Most Often Children Die At Hands Of Young Men

From the Bangor Daily News:
By Dawn Gagnon
BDN Staff, March 6, 2010

BANGOR, Maine — Fathers and father figures are most often the perpetrators of severe physical abuse of children, including cases that result in death, according to law enforcement and child abuse authorities in Maine.

On Feb. 23, Damien Christopher Lynn became the first Maine child to die this year as the result of severe abuse. He is the 12th child under age 18 to die as the result of homicide in the state since 2005.

According to authorities, Damien Lynn suffered injuries including brain trauma, a broken arm and broken ribs.

The man police have accused of killing the boy, Edgard Anziani, was the boyfriend of Damien’s mother. He lived on and off with the mother and child for four months before the homicide, according to court records. Anziani, who is from Lawrence, Mass., was arrested by federal authorities Monday in Bladensburg, Md. He waived extradition and is expected to appear in a Bangor court next week.

Statistics maintained by the Maine Department of Public Safety show that 12 children have died as the result of homicide or manslaughter over the past five years. The numbers show that the youngest, the most vulnerable, are most at risk. Eight victims were under age 3, and most of the children died at the hands of a parent, stepparent or the partner of a parent, according to Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety. Click here to see a list of Maine homicide victims under age 18 from 2005 to present.

“We average about 24 homicides over the course of a year, and in a typical year, we usually have at least a couple that are children,” McCausland said.

The exception was in 2008, McCausland said, when five children were murdered in Maine.

“The vast majority are children who died at the hands of a young man, usually the father or the mother’s boyfriend,” he said.

Dr. Lawrence Ricci of Portland, the state’s only child abuse pediatrician and an expert often consulted by law enforcement officials and others for his 22 years of experience in the field, agrees.

“That’s certainly the case in Maine, and it’s certainly the case nationally,” Ricci said Friday in a telephone interview.

In Maine and in the United States, the perpetrators of serious physical child abuse or homicide are most likely fathers, next are nonbiological father figures such as stepfathers or mothers’ boyfriends, and then sitters, Ricci said.

Mothers are the fourth-most-likely perpetrators and “well down on the list,” he said.

The dozen children who died as the result of severe physical abuse “are just the tip of the iceberg,” Ricci said Friday. Ten times as many Maine children end up in the hospital because of severe physical abuse, and 10 times more are injured but never taken to the hospital, he said.

Common risk factors for child abuse include parents who have been victims themselves; parents who have been in the child welfare system, such as foster care; parental drug and alcohol abuse; criminal history and prior child protective history, Ricci said.

Maternal depression and socioeconomic stressors also are factors, he said.

“Those are some of the big ones,” he said, adding that poverty plays a large role in the problem.

“My colleagues around the country and I have seen almost a doubling in the last two years of significant abuse of babies, we think because of the economic downturn, both because of the economic stress it puts on families directly and because of the loss of available support services,” Ricci said.

“When you can’t provide the basic support services for families, the babies suffer,” he said, adding that the state has had difficulty providing those services.

To that end, Ricci and other child advocates in Maine are hoping that the recently launched “Period of Purple Crying” program, which now operates largely through donations and volunteers, will have an impact.

The educational campaign seeks to teach new parents that prolonged, intense crying often is normal and that parents and caregivers need to give themselves a break when the stress that results from the crying threatens to overwhelm their self-control.

A similar program introduced in upstate New York a few years ago brought about a 50 percent reduction in the number of serious injuries from shaken baby syndrome, Ricci said.

Though the “Period of Purple Crying” program has been available at hospitals in many parts of Maine for more than a year, Ricci said it is still too early to say how effective it has been.

One service that Ricci said he would like to see one day in Maine is long-term home visitation that would specifically target high-risk families. Ideally, the service would be provided until the child reaches school age before development problems from abuse and neglect have a chance to set in.

“Once they do, they are almost impossible to reverse,” he said.

Though it likely wouldn’t have saved Damien Lynn, state law requires a long list of professionals to report suspicions of child abuse and neglect or when a suspicious child death occurs.

The list includes law enforcement officials, clergy, municipal and state officials, school staff and bus drivers and bus attendants, medical and emergency medical professionals, social service workers, mental health providers, child care workers, summer camp personnel, domestic violence counselors, sexual assault counselors, film and photographic print processors, court-appointed guardians or advocates and any other person who is responsible for the care or custody of a child.

Those who are legally required to report suspicions of abuse also must make a reasonable attempt to take color photographs of any areas of trauma that are visible on a child, the law states.

To report child abuse or neglect, call the Maine Child and Family Services hot line, which is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The toll-free number is 800-452-1999, and the TTY line for the deaf and hard of hearing is 800-963-9490.

76 Killers Dads…and Counting

76 Killer Dads: Fathers who ended their children’s lives in situations involving child custody, visitation, and/or child support (USA)

Since posting a short list of fathers who had killed their children in cases where child custody, visitation, and/or child support was an active contributing factor (just articles published in 2010), several people have asked me for a more comprehensive list.

It’s nearly impossible to come up with a truly comprehensive list. News articles provide incomplete or inaccurate information. Many articles are not readily accessible through a stardard google search. But I am providing you with the a list of the cases that I have collected over the last year or so, coupled with a few cases submitted by others. Most of these murders occurred during the past two years, but not all. If you have information about additional cases that fit the above listed criteria, please send the information to me.

Note that this list does NOT include ALL the fathers who annihilate their families in murder-suicides or kill their children under other circumstances, even when there was a history of domestic violence or child abuse. If child custody, visitation, and/or child support did not appear to play an identifiable role in the child’s death, I did not include the case on the list. If I were to include all fathers who murder their children for any reason (mental illness, carelessness, “frustration,” anger at the mother–but with no apparent or identifiable child custody, visitation, or child support issues), this list would be nearly endless. So this list is not to be taken as reflective or representational of all fathers who murder children.

