Update to the killer dads and custody list.
Dad SPENCER WEAVER reportedly had visitation.
http://www.chronicleonline.com/content/man-sentenced-40-years-murder
Man sentenced to 40 years for murder
Infant was shaken, choked
By Shemir Wiles
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at 9:30 pm
INVERNESS — Dressed in all red with “INMATE” written in large black letters on his back, 22-year-old Spencer Tyson Weaver stood shackled and inexpressive before the judge Tuesday morning as he was sentenced to 40 years in prison for killing his 2-month-old son.
“Mr. Weaver, do you want me to accept this plea?” Circuit Judge Ric Howard asked from the bench.
“Yes, sir,” Weaver answered promptly.
Weaver, of Inverness, was in court on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse related to the death of his son, Tamarri Weaver. Citrus County Sheriff’s Office officials said Weaver confessed to abusing his son by squeezing, choking and hitting him in the face with an open hand.
He was also in court facing charges of burglary where a person becomes armed and grand theft in connection with a home burglary that happened in 2008.
According to police reports, Weaver admitted to handling his son in a rough manner, squeezing his abdomen and bruising him starting in late January. He said he was “rough” with the child when picking him up and putting him down and would squeeze the baby’s neck and choke him while burping him.
On Feb. 14, 2010, while alone with the baby, Weaver once again “squeezed the back of his neck very hard while choking” the baby and removed the baby from the bed “in a rough and forceful manner,” according to his arrest affidavit. Then, he threw the baby down on his waterbed and hit him twice on the right side of his head with an open hand.
After that, Weaver said he could tell the abuse had affected the baby, who was not alert and was going in and out of consciousness.
At this point, Weaver said he was scared because he knew he had done harm to the baby but did not call 911 out of concern for what he’d done. Instead, he took the child to the bathroom and gave him a bath. While doing so, Weaver hit the child’s head on the sink, causing the child to go limp.
He then took the baby to the bedroom and placed him on the bed in a rough manner. Weaver told detectives he was panicked because the baby wasn’t breathing so he started to slap the child in the face.
As a result of the injuries, the baby was airlifted to All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, where he died two days later from his injuries Weaver said he knew that his actions toward his son caused the injuries and ultimately his son’s death.
Avoiding life imprisonment, Weaver signed the plea agreement Monday morning because his attorney Steve Laurence said Weaver believed it was in his best interest. In addition, his first-degree murder charge was also reduced to a second-degree murder charge.
However, Assistant State Attorney Pete Magrino stated for the record that both law enforcement and the mother of the child and her family were against the plea and wanted a trial.
Magrino attempted to postpone Weaver’s sentencing for a later date because the deceased child’s mother was not present. But, Howard said everyone was “put on notice” and he would proceed.
Only one family member — an uncle — appeared in court in support of Weaver. However, he didn’t address the court and left courtroom in silence.
Showing posts with label child custody. custody/visitation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label child custody. custody/visitation. Show all posts
Monday, November 3, 2014
Friday, May 16, 2014
Dad convicted of battering 2-year-old son during visitation; boy suffered perforated intestine (Fort Smith, Arkansas)
Even though this little boy was battered during visitation with Dad and the step, Mom has still lost the boy to foster care.
Dad is identified as BOBBY LEE PITCHFORD. Note his previous criminal record. Impressive. Wonder what custody/visitation orders were in place before this incident, and whether Mom was required to facilitate contact regardless of Daddy's less than illustrious history. It's very likely, but ignored here....
http://swtimes.com/news/fort-smith-father-sentenced-battery-against-2-year-old
Fort Smith Father Sentenced For Battery Against 2-Year-Old
By Jeff Arnold Times Record
Sebastian County Circuit Court Judge Michael Fitzhugh told Bobby Lee Pitchford he would sentence him to “significantly more” time in prison Friday, if law didn’t require a sentence of no more than five years in prison plus 15 years suspended.
Pitchford, 26, of Fort Smith was convicted of first-degree battery Wednesday against his son Tristan Stepanian, 2, who was life-flighted Sept. 25 to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock for an emergency surgery on a perforated small intestine.
The jury deliberated for about 3 1/2 hours Wednesday before convicting Pitchford, then deliberated 90 minutes before recommending a sentence of four years in prison plus 16 years suspended. The trial began Monday.
First-degree battery is a Class B felony normally punishable by five to 20 years in prison, but Pitchford faced a sentencing range of five to 40 years in prison because he is a habitual offender. He previously was convicted of four felonies: theft of property and being a felon in possession of a firearm in state court, and desertion and being absent without leave in a military court in 2008 when he was in the U.S. Army.
But Fitzhugh determined he couldn’t sentence Pitchford to less than the five-year minimum, based on a 2013 Arkansas Supreme Court decision.
“This court has consistently held that minimum sentences for habitual offenders are mandatory,” according to the 4-3 decision issued May 23, 2013.
The judge delayed sentencing until Friday to give both the prosecution and defense time to submit briefs on sentencing.
On Friday, Fitzhugh announced that he also found he was prohibited from sentencing Pitchford to more than five years, based on the jury’s recommendation.
“If the jury in any case assesses a punishment, whether of fine or imprisonment, below the limit prescribed by law for offenses of which the defendant is convicted, the court shall render judgment and pronounce sentence according to the lowest limit prescribed by law in such cases,” according to Arkansas law.
The defense insisted Tristan’s injuries were caused either when another 2-year-old struck him in the stomach with a toy guitar or when Tristan jumped off a children’s picnic table and landed on a toy truck.
Fitzhugh told Pitchford “your story is just not believable in the eyes of the court” based on the testimony of three physicians, who told jurors the force needed to cause a perforated bowel is equal to a car wreck at 50 or 60 mph or a fall from a two-story window.
Pitchford and his wife Rachael cared for Tristan for about six weeks, until Sept. 24, while Tristan’s mother and Pitchford’s ex-wife, Robin Stepanian, was in Tulsa, where she was planning to move. The surgeon who operated on Tristan testified the injury that cause the child’s perforated bowel occurred no later than Sept. 23.
Fitzhugh also pointed out that the child was “bruised or cut from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet” by the time he was hospitalized, after coming to him without any injuries.
Dr. Rachel Clingenpeel told jurors Tuesday that a child who falls out a two-story window doesn’t have as many bruises as Tristan had Sept. 25 following his emergency surgery. Clingenpeel also said multiple bruises on the neck, back, stomach and hip aren’t typical of accidental injuries children regularly experience.
Clingenpeel is a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital specializing in child abuse cases.
Although Fitzhugh was prohibited from sentencing Pitchford to more than five years, he ordered the sentence be consecutive to a six-year prison term Pitchford received in February when the court revoked his suspended sentence on a 2009 felon in possession of a firearm charge.
Fitzhugh also issued a no-contact order prohibiting Pitchford from any communication with Tristan and forbidding him from having any unsupervised contact with any minor.
Deputy public defender Rita Watkins objected to the judge forbidding Pitchford from having unsupervised contact with minors. Fitzhugh told Watkins she could object but that was his ruling.
Deputy prosecuting attorney Robert McClure said Tristan has recovered from his injuries and is now in foster care.
Dad is identified as BOBBY LEE PITCHFORD. Note his previous criminal record. Impressive. Wonder what custody/visitation orders were in place before this incident, and whether Mom was required to facilitate contact regardless of Daddy's less than illustrious history. It's very likely, but ignored here....
http://swtimes.com/news/fort-smith-father-sentenced-battery-against-2-year-old
Fort Smith Father Sentenced For Battery Against 2-Year-Old
By Jeff Arnold Times Record
Sebastian County Circuit Court Judge Michael Fitzhugh told Bobby Lee Pitchford he would sentence him to “significantly more” time in prison Friday, if law didn’t require a sentence of no more than five years in prison plus 15 years suspended.
Pitchford, 26, of Fort Smith was convicted of first-degree battery Wednesday against his son Tristan Stepanian, 2, who was life-flighted Sept. 25 to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock for an emergency surgery on a perforated small intestine.
The jury deliberated for about 3 1/2 hours Wednesday before convicting Pitchford, then deliberated 90 minutes before recommending a sentence of four years in prison plus 16 years suspended. The trial began Monday.
First-degree battery is a Class B felony normally punishable by five to 20 years in prison, but Pitchford faced a sentencing range of five to 40 years in prison because he is a habitual offender. He previously was convicted of four felonies: theft of property and being a felon in possession of a firearm in state court, and desertion and being absent without leave in a military court in 2008 when he was in the U.S. Army.
But Fitzhugh determined he couldn’t sentence Pitchford to less than the five-year minimum, based on a 2013 Arkansas Supreme Court decision.
“This court has consistently held that minimum sentences for habitual offenders are mandatory,” according to the 4-3 decision issued May 23, 2013.
The judge delayed sentencing until Friday to give both the prosecution and defense time to submit briefs on sentencing.
On Friday, Fitzhugh announced that he also found he was prohibited from sentencing Pitchford to more than five years, based on the jury’s recommendation.
“If the jury in any case assesses a punishment, whether of fine or imprisonment, below the limit prescribed by law for offenses of which the defendant is convicted, the court shall render judgment and pronounce sentence according to the lowest limit prescribed by law in such cases,” according to Arkansas law.
The defense insisted Tristan’s injuries were caused either when another 2-year-old struck him in the stomach with a toy guitar or when Tristan jumped off a children’s picnic table and landed on a toy truck.
Fitzhugh told Pitchford “your story is just not believable in the eyes of the court” based on the testimony of three physicians, who told jurors the force needed to cause a perforated bowel is equal to a car wreck at 50 or 60 mph or a fall from a two-story window.
Pitchford and his wife Rachael cared for Tristan for about six weeks, until Sept. 24, while Tristan’s mother and Pitchford’s ex-wife, Robin Stepanian, was in Tulsa, where she was planning to move. The surgeon who operated on Tristan testified the injury that cause the child’s perforated bowel occurred no later than Sept. 23.
Fitzhugh also pointed out that the child was “bruised or cut from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet” by the time he was hospitalized, after coming to him without any injuries.
Dr. Rachel Clingenpeel told jurors Tuesday that a child who falls out a two-story window doesn’t have as many bruises as Tristan had Sept. 25 following his emergency surgery. Clingenpeel also said multiple bruises on the neck, back, stomach and hip aren’t typical of accidental injuries children regularly experience.
Clingenpeel is a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital specializing in child abuse cases.
Although Fitzhugh was prohibited from sentencing Pitchford to more than five years, he ordered the sentence be consecutive to a six-year prison term Pitchford received in February when the court revoked his suspended sentence on a 2009 felon in possession of a firearm charge.
Fitzhugh also issued a no-contact order prohibiting Pitchford from any communication with Tristan and forbidding him from having any unsupervised contact with any minor.
Deputy public defender Rita Watkins objected to the judge forbidding Pitchford from having unsupervised contact with minors. Fitzhugh told Watkins she could object but that was his ruling.
Deputy prosecuting attorney Robert McClure said Tristan has recovered from his injuries and is now in foster care.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Dad gets 6 months in jail for raping 8-year-old daughter, forcing her to watch porn (Cayman Islands)
There is mention of UNNAMED DAD's girlfriend (the one in the sex-tape) but NO mention of this girl having a mother? Why? Didn't she have one? Did this rapist have full custody? Shared custody? What? He obviously had some sort of access.
http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2013/08/21/Crown-appeals-sentence-for-father-who-abused-8-year-old-daughter/
Crown appeals sentence for father who abused 8-year-old daughter
By: James Whittaker
A man who forced his 8-year-old daughter to watch pornography while he indecently assaulted her faces the possibility of having his jail sentence increased.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions confirmed this week that it will appeal the six-month prison sentence given to the 44-year-old, who admitted to a string of sexual offences against his daughter.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced recently by Cayman Islands Chief Magistrate Nova Hall. The sentence sparked public outrage. An online petition calling for a review gathered more than 400 signatures within a few days.
Cheryll Richards, director of public prosecutions, said, “An internal review of the matter has already been undertaken and a decision made that the matter is to be the subject of an appeal.”
She did not comment on whether the public response had influenced the decision.
The original court hearing heard how the man had made his victim watch pornography, including a sex-tape of himself and his girlfriend, before indecently assaulting her.
Passing sentence, the magistrate said the victim had suffered emotional and psychological problems as a result of the abuse and will require long-term counseling.
The defendant, a Grand Cayman resident, admitted two counts of indecent assault, one of common assault, one of insulting the modesty of a woman and two counts of making obscene publications.
Magistrate Hall sentenced him to nine months in prison for the “most serious” of the indecent assaults. She gave separate custodial sentences for two of the other offences, but ordered they run concurrently, meaning he will serve no additional jail time.
