Dad is identified as JOHN BURTON JR.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/crime/ct-abn-yorkville-child-abuse-st-1007-20151006-story.html
Yorkville father sentenced to prison for beating infant son
Yorkville man sentenced for abusing infant son
Erika Wurst
Aurora Beacon-News
Yorkville man sentenced to 18 years in prison for beating son
A Yorkville father has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to physically abusing his infant son and leaving him severely injured for life, Kendall County State's Attorney Eric Weis announced Monday.
John Burton Jr., 23, 2100 block of Bluebird Lane, was convicted of felony aggravated battery to a child stemming from an April 2013 incident at his home.
Prosecutors said on that day, Yorkville police responded to Burton's home for reports of a child in distress. Paramedics said the 7-week-old baby's mother had begun administering CPR, but the baby needed critical medical assistance.
Weis said the baby was airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center following initial treatment at an Aurora hospital. Medical staff at Loyola observed multiple injuries, including bruising along the left cheek, eyelid, neck and ear, he said.
Weis said a CT scan revealed subdural hemorrhages and doctors also observed a mid-shaft femoral fracture on the child's leg. Doctors determined the injuries were consistent with physical abuse.
According to Weis, Burton, who was with the child at the time of the injuries, was interviewed by investigators and admitted to abusing his child.
As a result of the traumatic brain injury, the child now suffers from cerebral palsy and is blind, Weis said.
The cerebral palsy has caused him to have very poor muscle tone and he cannot control his body movements, he said.
Weis said the child is seen by eight different types of doctors, takes 12 different medications, attends 10 different therapies every week and is fed through a gastro-intestinal tube.
During Burton's sentencing, the child's mother read an emotional, four-page victim impact statement about the changes to her life and that of her small child.
"I will likely never hear him say "I love you Mom,'" she told Kendall County Judge Timothy McCann. "I will never see my once healthy son grow into the man he should have become. I can never see the world through my child's eyes because of your (Burton's) actions. (His) mind and body are locked into his own private jail cell."
Weis commended the efforts of the Yorkville Police Department and the medical personnel for their efforts in the case.
"Unfortunately, no sentence will allow this innocent child to lead a normal and healthy life due to the actions of John Burton," he said. " As his mother told the court, while his (Burton's) sentence will some day be served, this child will be serving a life sentence that no one should have to endure."
Burton will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his 18-year sentence.
Showing posts with label cerebral palsy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cerebral palsy. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Monday, March 16, 2015
Baby faces permanent disabilities after dad assaulted her (Rock Island, Illinois)
Dad is identified as MATTHEW HOOVER.
http://kwqc.com/2015/03/13/baby-abused-faces-permanent-disability/
Baby abused faces permanent disability
By Tiffany Liou
Published: March 13, 2015, 6:26 pm | Updated: March 13, 2015, 9:03 pm
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (KWQC) — Brylee Hoover, now 11 months old, was battered when she was an infant at four months.
Ashleigh Axnix, Brylee’s mother, says she left the house for a few minutes while taking her son to the bus stop. When she went back inside, she found Brylee unresponsive. Axnix says, “They told me she may not make it. She was hooked up to wires and I watched her have seizure after seizure after seizure.”
Brylee had skull fractures, broken ribs and shaken baby syndrome.
Axnix was asked to leave the hospital as Brylee’s case became a criminal investigation. Axnix in tears, “I promised her I would try to come back and I prayed and I prayed a lot that she could get better and that she would come home.”
That day in August 2014 when Axnix went outside for minutes, Brylee’s father, Matthew Hoover, was still inside. Axnix says, “One person that I trusted almost caused my daughter her life.”
The 29-year-old East Moline Man, Matthew Hoover, is now the prime suspect in the case. Hoover is behind bars and charged with aggravated battery to a child.
Axnix says she wants to know why someone would hurt an innocent child, but in the end what matters the most is that Brylee is still alive.
Brylee faces permanent brain damage. Axnix says she still has bleeding in her brain and that doctors have diagnosed Brylee with cerebral palsy. Axnix considers herself lucky that Brylee survived.
Axnix says child abuse is preventable and wants to warn other parents out there. “When you’re mad, it goes away in a couple minutes. In a couple minutes, you can alter a kids life substantially.”
Brylee’s case is one of many in the Quad Cities, where children are being abused or killed. The Child Abuse Council also wants to spread awareness about child abuse.
Angie Kendall of the Child Abuse Council says, “If you are finding yourself at a place where you are getting angry, take a five or ten minute break. That’s so much healthier than making a mistake that you can’t go back on.”
Kendall says if you have any suspicions of a child being abused, call the child abuse hotline in your state or call 9-1-1 if a child is in immediate danger. She says, “It is never a child’s responsibility to protect themselves. It should always be an adult’s responsibility to protect children.”
The Child Abuse Council is hosting their 12th annual conference next Thursday, March 19, 2015 at the Radisson Hotel in Davenport. The theme of the conference is prevention and building resiliency in families.
http://kwqc.com/2015/03/13/baby-abused-faces-permanent-disability/
Baby abused faces permanent disability
By Tiffany Liou
Published: March 13, 2015, 6:26 pm | Updated: March 13, 2015, 9:03 pm
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (KWQC) — Brylee Hoover, now 11 months old, was battered when she was an infant at four months.
Ashleigh Axnix, Brylee’s mother, says she left the house for a few minutes while taking her son to the bus stop. When she went back inside, she found Brylee unresponsive. Axnix says, “They told me she may not make it. She was hooked up to wires and I watched her have seizure after seizure after seizure.”
Brylee had skull fractures, broken ribs and shaken baby syndrome.
Axnix was asked to leave the hospital as Brylee’s case became a criminal investigation. Axnix in tears, “I promised her I would try to come back and I prayed and I prayed a lot that she could get better and that she would come home.”
That day in August 2014 when Axnix went outside for minutes, Brylee’s father, Matthew Hoover, was still inside. Axnix says, “One person that I trusted almost caused my daughter her life.”
The 29-year-old East Moline Man, Matthew Hoover, is now the prime suspect in the case. Hoover is behind bars and charged with aggravated battery to a child.
Axnix says she wants to know why someone would hurt an innocent child, but in the end what matters the most is that Brylee is still alive.
Brylee faces permanent brain damage. Axnix says she still has bleeding in her brain and that doctors have diagnosed Brylee with cerebral palsy. Axnix considers herself lucky that Brylee survived.
Axnix says child abuse is preventable and wants to warn other parents out there. “When you’re mad, it goes away in a couple minutes. In a couple minutes, you can alter a kids life substantially.”
Brylee’s case is one of many in the Quad Cities, where children are being abused or killed. The Child Abuse Council also wants to spread awareness about child abuse.
Angie Kendall of the Child Abuse Council says, “If you are finding yourself at a place where you are getting angry, take a five or ten minute break. That’s so much healthier than making a mistake that you can’t go back on.”
Kendall says if you have any suspicions of a child being abused, call the child abuse hotline in your state or call 9-1-1 if a child is in immediate danger. She says, “It is never a child’s responsibility to protect themselves. It should always be an adult’s responsibility to protect children.”
The Child Abuse Council is hosting their 12th annual conference next Thursday, March 19, 2015 at the Radisson Hotel in Davenport. The theme of the conference is prevention and building resiliency in families.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Dad's abuse leaves 6-week-old baby permanently disabled; gets 5 years in prison (Perth, Australia)
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-14/father-jailed-for-shaking-baby-son2c-leaving-him-disabled/6098530
Father who left baby son disabled after shaking him jailed for five years
By Joanna Menagh Posted Fri at 5:39pmFri 13 Feb 2015, 5:39pm
A 35-year-old Perth father who shook his six-week-old son and left him permanently disabled has been sentenced to five years' jail.
The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to the baby in the days before Christmas in December 2013.
Whilst the exact cause of the child's injuries was not known, the District Court was told medical experts believe they were most likely the result of him being vigorously shaken.
The child, who is now 15 months old, suffered a serious brain injury.
He was left permanently blind in one eye and there was a strong risk he would develop cerebral palsy.
However, the court heard that because of his young age, medical experts were not able to definitively list the permanent injuries he would suffer.
The injuries came to light after the baby was taken to the Joondalup Health Campus by his mother because he was suffering seizures.
In police interviews, the father said he had gone to the child in the middle of the night because he was crying.
Father 'frustrated at constant crying'
The man initially said he had "no recollection" of doing anything, but later he admitted he may have dropped the baby onto a lounge because he was frustrated about his constant crying.
He also said it was possible he had shaken the child, but not violently. Judge Simon Stone said the crime was "a serious instance of aggravated grievous bodily harm".
"You owed your child a duty to support and protect that child," he said. "I accept it's not a case of deliberate infliction of serious injury, but your actions constitute a profound breach of trust ... as a father to a helpless infant who was entitled to look to you for care and protection.
"You've ruined his life from a very young age ... There is a need for general deterrence in cases such as this."
However, Judge Stone accepted that the man was remorseful and that the offence was out of character.
He also gave him a discounted sentence because of his plea of guilty.
The man will have to serve three years before he can be released on parole.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-14/father-jailed-for-shaking-baby-son2c-leaving-him-disabled/6098530
Father who left baby son disabled after shaking him jailed for five years
By Joanna Menagh Posted Fri at 5:39pmFri 13 Feb 2015, 5:39pm
A 35-year-old Perth father who shook his six-week-old son and left him permanently disabled has been sentenced to five years' jail.
The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to the baby in the days before Christmas in December 2013.
Whilst the exact cause of the child's injuries was not known, the District Court was told medical experts believe they were most likely the result of him being vigorously shaken.
The child, who is now 15 months old, suffered a serious brain injury.
He was left permanently blind in one eye and there was a strong risk he would develop cerebral palsy.
However, the court heard that because of his young age, medical experts were not able to definitively list the permanent injuries he would suffer.
The injuries came to light after the baby was taken to the Joondalup Health Campus by his mother because he was suffering seizures.
In police interviews, the father said he had gone to the child in the middle of the night because he was crying.
Father 'frustrated at constant crying'
The man initially said he had "no recollection" of doing anything, but later he admitted he may have dropped the baby onto a lounge because he was frustrated about his constant crying.
He also said it was possible he had shaken the child, but not violently. Judge Simon Stone said the crime was "a serious instance of aggravated grievous bodily harm".
"You owed your child a duty to support and protect that child," he said. "I accept it's not a case of deliberate infliction of serious injury, but your actions constitute a profound breach of trust ... as a father to a helpless infant who was entitled to look to you for care and protection.
"You've ruined his life from a very young age ... There is a need for general deterrence in cases such as this."
However, Judge Stone accepted that the man was remorseful and that the offence was out of character.
He also gave him a discounted sentence because of his plea of guilty.
The man will have to serve three years before he can be released on parole.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Dad charged with murder; allegedly killed 4-year-old daughter during his visitation time (Lubbock, Texas)
Mom isn't exactly citizen of the year, since she is in prison for burglary and has a history of "child neglect" (but not abuse?). Neither one of these are violent crimes per se, and yet she was on supervised visitation.
Meanwhile, Daddy is ONE HOT MESS.
BLUDGEONS this child to death in a horrible scene.
There was even BLOOD ON THE WINDOWS.
Then Daddy was found RUNNING AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD NAKED and SCREAMING.
And this crime was committed during his UNSUPERVISED visitation time!
Why didn't this crazy a$$hole gets supervised visitation? Why did he get any visitation at all? WHO GAVE THESE "RIGHTS" TO HIM? Don't tell me this is the first time he acted like a lunatic and that there were no previous red flags. Don't believe it for a minute.
Dad is identified as JUSTIN MICHAEL CHISUM.
http://lubbockonline.com/crime-and-courts/crime/2015-02-02/warrant-lubbock-man-told-police-he-killed-4-year-old-daughter#.VNGe6dE5DtU
Warrant: Lubbock man told police he killed 4-year-old daughter by blunt force
Guardian told police Chisum said he was taking daughter to church
Posted: February 2, 2015 - 10:02am | Updated: February 3, 2015 - 12:20am
Stuffed animals are left outside the apartment where Kylee Forrest was found dead Sunday morning. By Adam D. Young A-J MEDIA
A Lubbock father picked his daughter up to take her to church but later told police he killed the 4-year-old by blunt force trauma, an arrest warrant states.
Justin Michael Chisum, 29, is charged with murder in what police are calling the “violent attack” of the girl in a West Lubbock apartment.
Lubbock police are investigating the death after neighbors say they saw blood on windows and found Chisum walking in a nearby neighborhood. Chisum is in the Lubbock County Criminal Detention Center on a murder charge. He was being held on $1 million bond.
Police say 4-year-old Kylee Forrest was found dead just a day after her father was given the 4-year-old by her legal guardian. “The appearance of the apartment suggested a very violent incident,” according to a statement from Lubbock police Capt. Roy Bassett.
A tragic scene
A resident of The Landing at Pinewood Park in the 500 block of Slide Road called police about 7:39 p.m. Sunday reporting blood on the window of an apartment, he said.
The neighbor told police she went to Chisum’s apartment after noticing the trunk of his car was open.
Responding officers also observed blood on the window and a small child lying on the living room floor, according to the warrant.
Officers forced entry into the apartment and found Forrest dead from what appeared to be intentional injuries.
About the same time, police responded to a report of a naked man running around the area of Eighth Street and Bangor Avenue.
Police found Chisum, who told officers he lived in the same apartment where the young girl’s body was found and that he killed his daughter.
Officers put “two and two together” and brought the man in for questioning, Bassett said Sunday evening.
“At that time, Chisum made a statement that led officers to believe he was involved in the murder of Kylee,” Bassett said in the statement Monday morning.
“It’s just a tragic, tragic scene today,” he said.
Police were on the scene Monday morning investigating, and yellow “do not cross” tape marked off the house in which Forrest died.
Forrest’s maternal aunt and guardian, Courtney Forrest, arrived and told officers Chisum had picked up the 4-year-old about 2:30 p.m. Saturday to take her to church.
Chisum’s listed address is an apartment at the same address.
Amanda Yates, a resident of the complex, said she saw Chisum running outside of her apartment when she got out of her car.
“He was completely naked running around screaming, ‘I’ve got to go home, I’ve got to go home,’” she said.
Yates said she had never seen Chisum before, even though they were neighbors, and had no idea why he was running around.
Kylee Forrest attended pre-kindergarten at Ervin Elementary School.
