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Man arrested for breaking arms of his girlfriend's child
Posted on March 8, 2010 at 1:29 PM
****** PRESCOTT - A hospital visit for a three-year-old's
broken arm leads to the discovery of alleged child abuse and an arrest.
The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office
got a call from Yavapai Regional Medical Center in Prescott around 3:30 a.m. on March 5 concerning the circumstances that
led to the broken arm.
Deputies learned from the nurses that the child has been admitted by his mother and her
boyfriend. After determining the child's arm was broke the boyfriend, Kyle Tang, 27, admitted involvement in causing the
injury.
Tang has lived with the boy and his mother for about three years, but is not the father of the child.
Tang admitted to deputies that he became frustrated with the boy's behavior and grabbed his arm to pick him up
off the bed. That is when he heard a popping noise.
After interviews were completed with Tang, the boy's family
and hospital staff, Tang was arrested for one count each of child abuse and aggravated assault.
Child Protective
services has been called into look at the case.
Men face $1 million
bond for child abuse Two Hamlet men arrested for the near-fatal drowning
of a 4-year-old boy on Saturday are facing felony child abuse charges and a $1 million bond. Charles Garland Quick,
47, Spring Street, Hamlet, and Richard Wayne Lamonds Jr., 33, Henderson Street, Hamlet, were arrested around 6:30 p.m. on
Saturday on felony child abuse charges. In addition to the child abuse charge, Quick received another misdemeanor charge for
resisting a public officer. According to Capt. Bob Steele with the Hamlet Police Department, both men were supposed
to be baby-sitting two children. One was the 4-year-old who apparently wandered from the home on Dennis Street to a home on
Austin Street. The child opened the back gate and later fell into a pool, according to Steele. An
off-duty nurse stopped by the home on Austin Street, which belonged to her parents to let their dogs out, and noticed the
back gate open. As she closed the gate, she noticed the boy face-down in the pool. She pulled him out of the water and began
performing CPR, according to Steele. After numerous attempts to revive the boy, he began breathing and the woman
called 911. “When officers arrived at the home, only one child was in the house,” Steele said. “They
tried to lie to keep from getting into trouble. They were both drunk.” The boy was Quick’s son. Steele said in an e-mail that, with consent, Quick blew a .19 on an alcohol sensor. The child was transported
to a hospital in Charlotte. He was scheduled to be released Monday into the custody of the Department of Social Services.
Both men are being held in the Richmond County Jail under a $1 million bond. Staff writer Bryan Stewart
can be reached at 997-3111 ext. 15 or by e-mail at bstewart@yourdailyjournal.com.
Arizona personal injury
- A 14-year-old girl was locked up, barley fed, forced to live outside2010-02-11 05:22:57 (GMT)
(JusticeNewsFlash.com - Justice News Flash, Personal Injury)
Personal
injury attorneys alert- Child Protective Services is investigating a shocking case of child neglect involving a 14-year-old
girl. Phoenix, AZ—A nightmarish story was reported on Tuesday, February 9, 2010, about a 14-year-old girl who
was imprisoned like an animal with no running water for nearly two months by FoxNews.com. The girl’s father and stepmother
kept her in what the parents called “lock-up” as a punishment for stealing food. While in “lock-up”
the terrified girl was forced to exercise until exhaustion, beaten with belts and metal rods, and they would even pull her
by her hair if she stopped exercising. Her father and stepmother, Scott and Andrea Bass, gave her only a few cans of food,
crackers and bread every couple of days. On January 24, 2010, the girl managed to escape her dungeon by crawling up a linen
closet, into an attic crawl space where she kicked out a loose board, and then ran out the back door of the home. The girl
ran for help and someone called the police for her. Officers and Child Protective Services rushed to the victim’s home
to talk to her dad and stepmother. Once inside the home, officials found a bathroom locked from the outside. Scott, not realizing
that his daughter had escaped, opened the door and was visibly shocked to see her missing. Inside the bathroom was a 5-gallon
bucket with nearly 4 inches of urine, a blanket on the tile floor, and empty cans of food. Bass did admit to officials that
he locked the girl in the bathroom for stealing food and cheating in home schooling. Investigators then uncovered that the
girl has been forced to live and sleep outside on the patio during the summer time. She was also locked in a closet for a
week with no light, and locked in a bathroom for a week. Andrea reportedly acknowledged the allegations, and stated, “She
no longer wanted to have anything to do with [the victim.]” After a medical evaluation, it was revealed that the
14-year-old girl was in the 25th percentile for weight and in the 50th percentile for height, when comparing to other girls
her age. The Bass’ were arrested on February 4, on charges of unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping, failure to report neglect
of a minor, and child abuse.