I apologize in advance for any errors, either in the newspaper articles or in the transcription.

76 Killer Dads: Fathers who ended their children’s lives in situations involving child custody, visitation, and/or child support (USA)

ALABAMA

Franklin County

Father: PAUL GONZALEZ
Victim(s): Andrea Gonzalez (5 years)
Date of Death: Reported missing in Nov. 1993. Body never recovered.
Custodial father eventually pleads guilty to manslaughter. Stepmother charged with child abuse.

Jefferson County

Father: CORY RICE
Victim(s): Janiya Nicole Hale (1 year)
Date of Death: July 2009
Father, a registered sex offender, is charged with murder. Daughter died during overnight visitation.

ARIZONA

Cococino County

Father: RYAN PETERS
Victim(s): Teigan Peters (aka Teigan Brown) (3 years)
Date of Death: June 2009
Daughter killed in murder-suicide during court-ordered visitation . Mother had applied for orders of protection.

Maricopa County

Father: ALLEN CHAMBERS
Victim(s): Mindi Chambers (17 years)
Date of Death: Assumed to have been murdered around the time she went missing in 1982.
Custodial father ALLEN CHAMBERS is now presumed to have murdered Mindi Chambers around the time she went missing. Daughter had reported sexual abuse to the authorities. Not reported as officially missing til 1995.

Father: JEFFREY DUCHANE
Victim(s): Trenay Duchane (12 years)
Date of Death: Nov. 2008
Custodial father and stepmother convicted of murder.

Father: RAUL MOLINA GONZALEZ
Victim(s): Anthony Gonzalez (11 years)
Date of Death: Summer 2005
Father convicted of murdering son during summer visitation.

Father: NUSHAWN CAMPBELL
Victim(s): Son (5 years)
Date of Death: June 2009
Father with sole custody stabs son to death in failed murder-suicide. Mother had been trying to regain custody.

CALIFORNIA

Contra Costa County

Father: ERHAN KAYIK
Victim(s): Volkan Kayik (16 years)
Date of Death: July 2007
Custodial father found guilty in 2009 of strangulation death of son.

El Dorado County

Father: DAVID ELIOTT
Victim(s): Chandler Nash-Eliott (11 years)
Date of Death: Dec. 2009
Father not charged in the “suicide” of son. Father had physical custody, parents had shared custody. Father had extensive history with CPS regarding neglect, abuse, lack of supervision, etc.

Los Angeles County

Father: DAVID HELMS
Victim(s): Lance Helms (2 1/2 years)
Date of Death: 1995
Custodial dad convicted in beating death of son. Father had obtained custody despite extensive history of violence, drug abuse.

Father: CAMERON BROWN
Victim(s): Lauren Sarene Key (4 years)
Date of Death: Nov. 2000
Father scheduled to go to trial for 3rd time for death of daughter. Daughter was allegedly pushed off cliff during visitation in order to avoid child support.

Orange County

Father: GIDEON WALTER OMONDI
Victim(s): Richie Omondi (4 years)
Date of Death: 2006
Father shared custody with the child’s mother. Convicted of 1st degree murder in Jan. 2010. Drowned son to avoid child support.

San Bernadino County

Father: JESUS ROMAN FUENTES
Victim(s): Jesus Gabriel Fuentes (4 years)
Date of Death: Feb. 2010
Father crashes car, shoots to death son during visitation. Parents divorced. Father in critical condition from self-inflicted gun shot wound.

Father: STEPHEN CHARLES GARCIA
Victim(s): Wyatt Garcia (9 months)
Date of Death: Jan. 2010
Father kills son during court-ordered visitation. Murder-suicide. Parents never married. Mother had pleaded with 3 judges regarding father’s violence, threats.

San Diego County

Father: DENNIS POTTS
Victim(s): Tori Vienneau (22 years), Dean Springtube (10 months)
Date of Death: July 2006
Father is convicted Sept. 2009 in the murders of his former girlfriend and son. Father didn’t want to take paternity test, pay child support.

Ventura County

Father: JAMES MULVANEY
Victim(s): Jason Mulvaney (12 years), Jennifer Mulvaney (7 years)
Date of Death: Sept. 2009
Father stabs to death son and daughter in murder-suicide during overnight visitation. Parents had shared custody and were still involved in divorce, custody case.

COLORADO

Arapahoe County

Father: AARON THOMPSON
Victim(s): Aarone Thompson (7 years)
Date of Death: Reported missing in Nov. 2005. Body never recovered.
Father convicted in Sept. 2009 in daughter’s murder. Father had custody, as he had abducted the children from mother in Michigan.

Jefferson County

Father: JOSEPH TRUJILLO
Victim(s): Adrian Trujillo (5 months)
Date of Death: Jan. 2010
Father charged in death of infant son. Father had physical custody while mother in military. Father alleged to have left baby alone while father went out drinking for 7 hours. Baby later found dead.

CONNECTICUT

New Haven County

Father: MORRIES D. HILL SR.
Victim(s): Morries Hill Jr. (5 months)
Date of Death: 2008
Father charged in connection with the death of son. Baby died from “severe physical abuse.” Infant died in father’s home during overnight visitation.

FLORIDA

Colllier County

Father: SAMUEL SEJOUR
Victim(s): Elijay Kye Aliazar (3 months)
Date of Death: Jan. 2009
Father had shared custody with infant’s mother. Son died of blunt force trauma to the head during visitation. Father charged w. 2nd-degree murder.

