|
DETROIT: Father's trial postponed in children's drowning death
Published: Saturday,
January 22, 2011
By Peter Jurich
DETROIT — The trial date for a 27-year-old
man accused in the drowning deaths of his two children has been postponed because of a clerical error.
A motion
on behalf of Steven Lyn Nicholson of Allen Park had not been received by Wayne County Circuit Judge Vera Massey-Jones at the
time of his final conference Friday morning.
“Right now, I have a problem because I cannot proceed,”
Massey-Jones told the attorneys. “The clerk’s office did not send me down a motion. You know if I had gotten it,
I would’ve been very prepared to proceed on it today.”
Nicholson faces six charges, including two counts
of premeditated murder, in the Oct. 9 deaths of Ella Stafford, 15 months, and Johnathon Sanderlin, 13 months, at his apartment.
The children, who had different mothers, lived with Nicholson.
The motion
will argue for dismissal of the charges of first-degree murder and child abuse.
“The prosecutor says these
are intentional acts, but there’s no evidence showing an intentional act,” said William Winters, Nicholson’s
attorney.
The motion will be heard Friday so that Massey-Jones will have time to review it.
“When
the trial is heard, our expert testimony will obviously show that there was no intentional act, that this was a horrible accident,”
Winters said.
The judge also ordered a psychological exam for Nicholson to be completed before the trial in April.
Winters said he is seeking a second opinion from Oakland County’s chief medical examiner, Dr. L.J. Dragovic,
on the nature of the toddlers’ deaths. Continued...
Winters said Dragovic will have a different opinion from
Dr. Carl Schmidt, Wayne County’s chief medical examiner.
At a Nov. 15 preliminary examination in 24th District
Court of the evidence against Nicholson, Schmidt testified that he believed the deaths to be homicide.
Nicholson’s
trial in Wayne County Circuit Court has been pushed back from Feb. 21 to April 11.
August 4, 2010
Detroit, MI – On a bitterly cold Sunday last November, 15-year-old Jamar Pinkney
Jr. was beaten, forced to strip naked at gunpoint, and marched outside his home into an empty lot. As his mother and grandmother
looked on, the teen knelt before his attacker and was shot execution-style in the face. The trigger was pulled by his own
father, Jamar Pinkney Sr. The State of Michigan contends the elder Pinkney made an ultimate choice
that day, between his son and his daughter, deciding to end Jamar Jr.’s life because of allegations he’d sexually
molested his three-year-old half-sister. The alleged sexual contact came to light that Saturday,
when the three-year-old described to family members what she claimed her half-brother had done to her. She was rushed to the
emergency room, but an examination there revealed no signs of assault, and Jamar Jr. emphatically denied having touched her
inappropriately. Still, her parents were convinced something had happened; the young girl would not have come up
with such ideas on her own. At 1:30 a.m. that night, the teen woke his mother to make a confession;
“I did it.” She put him on the phone with his father to beg forgiveness – but Jamar Sr. was furious and
said simply he’d come by the next morning to talk. Prosecutors say the father arrived at
his son’s home that day with the clear intent to kill, likely planning a less conspicuous end for the boy but unable
to get him alone because of the watchful eye of his mother, aunt, grandmother, and family friend. The defense, though, says the man who walked through the door was not a cold and calculating killer, but someone
in great turmoil. Over an excruciating period of some twenty hours, Pinkney Sr.’s son had lied, then told half-truths,
and finally came clean about vaginally raping his little sister, his attorneys say, causing the father to lose control.
(Jamar Jr.’s mother denies that her son said this.) The appropriate verdict, says Pinkney’s defense team, is not
murder, but rather manslaughter because of the extreme emotional duress the defendant was under. Jamar Pinkney Sr.
will face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.
Brownstown, MI-23 year-old, Devon Nicholas Deangelis is facing a first-degree
child abuse charge, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years. Deangelis is suspected of abusing his 7 week-old daughter,
who was just released from the hospital last Saturday after having heart surgery a month ago.
The baby’s
mother, Kelly Hayes said she left the baby in Deangelis care while she went out to get medical supplies, only to be
call a short time later and told ‘something was wrong with the child’ When Hayes arrived at the house she found
the baby lying on the couch unresponsive.
“I rushed into mother mode and you start CPR as fast as you
can,” she said.