Nancy Sharp, executive director of communications and community relations at Lubbock Independent School District, said the district sent home a letter for parents of students in Kylee’s class. The letter offered to provide support or assistance in communicating the news with young children.
A counselor was available at the school on Monday, Sharp said.
“We are deeply saddened,” Sharp said.
Civil court records show Courtney Forrest was designated Kylee Forrest’s sole managing conservator in 2011.
The child’s parents, Chisum and Leah Renea Romo, were appointed joint possessory conservators — meaning they had the right to receive information about the child’s health, education and welfare and the right to attend school activities, as part of a ruling for the 72nd District Court in Lubbock.
The order gave Chisum the right to possession of his daughter at certain pre-designated times, including some holidays and weekends.
Romo was allowed only supervised visitation as the court was presented with “credible evidence” she had a “history or pattern of child neglect directed against” the child. Documents available online do not elaborate on that history of child neglect.
Romo was convicted on a second degree felony charge of burglary of a habitation in 2011 and she is currently in prison with a release date in 2019, according to a post on her Facebook account.
A Facebook post from Kylee Forrest’s grandfather, Orlando Romo, said the 4-year-old had cerebral palsy.
“She was like a baby ... innocent,” he said in the post.
He did not return a phone message from the A-J left at his place of work.
A fund has been set up at Peoples Bank to assist the family with funeral and other expenses. Contributions can be made to the Kylee Forrest fund at any of the bank’s branches.
Meanwhile, Daddy is ONE HOT MESS.
BLUDGEONS this child to death in a horrible scene.
There was even BLOOD ON THE WINDOWS.
Then Daddy was found RUNNING AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD NAKED and SCREAMING.
And this crime was committed during his UNSUPERVISED visitation time!
Why didn't this crazy a$$hole gets supervised visitation? Why did he get any visitation at all? WHO GAVE THESE "RIGHTS" TO HIM? Don't tell me this is the first time he acted like a lunatic and that there were no previous red flags. Don't believe it for a minute.
Dad is identified as JUSTIN MICHAEL CHISUM.
http://lubbockonline.com/crime-and-courts/crime/2015-02-02/warrant-lubbock-man-told-police-he-killed-4-year-old-daughter#.VNGe6dE5DtU
Warrant: Lubbock man told police he killed 4-year-old daughter by blunt force
Guardian told police Chisum said he was taking daughter to church
Posted: February 2, 2015 - 10:02am | Updated: February 3, 2015 - 12:20am
Stuffed animals are left outside the apartment where Kylee Forrest was found dead Sunday morning. By Adam D. Young A-J MEDIA
A Lubbock father picked his daughter up to take her to church but later told police he killed the 4-year-old by blunt force trauma, an arrest warrant states.
Justin Michael Chisum, 29, is charged with murder in what police are calling the “violent attack” of the girl in a West Lubbock apartment.
Lubbock police are investigating the death after neighbors say they saw blood on windows and found Chisum walking in a nearby neighborhood. Chisum is in the Lubbock County Criminal Detention Center on a murder charge. He was being held on $1 million bond.
Police say 4-year-old Kylee Forrest was found dead just a day after her father was given the 4-year-old by her legal guardian. “The appearance of the apartment suggested a very violent incident,” according to a statement from Lubbock police Capt. Roy Bassett.
A tragic scene
A resident of The Landing at Pinewood Park in the 500 block of Slide Road called police about 7:39 p.m. Sunday reporting blood on the window of an apartment, he said.
The neighbor told police she went to Chisum’s apartment after noticing the trunk of his car was open.
Responding officers also observed blood on the window and a small child lying on the living room floor, according to the warrant.
Officers forced entry into the apartment and found Forrest dead from what appeared to be intentional injuries.
About the same time, police responded to a report of a naked man running around the area of Eighth Street and Bangor Avenue.
Police found Chisum, who told officers he lived in the same apartment where the young girl’s body was found and that he killed his daughter.
Officers put “two and two together” and brought the man in for questioning, Bassett said Sunday evening.
“At that time, Chisum made a statement that led officers to believe he was involved in the murder of Kylee,” Bassett said in the statement Monday morning.
“It’s just a tragic, tragic scene today,” he said.
Police were on the scene Monday morning investigating, and yellow “do not cross” tape marked off the house in which Forrest died.
Forrest’s maternal aunt and guardian, Courtney Forrest, arrived and told officers Chisum had picked up the 4-year-old about 2:30 p.m. Saturday to take her to church.
Chisum’s listed address is an apartment at the same address.
Amanda Yates, a resident of the complex, said she saw Chisum running outside of her apartment when she got out of her car.
“He was completely naked running around screaming, ‘I’ve got to go home, I’ve got to go home,’” she said.
Yates said she had never seen Chisum before, even though they were neighbors, and had no idea why he was running around.
Kylee Forrest attended pre-kindergarten at Ervin Elementary School.
Nancy Sharp, executive director of communications and community relations at Lubbock Independent School District, said the district sent home a letter for parents of students in Kylee’s class. The letter offered to provide support or assistance in communicating the news with young children.
A counselor was available at the school on Monday, Sharp said.
“We are deeply saddened,” Sharp said.
Civil court records show Courtney Forrest was designated Kylee Forrest’s sole managing conservator in 2011.
The child’s parents, Chisum and Leah Renea Romo, were appointed joint possessory conservators — meaning they had the right to receive information about the child’s health, education and welfare and the right to attend school activities, as part of a ruling for the 72nd District Court in Lubbock.
The order gave Chisum the right to possession of his daughter at certain pre-designated times, including some holidays and weekends.
Romo was allowed only supervised visitation as the court was presented with “credible evidence” she had a “history or pattern of child neglect directed against” the child. Documents available online do not elaborate on that history of child neglect.
Romo was convicted on a second degree felony charge of burglary of a habitation in 2011 and she is currently in prison with a release date in 2019, according to a post on her Facebook account.
A Facebook post from Kylee Forrest’s grandfather, Orlando Romo, said the 4-year-old had cerebral palsy.
“She was like a baby ... innocent,” he said in the post.
He did not return a phone message from the A-J left at his place of work.
A fund has been set up at Peoples Bank to assist the family with funeral and other expenses. Contributions can be made to the Kylee Forrest fund at any of the bank’s branches.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Protective mom fights abusive custodial dad over disabled sons (Plymouth County, Iowa)
Since this is being covered in the Native American press, the issue is being framed as a Native mother being crushed by a white father. That angle obviously plays into it, no doubt about it.
But we have seen similar situations played out where ethnic/racial differences are not apparent. To a very large extent, this is testimony to how much power the fathers rights movement has been able to wield over the family courts and child "protection" system. And that also needs to be brought out.
The fact that 17-year-old boys are being silenced by the courts is very much a fathers rights thing. SHAME ON JUDGE EDWARD JACOBSON for engaging in heavy-handed FR tactics.
See our previous post here. For some reason, the father has not been identified in the media.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/11/20/sioux-mother-return-court-latest-fight-her-abused-sons-157916
Sioux Mother to Return to Court in Latest Fight for Her Abused Sons
Suzette Brewer 11/20/14
On Friday, November 21 another hearing is scheduled in the Iowa District Court in Plymouth County in an interstate custody showdown that has sparked national outrage among tribes and Indian child welfare advocates over the return of disabled twin brothers to the custody of their non-Indian father, who has six founded cases of child abuse on his record. One of the boys is wheelchair bound with cerebral palsy, while the other is blind and has autism.
Last June, Audre’y Eby, the twins’ Rosebud Sioux mother who resides in Nebraska, was jailed for a week in Iowa on kidnapping charges for refusing to return the boys back to their father after officials in Nebraska threatened her with child endangerment charges when they found evidence of abuse during an emergency room visit, in which blood and bruises were found on one of the boys’ groin area. The boys testified to officials in both states that their father’s girlfriend had kicked one of them after she caught him masturbating and that the father had threatened to “cut his privates off.”
Trapped between competing interstate jurisdictions, Eby said she had no choice but to keep her children, even though she subsequently went to jail in Iowa for trying to protect them from their abusers.
Eby kept the boys in Nebraska for a time, but subsequently moved them to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota in order to protect them from their father and his live-in girlfriend, both of whom have been placed on the Iowa Central Abuse Registry for physical abuse, denial of critical care and failure to provide proper supervision to the twins. In early October, the boys, who are now 17, were ordered to appear before Judge Edward Jacobson for testimony at a hearing, with which Eby complied. But rather than allowing the boys to testify as ordered, Jacobson instead ordered half a dozen police officers to physically remove the boys from their mother’s custody in the hallway of the courthouse in front of at least a dozen bystanders, who were shocked that the incident took place in such a public manner with no plan for a peaceful transfer, as usually is required under these circumstances. Eby said both boys were struggling and screaming to stay with her as they were being led away by law enforcement.
“Judge Jacobson said ‘I don’t allow children to testify in my court,’” said Eby. “The order was a ruse to get me to bring them [to Iowa] so they could take them from me.”
Subsequently, in a one-page ruling issued by Judge Edward Jacobson that only vaguely refers to the evidence that was presented, the boys were immediately ordered back to their father that day. Jacobson only mentioned that Eby had “absconded” with the children, in spite of the fact that the State of Nebraska had threatened her with child endangerment if she returned them to their father. Judge Jacobson also ordered that “Mr. Courtright shall have full care, custody, and control of both children. Visistation [sic] shall be at Mr. Courtright's discretion,” in spite of six founded charges of abuse on father’s record.
Eby has had no contact with her children since that time and that the boys’ father has threatened her that she will “never see them again” if she continues with the case.
“One can say that these young men fell through the cracks,” says Frank LaMere, the director of the Four Directions Community Center in Sioux City, Iowa. “The people over in Plymouth County absolutely knew what was happening to these boys and they turned a blind eye. The DHS and the officers of the court are very aware of the abuse charges against their father, but they feel no responsibility whatsoever in spite of the fact that these allegations have been confirmed and are on the record.”
LaMere says that he intends to be at the hearing on Friday, along with other members of the Native community to show their support for the twins and their mother, who they feel is victim of the racist policies toward Native parents in courtrooms across the country.
“If a Native man had six allegations of abuse on his record, he would be serving five to 10 years in prison,” said LaMere, who is a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. “But we have a white father and a white girlfriend with six founded charges and what does Judge Jacobson do? He gives the abused children back to their perpetrators and throws the Indian mother in jail. I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years of Indian child welfare experience.”
Next week, Eby and LaMere are scheduled to attend the 12th Annual March to Honor Lost Children in Sioux City. For 12 years, says LaMere, it has been necessary to organize these marches and events to raise awareness of the challenges faced by Native community members who find themselves locked in a never-ending battle with child welfare systems across the country.
“We have worked hard to build a good relationship with officials here in Woodbury County,” said LaMere. “But there are countless counties across the country that ignore the Indian Child Welfare Act. Sadly, they forget that ICWA is not a ‘defense’ strategy – it is federal law. And we want to ensure that they are attentive to the requirements of the law.”
But we have seen similar situations played out where ethnic/racial differences are not apparent. To a very large extent, this is testimony to how much power the fathers rights movement has been able to wield over the family courts and child "protection" system. And that also needs to be brought out.
The fact that 17-year-old boys are being silenced by the courts is very much a fathers rights thing. SHAME ON JUDGE EDWARD JACOBSON for engaging in heavy-handed FR tactics.
See our previous post here. For some reason, the father has not been identified in the media.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/11/20/sioux-mother-return-court-latest-fight-her-abused-sons-157916
Sioux Mother to Return to Court in Latest Fight for Her Abused Sons
Suzette Brewer 11/20/14
On Friday, November 21 another hearing is scheduled in the Iowa District Court in Plymouth County in an interstate custody showdown that has sparked national outrage among tribes and Indian child welfare advocates over the return of disabled twin brothers to the custody of their non-Indian father, who has six founded cases of child abuse on his record. One of the boys is wheelchair bound with cerebral palsy, while the other is blind and has autism.
Last June, Audre’y Eby, the twins’ Rosebud Sioux mother who resides in Nebraska, was jailed for a week in Iowa on kidnapping charges for refusing to return the boys back to their father after officials in Nebraska threatened her with child endangerment charges when they found evidence of abuse during an emergency room visit, in which blood and bruises were found on one of the boys’ groin area. The boys testified to officials in both states that their father’s girlfriend had kicked one of them after she caught him masturbating and that the father had threatened to “cut his privates off.”
Trapped between competing interstate jurisdictions, Eby said she had no choice but to keep her children, even though she subsequently went to jail in Iowa for trying to protect them from their abusers.
Eby kept the boys in Nebraska for a time, but subsequently moved them to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota in order to protect them from their father and his live-in girlfriend, both of whom have been placed on the Iowa Central Abuse Registry for physical abuse, denial of critical care and failure to provide proper supervision to the twins. In early October, the boys, who are now 17, were ordered to appear before Judge Edward Jacobson for testimony at a hearing, with which Eby complied. But rather than allowing the boys to testify as ordered, Jacobson instead ordered half a dozen police officers to physically remove the boys from their mother’s custody in the hallway of the courthouse in front of at least a dozen bystanders, who were shocked that the incident took place in such a public manner with no plan for a peaceful transfer, as usually is required under these circumstances. Eby said both boys were struggling and screaming to stay with her as they were being led away by law enforcement.
“Judge Jacobson said ‘I don’t allow children to testify in my court,’” said Eby. “The order was a ruse to get me to bring them [to Iowa] so they could take them from me.”
Subsequently, in a one-page ruling issued by Judge Edward Jacobson that only vaguely refers to the evidence that was presented, the boys were immediately ordered back to their father that day. Jacobson only mentioned that Eby had “absconded” with the children, in spite of the fact that the State of Nebraska had threatened her with child endangerment if she returned them to their father. Judge Jacobson also ordered that “Mr. Courtright shall have full care, custody, and control of both children. Visistation [sic] shall be at Mr. Courtright's discretion,” in spite of six founded charges of abuse on father’s record.
Eby has had no contact with her children since that time and that the boys’ father has threatened her that she will “never see them again” if she continues with the case.
“One can say that these young men fell through the cracks,” says Frank LaMere, the director of the Four Directions Community Center in Sioux City, Iowa. “The people over in Plymouth County absolutely knew what was happening to these boys and they turned a blind eye. The DHS and the officers of the court are very aware of the abuse charges against their father, but they feel no responsibility whatsoever in spite of the fact that these allegations have been confirmed and are on the record.”
LaMere says that he intends to be at the hearing on Friday, along with other members of the Native community to show their support for the twins and their mother, who they feel is victim of the racist policies toward Native parents in courtrooms across the country.