Duval County

Father: JOSI M. HALL
Victim(s): Kyla Hall (1 year)
Date of Death: 2008
Father had sole custody, and had been cleared of previous abuse allegations. Daughter died of blunt force trauma at home.

Hillsborough County

Father: CHAUNCEY ROBINSON
Victim(s): Chavon Robinson (22 months)
Date of Death: Feb. 2008
Father convicted Dec. 2009 of murdering child during visitation.

Jackson County

Father: WESLEY JONATHAN WILLIAMS
Victim(s): Danielle Baker (mother), sons Ahmaad (4 years) and Amarion (1 year), and unrelated infant.
Date of Death: 2005
Father allegedly committed quadruple murder because he was angry about child support.

Lake County

Father: RICHARD L. ADAMS
Victim(s): Kayla McKean (6 years)
Date of Death: 1998
Custodial father beat daughter to death. Had been subject of multiple CPS investigations.

Orange County

Father: ROOSEVELT BRADLEY II
Victim(s): Roosevelt Bradley III (8 months)
Date of Death: Aug. 2009
Father arrested for murder of infant during visitation.

Osceola County

Father: MELVIN ORTIZ
Victim(s): Unnamed Son (5 years)
Date of Death: July 2009
Son beaten to death while visiting father, stepmother.

Palm Beach County

Father: TONY CAMACHO
Victim(s): Crystal Camacho (8 years), Nelson Camacho (10 years)
Date of Death: Dec. 2006
Father and mother were finalizing divorce. During Christmas visitation, father stabbed daughter, then killed her and brother Nelson Camacho (10 years) in arson murder-suicide. Mother had unsucessfully petitioned for protection.

Pasco County

Father: THOMAS LUDWIG
Victim(s): Diella Ludwig (2 months)
Date of Death: Dec. 2008
CPS granted father THOMAS LUDWIG custody of infant twins. Father charged with 1st-degree murder in Diella’s death.

Volusia County

Father: MICHAEL REESE
Victim(s): Jeremiah Reese (14 years)
Date of Death: Sept. 2009
Jeremiah Reese died of “accidental overdose” at the home of his custodial father. Father had long history of abuse, neglect with CPS.

IDAHO

Ada County

Father: NICHOLAS BACON
Victim(s): Bekm Bacon (8 months)
Date of Death: Feb. 2010
Father shot to death son in murder-suicide. Parents going through divorce, but had joint custody. Infant killed during visitation with father.

Jerome County

Father: ROBERT ARAGON
Victim(s): Sage Aragon (11 years)
Date of Death: Dec. 2008
Custodial father acquitted of involuntary manslaughter in hypothermia death of daughter. Father had told to her to walk to mother’s home during blizzard.

Twin Falls County

Father: JIM NICE JR.
Victim(s): Justin Nice (6 years), Spencer Nice (6 years), Raquel Anna Nice (2 years)
Date of Death: 2005
Father murdered children with rat poison during court-ordered visitation.

ILLINOIS

McClean County

Father: MICHAEL CONNELLY
Victim(s): Duncan Connelly (6 years) and Jack Connelly (4 years)
Date of Death: March 2009
Father killed sons in murder-suicide during court-ordered visitation. Mother had extensive involvment with the courts trying to prevent contact with father.

Will County

Father: CHIDI ESI
Victim(s): Nathan Esi (19 months)
Date of Death: Oct. 2009
Father accused of drowning son during visitation.

INDIANA

Green County

Father: RONALD A. BOHANNON
Victim(s): Travis Bohannon (14 months)
Date of Death: Aug. 2009
Father separated from wife. Son “accidently” shot during visitation. Father convicted of reckless homicide Jan. 2010.

Lake County

Father: CORDELL RICHARDSON
Victim(s): Eboni Richardson (19 months)
Date of Death: Aug. 2009
Father shot daughter during visitation. Didn’t want child’s mother to do moveaway.

Father: TERRY BETHEL (aka Terry Noel)
Victim(s): Josiah Shaw (13 months)
Date of Death: Jan. 2008
Father allegedly arranged to have visitation with son, then shot him to death to avoid child support.

KANSAS

Shawnee County

Father: JAMES KRAIG KAHLER
Victim(s): Karen Kahler (44 years), Emily Kahler (18 years), Lauren Kahler (16 years), Dorothy Wight (89 years)
Date of Death: Nov. 2009
Parents were in the process of divorcing, reportedly “sparring over children.”

Sumner County

Father: UNNAMED FATHER
Victim(s): Caden Michael Reemes (4 years)
Date of Death: Aug. 2009
Child asphyxiated at the home of his custodial UNNAMED FATHER.

KENTUCKY

Anderson County

Father: TIMOTHY FRAZIER
Victim(s): Cole Frazier (21 months)
Date of Death: May 2009
Father obtained custody with police assistance through fraudulent EPO. Shot son to death in murder-suicide. Mother suing police, city.

Clark County

Father: PATRICK WATKINS
Victim(s): Michaela Watkins (10 years)
Date of Death: 2007
Custodial father, stepmother found guilty of murder in girl’s death. Girl removed from mother’s home by social workers.

LOUISIANA

Pointe Coupee Parish

Father: AARON BOWMAN
Victim(s): Aaron Bowman, Jr.
Date of Death: Nov. 2009
Father had “temporary” custody of son, 2-year-old daughter when son beaten to death. Father charged with 1st-degree murder.

MAINE

Kennebec County

Father: SHANE SOUCY
Victim(s): Connor Soucy (4 months)
Date of Death: Aug. 2009
Infant became “unresponsive” during visit with father. Later died at hospital.

