Bianca Prieto : May 19 2011
 Lonnie Leonard, 22, stands beside a public defender inside a courtroom at the Orange County Jail on May 19. (Orange County Jail, Orange County Jail / May 19, 2011) |
An Orange County man is facing a first-degree murder charge in the November death of his girlfriend's 6-month-old daughter.
Lonnie Leonard, 22, is also charged with aggravated child abuse in the death of the infant, Malloree Tatum, who died Nov. 20. He was arrested Wednesday afternoon by Orange County deputies.
Leonard appeared before a judge Thursday morning who ordered him held without bond. He spoke little during the short hearing, and said he obtained a lawyer shortly after the "incident" and didn't want a public defender.
Leonard, who is not the child's father, claimed he was asleep in the living room and woke up when he heard two thumps, according to court documents. He found Malloree face down on the floor beside the bed and assumed she rolled off the edge.
However, investigators say Leonard, the child's mother Tameka Tatum and another family member told them the girl was behind in her motor skills and had not yet learned how to roll over or crawl.
Doctors and a medical examiner say it's impossible that the injuries caused from rolling off of a bed, but more consistent with Shaken Baby Syndrome, according to an arrest affidavit.
A physician at Florida Hospital South noted Malloree had severe bleeding in her eyes and said it was "one of the worst cases he has ever seen," the affidavit states.
In late March, a medical examiner determined Malloree died of "blunt head trauma" and ruled her death a homicide.
On Monday, homicide investigators filed a detailed 11-page arrest warrant for Leonard detailing the last days of the child's life, court records show.
The warrant shows Tatum said she left Malloree at home with Leonard while she went to work at Florida Hospital South on Nov. 17. About an hour later, Leonard sent her a text message asking her to come home immediately because of a problem with the baby.
Tatum called Leonard to find out what was wrong with her daughter, but hung up on him when he became "belligerent" with her. She called 911 while driving home to their apartment on Forest City Road, the affidavit states.
Leonard maintains he was asleep in the living room and woke up after hearing two thumps. He went into the master bedroom to check on the child. He claims he found Malloree on the floor beside the bed. When he picked her up she was like "a rag doll," according to the affidavit.
Instead of calling 911, he sent a text message to Tatum and then told a neighbor the girl had fallen from the bed, records show.
During interviews with investigators, Tatum repeatedly said she believed her boyfriend's story about Malloree falling from the bed. A detective noted he believed Tatum was trying to protect her boyfriend and was not being forthcoming.
Two days after Malloree was injured, doctors determined she was brain-dead. On Nov. 20 Malloree was removed from life support and Tatum opted not to be with her daughter when she died, the affidavit states.
Jail records show Leonard has been arrested in the past on robbery and drug charges. Leonard will remain at the Orange County Jail.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-man-arrest-child-murder-20110519,0,1203788.story
Lonnie Leonard, 22, is also charged with aggravated child abuse in the death of the infant, Malloree Tatum, who died Nov. 20. He was arrested Wednesday afternoon by Orange County deputies.
Leonard appeared before a judge Thursday morning who ordered him held without bond. He spoke little during the short hearing, and said he obtained a lawyer shortly after the "incident" and didn't want a public defender.
Leonard, who is not the child's father, claimed he was asleep in the living room and woke up when he heard two thumps, according to court documents. He found Malloree face down on the floor beside the bed and assumed she rolled off the edge.
However, investigators say Leonard, the child's mother Tameka Tatum and another family member told them the girl was behind in her motor skills and had not yet learned how to roll over or crawl.
Doctors and a medical examiner say it's impossible that the injuries caused from rolling off of a bed, but more consistent with Shaken Baby Syndrome, according to an arrest affidavit.
A physician at Florida Hospital South noted Malloree had severe bleeding in her eyes and said it was "one of the worst cases he has ever seen," the affidavit states.
In late March, a medical examiner determined Malloree died of "blunt head trauma" and ruled her death a homicide.
On Monday, homicide investigators filed a detailed 11-page arrest warrant for Leonard detailing the last days of the child's life, court records show.
The warrant shows Tatum said she left Malloree at home with Leonard while she went to work at Florida Hospital South on Nov. 17. About an hour later, Leonard sent her a text message asking her to come home immediately because of a problem with the baby.
Tatum called Leonard to find out what was wrong with her daughter, but hung up on him when he became "belligerent" with her. She called 911 while driving home to their apartment on Forest City Road, the affidavit states.
Leonard maintains he was asleep in the living room and woke up after hearing two thumps. He went into the master bedroom to check on the child. He claims he found Malloree on the floor beside the bed. When he picked her up she was like "a rag doll," according to the affidavit.
Instead of calling 911, he sent a text message to Tatum and then told a neighbor the girl had fallen from the bed, records show.
During interviews with investigators, Tatum repeatedly said she believed her boyfriend's story about Malloree falling from the bed. A detective noted he believed Tatum was trying to protect her boyfriend and was not being forthcoming.
Two days after Malloree was injured, doctors determined she was brain-dead. On Nov. 20 Malloree was removed from life support and Tatum opted not to be with her daughter when she died, the affidavit states.
Jail records show Leonard has been arrested in the past on robbery and drug charges. Leonard will remain at the Orange County Jail.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-man-arrest-child-murder-20110519,0,1203788.story
No comments:
Post a Comment