Grief stricken, she is looking for answers from Deangelis. The infant was rushed to
Children's Hospital in Detroit where she was diagnosed with brain damage from a skull fracture and the symptoms of shaken
baby syndrome. Deangelis initially told the hospital that he was holding the baby and tripped. The baby allegedly fell and
hit her head. The hospital told police that the massive injuries seen are not that of a fall
Deangelis was arraigned
Wednesday afternoon in 33rd District Court in Woodhaven. He was held on a $300,000 cash bond, which he made and was released.Trial date set for Bay City man charged with child abuse Published: Friday, July 30, 2010, 5:37 PM CARO — A Bay City man accused of abusing his 1-year-old son has less than two months before his case goes before
a Tuscola County jury. Scott A. Lea Jr., 26, is charged with first- and second-degree child abuse. Unless he enters into
a plea deal, his trial before Tuscola County Circuit Judge Patrick Joslyn will begin on Sept. 14, court records show. Lea
is charged as a habitual offender, having been convicted several felonies including second-degree home invasion. In February
2009, Lea was placed on probation in Bay County after pleading guilty to second-degree child abuse, the Michigan Department
of Corrections shows. Due to his priors, a conviction could land Lea a life sentence. The child’s
mother, Allie Grauherr, 23, is also charged in the case. In January, their child was taken from Cass City to Covenant Medical Center in
Saginaw via a LifeNet helicopter. The child arrived suffering from severe dehydration and significant injuries, investigators
have said. The tot was subsequently placed in foster care, Bay City Times archives show. Police: Man Tortured 4-Year-Old To Death For Wetting His Pants (CNN) -- A Michigan man could face life in prison after he allegedly
tortured and ultimately killed his girlfriend's 4-year-old son last week for wetting his pants, prosecutors say. Brandon Joshua-Frederick Hayes, 24, "systematically beat" Dominick Calhoun, 4, "pummeling [him] with
fists and kicking him" on his arms, legs and genitalia, Genesee County prosecutor David Leyton told CNN. Hayes also apparently burned the boy in the course of the torture. "The
knuckles across one hand were charred," Argentine Township police chief Dan Allen said. "I've
been doing this a long time, and this is the worst case of child abuse I've ever seen," the police chief said. "In
all respects, he was tortured." Prosecutors arraigned Hayes on Thursday on nine charges,
including one count of first-degree premeditated murder, one count of first-degree child abuse and one count of torture, which
by itself carries a possible life sentence. "Little Dominick met his boogeyman, and that
was defendant Hayes," Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell said at a news conference Thursday. CNN
was unable to reach someone who could speak on Hayes' behalf. Hayes' motivation for his
savage multiday attack on the boy was that the child "had wet his pants," Leyton said. "It had happened before." Hayes also resented the child because his "biological father wouldn't pay child support," Leyton said. Dominick's mother, Corrine Baker, was present for at least some of the beating and tried to shield the boy from
Hayes' aggression, authorities said. "She tried to lay on top of the child to guard the
child against being beat any further, but she was beat in the process," according to the police chief. The sequence of events that led to the discovery of the abuse began when Baker's sister and several acquaintances
came to the apartment to buy drugs from Hayes, according to Allen. After seeing Dominick's condition, the sister alerted
the boy's paternal grandfather, who in turn contacted authorities. When emergency responders
entered the apartment on the afternoon of April 11, Dominick was "barely alive." EMS transferred him to Hurley Hospital
in Flint, where he was pronounced brain dead. The boy was taken off life support the following
morning. Dominick's mother's whereabouts and actions through all portions of the torture
session remain somewhat hazy. The county prosecutor said his office is "still investigating her involvement in all this." "She's also culpable for putting him in the dangerous position in the first place," he added. Baker was taken into custody on Sunday but released later. Attempts to reach her at her home Thursday evening were
unsuccessful. The town police chief said Baker and her son had been brought to the attention
of Genesee County Department of Child Services on several occasions. The agency did not respond to CNN's requests
for comment Thursday. It was not immediately clear whether Baker's involvement with the child
services agency predated her relationship with Hayes. The police chief said he believed Baker and Hayes had been together
for about six months. St. Clair County Father: JOE GALVAN Victim(s):
Prhaze Galvan (3 years) Date of Death: Jan. 2010 Child died of blunt
force trauma in home of father, stepmother. Both face murder charges.
Reports: 17-year-old Farmington Hills father charged with torture, abuse of 13-week-old son By
Aaron Foley MLive.com February 10, 2010, 11:11AM WDIV and the Detroit Free
Press report that a teen father is facing child abuse and torture charges after his 13-week-old son was hospitalized
with fractured bones. Farmington Hills resident John Kelly, a 17-year-old student at Farmington
High School, could face life in prison if convicted. He was arraigned on Tuesday and being held on a $250,000 bond. The baby, who was treated for a broken leg and fractured skull, was released. The baby's
mother, also a high school student but who does not live with Kelly, will not face any charges.
Father may face murder chargesDoctors suspect baby was shaken before weekend deathThe 5-month-old victim of suspected child abuse died over the weekend, Battle Creek police
said Monday.