She also suspended three months of the sentence for two years, meaning he will serve six months behind bars in total. If he commits another offence within two years, he will be liable to serve the remaining three months of his sentence. Ms Hall said she had taken into consideration the fact that the man had entered a guilty plea, had apparently been abused himself as a teenager and was undergoing psychotherapy and taking medication to “address his situation”.
Sandra Catron, a community activist who has campaigned for tougher sentences and public exposure of sex offenders through a national register, said many in the community felt the sentence was far too lenient.
She set up the petition to call for an appeal of sentence and for the Legislative Assembly to insist on minimum sentences being imposed in such cases.
She said, “The petition was started because yet again as an activist on this issue I am outraged at the low sentences that these child molesters continue to receive from the judiciary. It appears to me that their judges are more sympathetic to the plight of the offender that that of the victim. Many people in this community are disappointed in the judiciary and that’s why I started this petition.”
http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2013/08/21/Crown-appeals-sentence-for-father-who-abused-8-year-old-daughter/
Crown appeals sentence for father who abused 8-year-old daughter
By: James Whittaker
A man who forced his 8-year-old daughter to watch pornography while he indecently assaulted her faces the possibility of having his jail sentence increased.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions confirmed this week that it will appeal the six-month prison sentence given to the 44-year-old, who admitted to a string of sexual offences against his daughter.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced recently by Cayman Islands Chief Magistrate Nova Hall. The sentence sparked public outrage. An online petition calling for a review gathered more than 400 signatures within a few days.
Cheryll Richards, director of public prosecutions, said, “An internal review of the matter has already been undertaken and a decision made that the matter is to be the subject of an appeal.”
She did not comment on whether the public response had influenced the decision.
The original court hearing heard how the man had made his victim watch pornography, including a sex-tape of himself and his girlfriend, before indecently assaulting her.
Passing sentence, the magistrate said the victim had suffered emotional and psychological problems as a result of the abuse and will require long-term counseling.
The defendant, a Grand Cayman resident, admitted two counts of indecent assault, one of common assault, one of insulting the modesty of a woman and two counts of making obscene publications.
Magistrate Hall sentenced him to nine months in prison for the “most serious” of the indecent assaults. She gave separate custodial sentences for two of the other offences, but ordered they run concurrently, meaning he will serve no additional jail time.
She also suspended three months of the sentence for two years, meaning he will serve six months behind bars in total. If he commits another offence within two years, he will be liable to serve the remaining three months of his sentence. Ms Hall said she had taken into consideration the fact that the man had entered a guilty plea, had apparently been abused himself as a teenager and was undergoing psychotherapy and taking medication to “address his situation”.
Sandra Catron, a community activist who has campaigned for tougher sentences and public exposure of sex offenders through a national register, said many in the community felt the sentence was far too lenient.
She set up the petition to call for an appeal of sentence and for the Legislative Assembly to insist on minimum sentences being imposed in such cases.
She said, “The petition was started because yet again as an activist on this issue I am outraged at the low sentences that these child molesters continue to receive from the judiciary. It appears to me that their judges are more sympathetic to the plight of the offender that that of the victim. Many people in this community are disappointed in the judiciary and that’s why I started this petition.”
Monday, May 20, 2013
Dad loses appeal, convicted of killing 17-month-old son in 2010 during visitation (Clayton County, Georgia)
Once again, we see why collecting child support from sperm donors is a bad idea. This father had no commitment to this mother or the baby. He didn't want to provide any financial support for them, he just didn't give a sh**. These volatile teen fathers never bond with the babies, they just see them as a nuisance. Especially this one, who had threatened the mother.
That's why they should NOT be provided with visitation. Why pretend they are real fathers?
The result of providing dad JAMALL DECARLOS MATHIS with access is that he beat this baby to death. And this after apparently abusing the baby during an earlier visit.
I wonder if there was a family court judge idiot behind all this, and who it was. Or whether Mom was just being nice and accommodating by letting Daddy see the baby when he asked.
Once again we see the lies of the fathers rights people. Daddies don't kill because they're kept from their kids; they kill because they are GRANTED ACCESS TO THE KIDS.
http://www.examiner.com/article/to-court-uphold-dad-s-life-sentence-for-beating-17-month-old-boy-to-death
Supreme court upholds dad's life sentence for beating 17-month-old boy to death
MAY 20, 2013
BY: KIMATHI LEWIS
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a man's murder conviction and life sentence for beating his 17-month-old son to death, officials said.
An 18-year-old Clayton County dad beat his 17-month-old son to death, possibly with a baseball bat, after refusing to provide financial support for the child and threatening the toddler’s mom.
Still, Mr. Jamall DeCarlos Mathis appealed to the Supreme Court of Georgia to overturn his murder conviction and life sentence, claiming the punishment was too harsh and that the evidence was insufficient.
But on Monday, the state’s highest court said it has denied his appeal — closing the door on Mr. Mathis’ last hope for freedom.
Mr. Mathis was 16-years-old when his girlfriend, Ms. Tiasha Jones, gave birth to their son, Ja ‘Mari Myckahi Jones, according to court records.But the teen was unhappy about the pregnancy and threatened to have someone hurt the woman.
He wasn’t there for the baby’s birth and after the boy was born, barely saw him and provided no financial support.
In May 2009, Ms. Jones began legal proceedings to gain child support from Mr. Mathis who asked her to drop the complaint, the records show. But she refused.
“Shortly before his death, Ja ‘Mari returned from one of his few visits to his father’s house with a swollen knee that caused him to limp,” according to the court records. “Mathis said the toddler “probably fell.”
In September, Mr. Mathis asked for another visit with Ja ‘Mari. But this time, when he arrived to pick up the child, the baby cried.
Around 11 p.m. on Sept. 15, Mr. Mathis, who was staying at his aunt’s with several family members including his mother, brother, sister and his sister’s baby, called Ms. Jones to tell her Ja ‘Mari had fallen off the bed and hit his head while sleeping with his mother and infant niece.
Around 9 a.m. on Sept. 16, Mr. Mathis yelled from the bedroom that Ja ‘Mari was not breathing. Paramedics arrived to find Ja ‘Mari unresponsive.
“One of the treating paramedics testified that on the way to the hospital, Ja ‘Mari’s skin was warm and dry, indicating his injuries were recent," the records show. "By the time they arrived at Southern Regional Hospital, the knot on the toddler’s head had swollen to the size of a softball, also indicating a recent injury.”
Expert medical witnesses testified they found “pattern injuries” to Ja ‘Mari’s chest and arm as well as a significant skull fracture extending “all the way to the base of the skull.”
Ms. Jones and her family took the baby off life support. A few days later, Mr. Mathis contacted Ms. Jones to ask if she was expecting an insurance check for Ja ‘Mari’s death. He also texted her saying he wished to have another child with her.
“At trial, the medical examiner said Ja ‘Mari’s injuries were consistent with having been struck on the head at least three times but “very likely” more than that,” according to the court records.
"Two baseball bats had been found in the house, and the baby’s head injuries were consistent with having been hit by a bat, but no physical evidence was introduced at trial directly linking the bats to the blows Ja ‘Mari suffered."
In November 2010, Mr. Mathis was convicted of felony murder, aggravated battery, cruelty to children and other crimes. He was sentenced to life without parole for the murder plus another 41 years in prison for the other crimes.
That's why they should NOT be provided with visitation. Why pretend they are real fathers?
The result of providing dad JAMALL DECARLOS MATHIS with access is that he beat this baby to death. And this after apparently abusing the baby during an earlier visit.
I wonder if there was a family court judge idiot behind all this, and who it was. Or whether Mom was just being nice and accommodating by letting Daddy see the baby when he asked.
Once again we see the lies of the fathers rights people. Daddies don't kill because they're kept from their kids; they kill because they are GRANTED ACCESS TO THE KIDS.
http://www.examiner.com/article/to-court-uphold-dad-s-life-sentence-for-beating-17-month-old-boy-to-death
Supreme court upholds dad's life sentence for beating 17-month-old boy to death
MAY 20, 2013
BY: KIMATHI LEWIS
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld a man's murder conviction and life sentence for beating his 17-month-old son to death, officials said.
An 18-year-old Clayton County dad beat his 17-month-old son to death, possibly with a baseball bat, after refusing to provide financial support for the child and threatening the toddler’s mom.
Still, Mr. Jamall DeCarlos Mathis appealed to the Supreme Court of Georgia to overturn his murder conviction and life sentence, claiming the punishment was too harsh and that the evidence was insufficient.
But on Monday, the state’s highest court said it has denied his appeal — closing the door on Mr. Mathis’ last hope for freedom.
Mr. Mathis was 16-years-old when his girlfriend, Ms. Tiasha Jones, gave birth to their son, Ja ‘Mari Myckahi Jones, according to court records.But the teen was unhappy about the pregnancy and threatened to have someone hurt the woman.
He wasn’t there for the baby’s birth and after the boy was born, barely saw him and provided no financial support.
In May 2009, Ms. Jones began legal proceedings to gain child support from Mr. Mathis who asked her to drop the complaint, the records show. But she refused.
“Shortly before his death, Ja ‘Mari returned from one of his few visits to his father’s house with a swollen knee that caused him to limp,” according to the court records. “Mathis said the toddler “probably fell.”
In September, Mr. Mathis asked for another visit with Ja ‘Mari. But this time, when he arrived to pick up the child, the baby cried.
Around 11 p.m. on Sept. 15, Mr. Mathis, who was staying at his aunt’s with several family members including his mother, brother, sister and his sister’s baby, called Ms. Jones to tell her Ja ‘Mari had fallen off the bed and hit his head while sleeping with his mother and infant niece.
Around 9 a.m. on Sept. 16, Mr. Mathis yelled from the bedroom that Ja ‘Mari was not breathing. Paramedics arrived to find Ja ‘Mari unresponsive.
“One of the treating paramedics testified that on the way to the hospital, Ja ‘Mari’s skin was warm and dry, indicating his injuries were recent," the records show. "By the time they arrived at Southern Regional Hospital, the knot on the toddler’s head had swollen to the size of a softball, also indicating a recent injury.”
Expert medical witnesses testified they found “pattern injuries” to Ja ‘Mari’s chest and arm as well as a significant skull fracture extending “all the way to the base of the skull.”
Ms. Jones and her family took the baby off life support. A few days later, Mr. Mathis contacted Ms. Jones to ask if she was expecting an insurance check for Ja ‘Mari’s death. He also texted her saying he wished to have another child with her.
“At trial, the medical examiner said Ja ‘Mari’s injuries were consistent with having been struck on the head at least three times but “very likely” more than that,” according to the court records.
"Two baseball bats had been found in the house, and the baby’s head injuries were consistent with having been hit by a bat, but no physical evidence was introduced at trial directly linking the bats to the blows Ja ‘Mari suffered."
In November 2010, Mr. Mathis was convicted of felony murder, aggravated battery, cruelty to children and other crimes. He was sentenced to life without parole for the murder plus another 41 years in prison for the other crimes.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Shame on Judge Sharon Lueras: Non-custodial mom blames judge for death of 9-year-old son at hands of violent custodial dad (Sacramento, California)
Stop giving abusers custody! Judge Sharon Lueras needs to be yanked off the bench NOW!
Dad is identified as PHILLIP HERNANDEZ.
http://www.kcra.com/news/Mother-of-slain-child-blames-judge-for-death/-/11797728/19142228/-/item/0/-/a7rns0/-/index.html
Mother of slain child blames judge for death
Child's father accused of using a hatchet to kill his youngest son
UPDATED 4:41 PM PST Mar 01, 2013
Records show mother of slain boy tried to regain custody
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) —The mother of a slain Sacramento boy is grieving after the death of her 9-year-old son.
In a text message to KCRA 3, Jessica Hernandez, who was involved in a child custody fight with the boy's father, Phillip Hernandez, said, "Even tho (sic) Phillip and I had our differences, I never imagined this could be possible. He loved those boys. But he did have a drug problem."
Phillip Hernandez is the father of two boys.
Matthew Hernandez, the younger son, was brutally attacked and killed in his Sacramento home on Tuesday night.
Sacramento police arrested the boy's father, Phillip Hernandez, about a mile away from the south Natomas home.
Phillip Hernandez is now facing a murder charge.
Court records show Hernandez has a history of violence, including spousal abuse, and served time in prison. Upon his release, he was awarded custody of the two boys.
Jessica Hernandez lost that custody battle. In a text message to KCRA 3, she blamed the judge for her son's death: "If the judge had did her job and not abused her power im certain my baby would be alive today." (Excerpts of her text message are reproduced here just as she wrote them, without correction.)
Hernandez called the judge, "unethical, and I blame her for this incident, for it could've been prevented."
