in weeks, but she's still cheerful and precocious, naming all the animals painted on the walls in the corridor and talking to everyone she meets.
"Even before the whole incident, she was wonderful," said Velez. "Everybody she saw, she would say hello. She's never been one to cry."
In the first few days after she regained consciousness — Alayna could not open her eyes for two days after the assault — she was scared and distrusting.
"At first it was a lot of 'don't touch me! I only want Mommy,'" said Wallace Chapman, an old family friend. But on a couple of particularly difficult occasions, Alayna refused to let even her mother touch her.
It was a different Alayna than anyone had seen before, one that bore no resemblance to the one now playing with her mom's cell phone in between bites of finely-chopped beef and potatoes. She had tried to eat an apple the day before, but the muscles in her mouth wouldn't cooperate.
"I feel good!" Alayna said without hesitation when a reporter asked how she was doing. She is making progress regaining the use of her left leg, but is more reluctant with her arm.
"I'm just thankful," said Velez of her daughter's survival, although details of the incident have not yet been released. "My only hope is that the truth finally comes out. I want [Lihn and Pandorf] to say what happened, and I want justice served. This was clearly abuse."
Velez has also missed several weeks of work. The single mom is a manager at a beachfront restaurant and bar in Atlantic City, and has had to spend most of her time in Marlton, catching a bus to get from her home to the hospital.
"It's like something you'd see on a TV show," said Whitney Brennan of Egg Harbor Township, Velez's close friend. "You'd never expect something like this to happen, and when it does, it's crazy. My daughter and Alayna are 11 days apart. I couldn't imagine going through this."
With that in mind, Brennan has started an online fundraiser to help Velez pay the bills while she's out of work.
"It's just Melissa taking care of everything. She works her butt off," Brennan said. "I want to make sure that when Alayna gets out, she has a place to go."
Anyone interested in donating to the fund can do so by visiting gofundme.com/ryce8zg.
Alayna has finally regained the weight she lost while she was in the ICU, and her speech is getting back to normal. In a few more weeks, doctors will make a decision on whether she can go home.
"She's getting back to the child she was," Velez said. "I just want the old Alayna back."
Monday, March 9, 2015
Dad with shared custody kidnaps two sons (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Not too many years ago, fathers rights activists started campaigning with this line that if only fathers were granted joint custody, then all these awful things wouldn't happen anymore. We just need to make those selfish gatekeeping mothers share!!! So they kept telling us.
So here we go. It's 2015. It's almost impossible for moms to get sole custody anymore. Mothers have been brainwashed that they better "encourage" the father's participation. This mom even made sure that the boys had telephone contact with the father every time they were in her care.
And how has that worked out? Control freak dads like KRISTOPHER DOHM...and many others like him...have no interest in sharing at all. They want total power. They have no interest in letting the kids talk to their mother. Now this POS has abducted the kids and Mom hasn't heard from them in weeks.
Shared custody sucks. It does not work with abusers. Period. End of discussion.
http://www.mynews3.com/content/news/state/story/Hunt-for-father-boys-allegedly-abducted-focuses/n2cbJs2PL0u8OVn5ErUxvQ.cspx
Hunt for father, boys allegedly abducted, focuses on Nevada
Published: 3:30 pm
Updated: 7:56 pm
LAS VEGAS (KSNV My News 3) -- A nationwide search for two brothers allegedly abducted by their father last month in New Jersey may be focusing on northern Nevada.
The chief of detectives in Sussex County, N.J., told News 3 today that he feels so strongly about the trio being in Nevada that he has sent several detectives to the Silver State. "I have a detective in Reno today and detectives in three other towns in northern Nevada," Thomas McCormick said.
According to police, Kristopher Dohm of Hapatcong, N.J., took his sons Parker 8, and Jaxon, 7, in early February by telling the boy's mother that he was taking them to see his dying father in Nevada "one last time."
“He had told Ms. Dohm his father was dying in Nevada and asked for a few extra days, if he could fly out there with boys so they could visit with their ailing grandfather,” Sussex County Prosecutor Francis Koch told the New Jersey Herald, adding Kristopher Dohm said he would return the boys immediately upon their return to New Jersey.
It was later learned that Kristopher Dohm's father was not ill or dying and the flight information given to Sandra Hughes Dohm — the boy's mother — was fake, Koch said.
In a news conference in New Jersey earlier today, an emotional Hughes Dohm said she had not seen her sons since Feb. 3 when they went to their father's and not spoken to them since the night of Feb. 5. Hughes Dohm said she shared custody with her ex-husband and every night when the boys were with her they would call their father to say “good night” and vice versa.
She said that she and Kristopher Dohm have shared custody for five years. She said the boys' relationship with their father was a good one and there was “no indication he would do this.”
McCormick said officials believe Kristopher Dohm's actions to be part of a plan to obtain sole custody of the boys.
McCormick said that Parker is an asthmatic and that Kristopher Dohm suffers from diabetes and needs daily insulin shots. He said officials do not believe Kristopher Dohm would hurt the boys, but are worried about the boys' safety because Kristopher Dohm's health issues may affect his judgment and because the boys are in an unfamiliar place.
McCormick said authorities are following several tips but would not speculate on where Kristopher Dohm and the boys might be and that authorities want “everybody looking for the boys,” across the country.
Kristopher Dohm stands 5-feet-7 inches, and weighs 150 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
Officials described Parker as white with brown hair and eyes, standing 4 feet, 3 inches, and weighing 60 pounds.
Jaxon is described as white with brown hair and brown eyes, standing 4 feet and weighing 50 pounds.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Jaxon has a “birthmark or mole” on his chin, and his father has a barbed wire tattoo on his right arm and another tattoo on his left leg.
Hughes Dohm has been active on social media with both Facebook and Twitter accounts dedicated to spreading the word about her missing sons.
A prayer vigil for the boys was held on Sunday at Ledgewood Baptist Church where more than 150 people prayed for the safe return of the brothers.
Hughes Dohm, in a message she hoped would reach her sons, said she will never stop looking for them. “No matter what your dad is telling you, you need to know we are looking for you and we want you to come back home to us,” Hughes Dohm said.
McCormick said detectives were doing media interviews in northern Nevada today and would follow any leads they develop. "We got two leads off Facebook this morning while their mother was talking," McCormick told News 3. "If the leads take us to Las Vegas, we will go there."
So here we go. It's 2015. It's almost impossible for moms to get sole custody anymore. Mothers have been brainwashed that they better "encourage" the father's participation. This mom even made sure that the boys had telephone contact with the father every time they were in her care.
And how has that worked out? Control freak dads like KRISTOPHER DOHM...and many others like him...have no interest in sharing at all. They want total power. They have no interest in letting the kids talk to their mother. Now this POS has abducted the kids and Mom hasn't heard from them in weeks.
Shared custody sucks. It does not work with abusers. Period. End of discussion.
http://www.mynews3.com/content/news/state/story/Hunt-for-father-boys-allegedly-abducted-focuses/n2cbJs2PL0u8OVn5ErUxvQ.cspx
Hunt for father, boys allegedly abducted, focuses on Nevada
Published: 3:30 pm
Updated: 7:56 pm
LAS VEGAS (KSNV My News 3) -- A nationwide search for two brothers allegedly abducted by their father last month in New Jersey may be focusing on northern Nevada.
The chief of detectives in Sussex County, N.J., told News 3 today that he feels so strongly about the trio being in Nevada that he has sent several detectives to the Silver State. "I have a detective in Reno today and detectives in three other towns in northern Nevada," Thomas McCormick said.
According to police, Kristopher Dohm of Hapatcong, N.J., took his sons Parker 8, and Jaxon, 7, in early February by telling the boy's mother that he was taking them to see his dying father in Nevada "one last time."
“He had told Ms. Dohm his father was dying in Nevada and asked for a few extra days, if he could fly out there with boys so they could visit with their ailing grandfather,” Sussex County Prosecutor Francis Koch told the New Jersey Herald, adding Kristopher Dohm said he would return the boys immediately upon their return to New Jersey.
It was later learned that Kristopher Dohm's father was not ill or dying and the flight information given to Sandra Hughes Dohm — the boy's mother — was fake, Koch said.
In a news conference in New Jersey earlier today, an emotional Hughes Dohm said she had not seen her sons since Feb. 3 when they went to their father's and not spoken to them since the night of Feb. 5. Hughes Dohm said she shared custody with her ex-husband and every night when the boys were with her they would call their father to say “good night” and vice versa.
She said that she and Kristopher Dohm have shared custody for five years. She said the boys' relationship with their father was a good one and there was “no indication he would do this.”
McCormick said officials believe Kristopher Dohm's actions to be part of a plan to obtain sole custody of the boys.