25-year-old Muir man sentenced for child abuse
By Holly Setter Ionia Sentinel-Standard Wed
Feb 17, 2010, 12:25 AM EST
IONIA, Mich. - A 25-year-old Muir man will spend at least the next seven years
behind bars in the Michigan Department of Corrections for the abuses his children suffered at his hands.
Alton
Fryman was sentenced to at least 85 months and at most 15 years prison, for criminal sexual conduct in the third degree in
the 8th Circuit Court on Tuesday. The 85 month minimum was the most prison time the court could impose within the sentencing
guidelines for the crime.
“This is about as heinous of a crime as we’ve seen in this court and he should
be kept away from society as long as possible,” said Ionia County Prosecutor Ron Schafer while advocating for the maximum
penalty.
While the children’s age makes the crime particularly appalling, Schafer said it may also be a small
benefit as it reduces the risk of the children remembering the activities.
Schafer also informed the court that
Fryman and his wife had lost custody and parental rights of the children as a result of this case.
According to
Schafer, the wife and mother of the two children knew about the behavior, having also witnessed it, and allowed it to continue.
Fryman pleaded guilty to the charges.
Both Schafer and Fryman’s attorney, Patrick Duff, told the
court that Fryman had been cooperative with the investigation.
“My client has cooperated fully with the investigation,
going above and beyond what could be expected,” Duff said. “This is a classic case of what happened early in a
person’s life affecting his or her later life.”
Duff said Fryman experienced similar abuses as a child.
He also told the court that Fryman expressed real care and concern for his children throughout the investigation.
Fryman expressed what Judge Suzanne Hoseth Kreeger described as “genuine remorse” for his actions prior to sentencing.
“I am greatly regretful of what I did,” Fryman said. “Now I’ve lost my children and I hate
what I did to them.”
Kreeger, while accepting and appreciating Fryman’s comments, said they did not
begin to address the wrongs that had been done.
“You will essentially be serving a life sentence in that
your parental rights have been terminated,” Kreeger said. “I can appreciate that you were upfront about these
crimes but in light of the magnitude (of the crime) and the length this has gone on, I will follow the recommendation to sentence
you at the top of the guidelines.”
Fryman and his family had recently moved to the area from Colorado. Schafer
said that Fryman faces similar charges there and will likely be extradited to face them at a later date. Police: Parents Sexually Abused
Girl Parents Of Amber Alert Girl Charged POSTED: Thursday, January 7, 2010 UPDATED: 3:33 pm EST January 7, 2010
DETROIT
-- The parents of a 6-year-old girl who was the subject of an Amber Alert Monday were charged with kidnapping and
sexually abusing the child.
An Amber alert for the girl was issued on Monday after the girl's aunt, who was caring
for the child, said that the non-custodial parents kidnapped her from her Detroit home during a visit.
The
child and her parents were found Tuesday in a vacant home on the 15000 block of Cheyenne Street in Detroit.
When police
issued the Amber Alert with the child and her mother's name, Local 4 printed their names in an effort to locate the girl,
but due to the sexual abuse allegations, Local 4 will not reprint their names to protect the child.
The girl's parents,
a 39-year-old woman and her 69-year-old husband were arraigned by video in 36th District Court Wednesday on the charges.
The mother was charged with one count of kidnapping and one count of sexually abusive activity.
The father was charged
with four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count
of sexually abusive activity.
It's not clear if the abuse accusations occurred before the kidnapping or during the
girl's disappearance earlier this week.
The girl was originally removed from her mother's home because of a
drug abuse problem.
“There is a history, apparently, of some drug abuse and allegations of some child abuse,”
said Detroit police Lt. Bill Peterson. Sunday,
27 December 2009 4:24PM
Mother, Boyfriend Face Charges
In Baby's Death
| Detroit (WWJ) -- A Detroit mother has been charged with murder and child abuse after the
Christmas Eve beating death of her two-month-old baby girl.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy Sunday
charged 21-year old Charlotte Wyatt with murder, two counts of child abuse and two counts of tampering with evidence.
Wyatt's boyfriend, 26-year old leon Cole, was charged with two counts of tampering with evidence and misdemeanor child
abuse.
Investigators say two-month old Asia Wyatt was beaten to
death last Thursday at a home on Prentis Street in Detroit and that the couple concealed the death for about a day before
calling authorities. If convicted of murder, Charlotte Wyatt faces life in prison
without parole. Child abuse has a maximum 15 year prison term. Tampering with evidence can be punishable by more
than ten years behind bars.
