A woman and her boyfriend pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and child abuse in the death of the woman's 3-year-old daughter, who was found in a trash bag.
Miriam Gallegos and Angel Ray Montoya entered their pleas Friday.
Prosecutors say Montoya killed the child while Gallegos was at work then the couple conspired to cover the crime by disposing of the body in a ravine in September 2007.
The couple told authorities the girl was missing.
Authorities say the child died of asphyxiation.
Montoya faces charges of first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death, while Gallegos faces charges of accessory to a crime and child abuse resulting in death.
Showing posts with label murder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label murder. Show all posts
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Marcus Cobbs Charged with Starving Toddler to Death
A former member of a religious cult backed out of a plea deal Friday and will face trial on charges that he and others starved a toddler to death because the boy refused to say "Amen" after meals.
Marcus A. Cobbs, 22, had agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of accessory after the fact. But his attorney abruptly withdrew the plea after a dispute with prosecutors over the conditions of his release.
Cobbs will now face trial in January along with three other members of the now-defunct cult known as 1 Mind Ministries. All four face charges of murder and child abuse in the January 2007 death of 1-year-old Javon Thompson and could face life in prison if convicted.
Had Cobbs pleaded guilty, he would not have admitted any role in starving the child. But he did help the cult members cover up Javon's death, according to a statement of facts read in court to support his guilty plea.
He burned a mattress where the boy's body had lain for several days while the cult members prayed for his resurrection, according to the statement. He also measured Javon's body, washed it, wrapped it in a blanket and placed it inside a suitcase that he bought, the statement said.
The cult members drove to Philadelphia with the suitcase containing Javon's body, where they hid it in a shed behind a home, according to the statement and other court documents. The suitcase remained there for more than a year before police found it.
Javon's mother, Ria Ramkissoon, was part of the cult and pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death. She is expected to testify against the other members and remains jailed. At the time of her plea in March, she held out hope that Javon would be resurrected, and in an extraordinary arrangement, prosecutors agreed to withdraw her plea if that occurs.
Maureen Rowland, Cobbs' public defender, told the Associated Press she thought her client would receive a five-year suspended sentence and be released from jail immediately after pleading guilty.
"He was only taking it because he wanted to get out of jail," Rowland said. "If he was sitting in jail, it wouldn't be a good deal."
But prosecutors said they never agreed to his immediate release. Their tentative plan was for Cobbs to live with a relative out of state until after the trial of the other three cult members, said Joseph Sviatko, a spokesman for the state's attorney's office.
Attorneys did not bring up their disagreement about the conditions of Cobbs' release until after Baltimore Circuit Judge John Philip Miller accepted the guilty plea.
Clearly exasperated, Miller called the attorneys to the bench for a heated conference, after which Rowland announced that she was withdrawing the plea. Miller agreed to throw it out.
"You didn't have an agreement, it appears," the judge said.
Marcus A. Cobbs, 22, had agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of accessory after the fact. But his attorney abruptly withdrew the plea after a dispute with prosecutors over the conditions of his release.
Cobbs will now face trial in January along with three other members of the now-defunct cult known as 1 Mind Ministries. All four face charges of murder and child abuse in the January 2007 death of 1-year-old Javon Thompson and could face life in prison if convicted.
Had Cobbs pleaded guilty, he would not have admitted any role in starving the child. But he did help the cult members cover up Javon's death, according to a statement of facts read in court to support his guilty plea.
He burned a mattress where the boy's body had lain for several days while the cult members prayed for his resurrection, according to the statement. He also measured Javon's body, washed it, wrapped it in a blanket and placed it inside a suitcase that he bought, the statement said.
The cult members drove to Philadelphia with the suitcase containing Javon's body, where they hid it in a shed behind a home, according to the statement and other court documents. The suitcase remained there for more than a year before police found it.
Javon's mother, Ria Ramkissoon, was part of the cult and pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death. She is expected to testify against the other members and remains jailed. At the time of her plea in March, she held out hope that Javon would be resurrected, and in an extraordinary arrangement, prosecutors agreed to withdraw her plea if that occurs.
Maureen Rowland, Cobbs' public defender, told the Associated Press she thought her client would receive a five-year suspended sentence and be released from jail immediately after pleading guilty.
"He was only taking it because he wanted to get out of jail," Rowland said. "If he was sitting in jail, it wouldn't be a good deal."
But prosecutors said they never agreed to his immediate release. Their tentative plan was for Cobbs to live with a relative out of state until after the trial of the other three cult members, said Joseph Sviatko, a spokesman for the state's attorney's office.
Attorneys did not bring up their disagreement about the conditions of Cobbs' release until after Baltimore Circuit Judge John Philip Miller accepted the guilty plea.
Clearly exasperated, Miller called the attorneys to the bench for a heated conference, after which Rowland announced that she was withdrawing the plea. Miller agreed to throw it out.
"You didn't have an agreement, it appears," the judge said.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Dennis Earl Bradford Accused of Raping & Slitting Throat of 8-year-old
An Arkansas man accused of raping an 8-year-old girl and slitting her throat 19 years ago returned to Texas Wednesday night after waiving extradition.
Dennis Earl Bradford, 40, waived extradition proceedings after his arrest on Tuesday in North Little Rock, Ark., on a charge of attempted capital murder in the 1990 abduction and sexual assault of Jennifer Schuett, now 27 and living in League City.
DNA testing techniques developed since 1990 allowed the FBI to match DNA found on a man’s underwear and T-shirt to a DNA sample taken from Bradford after his 1999 kidnapping conviction in Hot Springs, Ark. The underwear and T-shirt were discovered near the overgrown lot where Schuett, naked and bleeding from a slit throat, was dumped on a fire ant mound.
In a brief hearing today at the county jail, Bradford waived appointment of an attorney and said he would hire one. The next hearing is set for next Wednesday.
Benjamin Koller Arrested for Causing the Death of his 4-month-old Son
Prosecutors are expected to file a murder charge Thursday morning against a 26-year-old Lafayette man suspected of causing the injuries that led to his 4-month-old son's death earlier this month.
Benjamin Koller was arrested in July on suspicion of child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury shortly after his badly injured infant, Jack Sebastian Koller, was hospitalized. Because the baby died since his arrest, court records show charges of first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death are expected to be filed during a scheduled hearing Thursday morning.
Jack Sebastian Koller died Oct. 12 while in hospice case. He was born May 27 and hospitalized July 21. The baby suffered bite marks to his left leg and both arms, bruises on his head, retinal bleeding, a skull fracture, a torn frenulum and a bruise behind his ear consistent with being grabbed by the ear, according to Benjamin Koller's arrest warrant affidavit. Doctors told investigators that fluid had to be drained from the baby’s brain.
Prosecutors delayed filing charges against Benjamin Koller because the baby was expected to die from his injuries.
According to Benjamin Koller's arrest warrant affidavit, Koller told investigators that he dropped the baby several times, would bite and shake him to get a reaction when he was unresponsive, and had held his hand over the baby’s mouth until he changed color to stifle his cries.