Hernandez identified the judge who presided over her case as Sharon Lueras. She said the judge "refused to listen or look at the physical evidence ...and made her decisions based on her personal opinions of me (she doesn't like me) based on my employment."
In court documents, Phillip Hernandez identified Jessica as a stripper.
KCRA 3 contacted Sacramento Superior Court for a response from judge Lueras. A court spokeswoman called back, stating that under the canons of judicial ethics, judges are prohibited from commenting on a pending case or any case they are presiding over.
Phillip Hernandez's arraignment is set for 1:30 p.m. in Sacramento Superior Court.
Dad is identified as PHILLIP HERNANDEZ.
http://www.kcra.com/news/Mother-of-slain-child-blames-judge-for-death/-/11797728/19142228/-/item/0/-/a7rns0/-/index.html
Mother of slain child blames judge for death
Child's father accused of using a hatchet to kill his youngest son
UPDATED 4:41 PM PST Mar 01, 2013
Records show mother of slain boy tried to regain custody
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) —The mother of a slain Sacramento boy is grieving after the death of her 9-year-old son.
In a text message to KCRA 3, Jessica Hernandez, who was involved in a child custody fight with the boy's father, Phillip Hernandez, said, "Even tho (sic) Phillip and I had our differences, I never imagined this could be possible. He loved those boys. But he did have a drug problem."
Phillip Hernandez is the father of two boys.
Matthew Hernandez, the younger son, was brutally attacked and killed in his Sacramento home on Tuesday night.
Sacramento police arrested the boy's father, Phillip Hernandez, about a mile away from the south Natomas home.
Phillip Hernandez is now facing a murder charge.
Court records show Hernandez has a history of violence, including spousal abuse, and served time in prison. Upon his release, he was awarded custody of the two boys.
Jessica Hernandez lost that custody battle. In a text message to KCRA 3, she blamed the judge for her son's death: "If the judge had did her job and not abused her power im certain my baby would be alive today." (Excerpts of her text message are reproduced here just as she wrote them, without correction.)
Hernandez called the judge, "unethical, and I blame her for this incident, for it could've been prevented."
Hernandez identified the judge who presided over her case as Sharon Lueras. She said the judge "refused to listen or look at the physical evidence ...and made her decisions based on her personal opinions of me (she doesn't like me) based on my employment."
In court documents, Phillip Hernandez identified Jessica as a stripper.
KCRA 3 contacted Sacramento Superior Court for a response from judge Lueras. A court spokeswoman called back, stating that under the canons of judicial ethics, judges are prohibited from commenting on a pending case or any case they are presiding over.
Phillip Hernandez's arraignment is set for 1:30 p.m. in Sacramento Superior Court.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Custodial dad arrested for repeatedly sexually abusing 11-year-old daughter (Flagstaff, Arizona)
If you read this carefully, it becomes evident that UNNAMED DAD was custodial. The child victim lived with Daddy Dearest, and Mom lived out of state.
What is not explored here is the dynamic of how pedophile fathers fight for custody/access to their child victims. Wonder what judge helped Daddy secure "ownership" of his victim and what custody "evaluators" (court whores) may have helped along the way. Wonder if they were warned of Daddy's "proclivities" and dismissed the allegations as "hysterical" or "crazy." Wouldn't be the first time this has happened....
http://azdailysun.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-charged-with-molesting-daughter/article_08f7b3ca-5621-5440-abd6-4b43bba72e6f.html?comment_form=true
Man charged with molesting daughter
12 hours ago • ERIC BETZ Sun Staff Reporter
A Flagstaff father has been arrested on charges that he repeatedly sexually abused his 11-year-old daughter.
The 40-year-old man is being held in the Coconino County Detention Facility on charges of child molestation and continuous sexual abuse with a child, each a class 2 felony and dangerous crime against a child.
According to information from the Flagstaff Police Department, the girl told a school counselor last week that she had a "deep, dark secret" that she needed to tell the counselor. She went on to say that her father had been molesting her, at which point the school counselor stopped the interview with the child and police, Safe Child and Child Protective Services got involved.
Through interviews, investigators found enough evidence to arrest the man last week. Two days after the arrest, investigators served a search warrant on the apartment where the father and child live. Computers, cameras, CDs, email accounts and various household items were seized in the raid.
An initial report stated that police were attempting to contact the girl's mother, who lives out of state, last week. Reports did not specify where the girl is currently staying.
Police officials said they are still investigating the case and no additional information is available. The suspect is currently being held in county jail on a $150,000 cash bond. He is not being kept in protective custody at this time, according to jail officials.
The man's name has been withheld from this story to protect the privacy of his daughter.
What is not explored here is the dynamic of how pedophile fathers fight for custody/access to their child victims. Wonder what judge helped Daddy secure "ownership" of his victim and what custody "evaluators" (court whores) may have helped along the way. Wonder if they were warned of Daddy's "proclivities" and dismissed the allegations as "hysterical" or "crazy." Wouldn't be the first time this has happened....
http://azdailysun.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-charged-with-molesting-daughter/article_08f7b3ca-5621-5440-abd6-4b43bba72e6f.html?comment_form=true
Man charged with molesting daughter
12 hours ago • ERIC BETZ Sun Staff Reporter
A Flagstaff father has been arrested on charges that he repeatedly sexually abused his 11-year-old daughter.
The 40-year-old man is being held in the Coconino County Detention Facility on charges of child molestation and continuous sexual abuse with a child, each a class 2 felony and dangerous crime against a child.
According to information from the Flagstaff Police Department, the girl told a school counselor last week that she had a "deep, dark secret" that she needed to tell the counselor. She went on to say that her father had been molesting her, at which point the school counselor stopped the interview with the child and police, Safe Child and Child Protective Services got involved.
Through interviews, investigators found enough evidence to arrest the man last week. Two days after the arrest, investigators served a search warrant on the apartment where the father and child live. Computers, cameras, CDs, email accounts and various household items were seized in the raid.
An initial report stated that police were attempting to contact the girl's mother, who lives out of state, last week. Reports did not specify where the girl is currently staying.
Police officials said they are still investigating the case and no additional information is available. The suspect is currently being held in county jail on a $150,000 cash bond. He is not being kept in protective custody at this time, according to jail officials.
The man's name has been withheld from this story to protect the privacy of his daughter.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Dad, gal pal blame each other for death of 3-year-old boy (Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico)
Carefully read between the lines here. Father and father's girlfriend? That means the mother was not present. What happened to the mother? Is she deceased? Did she "disappear"? (This is very important to know in cases where the father is suspected of killing or harming the child, as often a "disappearance" simply means that somebody hid a body very well.)
Or is this a custody/visitation situation?
We're not told. Typical media lack of explanation and erasure of the mother.
Notice that Daddy's lawyer makes the point that Daddy is not the primary caregiver. This is a nice way of saying that we have another single father with custody/visitation rights who merely dumped the child on another female.
End result: the child ends up with even less contact with his or her parents than if he or she had stayed in Mom's custody.
UPDATED: Suspects Blame Others in Boy’s Death
By ABQnews Staffon Tue, Aug 21, 2012
POSTED AT: 9:49 am
A Ruidoso Downs couple charged with the death of a 3-year-old boy pleaded not guilty in state District Court on Friday and each blamed someone else for the child’s death, the Ruidoso News reported.
A grand jury in July indicted Savanah Morales, 23, and Paz Israel Primera, 30, for the June 11 death of Paz Israel Primera Jr., the News said.
Public Defender Todd Holmes entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of Morales, saying she did not cause the injuries to the child, saying, “Savanah was on the way to Tularosa with her mother when she received a text message saying that the child was sick … She did not cause the injuries to the child.”
Meanwhile, Public Defender Chandler Blair said his client, the child’s father, would stand silent, so state District Judge Karen Parsons entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
“Mr. Primera was not the primary care provider for this child,” Blair told the judge. “The injuries occurred while he was at work.”
According to court documents, the 3-year-old died of blunt force trauma to his abdomen, Dr. Mario Rascon of the state Office of the Medical Investigator told detectives.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:59am 6/19/12 — Ruidoso Downs Couple Held in Boy’s Death
By ABQnews Staff
New Mexico State Police are investigating the death of a 3-year-old Ruidoso Downs boy, who was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived at his home on June 11, KOB-TV reported.
According to a criminal complaint, the toddler, Paz Israel Primera Jr., died of “blunt force trauma to the abdomen,” and the boy’s father, Pas Israel Primera, and the father’s girlfriend, Savanah Morales, were charged last Friday with negligent child abuse resulting in death, KOB-TV said.
Two other children lived at the home and were taken to Lincoln County Regional Medical Center in Ruidoso but neither showed signs of child abuse, according to Eyewitness News 4.
Primera and Morales were being held at the Lincoln County Detention Center without bond, KOB-TV said.
Or is this a custody/visitation situation?
We're not told. Typical media lack of explanation and erasure of the mother.
Notice that Daddy's lawyer makes the point that Daddy is not the primary caregiver. This is a nice way of saying that we have another single father with custody/visitation rights who merely dumped the child on another female.
End result: the child ends up with even less contact with his or her parents than if he or she had stayed in Mom's custody.
UPDATED: Suspects Blame Others in Boy’s Death
By ABQnews Staffon Tue, Aug 21, 2012
POSTED AT: 9:49 am
A Ruidoso Downs couple charged with the death of a 3-year-old boy pleaded not guilty in state District Court on Friday and each blamed someone else for the child’s death, the Ruidoso News reported.
A grand jury in July indicted Savanah Morales, 23, and Paz Israel Primera, 30, for the June 11 death of Paz Israel Primera Jr., the News said.
Public Defender Todd Holmes entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of Morales, saying she did not cause the injuries to the child, saying, “Savanah was on the way to Tularosa with her mother when she received a text message saying that the child was sick … She did not cause the injuries to the child.”
Meanwhile, Public Defender Chandler Blair said his client, the child’s father, would stand silent, so state District Judge Karen Parsons entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
“Mr. Primera was not the primary care provider for this child,” Blair told the judge. “The injuries occurred while he was at work.”
According to court documents, the 3-year-old died of blunt force trauma to his abdomen, Dr. Mario Rascon of the state Office of the Medical Investigator told detectives.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6:59am 6/19/12 — Ruidoso Downs Couple Held in Boy’s Death
By ABQnews Staff
New Mexico State Police are investigating the death of a 3-year-old Ruidoso Downs boy, who was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived at his home on June 11, KOB-TV reported.
According to a criminal complaint, the toddler, Paz Israel Primera Jr., died of “blunt force trauma to the abdomen,” and the boy’s father, Pas Israel Primera, and the father’s girlfriend, Savanah Morales, were charged last Friday with negligent child abuse resulting in death, KOB-TV said.
Two other children lived at the home and were taken to Lincoln County Regional Medical Center in Ruidoso but neither showed signs of child abuse, according to Eyewitness News 4.
Primera and Morales were being held at the Lincoln County Detention Center without bond, KOB-TV said.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Dad charged in beating of 3-year-old daughter (Spartanburg, South Carolina)
Class, let's review this once again. A "spanking" is a quick swat to the butt. If you leave bruising or injury, it is not a "spanking" but a beating.
Read the account carefully and you will see that these parents do not live together, and that this situation obviously involves some unspecified custody/visitation arrangement. Dad sounds very controlling and the child, even before the beating, appears traumatized, anxious, and obviously afraid of being left alone with him. Wonder if all this is court-ordered. Of course, there is no word of explanation. There seldom is.
Dad is identified as WILLIE PAUL GENTRY.
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20120804/ARTICLES/120809869/1083/ARTICLES?Title=Father-charged-with-child-gruelty
Father charged with cruelty in spanking of 3-year-old girl
From staff reports
Published: Saturday, August 4, 2012 at 3:15 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, August 3, 2012 at 10:16 p.m.
Willie Paul Gentry, 52, of 805 Howard St. has been charged with cruelty to children.
A woman reported that Gentry, the father of her 3-year-old child, spanked the child so hard that he left extreme redness and bruising on the child's buttocks. The alleged incident occurred about 12:47 p.m. Thursday.
The girl's mother said Gentry got upset and asked her to leave his home and that their daughter began clinging to her, according to an incident report. The woman told police after the girl began crying, Gentry grabbed her and began spanking her.
Gentry was arrested about 1:03 a.m. Friday and released from the Spartanburg County Detention Facility later that morning on a $500 bond, according to online jail records.
Read the account carefully and you will see that these parents do not live together, and that this situation obviously involves some unspecified custody/visitation arrangement. Dad sounds very controlling and the child, even before the beating, appears traumatized, anxious, and obviously afraid of being left alone with him. Wonder if all this is court-ordered. Of course, there is no word of explanation. There seldom is.