Wyatt and Cole were expected to be arraigned either Sunday afternoon or Monday.
|
More
sex charges against Hastings manCouple arrested Nov. 3Updated: Tuesday, 08 Dec 2009, 4:42 PM EST
Published : Tuesday, 03 Nov 2009,
5:33 PM EST HASTINGS, Mich. (WOOD) - A
man and woman were arrested Nov. 3 for sexually abusing a 7-year-old after medical personnel became suspicious during a call
to the house. Robert Smelser, 49, was charged with two counts of first-degree criminal
sexual conduct, and three counts of second-degree CSC. Jennifer Carlile, 35, was charged with one count of second-degree CSC. Hastings police chief Jerry Sarver told 24 Hour News 8 police responded to a medical call for Carlile. As
she was being put into an ambulance, she made some statements that were peculiar and raised the suspicions of the officers. The police then questioned the man and the child. The child, whom police
believe was sexually abused over a period of months, was removed from the home. Smelser
and Carlile are being held in the Barry County jail. On Dec. 2, additional charges
were authorized against Smelser after investigators reviewed evidence from his home. Now,
he faces three more charges, including: three more counts of first-degree first degree CSC, four additional counts of second-degree
CSC, two counts of aggravated indecent exposure, two for accosting a child for immoral purposes, one for possessing child
abusive material, one for child sexual abusive activity and one for using a computer to commit a crime. Father Charged With Attempted Murder of
Infant Daughter
Isabella County prosecutors today charged a 28 year-old Mt. Pleasant man with the
attempted murder of his eight month-old daughter.
Police say the infant girl had severe bruising on her neck and
arrested Wayne Hartley for the attack yesterday. Hartley's wife discovered the injuries after returning home in the morning
from running errands.
Police tell us based on the severity of the injuries they ruled out child abuse and considered
it attempted murder. The girl spent a day in the hospital before being released.
"This is a very serious case,
very tragic," says Laude Hartrum, undersheriff of Isabella County. "This went well beyond [child abuse] to the point
of life-threatening injuries."
In an Isabella County courtroom today the judge told Hartley he considered
him a flight risk.
The judge took the extraordinary step of setting bond at $1 million dollars.
Father pleas guilty to torture of 7 year old
BAY
CITY, Mich. (AP) - A Bay City man who authorities say abused his 7-year-old son and allowed others to torture the boy has
pleaded guilty in the case to a charge of first-degree child abuse. The
37-year-old man entered the plea Friday in Bay County Circuit Court. A charge of second-degree child abuse was dismissed
as part of the plea. He faces nine to 15 years in prison when sentenced Sept. 21. Authorities
say the abuse took place in 2007 at the man's Bay City home, and a couple also living at the home starved, tortured and
burned the child. The case was uncovered in September 2007, when a social worker
from the Department of Human Services visited the home and noticed a burn on the child's arm. The boy's mother died in 2003. He has since been adopted by family members. Infant female’s father faces first-, second-degree child abuse charges
Thu Jul 02, 2009, 11:39 PM EDT oldwater, Mich. - Brian Cofield was ordered to be held under a $250,000 bond, after first- and second-degree child abuse charges
were filed, following a report from doctors at the University of Michigan, who reportedly found his months-old daughter suffering
from injuries.
Doctors found the infant female had three broken ribs, two broken fingers and a broken leg when
they examined her.
Cofield, 23, told doctors the girl got caught in the slats of her crib on March 27 but the physicians
said that was not consistent with the injuries, which the claim showed intentional abuse. The baby girl was only three months
old at the time
Mother sentenced to prison for child abuseby Lynn Turner
| Kalamazoo Gazette Monday June 22, 2009, 8:47 PM KALAMAZOO -- Heaven Diamond can't see out of her left eye, and her left hand is useless, her
grandmother says. The baby, who turned 1 at the end of May, goes to
physical therapy several times each week. Authorities said her mother shook and
struck her, causing a skull fracture and brain injury. Heaven's mother, Shakela
Latrice Butler, 18, was sentenced Monday by Kalamazoo County Circuit Judge J. Richardson Johnson to 30 months to 15 years
in prison for first-degree child abuse that police said occurred in February and March. She
also was ordered to pay victim restitution, court costs and state fees. The punishment
is too light for what happened to her granddaughter, Kathy Lang said.
"I'm not happy," she said after the
sentencing. Butler was frustrated with her life, trying to raise Heaven without
any money, said Lang, who sat in the courtroom with several family members wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the words "Justice
for Heaven" and a photo of the child. Butler, who is pregnant with another
child, personifies a problem in society -- she is a young, single mother who has little support, said her attorney, Matt Glaser. Johnson said, however, that her frustration with her situation was misplaced. "Children are helpless," Johnson said. "If we harm them, we deserve to be punished." Heaven Diamond was in a coma and then had weeks of rehabilitation before going home to Lang's
house on May 1. A parental-rights-termination hearing Tue
Jun 02, 2009, 02:00 AM EDT
Coldwater, Mich. - Damon
Waye age 23 is being sent to prison for 23 months to five years by Branch County Circuit Court
Judge Bill O’Grady for attempted child abuse.