“If a Native man had six allegations of abuse on his record, he would be serving five to 10 years in prison,” said LaMere, who is a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. “But we have a white father and a white girlfriend with six founded charges and what does Judge Jacobson do? He gives the abused children back to their perpetrators and throws the Indian mother in jail. I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years of Indian child welfare experience.”
Next week, Eby and LaMere are scheduled to attend the 12th Annual March to Honor Lost Children in Sioux City. For 12 years, says LaMere, it has been necessary to organize these marches and events to raise awareness of the challenges faced by Native community members who find themselves locked in a never-ending battle with child welfare systems across the country.
“We have worked hard to build a good relationship with officials here in Woodbury County,” said LaMere. “But there are countless counties across the country that ignore the Indian Child Welfare Act. Sadly, they forget that ICWA is not a ‘defense’ strategy – it is federal law. And we want to ensure that they are attentive to the requirements of the law.”
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Dad charged with murder in infant daughter's beating 22 years later (Murfreesboro, Tennessee)
Not real clear here, but it looks like Dad got out of prison for abusing his daughter, only to father another child with another woman and ABUSE THAT CHILD TOO.
Why was ANTHONY SHANNON LANE allowed around any kids again? Especially given the fact of how severely the daughter was abused (bedridden with multiple health problems including severe neurological issues for 22 years.)
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2014/07/08/rutherford-murfreesboro-child-abuse-death/12388165/
Father charged with daughter's murder 22 years after beating, autopsy show
8:17 p.m. CDT July 8, 2014
MURFREESBORO — A man serving a 25-year sentence for child abuse was charged with first-degree murder after an autopsy revealed the beating he gave his infant daughter led to her death last year, according to a media release.
Anthony Shannon Lane, 41, was convicted of aggravated child abuse in 1992 for attacking and critically injuring his daughter, Amanda Michelle Lane-Woodall, when she was 5 weeks old, according to the release. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and upon his release was charged and convicted of aggravated child abuse of a second child, her half-brother Ryan Lane.
Anthony Shannon Lane, who is serving a 25-year sentence for the second conviction at Hardeman County Correctional Facility, was charged Monday with first-degree murder for Lane-Woodall's death last year, according to the report. An autopsy performed by the state medical examiner's office showed her manner of death was homicide, caused by complications of blunt-force head injury.
Lane-Woodall's case was originally investigated in 1991 by Sheriff's Office Detectives Chuck Thomas and J.D. Driver, resulting in the conviction of Lane and Lane-Woodall's biological mother, Stephanie Pinson, according to the release. Pinson was convicted for accessory after the fact of child abuse. She was sentenced to two years in jail.
Cold Case Detective Sgt. Dan Goodwin and Detective Steve Kohler questioned a number of doctors and other witnesses before presenting the most recent charges against Anthony Shannon Lane to the district attorney's office, according to the release.
Rutherford County foster parent Nancy Woodall-Holmes of La Vergne began caring for Amanda when she was three months old, according to the release.
"She could only do less than a newborn baby," said Nancy Woodall-Holmes said in the release. "She couldn't suck or swallow. She was blind and non-verbal, fed through a tube in the stomach."
Lane-Woodall required daily injections for diabetes, and she also had cerebral palsy, according to the report. She was confined to the same bed for 22 years.
The woman was reunited with her half brother, who was also adopted, during therapy, according to the release, though they were never able to have a conversation.
"She and Ryan had their wheelchairs next to each other, and their hands touched," said Nancy Woodall-Holmes in the release. "It was like they made a connection with each other."
Nancy Woodall-Holmes said in the release that she hopes this case motivates longer sentences for child abusers so they do not have the chance to commit the same crimes again.
Anthony Lane is being held in Rutherford County Adult Detention Center while awaiting a court hearing July 18, according to the release.
Why was ANTHONY SHANNON LANE allowed around any kids again? Especially given the fact of how severely the daughter was abused (bedridden with multiple health problems including severe neurological issues for 22 years.)
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2014/07/08/rutherford-murfreesboro-child-abuse-death/12388165/
Father charged with daughter's murder 22 years after beating, autopsy show
8:17 p.m. CDT July 8, 2014
MURFREESBORO — A man serving a 25-year sentence for child abuse was charged with first-degree murder after an autopsy revealed the beating he gave his infant daughter led to her death last year, according to a media release.
Anthony Shannon Lane, 41, was convicted of aggravated child abuse in 1992 for attacking and critically injuring his daughter, Amanda Michelle Lane-Woodall, when she was 5 weeks old, according to the release. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and upon his release was charged and convicted of aggravated child abuse of a second child, her half-brother Ryan Lane.
Anthony Shannon Lane, who is serving a 25-year sentence for the second conviction at Hardeman County Correctional Facility, was charged Monday with first-degree murder for Lane-Woodall's death last year, according to the report. An autopsy performed by the state medical examiner's office showed her manner of death was homicide, caused by complications of blunt-force head injury.
Lane-Woodall's case was originally investigated in 1991 by Sheriff's Office Detectives Chuck Thomas and J.D. Driver, resulting in the conviction of Lane and Lane-Woodall's biological mother, Stephanie Pinson, according to the release. Pinson was convicted for accessory after the fact of child abuse. She was sentenced to two years in jail.
Cold Case Detective Sgt. Dan Goodwin and Detective Steve Kohler questioned a number of doctors and other witnesses before presenting the most recent charges against Anthony Shannon Lane to the district attorney's office, according to the release.
Rutherford County foster parent Nancy Woodall-Holmes of La Vergne began caring for Amanda when she was three months old, according to the release.
"She could only do less than a newborn baby," said Nancy Woodall-Holmes said in the release. "She couldn't suck or swallow. She was blind and non-verbal, fed through a tube in the stomach."
Lane-Woodall required daily injections for diabetes, and she also had cerebral palsy, according to the report. She was confined to the same bed for 22 years.
The woman was reunited with her half brother, who was also adopted, during therapy, according to the release, though they were never able to have a conversation.
"She and Ryan had their wheelchairs next to each other, and their hands touched," said Nancy Woodall-Holmes in the release. "It was like they made a connection with each other."
Nancy Woodall-Holmes said in the release that she hopes this case motivates longer sentences for child abusers so they do not have the chance to commit the same crimes again.
Anthony Lane is being held in Rutherford County Adult Detention Center while awaiting a court hearing July 18, according to the release.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Dad pleads guilty to abusing 1-month-old son; baby has permanent disabilities (Clarksville, Tennessee)
Dad is identified as MARCUS PHILIPS SR.
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20140404/NEWS01/304040028/Clarksville-father-pleads-guilty-abuse-neglect-1-month-old-agrees-15-year-prison-sentence
Clarksville father pleads guilty to abuse, neglect of 1-month old, agrees to 15 year prison sentence
Apr. 4, 2014
Written by Tavia D. Green
Leaf-Chronicle
CLARKSVILLE, TENN. — A Clarksville man pleaded guilty to the neglect and abuse of his newborn son and agreed to a prison sentence.
Marcus Philips Sr., 26, was charged with aggravated child abuse and neglect for knowingly neglecting his son in a way that caused serious bodily injury.
Philips pleaded guilty as charged and agreed to serve 15 years in the Tennessee Department of Corrections at 100 percent, the minimum for aggravated child abuse.
On Sept. 23, 2013, Phillips’ son, Marcus Phillips, Jr., was taken to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital after sustaining a bilateral skull fracture and hemorrhaging.
Phillips told police the one-month-old baby rolled off of a bed and hit his head on a laptop.
Vanderbilt experts found that the infant’s injuries were inconsistent with the described injury. They concluded the injuries resulted from non-accidental trauma caused by significant force, according to Kimberly Lund, assistant district attorney.
As a result of his injuries, the child now suffers from Cerebral Palsy.
Phillips was scheduled to begin a jury trial at the end of the month.
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20140404/NEWS01/304040028/Clarksville-father-pleads-guilty-abuse-neglect-1-month-old-agrees-15-year-prison-sentence
Clarksville father pleads guilty to abuse, neglect of 1-month old, agrees to 15 year prison sentence
Apr. 4, 2014
Written by Tavia D. Green
Leaf-Chronicle
CLARKSVILLE, TENN. — A Clarksville man pleaded guilty to the neglect and abuse of his newborn son and agreed to a prison sentence.
Marcus Philips Sr., 26, was charged with aggravated child abuse and neglect for knowingly neglecting his son in a way that caused serious bodily injury.
Philips pleaded guilty as charged and agreed to serve 15 years in the Tennessee Department of Corrections at 100 percent, the minimum for aggravated child abuse.
On Sept. 23, 2013, Phillips’ son, Marcus Phillips, Jr., was taken to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital after sustaining a bilateral skull fracture and hemorrhaging.
Phillips told police the one-month-old baby rolled off of a bed and hit his head on a laptop.
Vanderbilt experts found that the infant’s injuries were inconsistent with the described injury. They concluded the injuries resulted from non-accidental trauma caused by significant force, according to Kimberly Lund, assistant district attorney.
As a result of his injuries, the child now suffers from Cerebral Palsy.
Phillips was scheduled to begin a jury trial at the end of the month.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Killer dad ruled insane in decapitation of 7-year-old son (Thibodaux, Louisiana)
Insane? I'm not sure about that. Past postings have clarified that dad JERMIAH WRIGHT was an unemployed, "stay-at-home" (i.e. deadbeat) dad who was supported by the mother. Yet all he did was whine and complain. Notice that Daddy didn't kill the boy till the mother announced she was leaving--the telltale sign of a domestic violence retaliation murder.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/02/14/5341046/lawyer-father-ruled-insane-in.html
Lawyer: Louisiana father ruled insane in child's decapitation
ASSOCIATED PRESS
February 14, 2014
NEW ORLEANS -- A Louisiana father accused of cutting off the head of his disabled 7-year-old son has been ruled not guilty by reason of insanity, his defense attorney said Friday.
Kerry Cuccia said the ruling by state District Judge John LeBlanc came Friday in the case against Jeremiah Wright, 32, of Thibodaux.
Cuccia said Wright will be returned to the state mental hospital in Jackson where he had been held.
Wright has been in custody since August 2011, when Jori Lirette was killed and his head left in the yard of the home Wright was sharing with Lirette's mother, Jesslyn Lirette. The boy had required around-the-clock care and was fed through a tube.
Cuccia said prosecutors agreed to the ruling.
A call seeking comment from District Attorney Cam Morvant was not immediately returned.
Wright faced a first-degree murder charge in the Aug. 14, 2011, death. The boy's head was found in the driveway. His other body parts were found in nearby trash bags.
According to a sworn police statement, Wright told investigators he had recently seen signs that made him believe he was living with a CPR dummy rather than his son.
Those signs, he said, included being defecated and urinated on the morning he decapitated and dismembered the boy, whom he referred to throughout the statement as "the dummy."
He also told police he and Jesslyn Lirette had fought the evening before, and that she had told him she was moving him out of the house.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/02/14/5341046/lawyer-father-ruled-insane-in.html
Lawyer: Louisiana father ruled insane in child's decapitation
ASSOCIATED PRESS
February 14, 2014
NEW ORLEANS -- A Louisiana father accused of cutting off the head of his disabled 7-year-old son has been ruled not guilty by reason of insanity, his defense attorney said Friday.
Kerry Cuccia said the ruling by state District Judge John LeBlanc came Friday in the case against Jeremiah Wright, 32, of Thibodaux.
Cuccia said Wright will be returned to the state mental hospital in Jackson where he had been held.
Wright has been in custody since August 2011, when Jori Lirette was killed and his head left in the yard of the home Wright was sharing with Lirette's mother, Jesslyn Lirette. The boy had required around-the-clock care and was fed through a tube.
Cuccia said prosecutors agreed to the ruling.
A call seeking comment from District Attorney Cam Morvant was not immediately returned.
Wright faced a first-degree murder charge in the Aug. 14, 2011, death. The boy's head was found in the driveway. His other body parts were found in nearby trash bags.
According to a sworn police statement, Wright told investigators he had recently seen signs that made him believe he was living with a CPR dummy rather than his son.
Those signs, he said, included being defecated and urinated on the morning he decapitated and dismembered the boy, whom he referred to throughout the statement as "the dummy."
He also told police he and Jesslyn Lirette had fought the evening before, and that she had told him she was moving him out of the house.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Non-custodial mom arrested for not returning teen sons to abusive custodial father (Sioux City, Iowa)
UNNAMED DAD. Since this piece appears in a Native American publication, it emphasizes the discrimination against the Sioux mother. Not explored is the systematic discrimination against all mothers alleging abuse against a father, especially a custodial father.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/01/06/sioux-mother-rescues-abused-children-faces-arrest-152971
Sioux Mother Rescues Abused Children, Faces Arrest
Stephanie Woodard 1/6/14
The emergency room doctor was furious at what he had seen, recalled Audre’y Eby, who is Rosebud Sioux and the mother of disabled 16-year-old twins. One of her sons, who is blind and autistic, squirmed on the examination-room table, screaming, “Ow, ow, it hurts!” The doctor had found livid red and purple bruises covering his penis and scrotum, according to the Nebraska hospital’s records. Those injuries would soon lead to an arrest warrant for the mother—not because she had caused the harm, but because she did not return her son, along with his wheelchair-bound twin, to their abusers.
Indian child welfare expert Frank LaMere called the twins’ situation more extreme than any he’d seen in his many years of work in the field. “These boys are suffering,” said LaMere, who is Winnebago and the director of Four Directions Community Center, in Sioux City, Iowa.
The day before the ER visit, Eby, who is 45, drove from the Nebraska farm where she lives with her husband, Faron, to pick up her boys from their father in Iowa. It was early August of 2013, and she was going to have them for the once-a-month weekend visit the courts allow her. The boys’ father is Eby’s ex-husband; he has physical custody of the kids, and his live-in girlfriend is their primary caretaker. Eby and the boys are Native, and the father and his girlfriend are white—facts that LaMere says overshadow decisions that social-services professionals and the courts make on the children’s behalf.
During the five-hour drive to Nebraska, both twins complained. Eby put the grumbling down to the road trip—a long one for such special-needs kids. The sighted twin has cerebral palsy and can suffer painful muscle spasms, and his brother has residual discomfort from a vehicle accident he was in with his father a few years ago. “We stop for breaks, but it’s a lot of sitting still,” Eby said.