Dad is identified as WILLIE PAUL GENTRY.
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20120804/ARTICLES/120809869/1083/ARTICLES?Title=Father-charged-with-child-gruelty
Father charged with cruelty in spanking of 3-year-old girl
From staff reports
Published: Saturday, August 4, 2012 at 3:15 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, August 3, 2012 at 10:16 p.m.
Willie Paul Gentry, 52, of 805 Howard St. has been charged with cruelty to children.
A woman reported that Gentry, the father of her 3-year-old child, spanked the child so hard that he left extreme redness and bruising on the child's buttocks. The alleged incident occurred about 12:47 p.m. Thursday.
The girl's mother said Gentry got upset and asked her to leave his home and that their daughter began clinging to her, according to an incident report. The woman told police after the girl began crying, Gentry grabbed her and began spanking her.
Gentry was arrested about 1:03 a.m. Friday and released from the Spartanburg County Detention Facility later that morning on a $500 bond, according to online jail records.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Lawyer: Dad didn't murder 3-year-old son (Memphis, Tennessee)
Stop the presses! Daddy's lawyer says he didn't do it!
Yawn. Whatever.
Notice that the fact that this murder took place during Dad MAURICE BROWN SR.'s visitation time (Mom lived out of state) is gradually being erased from the coverage.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Accused-father-s-lawyer-Innocent-in-son-s-death-3737709.php
Accused father's lawyer: Innocent in son's death
ADRIAN SAINZ, Associated Press
Updated 10:38 a.m., Thursday, July 26, 2012
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The lawyer for a man charged with fatally beating his 3-year-old son and dumping the body in a trash bin said Thursday that his client is not guilty.
Maurice Brown Sr., 28, was in court on murder charges in the death of his son, Maurice Brown Jr. Brown Sr. is being held on $1 million bond.
He told the judge that John Perry, a lawyer from Southaven, Miss., is going to represent him in the case.
He told police on July 1 that he had awakened from a nap in his Memphis apartment and found that his son was missing. Authorities began an intensive search, using police dogs and a helicopter. The boy's body was found in a large trash bin two days later.
Police found blood in the father's apartment and a witness said he saw Brown Sr. carrying what appeared to be a small child's body outside of the apartment house the night the boy disappeared, according to an affidavit.
An autopsy showed that the boy died of blunt force trauma. Brown Sr. was charged July 6 with murder in perpetration of aggravated child neglect or endangerment and murder in perpetration of aggravated child abuse.
Perry told reporters outside the courtroom that his client is feeling horrible that his son is dead.
"I do adamantly say my client is not guilty," Perry said.
A formal plea won't be entered until Brown Sr. is indicted by a grand jury.
Brown Sr. had been employed at a fast food restaurant and wanted to work in the music industry, Perry said.
Yawn. Whatever.
Notice that the fact that this murder took place during Dad MAURICE BROWN SR.'s visitation time (Mom lived out of state) is gradually being erased from the coverage.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Accused-father-s-lawyer-Innocent-in-son-s-death-3737709.php
Accused father's lawyer: Innocent in son's death
ADRIAN SAINZ, Associated Press
Updated 10:38 a.m., Thursday, July 26, 2012
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The lawyer for a man charged with fatally beating his 3-year-old son and dumping the body in a trash bin said Thursday that his client is not guilty.
Maurice Brown Sr., 28, was in court on murder charges in the death of his son, Maurice Brown Jr. Brown Sr. is being held on $1 million bond.
He told the judge that John Perry, a lawyer from Southaven, Miss., is going to represent him in the case.
He told police on July 1 that he had awakened from a nap in his Memphis apartment and found that his son was missing. Authorities began an intensive search, using police dogs and a helicopter. The boy's body was found in a large trash bin two days later.
Police found blood in the father's apartment and a witness said he saw Brown Sr. carrying what appeared to be a small child's body outside of the apartment house the night the boy disappeared, according to an affidavit.
An autopsy showed that the boy died of blunt force trauma. Brown Sr. was charged July 6 with murder in perpetration of aggravated child neglect or endangerment and murder in perpetration of aggravated child abuse.
Perry told reporters outside the courtroom that his client is feeling horrible that his son is dead.
"I do adamantly say my client is not guilty," Perry said.
A formal plea won't be entered until Brown Sr. is indicted by a grand jury.
Brown Sr. had been employed at a fast food restaurant and wanted to work in the music industry, Perry said.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Attorney: Dad accused of killing daughters "delusional" (Hudson, Wisconsin)
So if dad AARON SCHAFFHAUSEN was so "delusional" and "depressed," why did he still have access to the kids?
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/25/4658997/attorney-dad-accused-of-killing.html
Attorney: Dad accused of killing girls delusional
The Associated Press
Published: Wednesday, Jul. 25, 2012 - 8:07 am
HUDSON, Wis. -- The attorney for a North Dakota man charged with killing his three young daughters in Wisconsin says the defense will provide evidence that shows the defendant was delusional and depressed before the girls were slain.
Defense lawyer John Kucinski (kuh-SIN'-skee) says Aaron Schaffhausen had been depressed for quite a while and was taking medication. Kucinski tells the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram ( http://bit.ly/MHXQh9) there were people who were concerned about his abnormal behavior, including his ex-wife who told relatives Schaffhausen had serious problems.
The Minot, N.D., construction worker, who turns 35 Wednesday, is being held in the St. Croix (kroy) County Jail on $2 million cash bond. A judge on Tuesday ruled there's enough evidence to hold Schaffhausen for trial.
Eleven-year-old Amara, 8-year-old Sophie and 5-year-old Cecilia Schaffhausen were found slain in their River Falls home July 10.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/25/4658997/attorney-dad-accused-of-killing.html
Attorney: Dad accused of killing girls delusional
The Associated Press
Published: Wednesday, Jul. 25, 2012 - 8:07 am
HUDSON, Wis. -- The attorney for a North Dakota man charged with killing his three young daughters in Wisconsin says the defense will provide evidence that shows the defendant was delusional and depressed before the girls were slain.
Defense lawyer John Kucinski (kuh-SIN'-skee) says Aaron Schaffhausen had been depressed for quite a while and was taking medication. Kucinski tells the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram ( http://bit.ly/MHXQh9) there were people who were concerned about his abnormal behavior, including his ex-wife who told relatives Schaffhausen had serious problems.
The Minot, N.D., construction worker, who turns 35 Wednesday, is being held in the St. Croix (kroy) County Jail on $2 million cash bond. A judge on Tuesday ruled there's enough evidence to hold Schaffhausen for trial.
Eleven-year-old Amara, 8-year-old Sophie and 5-year-old Cecilia Schaffhausen were found slain in their River Falls home July 10.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Dad shot and killed two children, estranged wife; Judge Cal Tichenor refused to give mom emergency custody order (Dundee, Oregon)
Once again, a member of the American judiciary has set up the murder of a mother and her children. Many thanks to the reporter for telling us what happened here; usually the media people tiptoe around the legal backstory and refuse to name names. But we'll say it again. Like so many judges, JUDGE CAL TICHENOR had no doubt convinced himself (perhaps due to fathers' rights-inspired "trainings") that all women are liars, and all daddies are just poor, put-upon creatures who are unfairly exploited and oppressed. Mom was refused an emergency custody order because the Judge claimed the danger had not been "established." Well, is it established now, Judge? Actually, there are proven lethality assessments that can be used in these kinds of cases. Did you even bother to go through the motions before signing the death warrant for this woman and two children?
The daddy trigger man this time is RANDALL ENGELS.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2018609748_apusoregonfamilykilling.html
Originally published Thursday, July 5, 2012 at 11:22 AM
Father suspected in Oregon murder-suicide deaths
An Oregon man shot and killed his estranged wife and their two children at his home on the Fourth of July before killing himself, police said Thursday. Court records show the woman had sought to keep her husband away from the kids because she considered him dangerous.
By STEVEN DUBOIS
Associated Press
DUNDEE, Ore. —
An Oregon man shot and killed his estranged wife and their two children at his home on the Fourth of July before killing himself, police said Thursday. Court records show the woman had sought to keep her husband away from the kids because she considered him dangerous.
The bodies of Randall and Amy Engels and the two children were found Wednesday at the home in Dundee, about 25 miles south of Portland in the heart of Oregon's wine country.
Amy Engels had filed for divorce from Randall Engels on May 29, and she moved with their children from their home in Dundee to nearby Newberg nearly five weeks earlier, court records show. They had been married 14 years.
Police have not given a motive for the shooting or said why Amy Engels and the children were back at the house on July Fourth.
When Amy Engels filed for divorce, she asked a Yamhill County judge to issue an emergency temporary custody and parenting order, citing an "immediate danger" to her children.
"My husband has threatened to steal them and not return them," she said in an affidavit. "He has threatened to hurt them. He yells at them and makes them feel nervous and upset."
A handwritten decision read, "Denied - danger not established." It was signed by Circuit Judge Cal Tichenor.
In the divorce filing, Amy Engels wrote that she and her husband had decided he will have parenting time at least once per week - prearranged with at least two hours' notice. But it's unknown what type of arrangement the pair worked out before the killings.
The files don't contain the name of a lawyer or show that Randall Engels had participated in the divorce filing.
The court records identify the children as a daughter, Bailey, about 13, and a son, Jackson, about 11. The papers say they had lived with their parents in Dundee from birth until late April, when Amy Engels and the children moved to Newberg.
State records show Amy Engels is a licensed cosmetologist. It was unclear what Randall Engels did for a living, but he previously served on the Dundee Budget Committee and ran unsuccessfully for city council. The Newberg Graphic newspaper reported he was a former owner of the Dundee Pizza Co., which is no longer in business.
The bodies were found at the Dundee home in a working-class neighborhood after a caller told police about an alarming post on a social network.
A post Wednesday on the Facebook page for a person identifying himself as Randall Engels of Dundee reads: "If she's gone i can't go on."
A March 1 post on the same Facebook page reads: "Well Amy, tomorrow will mark 16 years together and our 14th wedding anniversary. I love you more now than ever. You are the only life decision that I never second guess. How did it go by so quickly? I'm easily in for another 16. Thank you for all you do for me."
It could not be immediately confirmed that the writer of the posts was the man police say killed his wife and children. The Facebook page shows that Randall Engels is originally from Puyallup, Wash.
The family had lived for several years in Dundee, a Willamette Valley town known for weekend and holiday traffic bound for the vineyards and tasting rooms of the region.
Neighbors who would speak to journalists knew little about the family.
Outside the Engels home Thursday sat two vehicles - the husband's pickup and the wife's SUV, according to the divorce filing.
Neighbor Kelley Wood said there was little chance that gunfire would have been noticed Wednesday, given the presence of a nearby gun club, the percussive devices used in the vineyards to scare off deer, and the holiday fireworks. On Thursday morning, the remains of fireworks littered an intersection near the family's home.
"There were a lot of noises that could have sounded like gunshots," Wood said.
Joe Endicott, an 18-year resident, didn't know how many years the Engelses had lived there, but he said their tenure was longer than most residents there. Court record states show the children had lived in the house from birth until April 23.
"It's sad, very sad, something that shouldn't have happened," Endicott said. "If you got a problem, you don't take it out on your family. That's stupid."
The daddy trigger man this time is RANDALL ENGELS.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2018609748_apusoregonfamilykilling.html
Originally published Thursday, July 5, 2012 at 11:22 AM
Father suspected in Oregon murder-suicide deaths
An Oregon man shot and killed his estranged wife and their two children at his home on the Fourth of July before killing himself, police said Thursday. Court records show the woman had sought to keep her husband away from the kids because she considered him dangerous.
By STEVEN DUBOIS
Associated Press
DUNDEE, Ore. —
An Oregon man shot and killed his estranged wife and their two children at his home on the Fourth of July before killing himself, police said Thursday. Court records show the woman had sought to keep her husband away from the kids because she considered him dangerous.
The bodies of Randall and Amy Engels and the two children were found Wednesday at the home in Dundee, about 25 miles south of Portland in the heart of Oregon's wine country.
Amy Engels had filed for divorce from Randall Engels on May 29, and she moved with their children from their home in Dundee to nearby Newberg nearly five weeks earlier, court records show. They had been married 14 years.
Police have not given a motive for the shooting or said why Amy Engels and the children were back at the house on July Fourth.
When Amy Engels filed for divorce, she asked a Yamhill County judge to issue an emergency temporary custody and parenting order, citing an "immediate danger" to her children.
"My husband has threatened to steal them and not return them," she said in an affidavit. "He has threatened to hurt them. He yells at them and makes them feel nervous and upset."
A handwritten decision read, "Denied - danger not established." It was signed by Circuit Judge Cal Tichenor.