Tuba City couple indicted on assault, child abuse
charges
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A Tuba City couple has been federally indicted with child abuse in connection
with several incidents involving a young girl in their care over a three-year period. According to
information from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix, the 35-year-old man in the relationship was indicted on eight
counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and six counts of intentional or knowing child abuse. The
36-year-old woman in the relationship was also charged with six counts of intentional or knowing child abuse. According
to investigative reports, medical staff at Phoenix Children's Hospital notified federal investigators they had a 5-year-old
girl who had been a victim of child abuse and torture. The child had broken ribs, fractured pelvis,
broken leg, multiple abrasions and bruises over her entire body, blood spot in left eye, missing nasal septum with blood in
both nostrils, all upper teeth missing, ulcers to back, head and neck, multiple healing scabs, head lice and clumps of hair
missing from her head. Investigators interviewed the woman of the couple who had become guardians of
the girl. She made voluntary statements as to the physical abuse her spouse had inflicted with slaps, belts pliers and steel-toed
boots. According to investigator reports, when confronted, the man told investigators, "I did
it. I did all of it." Conviction for assault resulting in serious bodily injury carries a
maximum penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Conviction for intentional or knowing child abuse carries
a maximum penalty of 22 years in prison. An arraignment date has not been set. The male suspects remains
in federal custody
Abused
Chandler child dies; father faces homicide charge Sept. 15, 2009 09:39 AM
The infant girl who police said was physically and possibly sexually abused by her father died Monday afternoon,
one week after the attack in the family's Chandler home. The
Police Department has upgraded its recommended charges against Brian Mark Hopf, 25, from child abuse to homicide, marking
the fourth child-abuse death since November.
In
January, police arrested a daycare worker who they said suffocated a toddler during nap time when the girl wouldn't stop
crying. Those charges are being reviewed at the county attorney's office. Hopf told police that he was feeding the 3-week-old infant at about 4 a.m. when he accidentally poked her
in the eye. The girl cried so hard, he said, she stopped breathing for about a minute. He started chest compressions and she
began breathing again, but he didn't call 911 or tell any of the other four adults in the home - the baby's mother,
his father, stepmother or stepbrother. When police told him about
the skull fractures, he responded that he tripped and fell while holding the child. Doctors said the injuries were from multiple blows to the head, which cause irreversible brain damage, swelling
and bleeding, according to court documents. The girl also had multiple injuries to her inner thighs and genitals, and police
are waiting for further tests to confirm whether sexual abuse occurred. It
was the baby's mother who noticed in the morning that there was a large bruise on the child's left eye. She took the
baby to the hospital where doctors said she was unresponsive. Hopf
has a history of domestic violence towards his girlfriend, the baby's mother, according to police. There was one call
for service to the home related to domestic violence in January, Mendoza said. Hopf has a history of drug use, including a marijuana charge he pleaded guilty to in 2001, and admitted to
police he abuses methamphetamine. He was also given two years probation in 2007 for credit card theft
CHANDLER, Ariz. -- The mother of a 3-year-old child
who died of blunt force trauma and her 23-year-old boyfriend have been booked on charges of first-degree murder and child
abuse, Chandler police said.
Officers took Susan Witbracht, 26, and Dauntorian Sanders,
into custody after detectives reviewed autopsy results.
Police said they got a call on Monday afternoon that a child
was not breathing. When officers arrived at the home at 2351 E. Wild Horse Place in Chandler, they found the girl and began
administering CPR, said Sgt. Joe Favazzo of the Chandler Police Department. Firefighters also joined the effort when they
arrived.
The 3-year-old was then rushed to an area hospital, where she later died, Favazzo said.
Autopsy findings
released Tuesday indicated the death was a homicide attributed to multiple blunt-force traumas, Favazzo said.
...Teigan Peters died on Father's Day at a campsite along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. According to police,
the 3-year-old's father, Ryan Peters, shot her and then killed himself.
...Investigators said Teigan's father
was upset over the custody arrangement.
