SBS: Missippi: Sean Alexander charged with capital murder

Mar. 16, 2011  

 Written by LaReeca Rucker

 

A Jackson man faces a capital murder charge in connection with the death of his girlfriend's 23-month-old daughter.
Sean Arlandis Alexander, 35, of Jackson initially was charged with felony child abuse, but the charge was upgraded Wednesday after the child died.
Ridgeland police Lt. Brian Myers said Alexander is being held without bond at the Madison County Detention Center pending his initial appearance in Ridgeland Municipal Court.
Authorities allege the baby was injured around 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the OakBrook Apartments.
Officers responded to a call at the University of Mississippi Medical Center after the child was brought in for treatment, Ridgeland Police Chief Jimmy Houston said.
"We sent an officer down there to begin the investigation and found out that the child was fine until her mother and mother's boyfriend got back to the apartment, and the child began to have what they thought were seizures," Houston said.
"As we got to the hospital, the doctors and emergency room personnel reported that it was a case of child abuse," he said.
"The child had bruising on the rib cage and there was bleeding from the brain."
Houston said statements were taken from the mother and Alexander, who was her boyfriend.
That information led to his arrest Monday morning.
"We are doing an autopsy first thing in the morning, and we will know more," Houston said.
He said police have not released the child or mother's name because they have additional interviews to conduct. He said the investigation into exactly what happened to the child continues.
Myers said the child's injuries seem consistent with shaken baby syndrome, but authorities will wait for autopsy results to determine the cause of death.
Alexander didn't comment about what happened to the child, but said he was alone with the child, Myers said.
He said the mother said she had stepped out of the apartment to remove another of her children from the car with a disability, leaving the girl alone with Alexander.
Madison County Coroner Alex Breeland said it can be difficult to determine if a child's death resulted from abuse.
"I don't believe it's going to be difficult in this case to determine the cause of death," he said.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20110317/NEWS/103170351/Charge-upgraded-after-death-baby?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CHome%7Cp

SBS: Texas: Jeromy de la Garza charged with capital murder

Eileen Gonzales, March 7, 2011

 

POTEET, Texas -- Unless it comes to strawberries, the town of Poteet rarely makes the news.

Major crimes are rare, so the death of a 6-month-old at the hands of his mother's boyfriend has shaken the community.


"You wouldn't think it would happen here," said Vanessa Aranda.

"We've only got just over 3,500 people in this town and this is the first time we've had an incident like this," Poteet Police Chief John Overstreet said.

Overstreet said the incident happened on the night of Feb. 22. They said a 6-month-old boy suffered a deadly injury at the hands of his mother's boyfriend, 28-year-old Jeromy de la Garza.

The child was pronounced dead of blunt force trauma to the head at University Hospital in San Antonio the following night. Police won't release details of the injuries because the case is still under investigation, but de la Garza was arrested on Thursday evening.

De la Garza was arrested and charged with capital murder. He's being held at the Atascosa County Jail, and bail was set at $1 million.

Overstreet said this is the first homicide in Poteet in seven years and may be the first capital murder in the town's history.

Aranda said she's sad to see big crime in the town of Poteet. As a mother to a 1-month-old boy, she said she was especially shaken.

"It's pretty sad what people can do to a baby. This is my first baby, so it's, like, horrifying to me," she said.

Although an arrest has been made, Overstreet said the investigation is ongoing. He said the family waited 10 hours before taking the baby to the hospital.
http://www.ksat.com/news/27109142/detail.html

SBS: Mississipi; Michael and Amanda Voyles

Justin Fritscher:  December 14, 2010

Michael and Amanda Voyles both pleaded not guilty Monday to capital murder and felonious child abuse charges in connection with the July 2009 death of their 2-month-old son. Their trials are set for June.

"Our office has not decided whether to seek the death penalty or not," Madison-Rankin District Attorney Michael Guest said. "That decision won't be made until we get closer to the trial."
Circuit Judge William Chapman ruled the two would be held without bond, despite a defense petition to set a bond for Amanda Voyles.
"A preliminary investigation shows she was not present when the child was hospitalized," Public Defender Bill Townsend said.
An autopsy revealed Elisha Voyles suffered trauma to the body and head, dying from shaken baby syndrome, Guest said. An indictment from the July grand jury describes harsh treatment for the infant including whipping, striking and mutilation.
"These are the types of crimes where you have parents who have poor parenting skills," Guest said. "Both parents were unable to cope with the crying of their child."
Michael Voyles was arrested in July 2009, after the infant died at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. A person at the the Voyleses' residence in the Shady Grove mobile home community called 911, telling authorities an infant was not breathing.
That's when Pearl police began an investigation, said Lt. Butch Townsend, one of the officers who responded to the call.
Amanda Voyles was arrested in July after her husband was indicted. She was indicted in October.
One of the defendants will be represented by the Mississippi Office of Capital Defense Counsel.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20101214/NEWS/12140332/Summer-trial-set-in-death-of-baby

SBS: Texas: Shaken baby dies; capital murder possible

Peter J. Holley and Valentino Lucio - 08/27/2010
A San Antonio man accused of injuring a 3-month-old could face a capital murder charge following the infant's death, authorities said Friday.
Bobby Fernandez, 21, was booked into the Bexar County Jail on Thursday and was charged with one county of injury to a child intentionally causing serious bodily injury. Bail initially was set at $75,000, but may increase, authorities said.
Authorities said the charge likely will be upgraded following the death Thursday of Emerald Rodriguez, who arrived at University Hospital in a coma Tuesday afternoon.
The nature of the relationship between Fernandez and the child remains unclear.
“Given the death of the child, the police will probably recommend a capital murder charge,” First Assistant District Attorney Cliff Herberg said, noting that officers hadn't completed their investigation. “But we have the ultimate charging decision.”
The infant suffered severe head trauma, including bleeding of the brain and bruises to her torso, according to an arrest warrant affidavit
Fernandez told police he was caring for the baby Tuesday morning when she became fussy.
The affidavit says Fernandez told officers that he played with the baby for a short time, but when she continued to cry, he grabbed her around her torso and shook her.
Fernandez also reportedly told police he has an anger management problem.
About 10 minutes after he changed her diaper and made a bottle, the baby suffered a seizure. Fernandez told police she stopped breathing but he didn't call for medical attention until she recovered, the affidavit states.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/shaken_baby_dies_capital_murder_possible_101673668.html