The Ohio
parents of a 2-year-old child who authorities say was beaten and starved
to death were indicted on aggravated murder charges Wednesday.
Hamilton
County's prosecutor said that the grand jury also indicted Andrea
Bradley, 28, and Glen Bates, 32, on murder and child endangering charges
in Glenara Bates' death.
Prosecutor Joe Deters says the parents, both of Cincinnati, could face the death penalty if convicted of all the charges
Deters' statement says Bradley took her baby daughter to a hospital March 29 where the girl was pronounced dead.
The
child had been badly beaten and had bruises, belt marks and bite marks,
he said. The child also had injury to her head and broken teeth, and
injuries had been inflicted over an extended period of time.
According
to the prosecutors, at the time of her death Glenara weighted only
13lbs - the average weight of a 3 or 4-month-old infant.
Hamilton
County Coroner Lakshmi Kode Sammarco, who performed the autopsy on
Glenara, described it as the worst case of starvation she's ever
witnessed in her career.
'There is no doubt in my mind this child was tortured for the majority of her pitifully short life,' Sammarco said.
She recalled that it took a team of pathologists more than four hours to document all of the toddler's many injuries and scars.
‘The
abuse this baby suffered is beyond belief,’ Deters said. 'If they
[parents] get executed, God bless them, I’d like to see it.'
The
prosecutor said Bradley had seven children and is expecting her eighth
child in July. Five of the other children — ages 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8 — were
living with Bradley. Glenara had been taken away from the family after
being diagnosed with malnutrition, but child services returned the girl
to the mother just weeks before her death.
Deters said that in her final days, the toddler ate and slept in a bathtub filled with feces and blood.
'You wouldn't treat your dog like this,' he said,
The
parents are now in the custody of the Hamilton County Department of Job
and Family Services. None of the other children showed current signs of
abuse, Deters said.
He said an older child lives with paternal relatives.
The
indictments come on the same day that child-welfare workers across Ohio
are promoting awareness and prevention of child abuse and in the wake
of a high-profile Cincinnati case involving a 3-month-old infant's
decapitation.
That child's mother, Deasia Watkins, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated murder.
Last week, Bradley’s sister, Desana Townsend, told the station WCPO that the 28-year-old mother of eight tortured her daughter.
Investigators
say Glenara's parents dropped her from 6 feet about ground, and her
mother then tried to close up her head wound at home with a needle and
thread.
Calling her sibling 'heartless,' Ms Townsend said Bradley did not deserve to have her kids.
Detective
Eric Karaguless said during a preliminary hearing that the couple
admitted to the abuse, which lasted more than three weeks.
Bradley
allegedly told detectives during questioning that she had whipped the
toddler with a belt and failed to seek medical help for her after
Glenara was dropped on her head.
The mother of eight has a documented history of child abuse dating back to 2007, according to documents.
On Wednesday, Job and Family Services Director Moira Weir publicly acknowledged that her agency mishandled Glenara's case.
'We
cannot comment publicly on the specifics of this case, but I will say a
preliminary review shows we failed to follow our own policies and
procedures in this case,' she stated.
Credit: Dailymail
No comments:
Post a Comment