McCormick said that Parker is an asthmatic and that Kristopher Dohm suffers from diabetes and needs daily insulin shots. He said officials do not believe Kristopher Dohm would hurt the boys, but are worried about the boys' safety because Kristopher Dohm's health issues may affect his judgment and because the boys are in an unfamiliar place.
McCormick said authorities are following several tips but would not speculate on where Kristopher Dohm and the boys might be and that authorities want “everybody looking for the boys,” across the country.
Kristopher Dohm stands 5-feet-7 inches, and weighs 150 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
Officials described Parker as white with brown hair and eyes, standing 4 feet, 3 inches, and weighing 60 pounds.
Jaxon is described as white with brown hair and brown eyes, standing 4 feet and weighing 50 pounds.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Jaxon has a “birthmark or mole” on his chin, and his father has a barbed wire tattoo on his right arm and another tattoo on his left leg.
Hughes Dohm has been active on social media with both Facebook and Twitter accounts dedicated to spreading the word about her missing sons.
A prayer vigil for the boys was held on Sunday at Ledgewood Baptist Church where more than 150 people prayed for the safe return of the brothers.
Hughes Dohm, in a message she hoped would reach her sons, said she will never stop looking for them. “No matter what your dad is telling you, you need to know we are looking for you and we want you to come back home to us,” Hughes Dohm said.
McCormick said detectives were doing media interviews in northern Nevada today and would follow any leads they develop. "We got two leads off Facebook this morning while their mother was talking," McCormick told News 3. "If the leads take us to Las Vegas, we will go there."
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Dad charged with aggravated assault for twice burning face of 6-year-old son with clothing iron (Jersey City, New Jersey)
No mention of a mother in the home or elsewhere. Single dad?
Dad is identified as DANIEL BELL.
Notice that the headline is somewhat misleading in that it identifies him as a "man." This is pretty common in crime stories involving fathers.
http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2015/01/post_668.html
Man charged with burning 6-year-old son's face with clothing iron in Jersey City
Daniel Bell, 38, of Bloomfield, was arrested yesterday on charges he used a clothing iron to burn the face of his 6-year-old son in Jersey City.
By Michaelangelo Conte | The Jersey Journal
on January 07, 2015 at 5:19 PM, updated January 07, 2015 at 5:25 PM 3
A Bloomfield man has been charged with assaulting his 6-year-old son by allegedly twice burning the boy's face with a clothing iron in Jersey City, officials said today.
Daniel Bell, 38, of Bloomfield, made his first court appearance Tuesday on the charges of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and child abuse, in Central Judicial Processing court in Jersey City.
His bail was set at $50,000 cash or bond and he has since posted bail and been released from the Hudson County jail in Kearny. No could not be reached this afternoon.
On Nov. 26 the boy’s school contacted the state division of Child Protection and Permanency regarding the boy’s injuries and the CPP reached out to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit, Hudson County Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Debra Simon said today.
“The victim had been burned by his father on his face with an iron two times -- the iron made contact with his face two times,” said Simon of the charges, adding that the boy was treated for first- and second-degree burns.
Each of the charges filed against Bell is a second-degree offense, carrying a possible sentence of five to 10 years in prison, should he be convicted. #Bell surrendered at the SVU headquarters on Duncan Avenue in Jersey City Tuesday, Simon said. Bell could not be reached for comment.
Dad is identified as DANIEL BELL.
Notice that the headline is somewhat misleading in that it identifies him as a "man." This is pretty common in crime stories involving fathers.
http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2015/01/post_668.html
Man charged with burning 6-year-old son's face with clothing iron in Jersey City
Daniel Bell, 38, of Bloomfield, was arrested yesterday on charges he used a clothing iron to burn the face of his 6-year-old son in Jersey City.
By Michaelangelo Conte | The Jersey Journal
on January 07, 2015 at 5:19 PM, updated January 07, 2015 at 5:25 PM 3
A Bloomfield man has been charged with assaulting his 6-year-old son by allegedly twice burning the boy's face with a clothing iron in Jersey City, officials said today.
Daniel Bell, 38, of Bloomfield, made his first court appearance Tuesday on the charges of aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and child abuse, in Central Judicial Processing court in Jersey City.
His bail was set at $50,000 cash or bond and he has since posted bail and been released from the Hudson County jail in Kearny. No could not be reached this afternoon.
On Nov. 26 the boy’s school contacted the state division of Child Protection and Permanency regarding the boy’s injuries and the CPP reached out to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit, Hudson County Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Debra Simon said today.
“The victim had been burned by his father on his face with an iron two times -- the iron made contact with his face two times,” said Simon of the charges, adding that the boy was treated for first- and second-degree burns.
Each of the charges filed against Bell is a second-degree offense, carrying a possible sentence of five to 10 years in prison, should he be convicted. #Bell surrendered at the SVU headquarters on Duncan Avenue in Jersey City Tuesday, Simon said. Bell could not be reached for comment.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Dad convicted of murder in death of 20-month-old daughter (Newark, New Jersey)
Another case where Mom worked (2 jobs!) while Daddy f***ed up.
Dad is identified as TRAVIS HARTSFIELD JR.
http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2014/10/after_possible_mistrial_newark_father_convicted_of_murder_in_death_of_20-month-old_daughter.html
After possible mistrial, Newark father convicted of murder in death of 20-month-old daughter
Bill Wichert | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on October 28, 2014 at 6:30 PM, updated October 28, 2014 at 7:39 PM
NEWARK — With a juror excused for misconduct, the prospect of a second mistrial hung this morning over the case of Travis Hartsfield Jr. in the murder of his 20-month-old daughter.
But after interviewing the remaining jurors, Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin decided to add an alternate juror to the panel and instructed it to restart deliberations.
“You’re a new jury,” Ravin told the jurors.
After roughly two hours of deliberations, the reconstituted jury convicted Hartsfield of murder and child endangerment charges in the March 2011 death of his daughter, Asiyah Hartsfield.
Hartsfield, 28, of Newark, killed the girl by punching her in the stomach when she refused to eat.
“I’m happy now that she can rest in peace,” said the girl’s mother, Darshelle Joseph, in an interview after the verdict was handed down. “It was closure to everything.”
The guilty verdict marks the end to a long battle by Essex County prosecutors to convict Hartsfield, whose first trial ended in a mistrial last year when a jury was unable to reach a verdict.
Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Michele Miller, who represented the state in both trials, later said the verdict was “a long time coming.”
“He murdered that child,” Miller said. “He was a grown man and he…preyed upon a small child, his own child.”
Hartsfield's sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 22.
On the morning of March 14, 2011, Joseph said she left her daughter with Hartsfield, because she had to go to one of her two jobs. They remained in contact throughout the day, Joseph said.
Around 12:30 a.m. on March 15, 2011, Hartsfield called Joseph and told her that when he went to change her diaper, “Asiyah wasn’t breathing” and that she was “ice cold,” Joseph said. Joseph said she told Hartsfield to call 911.
EMS workers later rushed the girl to University Hospital, where a doctor said the child had no pulse, no heart activity and was not breathing on her own. She was pronounced dead around 2 a.m., the doctor said.
A medical examiner later said the girl died as a result of a severed liver that caused her to bleed internally.
Hartsfield admitted to detectives that he had punched the girl twice in the stomach when she refused to eat.
With the defense conceding that Hartsfield caused his daughter’s death, the main issue during the trial was his state of mind and whether he intended to cause serious bodily injury to the girl.
Miller had said the fatal blows were intentional and called for the murder conviction.
But Hartsfield’s attorney, Susan Freedman, said he didn’t intend to seriously harm the child and referred to the incident as “quick and momentary and thoughtless and reactive.” She encouraged jurors to consider the lesser-included offense of reckless manslaughter.
Freedman declined to comment on the verdict.
In an interview outside the courthouse, one of the jurors said she was leaning toward the lesser-included offenses, because she didn’t think Hartsfield intended to kill his daughter.
But the juror said she ultimately agreed to the murder conviction because Hartsfield had punched the girl with such great force that she died as a result.
“Those blows that he issued the baby, I couldn’t get around those,” said the juror, who declined to provide her name. “Even if you’re angry, you shouldn’t punch a baby that hard.”
For a few days, however, it was possible that a mistrial would be declared due to the actions of one of the jurors.
The problem with the juror first came to light on Friday morning, when another juror raised concerns with Ravin and the attorneys about how the juror had spoke during deliberations about her previous involvement in an investigation by the Division of Youth and Family Services, according to Ravin, who recounted the events in court today.
The concerned juror said of his colleague, “She’s very emotional. She’s showing too much emotion and not basing her decision on facts and evidence,” according to Ravin.
The jury had begun its deliberations on Wednesday.
