Final days of girl's life reveal horrors (Why most support the death penalty)

[Torog]

Final days of girl's life reveal horrors (Why most support the death penalty)

Associated Press ^ | 1/22/2006 | Adam Goldman


NEW YORK (AP) -- In the eyes of her stepfather, 7-year-old Nixzmary Brown was an out-of-control troublemaker. She stole money from her parents and broke her siblings' toys, she stole milk from a younger sibling and broke their computer printer, he said.

And when he found that she had gone into the refrigerator and taken a cup of yogurt she wasn't supposed to have, he flew into a rage.

Police say Cesar Rodriguez beat the little girl to death, then tossed her on the floor of what was known in the family's apartment as the "dirty room," a rodent-infested room where she had been tied up and left with only a litter box as a toilet.

During a jail interview with newspaper reporters, Rodriguez did not admit fatally beating his stepdaughter but said: "I have a lot of guilt."

"I'm sorry about all that happened. I have a problem with my emotions. It builds up and I hold it all in. I emotionally just burst," he said.

Nixzmary's killing reverberated throughout the city. Hundreds of strangers showed up at her funeral, and the case has been a daily fixture in the tabloids newspapers. It also has forced a major shake-up at the city's child protection agency.

"It touched everyone," said Caridad Ramos, 44, Nixzmary's great aunt.

Rodriguez, 27, and Nixzmary's mother, Nixzaliz Santiago, 27, are charged with multiple felony counts, including second-degree murder. Rodriguez also is accused of molesting Nixzmary and abusing her five siblings.

Both have pleaded not guilty.

The case has shocked the most seasoned investigators and child advocates.

"The circumstances of the abuse this girl suffered were horrifying and among the most tragic that I've ever come across," said Erik Pitchal, director of the Center for Family and Child Advocacy at the Fordham School of Law. "The manner in which she spent her last days is heart wrenching."

There had been warning signs.

Last May, a guidance counselor at Nixzmary's school reported the child had missed 47 days of school. The city's Administration for Children's Services responded immediately but closed the case weeks later.

The agency failed to find "educational neglect when it was clear the girl had not been attending school," said ACS Commissioner John Mattingly.

In early December, ACS received another complaint about Nixzmary. She, her siblings and her stepfather were interviewed but Mattingly said caseworkers were unable to gain access to Nixzmary's home. The case stalled.

Santiago's relatives said they didn't know what was taking place. They lost contact after Nixzmary moved from Puerto Rico to New York several years ago.

Ramos, Santiago's aunt, said she hadn't seen Nixzmary in four years.

"If the family had been aware this never would have happened," Ramos said. "Never. Never. Never."

An indictment alleges that, beginning on New Year's Day, Rodriguez used anything he could to subdue the little girl he described as "a handful," including a belt, a piece of wood, a bungee cord.

Authorities said he bought yogurt for his children but refused to give Nixzmary any.

On the night of Jan. 10, Nixzmary's mother discovered one of the yogurt cups was missing, and she went to Rodriguez. The frightened girl denied taking it, but one of the other children tattled, authorities say.

Later, Rodriguez discovered his computer printer was broken.

He stripped Nixzmary of her clothes and beat her in front of Santiago, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said.

He dragged her into the bathroom and repeatedly dunked her head under the cold water, and loud banging noises and screams of "Mommy" were heard throughout the apartment, authorities say. Rodriguez carried Nixzmary's limp body into the dirty room and tossed her to the floor, Hynes said.

Along with Nixzmary's slaying, the ACS's record has been highlighted by the bumbling of two recent cases in which another 7-year-old girl was murdered and a baby drowned.

Since her death, six ACS employees have been suspended or reassigned. In just the first week, the agency received 2,170 reports of child abuse and neglect, a 71 percent increase from the same period a year ago.

Before Nixzmary's little white coffin was laid to rest, the Rev. Robert O'Neil said her nightmare was finally over.

"Nixzmary is now surrounded by love, beyond the touch of evil," he said.

Torog Reviewed by Torog on 01-23-2006. Final days of girl's life reveal horrors (Why most support the death penalty) Final days of girl's life reveal horrors (Why most support the death penalty) Associated Press ^ | 1/22/2006 | Adam Goldman NEW YORK (AP) -- In the eyes of her stepfather, 7-year-old Nixzmary Brown was an out-of-control troublemaker. She stole money from her parents and broke her siblings' toys, she stole milk from a younger sibling and broke their computer printer, he said. And when he found that she had gone into the refrigerator and taken a cup of yogurt she wasn't supposed to Rating: 5

[bonsaiguy]

I can't say I agree that "most" support the death penalty but I will say this..
killin's to good for em. And here's why I say that.
If you're an atheist, then there is no hell and therefore, no punishment;

If you're a christian, there is the chance that shitheads like this may find redemption at the last second and end up in heaven, again, no punishent;
(and isn't it amazing how so many of them, usually right before their parole hearings, find Jesus in prison? Would that the churches could have that many converts who have seen the light.)

If you believe in reincarnation, then somehow the prick will come back, and who wants him back in any form.

