Toddler Killed by Mom's Boyfriend with Video Game Controller

Last Sunday in York, Pennsylvania, 2-year-old Darisabel Baez was murdered by Harve L. Johnson, Darisabel’s mother’s boyfriend.  And how did he kill her?  He beat her with a video game controller.  Darisabel Baez’s mother, Neida E. Baez, said that she had overheard the beating but did not take any action until she realized that Darisabel was unconscious.  She called 911 on Sunday after Johnson brought Darisabel to her.  She said that she was not moving and was wet, because Johnson had tried to revive her in a bathtub.  Darisabel was pronounced dead on Monday night, after she was taken to the Hershey Medical Center.

Johnson has been charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and homicide (I haven’t seen what degree, but unspecified homicide is automatically third degree, or manslaughter – I’d charge him with second degree, but again, I’m not sure what he’s been charged with).  This was not the first time he had beaten the little girl, according to Dauphin County coroner Graham Hetrick, who said that this was one of the worst child abuse cases that he has ever seen.  Police also said that Johnson did not reveal his motive for viciously beating the toddler.  He deserves the death penalty.  The mother was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child, because she did not try to stop the beating, Detective Dana Ward reported.

This is just awful – how could anybody beat this sweet little girl?

I mean – how heartless do you have to be?  I hope this guy gets the death penalty, and honestly, the mother deserves more than just a felony of the third degree.  Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes: Title 18 (Crimes and Offences): Part II: Chapter 43, Subchapter A:

§ 4304. Endangering welfare of children.

(a) Offense defined.–A parent, guardian, or other person supervising the welfare of a child under 18 years of age commits an offense if he knowingly endangers the welfare of the child by violating a duty of care, protection or support.

(b) Grading.–An offense under this section constitutes a misdemeanor of the first degree. However, where there is a course of conduct of endangering the welfare of a child, the offense constitutes a felony of the third degree.

If the coroner is right, and the daughter HAD in fact been abused before, then the mother did engage in a course of conduct of endangering the child.  In Pennsylvania, a felony of the third degree is punishable up to 7 years, but a misdemeanor of the first degree can only get her 5 years in prison.

I think she deserves more – her negligence cost her daughter’s life – I’d have charged her as an accessory to the crime.  She is a disgusting mother.

Done Ranting,

Ranting Republican
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Tags: 2-Year-Old, Aggravated Assault, Assault, child, Child abuse, Child Endangerment, Coroner, crime, Criminal, criminals, Dana Ward, Darisabel Baez, Dauphin County, Death, Death penalty, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Felons, felony, Graham Hetrick, Harve Johnson, Hershey Medical Center, Homicide, Law, Laws, Murder, Murderer, Neida Baez, Pennsylvania, Police, Reckless Endangerment, violence, York