Woman convicted of child abuse July 2, 2009 - 10:47PM A jury on Thursday returned a child abuse conviction against a Chandler
woman whose toddler son suffered two broken arms, broken ankles and bleeding on his brain in 2007. The conviction was
for a lesser-degree felony than what she was indicted on, meaning she could get up to a year less behind bars if she is sentenced
to prison. According to a search warrant filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, paramedics responded to the home of
Rana Krank, 28, on March 30, 2007, to find the 22-month-old child with a fast pulse and labored breathing. Doctors found
several broken bones that were in various stages of healing, bleeding on his brain and pneumonia, the warrant states. Police
also arrested Krank's live-in boyfriend, Alvin Broom, on child abuse charges. He is scheduled for trial later this month.
Man indicted for child abuse
PHOENIX - Chandler resident, Jeremias Aguilar,
was charged this Wednesday with first degree murder and two counts of felony child abuse. On
June 6, Aguilar allegedly threw his girlfriend's two- year- old daughter on the floor because she was crying. The young
child's mother has also been charged with felony child abuse. Aguilar and the mother made a 911 call 2 hours after
the incident. The infant was rendered unconscious due to hitting her head on the cement floor after Aguilar allegedly tossed
her on the ground. When the two-year-old baby arrived at the hospital doctors found bruises all over the child's
body, including her arms, legs and back. When Aguilar was questioned by police that day in June, he admitted to hitting
the child because she was crying. The young girl's mother, Josefa Talevara, said she was afraid because the baby's
eyes were purple. The young girl was kept in an unconscious state until she was taken off life support, she died June 18th.
While child abuse in any form is ghastly, County Attorney Andrew Thomas said, "Child abuse that ends in murder
is tragic for both the victims and the community. This office's ‘violent crime, hard time' policy will make
sure these defendants are held accountable for their alleged crimes."
Slain Gilbert baby showed previous signs of abuseby Nathan Gonzalez - May. 13, 2009 04:52 PM
The Arizona Republic A
13-month-old girl, who Gilbert police say died Friday at the hands of her mother's boyfriend, showed previous signs of
abuse before suffering two fatal skull fractures, court documents filed Tuesday show. David Arnold Reed III, 22, was charged Tuesday in Maricopa County Superior Court where he will face one count of first-degree murder and child abuse and other charges in the beating death of Cheree Goard
. An autopsy showed the baby suffered two 5-inch-long skull fractures on each side of her skull and there was "extensive
swelling" of the brain and subdural bleeding. The autopsy also showed a healing fracture of the clavicle
and radial fracture of the right arm. Reed was arrested Saturday and is being held on $500,000 cash-only bond. "It's
a tragic and unfortunate situation we are dealing with. This is a case that affects a lot of people," police spokesmen
Sgt. Mark Marino said on Monday. He declined to give details about the incident, which is described in court documents. Darlene
Cerimeli, Reed's mother, called 911 about 5:15 p.m. May 7 saying the child had fallen from a bed in her home where Reed
lives with the child's mother, court documents state. When emergency crews responded to 531 S. Pandora Drive, the
child was unresponsive and needed to be airlifted to Maricopa County Hospital. "The child was declared brain dead upon arrival at the hospital," court documents state. When
questioned by detectives, Reed stated he picked up the child from its maternal grandmother's home about 4:30 p.m., and
"at that time, she was acting normal and showed no sign of injury or illness," court records show. When he
returned home, Reed said he placed the child on the couch and changed her diaper. When he returned from throwing the diaper
in an adjacent bathroom, the child was on the floor, court documents state. "She was unresponsive and grasped
for breath," Reed told investigators. Police noted the seat of the couch is about 21 inches from the padded, carpeted
floor. The autopsy revealed the child died from blunt-force trauma to the head. "Based on the injuries, David's
reported story is not consistent with the injuries found," court document state. "The injuries were received while
the child was solely in David's immediate care." Reed and the baby's 19-year-old mother live at his mother's
home, although the baby's mother wasn't there at the time the baby was injured, Marino said. Reed and the baby's
mother have a 3-year-old child in common and were raising it along with the 13-month-old, who has a different father, Marino
said. There is no indication the 3-year-old was abused, Marino said. David Reed's MySpace page lists him
as a "proud father" and has several pictures of his 3-year-old daughter. Police issued a search warrant on
Reed's mother's home, but it remains unclear what was taken, if anything. A search of court records didn't show
Reed has a criminal history.