In the divorce filing, Amy Engels wrote that she and her husband had decided he will have parenting time at least once per week - prearranged with at least two hours' notice. But it's unknown what type of arrangement the pair worked out before the killings.
The files don't contain the name of a lawyer or show that Randall Engels had participated in the divorce filing.
The court records identify the children as a daughter, Bailey, about 13, and a son, Jackson, about 11. The papers say they had lived with their parents in Dundee from birth until late April, when Amy Engels and the children moved to Newberg.
State records show Amy Engels is a licensed cosmetologist. It was unclear what Randall Engels did for a living, but he previously served on the Dundee Budget Committee and ran unsuccessfully for city council. The Newberg Graphic newspaper reported he was a former owner of the Dundee Pizza Co., which is no longer in business.
The bodies were found at the Dundee home in a working-class neighborhood after a caller told police about an alarming post on a social network.
A post Wednesday on the Facebook page for a person identifying himself as Randall Engels of Dundee reads: "If she's gone i can't go on."
A March 1 post on the same Facebook page reads: "Well Amy, tomorrow will mark 16 years together and our 14th wedding anniversary. I love you more now than ever. You are the only life decision that I never second guess. How did it go by so quickly? I'm easily in for another 16. Thank you for all you do for me."
It could not be immediately confirmed that the writer of the posts was the man police say killed his wife and children. The Facebook page shows that Randall Engels is originally from Puyallup, Wash.
The family had lived for several years in Dundee, a Willamette Valley town known for weekend and holiday traffic bound for the vineyards and tasting rooms of the region.
Neighbors who would speak to journalists knew little about the family.
Outside the Engels home Thursday sat two vehicles - the husband's pickup and the wife's SUV, according to the divorce filing.
Neighbor Kelley Wood said there was little chance that gunfire would have been noticed Wednesday, given the presence of a nearby gun club, the percussive devices used in the vineyards to scare off deer, and the holiday fireworks. On Thursday morning, the remains of fireworks littered an intersection near the family's home.
"There were a lot of noises that could have sounded like gunshots," Wood said.
Joe Endicott, an 18-year resident, didn't know how many years the Engelses had lived there, but he said their tenure was longer than most residents there. Court record states show the children had lived in the house from birth until April 23.
"It's sad, very sad, something that shouldn't have happened," Endicott said. "If you got a problem, you don't take it out on your family. That's stupid."
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Three-year-old boy brutally murdered, dumped in trash during dad's visitation; blood found in dad's apartment (Memphis, Tennessee)
We just posted on this case. Now the "missing" boy has been found dead, brutally beaten and dumped in the trash like so much garbage. Dad is identified as MAURICE BROWN SR.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2168533/Missing-toddler-Maurice-Brown-Jr-dead-days-vanished.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
The toddler thrown out with the trash: Missing three-year-old found dead days after he vanished
By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 22:40 EST, 3 July 2012 | UPDATED: 12:52 EST, 4 July 2012
Memphis police say the body of a child found in a large trash bin is a three-year-old boy who had been missing for two days.
Police Director Toney Armstrong said Tuesday night that Tennessee authorities have identified the body of Maurice Brown Jr, who was reported missing by his father on Sunday night.
The body was found more than a mile from where the boy had been staying with his father, Maurice Brown Sr, on South Pauline Street. Brown Sr is being held on $1 million bond and faces charges of child neglect in the case.
The cause of death is still under investigation and Armstrong would not reveal details of the body's condition. But the police director said he could not fathom how someone could kill and dispose of a child's body in the manner seen in this case.
'A person capable of something like this will do absolutely anything,' Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong said in a press conference Tuesday night, according to The Commercial Appeal.
'I, certainly as the father of a small child, can't even begin to imagine what would prompt somebody or trigger somebody to not only react violently to a small three-year-old child ... but to dispose of the body in such a manner is just unimaginable.'
Armstrong said the discovery was part of a systematic search for the boy. Police said the father had told them that he fell asleep for about 1 1/2 hours Sunday night and awakened to find a door open and the boy gone.
However, a police affidavit contradicted his account. A witness told police that he saw Brown Sr leaving his apartment with a child draped over his right shoulder and walk toward a parking lot on the north side of the apartment building between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday, according to the affidavit.
Police said they found blood in Brown Sr's apartment, and detectives believed the boy may have been seriously injured. Maurice Brown, Sr, was charged with child neglect or endangerment on Monday night. Court records do not show if he has a lawyer.
Police used helicopters and dogs in their search for the boy. Flyers with the boy's photo on them were distributed in the neighborhood near downtown Memphis where Maurice Brown Sr lives.
Armstrong said detectives are still investigating, including whether Brown Sr will face additional charges.
The affidavit said that the father had threatened to spank his son for wetting his pants on Sunday night, but instead he told the boy to change clothes and made him sit down to watch television.
That's when, the father says, he fell asleep on a couch in the living room, the affidavit said.
Brown Sr told police he woke up at around 10 p.m. and searched the apartment and the neighborhood, but could not find his son.
Police said they found evidence of spattered and pooled blood in the man's bathroom that was consistent with a beating. Police also found a white piece of cloth with blood on it, the affidavit said.
'Based upon the age of the missing child, and the blood evidence in the bathroom, which is consistent with blunt force trauma, the affiant has probable cause to believe that the child has sustained serious bodily injury,' said the affidavit, signed by homicide detective Darren Goods.
The boy's mother, Latoya Kanneh, told The Commercial Appeal that she drove to Memphis from Pine Bluff, Ark., after being told by police that her son was missing. Kanneh, 23, said her son lived with her in Arkansas but was visiting his father in Memphis.
When she arrived at the apartment complex, family and friends flyered the neighborhood with missing posters of the boy. 'Where’s my baby?' she shouted. 'I just want my baby.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2168533/Missing-toddler-Maurice-Brown-Jr-dead-days-vanished.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
The toddler thrown out with the trash: Missing three-year-old found dead days after he vanished
By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 22:40 EST, 3 July 2012 | UPDATED: 12:52 EST, 4 July 2012
Memphis police say the body of a child found in a large trash bin is a three-year-old boy who had been missing for two days.
Police Director Toney Armstrong said Tuesday night that Tennessee authorities have identified the body of Maurice Brown Jr, who was reported missing by his father on Sunday night.
The body was found more than a mile from where the boy had been staying with his father, Maurice Brown Sr, on South Pauline Street. Brown Sr is being held on $1 million bond and faces charges of child neglect in the case.
The cause of death is still under investigation and Armstrong would not reveal details of the body's condition. But the police director said he could not fathom how someone could kill and dispose of a child's body in the manner seen in this case.
'A person capable of something like this will do absolutely anything,' Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong said in a press conference Tuesday night, according to The Commercial Appeal.
'I, certainly as the father of a small child, can't even begin to imagine what would prompt somebody or trigger somebody to not only react violently to a small three-year-old child ... but to dispose of the body in such a manner is just unimaginable.'
Armstrong said the discovery was part of a systematic search for the boy. Police said the father had told them that he fell asleep for about 1 1/2 hours Sunday night and awakened to find a door open and the boy gone.
However, a police affidavit contradicted his account. A witness told police that he saw Brown Sr leaving his apartment with a child draped over his right shoulder and walk toward a parking lot on the north side of the apartment building between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday, according to the affidavit.
Police said they found blood in Brown Sr's apartment, and detectives believed the boy may have been seriously injured. Maurice Brown, Sr, was charged with child neglect or endangerment on Monday night. Court records do not show if he has a lawyer.
Police used helicopters and dogs in their search for the boy. Flyers with the boy's photo on them were distributed in the neighborhood near downtown Memphis where Maurice Brown Sr lives.
Armstrong said detectives are still investigating, including whether Brown Sr will face additional charges.
The affidavit said that the father had threatened to spank his son for wetting his pants on Sunday night, but instead he told the boy to change clothes and made him sit down to watch television.
That's when, the father says, he fell asleep on a couch in the living room, the affidavit said.
Brown Sr told police he woke up at around 10 p.m. and searched the apartment and the neighborhood, but could not find his son.
Police said they found evidence of spattered and pooled blood in the man's bathroom that was consistent with a beating. Police also found a white piece of cloth with blood on it, the affidavit said.
'Based upon the age of the missing child, and the blood evidence in the bathroom, which is consistent with blunt force trauma, the affiant has probable cause to believe that the child has sustained serious bodily injury,' said the affidavit, signed by homicide detective Darren Goods.
The boy's mother, Latoya Kanneh, told The Commercial Appeal that she drove to Memphis from Pine Bluff, Ark., after being told by police that her son was missing. Kanneh, 23, said her son lived with her in Arkansas but was visiting his father in Memphis.
When she arrived at the apartment complex, family and friends flyered the neighborhood with missing posters of the boy. 'Where’s my baby?' she shouted. 'I just want my baby.'
3-year-old son "disappears" while under Dad's sole care; blood evidence in house suggests brutal beating--why wasn't this little boy with his mother in Arkansas? (Memphis, Tennessee)
What the custodial arrangement here was is not explained. Maybe Dad MAURICE BROWN SR. had court-ordered custody. Maybe he had some sort of out-of-state visitation (which is ridiculous with a preschooler.) Maybe it was just an informal "arrangement" with the mother, that may or may not have been voluntary on her part. (It is not uncommon for the police to refuse to intervene when a father won't return the child to the mother, especially if she doesn't have a piece of paper saying she has sole custody.)
But whatever it was, this is what "children need their daddies" bullsh** leads to. The care of a young child being entrusted to a self-admitted gang member daddy who fancies himself "an artist" (see the accompanying video at the link below) and who thinks of nothing of parking his 3-year-old son "24/7" in front of a TV. Yet he's praised as a "very loving" father. Total. Complete. Crap.
What he is, in my humble opinion, is a total con. A self-absorbed narcissist. A pathological liar. A sociopath who seemingly murdered this little boy in a vicious bloody beating. He sounds just like my ex, who is a total sociopath of just this type. Just can't stop talking about himself and how cool he is.
http://www.kait8.com/story/18929570/3-year-old-boy-missing-overnight?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7459869
Father charged in disappearance of 3-year-old son
Posted: Jul 02, 2012 4:44 AM CDT Updated: Jul 02, 2012 9:40 PM CDT
By WMCTV.com Staff
Maurice Brown, Jr., 3, went missing at 10:30 p.m. Sunday
MEMPHIS, TN -
(WMC-TV) – Memphis Police have confirmed that Maurice Brown Senior has been charged with aggravated child neglect and endangerment in the disappearance of his son, 3-year-old, Maurice Brown Jr.
People have been searching for the missing boy on the ground and in the air.
Police found a lot of what appeared to be blood in the Brown family apartment, and there is even more disturbing information coming out.
"I'm hurt, I'm hurt, I'm hurt," Maurice Brown said Monday morning. He's now at 201 Poplar charged with aggravated child neglect and endangerment of a child.
The affidavit of complaint paints a chilling picture of what could have happened to 3 year old Maurice Brown, Jr.
In the apartment, police found what appeared to be blood splatter on the bathroom walls, pooling of blood in the bathroom closet, blood drops on the floor and tub area and a bloody piece of white cloth. The report says enough blood was found to point to blunt force trauma and that the child has been seriously injured.
Maurice Brown Jr., went missing at 8:30 p.m. on South Pauline Street. His father, Maurice Brown Senior, told police that gang members took his son to retaliate against him. He said he fell asleep and when he woke up, his boy was gone.
"I searched the house and he was nowhere to be found. I got my other son off the couch and walked around the block. Got in my car, drove around the block and called the police and from there they haven't told me anything," said Maurice Brown, Senior.
Brown told police about an argument he had with the missing 3 year old Sunday night because the child wet his pants. Brown said he'd planned on spanking the boy but instead made him sit on the couch and watch TV. Then Brown told us he fell asleep for an hour in the same room as his sons, Maurice Jr. and his one year old brother. Brown said when he woke the door was wide open and only the younger boy was there. He says he took the one year old to search the neighborhood for Maurice. However the affidavit says that an upstairs neighbor saw Brown walk out of the apartment towards the parking lot with the larger of the two children draped over his right shoulder and not the one year old as Brown maintains. His neighbors don't know what to think.
"Very surprising. He's very loving from what I've seen with the kids. He's very loving and very protective," a neighbor said.
Police used a helicopter, dogs, and several officers to scan the area in search of the missing boy.
Despite the presence of homicide detectives, police say they're still treating their investigation as a missing person's case.
The boy's dad told Action News 5 that he is affiliated with a gang called the Grape Street Crips. Maurice Brown Senior said he may have enemies but he wants his son back.