His son had
a broken leg and broken ribs, plus bruises on his body, at age two months.
Judge O’Grady admonished, Waye,
“You are an absolute risk to society. Your chances are over,"
Hoping to avoid prison, Waye admitted
he had gotten into trouble before “but I feel I reached adulthood in jail. I don’t want to go back to the same
things, the same friends, the same house.”
Waye also apologized to his family, the family of girlfriend
Melody Vanluven and their son, born Dec. 17, 2008.
Florida woman charged in
Cheboygan with child abuse Thursday, June 11, 2009
4:44 PM EDT CHEBOYGAN - Troopers from the Cheboygan Michigan State Police (MSP) post investigated
an alleged child abuse case in Mentor Township which reports indicate occurred between Spring 2000 to the summer of 2001.
As a result of that investigation a multiple count felony warrant was issued by the Cheboygan County prosecutor’s
office for Chasity Lynn Huff (Compton), age 29, of Lakeland, Fla.
According to reports from the Cheboygan MSP post
Huff allegedly sexually abused two boys, ages four and five, at a Mentor Township residence in 2000 and 2001. Huff reportedly
restrained the two young boys, locked them in rooms and exposed them to pornography. Huff was a live-in girlfriend of the
boy’s father, Earl Whitney, 32, Springfield, at the time of the alleged abuse.
Huff was extradited back to
Michigan after her arrest in Florida on May 29. She was arraigned in Cheboygan County 89th District Court Wednesday and bond
was set at $500,000.
Charges included multiple counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping, torture,
first-degree child abuse, gross indecency between a male and female and habitual offender. Maximum penalty if convicted, is
up to life in prison.
Mom Dumps Quad Daughter’s Body In Storage UnitBy Jamie Burch April
24 2009 - 6:06 pm
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A 9-year-old quadriplegic girl whose body was found in a storage unit suffered
from "severe, ongoing malnutrition and neglect" before her death, a prosecutor said Friday after charging her mother
with murder.
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton charged 39-year-old Lorrie Thomas of Flint with six crimes,
including second-degree murder, child abuse, tampering with evidence, removing a dead body and welfare fraud.
Shylea
Myza Thomas weighed 33 pounds at her death — about half her weight of 61 pounds in August 2007, Leyton said at a news
conference. The girl had untreated bed sores and bones sticking through skin, he said.
"Nobody should die
like this. ... The child suffered — there's no question about it. It's heart-wrenching to every one of us,"
he said.
Investigators believe Shylea died about six weeks ago, around the time the storage unit was rented, Leyton
said. He said she was supposed to be fed special, prescription food through a tube attached to her stomach. Thomas is accused
of cashing a check April 13 that included a monthly stipend for the girl of $2,884.
Thomas has been in custody
since Wednesday, when investigators found the girl's body in the storage unit near Flint, which is 65 miles northwest
of Detroit. The body was in a black trash bag and stuffed into a plastic bin with mothballs to cover up the smell.
Thomas, dressed in orange jail clothes, cried Friday at her arraignment in District Court in Flint. Judge Tracy Collier-Nix
ordered her held without bond and set her next court appearance for Tuesday. She was to get a court-appointed lawyer.
If convicted of the murder charge, Thomas could face life in prison.
Some friends and family in the courtroom
wore shirts bearing photos of the girl. Some relatives spelled her name "Shylae," though authorities and some records
list it as "Shylea."
A cousin of Thomas', Josette Thomas, said she's "not a bad person,
at all. Something happened. She panicked and made a mistake."
Eight children were living in Thomas' home
in a depressed Flint neighborhood, including her 15-year-old daughter and the teen's own two children. The children —
one as young as 3 months — were placed in the care of the state Department of Human Services.
Shylea had
been taken out of school in January, and at least one neighbor said she hadn't even been aware the girl lived there.
The case unfolded this week when relatives of the girl told the state Department of Human Services about possible
neglect and said they hadn't seen the child in six weeks.
A case worker, Aaron Clum, visited the home Monday
and was unable to confirm Shylea's whereabouts, according to a court document filed in the family division of the Genesee
County Circuit Court. Clum said Thomas told him the family was moving to Virginia and the girl was on her way with a friend.
On Tuesday, the department asked Flint police to investigate. Thomas again insisted Shylea was bound for Virginia,
Clum wrote, but that could not be confirmed.