MARYLAND

Baltimore County

Father: MARK CASTILLO
Victim(s): Anthony Castillo (6 years), Austin Castillo (4 years), Athena Castillo (2 years)
Date of Death: Mar. 2008
Mother had tried to stop father from having access, but blocked by courts. Children murdered during court-ordered visitation.

Father: STEPHEN NELSON
Victim(s) Turner Jordan Nelson (3 years)
Date of Death: Feb. 2008
Murdered by father by being thrown off bridge. Father and mother had argued in court over custody.

MASSACHUSETTS

Bristol County

Father: KRISTOPHER GRIFFIN
Victim(s): Kaitlyn (6 years)
Date of Death: July 2009
Father allegedly murdered daughter because he was concerned about possible moveaway.

Worcester County

Father: LESLIE G. SHULER
Victim(s): Nathaniel Turner (7 years)
Date of Death: June 2009
Father charged with beating death of son. Took place during father’s summer visitation.

MICHIGAN

Oakland County

Father: JOHN KELLY
Victim(s): unnamed infant (13 weeks)
Date of Death: Feb. 2010
Infant died during unsupervised visitation.

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.

MISSOURI

Cass/Jackson Counties

Father: MARK GUENTHER
Victim(s): Elizabeth Guenther (18 months)
Date of Death: Feb. 2010
Father to be charged with 2nd degree murder. Baby suffered fatal skull fracture during father’s weekend visitation.

Father: DAN PORTER
Victim(s): Sam Porter (7 years), Lindsey Porter (8 years)
Date of Death: June 2004
Father murdered children during court-ordered visitation. Had extensive history of domestic violence.

St. Louis County

Father: Nathaniel Robinson
Victim(s): Desmon Valenzuela (3 years)
Date of Death: 2007
Father obtained custody 1 month before child’s beating death. Convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jan 2010.

NEVADA

Clark County

Father: BRANDON TODD ARDUINO
Victim(s): Brandon Christopher Arduino-Boggs (13 years)
Date of Death: Sept. 2009
Son killed in auto homicide case where father DUI. Parents had been in lengthy child custody case.

Father: ALEX KOPYSTENSKI
Victim(s): Giovani Kopystenski (5 years)
Date of Death: July 2009
Custodial father. Autistic son “accidentally” shoots himself in head after finding gun in father’s car.

NEW JERSEY

Passaic County

Father: EDELMIRO GONZALEZ
Victim(s): Adrian Gonzalez (7 years)
Date of Death: Nov. 2009
Father in “bitter custody dispute” with “estranged” wife. 7-year-old son shot to death, 11-year-old son, wife, in critical condition.

NEW MEXICO

Bernalillo County

Father: RICHARD ROBERT SANCHEZ
Victim(s): Richard Jr, Daniel, and Christopher Sanchez
Date of Death: Aug. 2001
Father “went missing” with sons during custodial visit. Bodies recovered, identified in July 2009.
NEW YORK

Erie County

Father: JAMES E. KENT
Victim(s); Joshua Kent (3 years)
Date of Death: Mar. 2005
Sole custody father beats son to death.

Genessee County

Father: UNNAMED FATHER
Victim(s); Marcus Peters (6 years)
Date of Death: Oct. 2009
Child dies during weekend visitation with father, but authorities say death not “suspicious.”

Monroe County

Father: MARK RESCH
Victim(s): Hunter Resch (7 years)
Date of Death: Feb. 2010
Child shot to death in murder-suicide during court-ordered visitation. Father had history of DV, mother had filed two orders of protection.

Orange County

Father: CHRISTOPHER RHODES
Victim(s): Jerica Rhodes (7 years)
Date of Death: Jan. 2005
Sole custody father convicted in daughter’s stabbing death. Had extensive history of DV.

NORTH CAROLINA

Edgecombe County

Father: BRICE MCMILLAN
Victim(s): Tyler Brice (13 years)
Date of Death: June 2008
Custodial father, stepmother convicted of 2nd-degree murder. Boy tied to tree, died of dehydration, heat exhaustion.

OKLAHOMA

Bryan County

Father: WOLF ABEL
Victim(s): Cheyenne Wolf (11 years)
Date of Death: April 2008
Custodial father, stepmother charged in girl’s death.

OHIO

Cuyahoga County

Father: ANTHONY JOHNSON
Victim(s) Anthony Johnson Jr.
Date of Death: Aug. 2009
Father accused of beating child to death during visitation.

Franklin/Delaware Counties

Father: DANIEL J. DOBSON
Victims: Nicole Dobson (15 years), Sarah Dobson (11 years)
Date of Death: Dec. 2009
Father had physical placement of 15-year-old daughter. “Shared parenting” plan in place with divorced mother. Girls shot to death in murder-suicide.

Stark County

Father: JAMES MAMMONE III
Victim(s): Macy Mammone (5 years), James Mammone (3 years), Margaret Eakin (57 years)
Date of Death: June 2009
Divorced father convicted of stabbing children, beating to death former mother-in-law in Jan. 2010.

OREGON

Clackamas County

Father: DONALD L. COCKRELL
Victim(s) Alexis Pounder (3 years)
Date of Death: Jan. 2010
Father, mother had shared custody. Father, girlfriend charged with beating, starving girl to death. Mother allegedly blocked from seeing child by father.

PENNSYLVANIA

Philadelphia County

Father: DOMINGO “ANIBAL” FERREIRA
Victim(s) Charlenni Ferreira (10 years)
Date of Death: Oct. 2009
Girl died from abuse in the home of her custodial father, stepmother. Father later (allegedly) committed suicide in jail cell.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Anderson County

Father: JAMES T. DICKERSON
Victim(s): Jeremy Dickerson (7 years)
Date of Death: July 2009
Father with “full custody” charged in son’s beating death.