Jack Koller's condition unexpectedly improved after his hospitalization despite predictions that he would die and he was released Aug. 10 to his maternal grandparents. However, his condition again deteriorated and he was readmitted to the hospital, according to prosecutors.
Benjamin Koller is being held at the Boulder County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Benjamin Koller was arrested in July on suspicion of child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury shortly after his badly injured infant, Jack Sebastian Koller, was hospitalized. Because the baby died since his arrest, court records show charges of first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death are expected to be filed during a scheduled hearing Thursday morning.
Jack Sebastian Koller died Oct. 12 while in hospice case. He was born May 27 and hospitalized July 21. The baby suffered bite marks to his left leg and both arms, bruises on his head, retinal bleeding, a skull fracture, a torn frenulum and a bruise behind his ear consistent with being grabbed by the ear, according to Benjamin Koller's arrest warrant affidavit. Doctors told investigators that fluid had to be drained from the baby’s brain.
Prosecutors delayed filing charges against Benjamin Koller because the baby was expected to die from his injuries.
According to Benjamin Koller's arrest warrant affidavit, Koller told investigators that he dropped the baby several times, would bite and shake him to get a reaction when he was unresponsive, and had held his hand over the baby’s mouth until he changed color to stifle his cries.
Jack Koller's condition unexpectedly improved after his hospitalization despite predictions that he would die and he was released Aug. 10 to his maternal grandparents. However, his condition again deteriorated and he was readmitted to the hospital, according to prosecutors.
Benjamin Koller is being held at the Boulder County Jail on a $1 million bond.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
One-Month-Old Dies After Being Beaten by Teenage Father
A 1-month-old infant, whom Brownsville police said was beaten to death by his teenage father, has died from severe head trauma.
According to the preliminary autopsy results, Marco Avila also had several fractures of the head, blood on the brain, two broken ribs, a broken left clavicle bone and numerous contusions throughout the face and on the body.
“This all indicates that this 1-month-old child was basically beaten to death at the hands of his father, Israel Avila,” said police spokesman Sgt. Jimmy Manrrique. “This was no accident. This was a deliberate violent beating of a 1-month-old baby.”
Avila, 17, was arrested Monday afternoon and later charged with capital murder because the child was under 6 years old. On Tuesday morning Municipal Judge Rene De Coss set Avila’s bond at $1million and sent him to Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center.
On Monday morning, Avila and his common-law wife took the baby to Valley Regional Medical Center-Brownsville, where physicians examining the baby found signs of abuse and called police, Manrrique said. The child then was transported to Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen where he was pronounced dead at 3:47 p.m., he added.
“We are still working on the investigation; we are working with CPS (Child Protective Services) investigating the role the mother had in the case,” the spokesman said. “Indication is that she had no knowledge of the abuse. However, CPS still has to conduct further investigation to make sure the mother or other people didn’t have knowledge of abuse.”
As of now, the beating of the child looks to be an isolated incident with no previous signs of abuse, Manrrique said.
“They (Avila and the child’s mother) had a rough night,” he said. “The child had been crying the whole night and through his own admission, he (Avila) was extremely frustrated and he lost it.”
When approached on Wednesday morning, family members asked for understanding and privacy in their time of sorrow.
According to the preliminary autopsy results, Marco Avila also had several fractures of the head, blood on the brain, two broken ribs, a broken left clavicle bone and numerous contusions throughout the face and on the body.
“This all indicates that this 1-month-old child was basically beaten to death at the hands of his father, Israel Avila,” said police spokesman Sgt. Jimmy Manrrique. “This was no accident. This was a deliberate violent beating of a 1-month-old baby.”
Avila, 17, was arrested Monday afternoon and later charged with capital murder because the child was under 6 years old. On Tuesday morning Municipal Judge Rene De Coss set Avila’s bond at $1million and sent him to Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center.
On Monday morning, Avila and his common-law wife took the baby to Valley Regional Medical Center-Brownsville, where physicians examining the baby found signs of abuse and called police, Manrrique said. The child then was transported to Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen where he was pronounced dead at 3:47 p.m., he added.
“We are still working on the investigation; we are working with CPS (Child Protective Services) investigating the role the mother had in the case,” the spokesman said. “Indication is that she had no knowledge of the abuse. However, CPS still has to conduct further investigation to make sure the mother or other people didn’t have knowledge of abuse.”
As of now, the beating of the child looks to be an isolated incident with no previous signs of abuse, Manrrique said.
“They (Avila and the child’s mother) had a rough night,” he said. “The child had been crying the whole night and through his own admission, he (Avila) was extremely frustrated and he lost it.”
When approached on Wednesday morning, family members asked for understanding and privacy in their time of sorrow.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Jocquise Coleman Faces Charges of Murder by Child Abuse
An 18-year-old Las Vegas man will face a judge Friday, two days after he turned himself in to police to face charges of murder by child abuse.
Jocquise Coleman disappeared after his girlfriend’s baby, 16-month-old Lamaj Terry, was rushed to a hospital with severe injuries that doctors determined were the result of “definite physical abuse.”
Coleman’s girlfriend, Brittany Terry, said she had left the child in his custody several times while she went to work. She told police she noticed some bruises on the boy days before his death, but Coleman insisted the child hurt himself playing.
“You never think it could happen in your own back yard,” a neighbor, Tanisha, saed. “It does make you think twice about who you’re going to trust [with your kids].”
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Previous Stories:
September 23, 2009: Police Arrest Accused Child Killer
Jocquise Coleman disappeared after his girlfriend’s baby, 16-month-old Lamaj Terry, was rushed to a hospital with severe injuries that doctors determined were the result of “definite physical abuse.”
Coleman’s girlfriend, Brittany Terry, said she had left the child in his custody several times while she went to work. She told police she noticed some bruises on the boy days before his death, but Coleman insisted the child hurt himself playing.
“You never think it could happen in your own back yard,” a neighbor, Tanisha, saed. “It does make you think twice about who you’re going to trust [with your kids].”
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Previous Stories:
September 23, 2009: Police Arrest Accused Child Killer
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Julie Corey Arrested for Cutting Baby from Mother's Womb
WORCESTER, Mass. — A woman accused of kidnapping a baby girl who had been cut from her mother's womb has been ordered held on $500,000 cash bail.
Julie Corey was arraigned on a kidnapping charge Wednesday in Worcester after being extradited to Massachusetts from New Hampshire.
Authorities arrested Corey on July 29 after finding her with the baby at a homeless shelter in Plymouth, N.H.
DNA tests confirmed that the baby was cut from the womb of Darlene Haynes, who was found dead in her Worcester home two days earlier.
Prosecutors have declined to say whether they expect to charge Corey in Haynes' killing.
Corey's attorney said she had "something of a tortured childhood" and is the mother of five children.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
WORCESTER, Mass.
A woman accused of kidnapping a baby girl who had been cut from her mother's womb has agreed to return to Massachusetts from New Hampshire to face charges.