Ravin said he ultimately excused the juror on Friday, because during jury selection, she had failed to disclose that DYFS investigation as well as the fact that she had a prior theft conviction.
The judge found that the juror’s misconduct related solely to her and not to her interaction with the other jurors.
“She was being discharged regardless of any interaction with anybody else…She had to go,” Ravin said in court today.
Freedman called for a mistrial, claiming that the juror’s admissions had tainted the deliberations.
But after Ravin and the attoneys questioned the remaining jurors about the matter in separate interviews, Ravin rejected the mistrial bid and agreed to add the alternate juror to the panel.
“The court concludes that no deliberating juror has been tainted,” Ravin said.
Dad is identified as TRAVIS HARTSFIELD JR.
http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2014/10/after_possible_mistrial_newark_father_convicted_of_murder_in_death_of_20-month-old_daughter.html
After possible mistrial, Newark father convicted of murder in death of 20-month-old daughter
Bill Wichert | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on October 28, 2014 at 6:30 PM, updated October 28, 2014 at 7:39 PM
NEWARK — With a juror excused for misconduct, the prospect of a second mistrial hung this morning over the case of Travis Hartsfield Jr. in the murder of his 20-month-old daughter.
But after interviewing the remaining jurors, Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin decided to add an alternate juror to the panel and instructed it to restart deliberations.
“You’re a new jury,” Ravin told the jurors.
After roughly two hours of deliberations, the reconstituted jury convicted Hartsfield of murder and child endangerment charges in the March 2011 death of his daughter, Asiyah Hartsfield.
Hartsfield, 28, of Newark, killed the girl by punching her in the stomach when she refused to eat.
“I’m happy now that she can rest in peace,” said the girl’s mother, Darshelle Joseph, in an interview after the verdict was handed down. “It was closure to everything.”
The guilty verdict marks the end to a long battle by Essex County prosecutors to convict Hartsfield, whose first trial ended in a mistrial last year when a jury was unable to reach a verdict.
Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Michele Miller, who represented the state in both trials, later said the verdict was “a long time coming.”
“He murdered that child,” Miller said. “He was a grown man and he…preyed upon a small child, his own child.”
Hartsfield's sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 22.
On the morning of March 14, 2011, Joseph said she left her daughter with Hartsfield, because she had to go to one of her two jobs. They remained in contact throughout the day, Joseph said.
Around 12:30 a.m. on March 15, 2011, Hartsfield called Joseph and told her that when he went to change her diaper, “Asiyah wasn’t breathing” and that she was “ice cold,” Joseph said. Joseph said she told Hartsfield to call 911.
EMS workers later rushed the girl to University Hospital, where a doctor said the child had no pulse, no heart activity and was not breathing on her own. She was pronounced dead around 2 a.m., the doctor said.
A medical examiner later said the girl died as a result of a severed liver that caused her to bleed internally.
Hartsfield admitted to detectives that he had punched the girl twice in the stomach when she refused to eat.
With the defense conceding that Hartsfield caused his daughter’s death, the main issue during the trial was his state of mind and whether he intended to cause serious bodily injury to the girl.
Miller had said the fatal blows were intentional and called for the murder conviction.
But Hartsfield’s attorney, Susan Freedman, said he didn’t intend to seriously harm the child and referred to the incident as “quick and momentary and thoughtless and reactive.” She encouraged jurors to consider the lesser-included offense of reckless manslaughter.
Freedman declined to comment on the verdict.
In an interview outside the courthouse, one of the jurors said she was leaning toward the lesser-included offenses, because she didn’t think Hartsfield intended to kill his daughter.
But the juror said she ultimately agreed to the murder conviction because Hartsfield had punched the girl with such great force that she died as a result.
“Those blows that he issued the baby, I couldn’t get around those,” said the juror, who declined to provide her name. “Even if you’re angry, you shouldn’t punch a baby that hard.”
For a few days, however, it was possible that a mistrial would be declared due to the actions of one of the jurors.
The problem with the juror first came to light on Friday morning, when another juror raised concerns with Ravin and the attorneys about how the juror had spoke during deliberations about her previous involvement in an investigation by the Division of Youth and Family Services, according to Ravin, who recounted the events in court today.
The concerned juror said of his colleague, “She’s very emotional. She’s showing too much emotion and not basing her decision on facts and evidence,” according to Ravin.
The jury had begun its deliberations on Wednesday.
Ravin said he ultimately excused the juror on Friday, because during jury selection, she had failed to disclose that DYFS investigation as well as the fact that she had a prior theft conviction.
The judge found that the juror’s misconduct related solely to her and not to her interaction with the other jurors.
“She was being discharged regardless of any interaction with anybody else…She had to go,” Ravin said in court today.
Freedman called for a mistrial, claiming that the juror’s admissions had tainted the deliberations.
But after Ravin and the attoneys questioned the remaining jurors about the matter in separate interviews, Ravin rejected the mistrial bid and agreed to add the alternate juror to the panel.
“The court concludes that no deliberating juror has been tainted,” Ravin said.
Dad charged with aggravated manslaughter in death of 9-week-old son (Camden, New Jersey)
Yet another case where Mom had to work--even though she had a newborn--while Daddy played at being the caretaker.
Dad is identified as JONATHAN GARRETT SR.
Why we need paid maternity leave....
http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/crime/2014/10/28/man-charged-infant-sons-death/18085273/
Camden father charged with shaking baby to death
PHIL DUNN, COURIER-POST 6:29 a.m. EDT October 29, 2014
A Camden man has been charged with allegedly shaking his infant son to death in February, authorities said.
Jonathan Garrett Sr., 30, is facing one count of aggravated manslaughter in connection with the death of his 9-week-old, Jonathan Garrett Jr.
The child suffered from hemorrhages to the brain, spine and eyes as well as retinal detachment from the alleged shaking, authorities said.
Police were called to Garrett's apartment on the 1300 block of Princess Avenue in Camden around 5:30 p.m. Feb. 1 for a report of an infant not breathing.
Garrett, who called 911, was home alone with his son. He had been watching him since about 9 p.m. the night before, while the infant's mother was at work.
The infant was transported to Cooper University Hospital and was initially diagnosed with a "subdural hematoma" or possible brain injury. The child also had a collapsed left lung, as well as an unstable blood pressure and heart rate, authorities said.
He later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead Feb. 2. The county medical examiner initially determined the cause of death would be "pending" until additional studies were completed.
Doctors at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Wills Eye Hospital reported the child suffered from multiple hemorrhages. The injuries were consistent with being shaken, doctors told authorities.
Dr. Lucy Rorke-Adams of CHOP further stated the effects from being shaken would be "apparent almost immediately," according to the probable cause statement.
On Feb. 14, the infant's death was ruled a homicide due to blunt head trauma.
Garrett was unable to provide an explanation for the infant's injuries, authorities said. However he did tell detectives he was the only one watching his son the night he called 911.
Garrett was arraigned Tuesday in Camden County Superior Court. He was lodged in the Camden County Jail in default of $200,000 bail.
Dad is identified as JONATHAN GARRETT SR.
Why we need paid maternity leave....
http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/crime/2014/10/28/man-charged-infant-sons-death/18085273/
Camden father charged with shaking baby to death
PHIL DUNN, COURIER-POST 6:29 a.m. EDT October 29, 2014
A Camden man has been charged with allegedly shaking his infant son to death in February, authorities said.
Jonathan Garrett Sr., 30, is facing one count of aggravated manslaughter in connection with the death of his 9-week-old, Jonathan Garrett Jr.
The child suffered from hemorrhages to the brain, spine and eyes as well as retinal detachment from the alleged shaking, authorities said.
Police were called to Garrett's apartment on the 1300 block of Princess Avenue in Camden around 5:30 p.m. Feb. 1 for a report of an infant not breathing.
Garrett, who called 911, was home alone with his son. He had been watching him since about 9 p.m. the night before, while the infant's mother was at work.
The infant was transported to Cooper University Hospital and was initially diagnosed with a "subdural hematoma" or possible brain injury. The child also had a collapsed left lung, as well as an unstable blood pressure and heart rate, authorities said.
He later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead Feb. 2. The county medical examiner initially determined the cause of death would be "pending" until additional studies were completed.
Doctors at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Wills Eye Hospital reported the child suffered from multiple hemorrhages. The injuries were consistent with being shaken, doctors told authorities.
Dr. Lucy Rorke-Adams of CHOP further stated the effects from being shaken would be "apparent almost immediately," according to the probable cause statement.
On Feb. 14, the infant's death was ruled a homicide due to blunt head trauma.
Garrett was unable to provide an explanation for the infant's injuries, authorities said. However he did tell detectives he was the only one watching his son the night he called 911.