If you're a heathen like me, then there is no way to know what will happen in the afterlife, assuming there is an afterlife,

Punish him now by letting him rot in a 4x6 cell for the rest of his days...no cable tv, no weight room, no work release or chain gang, no steak and potatoes, no therapy...plenty of time to think about his actions and suffer in silence. and the cost would be minimal to say the least. I suppose we could toss him a book from time to time and hose him down once or twice a week.

[halo]

I can't say I agree that "most" support the death penalty but I will say this..
killin's to good for em. And here's why I say that.
If you're an atheist, then there is no hell and therefore, no punishment;

If you're a christian, there is the chance that shitheads like this may find redemption at the last second and end up in heaven, again, no punishent;
(and isn't it amazing how so many of them, usually right before their parole hearings, find Jesus in prison? Would that the churches could have that many converts who have seen the light.)

If you believe in reincarnation, then somehow the prick will come back, and who wants him back in any form.

If you're a heathen like me, then there is no way to know what will happen in the afterlife, assuming there is an afterlife,

Punish him now by letting him rot in a 4x6 cell for the rest of his days...no cable tv, no weight room, no work release or chain gang, no steak and potatoes, no therapy...plenty of time to think about his actions and suffer in silence. and the cost would be minimal to say the least. I suppose we could toss him a book from time to time and hose him down once or twice a week.

The cost wouldnt be minimal.
It costs 30,000 dollars a year for 1 prisoner.

But yeah no one deserves to take anothers life. That is only for God to decide. He judges people not us

[Breukelen advocaat]

These people have no business creating children. Most people suck at raising kids and have little or no parenting skills, even if they love their kids and do not abuse them.

Mass sterilization, or birth control drugs in the water supply, is the future solution for this type of problem. Children will be bred in labs, and raised by professional caregivers, doctors and teachers. Only then will all people be free to live without the stress of having to support a family and the associated problems. No child will ever be raped, abused, or killed when this type of system is put into use.

Fry the bastard that killed that kid.

Don't expect Pussy O'Reilly to support that, though. He's against the Death Penalty, AND Abortion.

[bonsaiguy]

The cost wouldnt be minimal.
It costs 30,000 dollars a year for 1 prisoner.

But yeah no one deserves to take anothers life. That is only for God to decide. He judges people not us

It only costs that much because they have cable and weight rooms and all those other "rights". Take away all the goodies and all the appeals and the cost decreases dramatically. And it's worth every dime to make sure they pay the price and stay off the streets.

[bonsaiguy]

These people have no business creating children. Most people suck at raising kids and have little or no parenting skills, even if they love their kids and do not abuse them.

Mass sterilization, or birth control drugs in the water supply, is the future solution for this type of problem. Children will be bred in labs, and raised by professional caregivers, doctors and teachers. Only then will all people be free to live without the stress of having to support a family and the associated problems. No child will ever be raped, abused, or killed when this type of system is put into use.

Fry the bastard that killed that kid.

Don't expect Pussy O'Reilly to support that, though. He's against the Death Penalty, AND Abortion.

So in other words, the caregivers and doctors and teachers (aka, the government) determine how the kids are raised? Oh yeah, that will work.
In 1984 maybe.

[Myth1184]

I LOVED the Child Social Services response to why they never took the girl out oftheir custody. "They tricked us into thinking the girl did the injuries to herself"

Lets list out the injuries

Broken Brain Stem
Broken Teeth
Ribs that have Healed/Broken
Scars

and she did that ALL to herself.

And get this, The girl is on Life support, so they havent been charged with murder yet, and the People who beat her have gotten a lawyer to prevent them from Taking her off Life Support, so they dont get charged with murder.

[mfactor420]

That's just disgusting. Give me a gun, I'll kill the bastard who treats a child like that. Fucking morons in the Child protection Ministry!!!!

I have children and could never even imagine being that cruel, ever!

It's really sad that a child has to suffer like this becasue adults haven't got a fucking clue. I'm shaking my head in disbelief. I'm speachless. . . . .

[Shelbay]

It only costs that much because they have cable and weight rooms and all those other "rights". Take away all the goodies and all the appeals and the cost decreases dramatically. And it's worth every dime to make sure they pay the price and stay off the streets.

I know for damn sure the state prison I did six straight fucking years in did not have cable and all those other "goodies" you mentioned. Federal might but State Prisons here in Alabama is hell on earth!! And no we did not have air conditioner and the food??!!....not fit for Human Consumption wrote on the damn boxes so please don't say things you might not have a clue about okay.But I do know if he makes to prison he will be in protective custody from the other inmates and that's where the cost comes in...and perverts and scum like him are the ones released early!

[Breukelen advocaat]

I know for damn sure the state prison I did six straight fucking years in did not have cable and all those other "goodies" you mentioned. Federal might but State Prisons here in Alabama is hell on earth!! And no we did not have air conditioner and the food??!!....not fit for Human Consumption wrote on the damn boxes so please don't say things you might not have a clue about okay.But I do know if he makes to prison he will be in protective custody from the other inmates and that's where the cost comes in...and perverts and scum like him are the ones released early!

They should just let them out, make them live where they killed the kid, and give them no police protection. This is in Brooklyn. Need I say any more?