Julie Corey had the baby girl with her when she was arrested at a New Hampshire homeless shelter on July 29. DNA tests have confirmed that the baby was cut from the womb of Darlene Haynes, who was found dead in her Worcester home two days earlier.
Tim Connolly, a spokesman for Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr., said arrangements are being made to bring Corey back within a few days. She will then be arraigned on the kidnapping charge.
Connolly declined to say whether prosecutors expect to charge Corey in Haynes' killing.
Julie Corey was arraigned on a kidnapping charge Wednesday in Worcester after being extradited to Massachusetts from New Hampshire.
Authorities arrested Corey on July 29 after finding her with the baby at a homeless shelter in Plymouth, N.H.
DNA tests confirmed that the baby was cut from the womb of Darlene Haynes, who was found dead in her Worcester home two days earlier.
Prosecutors have declined to say whether they expect to charge Corey in Haynes' killing.
Corey's attorney said she had "something of a tortured childhood" and is the mother of five children.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
WORCESTER, Mass.
A woman accused of kidnapping a baby girl who had been cut from her mother's womb has agreed to return to Massachusetts from New Hampshire to face charges.
Julie Corey had the baby girl with her when she was arrested at a New Hampshire homeless shelter on July 29. DNA tests have confirmed that the baby was cut from the womb of Darlene Haynes, who was found dead in her Worcester home two days earlier.
Tim Connolly, a spokesman for Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr., said arrangements are being made to bring Corey back within a few days. She will then be arraigned on the kidnapping charge.
Connolly declined to say whether prosecutors expect to charge Corey in Haynes' killing.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Antonia Gomez Arrested for Killing Her Daughters
A Sun Valley woman was arrested today for the slaying of her 12-year-old and 17-year-old daughters, who were found stabbed to death, police said.
Los Angeles Police Officer Norma Eisenman said that investigators believe Antonia Gomez, 38, killed two of her three daughters Wednesday and then tried to kill herself. The younger daughter, Edith Moreno, was found in a house in the 7800 block of Irvine Avenue; her older sister, Diana Moreno, was found in a converted garage in the back of the property.
The girls’ mother was hospitalized with knife wounds, police said.
The sisters and Gomez were found at 11:40 a.m. Wednesday by police responding to a 911 call reporting an assault with a deadly weapon. Looking through a window, a visitor to the house saw one of the girls lying on the floor. Both girls were pronounced dead at the scene.
Their 14-year-old sister was taken into protective custody.
Los Angeles Police Officer Norma Eisenman said that investigators believe Antonia Gomez, 38, killed two of her three daughters Wednesday and then tried to kill herself. The younger daughter, Edith Moreno, was found in a house in the 7800 block of Irvine Avenue; her older sister, Diana Moreno, was found in a converted garage in the back of the property.
The girls’ mother was hospitalized with knife wounds, police said.
The sisters and Gomez were found at 11:40 a.m. Wednesday by police responding to a 911 call reporting an assault with a deadly weapon. Looking through a window, a visitor to the house saw one of the girls lying on the floor. Both girls were pronounced dead at the scene.
Their 14-year-old sister was taken into protective custody.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Jonathon Frazier Arrested for Killing his 2-month-old Son
The father of a missing 2-month-old infant, whose body was found in a wooded area in the 7100 block of Dahlberg Road, Sunday Aug. 30, has been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder.
Jonathon V. Frazier, 42, was booked into Whatcom County Jail late Sunday evening.
The body of Jon "Cecil" Anthony Frazier was located at about 1 p.m. Sunday on private property about a mile away from the trailer where the boy and his father lived. The boy's mother, Brooke K. Johnson, 26, had reported to Whatcom County Jail the previous morning to await transfer to a state prison on a robbery conviction.
Courtesy of Whatcom County Sheriff's Office The infant was reported missing from the 1100 block of Willey's Lake Road, east of Custer by his grandmother at about 8:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 28. Frazier had told authorities he had awoken to discover that the boy was missing and the door of the trailer was open.
Whatcom County Sheriff's deputies, special agents from the FBI and representatives from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children began a criminal investigation which led to information of where the child's body was located, Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo said.
Elfo declined to elaborate on the nature of the information or how it was obtained.
Jonathon V. Frazier, 42, was booked into Whatcom County Jail late Sunday evening.
The body of Jon "Cecil" Anthony Frazier was located at about 1 p.m. Sunday on private property about a mile away from the trailer where the boy and his father lived. The boy's mother, Brooke K. Johnson, 26, had reported to Whatcom County Jail the previous morning to await transfer to a state prison on a robbery conviction.
Courtesy of Whatcom County Sheriff's Office The infant was reported missing from the 1100 block of Willey's Lake Road, east of Custer by his grandmother at about 8:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 28. Frazier had told authorities he had awoken to discover that the boy was missing and the door of the trailer was open.
Whatcom County Sheriff's deputies, special agents from the FBI and representatives from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children began a criminal investigation which led to information of where the child's body was located, Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo said.
Elfo declined to elaborate on the nature of the information or how it was obtained.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Christopher Jason Elrod Charged with Killing His Daughter
A man charged with homicide by child abuse has been denied bond.
Christopher Jason Elrod, 30, had his first appearance in Lexington County Bond Court, Saturday afternoon. According to Lexington County Detention Center officials, he was denied bond and future court dates are pending. He is still being detained at the Lexington County Detention Center.
Elrod was arrested Friday by Lexington County Sheriff's Deputies who say he killed his daughter by suffocation. He's been charged with homicide by child abuse.
The arrest came at the end of a joint investigation by the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, the Lexington County Coroner's office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
The warrant against him states that on December 7, 2008, Elrod held his daughter, Calen Elrod, tightly against his body. Deputies say his actions obstructed the girl's ability to breath, and the coroner's office determined she died from suffocation.
Deputies say on Friday, they conducted an interview with Elrod that allowed them to get information that helped establish probable cause in the case, allowing them to formally charge Elrod.
Melissa Huckaby Indicted for Kidnapping, Raping & Killing 8-year-old
A grand jury has indicted a Sunday school teacher on charges she kidnapped, raped and killed an 8-year-old girl and drugged two other people.
Melissa Huckaby broke down in tears Monday as Superior Court Judge Linda Lofthus read the indictment against her. The reading came after prosecutors convened a grand jury last month to determine whether Huckaby would stand trial.
Lofthus said the grand jury transcript would remain sealed. No trial date has been set.
Huckaby, 28, is accused of killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, a playmate of Huckaby's young daughter. Sandra went missing in March in Tracy, her hometown in Northern California. A massive search for her ended 10 days later when her body was found stuffed in a black suitcase pulled from an irrigation pond near the mobile home park where she lived.
Defense attorney Sam Behar asked Lofthus to delay setting a trial date, saying he has not read the indictment or lengthy transcript because he's in the middle of another trial.
But Deputy District Attorney Thomas Testa said he delivered a copy of the indictment to Behar's office earlier this month. "He's had a lot of time to read this indictment," Testa told Lofthus.