Garrett was arraigned Tuesday in Camden County Superior Court. He was lodged in the Camden County Jail in default of $200,000 bail.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
"Primary caretaker" dad finally on trial for 2011 murder of 20-month-old daughter (Newark, New Jersey)
According to earlier posts on this case, Mom worked two jobs while the deadbeat daddy played at being the primary caretaker.
Dad is identified as TRAVIS HARTSFIELD JR.
http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2014/10/baby_girl_killed_from_strong_blows_internal_bleeding_medical_examiner_says_at_fathers_murder_trial.html
Baby girl died from 'strong blows,' internal bleeding, doctor says at father's murder trial
By Bill Wichert | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com on October 15, 2014 at 1:25 PM
NEWARK — A 20-month-old girl was killed in March 2011 as a result of strong blows to her body that caused her to bleed internally, a medical examiner testified today at the murder trial of the child’s father.
“The belly was full of blood,” said Dr. Eddy Lilavois, adding that the girl’s injuries were caused by “a very strong blow or a series of strong blows.”
Lilavois recounted those details from the witness stand in a Newark courtroom during the trial of Travis Hartsfield Jr., who is facing murder and child endangerment charges in the death of his daughter, Asiyah Hartsfield.
His first trial ended in a mistrial last year when a jury was unable to reach a verdict.
Hartsfield, 28, of Newark, is accused of killing the girl by punching her in the stomach when she wouldn’t eat.
Hartsfield told detectives that he punched the girl twice in the stomach, but his attorney has argued he did not intend to cause her serious injury and should not be convicted of murder.
After Hartsfield found that his daughter was “ice cold” and not breathing, EMS workers later brought the girl to University Hospital around 1 a.m. on March 15, 2011, according to trial testimony.
The child – who had no pulse, no heart activity and was not breathing on her own – was pronounced dead around 2 a.m., a hospital doctor testified last week.
On the witness stand today, Lilavois described the roughly four-hour autopsy he performed on Asiyah Hartsfield. When the girl’s body was presented for the examination, she was wearing a hospital gown and weighing 22.8 pounds, Lilavois said.
During an external review, Lilavois said he observed bruises on the girl’s head, torso and arms. “Those were fresh injuries,” said Lilavois, saying the injuries had occurred within the last day.
When Lilavois made an incision in her abdomen wall, he testified that “blood came gushing out of the abdomen.”
Lilavois said he determined the internal bleeding came from the injuries to the girl’s liver.
The liver had split away from a ligament and there was a “deep gash into the liver itself,” Lilavois said. “The tissues of the liver were basically crushed and mulched,” Lilavois said.
As a result of internal bleeding, a person can became sluggish, lethargic and lose consciousness as the organs gradually shut down and the body temperature decreases, Lilavois said.
Asked about how Asiyah Hartsfield’s body temperature was 85 degrees at the hospital, Lilavois said that confirms “the conditions were not conducive to sustain life.”
Dad is identified as TRAVIS HARTSFIELD JR.
http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2014/10/baby_girl_killed_from_strong_blows_internal_bleeding_medical_examiner_says_at_fathers_murder_trial.html
Baby girl died from 'strong blows,' internal bleeding, doctor says at father's murder trial
By Bill Wichert | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com on October 15, 2014 at 1:25 PM
NEWARK — A 20-month-old girl was killed in March 2011 as a result of strong blows to her body that caused her to bleed internally, a medical examiner testified today at the murder trial of the child’s father.
“The belly was full of blood,” said Dr. Eddy Lilavois, adding that the girl’s injuries were caused by “a very strong blow or a series of strong blows.”
Lilavois recounted those details from the witness stand in a Newark courtroom during the trial of Travis Hartsfield Jr., who is facing murder and child endangerment charges in the death of his daughter, Asiyah Hartsfield.
His first trial ended in a mistrial last year when a jury was unable to reach a verdict.
Hartsfield, 28, of Newark, is accused of killing the girl by punching her in the stomach when she wouldn’t eat.
Hartsfield told detectives that he punched the girl twice in the stomach, but his attorney has argued he did not intend to cause her serious injury and should not be convicted of murder.
After Hartsfield found that his daughter was “ice cold” and not breathing, EMS workers later brought the girl to University Hospital around 1 a.m. on March 15, 2011, according to trial testimony.
The child – who had no pulse, no heart activity and was not breathing on her own – was pronounced dead around 2 a.m., a hospital doctor testified last week.
On the witness stand today, Lilavois described the roughly four-hour autopsy he performed on Asiyah Hartsfield. When the girl’s body was presented for the examination, she was wearing a hospital gown and weighing 22.8 pounds, Lilavois said.
During an external review, Lilavois said he observed bruises on the girl’s head, torso and arms. “Those were fresh injuries,” said Lilavois, saying the injuries had occurred within the last day.
When Lilavois made an incision in her abdomen wall, he testified that “blood came gushing out of the abdomen.”
Lilavois said he determined the internal bleeding came from the injuries to the girl’s liver.
The liver had split away from a ligament and there was a “deep gash into the liver itself,” Lilavois said. “The tissues of the liver were basically crushed and mulched,” Lilavois said.
As a result of internal bleeding, a person can became sluggish, lethargic and lose consciousness as the organs gradually shut down and the body temperature decreases, Lilavois said.
Asked about how Asiyah Hartsfield’s body temperature was 85 degrees at the hospital, Lilavois said that confirms “the conditions were not conducive to sustain life.”
Friday, October 10, 2014
Dad with joint custody finally has contact with daughter severed after repeated abuse, death threats; Dad now running for office and angry that abuse is brought up (Austin, Texas)
Great piece of investigative journalism. Too often the public still doesn't get how abusers like this are successful in getting joint custody. Mom is very lucky she was able to get this violent creep out of the picture before her daughter was seriously injured or killed, especially in Texas. Most moms are not so lucky.
Notice how Daddy reacts in a typical abuser fashion. Claims he's being lied about, claims ignorance about the medical evidence regarding the abuse, arrogantly refuses to take (useless) parenting classes or anger management classes. Refuses to explain why the injuries only occurred during his visitation time. Refuses any restriction on his guns. Not even so he can see his kid.
Notice he doesn't seem to be protesting that Mom let him off the hook for $15,000 in medical expenses just to keep her daughter safe. That alone proves for me that she's telling the truth. Moms will do away with the money if it means safety for their kids.
When I got custody back, I knew that it meant I would never get child support and that the corrupt Chautauqua County Family Court would never enforce any decree. And I was absolutely right. But it was worth it to keep my kid safe too.
Dad is identified as DON ZIMMERMAN. And if you go to the original posting, notice how all the fathers rights freaks are defending this idiot. Typical. It's always about defending the vicious abuser, never the child, for these guys.
http://www.theaustinbulldog.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=318:candidate-lost-custody-over-abuse&catid=3:main-articles
Candidate Lost Custody Over Abuse
District 6 Council candidate Don Zimmerman injured, alienated daughter, court records state
Investigative Report by Ken Martin © The Austin Bulldog 2014
Posted Thursday October 9, 2014 3:10pm
District 6 candidate Donald Shelly “Don” Zimmerman, founder of the Travis County Taxpayers Union, is an aggressive leader who as president of a municipal utility district brought two lawsuits, one of which resulted in winning a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
But aggression in disciplining his daughter, Marina Zimmerman, resulted in documented physical and emotional damage and permanent loss of parental rights through civil court action.
Files from a Travis County District Court case include three reports from Deborah Neitsch, MD, from early 2011. The reports state that on separate occasions Zimmerman inflicted bruises, pulled Marina’s hair, pushed her, and “threatened to kill her.” The records indicate the doctor would contact Child Protective Services (CPS). Such reporting is required within 48 hours by Texas Family Code Section 261.101, which states, “A professional may not delegate to or rely on another person to make this report.”
“I got a call from CPS and consulted a couple of attorney friends and was told when lies are made you should demand proof of the allegations and if don't get proof you should not cooperate,” Zimmerman told The Austin Bulldog in a Tuesday telephone interview.
Three documented incidents
The first incident occurred just three days after Marina’s twelfth birthday, then twice more, all within a three-week period in January and February 2011, according to the medical records. She weighed 84 pounds at the time. Each incident occurred during evening or weekend visits when Zimmerman had sole possession as authorized in the divorce decree.
Asked if he did those things to his daughter, Zimmerman replied, “Those are unequivocal lies. They are outright fabrications and absolute lies.”
Doctor’s first examination—January 24, 2011, the physician’s record indicates a “very minor bruise” was found on Marina’s right forearm. “There are concerns that her father is being physically and emotionally abusive to her when she is visiting him.” The record further states, “We will contact the CPS caseworker that is in charge of her case. No serious injury seems to have occurred but I worry about the psychological toll on her.”
