Sunday 30 January 2011

FILICIDE: California: Crystal Lewis

Jan. 26, 2011: 

The Madera County woman suspected of killing her 5-year-old daughter this week before jumping to her death from a bridge had fought in court to win custody of the girl in 2008, court records show.
But before siding with Crystal Lewis in her bitter custody battle with her ex-boyfriend, a judge ordered her to get counseling because she had used drugs, according to documents in the child custody case in Madera County Superior Court.
The records paint a picture of a family life plagued with violence and drugs. But authorities are still trying to determine why Lewis apparently slashed her daughter's throat.
Autopsies have been completed on Lewis, 23, and her daughter, Marijane Lyn Lewis, but Madera County sheriff's officials are no closer to understanding the motive.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Erica Stuart said toxicology tests on Crystal Lewis' body have been taken, and the results will be available in about three weeks.
"I was in fear for the safety of my daughter and myself," Lewis said.
She detailed a fight in July 2006 when, she said, Gutierrez pushed her to the ground and held her down after threatening to kill her and take away her daughter.
But in his own statement, Gutierrez said Lewis had started that fight. She came to his Coarsegold home and accused him of cheating on her, he said.
"She kept asking why I didn't love her," Gutierrez said in his sworn statement. "Crystal began saying that she was going crazy and she wasn't a good mother and that she can't take care of Marijane."
"She wanted to kill herself and be put away in a mental institution," he said.
Gutierrez said Lewis was upset because a female friend of his was at the house. Lewis threatened to slit the woman's throat and kill her, Gutierrez said.
The friend, Sarah Manning, also gave a sworn statement about the incident, saying Lewis was the aggressor. Lewis kicked, hit and scratched Gutierrez, Manning said.
In September 2006, Lewis told a judge that she had stopped taking drugs. She accused Gutierrez of continuing to use drugs, and she asked the judge for primary custody of their daughter.
The judge ordered Lewis to attend counseling.
On Nov. 14, 2007, Lewis submitted proof to the court that she had attended six sessions with a clinical psychologist.
The judge later gave Lewis primary custody and in April 2008 ordered Gutierrez to make monthly child-support payments of $183.

 http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/01/26/2248625/court-records-detail-family-strife.html#ixzz1CWL84QXc

2 comments:

  1. Taj raped Crystal and tormented her and his daughter. He broke crystal down by bullying. He was 22 and she a5. Shew felt humiliated and could never get past that. Some day I will go public with her journal and the true story of Taj's rape and conviction of crystal. The general public has no idea what he did to our little girl(s).

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  2. Taj raped Crystal and tormented her and his daughter. He broke crystal down by bullying and we (she) believed he gave her a cocktail of drugs to ruin her mind. He wanted our pregnant daughter to just go away since he had his way with the 15 year old. He was 22 and she 15. She felt humiliated and could never get past that and the bullying by Taj using the small town rumor mill and social networks. Some day I will go public with her journal and the true story of Taj's rape and conviction of crystal. The general public has no idea what he did to our little girl(s). He never paid a penny for any support for Crystal or Marijane. He tormented her thru blogs that he could get away with the harasssment and he did. Contact Crystal's Dad.

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