The judge then proceeded to read the indictment charges to a weeping Huckaby, who appeared in court with two fresh scratches above her right eyebrow. Neither Behar nor Testa would comment on the nature of Huckaby's injuries after Monday's hearing. A gag order barring attorneys, investigators and potential witnesses from commenting on the case remains in effect.
Huckaby in June pleaded not guilty to killing Sandra as well as to charges that she previously had drugged a 7-year-old girl and a 37-year-old man, whom police believe she had been dating. The girl and Huckaby lived in the same mobile park.
Huckaby is charged with two counts of furnishing someone a harmful substance and one count of child endangerment in the drugging cases.
In the case involving Sandra Cantu, Huckaby is charged with murder with the special circumstances of rape, kidnapping and lewd or lascivious conduct with a child under 14, which could make her eligible for the death penalty if convicted. Sandra was last seen on a surveillance camera skipping near her home just five doors down from the defendant.
On Monday, Huckaby entered the courtroom smiling, but her demeanor became tearful and somber as the indictment was read and debate on her next court appearance ensued.
Testa said the district attorney's office is treating the case as if it will be a death penalty case, but no decision is expected for at least two months.
Prosecutors convened a grand jury instead of holding a preliminary hearing in the case to ensure a speedy trial and avoid a possible change of venue. Testa also told Lofthus he wants a speedy trial because the case involves minors and should be made a priority.
Lofthus countered that it would be premature to set a trial within 30 days because Behar had not seen the indictment or the voluminous grand jury testimony.
"We need to do the case one time, and we need to have the case done right," the judge said. "The defense needs time to prepare."
Lofthus then scheduled a Sept. 10 hearing to discuss possible trial dates. Huckaby remains in the San Joaquin County Jail without bail.
Ria Ramkissoon Guilty of Starving Child to Death Will Soon Be Released from Jail
A Maryland woman who pleaded guilty last March to child abuse resulting in the starvation death of her one year-old son at the hands of a Baltimore-based religious cult will soon be released from jail.
Ria Ramkissoon will receive a 20-year suspended sentence for testifying against Queen Antoinette who led the cult called One Mind Ministries, who instructed Ramkissoon to deprive young Javon Thompson of food and water for not saying amen before meals. The infant who died in Baltimore was later found in a suitcase in Philadelphia. Ramkissoon’s lawyer reported that cult members believed if the body could travel with them, the child could be resurrected.
The mother was one of five cult members charged in Javon’s death; she has agreed to testify against those involved in addition to Queen Antoinette. Both defense and prosecuting attorneys have moved to send Ramkissoon to counseling.
Ria Ramkissoon will receive a 20-year suspended sentence for testifying against Queen Antoinette who led the cult called One Mind Ministries, who instructed Ramkissoon to deprive young Javon Thompson of food and water for not saying amen before meals. The infant who died in Baltimore was later found in a suitcase in Philadelphia. Ramkissoon’s lawyer reported that cult members believed if the body could travel with them, the child could be resurrected.
The mother was one of five cult members charged in Javon’s death; she has agreed to testify against those involved in addition to Queen Antoinette. Both defense and prosecuting attorneys have moved to send Ramkissoon to counseling.
Jenny Lizette Erazo-Rodriguez Charged with Strangling her 4-year-old
A 33-year-old Morris Township woman strangled her 4-year-old daughter to death and attempted to strangle her 6-year-old daughter before trying to kill herself, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said Monday morning.
Jenny Lizette Erazo-Rodriguez faces first-degree murder charges in the death of her youngest daughter, Mary Gonzalez, 4, who died of suffocation caused by strangulation, authorities said.
Erazo-Rodriguez also is charged with attempted murder for trying to strangle her 6-year-old, Niurka Gonzalez, but did not succeed in killing her before trying to kill herself.
Niurka Gonzalez suffered minor injuries, authorities said, but is expected to make a full recovery.
Erazo-Rodriguez is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. In addition to charges of murder and attempted murder, she also is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. She was first taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the girls’ father -- whose name was not released -- returned home shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday after failing to find work as a carpenter. He began doing yardwork around their Highland Avenue home, but found it odd that his girls had not come outside to greet him.
When he went inside the house, he heard a commotion and found his 4-year-old daughter lying on the floor, unconscious. He slung the girl over his shoulder and ran to a neighbor’s house -- a nurse -- for help. Meanwhile, Erazo-Rodriguez attempted suicide. Authorities would not say how the woman tried to take her own life.
Mary Gonzalez was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 11:06 a.m. Her sister was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The first Morris Township police officer at the scene, Patrolman Christopher Vargas-Vila, wrote in an affidavit that when he arrived, the 33-year-old mother said, in Spanish, "I killed my girl. I killed my girl, my baby girl."
Niurka Gonzalez told other officers that she awoke Sunday mornintg and heard her sister's cries coming from her mother's bedroom. Her mother ordered the older girl back to her room. Her mother followed her, then sat on her back and told her not to breathe. She eventually lost consciousness.
Erazo-Rodriguez is expected to make an initial appearance in Superior Court, Morristown, on Tuesday.
The prosecutor’s office said there is no history of violence at the family’s Highland Avenue home. Authorities declined to discuss whether Erazo-Rodriguez has an arrest record or a history of mental illness.
Morris County authorities also are working with U.S. immigration authorities to determine the woman’s immigration status.
Earlier report
Vargas-Villa and other police arrived at the house shortly after a 10:15 a.m. phone call reporting an emergency at the home, Bianchi said. There, police found a neighbor administering CPR to the unconscious, unresponsive 4-year-old girl on the lawn.
Another neighbor was caring for the girl’s 6-year-old sister, who was conscious but lethargic, Bianchi said. Both girls were taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital.
At 11:06, the Mary Gonzalez was pronounced dead, Bianchi said. Niurka Gonzalez was being treated Sunday for non-life-threatening injuries.
Gilbert Gibson of Newark was visiting his mother in the neighborhood. He said he saw a woman on the front porch of 62 Highland Ave. with a gray T-shirt and pajama pants. He said he saw blood on the inside of the woman’s left thigh, down to her knee. Paul declined to confirm whether the woman Gibson described was Erazo-Rodriguez.
“I could tell by the way they were escorting her to ambulance, she just wanted to go,” Gibson said.
Other neighbors said they were stunned by the incident.
“We have an entire neighborhood with children of all ages, so it can be scary for the kids,” said neighbor Marcia Gibson, Gilbert Gibson's mother.
“Something like this has never happened before," another neighbor, Chrystina Simpson, said.
Several neighbors, most of whom declined to provide their names, said they heard a man they presumed to be Erazo-Rodriguez's husband cry out in anguish.
Simpson said the family living at 62 Highland Ave. had been in the gold, Cape Cod-style home for less than a year.
Morris Township police, the prosecutor's office and the Morris County Sheriff's Office's Criminal Investigation Section had all taken part in the investigation. Officials remained on the scene late Sunday night.