Doctor’s second examination—January 28, 2011, the doctor found that Marina had a bruise on her left shoulder blade and a stiff neck. “He wanted to take her phone away and she walked away and he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around and pushed her backwards...He pushed her from behind and now she has a bruise on her left scapula (shoulder blade). Her neck is stiff after he pushed her....”
“[C]ontinued concern of her dad being physically forceful with her,” the record states. “[W]ill keep document for CPS case worker.”
Doctor’s third examination—February 11, 2011, the record states, “Her dad was harsh with her yesterday and pushed her against the microwave and now she has right hip pain and right shoulder pain. ... Her dad has been yelling at her and threatened to hit her but didn’t. He has threatened to kill her and she has fears of (him) shooting her...Her parents are worried that she needs therapy but her dad refuses.”
Zimmerman’s threat to hit Marina was overheard by her mother and stepfather in a phone call that she made to her mother during that confrontation, according to a sworn affidavit filed by her stepfather, Eric “Ani” Fox.
The February 11, 2011, doctor’s record also states, “Concerns of abuse with hip and shoulder strain. Recommended if CPS does not intervene this could lead to a life threatening situation. I recommend they persue (sic) legal full custody as soon as possible. We will contact CPS about the situation.”
For prevention the doctor stated, “Counseling: Domestic violence, warned this was the most common cause of homicide in Texas and in our area and needs to be taken seriously. [T]he situation seems to be escalating quickly due to CPS investigation.”
Zimmerman’s responses
When questioned in the Tuesday interview about the alleged threat to kill his daughter, Zimmerman replied, “That's an outright lie. None of this has ever been shown to me.” When reminded that the cited medical reports are in the files for his divorce case, Zimmerman replied, “These allegations are news to me. I’ve never seen them before. These are offensive lies and I’ve never seen them before. I’m not afraid because these are lies.”
Zimmerman said he has a license to carry a concealed handgun and he has guns and ammunition in the house.
“(Bochenkova) demanded I move all guns and ammunition out of the house,” Zimmerman said. “Why would that demand be made? I can agree to do it or refuse to do it. She's a brilliant manipulator and liar. If I agree to move the guns and ammunition out of the house, then I'm agreeing I'm a violent person who can't be trusted around guns and ammunition. If I do not agree, I'm in denial and won't acknowledge that I'm a violent and dangerous person. The demand is a lie.
“I’m 54 and never in my life have I been violent against anyone. I’ve never shown violence. I get angry. I’m angry now when someone lies and attacks my character.”
Zimmerman met Kateryna “Katya” Bochenkova in Kiev, Ukraine, when he was there teaching English as a second language. She was one of his students. They met again when she was a student at Texas A&M University in College Station. They were married in Brazos County December 6, 1997, when he was 38 and she was 20.
Marina was born in January 1999.
A Final Decree of Divorce was approved May 27, 2005. The marriage was “dissolved on the ground of insupportability,” which is defined in Family Code Section 6.001 as “without regard to fault.”
Mother followed doctor’s advice
The doctor recommended pursuing full legal custody and Bochenkova quickly did so. On February 16, 2011, she petitioned for a Temporary Restraining Order. Included in the petition was a request for the court to order Zimmerman to attend parenting classes and anger-management classes.
Bochenkova told The Austin Bulldog she wanted Zimmerman to take those classes so that he “could modify the behavior that brought us into that conflict situation in the first place.”
Asked if he took those classes, Zimmerman replied, “I did not.”
In response to Bochenkova’s petition, the court issued an Agreed Temporary Injunction to bar Zimmerman from contacting or communicating with his daughter or taking possession of her, rights that had been established by the divorce decree.
Asked to comment on the injunction, Zimmerman said, “The crux of it is that with people willing to lie under oath I'm not going to see my daughter any more. If I persist what would have come next would be false allegations of sexual abuse,” Zimmerman said.
“I’ve seen this bad movie before,” he added. “I won’t see my daughter anymore. I won’t let you play this game.”
There has been no communication between Zimmerman and his daughter in more than three years, both he and Bochenkova said.
Dormant case revived, concluded
On March 10, 2014 Zimmerman’s new attorney, Round Rock-based Stephen Casey of the Casey Law Office PC, filed a motion to enter a final order in the case, stating that Zimmerman’s “relationship with the minor child has become fairly non-existent. ... Respondent remains willing and able to communicate but until it is initiated by the minor child there is no interaction.”
Bochenkova told The Austin Bulldog that Marina has not seen her father in more than three years and does not want to.
The girl’s mother responded to Casey’s motion by filing petitions of her own in April and June of this year.
In a final agreed order filed June 16, the court ordered that Zimmerman “shall have no possession of or access to the child.”
As part of that order, the court found that Zimmerman owed nearly $15,000 in arrearage for the child’s medical support expenses, and that “Bochenkova has agreed to waive all past medical support.”
“We wanted Don out of our life and that was the easiest way to achieve that,” Bochenkova told The Austin Bulldog. “It was the easiest way to close the deal, and we gave up that money in exchange for the freedom of our daughter.”
The court action in June also removed the requirement for Marina to live in Austin. She recently moved to Bound Brook, New Jersey, with her mother and stepfather.
On the “About Don Zimmerman” page on his campaign website, Zimmerman states, “I have one remarkable daughter, Marina Lorna Zimmerman.”
But the girl long ago quit using her father’s name. In 2012 and 2013 she won medals in fencing competition and performed classical piano music as Marina Bochenkova, her mother’s maiden name.
“She says she will take my name legally when she is 18,” Bochenkova said.
Notice how Daddy reacts in a typical abuser fashion. Claims he's being lied about, claims ignorance about the medical evidence regarding the abuse, arrogantly refuses to take (useless) parenting classes or anger management classes. Refuses to explain why the injuries only occurred during his visitation time. Refuses any restriction on his guns. Not even so he can see his kid.
Notice he doesn't seem to be protesting that Mom let him off the hook for $15,000 in medical expenses just to keep her daughter safe. That alone proves for me that she's telling the truth. Moms will do away with the money if it means safety for their kids.
When I got custody back, I knew that it meant I would never get child support and that the corrupt Chautauqua County Family Court would never enforce any decree. And I was absolutely right. But it was worth it to keep my kid safe too.
Dad is identified as DON ZIMMERMAN. And if you go to the original posting, notice how all the fathers rights freaks are defending this idiot. Typical. It's always about defending the vicious abuser, never the child, for these guys.
http://www.theaustinbulldog.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=318:candidate-lost-custody-over-abuse&catid=3:main-articles
Candidate Lost Custody Over Abuse
District 6 Council candidate Don Zimmerman injured, alienated daughter, court records state
Investigative Report by Ken Martin © The Austin Bulldog 2014
Posted Thursday October 9, 2014 3:10pm
District 6 candidate Donald Shelly “Don” Zimmerman, founder of the Travis County Taxpayers Union, is an aggressive leader who as president of a municipal utility district brought two lawsuits, one of which resulted in winning a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
But aggression in disciplining his daughter, Marina Zimmerman, resulted in documented physical and emotional damage and permanent loss of parental rights through civil court action.
Files from a Travis County District Court case include three reports from Deborah Neitsch, MD, from early 2011. The reports state that on separate occasions Zimmerman inflicted bruises, pulled Marina’s hair, pushed her, and “threatened to kill her.” The records indicate the doctor would contact Child Protective Services (CPS). Such reporting is required within 48 hours by Texas Family Code Section 261.101, which states, “A professional may not delegate to or rely on another person to make this report.”
“I got a call from CPS and consulted a couple of attorney friends and was told when lies are made you should demand proof of the allegations and if don't get proof you should not cooperate,” Zimmerman told The Austin Bulldog in a Tuesday telephone interview.
Three documented incidents
The first incident occurred just three days after Marina’s twelfth birthday, then twice more, all within a three-week period in January and February 2011, according to the medical records. She weighed 84 pounds at the time. Each incident occurred during evening or weekend visits when Zimmerman had sole possession as authorized in the divorce decree.
Asked if he did those things to his daughter, Zimmerman replied, “Those are unequivocal lies. They are outright fabrications and absolute lies.”
Doctor’s first examination—January 24, 2011, the physician’s record indicates a “very minor bruise” was found on Marina’s right forearm. “There are concerns that her father is being physically and emotionally abusive to her when she is visiting him.” The record further states, “We will contact the CPS caseworker that is in charge of her case. No serious injury seems to have occurred but I worry about the psychological toll on her.”
Doctor’s second examination—January 28, 2011, the doctor found that Marina had a bruise on her left shoulder blade and a stiff neck. “He wanted to take her phone away and she walked away and he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around and pushed her backwards...He pushed her from behind and now she has a bruise on her left scapula (shoulder blade). Her neck is stiff after he pushed her....”
