I’ve had a few posts recently about the media (Dateline for one) only covering fathers’ side of custody cases. (FYI -The Today Show covered the case where the woman lost custody because she had breast cancer). Well, here are 4 cases in the news where the father had unsupervised visitation or custody and abuse and/or murder occured. Look at the 1st case – this guy had a history of assault and crime. How did a judge give him unsupervised visitation? Why do our family courts place young children in the care of adults with a history of crime and violence?!?
And how is it that the media continues to highlight a few fathers seeking custody rather than the problem of many parents getting custody when they shouldn’t?
Jealousy fueled father before he killed, kin says
This “devoted” father ‘loved them’ to death. Another ‘nice guy kills’ story. Yeah, these nice guys are too much, aren’t they?
“Toya then decided then at that point in time, she really didn’t want to be with him,” Magwood said.
Magwood said the couple tried to come to an agreement about sharing custody of Tyaijah, but their conflict escalated when Hester found out Smith was dating another man.
“Tyrone loved the baby, but he did state that no other man was going to raise his child,” Magwood said. “Never did he say he would kill Toya, he would kill himself or he would kill the baby. He never gave you the impression that he would do something like this. It was more or less like a jealous rage. That was his heart. He couldn’t really accept them breaking up. He wasn’t ready to let go.”
Still, Magwood said Hester was a devoted father and that Smith didn’t see Tyaijah alive after last Thursday because she was with him.
Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/05/10/1187347/jealousy-fueled-father-before.html#ixzz1M5N2yPII
Man to stand trial on new first-degree murder charge after daughter’s body found under home
Apparently this father had custody of his daughter. There’s no mention of the biological mom.
Lynch told investigators Sims allegedly grabbed his daughter by the throat and punched her in the chest, causing her to collapse, sheriff’s Detective Ralph Losasso testified Tuesday.
When his attempts to revive her failed, Sims allegedly told his girlfriend he wanted to dissolve the body in the tub with acid, Losasso said.
Sims changed his mind after learning he would need a license to get the acid he needed, Losasso said.
Cape man arrested, charged with child abuse
On April 20th, a Lehigh Acres woman notified the Cape Coral Police Department that her 5-year-old daughter had been beaten by her father, Rickey Anthony Washington, 23, while she was visiting his Cape Coral home.
In an interview with child protective investigators, the girl said she had woken up in the middle of the night to find that no one was home. She then used her father’s girlfriend’s cell phone to call for help before going back to sleep.
Shortly afterwards, the girl says Washington woke her up and asked her about the phone call.
She told police he slapped her, then got a metal coat hanger from the closet ans spanked her with it, reports said.
She also told investigators that Washington also used a belt to spank her, according to reports.
An inspection of the girl’s buttocks revealed several bruises and cuts.
Murder charges against dad, stepmom of Gary boy
An autopsy showed the boy had suffered “blunt force trauma to his body with internal bleeding and a skull fracture,” according to court records. He had been missing, unnoticed, for two years, authorities said.
Lake County sheriff’s police began investigating the boy’s death last week after receiving a tip from the boy’s estranged biological mother.
According to records, the sheriff’s office received a call from Christian’s mother, saying her 17-year-old daughter in Kentucky relayed some concerning information about her son. Detectives called the girl in Kentucky and interviewed her by phone.
According to police, Christian’s mother relinquished custody of the boy and his sister to their biological father in July 2005.
Christian’s older sister told authorities that she believed the boy was kept in the cage so he wouldn’t run away and tell his biological mom about the abuse.
“Relinquished custody” or perhaps the judge granted him custody?
