4 posts tagged “child abuse”

    This month's crappy parent hits home for most of my readers as we visit the Bluff City.  Memphis police have charged James Hawkins with first-degree murder in the death of his live-in girlfriend Charlene Gaither.  Police claim that after murdering Gaither, he decapitated and dismembered her body before dumping it in DeSoto County just south of the Tennessee border in Mississippi. 
    Now, you may ask, "What makes him a "Crappy Parent of the Week" recipient?  This is where the story gets real interesting.  According to police affidavits, Hawkins killed Gaither in the presence of the couple's 12 year-old daughter and then forced the girl to help dismember and dump the body. 
    How in the wide world of sports can we expect the rising generation of Americans to rise above their present conditions when on a daily basis so many of our children are exposed to this kind of grisly, grotesque violence?  How can they overcome their struggles when they are dealt this terrible hand?  It blows my mind that even somebody as obviously mentally unstable like Hawkins could put his own child in this predicament.  And to think that this child will eventually have to return to school and be expected to contribute and learn, and participate along with all the other students.  What effect will this have on her?  Can she rise above this?  What will happen to her? 

After a four week hiatus for the holiday season, we come back with our first "Crappy Parent of the Week" Award for 2008.  There were several nominees to choose from, as the holiday season really seems to bring out the whack-o child abusers, but the overall winner comes from the Sunshine State.

Winter Haven, Florida resident Marcos Gomez-Romero apparently just wanted another son, and nothing else would do.  According to police reports, Gomez-Romero is facing first-degree murder charges for the death of his four-month-old daughter, Ariana Rodriguez-Romero.  Gomez-Romero allegedly beat his daughter repeatedly over a period of months all because he wanted a boy and not a girl. 

He admitted to slapping the baby in her sleep and would get violently angry just by looking at the girl, calling her names and denying that she was his daughter.  Ariana died on Christmas Day and had suffered multiple internal and external injuries including a lacerated spleen, broken ribs, and a bruised jaw.

Ariana's mother did not call the police to report her husband's abusive behavior because he threatened to run away with the couple's 2-year-old son.  Charges have not been filed against her, but police have not ruled out that possibility just yet.

Congratulations, Marcos, for being selected this week's Crappy Parent!

This week, we travel north up to the South Side of Chicago for our "Crappy Parent of the Week," where we find 24-year-old Lakeshia Murph behind bars for the death of her 2-year-old son, Brandon.  According to the Chicago Tribune, Murph was fed up with the incessant crying of her toddler and so she beat him with a belt and with her fists until "her hands were sore." 

Brandon was taken to the hospital late on Friday, December 14th, 2007 when his father arrived home from work and found the toddler "breathing unusually" and was pronounced dead around 5 p.m. on Saturday.  An autopsy confirmed the cause of death as a result of repeated blunt-force trauma as a result of child abuse and Chicago police reportedly were given a videotaped confession from Murph.

Brandon was Murph's 8th child after having her first child at age 13.  All other children have been placed in foster care.

We here at the "Land of Cotton Blog" congratulate you, Lakeshia Murph for helping make the world a better place for our children.

With so many stories of terrible parents, its not hard to figure out why so many of our youngsters are turning out the way they are.  With that in mind, I will be highlighting great examples of terrible parenting starting this week.

Our first winner of the "Crappy Parent of the Week" Award goes out to Chytoria Graham of Eerie, Pa.  Graham was convicted of using her 4-week-old son as a weapon during an altercation between her and her boyfriend.  According to the Associated Press, Graham came home after drinking and grabbed her son, Jarron, by the legs and swung him into her boyfriend, fracturing Jarron's skull.

Graham faces a mandatory five-year prison sentence for aggravated assault, child endangerment, reckless endangerment, and simple assault. 

Congratulations, Chytoria Graham!