Chester County

Father: UNNAMED FATHER
Victim(s): Xymerra Evans (11 months)
Date of Death: Sept. 2009
Child sexually abused, beaten during visitation with father. Later died at hospital.

TENNESSEE

Shelby County

Father: CURTIS LEE MORRIS, JR.
Victim(s): Isaiah Snipes (16 months)
Date of Death: Nov. 2009
Father had just obtained custody of son, 3-year-old daughter in Sept. 2009. Father charged w. 2nd-degree murder.

Warren County

Father: MITCHELL STONE
Victim(s): Kayndace (3 years), Akeelia (1 year)
Date of Death: May 2009
Custodial father, stepmother charged in deaths of two girls.

TEXAS

Denton County

Father: DUKE WATROUS
Victim(s): Ashley Watrous (10 years)
Date of Death: Dec. 2009
Custodial father charged in shooting death.

Gaines/Yoakum Counties

Father: MARIO ROMERO
Victim(s): Mitchell Romero (3 years), unnamed mother
Date of Death: Oct. – Nov. 2009
Mother reportedly murdered by father during child abduction. Son later killed in car accident.

Jasper County

Father: LEO DESMOREAUX IV
Victim(s): Triston Dobbins (21 months)
Date of Death: Dec. 2007
Boy died of head injuries while visiting father, stepmother. Father on trial for capital murder Jan. 2010.

VIRGINIA

Norfolk County

Father: JOSHUA SAWYER
Victim(s): Carly Sawyer (5 years)
Date of Death: June 2009
Custodial father, stepmother charged with 2nd-degree murder. Mother lost custody during divorce, father denied mother contact.

WEST VIRGINIA

Mercer County

Father: RONALD HOLCOMB
Victim(s): Brooklyn Holcomb (5 years)
Date of Death: Jan. 2007
Custodial father convicted of 2nd-degree murder in daughter’s death. Mother had lost custody the year before after applying for child support.

Dad Sent to Prison for Sex Abuse of His Young Children

Dad sent to prison for sex abuse of his young children (Portland, Oregon)

Even the judge says dad MARK HOFFMAN’s sexual abuse of his kids was one of the worst cases he has ever seen….

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_111009_news_child_porn_sentence.2a1d63444.html

Dad sent to prison for sex abuse of his young kids

07:23 AM PST on Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon man accused of sexually abusing his young children and sharing the photos on the Internet has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Mark Hoffman, 35, was sentenced on Monday in U.S. District Court on two counts of production of child pornography. Hoffman reached a plea deal in April.

Judge Robert E. Jones said it was one of the worst cases he had ever seen in his 47 years of practice. Back in April, the foster mother for two of the three children, Kymberlee Lake, identified herself as a physician and told the judge in a statement on behalf of the victims the abuse was “far worse than most professionals have ever seen.”

One child was only 2 years old when the abuse began.

Neglected Kids Left in Custody of Alcoholic Dad

Neglected kids left in custody of alcoholic dad (Rotorua, New Zealand)

Dad PETER TUTAHERA WAITI appears to be a single father who’s perpetually drunk. His preschool age kids were found wandering around in traffic while Pops was sleeping off a bender. Police took them home, decided to leave them with dad despite his obvious inebriation (!), and alerted social workers. But before the social workers arrived, the kids had wandered off again (guess Dad still had some more zzz’s to catch).

Do you really think that custodial standards are tougher for dads? Doesn’t look like it here. And not a word here on what happened to the mother.

http://www.rotoruadailypost.co.nz/local/news/commander-backs-action-over-father/3906306/

Commander backs action over father
Anita Moran 11th November 2009

Rotorua police are standing by their decision to leave two pre-school children in the care of their drunk father.

The children, aged 2 and 4, roamed the streets and crossed Rotorua’s busy Old Taupo Rd in peak traffic after their drunk father fell asleep.

Police found the pair playing in the West End New World carpark, took them home and alerted social workers. But before the social workers arrived, the children wandered off a second time after their father fell asleep again. The children were later found playing in a nearby church yard.

The case has sparked outrage and disbelief among Rotorua residents and national family advocates.

The father, Peter Tutahera Waiti, 32, appeared before Judge Jocelyn Munro in the Rotorua District Court last week and pleaded guilty to two charges of leaving children under the age of 14 unsupervised.

Rotorua police area commander Inspector Bruce Horne said he stood by the officers’ decision to leave the children with their father.

“In this specific situation the two officers followed standard procedures,” he said.

“They correctly applied the provisions and principles of the Children, Young Persons and their Families Act and made a risk assessment in respect of the safety of the children.”

Mr Horne said the officers also got advice from their supervisor before leaving the house.

“Although the supervisor was satisfied that the situation had been made safe, the overall circumstances of the case prompted him to immediately advise Child Youth and Family of what had occurred.”

Mr Horne said this type of incident was happening all across the country and was not unique to Rotorua.

“Unfortunately police throughout New Zealand are dealing with situations involving serious parental neglect on a daily basis.

“These cases usually involve the same families, where the consumption of alcohol is prioritised over the safety and wellbeing of the family, in particular the children,” he said.

“The children in these families are often left to fend for themselves and often engage in criminal activities from a young age.”

Mr Horne said Rotorua police worked with several different agencies and community groups in an effort to manage such situations.

“Reducing alcohol-related harm is a priority for police and a number of stakeholders who work with police, including other Government agencies, health organisations and the Rotorua District Council, which is the regulatory authority in relation to the sale and purchase of alcohol,” he said.

“At some point, up to 70 per cent of calls for police are the result of alcohol-related incidents.”