“This is an absolute tragedy and I join (Morris Township Police) Chief Timothy Quinn in extending our deepest sympathies to the family of this young child who passed away,” Bianchi said. “We are asking anyone with information to call the Morris Township Police Department at 973-539-0777, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-285-6200 or the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Stopper Program at 973-COPCALL.”
Jenny Lizette Erazo-Rodriguez faces first-degree murder charges in the death of her youngest daughter, Mary Gonzalez, 4, who died of suffocation caused by strangulation, authorities said.
Erazo-Rodriguez also is charged with attempted murder for trying to strangle her 6-year-old, Niurka Gonzalez, but did not succeed in killing her before trying to kill herself.
Niurka Gonzalez suffered minor injuries, authorities said, but is expected to make a full recovery.
Erazo-Rodriguez is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. In addition to charges of murder and attempted murder, she also is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. She was first taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the girls’ father -- whose name was not released -- returned home shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday after failing to find work as a carpenter. He began doing yardwork around their Highland Avenue home, but found it odd that his girls had not come outside to greet him.
When he went inside the house, he heard a commotion and found his 4-year-old daughter lying on the floor, unconscious. He slung the girl over his shoulder and ran to a neighbor’s house -- a nurse -- for help. Meanwhile, Erazo-Rodriguez attempted suicide. Authorities would not say how the woman tried to take her own life.
Mary Gonzalez was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 11:06 a.m. Her sister was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The first Morris Township police officer at the scene, Patrolman Christopher Vargas-Vila, wrote in an affidavit that when he arrived, the 33-year-old mother said, in Spanish, "I killed my girl. I killed my girl, my baby girl."
Niurka Gonzalez told other officers that she awoke Sunday mornintg and heard her sister's cries coming from her mother's bedroom. Her mother ordered the older girl back to her room. Her mother followed her, then sat on her back and told her not to breathe. She eventually lost consciousness.
Erazo-Rodriguez is expected to make an initial appearance in Superior Court, Morristown, on Tuesday.
The prosecutor’s office said there is no history of violence at the family’s Highland Avenue home. Authorities declined to discuss whether Erazo-Rodriguez has an arrest record or a history of mental illness.
Morris County authorities also are working with U.S. immigration authorities to determine the woman’s immigration status.
Earlier report
Vargas-Villa and other police arrived at the house shortly after a 10:15 a.m. phone call reporting an emergency at the home, Bianchi said. There, police found a neighbor administering CPR to the unconscious, unresponsive 4-year-old girl on the lawn.
Another neighbor was caring for the girl’s 6-year-old sister, who was conscious but lethargic, Bianchi said. Both girls were taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital.
At 11:06, the Mary Gonzalez was pronounced dead, Bianchi said. Niurka Gonzalez was being treated Sunday for non-life-threatening injuries.
Gilbert Gibson of Newark was visiting his mother in the neighborhood. He said he saw a woman on the front porch of 62 Highland Ave. with a gray T-shirt and pajama pants. He said he saw blood on the inside of the woman’s left thigh, down to her knee. Paul declined to confirm whether the woman Gibson described was Erazo-Rodriguez.
“I could tell by the way they were escorting her to ambulance, she just wanted to go,” Gibson said.
Other neighbors said they were stunned by the incident.
“We have an entire neighborhood with children of all ages, so it can be scary for the kids,” said neighbor Marcia Gibson, Gilbert Gibson's mother.
“Something like this has never happened before," another neighbor, Chrystina Simpson, said.
Several neighbors, most of whom declined to provide their names, said they heard a man they presumed to be Erazo-Rodriguez's husband cry out in anguish.
Simpson said the family living at 62 Highland Ave. had been in the gold, Cape Cod-style home for less than a year.
Morris Township police, the prosecutor's office and the Morris County Sheriff's Office's Criminal Investigation Section had all taken part in the investigation. Officials remained on the scene late Sunday night.
“This is an absolute tragedy and I join (Morris Township Police) Chief Timothy Quinn in extending our deepest sympathies to the family of this young child who passed away,” Bianchi said. “We are asking anyone with information to call the Morris Township Police Department at 973-539-0777, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-285-6200 or the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Stopper Program at 973-COPCALL.”
Friday, August 14, 2009
Jeremy Erickson Guilty of Causing Death of His Son
It was brief jury trial for 24-year-old Jeremy Erickson of Kimball who was found guilty of causing the death of his 15-month-old son Tristen in December.
Erickson was found guilty of a Class IB felony charge of child abuse resulting the death of the child. The charge states Erickson knowingly and intentionally caused harm to the child.
Emergency responders found the toddler unresponsive and not breathing after responding to a call to a mobile home in Dix on Dec. 9. Tristen was flown to an Aurora, Colo., hospital and taken off life support two days later.
Autopsy results showed that the boy's skull was fractured and he had spinal cord and brain injuries. Also found were retinal hemorrhaging and outer skin bruising.
Erickson will be sentenced in a Kimball courtroom on October 20. He faces 20 years to life in prison.
*TODAY'S STORY*
SIDNEY - Jury trial began this week in Kimball County District Court for a 24-year-old Kimball man accused of causing the death of his 15-month-old son.
Presentation of evidence began Tuesday in the case of Jeremy R. Erickson, who is charged with child abuse resulting in the death of his son, Tristen. The toddler died shortly after being removed from life support Dec. 11 at an Aurora, Colo., hospital. Doctors said his death was the result of injuries he sustained while in his father’s care.
Kimball County emergency crews responded to a mobile home in Dix on Dec. 9 where they found the unresponsive child in respiratory arrest. He was airlifted to Denver Children’s Hospital. Doctors there told authorities that all attempts to revive Tristen were unsuccessful.
Erickson was arrested by Kimball County authorities Dec. 12 and remains the sole suspect in the death of his son, authorities said.
The child abuse charge is a Class IB felony, which carries a minimum punishment of 20 years imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment.
According to Nebraska statutes, child abuse is a Class IB felony if the offense is committed knowingly and intentionally and results in the death of such child.
The trial is expected to last through Aug. 17.
----------------------------
http://www.kcautv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10921610&nav=1kgl
Erickson was found guilty of a Class IB felony charge of child abuse resulting the death of the child. The charge states Erickson knowingly and intentionally caused harm to the child.
Emergency responders found the toddler unresponsive and not breathing after responding to a call to a mobile home in Dix on Dec. 9. Tristen was flown to an Aurora, Colo., hospital and taken off life support two days later.
Autopsy results showed that the boy's skull was fractured and he had spinal cord and brain injuries. Also found were retinal hemorrhaging and outer skin bruising.
Erickson will be sentenced in a Kimball courtroom on October 20. He faces 20 years to life in prison.
*TODAY'S STORY*
SIDNEY - Jury trial began this week in Kimball County District Court for a 24-year-old Kimball man accused of causing the death of his 15-month-old son.
Presentation of evidence began Tuesday in the case of Jeremy R. Erickson, who is charged with child abuse resulting in the death of his son, Tristen. The toddler died shortly after being removed from life support Dec. 11 at an Aurora, Colo., hospital. Doctors said his death was the result of injuries he sustained while in his father’s care.