The next day, the blind twin began complaining again, and Eby saw blood in his overnight diaper. Alarmed, she and Faron loaded both boys into their car and headed for the ER. After the exam, at a moment when only health-care personnel were present, the doctor took the opportunity to ask his patient, “Who did this to you?” The child named his father’s girlfriend. The doctor questioned the sighted twin, who confirmed his brother’s story.
The doctor told Eby that the injuries were consistent with being kicked in the groin. He immediately called Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services to report alleged child abuse, hospital records show. Eby says the physician also warned her that if she didn’t keep the boys until their wellbeing could be guaranteed in Iowa, he’d have to report her for exposing children to an unsafe situation: “He said Nebraska law required him to do that.”
Eby’s fateful decision to keep her kids in Nebraska soon led to an Iowa judge issuing a warrant for her arrest. She is trapped between the laws of two states and fearful for her sons’ safety.
The Nebraska doctor’s report launched an extensive investigation by Iowa’s Child Protective Services (CPS). The investigation included another physical exam and interviews of social workers, teachers and others who’d interacted with the twins. The boys participated in a Telemed closed-circuit TV interview observed by social-services and law-enforcement personnel in Iowa and Nebraska. (The twins’ names, and that of their father, whose last name they bear, are being withheld to protect the children’s privacy. All official documents quoted here were obtained under Iowa law.)
Both children claimed the kicking occurred after the blind twin was discovered masturbating. He tells the interviewer that his dad had once threatened that “he’s gonna cut my privates off” for doing that. At one point, the boy begs, “Please help me. I’m scared.”
The investigation led to a determination that the father’s girlfriend caused the groin injuries, which means the abuse was “founded.” The father and girlfriend already had several abuse and neglect determinations between them. CPS gave the twins its highest score for risk of abuse and recommended a criminal investigation.
The girlfriend has appealed the most recent abuse finding, according to Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) documents. No charges appear to have been filed against her. She claimed the boy did the damage to himself and told CPS, “I love the boys and would never do anything to hurt either one of them.”
The father told ICTMN that whatever happened didn’t happen in Iowa and that the couple would appeal more of the abuse and neglect rulings. Over the years, 14 additional allegations have been investigated and dismissed, he noted.
Iowa DHS documents record a startling list of incidents at the father’s home: Among many, the father recently pressed on the wheelchair-bound twin’s nose until it bled, resulting in one of the founded-abuse determinations. On another occasion, the dad poured hot sauce down that boy’s throat while the girlfriend pressed her elbow into his neck to ensure he swallowed it. A social worker recounts watching the father smash a sandwich onto the blind boy’s forehead, purportedly to get him to eat his lunch. The girlfriend has stuffed a cloth down one boy’s throat to silence him. Punishments include cold showers.
Social workers describe quasi-military discipline. “I’m a veteran, and I'm trying to instill values like honor, loyalty and courage in my children,” the father said. “If that’s wrong, then a lot of parents are wrong.”
Judy Yellowbank, who is Winnebago and the program director at Four Directions Community Center, likened the twins’ treatment to torture. She charged that there’s a double standard in child welfare. “Native parents would be behind bars if they had committed the child abuse and neglect that these two white caregivers have,” Yellowbank said.
Following the recent kicking incident and subsequent abuse finding, Iowa DHS recommended returning the twins to their father’s home, with the caveat that the live-in girlfriend no longer be primary caregiver. When asked how that set-up would work from a practical point of view, the father refused to answer.
One of Eby’s attorneys, Judy Freking, of LeMars, Iowa, asked, “What is the purpose of a child-abuse investigation if, upon concluding that abuse occurred, DHS does not get involved, and DHS does not offer any services to correct the problem that led to the abuse of these boys?”
The father is determined to get the kids back, saying Iowa can provide them more services than rural Nebraska, where the Ebys’ farm is. He recently went to Iowa juvenile court, claiming that his ex-wife was keeping the boys in Nebraska because of “extreme hostility” toward his girlfriend. The judge agreed, writing in an order issued this past September, “It’s apparent this animosity has been a factor.” The judge noted the father’s claim that he had “fully and properly cared for the boys.” The order does not mention the founded abuse and neglect rulings or any criminal investigation.
In October, a district court judge issued an arrest warrant for Eby. She learned of it when it pinged into her email from the Iowa courts’ online system. “I couldn’t cry because my sons were here. I called Faron. He came home from work and sat with the boys, so I could get myself together. Faron has been such a powerful support in all this. We both want the boys living on the farm with us.”
After Eby and the boys’ biological father separated in 2003, when the boys were six, she cared for them. When they turned 12, she thought they should get to know their father. “At the time it seemed like a reasonable idea,” Eby recalled. As the problems in the father’s home mounted, she fought to get the boys back, succeeding briefly in 2011. Through all the abuse and neglect findings, Iowa DHS documents reveal, the agency’s goal has generally been to reunite the twins with their father, and the courts have concurred. He receives their social-security and other subsidies.
Attorney Freking wondered if the situation would have played out similarly if Eby had committed the abuse. LaMere has an answer, and it’s simple: No. He said that Eby’s situation is emblematic of the double standard Yellowbank described. Indian parents are expected to leap enormous hurdles to keep their kids—with no second chances and no benefit of the doubt, said LaMere.
“It does appear that Audre’y and her ex-husband aren’t on equal footing in terms of Iowa DHS recommendations to the courts,” said Freking. ) One of Audre’y Eby’s twin sons, who has cerebral palsy, receives stitches in an Iowa emergency room. The 16-year-old and his twin brother live with their father and his girlfriend. According to court records, the girlfriend sent the teen shopping alone in his wheelchair. He got lost and tipped off a curb, gashing his forehead. The incident resulted in one of several abuse and neglect findings for the father and his girlfriend. (Courtesy Audre'y Eby)
Patterns in Indian child welfare
Recently, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services did a home study that confirmed Eby and her husband provide her twins with a good home. However, past turbulence in Eby’s life, including drug involvement as a young woman, may be why Iowa won’t grant her primary custody. “Audre’y has left those problems behind, she’s a good mother, and her home study is positive—but that’s not good enough,” said LaMere. “Many of us Native people have lived tough lives, and as far as the system is concerned, anything we’ve been involved with follows us forever. We are not allowed to grow and change.”
The phenomenon is common in Indian child welfare, LaMere continued. “I see it in meetings I attend with Native parents. The parent has solved the problem that caused the children to be taken away. Perhaps it hasn’t been an issue for years. But that’s never good enough. At one meeting, a social worker announced she’d found dirty dishes in the sink at the Native mother’s home, so she shouldn’t get her kids back. I became unglued. I stressed that the mother didn’t lose her children over dirty dishes, and they couldn’t be kept from her for this reason.”
The problem has its roots in history. Federal policy long supported forcibly assimilating Native people as a way to solve the “Indian problem.” Starting in the late 1800s, Native children were sent to government- and church-run boarding schools, where “Kill the Indian, save the child,” was the mantra. And many did die—of beatings, starvation and disease. Sexual and emotional abuse led others to commit suicide. The pervasive trauma, touching virtually every Indian family, stalks Native communities to this day.
During the mid-20th century, boarding schools were closed or turned over to the tribes, and the Indian Adoption Project took over as the assimilation mechanism. This federal program, aided by states and churches, swept about a third of Native children into non-Native homes. After hearing much testimony, Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in 1978 in an effort to stem the social and cultural holocaust.
ICWA established Indian preferences for placement of Indian children like Eby’s sons, whether they are enrolled tribal members or eligible for enrollment. ICWA allows tribes to intervene on behalf of their children and requires “active” efforts keep Indian kids with Indian families. “Legally, that means more than ‘reasonable’ efforts,” said LaMere. “It means busting your butt to make it happen.”
In the real lives of Native people, it just doesn’t work out that way. “If you’re having any problems with the system, they’ll take your kids anytime they want,” said a Santee Sioux grandfather, whose granddaughter and grandniece died after being adopted out of his family—one at the hands of her new father and the other by drowning.
ICWA may be federal law, but its enforcement takes place county by county, according to LaMere. He described progress in applying the law in one Iowa jurisdiction—Woodbury County, with its large Native population centered in Sioux City. “I have to believe that if Audre’y’s case had been dealt with here, she would have gotten custody of her sons. However, in other parts of Iowa, and in many states, old attitudes persist about Native people.” There’s a sometimes unspoken and sometimes openly acknowledged belief that American Indians can’t or shouldn’t take care of their kids, LaMere said. Neither the Iowa DHS Native Unit, which oversees Native-related cases, nor the Rosebud Sioux Tribe responded to requests for an interview about these issues.
The Iowa courts’ seeming inability to deal even-handedly with Native people causes ambiguities for other agencies, including law enforcement. In a phone interview, local Iowa police chief Dan Kremer, who observed the CPS Telemed interviews related to the blind twin’s ER visit, said at first that some were “out to hang” the father and his girlfriend. “Maybe they need hanging,” Kremer then added, “but so far the courts have not gone after them.” He pointed out that the situation in the home “has been going on for a long time.”
Looking forward
Since the twins have been on the Nebraska farm, they’ve put weight on their once-emaciated frames, and Eby has let their crewcuts grow out. “They look so handsome now!” she said. The other day, she recalled, one son told her, “I don’t feel shrunken any more.” She enjoys seeing them caught up in the rhythms of farm life. “Family comes to visit. We have real sit-down dinners with no TV, and Faron makes root beer floats on Saturday nights.”
Eby called LaMere a critical ally. “He says to focus on the good, pray and be mindful of what we have. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express the pain of all this, but the love I can.”
LaMere sees a lesson: “The Creator sent us these two boys as teachers—to instruct us to renew our fight to keep our kids safe and our families intact.”
For Eby’s family, the future is uncertain. “Something will change, but I don't know what,” she said. “Somehow, life has to be bearable for my boys. Is there anything else I can do?”
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/01/06/sioux-mother-rescues-abused-children-faces-arrest-152971
Sioux Mother Rescues Abused Children, Faces Arrest
Stephanie Woodard 1/6/14
The emergency room doctor was furious at what he had seen, recalled Audre’y Eby, who is Rosebud Sioux and the mother of disabled 16-year-old twins. One of her sons, who is blind and autistic, squirmed on the examination-room table, screaming, “Ow, ow, it hurts!” The doctor had found livid red and purple bruises covering his penis and scrotum, according to the Nebraska hospital’s records. Those injuries would soon lead to an arrest warrant for the mother—not because she had caused the harm, but because she did not return her son, along with his wheelchair-bound twin, to their abusers.
Indian child welfare expert Frank LaMere called the twins’ situation more extreme than any he’d seen in his many years of work in the field. “These boys are suffering,” said LaMere, who is Winnebago and the director of Four Directions Community Center, in Sioux City, Iowa.
The day before the ER visit, Eby, who is 45, drove from the Nebraska farm where she lives with her husband, Faron, to pick up her boys from their father in Iowa. It was early August of 2013, and she was going to have them for the once-a-month weekend visit the courts allow her. The boys’ father is Eby’s ex-husband; he has physical custody of the kids, and his live-in girlfriend is their primary caretaker. Eby and the boys are Native, and the father and his girlfriend are white—facts that LaMere says overshadow decisions that social-services professionals and the courts make on the children’s behalf.
During the five-hour drive to Nebraska, both twins complained. Eby put the grumbling down to the road trip—a long one for such special-needs kids. The sighted twin has cerebral palsy and can suffer painful muscle spasms, and his brother has residual discomfort from a vehicle accident he was in with his father a few years ago. “We stop for breaks, but it’s a lot of sitting still,” Eby said.
The next day, the blind twin began complaining again, and Eby saw blood in his overnight diaper. Alarmed, she and Faron loaded both boys into their car and headed for the ER. After the exam, at a moment when only health-care personnel were present, the doctor took the opportunity to ask his patient, “Who did this to you?” The child named his father’s girlfriend. The doctor questioned the sighted twin, who confirmed his brother’s story.
The doctor told Eby that the injuries were consistent with being kicked in the groin. He immediately called Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services to report alleged child abuse, hospital records show. Eby says the physician also warned her that if she didn’t keep the boys until their wellbeing could be guaranteed in Iowa, he’d have to report her for exposing children to an unsafe situation: “He said Nebraska law required him to do that.”
Eby’s fateful decision to keep her kids in Nebraska soon led to an Iowa judge issuing a warrant for her arrest. She is trapped between the laws of two states and fearful for her sons’ safety.
The Nebraska doctor’s report launched an extensive investigation by Iowa’s Child Protective Services (CPS). The investigation included another physical exam and interviews of social workers, teachers and others who’d interacted with the twins. The boys participated in a Telemed closed-circuit TV interview observed by social-services and law-enforcement personnel in Iowa and Nebraska. (The twins’ names, and that of their father, whose last name they bear, are being withheld to protect the children’s privacy. All official documents quoted here were obtained under Iowa law.)
Both children claimed the kicking occurred after the blind twin was discovered masturbating. He tells the interviewer that his dad had once threatened that “he’s gonna cut my privates off” for doing that. At one point, the boy begs, “Please help me. I’m scared.”
The investigation led to a determination that the father’s girlfriend caused the groin injuries, which means the abuse was “founded.” The father and girlfriend already had several abuse and neglect determinations between them. CPS gave the twins its highest score for risk of abuse and recommended a criminal investigation.
The girlfriend has appealed the most recent abuse finding, according to Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) documents. No charges appear to have been filed against her. She claimed the boy did the damage to himself and told CPS, “I love the boys and would never do anything to hurt either one of them.”
The father told ICTMN that whatever happened didn’t happen in Iowa and that the couple would appeal more of the abuse and neglect rulings. Over the years, 14 additional allegations have been investigated and dismissed, he noted.
Iowa DHS documents record a startling list of incidents at the father’s home: Among many, the father recently pressed on the wheelchair-bound twin’s nose until it bled, resulting in one of the founded-abuse determinations. On another occasion, the dad poured hot sauce down that boy’s throat while the girlfriend pressed her elbow into his neck to ensure he swallowed it. A social worker recounts watching the father smash a sandwich onto the blind boy’s forehead, purportedly to get him to eat his lunch. The girlfriend has stuffed a cloth down one boy’s throat to silence him. Punishments include cold showers.
Social workers describe quasi-military discipline. “I’m a veteran, and I'm trying to instill values like honor, loyalty and courage in my children,” the father said. “If that’s wrong, then a lot of parents are wrong.”
Judy Yellowbank, who is Winnebago and the program director at Four Directions Community Center, likened the twins’ treatment to torture. She charged that there’s a double standard in child welfare. “Native parents would be behind bars if they had committed the child abuse and neglect that these two white caregivers have,” Yellowbank said.