Mr Horne said the most commonly encountered and significant alcohol related-incidents for Rotorua police included family violence and child abuse in the home, disorderly, offensive and violent behaviour in public places and alcohol-impaired drivers on the roads.

Dad Sentenced to 106 Years in Disappearance, Presumed Death of Daughter

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Dad sentenced to 106 years in disappearance, presumed death of daughter (Centennial, Colorado)

Dad AARON THOMPSON has been sentenced fo 106 years in the disappearance and presumed murder of his daughter back in 2005. The mother lost all contact with the girl when Dad abducted the girl from her in Michigan. Note that this guy doesn’t even have the decency to tell this grieving mom where the body is. Reminds me of dad DANIEL PORTER, who didn’t want to tell where he left the bodies of his murdered children either: http://www.samandlindseyporter.org/. The bodies weren’t found till years later.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ieA2a24VBntmuneLYulD-DKK6qiwD9BSS7P01

Man sentenced to 106 years in girl’s disappearance
(AP) – 2 hours ago

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — A Colorado man convicted in the disappearance and presumed death of his daughter has been sentenced to 106 years behind bars.

Judge Valeria Spencer issued the sentence for Aaron Thompson on Tuesday after telling him that he had failed as a father and as a man.

Thompson was convicted of 31 charges, including fatal child abuse, in the 2005 disappearance of his daughter Aarone. For years, he told police that she ran away because of an argument over a cookie.

Among those who asked for a stiff sentence for Thompson was Aarone’s mother. Lynette Thompson told the judge that Aaron Thompson should be drawing a map to lead investigators to her daughter’s body.

Thompson’s mother testified in his defense, saying he loves his children and is a hard worker.

Dad Murders Wife, 9-Year-Old-Son

Dad murders wife, 9-year-old son (Pataskala, Ohio)

Dad JOHN ECKARD viciously gunned down and murdered his wife and 9-year-old before taking himself out. And yet this article does nothing but praise this guy and make excuses for his actions. This is all too typical of these articles, and it’s getting very old fast.

All the stock journalistic devices are here. As if on clue, we quote the idiotic “acquaintance” claiming the murderer was a “loving husband and father.” Why this delusional defense of a cold-blooded killer? Would the “acquaintance” still think Dad was very “loving” if he had a pointed a shotgun at HIS head? Or if the “acquaintance” was forced into begging for HIS life? I’m sorry–this is just crap.

Then there are the ignorant neighbors who claim the couple “appeared to be happy.” How the hell would they know one way or another? Because they saw him mowing the grass or something? These people’s impressions are obviously incomplete, off-base, and wrong. Why is the reader’s time wasted in quoting them?

All of this gives a false impression: that these crimes come “out of the blue.” They don’t. In fact, if you read this article carefully, you’ll see that Daddy Dearest had been planning this affair “for at least a month.” So this was no “snapping,” no sudden emotional outburst from an otherwise “nice guy.” This guy CALCULATED and PLANNED to murder his innocent wife and child. Maybe we need to deal with that, instead of a fantasy build-up of what he was “really” like.

All kinds of stuff is said here to humanize and excuse the killer–we hear about his financial troubles, his Parkinson’s disease. We hear an indirect slam at his wife: “people need to pay attention to the mental health of their loved ones and seek help when they are in trouble.” As if to say that it’s HER fault that all this happened.

Meanwhile, note that nothing is said here to “humanize” the victims. There’s nary a word about what they were doing at school or work, what their hopes or dreams were. What they were like as people. It’s like they’re just the collateral damage in Daddy’s Big Show of Personal Pain, which is the sole focus of attention here. Disgusting.

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/11/06/patmurder.ART_ART_11-06-09_B1_0CFJD3B.html?sid=101

Man kills wife, son, himself, police say
Father reportedly beset by medical, financial problems
Friday, November 6, 2009 3:21 AM
By Josh Jarman

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/11/06/patmurder.ART_ART_11-06-09_B1_0CFJD3B.html?sid=101

PATASKALA, Ohio — Police said a man killed his wife and 9-year-old son before taking his own life yesterday morning. He was a loving husband and father who had medical and financial troubles, an acquaintance said.

Pataskala police found the bodies of John Eckard II, 46, his wife and son dead in their home at 13160 Havens Corners Rd. at about 8:30 a.m. yesterday. They were called there by William D. Beer, who bought Mr. Eckard’s land-surveying company about a year and a half ago.

Beer said he found four letters in his office yesterday morning, one addressed to him and the other’s addressed to Eckard’s ex-wife and two daughters from his previous marriage.

The letter thanked him for taking over the business. At the bottom it included the line, “by the time you read this, Robin, I and Nick will no longer be in this world.”

Beer said he dropped the letter and called police immediately before rushing to the couple’s home where police made their grisly discovery only minutes later.

Chief Chris Forshey said police broke in after they couldn’t get anyone to come to the door.

Forshey said the bodies of Robin Eckard, 45, and the couple’s son, Nicholas, were in their bedrooms. Each appeared to have been shot once in the head with a shotgun, he said. John Eckard’s body was in the living room in the same condition.

Forshey said police found a fifth letter, which was addressed to “everyone,” at the house. Eckard also sent text messages about 3:15 a.m. yesterday to relatives and friends hinting that there was going to be violence at his home. But no one apparently saw them until it was too late.

Investigating multiple deaths is always difficult, but even more so when a child is among those killed, Forshey said. “It’s tragic for the family members. Our thoughts go out to them right now.”
Neighbors said the couple, who bought the house in 2007, appeared to be happy. Forshey said police had never been called to the home because of any domestic trouble. The bodies were taken to the Licking County coroner’s office for autopsy.

