FILICIDE: Tennessee: Molly Jane Roe charged with child rape and murder

Paul Thompson : 15th June 2011

Charged: Molly Jane Roe, from Bells, Tennessee, is accused of throwing Maleeya Marie Murley while looking after her

A woman allegedly raped and threw her boyfriend's 17-month-old daughter against a blunt object, killing her, it has today emerged.Molly Jane Roe, 24, of Bells, Tennessee, is accused of throwing Maleeya Marie Murley while looking after her.The toddler was rushed to hospital with a severe brain injury but died several hours after being admitted.A medical examination also revealed she had been subject to a sexual assault before she died.They also found a bite mark on her back and bruising on her hip and stomach.Roe is accused of abusing the child at the home of her father Phillip Murely Jr.Police said he was not involved in the assault.The child's mother, Crystal Gilbert, had primary custody of the child and was also not involved in the assault.Bells Police Chief Ilandis Smith said Maylee died after hitting her head on a blunt object causing a brain injury.
Phillip Murley Sr, the child's grandfather, said Roe had recently moved back into the residence with her two-year-old daughter.

 'He thought he had a family...thought he was going to make a family, and it's just hard for him. He's just devastated,' said Phillip Murley Sr about his son.The victim's distraught father made the sad announcement about his daughter's death on his Facebook page after a friend asked why he changed his relationship status from 'in a relationship' to 'single'.Roe had initially been charged with child abuse after the girl was brought alive to the hospital.But following her death the charges were upgraded to first degree murder and aggravated rape.
The death of Maylee has stunned neighbours in the rural community.

Mary Cason, who lives close to the victim's home, said: 'It's awful.We never have any problems in this neighbourhood.
'We never would have thought this would have happened here.'http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2003983/Woman-raped-threw-boyfriends-17-month-old-daughter-blunt-object-killing-charged-degree-murder.html#

FILICIDE (attempted): Tennessee: Monica Hammers charged

 Beth Burger :  June 4, 2011

A 41-year-old Smyrna, Tenn., mother and a 19-year-old Sparta, Tenn., father have something in common.
Both are accused of suffocating their children at Erlanger hospital. Both face attempted first-degree murder charges.
Monica Hammers, 41, is accused of holding a pillow over her 4-year-old son’s face after telling him to shut up in a hospital room May 6, according to a Chattanooga police report.
Nearly a month later, 19-year-old Dakota Eldridge told police he pinched his 12-week-old son’s nose and covered his mouth several times around May 27 while his son was at the hospital.
In Hammers’ case, her son was at the hospital for a food study and he had a broken arm from a previous incident that was scheduled to be set.
“I’m scared of everything,” said Hammers, beginning to choke back tears during a telephone interview Friday afternoon. “All I can say is I did not do it.” Since the news of the incident she has received threats from strangers, she said. “People who do something like that to their children should die,” she said. “I’m accused of something I didn’t do.”
Her 4-year-old son remains in his father’s custody, she said. Her case still has not gone before the grand jury.
Experts said it’s impossible to determine what led to the alleged actions in these cases without psychological evaluations.
“I think one thing people tend to jump to when something like this happens that is horrid or incomprehensible, is that there is some sort of mental illness underlying. Context is important. It could be a case of feeling overwhelmed at home or at work,” said Chris Maley, assistant professor of psychiatry at Vanderbilt University. “Context is gong to be key for understanding. It’s hard to say unless they are evaluated thoroughly.”
He said a social history must be taken into consideration using factors such as previous impulsive behavior, possible drug use, psychiatric history and prior run-ins with the law.
Rhonda Jacks, a licensed social worker who is director of functional family therapy for the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults, divides parents who harm their children into two camps.
“There are those who don’t mean to and get in over their heads, and then ... unfortunately there are cruel people in this world,” she said.
“The true danger to children is when they are little like that. They can’t regulate their emotions. They cry and they scream. People get overwhelmed and overreact,” she said.
For those who are overwhelmed, she said help is available.
“The main thing is if someone is beginning to feel like they are going to harm their child or losing control, they need to seek help,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to tell someone. People are ashamed to admit it — feeling overwhelmed and not knowing what to do. It’s more common than people realize.”
http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/jun/04/man-charged-trying-kill-son-hospital/

FILICIDE: Tennessee

-- Beth Warren: 529-2383
Infant deaths in Memphis and Tennessee due to abuse or neglect declined in 2009, a federal study indicates.
Police reports and the federal study released Thursday found that 14 children died from abuse or neglect in 2008 -- more than double the previous year. That number dipped to eight in 2009, said Memphis police Sgt. Karen Rudolph.
Nationally, the death toll rose slightly from 1,720 to 1,770, according to the federal report.
There isn't any research to explain spikes in child abuse and neglect deaths, said Jennifer Nichols, chief prosecutor of the Shelby County District Attorney's Office Special Victims Unit.
Locally and nationally, children in the most danger are those under age 4, an age group that accounts for 80 percent of last year's deaths, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration For Children and Families.
The most common perpetrator -- the mother.
Nationally, mothers were most likely to kill their children, twice as likely as fathers, according to the administration's findings.
Mothers, often the primary caregivers, can be stressed and sleep-deprived at a time when newborns tend to cry a lot.
And many families don't have a strong support system to allow them to take a break or catch up on sleep.
Frequent crying, difficulty with potty training and outbursts are common excuses given by parents and caregivers who kill their children, prosecutors said.
"Those are very common triggers for child mistreatment," said Dr. Helen Morrow, chief medical officer for the Shelby County Health Department.
Morrow, chairman of the Shelby County Child Fatality Review Team, said infants born prematurely and children with disabilities can be at a greater risk.
"They can be even more challenging to care for," and if abused, "they're a little less resilient," Morrow said.
The number of abuse and neglect deaths dropped in Tennessee from 55 in 2008 to 46 last year, the federal report shows. That's a 16 percent decline, but the state still ranks in the top 10 nationally, at No. 7.
Beryl Wight, a spokeswoman for the Memphis Child Advocacy Center, said she remembers a somber ceremony last year when three children died within a short period of time.
Two brothers, ages 2 and 3, died in an October 2009 fire. Memphis police said their mother left them home alone. A month later, a 16-month-old Germantown boy was beaten to death. The father was charged with second-degree murder.
The Child Advocacy Center flew three flags to remind the community of each victim.
Child advocates, prosecutors and social workers have united to protect children through the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths. They believe the national death toll is closer to 2,500 annually.
Shelby County experts agree the number has to be higher than official figures because of unsolved cases.
"We have deaths that we strongly suspect are due to abuse or neglect, but we can't prove it," Morrow said of the deaths her team reviews.
"We're all left very frustrated."
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/dec/17/infant-deaths-from-violence-02/