Following the recent kicking incident and subsequent abuse finding, Iowa DHS recommended returning the twins to their father’s home, with the caveat that the live-in girlfriend no longer be primary caregiver. When asked how that set-up would work from a practical point of view, the father refused to answer.
One of Eby’s attorneys, Judy Freking, of LeMars, Iowa, asked, “What is the purpose of a child-abuse investigation if, upon concluding that abuse occurred, DHS does not get involved, and DHS does not offer any services to correct the problem that led to the abuse of these boys?”
The father is determined to get the kids back, saying Iowa can provide them more services than rural Nebraska, where the Ebys’ farm is. He recently went to Iowa juvenile court, claiming that his ex-wife was keeping the boys in Nebraska because of “extreme hostility” toward his girlfriend. The judge agreed, writing in an order issued this past September, “It’s apparent this animosity has been a factor.” The judge noted the father’s claim that he had “fully and properly cared for the boys.” The order does not mention the founded abuse and neglect rulings or any criminal investigation.
In October, a district court judge issued an arrest warrant for Eby. She learned of it when it pinged into her email from the Iowa courts’ online system. “I couldn’t cry because my sons were here. I called Faron. He came home from work and sat with the boys, so I could get myself together. Faron has been such a powerful support in all this. We both want the boys living on the farm with us.”
After Eby and the boys’ biological father separated in 2003, when the boys were six, she cared for them. When they turned 12, she thought they should get to know their father. “At the time it seemed like a reasonable idea,” Eby recalled. As the problems in the father’s home mounted, she fought to get the boys back, succeeding briefly in 2011. Through all the abuse and neglect findings, Iowa DHS documents reveal, the agency’s goal has generally been to reunite the twins with their father, and the courts have concurred. He receives their social-security and other subsidies.
Attorney Freking wondered if the situation would have played out similarly if Eby had committed the abuse. LaMere has an answer, and it’s simple: No. He said that Eby’s situation is emblematic of the double standard Yellowbank described. Indian parents are expected to leap enormous hurdles to keep their kids—with no second chances and no benefit of the doubt, said LaMere.
“It does appear that Audre’y and her ex-husband aren’t on equal footing in terms of Iowa DHS recommendations to the courts,” said Freking. ) One of Audre’y Eby’s twin sons, who has cerebral palsy, receives stitches in an Iowa emergency room. The 16-year-old and his twin brother live with their father and his girlfriend. According to court records, the girlfriend sent the teen shopping alone in his wheelchair. He got lost and tipped off a curb, gashing his forehead. The incident resulted in one of several abuse and neglect findings for the father and his girlfriend. (Courtesy Audre'y Eby)
Patterns in Indian child welfare
Recently, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services did a home study that confirmed Eby and her husband provide her twins with a good home. However, past turbulence in Eby’s life, including drug involvement as a young woman, may be why Iowa won’t grant her primary custody. “Audre’y has left those problems behind, she’s a good mother, and her home study is positive—but that’s not good enough,” said LaMere. “Many of us Native people have lived tough lives, and as far as the system is concerned, anything we’ve been involved with follows us forever. We are not allowed to grow and change.”
The phenomenon is common in Indian child welfare, LaMere continued. “I see it in meetings I attend with Native parents. The parent has solved the problem that caused the children to be taken away. Perhaps it hasn’t been an issue for years. But that’s never good enough. At one meeting, a social worker announced she’d found dirty dishes in the sink at the Native mother’s home, so she shouldn’t get her kids back. I became unglued. I stressed that the mother didn’t lose her children over dirty dishes, and they couldn’t be kept from her for this reason.”
The problem has its roots in history. Federal policy long supported forcibly assimilating Native people as a way to solve the “Indian problem.” Starting in the late 1800s, Native children were sent to government- and church-run boarding schools, where “Kill the Indian, save the child,” was the mantra. And many did die—of beatings, starvation and disease. Sexual and emotional abuse led others to commit suicide. The pervasive trauma, touching virtually every Indian family, stalks Native communities to this day.
During the mid-20th century, boarding schools were closed or turned over to the tribes, and the Indian Adoption Project took over as the assimilation mechanism. This federal program, aided by states and churches, swept about a third of Native children into non-Native homes. After hearing much testimony, Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in 1978 in an effort to stem the social and cultural holocaust.
ICWA established Indian preferences for placement of Indian children like Eby’s sons, whether they are enrolled tribal members or eligible for enrollment. ICWA allows tribes to intervene on behalf of their children and requires “active” efforts keep Indian kids with Indian families. “Legally, that means more than ‘reasonable’ efforts,” said LaMere. “It means busting your butt to make it happen.”
In the real lives of Native people, it just doesn’t work out that way. “If you’re having any problems with the system, they’ll take your kids anytime they want,” said a Santee Sioux grandfather, whose granddaughter and grandniece died after being adopted out of his family—one at the hands of her new father and the other by drowning.
ICWA may be federal law, but its enforcement takes place county by county, according to LaMere. He described progress in applying the law in one Iowa jurisdiction—Woodbury County, with its large Native population centered in Sioux City. “I have to believe that if Audre’y’s case had been dealt with here, she would have gotten custody of her sons. However, in other parts of Iowa, and in many states, old attitudes persist about Native people.” There’s a sometimes unspoken and sometimes openly acknowledged belief that American Indians can’t or shouldn’t take care of their kids, LaMere said. Neither the Iowa DHS Native Unit, which oversees Native-related cases, nor the Rosebud Sioux Tribe responded to requests for an interview about these issues.
The Iowa courts’ seeming inability to deal even-handedly with Native people causes ambiguities for other agencies, including law enforcement. In a phone interview, local Iowa police chief Dan Kremer, who observed the CPS Telemed interviews related to the blind twin’s ER visit, said at first that some were “out to hang” the father and his girlfriend. “Maybe they need hanging,” Kremer then added, “but so far the courts have not gone after them.” He pointed out that the situation in the home “has been going on for a long time.”
Looking forward
Since the twins have been on the Nebraska farm, they’ve put weight on their once-emaciated frames, and Eby has let their crewcuts grow out. “They look so handsome now!” she said. The other day, she recalled, one son told her, “I don’t feel shrunken any more.” She enjoys seeing them caught up in the rhythms of farm life. “Family comes to visit. We have real sit-down dinners with no TV, and Faron makes root beer floats on Saturday nights.”
Eby called LaMere a critical ally. “He says to focus on the good, pray and be mindful of what we have. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express the pain of all this, but the love I can.”
LaMere sees a lesson: “The Creator sent us these two boys as teachers—to instruct us to renew our fight to keep our kids safe and our families intact.”
For Eby’s family, the future is uncertain. “Something will change, but I don't know what,” she said. “Somehow, life has to be bearable for my boys. Is there anything else I can do?”
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Judge: Dad accused of nearly killing infant son competent for trial (Simsbury, Connecticut)
Once again, a poor widdle "frustrated" daddy who nearly killed the baby for crying...
Dad is identified as CHRISTOPHER R. BERMAN. No mention of a mother in the home.
http://articles.courant.com/2013-04-01/community/hc-simsbury-child-abuse-case-0402-20130401_1_berman-baby-to-death-superior-court-judge
Simsbury Dad Accused Of Nearly Squeezing Baby To Death Is Competent, Judge Says
April 01, 2013
By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY
The Hartford Courant
HARTFORD — A Simsbury father accused of squeezing his baby until the infant went into cardiac arrest has been found competent to stand trial, a Superior Court judge said Monday.
Christopher R. Berman, 29, was evaluated and "is able to assist in his defense," Judge Joan Alexander said. Berman has to decide whether he wants to plead guilty or go to trial, the judge said.
He faces two counts of first-degree assault and risk of injury to a minor for what were described as separate attacks last year that Berman explained had arisen out of anger. According to the warrant, the first attack happened on the night of July 29, when the 8-month-old woke up crying after 90 minutes of sleep. Berman was frustrated, he eventually told police, so he held his son tightly around his torso, "gripping my fingers into his body." The baby was not breathing and had no pulse when the first police officer responded.
Berman was not immediately arrested because police did not know what caused the baby to go into cardiopulmonary arrest.
The second attack happened on Sept. 9, the warrant states. While first saying he didn't know how the baby's leg was broken, Berman eventually admitted to police that he was upset because he was tired from lack of sleep. After keeping Berman up by snoring all night, the baby woke up crying at 6:30 a.m., he said.
Angry, he grabbed the baby's right leg, above the ankle, he told police, and "I bent his leg forward toward his head and heard a popping noise."
The boy will have significant developmental problems, on the level of a child with cerebral palsy, the warrant states, and "has little chance of normalcy."
Berman's next court date was scheduled for May 20. He remains in custody on $500,000 bail.
Dad is identified as CHRISTOPHER R. BERMAN. No mention of a mother in the home.
http://articles.courant.com/2013-04-01/community/hc-simsbury-child-abuse-case-0402-20130401_1_berman-baby-to-death-superior-court-judge
Simsbury Dad Accused Of Nearly Squeezing Baby To Death Is Competent, Judge Says
April 01, 2013
By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY
The Hartford Courant
HARTFORD — A Simsbury father accused of squeezing his baby until the infant went into cardiac arrest has been found competent to stand trial, a Superior Court judge said Monday.
Christopher R. Berman, 29, was evaluated and "is able to assist in his defense," Judge Joan Alexander said. Berman has to decide whether he wants to plead guilty or go to trial, the judge said.
He faces two counts of first-degree assault and risk of injury to a minor for what were described as separate attacks last year that Berman explained had arisen out of anger. According to the warrant, the first attack happened on the night of July 29, when the 8-month-old woke up crying after 90 minutes of sleep. Berman was frustrated, he eventually told police, so he held his son tightly around his torso, "gripping my fingers into his body." The baby was not breathing and had no pulse when the first police officer responded.
Berman was not immediately arrested because police did not know what caused the baby to go into cardiopulmonary arrest.
The second attack happened on Sept. 9, the warrant states. While first saying he didn't know how the baby's leg was broken, Berman eventually admitted to police that he was upset because he was tired from lack of sleep. After keeping Berman up by snoring all night, the baby woke up crying at 6:30 a.m., he said.
Angry, he grabbed the baby's right leg, above the ankle, he told police, and "I bent his leg forward toward his head and heard a popping noise."
The boy will have significant developmental problems, on the level of a child with cerebral palsy, the warrant states, and "has little chance of normalcy."
Berman's next court date was scheduled for May 20. He remains in custody on $500,000 bail.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Runaway dad finally indicted in assault of 2-month-old son; baby has permanent brain damage (Elliott County, Kentucky)
Dad is identified as NICHOLAS "NICK" BALLOU.
http://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/Lawrence-County-man-indicted-on-child-assault-charges-caught-177226351.html
Lawrence County man indicted on child assault charges caught
ELLIOTT COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT/WSAZ) - A father who has been on the run for nearly three months after being indicted on felony child assault and abuse charges was arrested late Thursday night in Elliott County, Kentucky State Police say.
Nicholas "Nick" Ballou, 24, of Louisa, Ky., was arrested at a home along Wallow Hole Road in Elliott County. He was arrested without incident and is now in Big Sandy Regional Detention Center.
Ballou was indicted by a Lawrence County grand jury.
The charges stem from an incident on Aug. 11, 2011, when Ballou was home alone with his 2-month-old son. According to Kentucky State Police, the child suffered multiple skull fractures and brain injuries.
The mother of the child says the child now has cerebral palsy, permanent brain damage and is blind.
http://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/Lawrence-County-man-indicted-on-child-assault-charges-caught-177226351.html
Lawrence County man indicted on child assault charges caught
ELLIOTT COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT/WSAZ) - A father who has been on the run for nearly three months after being indicted on felony child assault and abuse charges was arrested late Thursday night in Elliott County, Kentucky State Police say.
Nicholas "Nick" Ballou, 24, of Louisa, Ky., was arrested at a home along Wallow Hole Road in Elliott County. He was arrested without incident and is now in Big Sandy Regional Detention Center.
Ballou was indicted by a Lawrence County grand jury.
The charges stem from an incident on Aug. 11, 2011, when Ballou was home alone with his 2-month-old son. According to Kentucky State Police, the child suffered multiple skull fractures and brain injuries.
The mother of the child says the child now has cerebral palsy, permanent brain damage and is blind.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Dad convicted of assaulting, permanently disabling infant daughter; could get 10 years in prison (Toronto, Canada)
Daddy also beat the baby's mother. Such a surprise.
And yet we have the Queen of Denial who actually argues that this dimwit f*** should be "looking after" his daughter again. Why? So he can kill her off for good?
Dad is identified as MALCOLM RICKETTS.
http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/425783/crown-asks-for-10-years-in-malcolm-ricketts-baby-maiming-case/
November 2, 2012 Updated: November 2, 2012 | 12:29 am
Crown asks for 10 years in Malcolm Ricketts baby-maiming case
By Staff Torstar News Service
The Crown has asked for a 10-year prison sentence for the man convicted of assaulting and permanently maiming his infant daughter because of the father’s lack of remorse and understanding of the seriousness of the crime.
Crown prosecutor Laura Bird said that Malcolm Ricketts, 22, “will be dangerous in the future to both women and children.”
Philip Hiebert, Ricketts’ defence lawyer, said his client didn’t intend to harm the baby and asked instead for a three-to-five year sentence.
In July, Ricketts was convicted of five counts of violence against his girlfriend, Christina Hammond, 21, and their then-infant daughter Heaven Hammond-Ricketts.
On one occasion, a witness testified that he threw Hammond and their baby against the wall like “a crash test dummy.”
On another, Ricketts apparently shook his baby so hard he broke several of her ribs and both legs and caused bleeding in her brain.
Heaven, now 2, has severe cerebral palsy, and is “unable to perform basic functions that a child of a few months could do,” said Bird. “She cannot sit up let alone crawl or walk.”
The young girl, who was born with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, cannot talk or see properly.
Ricketts faces a maximum of 12 years in jail. In asking for 10, Bird argued that he needs a significant deterrent.
“Heaven is serving a life sentence … and would have died if not for the heroic efforts of the doctors at Sick Kids Hospital,” said Bird.
“She will never recover from what her father did to her.”
Bird also asked that Ricketts be banned from owning a firearm and that his DNA be taken and kept on file.
Ricketts, who took the stand briefly in his defence, said he just wanted to get back together with Hammond and see his daughter again.