"There's a lot of people that know me, there's a lot of people that hate me, but for them to know where I live at, or however the situation may be, I need my son back," said the boy's father.
Police took Maurice Senior's vehicle from the scene as part of the investigation.
"They said there's some kind of mud or something that was on my car but I didn't really see why they took my car," he said. "They talking about some mud, how did it come here, all part of the procedure, you know, you gotta take the car.
Maurice Senior also said they took something else from his home during the investigation.
"I had a bath towel where I cut my finger at, you know, and that's what they took."
Maurice Senior told Action News 5 that he will do anything to get his son back.
"I love him to death. He was happy kid, never did nothing to nobody, he never did nothing to nobody, all he do is sit in front of the TV, 24/7 watching TV, he never moved," said his father.
He is about three feet tall and 65 pounds. Maurice was last seen wearing a blue, Batman shirt and blue jeans.
"I got nothing to live for really, because that was my soldier," said Maurice Senior. "That was my soldier, you know. And I need him. I need him back, man. I need him back."
His mother lives in Arkansas.
Late Monday afternoon, police at the missing boy's home sprinted away after a report that he had been found four blocks away.
And while the report turned out to be a false alarm, two people were arrested after arguing with police.
If you have any information about the little boy's whereabouts, you are asked to contact Memphis Police at 901-545-2677.
But whatever it was, this is what "children need their daddies" bullsh** leads to. The care of a young child being entrusted to a self-admitted gang member daddy who fancies himself "an artist" (see the accompanying video at the link below) and who thinks of nothing of parking his 3-year-old son "24/7" in front of a TV. Yet he's praised as a "very loving" father. Total. Complete. Crap.
What he is, in my humble opinion, is a total con. A self-absorbed narcissist. A pathological liar. A sociopath who seemingly murdered this little boy in a vicious bloody beating. He sounds just like my ex, who is a total sociopath of just this type. Just can't stop talking about himself and how cool he is.
http://www.kait8.com/story/18929570/3-year-old-boy-missing-overnight?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7459869
Father charged in disappearance of 3-year-old son
Posted: Jul 02, 2012 4:44 AM CDT Updated: Jul 02, 2012 9:40 PM CDT
By WMCTV.com Staff
Maurice Brown, Jr., 3, went missing at 10:30 p.m. Sunday
MEMPHIS, TN -
(WMC-TV) – Memphis Police have confirmed that Maurice Brown Senior has been charged with aggravated child neglect and endangerment in the disappearance of his son, 3-year-old, Maurice Brown Jr.
People have been searching for the missing boy on the ground and in the air.
Police found a lot of what appeared to be blood in the Brown family apartment, and there is even more disturbing information coming out.
"I'm hurt, I'm hurt, I'm hurt," Maurice Brown said Monday morning. He's now at 201 Poplar charged with aggravated child neglect and endangerment of a child.
The affidavit of complaint paints a chilling picture of what could have happened to 3 year old Maurice Brown, Jr.
In the apartment, police found what appeared to be blood splatter on the bathroom walls, pooling of blood in the bathroom closet, blood drops on the floor and tub area and a bloody piece of white cloth. The report says enough blood was found to point to blunt force trauma and that the child has been seriously injured.
Maurice Brown Jr., went missing at 8:30 p.m. on South Pauline Street. His father, Maurice Brown Senior, told police that gang members took his son to retaliate against him. He said he fell asleep and when he woke up, his boy was gone.
"I searched the house and he was nowhere to be found. I got my other son off the couch and walked around the block. Got in my car, drove around the block and called the police and from there they haven't told me anything," said Maurice Brown, Senior.
Brown told police about an argument he had with the missing 3 year old Sunday night because the child wet his pants. Brown said he'd planned on spanking the boy but instead made him sit on the couch and watch TV. Then Brown told us he fell asleep for an hour in the same room as his sons, Maurice Jr. and his one year old brother. Brown said when he woke the door was wide open and only the younger boy was there. He says he took the one year old to search the neighborhood for Maurice. However the affidavit says that an upstairs neighbor saw Brown walk out of the apartment towards the parking lot with the larger of the two children draped over his right shoulder and not the one year old as Brown maintains. His neighbors don't know what to think.
"Very surprising. He's very loving from what I've seen with the kids. He's very loving and very protective," a neighbor said.
Police used a helicopter, dogs, and several officers to scan the area in search of the missing boy.
Despite the presence of homicide detectives, police say they're still treating their investigation as a missing person's case.
The boy's dad told Action News 5 that he is affiliated with a gang called the Grape Street Crips. Maurice Brown Senior said he may have enemies but he wants his son back.
"There's a lot of people that know me, there's a lot of people that hate me, but for them to know where I live at, or however the situation may be, I need my son back," said the boy's father.
Police took Maurice Senior's vehicle from the scene as part of the investigation.
"They said there's some kind of mud or something that was on my car but I didn't really see why they took my car," he said. "They talking about some mud, how did it come here, all part of the procedure, you know, you gotta take the car.
Maurice Senior also said they took something else from his home during the investigation.
"I had a bath towel where I cut my finger at, you know, and that's what they took."
Maurice Senior told Action News 5 that he will do anything to get his son back.
"I love him to death. He was happy kid, never did nothing to nobody, he never did nothing to nobody, all he do is sit in front of the TV, 24/7 watching TV, he never moved," said his father.
He is about three feet tall and 65 pounds. Maurice was last seen wearing a blue, Batman shirt and blue jeans.
"I got nothing to live for really, because that was my soldier," said Maurice Senior. "That was my soldier, you know. And I need him. I need him back, man. I need him back."
His mother lives in Arkansas.
Late Monday afternoon, police at the missing boy's home sprinted away after a report that he had been found four blocks away.
And while the report turned out to be a false alarm, two people were arrested after arguing with police.
If you have any information about the little boy's whereabouts, you are asked to contact Memphis Police at 901-545-2677.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Dad brutally murders 3-year-old twin daughters as part of "custody battle" (Mechanicsville, Virginia)
Yet another case where nobody believed the mother and her concerns about dad ROBERT D. KING and his sanity. Yet another case where a daddy used custody as a means to battle the mother for control, then opted for murder as a "final solution."
Despite Mom's concerns about Daddy's paranoia, he got visitation with two helpless 3-year-old girls, which he brutally murdered by slashing their throats and gassing them.
This appears to be a classic abuse-and-control killing. And it was obviously aided and abetted by the authorities who supported Daddy's weekend visitation. No visitation, no access, no murders.
To stop the bloodshed, we have to stop giving killer freaks like this dude access to the kids.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094359/Robert-King-kills-twin-daughters-3-murder-suicide-following-bitter-custody-battle.html
'My babies are dead': Estranged wife in bitter custody battle finds bodies of twin daughters, 3, and her ex-husband after he slit their throats
Mother went to the home when no one picked up the phone
Sheriff removed notes and video tape from the house
By Louise Boyle
UPDATED: 14:43 EST, 31 January 2012
A father going through a custody battle with his estranged wife allegedly pumped exhaust fumes from a van into a bedroom at his home before cutting his throat and those of his three-year-old twin daughters.
Police received a call at 3.30pm on Saturday from the girls' mother, Kristina Hooper. When they arrived, she was sobbing on her knees at the end of the gravel driveway, court records revealed.
'My babies are dead, they're in the house,' she told officers in Mechanicsville, Virginia.
Robert D King, 40, and twins Caroline and Madison King died as a result of cuts to the neck and carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Hanover County's chief medical examiner.
Deputies were overcome by fumes and had to ventilate the modest, one-story home before entering.
Flexible tubing had been attached from the exhaust pipe of King's van and snaked into the front bedroom, where the three were found dead.
Sheriff deputies removed duct tape, two notes, a video camera and several other items from the home.
The twins lived with their mother Ms Hooper at her home in Hanover County but both parents were fighting for custody. The twins had been visiting their father at the weekend and Ms Hooper went to the house after calling several times and getting no answer.
King filed for divorce in October, accusing his estranged wife of abandoning the family a month earlier. The couple were married in March 2008 and the girls born that August.
Ms Hooper alleged that King's paranoid behavior and verbal abuse, combined with a 'significant shoplifting problem,' were the cause of the failing marriage - something he denied.
She claimed she didn't abandon the family but that both had agreed despite marriage counseling that the relationship was over.
'I don't know if there's any training that can prepare you for an incident of this sort.'
In court documents, Ms Hooper said the separation followed a decline in King's mental state 'which created living conditions which were intolerable and constituted constructive desertion and cruelty'.
King's divorce attorney did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
On Sunday, mourners left flowers, balloons and teddy bears on the front porch of the home where the girls' bodies were found.
Nathan Cox, a close family friend, told local TV station CBS6 that there were no 'red flags' as to King's intentions despite the fact the family were going through a tough divorce.
He said: 'You don't take something from someone that's not yours... and in this case, he took two lives that weren't his.
Sgt Chris Whitely from the Hanover Police Department added: 'I don't know if there's any training that can prepare you for an incident of this sort.'
A prayer vigil was being organised by the small community tonight to show support for the grieving mother. Ms Hooper's family had asked that mourners bring candles and pink balloons to release in memory of the children.
'It's a tragedy all the way around, to lose two little girls at such a tender age,' a neighbor, Jean Atkins, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. 'It hurts. It hurts everybody that has heard the story.'
Despite Mom's concerns about Daddy's paranoia, he got visitation with two helpless 3-year-old girls, which he brutally murdered by slashing their throats and gassing them.
This appears to be a classic abuse-and-control killing. And it was obviously aided and abetted by the authorities who supported Daddy's weekend visitation. No visitation, no access, no murders.
To stop the bloodshed, we have to stop giving killer freaks like this dude access to the kids.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094359/Robert-King-kills-twin-daughters-3-murder-suicide-following-bitter-custody-battle.html
'My babies are dead': Estranged wife in bitter custody battle finds bodies of twin daughters, 3, and her ex-husband after he slit their throats
Mother went to the home when no one picked up the phone
Sheriff removed notes and video tape from the house
By Louise Boyle
UPDATED: 14:43 EST, 31 January 2012
A father going through a custody battle with his estranged wife allegedly pumped exhaust fumes from a van into a bedroom at his home before cutting his throat and those of his three-year-old twin daughters.
Police received a call at 3.30pm on Saturday from the girls' mother, Kristina Hooper. When they arrived, she was sobbing on her knees at the end of the gravel driveway, court records revealed.
'My babies are dead, they're in the house,' she told officers in Mechanicsville, Virginia.
Robert D King, 40, and twins Caroline and Madison King died as a result of cuts to the neck and carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Hanover County's chief medical examiner.
Deputies were overcome by fumes and had to ventilate the modest, one-story home before entering.
Flexible tubing had been attached from the exhaust pipe of King's van and snaked into the front bedroom, where the three were found dead.
Sheriff deputies removed duct tape, two notes, a video camera and several other items from the home.
The twins lived with their mother Ms Hooper at her home in Hanover County but both parents were fighting for custody. The twins had been visiting their father at the weekend and Ms Hooper went to the house after calling several times and getting no answer.
King filed for divorce in October, accusing his estranged wife of abandoning the family a month earlier. The couple were married in March 2008 and the girls born that August.
Ms Hooper alleged that King's paranoid behavior and verbal abuse, combined with a 'significant shoplifting problem,' were the cause of the failing marriage - something he denied.
She claimed she didn't abandon the family but that both had agreed despite marriage counseling that the relationship was over.
'I don't know if there's any training that can prepare you for an incident of this sort.'
In court documents, Ms Hooper said the separation followed a decline in King's mental state 'which created living conditions which were intolerable and constituted constructive desertion and cruelty'.
King's divorce attorney did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
On Sunday, mourners left flowers, balloons and teddy bears on the front porch of the home where the girls' bodies were found.
Nathan Cox, a close family friend, told local TV station CBS6 that there were no 'red flags' as to King's intentions despite the fact the family were going through a tough divorce.
He said: 'You don't take something from someone that's not yours... and in this case, he took two lives that weren't his.
Sgt Chris Whitely from the Hanover Police Department added: 'I don't know if there's any training that can prepare you for an incident of this sort.'
A prayer vigil was being organised by the small community tonight to show support for the grieving mother. Ms Hooper's family had asked that mourners bring candles and pink balloons to release in memory of the children.
'It's a tragedy all the way around, to lose two little girls at such a tender age,' a neighbor, Jean Atkins, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. 'It hurts. It hurts everybody that has heard the story.'