Chandler couple arrested on child abuse charges after 17-month-old girl knocked unconscious
February
27, 2009 3:14 AM ET MESA, Ariz. (AP) - A Chandler couple have been arrested on child abuse charges after the man
injured the woman's 17-month-old daughter by slamming her into a playpen. Chandler police say 30-year-old Michael
Charles Yettner allegedly knocked the child unconscious Sunday and then he and 21-year-old April Dawn Porter spent about five
minutes trying to revive the baby with cold towels and shaking. Police say Yettner slammed the girl down to quiet her
crying and the child began vomiting when she regained consciousness. When the couple took the girl to a hospital, they
told the staff the child had fallen but doctors and nurses called police because the injuries weren't consistent with
a fall. Police say Yettner and Porter each were booked into jail on one count each of child abuse. They are being
held in lieu of $75,000 bail apiece.
Prescott Valley Father Police were searching
for turned himself in
Prescott Valley police were looking for a 23-year-old
PV man who they think may have abused his 5-month-old baby boy.
Saturday at 10:14 a.m., officers responded
to Yavapai Regional Medical Center's East Campus for a report of possible child abuse.
The baby
initially went to the hospital with facial injuries, but doctors later found that he had possible skull fractures, PV Police
public information officer Brandon Bonney said.
Doctors then sent the baby to Phoenix Children's Hospital for
more treatment, Bonney said.
Police say doctors in Phoenix determined that the baby had severe injuries not consistent
with the suspect's reported story surrounding an alleged accidental injury.
The baby had multiple skull fractures
and internal injuries as well as facial injuries, Bonney said. Doctors are still treating the infant, he added.
Detectives
say they tried to speak to Denz, who was reportedly heading to the hospital to see his child. But they said they later found
out that Denz did not go to the hospital.
Police have issued a felony warrant for the suspect's arrest with
a $100,000 bond.
Tucson mother, Shonda Harper, 39,was arrested on Feb 4, 2009 for what police reported as
injuries inflicted by her to her 2-year-old girl on Dec 31, 2008. The child remains hospitalized in
Phoenix.
Bail has been set at $50,000. The child abuse case is described on the Arizona Department of Economic Security's Web site. The site provides some details on abuse or neglect cases that involve the death or "near-death"
of a child. Officer Charles Rydzak, a Tucson police spokesman, said Harper
was initially arrested in December after police responded to a 911 call reporting suspected child abuse. An outstanding felony
warrant in a Texas case delayed her jailing here in the abuse case. Rydzak
said he could not disclose details about the injuries to the child. She was taken to University Medical Center and then airlifted
to a hospital in Phoenix, he said. The other children in the home were
turned over to the state's Child Protective Services. Rydzak said he could not disclose the ages of the children. They
apparently were not physically harmed.
Bullhead City mom, step-father arrested for alleged child
abuse
10:00 AM Mountain
Standard Time on Thursday, January 15, 2009
Bullhead
City Police Department
The following is a news
released from the Bullhead City Police Department.
BULLHEAD CITY -- Bullhead City Police
arrested the parents of a 9-year-old girl on several child abuse related charges. On Sunday,
January 11th, 2009, a family member reported the suspected abuse to law enforcement. After
further investigation, police discovered that while the family lived in Bullhead City between December 2007 and February 2008,
the victim (then 8 years old) was severely beaten and abused by her step-father, 25-year-old Juan Manuel Corral Jr. On
several occasions during this time “as a form of discipline”, the girl was dragged to the bathroom by her hair
and forced to take cold showers for up to one hour, was forced to remove her clothing and eat her dinner on the floor “like
a dog” and made to urinate and defecate on the floor “like a dog.” During
a week in January, 2008, Corral Jr punched and slapped the victim in the head and punched her in the stomach numerous times.
The victim was so severely beaten, she missed an entire week of school because her body was badly bruised. Corral Jr also
inappropriately touched her as another form of “discipline.” The victim’s mother, 32-year-old Dawn M. Corral
stood by and watched the abuse and did nothing to protect her daughter. Police believe the
abuse continued when the family moved to Phoenix, Arizona in February, 2008. The case will be forwarded to the Phoenix Police
Department for follow up. Bullhead City Police arrested the victim’s parents yesterday,
January 14th in Bullhead City, where the family now resides. Juan Corral Jr was arrested
for sexual contact with a minor, sexual molestation of a minor, endangerment
per domestic violence and aggravated assault per domestic violence. Dawn Corral was arrested for child abuse per domestic
violence, endangerment per domestic violence and aggravated assault per domestic violence. The suspects were booked into the
Mohave County Jail in Kingman.