According to state records, the Eckards owned a used-car dealership in nearby Etna Township that they bought in August 2008.

Their two-story, four-bedroom house on 5 acres is on a private lane off Havens Corners. A number of families there own horses, including the Eckards, who had two. Neighbors described the lane as a close-knit community and said Nicholas often had friends over to play.

Beer said Mr. Eckard suffered from Parkinson’s disease, and although his used-car business appeared to be doing well, the family was living beyond its means. He said the Eckards were a very close couple, who always expressed their love for one another.

He said he could not fathom why Mr. Eckard, whom he called one of the hardest-working men he had ever known, would hurt his family or himself. In retrospect, Beer said he thinks Mr. Eckard had been planning the crime for at least a month.

He said people need to pay attention to the mental health of their loved ones and seek help when they are in trouble.

“People need to know that a solution like that is a very empty solution,” Beer said. “It leaves nothing but a tragedy.”

Dad Sentenced to Life for Strangling Infant Son, Baby’s Mom

Dad sentenced to life for strangling infant son, baby’s mom (Bonita, California)

Dad DENNIS POTTS has been sentenced to consecutive life prison terms for strangling his 10-month-old infant son and the baby’s mother, his ex-girfriend. Daddy just didn’t want to take a paternity test. Boo hoo.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/348/story/911720.html

Friday, Nov. 06, 2009
Life sentences for man strangling son, child’s mom
By The Associated Press

A San Diego County man has been sentenced to consecutive life prison terms for strangling his infant son and the baby’s mother because she pressured him to take a paternity test.

A Superior Court judge Friday sentenced 25-year-old Bonita resident Dennis Potts, with no possibility of parole.

Potts was convicted Sept. 10 of two counts of first-degree murder in the July 2006 deaths of 22-year-old Tori Vienneau and their 10-month-old, Dean Springstube.

Prosecutors say Potts had a secret relationship with Vienneau and strangled her because he did not want anyone to know he was the baby’s biological father.

They said Potts agreed to take a mail-in paternity test but submitted a friend’s DNA sample instead.

The defense claimed there was no direct evidence linking Potts to the killings.

Dad Convicted of Abusing Son

Friday, November 6, 2009

Dad convicted of abusing son (Hartshorne, England, United Kingdom)

Dad TERENCE EAMES has been convicted of abusing his son between 1987 and 2000. Other charges are still pending jury deliberation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/leicestershire/8347609.stm

Page last updated at 19:05 GMT, Friday, 6 November 2009

Father guilty of abusing his son

A father has been convicted of abusing his son more than 20 years after the offences were committed.

Terence Eames, 53, of Woodville Road, Hartshorne, near Ashby, Leicestershire, was found guilty of cruelty to a young person between 1987 and 2000.

Leicester Crown Court heard he also beat his wife and destroyed two doors with a chainsaw to attack the family.

Eames denied a total of 26 abuse-related charges and jurors will continues deliberations on Tuesday.

He is accused of multiple charges of child cruelty and two counts of attacking their mother, who cannot be named.

His ex-wife described him as a “Jekyll and Hyde” character and “control freak” and claimed she and their children were virtual prisoners in their home.

Doors locked

She added they were unable to leave the house as windows and doors were locked and tied shut with rope.

“You couldn’t get away from him”, she told the jury.

Jurors heard how in one instance Eames had become angry after she had locked herself in a room with the children.

She said he was unable to break through the doors and so used a chainsaw to cut through two doors to get to them.

“I was cowed down with the kids but I was dragged across the floor by my hair and he beat me,” she said.

Looking directly at Eames his ex-wife shouted “you’re evil, you’re evil.”

Eames legal team said the accusations were a conspiracy and his ex-wife drank excessively.

They said she had ample opportunity to speak to social services, but did not.

Poverty, Domestic Violence: Women Bearing Brunt of Economic Crisis

Poverty, domestic violence: Women bearing brunt of economic crisis (Australia)

Excellent piece by Jess Moore on the links between poverty, economic crisis, and domestic violence. It’s from Green Left Weekly.

Hat tip to “Friend of Anonymum” for finding this.

http://www.greenleft.org.au/2009/815/41932

Poverty, domestic violence: Women bearing brunt of economic crisis

Jess Moore
25 October 2009

A domestic violence shelter in Alice Springs told ABC radio’s AM on May 1 that between January 1 and mid-April this year, it provided accommodation for 157 children and 149 women. However, due to lack of funding, it turned away a further 158women and 100 children seeking support.

In other words, for each woman it provided shelter to, one was turned away. Where did she go? In all likelihood, she ended up back with her abusive partner.

We live in a society that still, in many respects, treats women as second-class citizens. Women’s supposedly predominant role as bearers and carers of children, combined with inadequate childcare services and maternity leave provisions, mean women are discriminated against in employment. Women are highly concentrated in part-time and casual jobs.

This situation leaves women more vulnerable to economic hardship. When the chips are down, such as in the current global economic crisis, women are the first hit. Women are the first to lose their jobs. Financial independence, and the options that come with that — such as leaving an abusive partner — is still a dream for many women.

Women bear the brunt of trauma and hardship, such as war and economic recession. The global economic crisis has disproportionately affected women in terms of poverty and unemployment.

However, women are also experiencing an increase in violence within the home. A 2009 United Nations report also noted a rise in the number of women remaining in abusive relationships because of a lack of affordable alternative accommodation, an inability to sell property and decreased support services.

In Australia, ongoing funding cuts to women’s services mean national domestic violence statistics are sketchy. However, the available state and local figures are alarming.

In Queensland, in the first quarter of 2005, 6874 new cases of domestic violence were reported. In the first quarter of 2009, it rose to 9739 new cases — a 42% rise.