“[C]ontinued concern of her dad being physically forceful with her,” the record states. “[W]ill keep document for CPS case worker.”
Doctor’s third examination—February 11, 2011, the record states, “Her dad was harsh with her yesterday and pushed her against the microwave and now she has right hip pain and right shoulder pain. ... Her dad has been yelling at her and threatened to hit her but didn’t. He has threatened to kill her and she has fears of (him) shooting her...Her parents are worried that she needs therapy but her dad refuses.”
Zimmerman’s threat to hit Marina was overheard by her mother and stepfather in a phone call that she made to her mother during that confrontation, according to a sworn affidavit filed by her stepfather, Eric “Ani” Fox.
The February 11, 2011, doctor’s record also states, “Concerns of abuse with hip and shoulder strain. Recommended if CPS does not intervene this could lead to a life threatening situation. I recommend they persue (sic) legal full custody as soon as possible. We will contact CPS about the situation.”
For prevention the doctor stated, “Counseling: Domestic violence, warned this was the most common cause of homicide in Texas and in our area and needs to be taken seriously. [T]he situation seems to be escalating quickly due to CPS investigation.”
Zimmerman’s responses
When questioned in the Tuesday interview about the alleged threat to kill his daughter, Zimmerman replied, “That's an outright lie. None of this has ever been shown to me.” When reminded that the cited medical reports are in the files for his divorce case, Zimmerman replied, “These allegations are news to me. I’ve never seen them before. These are offensive lies and I’ve never seen them before. I’m not afraid because these are lies.”
Zimmerman said he has a license to carry a concealed handgun and he has guns and ammunition in the house.
“(Bochenkova) demanded I move all guns and ammunition out of the house,” Zimmerman said. “Why would that demand be made? I can agree to do it or refuse to do it. She's a brilliant manipulator and liar. If I agree to move the guns and ammunition out of the house, then I'm agreeing I'm a violent person who can't be trusted around guns and ammunition. If I do not agree, I'm in denial and won't acknowledge that I'm a violent and dangerous person. The demand is a lie.
“I’m 54 and never in my life have I been violent against anyone. I’ve never shown violence. I get angry. I’m angry now when someone lies and attacks my character.”
Zimmerman met Kateryna “Katya” Bochenkova in Kiev, Ukraine, when he was there teaching English as a second language. She was one of his students. They met again when she was a student at Texas A&M University in College Station. They were married in Brazos County December 6, 1997, when he was 38 and she was 20.
Marina was born in January 1999.
A Final Decree of Divorce was approved May 27, 2005. The marriage was “dissolved on the ground of insupportability,” which is defined in Family Code Section 6.001 as “without regard to fault.”
Mother followed doctor’s advice
The doctor recommended pursuing full legal custody and Bochenkova quickly did so. On February 16, 2011, she petitioned for a Temporary Restraining Order. Included in the petition was a request for the court to order Zimmerman to attend parenting classes and anger-management classes.
Bochenkova told The Austin Bulldog she wanted Zimmerman to take those classes so that he “could modify the behavior that brought us into that conflict situation in the first place.”
Asked if he took those classes, Zimmerman replied, “I did not.”
In response to Bochenkova’s petition, the court issued an Agreed Temporary Injunction to bar Zimmerman from contacting or communicating with his daughter or taking possession of her, rights that had been established by the divorce decree.
Asked to comment on the injunction, Zimmerman said, “The crux of it is that with people willing to lie under oath I'm not going to see my daughter any more. If I persist what would have come next would be false allegations of sexual abuse,” Zimmerman said.
“I’ve seen this bad movie before,” he added. “I won’t see my daughter anymore. I won’t let you play this game.”
There has been no communication between Zimmerman and his daughter in more than three years, both he and Bochenkova said.
Dormant case revived, concluded
On March 10, 2014 Zimmerman’s new attorney, Round Rock-based Stephen Casey of the Casey Law Office PC, filed a motion to enter a final order in the case, stating that Zimmerman’s “relationship with the minor child has become fairly non-existent. ... Respondent remains willing and able to communicate but until it is initiated by the minor child there is no interaction.”
Bochenkova told The Austin Bulldog that Marina has not seen her father in more than three years and does not want to.
The girl’s mother responded to Casey’s motion by filing petitions of her own in April and June of this year.
In a final agreed order filed June 16, the court ordered that Zimmerman “shall have no possession of or access to the child.”
As part of that order, the court found that Zimmerman owed nearly $15,000 in arrearage for the child’s medical support expenses, and that “Bochenkova has agreed to waive all past medical support.”
“We wanted Don out of our life and that was the easiest way to achieve that,” Bochenkova told The Austin Bulldog. “It was the easiest way to close the deal, and we gave up that money in exchange for the freedom of our daughter.”
The court action in June also removed the requirement for Marina to live in Austin. She recently moved to Bound Brook, New Jersey, with her mother and stepfather.
On the “About Don Zimmerman” page on his campaign website, Zimmerman states, “I have one remarkable daughter, Marina Lorna Zimmerman.”
But the girl long ago quit using her father’s name. In 2012 and 2013 she won medals in fencing competition and performed classical piano music as Marina Bochenkova, her mother’s maiden name.
“She says she will take my name legally when she is 18,” Bochenkova said.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Dad on trial for murder in death of 20-month-old daughter; accused of punching her in the stomach for not eating (Newark, New Jersey)
Another case where the mom had to work--two jobs no less--while the apparently deadbeat dad did "caretaking" that involved punching toddler in the gut for not eating. Moms and babies deserve more than this.
Dad is identified as TRAVIS HARTSFIELD JR.
http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2014/10/baby_girl_allegedly_killed_by_father_had_no_pulse_couldnt_breathe_on_her_own_doctor_says.html
Baby girl, allegedly killed by father, had no pulse, couldn't breathe on her own, doctor says
By Bill Wichert | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com on October 08, 2014 at 3:50 PM, updated October 08, 2014 at 3:51 PM
NEWARK — When Asiyah Hartsfield was brought to University Hospital around 1 a.m. on March 15, 2011, the 20-month-old girl had no pulse, no heart activity and she was not breathing on her own, a doctor said in court today.
“She was not making any effort to breathe at all,” said Dr. Maria Alvarez-Ballway, who treated the child in the hospital’s pediatric emergency department. “She had no vital signs.”
About an hour after EMS workers brought the girl to the hospital, Asiyah Hartsfield was pronounced dead at about 2 a.m., Alvarez-Ballway said.
Alvarez-Ballway described the medical treatment provided to the child during testimony today at the trial of Travis Hartsfield Jr., who is facing murder and child endangerment charges in his daughter’s death.
Hartsfield, 28, of Newark, is accused of killing the girl by punching her in the stomach when she wouldn’t eat. A medical examiner later determined the child died from a severed liver.
Hartsfield has admitted to detectives that he punched the girl twice in the stomach, but his attorney has argued he did not intend to cause her serious injury and should not be convicted of murder. Asiyah Hartsfield, in a photo published with her obituary after her death on March 15, 2011. Asiyah's father, Travis Hartsfield Jr., is charged with her murder.
His first trial ended in a mistrial last year when a jury was unable to reach a verdict.
The girl’s mother, Darshelle Joseph, testified last week that she had turned over the girl to Hartsfield on the morning of March 14, 2011, because she had to go to one of her two jobs.
Around 12:30 a.m. the next morning, Joseph said Hartsfield called her and said that when he went to change her diaper, “Asiyah wasn’t breathing” and that she was “ice cold.” Joseph said she told Hartsfield to call 911.
On the witness stand today, Alvarez-Ballway said that when the girl arrived at the hospital, the medical personnel resumed CPR on the child and continued to give her fluids and medicines.
At the time, Asiyah Hartsfield’s body temperature was 85 degrees, which was “very significantly low” and considered “moderate hypothermia,” Alvarez-Ballway said. “She’s very cold,” the doctor said.
In order for the medicines to work, the medical staff tried to warm up the girl, Alvarez-Ballway said. “Considering she was cold, we wanted to try to warm her up,” she said.
“It could be that she was in the process of dying already,” said Alvarez-Ballway, referring to the girl’s body temperature.
After finding out her daughter was dead, Joseph last week described seeing the girl on a hospital bed, but said she “couldn’t look at her.”
“I just walked out, started crying,” Joseph testified.
Dad is identified as TRAVIS HARTSFIELD JR.
http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2014/10/baby_girl_allegedly_killed_by_father_had_no_pulse_couldnt_breathe_on_her_own_doctor_says.html
Baby girl, allegedly killed by father, had no pulse, couldn't breathe on her own, doctor says
By Bill Wichert | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com on October 08, 2014 at 3:50 PM, updated October 08, 2014 at 3:51 PM
NEWARK — When Asiyah Hartsfield was brought to University Hospital around 1 a.m. on March 15, 2011, the 20-month-old girl had no pulse, no heart activity and she was not breathing on her own, a doctor said in court today.