Mother arrested for child abuse; father
arrested for hindering prosecution
12:29
PM Mountain Standard Time on Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Yavapai County Sheriff's Office
UPDATE
JULY 2: The following is a press release from the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office:
On June 26, 2008, Yavapai County Sheriff's Office Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Unit arrested
20-year-old Chino Valley resident Alexander (Alex) Allen for Hindering Prosecution in the 1st degree.
 Yavapai Co. Sheriff's Office Alexander
Allen
Since the arrest of the baby's mother, Michelle Murray, for several counts of child abuse
on June 17, 2008, detectives have continued their investigation as to the cause of the injuries. During further interviews
with Allen regarding the case, detectives verified that Allen intentionally lied to them as to the cause of the baby's
injuries during their first contact with him at the hospital. Allen did this in an apparent effort to protect Murray. Both
Allen and Murray had claimed that Murray's two-year-old daughter pulled the baby out of an infant swing and caused the
injuries. Allen's actions hindered the prosecution of Murray by providing false information to detectives and medical
staff. As a result, Allen was arrested for Hindering Prosecution, and booked at the Prescott Detention Center. Additional
charges are still possible. Detective Ross Diskin, the lead investigator in this case, is seeking information
from anyone who has knowledge of child abuse incidents involving Murray and Allen. Detective Diskin may be reached at 928-777-7348.
ORIGINAL REPORT: The following is a press release from the Yavapai
County Sheriff's Office: CHINO VALLEY -- On June 17, 2008, Yavapai County Sheriff's Office
detectives from the Criminal Investigation Section, arrested 26-year-old Chino Valley resident Michelle Murray (aka Swartz)
for several felony counts of abuse involving her two month old baby boy. On June 11, 2008, Allen and Michelle
Murray took their baby to Yavapai Regional Medical Center due to a swollen right leg. The parents told hospital staff another
sibling, a two-year-old girl, caused the injury three days prior. After completing an exam and x-rays, medical staff discovered
the boy had a fractured skull, fractured right femur, partially healed broken clavicle, and multiple rib fractures in various
stages of healing. Based on the findings, YRMC medical staff called Children Protective Services (CPS) and YCSO. The Murray’s
reside in the 1000 block of Buffalo Run Road, Chino Valley. Detectives arrived at the hospital and after interviewing
the parents, learned their initial story to hospital staff was false. CPS took custody of the child and detectives began an
investigation into the cause of the baby’s injuries. During the next few days, Michelle changed her story several times
as to how her baby was injured in an apparent attempt to conceal child abuse. Additionally, even with full knowledge of the
injuries, Michelle could not explain why she waited three days before taking her baby to the hospital for treatment. These
types of injuries, if left untreated, could have resulted in a long term serious medical condition or even death. Detectives
learned that a family member, who had seen the baby’s swollen leg, had to demand Michelle take the baby to the hospital.
Based on the results of the investigation as of June 17, 2008, detectives believe Michelle had a direct roll
in the abuse of her baby and she was arrested and booked at the Prescott Detention Center on six various felony child abuse
charges. Her bond is set at $250,000 dollars. The baby's father, Allen Murray, is cooperating with detectives
as the investigation continues. The other child is also in protective custody. Citizens can contact the Yavapai
County Sheriff's Office with information or questions at (928) 771-3260 or the YCSO website: www.ycsoaz.gov
Police: Daughter molested by mom, former
counselorJackee Coe and Senta Scarborough
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 18, 2008 02:26 PM A former Mesa family counselor groomed his fiancée
into drugging her 11-year-old daughter with sleeping pills so they could take photographs while they molested her over a three-month
period in 2006, according to police.
William L. Riedel, 43, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of sexual
conduct with a minor and child molestation. His former girlfriend, now 55, whose name is being withheld by The Arizona
Republic to protect the victim's identity, was also booked Thursday on suspicion of sexual exploitation of a minor,
and sexual and child abuse.
The girl was placed in the custody of the state Child Protective Services.
Arvayo said Riedel worked as a former in-home family counselor for an agency in the Valley.