Kimball County emergency crews responded to a mobile home in Dix on Dec. 9 where they found the unresponsive child in respiratory arrest. He was airlifted to Denver Children’s Hospital. Doctors there told authorities that all attempts to revive Tristen were unsuccessful.
Erickson was arrested by Kimball County authorities Dec. 12 and remains the sole suspect in the death of his son, authorities said.
The child abuse charge is a Class IB felony, which carries a minimum punishment of 20 years imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment.
According to Nebraska statutes, child abuse is a Class IB felony if the offense is committed knowingly and intentionally and results in the death of such child.
The trial is expected to last through Aug. 17.
----------------------------
http://www.kcautv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10921610&nav=1kgl
Wesley Paul Canipe Arrested for Drowning Child
Neighbors held a candlelight vigil Friday night outside the apartment were Lilly Willover, 2, lived and died.
Police said Wesley Paul Canipe, 20, intentionally drowned his girlfriend's child Thursday night. Canipe is charged with murder and child abuse.
Shelby police said they were called to an apartment on Eaves Road shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday when Canipe reported that he found the child he was caring for unresponsive in the bathtub. Canipe is the boyfriend of the child’s mother and was watching Lilly Willover while her mother was at work.
Neighbor Laura Hamrick, who is trained nurse and mother, said Canipe came to her for help. She fought back emotion as she spoke.
“Absolutely heartbroken. That was the most beautiful baby,” she said.
She said she thought of Lilly as an adopted granddaughter.
“(Canipe) banged on my door and said it was Lilly and said she wasn't breathing,” she said.
Hamrick tried to revive the girl until Shelby police arrived, and they tried CPR, too.
Another neighbor, Sherry Pressley, recalled seeing an officer run out the door of the apartment carrying Willover in his arms.
“The officer, he was crying and saying, ‘I tried. I really tried. I couldn’t do anything, but I tried,’” she said.
Pressley said everyone was devastated, except Canipe.
“He wasn’t upset. He wasn’t crying. He didn’t even come out to the ambulance to see if the baby was OK,” she said.
Rescue crews rushed Willover to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Neighborhood children have placed teddy bears in front of the door of the apartment in memory of Willover. Those who knew her said she was friendly and full of joy.
One neighbor brought a note for her mother and used a tiny angel pin to clip it to a stuffed animal.
“Remember your precious, sweet girl forever,” she said, reading it aloud.
Officers said that while Canipe reported Willover was taking a bath and he was not in the room when she drowned, they found through further investigation that Canipe was responsible for her death.
Arrest warrants for Canipe said officers found bruises on the child’s face.
Police said Canipe has been cooperative with them but they won’t say what he told them or elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Willover’s death other than to say she was killed.
Canipe is being held in the Cleveland County Jail. Prosecutors said if convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Anyone with further information for police is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-481-TIPS or the Shelby Police Department at 704-484-6845.
A fund has been set up to help Willover’s family pay for funeral expenses.
Money can be donated to Lilly Rae Willover and family in care of Marshall Bradley at the Wachovia at 231 South Washington Avenue in Shelby.
Police said Wesley Paul Canipe, 20, intentionally drowned his girlfriend's child Thursday night. Canipe is charged with murder and child abuse.
Shelby police said they were called to an apartment on Eaves Road shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday when Canipe reported that he found the child he was caring for unresponsive in the bathtub. Canipe is the boyfriend of the child’s mother and was watching Lilly Willover while her mother was at work.
Neighbor Laura Hamrick, who is trained nurse and mother, said Canipe came to her for help. She fought back emotion as she spoke.
“Absolutely heartbroken. That was the most beautiful baby,” she said.
She said she thought of Lilly as an adopted granddaughter.
“(Canipe) banged on my door and said it was Lilly and said she wasn't breathing,” she said.
Hamrick tried to revive the girl until Shelby police arrived, and they tried CPR, too.
Another neighbor, Sherry Pressley, recalled seeing an officer run out the door of the apartment carrying Willover in his arms.
“The officer, he was crying and saying, ‘I tried. I really tried. I couldn’t do anything, but I tried,’” she said.
Pressley said everyone was devastated, except Canipe.
“He wasn’t upset. He wasn’t crying. He didn’t even come out to the ambulance to see if the baby was OK,” she said.
Rescue crews rushed Willover to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Neighborhood children have placed teddy bears in front of the door of the apartment in memory of Willover. Those who knew her said she was friendly and full of joy.
One neighbor brought a note for her mother and used a tiny angel pin to clip it to a stuffed animal.
“Remember your precious, sweet girl forever,” she said, reading it aloud.
Officers said that while Canipe reported Willover was taking a bath and he was not in the room when she drowned, they found through further investigation that Canipe was responsible for her death.
Arrest warrants for Canipe said officers found bruises on the child’s face.
Police said Canipe has been cooperative with them but they won’t say what he told them or elaborate on the circumstances surrounding Willover’s death other than to say she was killed.
Canipe is being held in the Cleveland County Jail. Prosecutors said if convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Anyone with further information for police is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-481-TIPS or the Shelby Police Department at 704-484-6845.
A fund has been set up to help Willover’s family pay for funeral expenses.
Money can be donated to Lilly Rae Willover and family in care of Marshall Bradley at the Wachovia at 231 South Washington Avenue in Shelby.
Mikeal Wah-hab Sr Sentenced to 10 Years for Killing Son
L.A. County officials at a skid row shelter had decided Mikeal Wah-hab Sr. could care for the infant. The 2005 death of his son led to changes in the way social workers deal with homeless children.
A homeless man accused of killing his 3-month-old son just weeks after Los Angeles County social workers at a skid row shelter decided he could care for the infant pleaded guilty Thursday to child abuse, authorities said.
The November 2005 death of Mikeal Wah-hab III led to sweeping changes in the way social workers deal with homeless children, including a revamped team of county officials who search out and assess children living on skid row.
Mikeal's body was found in a Monterey Park motel room where county social workers had taken the father and child to live temporarily. Coroner's officials concluded that the boy had died of a head injury consistent with shaking.
Just weeks earlier, the boy's father, Mikeal Wah-hab Sr., had carried his son into the Midnight Mission in downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 1, 2005, and told the shelter's staff that his wife had abandoned them.
County social workers interviewed Wah-hab at the mission but did not check whether he had a record of child abuse or neglect. In fact, the county had removed the couple's previous son in 2002 after the newborn tested positive for drugs. Baby Mikeal's mother has had at least 11 children removed from her care.
The day after Mikeal's body was discovered, his mother was arrested on suspicion of possessing crack cocaine and later sentenced to three years in prison. Authorities have said they do not consider her a suspect in the boy's death.
Wah-hab, 51, was arrested and charged last year, two months after a Times article highlighted the unsolved death along with the efforts by Supervisor Gloria Molina to press detectives and prosecutors to resolve the case.
After Thursday's guilty plea, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Monica Bachner sentenced Wah-hab to 10 years in prison, according to a district attorney's spokeswoman.