The January 29 Newcastle Herald said that between 2005 and 2008, the number of domestic Apprehended Violence Orders (AVOs) issued rose by more than 7%. However, in Queensland, the numbers did not peak until 2009, so the real rise in NSW could be significantly higher.

In poor and regional areas the situation is worse.

US figures tell a similar story. The National Domestic Violence Hotline had a spike of calls in September 2008, which were up 21% from September 2007. The organisation conducted a six-week study to determine the cause of the rise.

It found a strong link between financial stress and domestic violence: 54% of callers reported a change in their household’s financial situation in the past year and 64% of callers answered “yes” to the question “do you believe the abusive behaviour has increased in the past year?”

A 2004 study by the National Institute of Justice found that women whose male partners experienced two or more periods of unemployment over five years were three times more likely to be abused.

Frighteningly, the violence is also becoming more deadly. The December 25 Boston Globe reported: “Economic stresses often lead to more frequent abuse, more violent abuse, and more dangerous abuse when domestic violence already exists.”

A series of reports in the Sydney Morning Herald in November 2008 revealed that, in NSW, the number of deaths of women and children as a result of domestic violence had risen to a 10-year high.

In Australia, domestic violence is now the most likely cause of preventable death for women under 45. It is also the leading cause of preventable disabilities and illnesses for women under 45.

Higher assault rates are made worse by inadequate support services. Government funding for women’s services is considerably less than it was a decade ago, despite the marked rise in demand.

This situation is the result of neoliberal funding cuts and a conservative anti-feminist ideological campaign. Consecutive governments have blamed domestic violence on individual family breakdowns and unhealthy relationships, rather than recognising the social basis of violence against women.

The swell in the number of domestic violence cases is not a setback in an otherwise generally improving situation. Before the economic crisis, domestic violence in Australia was already a growing social problem.

Rates dramatically rose across NSW between 1997 and 2002. Figures released by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show that, for this period, the recorded instance of domestic assault rose by 40% in the Sydney area and 50% across the rest of NSW.

A huge injection of public funding is needed to support essential crisis services for victims of domestic violence to prevent the needless death of so many women and children.

Beyond that, the underlying causes of domestic violence — unemployment, insecurity, poverty, disadvantage and women’s financial dependence on male partners — have to be addressed.

Collective opposition to attacks on women’s rights is the only force powerful enough to empower women, to change sexist social attitudes and stop all forms of violence against women.

It’s Okay When You Are a Custodial Dad to Show Porn to Your Kids

“It’s ok [when you’re a custodial dad] to show porn to your kids” (Dallas, Texas)

It’s pretty much an open secret that Texas has become a fathers rights haven in recent years. So it’s really not suprising that a custodial father of three daughters felt it was perfectly within his rights to get “liquored up” one night and show his two of his daughters pornography on his computer. Word got out, but the Dallas district attorney decided “his hands were tied.” There’s an effort to get the issue reviewed by the Texas legislature, but there is concern that the “state is trying to dictate what parents can teach their children.” Never mind that showing pornography to children is a well-known “grooming” activity among pedophiles.

One piece of good news: The mother of the three girls got custody back. She’s trying to get Texas law changed.

http://watchdogblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/10/texas-law-you-can-show-porn-to.html

Texas law: It’s OK to show porn to your kids
11:02 AM Wed, Oct 28, 2009
Brooks Egerton

Texas has no shortage of amazing criminal justice stories. Here’s the latest to hit my radar screen: State law says it’s OK to show pornography to children — as long as they’re your children and the stuff is otherwise legal (no kiddie porn, in other words).

Now a Panhandle prosecutor wants the Texas attorney general’s office to check his reading of the penal code section on showing harmful material to minors. An AG’s spokesman said the matter is under review and declined further comment.

Randall County District Attorney James Farren’s request grew out of a divorced Dallas-area woman’s experience. Her three grade-school-aged daughters were living with their dad earlier this year when he allegedly got liquored up late one night and showed two of them porn on his computer. They later told a counselor, who alerted authorities. Amarillo police investigated, found the girls believable and sought advice from the DA’s office before proceeding.

Farren concluded that that his hands were tied. No search warrant ever got issued, so there’s been no independent look at evidence.

“We have to convince the Legislature to review this issue,” Farren told me.

State Sen. Bob Deuell, a Republican from Greenville, said he will push for change in the next legislative session.

“It’s not going to be an easy issue,” he warned. Why? There will be talk that the state is trying to dictate what parents can teach their children.

Such concerns influenced the writing of the law in 1973, said former state Sen. Tati Santiesteban. The El Paso Democrat, who still practices criminal defense law, said he chaired the subcommittee that did the writing.

“Our discussion was about the invasion of privacy into the home” and “being a parent and wanting to teach my child about sex,” he told me. “Who in the hell is the government to come and tell me what I can show to my children?”

Sexual material that parents show their children needs to have a legitimate educational purpose, said Deuell, who’s a family practice physician.

The little girls were shown images of three-way encounters, among other things, their mom said. Their father, she added, told them not to tell others what they’d seen or “I will never trust you again.”

Her conclusion: “If it’s sexual education, you don’t do it secretively.”

Showing porn to kids is a common “grooming” practice of pedophiles, said Wynne Shaw, clinical supervisor at the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center. It can desensitize victims, making them less likely to resist further advances.

“We consider it abusive just the same as any contact type of abuse,” Shaw said.

The mom recently regained custody of the girls and is working with the Rockwall-based Lillian Smith Family Violence Foundation to get the law changed.

“This is not the Texas everybody knows,” she said.

The girls’ dad didn’t respond to my request for comment.