Monday, June 18, 2012
Dad charged with felony endangerment in death of 5-year-old daughter (Clarion, Iowa)
I have never seen it clarified what the legal arrangement was, but dad ROBERT VALENTINE JR. obviously had some sort of vistation/custodial deal. Like a lot of these dads, he promptly dumped the child on the new gal pal, who abused and killed this 5-year-old girl. Usually these guys play the dumb-and-clueless-card, and that's the end of it. Rather unusual to see one charged with endangerment.
http://www.messengernews.net/page/content.detail/id/548875/Father-charged-with-2-felonies.html?nav=5010
Father charged with 2 felonies
Valentine’s dad booked for child endangerment
June 15, 2012
By BILL SHEA, Messenger News
CLARION - The father of Mikayla Valentine, a 5-year-old who died in January 2011 from what authorities called abusive head trauma, has been arrested on child abuse-related charges, according to court records.
Robert Valentine Jr., 29, of Eagle Grove, has been charged with child endangerment resulting in death and child endangerment resulting in serious injury, according to court complaints filed by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
The complaints state that the alleged offenses happened on Jan. 1, 2011. Mikayla Valentine died on Jan. 8, 2011.
The charges were filed Wednesday, and Valentine made his first appearance in court that day.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 9:15 a.m. Thursday in Wright County District Court.
Kara Crapser, 21, of Eagle Grove, is serving a 50-year prison sentence for her role in the child's death. She pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to prison on May 7.
During her sentencing hearing, a written statement from Robert Valentine Jr. was read.
"How low can a person be?" he wrote. "To murder a baby and not care. To take that life and make others believe your innocence and then waiting a year to confess."
"My daughter was a beautiful and innocent baby," he wrote.
Mikayla Valentine was the daughter of Robert Valentine Jr. and Michele Movall.
The girl was in Crapser's care in her home at 208 N. Wright Ave. in Eagle Grove, when she suffered the injuries that led to her death.
Emergency personnel were called to that home on Jan. 7, 2011, to treat the girl's injuries. She was later airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, where she died the following day.
Investigators have said little about what happened to her. The most detailed account thus far has come from her older brother, Robert Valentine III, who wrote a victim impact statement that was read during Crapser's sentencing hearing.
"You know you killed Mikayla," he wrote. "You know you threw her."
A call seeking comment from Wright County Attorney Eric Simsonson wasn't returned Friday evening.
http://www.messengernews.net/page/content.detail/id/548875/Father-charged-with-2-felonies.html?nav=5010
Father charged with 2 felonies
Valentine’s dad booked for child endangerment
June 15, 2012
By BILL SHEA, Messenger News
CLARION - The father of Mikayla Valentine, a 5-year-old who died in January 2011 from what authorities called abusive head trauma, has been arrested on child abuse-related charges, according to court records.
Robert Valentine Jr., 29, of Eagle Grove, has been charged with child endangerment resulting in death and child endangerment resulting in serious injury, according to court complaints filed by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
The complaints state that the alleged offenses happened on Jan. 1, 2011. Mikayla Valentine died on Jan. 8, 2011.
The charges were filed Wednesday, and Valentine made his first appearance in court that day.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for 9:15 a.m. Thursday in Wright County District Court.
Kara Crapser, 21, of Eagle Grove, is serving a 50-year prison sentence for her role in the child's death. She pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to prison on May 7.
During her sentencing hearing, a written statement from Robert Valentine Jr. was read.
"How low can a person be?" he wrote. "To murder a baby and not care. To take that life and make others believe your innocence and then waiting a year to confess."
"My daughter was a beautiful and innocent baby," he wrote.
Mikayla Valentine was the daughter of Robert Valentine Jr. and Michele Movall.
The girl was in Crapser's care in her home at 208 N. Wright Ave. in Eagle Grove, when she suffered the injuries that led to her death.
Emergency personnel were called to that home on Jan. 7, 2011, to treat the girl's injuries. She was later airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, where she died the following day.
Investigators have said little about what happened to her. The most detailed account thus far has come from her older brother, Robert Valentine III, who wrote a victim impact statement that was read during Crapser's sentencing hearing.
"You know you killed Mikayla," he wrote. "You know you threw her."
A call seeking comment from Wright County Attorney Eric Simsonson wasn't returned Friday evening.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Kidnap charge restored against father; son "disappeared" during his visitation (Lynn, Massachusetts)
Sad to say, but we've been following this case for four years now. It is assumed--based on previous admissions--that dad ERNESTO GONZALEZ murdered his 5-year-old son during his unofficial weekend visitation. But no body has ever been found, so the authorities claim that the father couldn't be charged with murder. And because the mother didn't have "official" custody, it has been argued--up until now--that the father couldn't be charged with kidnapping.
This is why unmarried mothers need to have AUTOMATIC custody of the children they give birth to. Just to prevent some sperm donor from walking in some years after the child's birth and taking off with the kid.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20120613/APN/1206130795?p=1&tc=pg
Kidnap charge restored in missing Lynn boy caseBy DENISE LAVOIE
AP Legal Affairs Writer
Published: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 2:56 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 2:56 p.m.
BOSTON - A parental kidnapping charge was reinstated Wednesday against a Lynn man whose 5-year-old son disappeared almost four years ago.
The Supreme Judicial Court overturned a ruling by a Superior Court judge who dismissed the kidnapping charge against Ernesto Gonzalez. The judge ruled that Gonzalez could not be charged with parental kidnapping because there was no court order denying him custody of his son, Giovanni.
Gonzalez remains behind bars without bail on a charge of misleading police.
The boy disappeared in August 2008 after a weekend visit with his father. Gonzalez later told a Boston Globe reporter he killed and dismembered the boy, then disposed of his body parts in trash containers throughout the city.
No body was ever found, and Gonzalez has not been charged with murder.
Gonzalez, who was not married to the boy's mother, challenged the constitutionality of a state law that says the mother has custody of children born to unmarried parents until a court makes a ruling. He argued that the law discriminates against fathers on the basis of their gender.
But the SJC said it did not have to rule on the constitutional question because the law also provides that if either parent gives up or abandons the child and the other parent is fit to have custody, that parent will be entitled to custody.
The court noted that Gonzalez had not been in his son's life for three years. Several weeks before the boy disappeared, Gonzalez had asked the boy's mother for permission to have weekend visits. She agreed, and Gonzalez had two weekend visits with him. During the third visit, the boy disappeared.
This is why unmarried mothers need to have AUTOMATIC custody of the children they give birth to. Just to prevent some sperm donor from walking in some years after the child's birth and taking off with the kid.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20120613/APN/1206130795?p=1&tc=pg
Kidnap charge restored in missing Lynn boy caseBy DENISE LAVOIE
AP Legal Affairs Writer
Published: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 2:56 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 2:56 p.m.
BOSTON - A parental kidnapping charge was reinstated Wednesday against a Lynn man whose 5-year-old son disappeared almost four years ago.
The Supreme Judicial Court overturned a ruling by a Superior Court judge who dismissed the kidnapping charge against Ernesto Gonzalez. The judge ruled that Gonzalez could not be charged with parental kidnapping because there was no court order denying him custody of his son, Giovanni.
Gonzalez remains behind bars without bail on a charge of misleading police.
The boy disappeared in August 2008 after a weekend visit with his father. Gonzalez later told a Boston Globe reporter he killed and dismembered the boy, then disposed of his body parts in trash containers throughout the city.
No body was ever found, and Gonzalez has not been charged with murder.
Gonzalez, who was not married to the boy's mother, challenged the constitutionality of a state law that says the mother has custody of children born to unmarried parents until a court makes a ruling. He argued that the law discriminates against fathers on the basis of their gender.
But the SJC said it did not have to rule on the constitutional question because the law also provides that if either parent gives up or abandons the child and the other parent is fit to have custody, that parent will be entitled to custody.
The court noted that Gonzalez had not been in his son's life for three years. Several weeks before the boy disappeared, Gonzalez had asked the boy's mother for permission to have weekend visits. She agreed, and Gonzalez had two weekend visits with him. During the third visit, the boy disappeared.
"The defendant did not pursue his remedy to obtain sole or shared physical custody of (Giovanni) in the Probate and Family Court. Instead, according to the grand jury testimony, he allegedly took (Giovanni) to the exclusion of his custodial parent, and now asserts his custodial rights in a kidnapping prosecution," Justice Barbara Lenk wrote for the court in the unanimous ruling.
"Allowing unmarried, noncustodial fathers to take a child first and raise ... challenges to the constitutionality of the custody statutes later would place the child's safety at risk, and thus contravene the child's best interests."
Gonzalez's lawyer, Russell Sobelman, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
"I am pleased that the SJC overturned the lower court's ruling so that we may proceed with parental kidnapping charges against Mr. Gonzalez," said Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.
In court documents filed in 2010, authorities said they discovered Giovanni's blood on several items inside Gonzalez's apartment, including a knife, the floor, the bathroom threshold and a bottle of cleaner.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Custodial dad, gal pal arraigned in death of 3-year-old son (Martinsburg, West Virginia)
Dad is identified as JAMES MAUDLIN. We still have NO explanation as to why this 3-year old was in Dad's care, or how he got there. But is appears he was custodial. No word on the boy's mother or why this child was apparently not in her care.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT
http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/580167/Two-arraigned-on-charges-related-to-child-s-death.html?nav=5006
Two arraigned on charges related to child’s death
Both defendants are accused of failing to seek medical attention for the victim
June 6, 2012
By Edward Marshall - Journal Staff Writer , journal-news.net
MARTINSBURG - Two people indicted last month by a grand jury in connection with the death of a 3-year-old boy in January were arraigned Tuesday in Berkeley County Circuit Court.
The child's father, 20-year-old James Mauldin, who is incarcerated at Eastern Regional Jail, was indicted in May on charges of death of a child by a parent, guardian or custodian by child abuse; child abuse causing serious bodily injury; malicious assault; two counts of gross child neglect creating substantial risk of serious bodily injury; and one count of presenting false information regarding a child's injuries.
Mauldin's co-defendant, 23-year-old Jasmine K. Dawkins, of Pinewood Drive, Waldorf, Md., was indicted on one count of death of a child by a parent, guardian or custodian by child abuse; two counts of gross child neglect creating a substantial risk of serious bodily injury; and one count of presenting false information regarding a child's injuries.
Both Mauldin and Dawkins, who have pleaded not guilty to the charges, made brief appearances in court Tuesday with their attorneys for arraignment hearings before West Virginia 23rd Judicial Court Judge John Yoder. A trial date was subsequently scheduled for Dec. 10.
The victim in the case, Kaiwon Connelly, was flown to Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., in critical condition on Dec. 31, 2011, and died on New Year's Day from alleged abuse-related injuries. The child was found to be suffering from multiple skull fractures and brain bleeds. Doctors and nurses also found evidence of past marks on his body, burn marks and head injuries.
Both defendants are accused of failing to seek medical attention for the boy. Dawkins, who is not the child's biological mother, told police that she witnessed Mauldin punch the victim in the face and head multiple times a few days prior to the child's death. The burn marks on the victim's buttocks and legs are believed to have been caused by a punishment imposed on the child called "squats," which involved the victim being forced to squat over a burning hot pan.
Both Mauldin and Dawkins are also accused of lying about how the child suffered his injuries. Dawkins also is accused of failing to report the abuse to authorities. She previously told police that she didn't report the abuse because she was afraid of being abused herself. The case was investigated by the West Virginia State Police.
A trial date was tentatively scheduled for December in the case.
INVISIBLE MOTHER ALERT
http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/580167/Two-arraigned-on-charges-related-to-child-s-death.html?nav=5006
Two arraigned on charges related to child’s death
Both defendants are accused of failing to seek medical attention for the victim
June 6, 2012
By Edward Marshall - Journal Staff Writer , journal-news.net
MARTINSBURG - Two people indicted last month by a grand jury in connection with the death of a 3-year-old boy in January were arraigned Tuesday in Berkeley County Circuit Court.
The child's father, 20-year-old James Mauldin, who is incarcerated at Eastern Regional Jail, was indicted in May on charges of death of a child by a parent, guardian or custodian by child abuse; child abuse causing serious bodily injury; malicious assault; two counts of gross child neglect creating substantial risk of serious bodily injury; and one count of presenting false information regarding a child's injuries.
Mauldin's co-defendant, 23-year-old Jasmine K. Dawkins, of Pinewood Drive, Waldorf, Md., was indicted on one count of death of a child by a parent, guardian or custodian by child abuse; two counts of gross child neglect creating a substantial risk of serious bodily injury; and one count of presenting false information regarding a child's injuries.
Both Mauldin and Dawkins, who have pleaded not guilty to the charges, made brief appearances in court Tuesday with their attorneys for arraignment hearings before West Virginia 23rd Judicial Court Judge John Yoder. A trial date was subsequently scheduled for Dec. 10.