Shylea's body was found early Wednesday morning hidden in the
unit at Stor & Lock in Vienna Township.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shylea had
been paralyzed since nearly suffocating in her crib when she was 3 months old, Leyton said. She lived with several relatives
in a Flint home that the prosecutor described as "absolutely filthy."
A Romulus woman who pleaded guilty to killing her boyfriend’s
11-month-old daughter will be sentenced next month in Wayne County Circuit Court. Under the plea agreement, LaTonya Goodlow, 28, will be sentenced June 4 to 20 to 40 years in prison for
second-degree murder. Other charges will be dismissed. Goodlow had faced life in prison without the possibility of parole when she was charged last year with first-degree
murder. She pleaded guilty on Monday before Wayne County Circuit Judge Carole Youngblood.
“I’m
just glad we’re at this point,” the child’s mother, LaToya (Toy) Lewis of Detroit, said today. “No
amount of time would justify anything for us.”
Goodlow was to go on trial for first-degree
felony murder, involuntary manslaughter and first-degree child abuse in the death of 11-month-old Kalijah Arlboro, who was
in her care. Kalijah sustained injuries Aug. 13 and survived briefly on life support before dying.
Goodlow told police that the death was an accident. She said the child fell off the couch and repeatedly fell onto
an armrest as she tried to sit her up. The Washtenaw County medical examiner’s office concluded that Kalijah had died
of traumatic head injuries.
As part of her guilty plea, Goodlow told the judge that she
banged the child’s head three times.
Father and Uncle Intentionally used blow torch on child Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 12:59 p.m.
Two Clare County men are charged with child abuse after Michigan
State Police investigators say they burned a child with a blow torch. Troopers say the incident happened last October and that Gerald Hall the boys father and Glen
Hall the boys uncle, intentionally burned the child as a disciplinary action. The child suffered
2nd and 3rd degree burns. Both men appeared before a Clare County judge on Wednesday and
were arraigned on charges of first degree child abuse. They
are being held on 150-thousand dollars bond. State police investigators
say the boy was burned at least once. Sgt. Del Putnam says the child is in protective custody. If convicted, the brothers face 15 years in prison, but Glen Hall could be sentenced to 1
1/2 times the maximum penalty as a habitual offender. He is on parole after serving time in a 2003 drunken driving
case. They are being held in the
Clare County Jail on $150,000 bond pending a May 5 hearing. Jail officials didn't know if the suspects had lawyers.
____________________________________________________________
Posted Mar 30, 2009 @ 09:58 PM Last update Mar 31, 2009 @ 08:20 AM Ottawa
County, MI — Five months after Kobi Crowder was struck and violently shaken
by his father, he continues to wear a helmet 23 hours a day.
The eight-month-old
also wears an eye patch several hours each day as he recovers, his mother, Jeannette Imkamp, told a packed Ottawa County court
room Monday morning, March 30, during sentencing for the 22-year-old man who jeopardized her son’s life in the shaken-baby
incident last September.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 Parents plead guilty over abuse, tot's
deathCouple face prison terms after 2-year-old cremated on barbeque, boy scalded in
tub.Doug Guthrie / The Detroit NewsDETROIT
-- A couple will be sentenced next month for going so far to hide the abuse of their children that they cremated their dead
2-year-old on a barbecue grill, then hid the skeleton in a basement ceiling while collecting welfare benefits for the child.
Nickella Reid, 23, pleaded guilty in Wayne County Circuit Court on Monday to involuntary
manslaughter and welfare fraud in connection with the February 2006 or 2007 death of her son, Deuntay Miller. Joseph Miller, 28, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for Deuntay's death and first-degree child abuse
for the massive scalding burns suffered by another of the couple's children
| Rest in Peace |
|
| Isaiah and little sister |
Detroit boy was second of woman's kids to dieHalf-sister
died of suffocation; case to be recheckedBY ERIC D. LAWRENCE
• FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • February 17, 2009
The couple -- Tasha Martin, 18, and Joseph Taylor, 23 -- were in police custody Monday and are expected to
face first-degree murder and child abuse charges when they are arraigned today in Detroit's 36th District Court. Taylor
also faces drug and weapons charges.
The boy, Isaiah Martin, suffered numerous
injuries with obvious bruising, police said. The official cause of death was blunt force trauma, according to the Wayne County
Medical Examiner's Office.
Isaiah had been living with his maternal grandparents
until about one or two weeks ago when he returned to Martin and Taylor, who live in the 4400 block of Tireman, on Detroit's
west side. The boy had been living away from his mother since his 7-week-old half-sister died of suffocation last year, Detroit
Police Cmdr. James Tolbert said during a news conference Monday.
That death was ruled
an accident by the medical examiner's office, but investigators said they plan to revisit that case.
