In early 2014, a 5-year-old girl died by being forced to drink two liters of grape soda and water over a one to two hour period. This caused brain swelling, and she died of water intoxication at a local hospital. Her parents were arrested on charges of child abuse resulting in death. They were apparently using this as punishment.
Continue reading →3/22/15 In Gaesden, Alabana, 49 year old Joyce Hardin Gerrard was found guilty of capital murder for the 2012 death of her granddaughter, 9-year-old Savannah Hardin. It was a high profile child abuse case, in which the girl collapsed and died after being forced to run for more than 3 hours as punishment for lying about eating candy bars. The jury will now decide on whether or not to apply the death penalty. Hopefully, this tragedy can serve as a … Continue reading →
Starving Children for Insurance Money In Forest, Mississippi, authorities say money may have been the key motive in the starvation death of a 4-year-old-boy. Police say Austin Watkins weighed a mere 19 pounds when he died on November 9th, 2008. Scott County Sheriff Mike Lee said the family had taken out an insurance policy on the boy. His grandmother and aunt were arrested and charged with murder. (USA Today, 11-17-2008, p. 12A)
Continue reading →11-9-07 The search for a 9-year-old girl who had been missing for a week carne to a disappointing end, when her body was found inside a cave in the Montana hillside. Little Rowan Ford was found on private land about 10 miles south of her home in Stella, a small town of about 200 people. Police arrested two suspects, including the girls stepfather, a day later. Rowan vanished while she was being cared for by her stepfather over the weekend, … Continue reading →
10-3-2007 Twenty-seven-year-old Francisco Ramirez was sentenced early Wednesday, in a child abuse case that left a two-year-old girl permanently disabled. He was originally charged with attempted murder, but later pleaded no-contest to a reduced charge of attempted manslaughter. He has two prior first degree burglary convictions, as well as two second-degree assault convictions and other minor charges. He was ordered to serve at least 13 years and 4 months of the 20 year term before being eligible for parole. Ramirez … Continue reading →
9-1-07 Thirty-year-old Jonathon Edington, a lawyer from Bridgeport, Connecticut, was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison for first-degree manslaughter, after stabbing to death an elderly man in his bedroom. It started when Jonathin’s wife told him she thought a neighbor, 68-year-old Barry James, had molested their two-year-old daughter. Jonathin broke into James house later that night and stabbed him multiple times. Fairfield police investigated the molestation allegation, and could not find any evidence to substantiate the claim. Superior Court … Continue reading →
8-1-07 Police filed charges of child abuse and welfare fraud against a woman accused of adopting children in order to bilk child welfare out of $2 million dollars. Judith Leekin, who is now 62 years old, could face as much as 190 years in prison if convicted on the 10 counts of child abuse against her. Authorities believe she adopted the children for a source of income, then abused the kids and used the state money allotted for their care … Continue reading →
7-2007 A 19 year old Texas man stands accused of child abuse after allegedly burning his 2-month-old daughter. The child suffered burns to her face after being put in a microwave oven. Joshua Royce Mauldin was indicted on a charge of felony injury to a child. The young father told police that he was sent by God to be a preacher in Galveston. The child has undergone a second skin graft that was performed by University of Texas Medical Branch … Continue reading →
7-5-07 A man pleaded not guilty on Thursday and was ordered to be held without bail, after allegedly biting off the lip and ear of his girlfriends 3-year old daughter. Bryon James, 34, has been charged with assault and battery upon a child causing substantial bodily injuries. The child’s mother, Jessica Silveria, 26, also pleaded not guilty to permitting substantial injuries to a child under 14, and intimidation of a witness. The attack left the little girl so mutilated that … Continue reading →
5-22-07 The mother of a baby who received serious burns after being microwaved by her father, told a Houston television station, KHOU, that Satan was to blame for her husbands actions. Maurie Mauldin, 20, stated that the devil “saw my husband as a threat” due to the fact that he was trying to become a preacher. The baby girl was released from the hospital after 11 days. She had received the burns after being placed in the microwave oven of … Continue reading →