A homeless man accused of killing his 3-month-old son just weeks after Los Angeles County social workers at a skid row shelter decided he could care for the infant pleaded guilty Thursday to child abuse, authorities said.
The November 2005 death of Mikeal Wah-hab III led to sweeping changes in the way social workers deal with homeless children, including a revamped team of county officials who search out and assess children living on skid row.
Mikeal's body was found in a Monterey Park motel room where county social workers had taken the father and child to live temporarily. Coroner's officials concluded that the boy had died of a head injury consistent with shaking.
Just weeks earlier, the boy's father, Mikeal Wah-hab Sr., had carried his son into the Midnight Mission in downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 1, 2005, and told the shelter's staff that his wife had abandoned them.
County social workers interviewed Wah-hab at the mission but did not check whether he had a record of child abuse or neglect. In fact, the county had removed the couple's previous son in 2002 after the newborn tested positive for drugs. Baby Mikeal's mother has had at least 11 children removed from her care.
The day after Mikeal's body was discovered, his mother was arrested on suspicion of possessing crack cocaine and later sentenced to three years in prison. Authorities have said they do not consider her a suspect in the boy's death.
Wah-hab, 51, was arrested and charged last year, two months after a Times article highlighted the unsolved death along with the efforts by Supervisor Gloria Molina to press detectives and prosecutors to resolve the case.
After Thursday's guilty plea, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Monica Bachner sentenced Wah-hab to 10 years in prison, according to a district attorney's spokeswoman.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Lynn & Lindsey Maxwell Released from Jail
Lynn and Lindsey Maxwell, the parents of Erin Maxwell, were released from jail on Thursday.
The two were being held until their October sentencing after convictions of four counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Earlier this week, the judge agreed to lower their bail to $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond each.
The couple was accused of locking Erin in her room and forcing her to live in deplorable conditions.
Lynn's stepson, Alan Jones, is accused of killing Erin. Jones second degree murder trial is scheduled to begin in September.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Rone Nunez Charged with Murder
A Cedar Park man has been indicted by a Williamson County grand jury in connection with the April death of a 9-year-old who was initially believed to have been accidentally electrocuted.
Family members and police told KVUE News the child touched a power line that stands about four feet above the fence around her house on April 25.
But Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley said Tuesday that the investigation was expanded after a forensic examination found that Cecilia Izquierdo had been killed. During an autopsy, the medical examiner noticed the girl's throat had been cut. Forensic testing revealed she had also been raped. The Texas Rangers assisted with the investigation, and Rone Nunez, 24, was arrested in May on an unrelated charge and later named a suspect in the case.
"She was not electrocuted. There was not an electrocution," Bradley said. "The information that we received early in the investigation caused us to take another look."
The grand jury indicted Nunez on six counts: capital murder, super aggravated sexual assault of a child, murder, aggravated sexual assault of a child, aggravated kidnapping and injury to a child.
Prosecutors said they would not discuss details of the investigation until a trial happens.
Nunez, a Honduran national, was apparently living with the little girl's family when she was killed.
When the 9-year-old's body was found in April, Cedar Park investigators said the little girl had been electrocuted after touching a low hanging power line. Bradley couldn't say why Cedar Park police didn't let others know an alleged killer was still living in their neighborhood.
"The danger of early statements and jumping to conclusions and press releases in these kinds of cases you run the danger of saying something that's not accurate and misleading the public," he said.
Cedar Park Police Chief Henry Fluck says this was an ongoing investigation -- but was not clear on why the public continued to get the wrong information about Izquierdo's death.
"The initial theory by investigators did not pan out, we will certainly admit to that," Fluck said. "We're very pleased that the efforts made in this investigation resulted in an indictment. And we feel it was a very solid case against the suspect and i think that's what matters in the long run."
Super aggravated sexual assault was created through Jessica's Law in 2007 and carries a sentence of 25-99 years or life in prison. Capital murder is punishable by death or life in prison. Neither offense allows for parole.
Family members and police told KVUE News the child touched a power line that stands about four feet above the fence around her house on April 25.
But Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley said Tuesday that the investigation was expanded after a forensic examination found that Cecilia Izquierdo had been killed. During an autopsy, the medical examiner noticed the girl's throat had been cut. Forensic testing revealed she had also been raped. The Texas Rangers assisted with the investigation, and Rone Nunez, 24, was arrested in May on an unrelated charge and later named a suspect in the case.
"She was not electrocuted. There was not an electrocution," Bradley said. "The information that we received early in the investigation caused us to take another look."
The grand jury indicted Nunez on six counts: capital murder, super aggravated sexual assault of a child, murder, aggravated sexual assault of a child, aggravated kidnapping and injury to a child.
Prosecutors said they would not discuss details of the investigation until a trial happens.
Nunez, a Honduran national, was apparently living with the little girl's family when she was killed.
When the 9-year-old's body was found in April, Cedar Park investigators said the little girl had been electrocuted after touching a low hanging power line. Bradley couldn't say why Cedar Park police didn't let others know an alleged killer was still living in their neighborhood.
"The danger of early statements and jumping to conclusions and press releases in these kinds of cases you run the danger of saying something that's not accurate and misleading the public," he said.
Cedar Park Police Chief Henry Fluck says this was an ongoing investigation -- but was not clear on why the public continued to get the wrong information about Izquierdo's death.
"The initial theory by investigators did not pan out, we will certainly admit to that," Fluck said. "We're very pleased that the efforts made in this investigation resulted in an indictment. And we feel it was a very solid case against the suspect and i think that's what matters in the long run."
Super aggravated sexual assault was created through Jessica's Law in 2007 and carries a sentence of 25-99 years or life in prison. Capital murder is punishable by death or life in prison. Neither offense allows for parole.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Man Could Face Homicide Charge After 2-year-old Dies
A 26-year-old East Bremerton man who was arrested Monday after a child in his care suffered a head injury so severe he was left brain dead could now be facing a homicide charge.
Life support to the two-year-old boy was discontinued at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma Tuesday night and the child was pronounced dead just after 10 p.m., according to Kitsap County Sheriff's Office spokesman Scott Wilson.
According to deputies, the man called 911 from the family's apartment in the 2500 block of Northeast McWilliams Road on Monday to report that his fiancé's son had fallen against a night table and was unconscious.
Wilson said physicians told deputies the child's injuries were inconsistent with the man's story.
According to Wilson, one doctor said, "Had the child been riding unrestrained in the back seat of a vehicle that was involved in a head-on collision, causing the child to fly through the front windshield headfirst, he would have sustained a less serious injury than he had received."
The state's Child Protective Services (CPS) received a referral on the family June 24 after the boy was taken to the emergency room with a cut on his leg. The boy's mother said the injury occurred while the boy was playing in the backyard, according to Sherry Hill with the state office of Children's Administration.
CPS determined that the referral was low risk, but there appeared to be a lack of supervision for the child and the family was referred for family therapy services, Hill said.