He spoke in a timid voice so soft he had to be repeatedly reminded by Judge Bonnie Croll to speak louder.
“I’m willing to do anything in the criminal justice system, any program to get my life back on track,” said
Ricketts, who has spent more than 31 months in jail awaiting the verdict. Ricketts’family, including Hammond, maintains his innocence and says that Heaven’s condition was caused by her difficult birth and inappropriate care in hospital.
“Malcolm would not do anything like this. He would never hurt his child,” said his mother Monique Ricketts.
“Malcolm is not a criminal,” she said. “He should be out looking after his daughter.”
Ricketts’ cousin, Patrick Anderson, blamed Hammond’s family for their inconsistent testimony.
His sentence is due in two weeks
And yet we have the Queen of Denial who actually argues that this dimwit f*** should be "looking after" his daughter again. Why? So he can kill her off for good?
Dad is identified as MALCOLM RICKETTS.
http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/425783/crown-asks-for-10-years-in-malcolm-ricketts-baby-maiming-case/
November 2, 2012 Updated: November 2, 2012 | 12:29 am
Crown asks for 10 years in Malcolm Ricketts baby-maiming case
By Staff Torstar News Service
The Crown has asked for a 10-year prison sentence for the man convicted of assaulting and permanently maiming his infant daughter because of the father’s lack of remorse and understanding of the seriousness of the crime.
Crown prosecutor Laura Bird said that Malcolm Ricketts, 22, “will be dangerous in the future to both women and children.”
Philip Hiebert, Ricketts’ defence lawyer, said his client didn’t intend to harm the baby and asked instead for a three-to-five year sentence.
In July, Ricketts was convicted of five counts of violence against his girlfriend, Christina Hammond, 21, and their then-infant daughter Heaven Hammond-Ricketts.
On one occasion, a witness testified that he threw Hammond and their baby against the wall like “a crash test dummy.”
On another, Ricketts apparently shook his baby so hard he broke several of her ribs and both legs and caused bleeding in her brain.
Heaven, now 2, has severe cerebral palsy, and is “unable to perform basic functions that a child of a few months could do,” said Bird. “She cannot sit up let alone crawl or walk.”
The young girl, who was born with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, cannot talk or see properly.
Ricketts faces a maximum of 12 years in jail. In asking for 10, Bird argued that he needs a significant deterrent.
“Heaven is serving a life sentence … and would have died if not for the heroic efforts of the doctors at Sick Kids Hospital,” said Bird.
“She will never recover from what her father did to her.”
Bird also asked that Ricketts be banned from owning a firearm and that his DNA be taken and kept on file.
Ricketts, who took the stand briefly in his defence, said he just wanted to get back together with Hammond and see his daughter again.
He spoke in a timid voice so soft he had to be repeatedly reminded by Judge Bonnie Croll to speak louder.
“I’m willing to do anything in the criminal justice system, any program to get my life back on track,” said
Ricketts, who has spent more than 31 months in jail awaiting the verdict. Ricketts’family, including Hammond, maintains his innocence and says that Heaven’s condition was caused by her difficult birth and inappropriate care in hospital.
“Malcolm would not do anything like this. He would never hurt his child,” said his mother Monique Ricketts.
“Malcolm is not a criminal,” she said. “He should be out looking after his daughter.”
Ricketts’ cousin, Patrick Anderson, blamed Hammond’s family for their inconsistent testimony.
His sentence is due in two weeks
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Dad convicted of stomping on head of 3-week-old son; coroner still to determine if he caused boy's death (Ceres, California)
This freaking numb f*** stomped on the head of his 3-week-old son--all because he was jealous that Mom paid so much attention to a newborn?
At the age of 3, the boy finally died, apparently from the severe abuse he suffered at his father's hands (or boot as the case may be). But the coroner has yet to rule on the matter.
Dad is identified as EVERARDO GOMEZ SR.
http://www.modbee.com/2012/10/09/2407708/ceres-police-investigating-death.html
Tuesday, Oct. 09, 2012
Coroner yet to say if Riverbank boy's death stemmed from dad's abuse
By Erin Tracy
CERES -- Ceres police are waiting on the Stanislaus County coroner's office to determine if the death of a 3-year-old boy in July was a result of horrific abuse he suffered as an infant.
On July 9, first responders were called to St. Jude's Catholic Church for reports that the child was not breathing. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed on the boy, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival at a Modesto hospital. The boy's name is being withheld by police until the coroner's office makes a determination of his cause of death.
Based on months of investigation on the case, Ceres police Detective Derek Perry said he believes the boy died from lasting side effects of traumatic injuries he suffered at the hands of his father when he was 3 weeks old.
In February 2009, the boy's father, 31-year-old Everardo Gomez Sr., stomped on his head during a rage at their home in Santa Ana, said Ceres police Sgt. Jose Berber.
In the Orange County Superior Court trial, prosecutors argued that the father was jealous that his wife paid more attention to the baby than to him.
Gomez was convicted on a felony charge of abuse and is in prison serving an eight-year sentence.
The boy and his mother moved to Riverbank some time after Gomez was arrested.
Many medical problems
In the weeks and years after the abuse, Berber said, the child suffered from a series of medical issues, including cerebral palsy, seizures and hydrocephalus, an abnormal collection of cerebrospinal fluid.
For the rest of his short life, he had to be fed through a tube in his stomach. He never was able to walk, and the only thing he learned to say was "mama."
The child had been seen by numerous specialists who treated his illnesses since 2009, Berber said. In the days before his death, the boy was treated at a Bay Area hospital for meningitis. While there, a metal plate inserted in his head at the time of the abuse was removed to ease side effects of seizures. The boy died two days later.
Berber said a Stanislaus County pathologist has been reviewing the child's medical records but has not determined a cause of death. The death still is classified as "suspicious," not a homicide.
Berber said the pathologist has not given detectives a timeline on when he might make this determination.
Regardless, Berber said Perry is determined to recommend murder charges be filed against Gomez. Perry has been working closely with Santa Ana police, and prosecutors in Orange County will be given the first opportunity to file on any crime related to the child's death because the original abuse occurred there.
At the age of 3, the boy finally died, apparently from the severe abuse he suffered at his father's hands (or boot as the case may be). But the coroner has yet to rule on the matter.
Dad is identified as EVERARDO GOMEZ SR.
http://www.modbee.com/2012/10/09/2407708/ceres-police-investigating-death.html
Tuesday, Oct. 09, 2012
Coroner yet to say if Riverbank boy's death stemmed from dad's abuse
By Erin Tracy
CERES -- Ceres police are waiting on the Stanislaus County coroner's office to determine if the death of a 3-year-old boy in July was a result of horrific abuse he suffered as an infant.
On July 9, first responders were called to St. Jude's Catholic Church for reports that the child was not breathing. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed on the boy, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival at a Modesto hospital. The boy's name is being withheld by police until the coroner's office makes a determination of his cause of death.
Based on months of investigation on the case, Ceres police Detective Derek Perry said he believes the boy died from lasting side effects of traumatic injuries he suffered at the hands of his father when he was 3 weeks old.
In February 2009, the boy's father, 31-year-old Everardo Gomez Sr., stomped on his head during a rage at their home in Santa Ana, said Ceres police Sgt. Jose Berber.
In the Orange County Superior Court trial, prosecutors argued that the father was jealous that his wife paid more attention to the baby than to him.
Gomez was convicted on a felony charge of abuse and is in prison serving an eight-year sentence.
The boy and his mother moved to Riverbank some time after Gomez was arrested.
Many medical problems
In the weeks and years after the abuse, Berber said, the child suffered from a series of medical issues, including cerebral palsy, seizures and hydrocephalus, an abnormal collection of cerebrospinal fluid.
For the rest of his short life, he had to be fed through a tube in his stomach. He never was able to walk, and the only thing he learned to say was "mama."
The child had been seen by numerous specialists who treated his illnesses since 2009, Berber said. In the days before his death, the boy was treated at a Bay Area hospital for meningitis. While there, a metal plate inserted in his head at the time of the abuse was removed to ease side effects of seizures. The boy died two days later.
Berber said a Stanislaus County pathologist has been reviewing the child's medical records but has not determined a cause of death. The death still is classified as "suspicious," not a homicide.
Berber said the pathologist has not given detectives a timeline on when he might make this determination.
Regardless, Berber said Perry is determined to recommend murder charges be filed against Gomez. Perry has been working closely with Santa Ana police, and prosecutors in Orange County will be given the first opportunity to file on any crime related to the child's death because the original abuse occurred there.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Dad wanted by police; infant son permanently disabled from three skull fractures (Louisa, Kentucky)
Dad NICK BALLOU brutalized this infant, and never even had the decency to seek medical help. The baby now has permanent disabilities. Now Daddy's on the run from the police.
http://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/Police-looking-for-child-abuse-suspect-166362466.html
Police looking for child abuse suspect
LOUISA, Ky. (WYMT/WSAZ) -- A manhunt is underway for someone police call a child abuser. The victim, now blind for life, is the young father's now 14-month-old son.
It was a father home alone with his then 2-month-old son. He says there was an accident.
But, after a lengthy police investigation, a grand jury handed down a felony child assault and abuse indictment last Friday. And for little Landyn's mother, there's a cry for justice for a child who's life was changed forever that August 2011 day.
Amy Ballou says right after they had their first child Madison, her now ex-husband Nick Ballou changed.
“The person he said he was wasn't who he really was,” Amy said.
Amy says that day a year ago at their home along Old Lick Creek Road in Louisa, Nick called her to say that then 2-month-old Landyn had choked on his baby bottle.
“He was navy blue and barely even alive -- he had three skull fractures,” Amy said.
Nick never called 911.
Those injuries came along with what police say was severe brain trauma.
Now, Amy says Landyn has developed cerebral palsy, that he is blind and will need and get loving, lifelong care.
“Landyn will never have his life back; his father doesn't deserve any sort of life either," Amy said.
Kentucky State Police say after last Fridays felony child abuse and assault charges were filed, the 24-year-old suspect became a fugitive -- and is on the run.
Amy says Nick did not abuse drugs or alcohol, just his temper and her son. She says it may have occurred from right after Landyn's birth.
“He had two rib fractures when he was 6-weeks-old," Amy said. "I hope he never has any other kids to where he could possibly hurt them again because he apparently can not control what he does.”
Amy says she doesn't know what happened when Nick was last alone with Landyn. But, she says a baby can’t get three skull fractures and it is an accident -- and a grand jury agreed.
If you have any information that might help investigators locate Nick Ballou, you're asked to call the Kentucky State Police Ashland post or your county 911 center.
http://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/Police-looking-for-child-abuse-suspect-166362466.html
Police looking for child abuse suspect
LOUISA, Ky. (WYMT/WSAZ) -- A manhunt is underway for someone police call a child abuser. The victim, now blind for life, is the young father's now 14-month-old son.
It was a father home alone with his then 2-month-old son. He says there was an accident.
But, after a lengthy police investigation, a grand jury handed down a felony child assault and abuse indictment last Friday. And for little Landyn's mother, there's a cry for justice for a child who's life was changed forever that August 2011 day.
Amy Ballou says right after they had their first child Madison, her now ex-husband Nick Ballou changed.
“The person he said he was wasn't who he really was,” Amy said.
Amy says that day a year ago at their home along Old Lick Creek Road in Louisa, Nick called her to say that then 2-month-old Landyn had choked on his baby bottle.
“He was navy blue and barely even alive -- he had three skull fractures,” Amy said.
Nick never called 911.
Those injuries came along with what police say was severe brain trauma.
Now, Amy says Landyn has developed cerebral palsy, that he is blind and will need and get loving, lifelong care.
“Landyn will never have his life back; his father doesn't deserve any sort of life either," Amy said.
Kentucky State Police say after last Fridays felony child abuse and assault charges were filed, the 24-year-old suspect became a fugitive -- and is on the run.
Amy says Nick did not abuse drugs or alcohol, just his temper and her son. She says it may have occurred from right after Landyn's birth.
“He had two rib fractures when he was 6-weeks-old," Amy said. "I hope he never has any other kids to where he could possibly hurt them again because he apparently can not control what he does.”
Amy says she doesn't know what happened when Nick was last alone with Landyn. But, she says a baby can’t get three skull fractures and it is an accident -- and a grand jury agreed.
If you have any information that might help investigators locate Nick Ballou, you're asked to call the Kentucky State Police Ashland post or your county 911 center.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Custodial dad admits assaulting disabled son (Bristol, England)
Once again, it is clear if you read carefully that UNNAMED DAD is custodial. As usual, why this abuser had custody is not explained. However, it is clear that the exceedingly father-friendly social workers think this self-confessed batterer is just wonderful. They blame "frustration," the small apartment they live in, sun spots, you name it. It's not Daddy's fault! And they think it's "best" that this boy remain with his violent father because he has a "good character." WTF? Massive Daddy coddling! Once again, we see how daddies can do no wrong in the eyes of these social service nitwits. He has a "good character" despite kicking, punching, smacking, and headbutting a disabled kid? Is he "good" because he didn't succeed in killing him? Just where is the evidence of this "good character"? Oh right. There isn't any.
You would never see a single mother who treated her disabled child is this way described as having a "good character." Just doesn't happen.
Of course, there is not one word here on the boy's mother or what happened to her. Same old erasures, silences we often see in these stories.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Father-admits-assaulting-disabled-son/story-14972184-detail/story.html
Father admits assaulting his disabled son
Thursday, January 19, 2012 Bristol Evening Post
A FATHER assaulted his disabled teenage son because he repeatedly played songs on his iPhone at high volume in their one-bedroom flat.
The father pleaded guilty at Bristol Magistrates' Court to twice assaulting his son by beating at their North Bristol home last year.
A court order was put in place by magistrates yesterday in order to protect the identity of the child.
Laura Opie, prosecuting, said: "The victim in this case has a series of health issues and disabilities.
"He has mild cerebral palsy, moderate learning difficulties and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
"On September 30 he told the head teacher at his special educational needs school that his dad had assaulted him the previous evening.
"He said he had done that by smacking him in the face and by head butting him. Examinations confirmed a lump to his head.
"On October 4 he said he had been hit on the wrist where there was redness and swelling.
"In a later statement regarding the first offence he said he was headbutted and pinned down on the sofa and had been punched and kicked.
"He said his father was angry with him for being naughty but that he hadn't done anything naughty.
"His father attended the police station voluntarily and admitted he and his son had a violent relationship and that they would wind each other up because of the lack of space.
"He added that his son would play the same songs on his iPhone over and over again at high volume.