"Will we go back to that case? Absolutely," Tolbert said.
The
infant, Danielle Taylor, died in September due to suffocation in unsafe sleeping conditions, police said. Afterward, Isaiah
was turned over voluntarily to his grandparents.
Detroit police spokesman James Tate
said the state Department of Human Services was the agency involved in Isaiah's placement with the grandparents. And that
at that point, because the death was ruled an accident, the case was out of the hands of police.
A
spokesman for the Department of Human Services said the department would open an investigationa week before he died. Mom Of 5 Charged
With Child Abuse, Torture Wednesday,
February 4, 2009 HAMTRAMCK, Mich. -- A metro Detroit mother of five was charged with child abuse and torture Wednesday
after she called the police on herself. Reyna Valentina, of Hamtramck,
is accused of putting her 4-year-old daughter inside a heated oven and burning her eyes with a metal object.
"She stated that, 'Mom
cooks me like a turkey in the oven," said Hamtramck police Detective Ben Bilecki. "The youngest daughter
also said, 'Mama gave me the boo boos in my eyes.'" Valentina
is also accused of beating her 6-year-old with a metal bar. Valentina
has been charged with two counts of first-degree child abuse and two counts of torture. Valentina's
children are ages 9 months old, 4 years, 6 years, 8 years and 9 years old. "All
of the kids are terrified of their mother, the defendant in this case. They do not want to go back to her," Bilecki said.
Valentina's husband, Randy, said his wife is a good mother
but is suffering from mental illness. "Reyna is a
fantastic mother. She's a very loving mother. She has a mental illness that she's dealt with for 20 plus years
since she was a child," he said. "The things that she has done are only when she's off medication. When she's
ill, those things present themselves." Randy said that when his wife
is on medication and keeps up with her therapy, "She's perfect." The
children have been taken into protective custody. Officials told Local
4 the children have been removed before. If convicted, Valentina could
spend the rest of her life in prison.
Defend asks, "WHY IS THE HUSBAND NOT CHARGED
WITH FAILURE TO PROTECT???"
Flint police: Boy, 16, killed 8-month-old daughterAssociated Press
October 23, 2008 FLINT, Mich. - A Flint judge
has ordered a murder trial for a teenage father police say shook his 8-month-old daughter to death because she wouldn’t
stop crying.
Paul D. Powell II was 16 when Takyra Banks
was killed July 17. The baby’s mother was 15-year-old Shantese Banks. Powell was watching the baby at his
grandmother’s house.
A Flint district judge ruled Wednesday there’s enough evidence for
Powell to stand trial on open murder and first-degree child abuse charges. The now-17-year-old faces an automatic sentence of
life in prison without parole if convicted of first-degree murder.
Defense lawyer Major White questioned
why police interviewed Powell without his mother being there.
Powell remains in juvenile lockup without bond.
Michigan: Prosecutors plea bargain infant assault Jun
02, 2008 The Associated Press is reporting that prosecutors
in Jackson, Michigan have offered an Iraqi War veteran a stunning plea bargain for brutal assaults on his 3-month old daughter.
The baby was flown by helicopter to the University of Michigan Hospital last fall, where she was put on life support. According
to the Jackson (MI) Citizen Patriot, pediatric surgeon Daniel Teitelbaum, MD testified in court that the child "suffered
bleeding and swelling of the brain, a fractured skull, retinal bleeding, numerous bruises, 17 fractures to her legs, arms
and ribs, and injuries to her private parts," after the 27-year old suspect reportedly beat and raped her. Now the AP
says the defendant has pleaded guilty to "attempted child abuse," which would bring "up to five years in prison."
Note from administrator: There is a high probabilty this man will not
have to registered as a sex offender and very strong chance thathe will seek and be granted not only visitation but at least
partial custody of this infant. Please contact the legislation in Michigan and tell them this is unacceptible.
Demand justice for the children. Posted January 22nd, 2008 Father burns 8 week old baby with blow dryerClaiming
that he was blow drying his newborn’s hair, because we all know how a newborn hair needs that, he gave her second degree
burns on her face and leg. What a monster. DETROIT — A 28-year-old Plymouth Township man was
arraigned on multiple child abuse charges after police said he repeatedly burned his 8-week-old with a blow dryer. Shawn
Treadwell is the baby’s biological father and faces charges of first-degree child abuse, a 15-year-felony and second-degree
child abuse, a four-year felony. He is also being charged as a habitual offender, fourth-degree. The University of Michigan
Hospital staff reported that an 8-week old was brought in on Saturday and treated for second-degree burns to the face and
leg
| Rest in Peace |
|
|
| Little Sisters |
March 13, 2007, 8:00:00 PM
 "I am going to the deep ends of hell" Jennifer Kukla told one of her sisters as the sister called 911 to report
that Jennifer had stabbed her children to death. Not an easy call to make, especially when you could have
been a victim yourself, as Jennifer wanted her to stay when she was there the day before. The 911 call is heartbreaking.