“She was not making any effort to breathe at all,” said Dr. Maria Alvarez-Ballway, who treated the child in the hospital’s pediatric emergency department. “She had no vital signs.”
About an hour after EMS workers brought the girl to the hospital, Asiyah Hartsfield was pronounced dead at about 2 a.m., Alvarez-Ballway said.
Alvarez-Ballway described the medical treatment provided to the child during testimony today at the trial of Travis Hartsfield Jr., who is facing murder and child endangerment charges in his daughter’s death.
Hartsfield, 28, of Newark, is accused of killing the girl by punching her in the stomach when she wouldn’t eat. A medical examiner later determined the child died from a severed liver.
Hartsfield has admitted to detectives that he punched the girl twice in the stomach, but his attorney has argued he did not intend to cause her serious injury and should not be convicted of murder. Asiyah Hartsfield, in a photo published with her obituary after her death on March 15, 2011. Asiyah's father, Travis Hartsfield Jr., is charged with her murder.
His first trial ended in a mistrial last year when a jury was unable to reach a verdict.
The girl’s mother, Darshelle Joseph, testified last week that she had turned over the girl to Hartsfield on the morning of March 14, 2011, because she had to go to one of her two jobs.
Around 12:30 a.m. the next morning, Joseph said Hartsfield called her and said that when he went to change her diaper, “Asiyah wasn’t breathing” and that she was “ice cold.” Joseph said she told Hartsfield to call 911.
On the witness stand today, Alvarez-Ballway said that when the girl arrived at the hospital, the medical personnel resumed CPR on the child and continued to give her fluids and medicines.
At the time, Asiyah Hartsfield’s body temperature was 85 degrees, which was “very significantly low” and considered “moderate hypothermia,” Alvarez-Ballway said. “She’s very cold,” the doctor said.
In order for the medicines to work, the medical staff tried to warm up the girl, Alvarez-Ballway said. “Considering she was cold, we wanted to try to warm her up,” she said.
“It could be that she was in the process of dying already,” said Alvarez-Ballway, referring to the girl’s body temperature.
After finding out her daughter was dead, Joseph last week described seeing the girl on a hospital bed, but said she “couldn’t look at her.”
“I just walked out, started crying,” Joseph testified.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Dad with shared custody shoots and kills 11-year-old son in murder-suicide; dad had history of domestic violence (Scotch Plains, New Jersey)
When it is reported that police came to the couple's home before the divorce, that is code for domestic violence. Why can't reporters just tell the truth without all the puffery?
Sickening--but not surprising--that this father was then awarded shared custody of the 11-year-old son. So what do abusers do when they get access to a victim, and are just burning to punish Mom? They kill the kid, just like this POS did. Stop giving violent fathers "rights"!
Dad is identified as JENS ELBERLING.
http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2014/09/scotch_plains_father_who_committed_suicide_killed_11-year-old_son_tried_to_set_house_on_fire.html
Father tried to set house on fire in Scotch Plains murder-suicide, police say
Jessica Remo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
By Jessica Remo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com on September 11, 2014 at 1:55 PM, updated September 11, 2014 at 4:02 PM
SCOTCH PLAINS — The father who police say killed his 11-year-old son last week and then killed himself, also appeared to have tried to set his home on fire in the incident, according to police.
Scotch Plains Police Chief Brian Mahoney said when police arrived at the rented Jerusalem Road home of Jens Elberling, 48, on Saturday morning, they could hear either a smoke or carbon monoxide detector sounding from inside the home.
Mahoney said the Scotch Plains Fire Department and police then forcibly entered the home through a side door into the kitchen, where they found an open oven, turned on and stuffed with clothing.
The clothing continued from the oven in a trail winding through the living room and into a bedroom where police found the bodies of Elberling and his 11-year-old son, Thomas, both apparently shot with a rifle, Mahoney said.
"The clothes didn't appear to be doused in anything, but I'm not an expert," Mahoney said. "They just burned almost like a fuse, and smoldered right away without really igniting."
Police were called to the home after a family member requested a welfare check, Mahoney said.
"It's the ultimate tragedy when children are involved," Mahoney said. "No young child deserves this fate."
Jens Elberling and his wife Ke-Yen (Kate) Chou shared custody of their son Thomas Elberling under a court order issued after Chou filed for divorce last May. The couple clashed over issues that brought police to their former home in Berkeley Heights several times, Jens Elberling said in court papers.
One major disagreement that emerged in the court papers was over their son's education. The quarrel reached a critical point this month with the approach of the new school year, according to court documents.
Thomas Elberling had been home-schooled for the last two years, and according to papers filed in the Superior Court in Elizabeth, Jens Elberling wanted his son's home schooling to continue, contending it met his bright educational needs and allowed time for his daily study of chess.
Thomas Elberling was an expert-level player, who was ranked fifth in his age group in the country, with a rating of 2151, the United States Chess Federation confirmed.
A "family friend" has created an online fundraiser to collect donations for Thomas Elberling's funeral.
"The sudden and unexpected loss of Thomas Elberling has left us all in sorrow," the website says. "He is and will always be deeply missed. We are raising funds to help his family through this tragedy and ease their financial obligations."
The website has raised $2,520 as of Thursday afternoon.
Sickening--but not surprising--that this father was then awarded shared custody of the 11-year-old son. So what do abusers do when they get access to a victim, and are just burning to punish Mom? They kill the kid, just like this POS did. Stop giving violent fathers "rights"!
Dad is identified as JENS ELBERLING.
http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2014/09/scotch_plains_father_who_committed_suicide_killed_11-year-old_son_tried_to_set_house_on_fire.html
Father tried to set house on fire in Scotch Plains murder-suicide, police say
Jessica Remo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
By Jessica Remo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com on September 11, 2014 at 1:55 PM, updated September 11, 2014 at 4:02 PM
SCOTCH PLAINS — The father who police say killed his 11-year-old son last week and then killed himself, also appeared to have tried to set his home on fire in the incident, according to police.
Scotch Plains Police Chief Brian Mahoney said when police arrived at the rented Jerusalem Road home of Jens Elberling, 48, on Saturday morning, they could hear either a smoke or carbon monoxide detector sounding from inside the home.
Mahoney said the Scotch Plains Fire Department and police then forcibly entered the home through a side door into the kitchen, where they found an open oven, turned on and stuffed with clothing.
The clothing continued from the oven in a trail winding through the living room and into a bedroom where police found the bodies of Elberling and his 11-year-old son, Thomas, both apparently shot with a rifle, Mahoney said.
"The clothes didn't appear to be doused in anything, but I'm not an expert," Mahoney said. "They just burned almost like a fuse, and smoldered right away without really igniting."
Police were called to the home after a family member requested a welfare check, Mahoney said.
"It's the ultimate tragedy when children are involved," Mahoney said. "No young child deserves this fate."
Jens Elberling and his wife Ke-Yen (Kate) Chou shared custody of their son Thomas Elberling under a court order issued after Chou filed for divorce last May. The couple clashed over issues that brought police to their former home in Berkeley Heights several times, Jens Elberling said in court papers.
One major disagreement that emerged in the court papers was over their son's education. The quarrel reached a critical point this month with the approach of the new school year, according to court documents.
Thomas Elberling had been home-schooled for the last two years, and according to papers filed in the Superior Court in Elizabeth, Jens Elberling wanted his son's home schooling to continue, contending it met his bright educational needs and allowed time for his daily study of chess.
Thomas Elberling was an expert-level player, who was ranked fifth in his age group in the country, with a rating of 2151, the United States Chess Federation confirmed.
A "family friend" has created an online fundraiser to collect donations for Thomas Elberling's funeral.
"The sudden and unexpected loss of Thomas Elberling has left us all in sorrow," the website says. "He is and will always be deeply missed. We are raising funds to help his family through this tragedy and ease their financial obligations."
The website has raised $2,520 as of Thursday afternoon.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Custodial dad charged with 1st-degree murder in brutal beating death of 4-year-old daughter (Cherokee, North Carolina)
As is often the case in these stories, there are a lot of buried facts and things that are not explained at all.
1) A careful reading shows that this vicious killer was in fact a custodial father. He also had custody of a son.
2) The murdered girl apparently lived with both parents back in New Jersey. There were apparently concerns about her being malnourished then. Was this the mother's fault? Apparently, not as the problem PERSISTED after Daddy got hold of her and moved out of state, and in fact seemingly got WORSE.