"He admitted the headbutt but described it more as pushing his son away with his head."
Miss Opie said Social Services had assessed the situation and think it best the boy remains with his father.
Zoe Lash, defending, said: "There are a number of behavioural issues and he has found it very difficult to cope," Miss Lash said.
"He accepts that he has not always behaved appropriately in situations that have occurred.
"Clearly one of the main problems has been the lack of space for the two of them. It would be fraught between a father and son in a normal situation and this is not a normal situation."
She said the father was previously of good character.
Magistrates adjourned the case for a probation report and the man will be sentenced next month.
You would never see a single mother who treated her disabled child is this way described as having a "good character." Just doesn't happen.
Of course, there is not one word here on the boy's mother or what happened to her. Same old erasures, silences we often see in these stories.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Father-admits-assaulting-disabled-son/story-14972184-detail/story.html
Father admits assaulting his disabled son
Thursday, January 19, 2012 Bristol Evening Post
A FATHER assaulted his disabled teenage son because he repeatedly played songs on his iPhone at high volume in their one-bedroom flat.
The father pleaded guilty at Bristol Magistrates' Court to twice assaulting his son by beating at their North Bristol home last year.
A court order was put in place by magistrates yesterday in order to protect the identity of the child.
Laura Opie, prosecuting, said: "The victim in this case has a series of health issues and disabilities.
"He has mild cerebral palsy, moderate learning difficulties and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
"On September 30 he told the head teacher at his special educational needs school that his dad had assaulted him the previous evening.
"He said he had done that by smacking him in the face and by head butting him. Examinations confirmed a lump to his head.
"On October 4 he said he had been hit on the wrist where there was redness and swelling.
"In a later statement regarding the first offence he said he was headbutted and pinned down on the sofa and had been punched and kicked.
"He said his father was angry with him for being naughty but that he hadn't done anything naughty.
"His father attended the police station voluntarily and admitted he and his son had a violent relationship and that they would wind each other up because of the lack of space.
"He added that his son would play the same songs on his iPhone over and over again at high volume.
"He admitted the headbutt but described it more as pushing his son away with his head."
Miss Opie said Social Services had assessed the situation and think it best the boy remains with his father.
Zoe Lash, defending, said: "There are a number of behavioural issues and he has found it very difficult to cope," Miss Lash said.
"He accepts that he has not always behaved appropriately in situations that have occurred.
"Clearly one of the main problems has been the lack of space for the two of them. It would be fraught between a father and son in a normal situation and this is not a normal situation."
She said the father was previously of good character.
Magistrates adjourned the case for a probation report and the man will be sentenced next month.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Judge captured on video beating his own daughter; now under police investigation (Corpus Christie, Texas)
Dad is WILLIAM ADAMS is a Texas judge. It has been mentioned elsewhere that the daughter also has cerebral palsy. But I have yet to hear whether there was a mother in this home. Was there?
Wed, Nov. 02 2011 12:44 PM EDT
http://global.christianpost.com/news/texas-judge-captured-on-video-beating-daughter-now-under-police-investigation-60206/
Texas Judge Captured on Video Beating Daughter Now Under Police Investigation
Could Judge William Adams Face Criminal Charges for Child Abuse?
By Ray Downs
Christian Post Reporter
William Adams, the Texas judge who is accused of beating his daughter with a belt for several minutes because she downloaded video games off the Internet, is now under investigation by police, according to a statement released by the county he serves.
According to the press release by Aransas County Judge Burt Mills, the county is "aware of the video posted on YouTube...and the matter is now under review by the Police Department."
Although the beating in the video may appear extreme to some, the state of Texas allows parents to use corporal punishment on their children, as long as it is "reasonable," according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which says that use of a belt is also legal, depending on the severity.
Also, the video was made in 2004, which could mean that even if a crime was committed, the statute of limitations could have expired. According to the Texas criminal code, there are different statutes of limitations for child abuse, ranging from 3 to 10 years.
Hillary Adams told KZTV-10, a television station in Corpus Christi, Texas, that she wanted to bring attention to the physical abuse she had suffered as a child.
"It had happened before, and had been escalating," Adams said.
"I set up a camera, and I caught it...My father's harassment was getting really bad, so I decided to finally publish the video that I had been sitting on for 7 years," she added.
Other reports of outrage about Adams' alleged poor judgment and views on child abuse have also surfaced online.
In an online discussion regarding child abuse on the Rockport, Texas, section on Topix.com weeks before the video was released, a commenter said: "Judge William Adams has held that a child should be ignored when the child reports what a child psychologist has described as 'horrific child abuse.' "
The commenter added, "He has held that a child's report of child abuse is no evidence and that a parent and her lawyer who relies on what a child says should be sanctioned. He has ruled that it is frivolous to believe a child merely because the child is a child."
Due to the anonymity of the Internet, these comments have yet to be confirmed, although it must be noted that several similar allegations were found online, well before the abuse video was uploaded.
Wed, Nov. 02 2011 12:44 PM EDT
http://global.christianpost.com/news/texas-judge-captured-on-video-beating-daughter-now-under-police-investigation-60206/
Texas Judge Captured on Video Beating Daughter Now Under Police Investigation
Could Judge William Adams Face Criminal Charges for Child Abuse?
By Ray Downs
Christian Post Reporter
William Adams, the Texas judge who is accused of beating his daughter with a belt for several minutes because she downloaded video games off the Internet, is now under investigation by police, according to a statement released by the county he serves.
According to the press release by Aransas County Judge Burt Mills, the county is "aware of the video posted on YouTube...and the matter is now under review by the Police Department."
Although the beating in the video may appear extreme to some, the state of Texas allows parents to use corporal punishment on their children, as long as it is "reasonable," according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which says that use of a belt is also legal, depending on the severity.
Also, the video was made in 2004, which could mean that even if a crime was committed, the statute of limitations could have expired. According to the Texas criminal code, there are different statutes of limitations for child abuse, ranging from 3 to 10 years.
Hillary Adams told KZTV-10, a television station in Corpus Christi, Texas, that she wanted to bring attention to the physical abuse she had suffered as a child.
"It had happened before, and had been escalating," Adams said.
"I set up a camera, and I caught it...My father's harassment was getting really bad, so I decided to finally publish the video that I had been sitting on for 7 years," she added.
Other reports of outrage about Adams' alleged poor judgment and views on child abuse have also surfaced online.
In an online discussion regarding child abuse on the Rockport, Texas, section on Topix.com weeks before the video was released, a commenter said: "Judge William Adams has held that a child should be ignored when the child reports what a child psychologist has described as 'horrific child abuse.' "
The commenter added, "He has held that a child's report of child abuse is no evidence and that a parent and her lawyer who relies on what a child says should be sanctioned. He has ruled that it is frivolous to believe a child merely because the child is a child."
Due to the anonymity of the Internet, these comments have yet to be confirmed, although it must be noted that several similar allegations were found online, well before the abuse video was uploaded.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Judge: Dad accused of decapitating 7-year-old son "unfit for trial" (Lafourche Parish, Louisiana)
Dad JEREMIAH LEE WRIGHT has been found unfit for trial in the decapitation murder of his 7-year-old son. We'll have to take the judge's word for it, as the records have been sealed. In fact, this basically sounds like a "spite" crime. Daddy was a "stay-at-home" who was supported by the mom. And he didn't like having to do child care. Or work. He had "issues" you see.
And we're told that only moms play the mental health card and get away with it?
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-18/justice/justice_louisiana-child-decapitated_1_decapitated-mental-evaluation-judge-rules?_s=PM:JUSTICE
Father accused of decapitating son unfit for trial, judge rules
CEREBRAL PALSY
October 18, 2011|By Rick Martin, CNN
Jeremiah Lee Wright, the 30-year-old father who police say decapitated his son, was ruled unfit for trial on Tuesday.A 30-year-old father who police say decapitated his 7-year-old disabled son is unfit for trial, a Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, judge ruled Tuesday.
Jeremiah Lee Wright is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jori Lirette. The second-grade boy was killed on August 14 in the town of Thibodaux. The killing was an act horrific enough to shock the community and grab national attention. Police have said Wright confessed that he decapitated the boy.
District Judge John E. LeBlanc found Wright "was not competent to stand trial," Court Clerk Pam Cheriamie said.
"Two psychiatrists appointed by the court to examine Wright were subpoenaed to testify," she said.
But Wright's defense attorney, Kerry Cuccia, said the psychiatrists didn't testify, but their reports were submitted.
Cuccia said he could not say why his client was found not fit to stand trial. "The judge sealed the records with specifics on the mental evaluation," he said. But he added, "The judge announced my client lacks the mental capacity to proceed and stand trial. This means he has to appropriately understand the nature of the proceedings before him and be able to assist his lawyer with his own defense."
He said Wright was sent to a state mental health facility in Jackson for further evaluation.
A status hearing was scheduled for January 31 "to see if he's been rehabilitated and (is) competent enough for trial," Cheriamie said.
Thibodaux police were called to Wright's house on August 14 by a person who said a severed head was sitting on the side of a city street.
Investigators found a white garbage bag nearby with the child's body inside, police said.
"The child had cerebral palsy and was bound to a wheelchair (and also had) additional disabilities," Thibodaux Police Chief Scott Silverii said in August. "He also required a feeding tube and he wasn't able to speak verbally."
The chief said Wright confessed he decapitated the child. Investigators recovered a hacksaw that they believe was the murder weapon.
"During the interview, Wright said he was taking care of (the child) for so many years and he just started to look at him as no longer his son, just an inanimate object," Silverii said. "He and the child's mother had some issues. And he purposely put the child's head in a position for her to see it."
And we're told that only moms play the mental health card and get away with it?
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-18/justice/justice_louisiana-child-decapitated_1_decapitated-mental-evaluation-judge-rules?_s=PM:JUSTICE
Father accused of decapitating son unfit for trial, judge rules
CEREBRAL PALSY
October 18, 2011|By Rick Martin, CNN
Jeremiah Lee Wright, the 30-year-old father who police say decapitated his son, was ruled unfit for trial on Tuesday.A 30-year-old father who police say decapitated his 7-year-old disabled son is unfit for trial, a Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, judge ruled Tuesday.
Jeremiah Lee Wright is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jori Lirette. The second-grade boy was killed on August 14 in the town of Thibodaux. The killing was an act horrific enough to shock the community and grab national attention. Police have said Wright confessed that he decapitated the boy.
District Judge John E. LeBlanc found Wright "was not competent to stand trial," Court Clerk Pam Cheriamie said.
"Two psychiatrists appointed by the court to examine Wright were subpoenaed to testify," she said.
But Wright's defense attorney, Kerry Cuccia, said the psychiatrists didn't testify, but their reports were submitted.
Cuccia said he could not say why his client was found not fit to stand trial. "The judge sealed the records with specifics on the mental evaluation," he said. But he added, "The judge announced my client lacks the mental capacity to proceed and stand trial. This means he has to appropriately understand the nature of the proceedings before him and be able to assist his lawyer with his own defense."
He said Wright was sent to a state mental health facility in Jackson for further evaluation.
A status hearing was scheduled for January 31 "to see if he's been rehabilitated and (is) competent enough for trial," Cheriamie said.
Thibodaux police were called to Wright's house on August 14 by a person who said a severed head was sitting on the side of a city street.
Investigators found a white garbage bag nearby with the child's body inside, police said.
"The child had cerebral palsy and was bound to a wheelchair (and also had) additional disabilities," Thibodaux Police Chief Scott Silverii said in August. "He also required a feeding tube and he wasn't able to speak verbally."
The chief said Wright confessed he decapitated the child. Investigators recovered a hacksaw that they believe was the murder weapon.
"During the interview, Wright said he was taking care of (the child) for so many years and he just started to look at him as no longer his son, just an inanimate object," Silverii said. "He and the child's mother had some issues. And he purposely put the child's head in a position for her to see it."
Monday, October 10, 2011
Dad to be sentenced for abuse of twin infant sons (Washington County, Oklahoma)
Okay, what gives with the mother erasure stuff in the media?
You can wade through this article and find out how dad CHESTER TANNER ARTHUR abused his twin sons, who were barely 2 months of age. You can read about how one baby was hospitalized with several head fractures, including injuries that were in the healing stage (suggesting that Daddy had been abusing the babies since birth). Your can see how Daddy "used force" on both babies. You can hear how this poor widdle daddy was under an "extreme amount of stress" since the birth of the babies, and just couldn't stand that all that crying. How he admits shaking one of the babies just once--he says--though that baby was the one with several head fractures. How he kept "dropping" both the babies (clumsy daddy syndrome rears its ugly head). How the other baby now has cerebral palsy.
You will find mention of Daddy's mother. The babies' foster mother.
What you won't find is ONE DAMN WORD about the woman who gave birth to these babies. The woman normally called a mother. What happened? Were these babies found in a cabbage patch? Was this a single adoptive father? What? Why the silence? How was the mother pushed out of the picture?
http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/articles/2011/10/08/news/cooperpassed.txt
Sentencing passed for fatherFriday, October 7, 2011 3:00 PM CDT
Man to be sentenced on October 19 For abuse of twins
Formal sentencing for 21-year-old Chester Tanner Cooper in the abuse of his 2 1/2-month-old twin boys has been passed because Cooper's mother died on Tuesday, according to District Attorney Kevin Buchanan.
Sentencing had been set for Thursday but is now set for 2 p.m. Oct. 19.
Cooper had previously entered a blind plea to two counts of child abuse by injury on Aug. 12.
Authorities contend that on Dec. 13, 2010, a baby was brought to the Jane Phillips Medical Center emergency room with possible head injuries and that the child was found to have several fractures to his skull and bleeding on his brain in various areas and in various stages of healing.
Police say the baby's twin brother was admitted to the hospital for observation as a precaution.
Police contend that, when interviewed, Cooper described and demonstrated using force on both boys in the four days prior that would be sufficient force to cause the injuries.
In the Pre-Sentence Investigation report prepared in the case by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Cooper says that he was "under an extreme amount of stress" after the children were born and he describes several instances of shaking both boys in the days before the boy's injury.
"He had been crying for about two hours and I guess the stress got to me and before I could stop myself I shook him. It was not hard or repeated, it was only one time," he told investigators, referring to the child that was later found to have skull fractures on Dec. 13.
"He stopped crying for a moment and looked at me, then he started to cry again so I comforted him and did everything I could think of, then he stopped."
He also described another scenario in which he had given the same child a bath and had "accidentally dropped him."