The victim in the case, Kaiwon Connelly, was flown to Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., in critical condition on Dec. 31, 2011, and died on New Year's Day from alleged abuse-related injuries. The child was found to be suffering from multiple skull fractures and brain bleeds. Doctors and nurses also found evidence of past marks on his body, burn marks and head injuries.
Both defendants are accused of failing to seek medical attention for the boy. Dawkins, who is not the child's biological mother, told police that she witnessed Mauldin punch the victim in the face and head multiple times a few days prior to the child's death. The burn marks on the victim's buttocks and legs are believed to have been caused by a punishment imposed on the child called "squats," which involved the victim being forced to squat over a burning hot pan.
Both Mauldin and Dawkins are also accused of lying about how the child suffered his injuries. Dawkins also is accused of failing to report the abuse to authorities. She previously told police that she didn't report the abuse because she was afraid of being abused herself. The case was investigated by the West Virginia State Police.
A trial date was tentatively scheduled for December in the case.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Dad who murdered two daughters after "custody battle" with their mother gets 15 years in prison (Brandenburg, Germany)
Dad PETER R. is your classic narcissistic abuser. Child custody is just an avenue of control for these types, they don't give a sh** about the kids or raising them. They just want to make sure Mom is punished enough for leaving their sorry @$$es. So taking custody of the kids--or drugging them and burning them to death--it all accomplishes the same aim to them. We need to stop giving these types acccess to the kids at all.
Fifteen years for a vicious double murder? I know the European justice system is far more lenient than it is in the US, but this is a joke....
http://www.thelocal.de/society/20120531-42877.html
Jail for dad who killed daughters in car fireball
Published: 31 May 12 15:23 CET
Online:
A man who murdered his two young daughters by drugging them, strapping them into his car and then setting it on fire after a custody battle with his former wife was jailed for life in Germany on Thursday.
The 41-year-old Danish man, identified only as Peter R., had taken his daughters, aged nine and ten, on holiday to Germany in August 2011, when the judge Frank Tiemann said “resentment and jealousy” towards his ex-wife drove him to kill them both.
He stopped his car in the woods in Brandenburg, sedated the children with sleeping pills, strapped them into the back seat and doused the car in petrol before setting it alight, Potsdam district court heard.
Although he was initially in the car, Peter R. got out at the last minute and was found severely burned, staggering into the road. He was taken to a specialist burns unit in Berlin.
His lawyer argued for a manslaughter conviction, saying Peter R. had been planning to kill himself along with his daughters, but the judge convicted him of murder in light of what he said had been considerable planning. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Tiemann said that because Peter R. had clearly made the effort to buy sleeping pills to sedate the girls and filled up several canisters of petrol, it could not have been a spontaneous decision.
The Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported on Thursday that the Dane had been fighting with his ex-wife about custody of their children. He told the court that he had "killed them out of love as they should not have to live a life without him."
Psychologists instead deemed him to have a “narcissistic personality disorder.”
Fifteen years for a vicious double murder? I know the European justice system is far more lenient than it is in the US, but this is a joke....
http://www.thelocal.de/society/20120531-42877.html
Jail for dad who killed daughters in car fireball
Published: 31 May 12 15:23 CET
Online:
A man who murdered his two young daughters by drugging them, strapping them into his car and then setting it on fire after a custody battle with his former wife was jailed for life in Germany on Thursday.
The 41-year-old Danish man, identified only as Peter R., had taken his daughters, aged nine and ten, on holiday to Germany in August 2011, when the judge Frank Tiemann said “resentment and jealousy” towards his ex-wife drove him to kill them both.
He stopped his car in the woods in Brandenburg, sedated the children with sleeping pills, strapped them into the back seat and doused the car in petrol before setting it alight, Potsdam district court heard.
Although he was initially in the car, Peter R. got out at the last minute and was found severely burned, staggering into the road. He was taken to a specialist burns unit in Berlin.
His lawyer argued for a manslaughter conviction, saying Peter R. had been planning to kill himself along with his daughters, but the judge convicted him of murder in light of what he said had been considerable planning. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Tiemann said that because Peter R. had clearly made the effort to buy sleeping pills to sedate the girls and filled up several canisters of petrol, it could not have been a spontaneous decision.
The Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported on Thursday that the Dane had been fighting with his ex-wife about custody of their children. He told the court that he had "killed them out of love as they should not have to live a life without him."
Psychologists instead deemed him to have a “narcissistic personality disorder.”
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Prosecutors seeking death penalty for custodial dad accused of drugging, raping, and murdering 14-year-old daughter (Ceres, California)
Despite the custodial dad's criminal history, it took three years to get around to searching the house and grounds after the daughter's "disappearance." Everyone from the judge who gave MARK EDWARD MESITI custody to the cops who looked the other way when this girl "disappeared"--it all reeks of special favors and cover-ups.
Note that the judge who gave this monster custody is NOT identified. Even in the U.K. press.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2114526/Death-penalty-sought-man-accused-raping-killing-14-year-old-daughter.html
Father 'drugged, raped and murdered his daughter, 14, just months after being granted custody'
Prosecutors seek death because of age and vulnerability of victim
Man also charged with sexually molesting two other girls
By Alfonso Serrano F.
PUBLISHED: 14:34 EST, 13 March 2012 | UPDATED: 15:23 EST, 13 March 2012
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a California man accused to raping and killing his 14-year-old-daughter before burying her body in the backyard of their home.
Mark Edward Mesiti, 44, allegedly drugged and sexually abused his daughter Alycia before killing her in August 2006, just months after a judge granted him custody of his daughter and son, according to court documents.
The Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office said it is seeking the death penalty because of a 'special enhancement' to charges against Mr Mesiti. Those charges accuse Mesiti of committing murder 'before or during' rape, sodomy and oral copulation, according to court documents.
Prosecutor Annette Rees made the announcement Monday during a pretrial hearing.
Mesiti also faces additional charges of molesting two other girls, one age 8 and the other while she was 16 and 17, according to prosecutors.
Mesiti committed most of the sexual assaults against his daughter while she was drugged, sometimes with anesthesia, according to criminal complaint documents obtained by the Modesto Bee.
The documents claim Mesiti molested Alycia from July 2005 through May 2006.
A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge awarded Mesiti custody of Alycia and her brother despite Mesiti's substantial criminal history.
Mesiti, records show, had committed several federal and state crimes, including bank fraud and drunk driving. He had also been charged with domestic violence and ordered to attend anger-management classes, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
Alycia disappeared from her home in Ceres, California in August 2006. At the time Mr Mesiti told police investigators that his daughter had vanished after setting off on a camping trip with some friends and her pet Chihuahua.
The case was elevated from a disappearance to a homicide investigation in 2009 only after the retirement of a Ceres detective who had been assigned to the case. At that point Ceres police officials ordered a new round of interviews in the case.
Shortly afterwards, police officials obtained a search warrant for Mr Mesiti's former home. Alycia's body was found in a grave beneath the backyard by cadaver-sniffing dogs. Three years had passed since her disappearance.
Only days after finding Alycia's body, police authorities obtained a search warrant for Mesiti's Los Angeles apartment and found a meth lab.
Mesiti was arrested and later convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine.
Alycia and her brother lived with Mesiti for nine months before she disappeared, despite repeated warnings filed by police authorities and child welfare workers.
Court appointed lawyers recommended only temporary placement with Mesiti due to 'sufficient issues and risks to these minors,' the Modesto Bee reports.
Note that the judge who gave this monster custody is NOT identified. Even in the U.K. press.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2114526/Death-penalty-sought-man-accused-raping-killing-14-year-old-daughter.html
Father 'drugged, raped and murdered his daughter, 14, just months after being granted custody'
Prosecutors seek death because of age and vulnerability of victim
Man also charged with sexually molesting two other girls
By Alfonso Serrano F.
PUBLISHED: 14:34 EST, 13 March 2012 | UPDATED: 15:23 EST, 13 March 2012
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a California man accused to raping and killing his 14-year-old-daughter before burying her body in the backyard of their home.
Mark Edward Mesiti, 44, allegedly drugged and sexually abused his daughter Alycia before killing her in August 2006, just months after a judge granted him custody of his daughter and son, according to court documents.
The Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office said it is seeking the death penalty because of a 'special enhancement' to charges against Mr Mesiti. Those charges accuse Mesiti of committing murder 'before or during' rape, sodomy and oral copulation, according to court documents.
Prosecutor Annette Rees made the announcement Monday during a pretrial hearing.
Mesiti also faces additional charges of molesting two other girls, one age 8 and the other while she was 16 and 17, according to prosecutors.
Mesiti committed most of the sexual assaults against his daughter while she was drugged, sometimes with anesthesia, according to criminal complaint documents obtained by the Modesto Bee.
The documents claim Mesiti molested Alycia from July 2005 through May 2006.
A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge awarded Mesiti custody of Alycia and her brother despite Mesiti's substantial criminal history.
Mesiti, records show, had committed several federal and state crimes, including bank fraud and drunk driving. He had also been charged with domestic violence and ordered to attend anger-management classes, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
Alycia disappeared from her home in Ceres, California in August 2006. At the time Mr Mesiti told police investigators that his daughter had vanished after setting off on a camping trip with some friends and her pet Chihuahua.
The case was elevated from a disappearance to a homicide investigation in 2009 only after the retirement of a Ceres detective who had been assigned to the case. At that point Ceres police officials ordered a new round of interviews in the case.
Shortly afterwards, police officials obtained a search warrant for Mr Mesiti's former home. Alycia's body was found in a grave beneath the backyard by cadaver-sniffing dogs. Three years had passed since her disappearance.
Only days after finding Alycia's body, police authorities obtained a search warrant for Mesiti's Los Angeles apartment and found a meth lab.
Mesiti was arrested and later convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine.
Alycia and her brother lived with Mesiti for nine months before she disappeared, despite repeated warnings filed by police authorities and child welfare workers.
Court appointed lawyers recommended only temporary placement with Mesiti due to 'sufficient issues and risks to these minors,' the Modesto Bee reports.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Formerly custodial dad gets probation for abandoning 11-year-old son and leaving the state (Hastings, Minnesota)
Previous articles on this case and shown that dad STEVEN CROSS stripped the mother of custody for the most specious of reasons, then told the son that Mommy was dead. Obviously he shut off all contact for years. (When moms say things like this, the "experts" call it parental alienation syndrome. When Daddy does it, the system lets out a collective yawn.)Then this wonderful daddy finally abandons the kid and hightails it to California. Typical of the type of father who goes for custody. He's not interested in the kid. He just wants control, and wants to hurt the mother. FINALLY, mom has regained custody, but the courts are still insisting that Daddy be kept "involved"--though he didn't extend the same courtesy to Mom all the years HE had custody, did he? Notice that the son is truly traumatized by what the father did to him. Other articles have said he's not sure if he really wants to be reunited with Daddy Dearest, but the father-friendly courts are going to force him regardless.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/16/4494544/lakeville-father-who-abandoned.html
Lakeville father who abandoned son sentenced
The Associated Press
Last modified: 2012-05-16T16:54:05Z
Published: Wednesday, May. 16, 2012 - 9:53 am
HASTINGS, Minn. -- A Lakeville father found guilty of child neglect for abandoning his son and leaving the state has been sentenced to two years of probation.
A Dakota County judge also ordered 60-year-old Steven Cross to pay about $2,500 in restitution for his extradition from California.
Cross left Minnesota last July when his house was lost in foreclosure. He left behind letters telling his 11-year-old son, Sebastian, to go to a neighbor's house and asking the family to become his son's guardian. Sebastian later moved in with a great-aunt.
An impact statement was read in court Wednesday in which Sebastian explained that he felt horrible when his dad left and thought his life was over.
The Star Tribune ( http://bit.ly/Je3EAp) says a judge ordered that Sebastian be placed with his mother. Therapists will recommend when Cross can visit his son.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/16/4494544/lakeville-father-who-abandoned.html
Lakeville father who abandoned son sentenced
The Associated Press
Last modified: 2012-05-16T16:54:05Z
Published: Wednesday, May. 16, 2012 - 9:53 am
HASTINGS, Minn. -- A Lakeville father found guilty of child neglect for abandoning his son and leaving the state has been sentenced to two years of probation.
A Dakota County judge also ordered 60-year-old Steven Cross to pay about $2,500 in restitution for his extradition from California.
Cross left Minnesota last July when his house was lost in foreclosure. He left behind letters telling his 11-year-old son, Sebastian, to go to a neighbor's house and asking the family to become his son's guardian. Sebastian later moved in with a great-aunt.
An impact statement was read in court Wednesday in which Sebastian explained that he felt horrible when his dad left and thought his life was over.
The Star Tribune ( http://bit.ly/Je3EAp) says a judge ordered that Sebastian be placed with his mother. Therapists will recommend when Cross can visit his son.
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