Riedel
told police he met the girl's mother at his Mesa apartment complex and "groomed" the mother to help him molest
her daughter. Police believe the molestation by the couple occurred from January to March 2006.
Riedel purchased
Ambien sleeping pills and had victim's mother tell her daughter to take them for her allergies, police records show. The
mother told investigators that she was intoxicated when she took photographs while Riedel molested her daughter. She also
told police she molested her daughter, but was "sorry."
Police began their investigation after a 13-year-old
classmate of the victim found images of the girl being molested by Riedel. Riedel was living with the woman, then his fiancée,
and her daughter when the classmate found the photographs on a computer. He had been living there for about two months, court
records show.
The mother confronted Riedel, told him to leave her house, and called police.
Police seized
the computer and discovered "thousands" of child pornographic images, including photographs of Riedel and the victim's
mother molesting her while the girl appeared to be unconscious or drugged.
One image on the computer's hard
drive shows the victim's mother placing her breast into her daughter's mouth while the girl was drugged, police records
show.
The images also include child pornography widely circulated on the Internet, Arvayo said.
|
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October 5, 2007 - 3:08AM
Police call child abuse case one of worst ever
Sometimes the beatings came from a military belt. Other times it was a computer cord. When the little girl wasn’t
hit, she was forced to hold her petite frame in a push-up position and read from a book placed below her face.
If she didn’t
know the meaning of a word, the lashes continued.
Police arrested a Mesa couple Tuesday in connection with what investigators
are calling one of the worst cases of child abuse they’ve ever seen.
Ezra Emanuel Hazell, 29, and Kristie Marie
Hazell, 25, were taken into custody on suspicion of several counts of child abuse that targeted the man’s 5-year-old
daughter from another relationship, records show.
“Everybody in my life hurts me,” the child
told investigators at Mesa’s Center Against Family Violence.
More than 100 bruises and other injuries covered
her body and she was taken to a hospital to be checked for internal injuries.
Child Protective Services took custody
of the girl and her 4-year-old and infant half-sisters.
Court records show the girl was abused at her home in the
1700 block of South Lemon, near Inverness Avenue and Val Vista Drive, for more than a month.
“It’s horrific,
based on all the visible injuries and mental abuse this child has been through,” said Mesa police spokeswoman Detective
Diana Tapia.
The girl had been in the custody of her father, police said, since her biological mother had also been
suspected of abusing her. The family moved to Arizona from Texas in March. Ezra Hazell claims to be in the U.S. Army on his
MySpace page, but military records could not be immediately verified.
Police were notified of the abuse after the
child told her teacher and a school nurse at Gilbert’s Pioneer Elementary School that her father and stepmother beat
her with a belt nearly every day, records show.
When police interviewed the father, he told investigators that he
and his wife strike the girl, but that they didn’t realize they had hurt her and felt badly.
He said they sometimes
place her in a push-up position for 15 minutes instead of a spanking.
Also, he said the couple has to hit his daughter
because she loses control about twice a week and doesn’t listen or follow instructions. Kristie Hazell would not comment
to police.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
August 13, 2007 - 10:23PM
Mesa police arrest mom on suspicion of child abuse
A mother accused of beating her 10-year-old son until he was bloody inside a Wal-Mart was arrested Sunday by Mesa police.
Witnesses
saw Tina Lynn Tatum, 29, repeatedly strike her son in the head, stomach and back with a closed fist and drag him by his feet
at the retail store located at 1955 S. Stapley Drive, police said.
Tatum is on lifetime probation for child abuse
due to her involvement in the death of her 3-month-old baby in 2003. Tatum’s then-boyfriend, Pedro
Peralta, 32, was sentenced to life in prison for shaking the baby to death. Peralta is serving a second life sentence
for suffocating another girlfriend’s baby to death later the same year.