Kukla, who had been drinking and possibly doing drugs before the horrific rampage early Sunday, also stabbed her Pomeranian
and its two puppies and stacked them neatly in their cage. Even the pet mouse was found dead from a knife wound, according
to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office.
Apparently the family knew she was struggling, not just financially, but emotionally and mentally as well. Jennifer had
been having an extremely rough time financially, not able to pay her bills, her car had broken down, and she may have lost
her job.
Unable to pay the bills, she lived without electricity and water. She took a taxi to the McDonald's restaurant on 23
Mile where she worked because her car broke down two weeks ago. It was unclear whether she had lost her job recently. A manager
at the restaurant declined to comment but said everyone there was trying to cope with the tragedy.
Police have said that they do not have a motive yet, but believe that alcohol may have been a factor. Also, there may be
some mental health issues that led to these horrific murders.
Police have said that Kukla's sister made a tearful call to 911 Sunday, reporting to police that her sister said she
was under hypnosis, and that "a man's voice was in her head" while she committed the murders.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shaneka Washington Kills 10-Month-Old Daughter, Janiya
by Anne-Marie Nichols on March 4th, 2007
 Shaneka Washington, 21, of Benton Harbor, Mich. is charged with felony murder following the death of her 10-month-old child, Janiya. After two days in the hospital following emergency surgery, Janiya died of a brain hemorrage.
Washington called 911 to report that Janiya was having trouble breathing. She told officers that her daughter
had been sick for several days. There were no obvious wounds or marks on the child, but doctors later diagnosed blunt force
trauma to the head.
Janiya’s twin, and her two and three-year-old brother and sister may been abused by their mother as well. The kids
are with protective services.
I know there are women out there who are single, very young, and have had several kids in quick succession,
and do a terrific job parenting. However, time and time again, I see these “babies having babies”
who are abusing and killing their little ones. Maybe it’s time that clinics, hospitals, schools, social
workers, and child protection agencies start identifying, tracking, and checking in on ”at risk” parents
before they hurt their kids. I can’t see anyway else to prevent it.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| Rest with the Angels |
|
| Navaeh |
Christopher Ryan Richardson of Lincoln Park is being held on a $1 million cash bond after being arraigned before 25th District
Judge David Bajorek on charges of felony murder, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and first-degree child abuse. If convicted
of the murder charge, Richardson faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. The maximum penalties for the
other charges are life in prison and 15 years, respectively.
In announcing the charges, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Nevaeh Ann Richardson, who was born Nov. 15, died Nov.
24 as a result of "anal intrusion." It is alleged that Richardson used his finger to sexually assault his daughter. When the
child's mother discovered the infant bleeding from the mouth and neck, she and Richardson took Nevaeh from their home to Henry
Ford Wyandotte Hospital. Employees there noticed additional trauma to the infant's rectum and called police before transferring
Nevaeh to Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. The baby died the next day. An autopsy ruled her death a homicide. Worthy
said the infant died from massive internal bleeding and sepsis, a blood disorder.
Before she died, the infant also suffered bruising to her arms and head, as well as injuries to her genital area, Worthy
said. "The facts of this case are very disturbing," the prosecutor said while standing alongside other law enforcement officers
in announcing the charges. "We've all been involved in law enforcement for a long time. We have seen many, many cases of child
abuse, and this case disturbs us all, that you can't even live in this world for eight days without being severely abused."
Richardson faces a separate charge of domestic violence-third offense for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend as they took
the infant to the hospital Nov. 23.
He was in court on that charge yesterday, but agreed to postpone the hearing for a week so that a preliminary examination
of the evidence against him can be held at the same time on both cases.
The domestic violence charge carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail and a $2,500 fine.
Besides the two other domestic violence convictions on his record, Richardson also has arrest warrants out for him for
an assault and battery charge in Southgate and for a probation violation in Roscommon, where he was arrested recently on a
drug charge.
His mother, Adie Green, has been outspoken against her son. She said he has been in boot camp and drug rehabilitation since
dropping out of high school.
She said Richardson has a longstanding alcohol and drug problem, and that he was drunk on the day the alleged sexual assault
occurred.
When Green learned the details of how her granddaughter died, she just shook her head.
"That's beyond sick," she said, sitting in front of the family's Christmas tree in view of wrapped presents that had been
bought for Nevaeh before she was killed.
Contact Staff Writer Jason Alley at jalley@heritage.com or at 1-734-246-0867.
|