He said that on the day in question, he dropped the second child, after the boy "started to squirm."
"I never meant to hurt my child, it was a complete accident and I am very sorry," he said.
The PSI also notes that the second child was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and that he continues to have seizures which require medication maintenance" and that the boy "is now 11 months old but is physically and cognitively equal to that of a 3-4 month old baby. (The victim) continues to show spasticity on the right side of his body, he is unable to roll over or sit up unassisted, and is non-verbal."
In an interview with the child's foster mother on Sept. 13, she said that recent medical information indicates "his brain is not growing and it is believed that his brain will never grow to reach it's full potential."
The report also says that the first child "continues to display some developmental delays."
Cooper remains in the Washington County Jail on $500,000 bond.
You can wade through this article and find out how dad CHESTER TANNER ARTHUR abused his twin sons, who were barely 2 months of age. You can read about how one baby was hospitalized with several head fractures, including injuries that were in the healing stage (suggesting that Daddy had been abusing the babies since birth). Your can see how Daddy "used force" on both babies. You can hear how this poor widdle daddy was under an "extreme amount of stress" since the birth of the babies, and just couldn't stand that all that crying. How he admits shaking one of the babies just once--he says--though that baby was the one with several head fractures. How he kept "dropping" both the babies (clumsy daddy syndrome rears its ugly head). How the other baby now has cerebral palsy.
You will find mention of Daddy's mother. The babies' foster mother.
What you won't find is ONE DAMN WORD about the woman who gave birth to these babies. The woman normally called a mother. What happened? Were these babies found in a cabbage patch? Was this a single adoptive father? What? Why the silence? How was the mother pushed out of the picture?
http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/articles/2011/10/08/news/cooperpassed.txt
Sentencing passed for fatherFriday, October 7, 2011 3:00 PM CDT
Man to be sentenced on October 19 For abuse of twins
Formal sentencing for 21-year-old Chester Tanner Cooper in the abuse of his 2 1/2-month-old twin boys has been passed because Cooper's mother died on Tuesday, according to District Attorney Kevin Buchanan.
Sentencing had been set for Thursday but is now set for 2 p.m. Oct. 19.
Cooper had previously entered a blind plea to two counts of child abuse by injury on Aug. 12.
Authorities contend that on Dec. 13, 2010, a baby was brought to the Jane Phillips Medical Center emergency room with possible head injuries and that the child was found to have several fractures to his skull and bleeding on his brain in various areas and in various stages of healing.
Police say the baby's twin brother was admitted to the hospital for observation as a precaution.
Police contend that, when interviewed, Cooper described and demonstrated using force on both boys in the four days prior that would be sufficient force to cause the injuries.
In the Pre-Sentence Investigation report prepared in the case by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Cooper says that he was "under an extreme amount of stress" after the children were born and he describes several instances of shaking both boys in the days before the boy's injury.
"He had been crying for about two hours and I guess the stress got to me and before I could stop myself I shook him. It was not hard or repeated, it was only one time," he told investigators, referring to the child that was later found to have skull fractures on Dec. 13.
"He stopped crying for a moment and looked at me, then he started to cry again so I comforted him and did everything I could think of, then he stopped."
He also described another scenario in which he had given the same child a bath and had "accidentally dropped him."
He said that on the day in question, he dropped the second child, after the boy "started to squirm."
"I never meant to hurt my child, it was a complete accident and I am very sorry," he said.
The PSI also notes that the second child was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and that he continues to have seizures which require medication maintenance" and that the boy "is now 11 months old but is physically and cognitively equal to that of a 3-4 month old baby. (The victim) continues to show spasticity on the right side of his body, he is unable to roll over or sit up unassisted, and is non-verbal."
In an interview with the child's foster mother on Sept. 13, she said that recent medical information indicates "his brain is not growing and it is believed that his brain will never grow to reach it's full potential."
The report also says that the first child "continues to display some developmental delays."
Cooper remains in the Washington County Jail on $500,000 bond.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Dad decapitates 7-year-old son, leaves boy's head where his mom "would see it" (Thibodaux, Louisiana)
Seems dad JEREMIAH LEE WRIGHT murdered his son out of spite against the boy's mother. He wanted HER to "feel stupid"??? This unemployed deadbeat--who had been arrested on unspecified charges before--was all put out from having to take care of a disabled child, even though Mom also took care of him AND worked to support Daddy's lazy @$$ by caring for another disabled person. God forbid that these layabout daddies do anything resembling work. Anymore, they don't want to hold jobs, they don't want to do any household chores, they don't want to do child care. They just want to sit on their butts on a permanent vacation.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/08/15/police-la-man-decapitated-disabled-son-7/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl7%7Csec3_lnk1%7C86645
Police: La. man decapitated disabled son, 7
Published August 15, 2011
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS – A Louisiana man is accused of bludgeoning, decapitating and dismembering his disabled 7-year-old son and leaving the boy's head near the street so the child's mother would see it — a killing that brought seasoned police officers to tears, authorities said Monday.
Jeremiah Lee Wright, 30, of Thibodaux waived his right to an attorney and confessed to killing Jori Lirette within 30 minutes of being brought to the police station Sunday, Police Chief Scott Silverii said. He said Wright was booked with first-degree murder and held in lieu of $5 million bond.
He was in isolation, Silverii said during a Monday afternoon news conference. The department spokesman, Detective Ricky Ross, said he does not believe Wright has an attorney.
Flowers, balloons and stuffed animals were left Monday outside the house where Jori died.
"He was maybe the best thing that ever happened to me," his mother, Jesslyn Lirette, said at the news conference.
A preliminary autopsy found the boy was bludgeoned, decapitated and dismembered, Silverii said. Whatever hit him caused "excessive bleeding in the head," he said.
Silverii said the motive was unclear, though Wright told police "that he'd gotten to the point where he was tired of taking care" of the boy, who had cerebral palsy and heart problems, needed a feeding tube, had limited speech and was in a wheelchair.
"He said when he put his head out by the side of the road it was so the mother would see it when she came by," Silverii said. He said Wright's only explanation for doing so was "just that he wanted her to feel stupid when she saw the head."
The police chief said Jori's feet and one hand also were cut off, recovered with the body in several white plastic garbage bags.
The slaying was the first in Thibodaux since 2008.
Silverii said the boy apparently was decapitated over the kitchen sink, which was sent to the Louisiana State Police crime lab along with a box of tools found nearby. Wright told investigators he began killing the boy about 30 minutes after Lirette had left Sunday to repair her pickup truck so she could take Jori to a doctor on Tuesday.
Police had been called to the house last month when the couple had an argument — possibly about money — though neither person brought charges, Ross said. The police chief said Wright had been arrested a few times previously, though he was never charged with violent crimes. Wright served 10 days for theft in 2005.
Lirette, 27, told The Daily Comet of Thibodaux (http://bit.ly/pqtIKx ) that she and Wright had been together for 10 years, but that she had planned for some time to leave him.
"I didn't get out fast enough," she said.
Mark Chatagnier, a friend of Wright's, told the newspaper that Wright was unemployed and that Lirette often left him to care for Jori, even when she was not working.
"She would take off and totally expect Jerry to do everything," Chatagnier said.
Lirette denied that. She said she cared for another disabled person to pay household bills and was still around to care for her son, who had been born three months premature, could say only a few words and weighed no more than 50 pounds when he died.
"He was my star. No matter what people think or say, he was always top priority in my life," Lirette said through tears during the news conference. "I've done everything I can for him."
When Lirette returned from fixing the truck, she found her home blocked by police tape.
When she identified herself, Silverii had a captain and Ross, who was a minister for 12 years and remains a lay pastor, tell her what happened.
"These are experienced men. They came out of there in tears. Just absolutely in tears," Silverii said.
Grief counselors from the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office also spent time with her, he said.
South Thibodaux Elementary School, where Jori was a second-grader, was "a very somber place" Monday, said Floyd Benoit, spokesman for the Lafourche Parish school system. Counselors were on hand there and at other schools where people knew Jori, he said.
The school has 560 students, including 84 second-graders and 18 in special education across all grades, he said.
Jori had attended South Thibodaux since pre-kindergarten, principal Diane Smith said. "Everyone loved him. Even though he could not express in words his feelings to us, he did it with his smile," she said.
Lirette, who began her statement with a plea for privacy, ended with a message to her son:
"In Heaven I believe you're a beautiful star and you will always shine bright inside my heart, inside everybody's heart. If I could go back and change yesterday, I would. But I can't.
"You will be missed and loved by everyone and we will pray every day in your honor. Love you, Mom."
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/08/15/police-la-man-decapitated-disabled-son-7/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl7%7Csec3_lnk1%7C86645
Police: La. man decapitated disabled son, 7
Published August 15, 2011
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS – A Louisiana man is accused of bludgeoning, decapitating and dismembering his disabled 7-year-old son and leaving the boy's head near the street so the child's mother would see it — a killing that brought seasoned police officers to tears, authorities said Monday.
Jeremiah Lee Wright, 30, of Thibodaux waived his right to an attorney and confessed to killing Jori Lirette within 30 minutes of being brought to the police station Sunday, Police Chief Scott Silverii said. He said Wright was booked with first-degree murder and held in lieu of $5 million bond.
He was in isolation, Silverii said during a Monday afternoon news conference. The department spokesman, Detective Ricky Ross, said he does not believe Wright has an attorney.
Flowers, balloons and stuffed animals were left Monday outside the house where Jori died.
"He was maybe the best thing that ever happened to me," his mother, Jesslyn Lirette, said at the news conference.
A preliminary autopsy found the boy was bludgeoned, decapitated and dismembered, Silverii said. Whatever hit him caused "excessive bleeding in the head," he said.
Silverii said the motive was unclear, though Wright told police "that he'd gotten to the point where he was tired of taking care" of the boy, who had cerebral palsy and heart problems, needed a feeding tube, had limited speech and was in a wheelchair.
"He said when he put his head out by the side of the road it was so the mother would see it when she came by," Silverii said. He said Wright's only explanation for doing so was "just that he wanted her to feel stupid when she saw the head."
The police chief said Jori's feet and one hand also were cut off, recovered with the body in several white plastic garbage bags.
The slaying was the first in Thibodaux since 2008.
Silverii said the boy apparently was decapitated over the kitchen sink, which was sent to the Louisiana State Police crime lab along with a box of tools found nearby. Wright told investigators he began killing the boy about 30 minutes after Lirette had left Sunday to repair her pickup truck so she could take Jori to a doctor on Tuesday.
Police had been called to the house last month when the couple had an argument — possibly about money — though neither person brought charges, Ross said. The police chief said Wright had been arrested a few times previously, though he was never charged with violent crimes. Wright served 10 days for theft in 2005.
Lirette, 27, told The Daily Comet of Thibodaux (http://bit.ly/pqtIKx ) that she and Wright had been together for 10 years, but that she had planned for some time to leave him.
"I didn't get out fast enough," she said.
Mark Chatagnier, a friend of Wright's, told the newspaper that Wright was unemployed and that Lirette often left him to care for Jori, even when she was not working.
"She would take off and totally expect Jerry to do everything," Chatagnier said.
Lirette denied that. She said she cared for another disabled person to pay household bills and was still around to care for her son, who had been born three months premature, could say only a few words and weighed no more than 50 pounds when he died.
"He was my star. No matter what people think or say, he was always top priority in my life," Lirette said through tears during the news conference. "I've done everything I can for him."
When Lirette returned from fixing the truck, she found her home blocked by police tape.
When she identified herself, Silverii had a captain and Ross, who was a minister for 12 years and remains a lay pastor, tell her what happened.
"These are experienced men. They came out of there in tears. Just absolutely in tears," Silverii said.
Grief counselors from the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office also spent time with her, he said.
South Thibodaux Elementary School, where Jori was a second-grader, was "a very somber place" Monday, said Floyd Benoit, spokesman for the Lafourche Parish school system. Counselors were on hand there and at other schools where people knew Jori, he said.
The school has 560 students, including 84 second-graders and 18 in special education across all grades, he said.
Jori had attended South Thibodaux since pre-kindergarten, principal Diane Smith said. "Everyone loved him. Even though he could not express in words his feelings to us, he did it with his smile," she said.
Lirette, who began her statement with a plea for privacy, ended with a message to her son:
"In Heaven I believe you're a beautiful star and you will always shine bright inside my heart, inside everybody's heart. If I could go back and change yesterday, I would. But I can't.
"You will be missed and loved by everyone and we will pray every day in your honor. Love you, Mom."
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Death of 10-year-old daughter ruled homicide; dad charged (Pasadena, Texas)
Dad JEFFREY SINGER has been charged. No mention of the mother, just the grandfather. Why?
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/pasadena/news/article_59b213fb-7735-5af0-af68-0488a6fec91e.html
Death of 10-year old ruled homicide
Posted: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 6:03 pm
By Y.C. Orozco Houston Community Newspapers
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has ruled that the death of 10-year old Jonathan Singer in April a homicide.
His father, Jeffrey Singer, has been charged with serious bodily injury to a child. Although the report did not specify how the victim died, it did list homicide as “manner of death”.
The body of Jonathan Singer, who had cerebral palsy and was blind, was found in April of 2011 in the trunk of his father’s SUV in Houston. The family temporarily resided in a Pasadena apartment complex on Space Center Boulevard and NASA. According to the original police report by the Pasadena Police Department, Jeffrey Singer had been driving for several days with the remains of his son in the trunk before he drove to the Houston home of his father, the victim’s grandfather, and made statements that police determined to be incriminating. The victim’s grandfather called the Houston Police Department, who alerted the Pasadena PD.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT.
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/pasadena/news/article_59b213fb-7735-5af0-af68-0488a6fec91e.html
Death of 10-year old ruled homicide
Posted: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 6:03 pm
By Y.C. Orozco Houston Community Newspapers
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has ruled that the death of 10-year old Jonathan Singer in April a homicide.
His father, Jeffrey Singer, has been charged with serious bodily injury to a child. Although the report did not specify how the victim died, it did list homicide as “manner of death”.
The body of Jonathan Singer, who had cerebral palsy and was blind, was found in April of 2011 in the trunk of his father’s SUV in Houston. The family temporarily resided in a Pasadena apartment complex on Space Center Boulevard and NASA. According to the original police report by the Pasadena Police Department, Jeffrey Singer had been driving for several days with the remains of his son in the trunk before he drove to the Houston home of his father, the victim’s grandfather, and made statements that police determined to be incriminating. The victim’s grandfather called the Houston Police Department, who alerted the Pasadena PD.
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