Tatum was booked on suspicion
of child abuse. Her son is in the care of a family member. | ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| Rest in Peace |
|
| Tyler and Ariana |
Feb 2007 Tucson father now accused of killing two of his children Disturbing new information Monday in the deaths of two children; the body of one believed to have been found
in a storage locker. Monday, a grand jury indicted their father, Christopher Payne,
for both of their murders. The indictment lays out the case against Christopher Payne. Even though Tyler Payne's body hasn't been found... Payne is charged with his murder. Also, there are new clues that the children may have died a slow, abusive death. It's
almost hard to believe the words printed on the page. Up until the indictment, 5-year-old Tyler
Payne, Ariana's older brother was thought to be missing. The indictment reads otherwise. It
says, "Christopher Mathew Payne murdered Tyler Payne." Police have
always suspected foul play in Tyler's death. At one point, dozens of investigators searched the Los Reales Landfill. They never said what they were looking for and in the end; the investigators didn't turn up anything. Tyler's body is still missing. The indictment reads that Payne "... intentionally or knowingly moved a dead
human body or parts of a human body with the intent to abandon or conceal." The indictment
also reveals new details about how Tyler and his 4-year-old sister, Ariana, may have died. Ariana's
body is believed to have been found in a storage locker last month. The indictment says,
"Christopher Payne caused or permitted her bones to be broken." Probably the most disturbing
information... in reference to both children... Payne's indictment says he "failed to seek prompt medical attention
and/or allowed the children to starve to death." Police do not think the children's mother
was involved in the death of the two children. We went by
her home, again Monday night to get her reaction to the indictment. Her boyfriend
told News 4 she's meeting with the family's attorney on Tuesday. He said
they will be releasing a statement to the media, soon
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mom Of Murdered Children Gets $1 Million
UPDATE
Christopher Mathew Payne is GUILTY CONVICTED
OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER IN DEATHS OF DAUGHTER ARIANA, 3, AND SON TYLER, 4.
by A.J. FLICK
Tucson Citizen  Christopher Mathew Payne rocked slowly in his swivel chair Tuesday as Pima County Superior Court Judge Richard S. Fields examined
the verdicts that would decide his fate.
Just a few feet away, Jamie Hallam clasped her hands and tucked them under
her chin as she waited to hear whether her ex-husband would be held fully responsible for the gruesome deaths of their children. Payne's
chair came to a halt as the verdicts were read aloud by a clerk: Guilty, first-degree murder, in the deaths of Ariana
Payne, 3, and Tyler Pane, 4. Over three hours of deliberations, jurors had rendered the verdicts that would send Payne's
three-week trial into the death-penalty phase. Jurors also convicted Payne of two counts of child abuse against Ariana,
one count of child abuse against Tyler as well as two counts of concealing or abandoning a body. Jurors were expected
to return Wednesday to decide whether Payne is qualified for the death penalty and, if he is, begin hearing defense evidence
in favor of a life sentence. Prosecutors will ask jurors to find at least one of three aggravating factors exist that
could call for the death penalty: • There was more than one victim. • The victims were minors and the
defendant an adult. • The murders were committed in an especially cruel, heinous or depraved manner. Prosecutors
said they will tell jurors to rely on the evidence brought up at trial and closing arguments to make their decisions on the
aggravating factors. If jurors find at least one of those factors exist, then the trial will move into the mitigation
phase in which defense attorneys will present evidence intended to persuade the jury to choose a life sentence over death. If
jurors find that the mitigating factors outweigh the aggravators, Fields will either sentence Payne to life in prison with
no possibility of parole or with parole possible in 25 years. If jurors find the aggravators outweigh the mitigators,
Payne will be sent to death row at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Florence. Death penalty cases are automatically appealed
to the Arizona Supreme Court. The last time Arizona executed an inmate was Robert Comer in May 2002. Ariana Payne's
decomposed remains were found Feb. 18, 2007, in a plastic tub that had been stored at a North Side storage unit. Tyler's
remains were never found, but Payne confessed to police the children starved to death under his care and he put their bodies
in the tub. Trial testimony showed that Tyler's body was likely thrown in a large garbage bin by the manager of
the storage locker facility and the bin's contents taken to Los Reales Landfill. Police searched Los Reales twice,
but never found the body. Prosecutors argued at trial that after Hallam dropped the children off for a visit in January
2006, Payne kept them because he resented paying child support. After Payne lost his job in April 2006, he began abusing
heroin frequently and locked the children in a bedroom closet, where they starved to death in August or September, prosecutors
said. Defense attorneys argued that Payne's girlfriend, Reina Irene Gonzales, abused and starved the children. Gonzales,
24, was charged similarly to Payne and might have faced the death penalty if convicted, but pleaded guilty to second-degree
murder and gets a 22-year prison sentence in exchange for testifying against him.
Toy Box Killing
Published: August 10, 2006
Last week, a Maricopa County grand jury indicted former Phoenix resident Eric Natzel on two counts of felony child abuse
in the brutal August 2005 death of his 2-year-old daughter Abbey.