3) How did this father get custody? Who gave it to him? Why was he allowed to cut off all contact with the mother (this often happens with abusive control freak fathers, contrary to what the FR folks tell you about "gatekeeping" mothers)? Who allowed him to move out of state, when mothers are routinely forbidden by the family courts to do the same?
4) The son reported abuse by the father to social workers before, and had documentable bruising. Why was there no follow up?
Lots of unanswered questions here.
Dad is identified as ERIC DAVIS.
http://www.thesylvaherald.com/top_stories/article_76cfbe88-336d-11e4-af1d-0017a43b2370.html
Autopsy report reveals extent of murdered child’s injuries
Posted: Wednesday, September 3, 2014 2:00 pm
By Quintin Ellison
When a pathologist examined Erica Davis, practically the only parts of her body not broken, bruised or fractured were the little girl’s legs, according to a lengthy autopsy report released last week by Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
The 4-year-old child’s father, Eric Davis, 24, remains jailed on charges he abused his daughter and son Oct. 11, 2013, in a room at the Qualla Motel near Cherokee. Erica died Oct. 12 at Asheville’s Mission Hospital after she was taken off life support.
Davis is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of intentional child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury. Deemed unable to pay for legal help, he has been assigned two lawyers by the state’s Office of Indigent Defense Services. Having two lawyers – a more-experienced first chair and a second chair – is standard practice when it appears reasonably likely that prosecutors will seek the death penalty.
That isn’t certain. A required pretrial hearing (rule 24) to determine whether the state intends to proceed with a capital case hasn’t been held. Davis is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 9.
State law passed in 2001 gives a prosecutor the discretion to try a first-degree murder case without seeking the death penalty, even if aggravating circumstances exist to support a death sentence. These are factors that increase the severity or culpability of the alleged criminal act.
Last November, District Attorney Mike Bonfoey declined to comment on the case.
One aggravating circumstance under North Carolina law is whether “the murder was especially heinous, atrocious, cruel or depraved (or involved torture).”
The autopsy lists the official cause of Erica’s death as “acute intracranial injury with subdural hematoma and cerebral edema” due to blunt trauma to the head.
Erica was struck repeatedly, including with a cylindrical object; multiple contusions and several lacerations were found. There was blunt trauma to her thorax, abdomen, back and pelvis; three of her ribs were fractured.
Erica was very underweight for her age, just 29 pounds (less than the fifth percentile, the pathologist, Dr. Patrick Lantz, wrote). She was wearing a disposable diaper, unusual for a child that age. Social workers in New Jersey, where her parents initially lived, had reported in 2009 to a judge that Erica, then an infant, appeared malnourished. The little girl was later returned to the custody of her mother and father, both 19 at the time. In an October, 2013, interview, Erica’s mother told The Herald she had last seen her daughter in July 2011.
In a summary of his findings, the pathologist wrote that Erica had been living at the Qualla Motel with her father, brother and aunt, according to investigative reports he reviewed.
“The father called 911 stating that (Erica) was choking on water. When paramedics arrived, she was unresponsive,” the pathologist said. Law enforcement officers were called to the scene.
Davis’ son, then age 3, told a Jackson County social worker that his father “made the boo-boos,” according to court documents used to support a search warrant. The boy’s buttocks were heavily bruised and there were handprint marks on both sides of his face.
1) A careful reading shows that this vicious killer was in fact a custodial father. He also had custody of a son.
2) The murdered girl apparently lived with both parents back in New Jersey. There were apparently concerns about her being malnourished then. Was this the mother's fault? Apparently, not as the problem PERSISTED after Daddy got hold of her and moved out of state, and in fact seemingly got WORSE.
3) How did this father get custody? Who gave it to him? Why was he allowed to cut off all contact with the mother (this often happens with abusive control freak fathers, contrary to what the FR folks tell you about "gatekeeping" mothers)? Who allowed him to move out of state, when mothers are routinely forbidden by the family courts to do the same?
4) The son reported abuse by the father to social workers before, and had documentable bruising. Why was there no follow up?
Lots of unanswered questions here.
Dad is identified as ERIC DAVIS.
http://www.thesylvaherald.com/top_stories/article_76cfbe88-336d-11e4-af1d-0017a43b2370.html
Autopsy report reveals extent of murdered child’s injuries
Posted: Wednesday, September 3, 2014 2:00 pm
By Quintin Ellison
When a pathologist examined Erica Davis, practically the only parts of her body not broken, bruised or fractured were the little girl’s legs, according to a lengthy autopsy report released last week by Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
The 4-year-old child’s father, Eric Davis, 24, remains jailed on charges he abused his daughter and son Oct. 11, 2013, in a room at the Qualla Motel near Cherokee. Erica died Oct. 12 at Asheville’s Mission Hospital after she was taken off life support.
Davis is charged with first-degree murder and two counts of intentional child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury. Deemed unable to pay for legal help, he has been assigned two lawyers by the state’s Office of Indigent Defense Services. Having two lawyers – a more-experienced first chair and a second chair – is standard practice when it appears reasonably likely that prosecutors will seek the death penalty.
That isn’t certain. A required pretrial hearing (rule 24) to determine whether the state intends to proceed with a capital case hasn’t been held. Davis is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 9.
State law passed in 2001 gives a prosecutor the discretion to try a first-degree murder case without seeking the death penalty, even if aggravating circumstances exist to support a death sentence. These are factors that increase the severity or culpability of the alleged criminal act.
Last November, District Attorney Mike Bonfoey declined to comment on the case.
One aggravating circumstance under North Carolina law is whether “the murder was especially heinous, atrocious, cruel or depraved (or involved torture).”
The autopsy lists the official cause of Erica’s death as “acute intracranial injury with subdural hematoma and cerebral edema” due to blunt trauma to the head.
Erica was struck repeatedly, including with a cylindrical object; multiple contusions and several lacerations were found. There was blunt trauma to her thorax, abdomen, back and pelvis; three of her ribs were fractured.
Erica was very underweight for her age, just 29 pounds (less than the fifth percentile, the pathologist, Dr. Patrick Lantz, wrote). She was wearing a disposable diaper, unusual for a child that age. Social workers in New Jersey, where her parents initially lived, had reported in 2009 to a judge that Erica, then an infant, appeared malnourished. The little girl was later returned to the custody of her mother and father, both 19 at the time. In an October, 2013, interview, Erica’s mother told The Herald she had last seen her daughter in July 2011.
In a summary of his findings, the pathologist wrote that Erica had been living at the Qualla Motel with her father, brother and aunt, according to investigative reports he reviewed.
“The father called 911 stating that (Erica) was choking on water. When paramedics arrived, she was unresponsive,” the pathologist said. Law enforcement officers were called to the scene.
Davis’ son, then age 3, told a Jackson County social worker that his father “made the boo-boos,” according to court documents used to support a search warrant. The boy’s buttocks were heavily bruised and there were handprint marks on both sides of his face.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Dad charged with manslaughter in death 2-month-old son and sexual assault of baby's under-age mother (Patterson, New Jersey)
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.nbc40.net/story/26320188/father-charged-in-the-death-of-his-infant-son
Father charged in the death of his infant son
Posted: Aug 19, 2014 6:04 PM EDT
Updated: Aug 19, 2014 6:04 PM EDT
PATERSON, N.J. (AP) - A 21-year-old Paterson man has been charged in the death of his son.
The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office said that the man was charged with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. He was also charged with sexual assault because he impregnated the baby's mother when she was between 13 and 16 years old and he was at least four years older.
The man's bail was set at $500,000. It wasn't immediately clear whether he has an attorney.
Authorities said last week there were signs of trauma to the 2-month-old child, who died in October 2013.
The infant's juvenile mother was charged with delinquency in the death last week.
The Associated Press isn't naming the suspect because doing so could potentially identify the mother. The news cooperative doesn't identify potential victims of sex crimes without their consent.
http://www.nbc40.net/story/26320188/father-charged-in-the-death-of-his-infant-son
Father charged in the death of his infant son
Posted: Aug 19, 2014 6:04 PM EDT
Updated: Aug 19, 2014 6:04 PM EDT
PATERSON, N.J. (AP) - A 21-year-old Paterson man has been charged in the death of his son.
The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office said that the man was charged with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. He was also charged with sexual assault because he impregnated the baby's mother when she was between 13 and 16 years old and he was at least four years older.
The man's bail was set at $500,000. It wasn't immediately clear whether he has an attorney.
Authorities said last week there were signs of trauma to the 2-month-old child, who died in October 2013.
The infant's juvenile mother was charged with delinquency in the death last week.
The Associated Press isn't naming the suspect because doing so could potentially identify the mother. The news cooperative doesn't identify potential victims of sex crimes without their consent.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)