Deputies also determined that the child had fallen from a second-story window about 10 days before his death, according to Wilson. The child was treated for that injury at the emergency room where the mother claimed the boy's injuries had resulted from another playground accident. Evidence of other, older injuries were also discovered on the child's body, according to Wilson.
According to Wilson, the man had three children of his own and his fiancé, a 25-year-old woman, had two, including the toddler who died.
On Monday, deputies and case workers from CPS took the four remaining children into protective custody.
The children have been placed into temporary foster homes, Wilson said.
Deputies are still investigating whether the mother had any involvement in the child's death.
"If we find out that she was implicated in it, or knew about it and did nothing, then charges against her are certainly possible," Wilson said.
The man is being held on $500,000 bail in Kitsap County Jail on investigation of first-degree child assault, but Kitsap County prosecutor Chris Casad said the man could face a charge of homicide.
Charges are expected to be filed Thursday.
Life support to the two-year-old boy was discontinued at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma Tuesday night and the child was pronounced dead just after 10 p.m., according to Kitsap County Sheriff's Office spokesman Scott Wilson.
According to deputies, the man called 911 from the family's apartment in the 2500 block of Northeast McWilliams Road on Monday to report that his fiancé's son had fallen against a night table and was unconscious.
Wilson said physicians told deputies the child's injuries were inconsistent with the man's story.
According to Wilson, one doctor said, "Had the child been riding unrestrained in the back seat of a vehicle that was involved in a head-on collision, causing the child to fly through the front windshield headfirst, he would have sustained a less serious injury than he had received."
The state's Child Protective Services (CPS) received a referral on the family June 24 after the boy was taken to the emergency room with a cut on his leg. The boy's mother said the injury occurred while the boy was playing in the backyard, according to Sherry Hill with the state office of Children's Administration.
CPS determined that the referral was low risk, but there appeared to be a lack of supervision for the child and the family was referred for family therapy services, Hill said.
Deputies also determined that the child had fallen from a second-story window about 10 days before his death, according to Wilson. The child was treated for that injury at the emergency room where the mother claimed the boy's injuries had resulted from another playground accident. Evidence of other, older injuries were also discovered on the child's body, according to Wilson.
According to Wilson, the man had three children of his own and his fiancé, a 25-year-old woman, had two, including the toddler who died.
On Monday, deputies and case workers from CPS took the four remaining children into protective custody.
The children have been placed into temporary foster homes, Wilson said.
Deputies are still investigating whether the mother had any involvement in the child's death.
"If we find out that she was implicated in it, or knew about it and did nothing, then charges against her are certainly possible," Wilson said.
The man is being held on $500,000 bail in Kitsap County Jail on investigation of first-degree child assault, but Kitsap County prosecutor Chris Casad said the man could face a charge of homicide.
Charges are expected to be filed Thursday.
Lucas Ruric Coe Has Long History with Child Protective Services
The boyfriend of the Spring woman whose 4-year-old daughter died after being beaten and sexually assaulted has a lengthy history with Texas Child Protective Services as well as criminal records for assault with a deadly weapon, criminal mischief and injury to a child, records obtained by the Houston Chronicle show.
Before Emma Thompson's June 27 death, CPS officials had investigated him not once but three times in unrelated cases involving another girlfriend's child.
But child abuse workers said they never knew Lucas Ruric Coe, 27, had been in the same house as Abigail Young and her three children.
It would take Emma's death before CPS learned the truth from Young: that she had been dating Coe since last December. The revelation came this week during a custody hearing in which Young's other two daughters were placed with her estranged husband and his parents.
When CPS was notified June 8 that Emma had blisters on her hands, inside her mouth and in her genital area, investigators were sent to interview Young and examine Emma and her two sisters, ages 11 and 6.
When tests confirmed the young girl had herpes, Young, a registered nurse, said she lived alone with her children, and that no one other than her estranged husband and day care workers had access to Emma, CPS spokeswoman Estella Olguin said.
“Throughout the investigation, Ms. Young denied that anyone other than her and her husband and the day care (center) had access to her children,” Olguin said. “She denied seeing anybody else or having a boyfriend.”
Where investigation stands
So far no one has been charged in the month-old death. Harris County investigators are waiting for the preliminary results of Emma's autopsy, performed 34 days ago in Conroe, before making any arrests.
The girl, who had suffered a skull fracture, a severed pancreas, and vaginal tearing, evidence of sexual assault, was dead by the time she reached a hospital.
“The Harris County Sheriff's Office-Homicide Division is patiently awaiting autopsy results from the Southeast Texas Forensic Center in Conroe before approaching the District Attorney's Office with charges in this case,” said Lt. John Legg, spokesman for the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
“The investigation is ongoing. No one at this time has been officially named nor ruled out as a possible suspect.”
Young has denied having anything to do with her daughter's death. A woman who answered the door at Coe's mother's home in Waller on Thursday said Coe would have no comment.
Awaiting trial
CPS investigated Coe as a possible perpetrator three times — in 2005, 2006 and 2007 — all involving the son of another girlfriend. He has been indicted on charges of injuring that child; the case has yet to come to trial in Montgomery County. The indictment accuses Coe of striking the boy on the head and body with his hand in July 2007, according to prosecutor Frank Barnett.
In January 2005, CPS first investigated injuries to a Magnolia boy, then 5, which included two black eyes, bruising on one cheek, a bruise on his back and a light bruise on one of his buttocks, said CPS spokeswoman Gwen Carter. Coe was living with the boy and his mother.
When CPS discovered the boy's injuries, he was removed from the home.
“What we found was his injuries were not consistent with the explanation given” for how they occurred, Carter said. The case was closed in August 2005 when the mother reported her relationship with Coe had ended.
Same boy, three times
Coe came to CPS' attention again in 2006 when more injuries on the same boy were reported.
This time, the child had bruises to his face, ears, shoulders and chest, as well as a busted lip. He told caseworkers another child at school hurt him and he had fallen, but he also said Coe had twisted his ears. Coe and the child's mother denied bruising the boy, Carter said.
CPS concluded no abuse occurred and closed the case.
“Looking at it, I think there's some follow-up that should have been done,” Carter said of the case. “Just reading this, I think there's some things the caseworker should have gone more in depth with, knowing the history.”
Coe appears for the third time in March 2007 when the agency investigated a complaint of physical and emotional abuse to the same boy, then 7. Again, more bruises.
CPS discovered the boy living with Coe, along with a 2-year-old girl that Coe had fathered with the boy's mother. The agency took custody of both children, who later went to live with grandparents.
Criminal history
Coe's extensive CPS history is matched by a long criminal history.
In addition to the indictment on charges of injuring the boy, Coe has previously been arrested on other charges in Montgomery, Harris and Galveston counties, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two driving while intoxicated cases and criminal mischief, records show.
He served six years of probation that ended in March for a December 2002 aggravated assault case in Harris County. Tomball police Detective Ron McGullion said Coe was arrested after intentionally crashing his vehicle into a car occupied by several people, badly breaking one man's leg, during a fight over a woman in an Academy store's parking lot.
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