Eric Natzel was playing a video game when his baby died.
Police in Michigan arrested the 27-year-old Natzel and are holding him in lieu of $500,000 bond at the Lenawee County Jail
in Adrian, a small city near the Ohio border.
A few days after the indictment, Phoenix homicide detective Jack Ballentine flew to Michigan to see if Natzel would speak
with him. However, Natzel told Ballentine that his attorney in Arizona previously advised him not to discuss the case.
Ballentine also interviewed acquaintances of Natzel's in the town of Owasso (about half an hour from East Lansing, the
home of Michigan State University), where Natzel had been living since shortly after his daughter died.
Early on the evening of August 27, 2005, Natzel told his wife, Amy Minor, in a phone call that he had found his daughter
inside a cardboard toy box with a domed lid.
According to Amy's later account, Natzel had claimed before hanging up the phone that the baby was "choking."
But phone records later indicated that Natzel did not call 911 for assistance until more than 30 minutes after that. When
paramedics got to the couple's apartment in north Phoenix, Abbey Minor was dead.
Natzel was unemployed at the time, and was staying at home with Abbey while his pregnant wife worked full-time at a Phoenix
pharmacy. Natzel told police that he had been spending his days tending to Abbey inside their apartment as he played hour
upon hour of video games.
Natzel insisted that he never physically abused Abbey, whom he told police was named after the Beatles' famous record Abbey
Road.
But an examination of the baby's body at John C. Lincoln-Deer Valley Hospital shortly after she died revealed fresh abrasions
on her forehead, small bruises above both eyes and a bundle of inexplicable bruises. The back of the baby's head also was
badly swollen.
Detective Ballentine interviewed Eric Natzel and Amy Minor at the hospital separately on that night last August.
Amy defended her husband in that first, brief interview, but later turned against him and alleged that he had been physically
abusing her for some time.
Ballentine asked Natzel that night to explain the many bruises on the baby's body.
"They weren't there this morning," Natzel told the detective, noting that he'd showered with his little daughter sometime
before noon. "I don't even remember seeing them when I picked her up [out of the toy box]."
Natzel also conceded that Abbey had been in his sole care and custody from the time his wife had left for work in the early
afternoon (a few hours after the shower) until he had allegedly "discovered" her in the toy box.
. Natzel left the hospital that night with his parents. His wife Amy left with her parents. At the time, she was just a
few weeks away from giving birth to her second child.
Last February, a county medical examiner concluded that Abbey had suffocated inside the toy box but listed the manner of
her death as "undetermined," not as a homicide or an accident.
Dr. John Hu wrote that he could find no evidence of internal injuries, bone fractures, or any sign of what's known as "shaken-baby
syndrome."
The pathologist also noted that the bruises, however plentiful, did not kill the little girl.
Importantly, though, Dr. Hu concluded that many of the multiple injuries the child suffered — particularly the ugly
and fresh cluster of bruises in the middle of her back — had been "intentionally afflicted" by another person.
That comported with Ballentine's theory that Eric Natzel had smashed Abbey with his fists, probably after crunching her
into the domed toy box.
Many more months of continued investigation ensued, including consultation with medical experts in Arizona and elsewhere,
before county prosecutors decided that they had enough evidence to convict Natzel of child abuse.
For myriad reasons, child abuse cases akin to this can be difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutors often
must rely on expert witnesses to try to convince jurors that the accused committed the crime.
Natzel faces more than 20 years in prison if convicted on the more serious of the two felony counts, which is classified
as a dangerous crime against a child. |
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ARIZONA LAWS
Arizona: Assembly Bill HB2348 passed the
Arizona Senate on 5/26/04. This bill allows disposition of community property, calculation of spousal maintenance and determination
of child support to occur with consideration of criminal conviction for acts against the spouse or child. It also included
the following: 1) No custody or unsupervised visitation to sex offenders or murderers. 2) Courts shall consider financial ability when ordering
services, evaluations, etc. 3) Evaluator will swear and affirm on EACH evaluation that he/she is up to date with the training. 4) 6 hours initial training on child abuse. 5) 6 hours initial
training on domestic violence. 6) 4 hours every other year on child abuse and domestic violence. 7) Minimum standards for training created
by Domestic Relations Committee. 8) 2 more senators and 2
more House members on Domestic Relations Committee.
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