Tylar Hokanson beat 18mo stepson to death

[scorpiogirl]

His own biological daughter had been trying to tell people that her daddy was beating up the baby but no one did anything, even with 2 consecutive collar bones broken. WTF


A Minnesota man is a suspect in the death of his 18-month-old stepson, who died last week in Pierce County.

Tylar James Hokanson, 22, is being held in the Dakota County jail as authorities from that county and Pierce County investigate the death of Nicholas Miller.

A Northfield (Minn.) News obituary lists the boy's parents as Melissa Hokanson of Northfield, and Brian Miller of Castle Rock, Minn. His step-grandparents are Ruth and Walter Hunecke of Maiden Rock.

Tylar Hokanson was taken into custody Saturday. The Dakota County jail's Web site identifies the grounds for arrest as probable cause — murder in the second degree, without intent.


For more on this story, see Tuesday's print edition of the Republican Eagle.


http://www.republican-eagle.com/

http://http://www.republican-eagle.com/media/full/jpg/2009/06/29/hokanson.jpg


An autopsy conducted on the body of an 18-month-old Dakota County boy who died last week found his brain and body battered, authorities said Monday.

Prosecutors will decide by noon today whether to charge Nicholas Miller's 22-year-old stepfather in his death.

A close relative said Monday that the stepfather's arrest lends credence to claims Nicholas' 6-year-old stepsister made to at least one family member that her father had been beating the little boy. The stepsister was among those providing information to Dakota County sheriff's investigators that led to her father's arrest Saturday, relatives said.

The suspect is in the Dakota County jail in Hastings on suspicion of second-degree murder.

On Monday, Dakota County sheriff's investigators were tight-lipped about what they were told by witnesses and family members, including the suspect's young daughter.

Chief Deputy Dave Bellows said his department was notified last week by the Pierce County (Wis.) sheriff about a child's suspicious death. An investigation determined that the injuries occurred in Dakota County before the 18-month-old was taken to Durand, Wis., where he died June 23.

The child often stayed at a dairy farm in Greenvale Township near Northfield, Minn., with his 18-year-old mother, Melissa Miller, and the stepfather, along with her parents. Melissa Miller's grandparents lived in an adjacent farmhouse.

"He was a good little fellow," Nicholas' great-grandfather, Herman Ohmann, said.

Nicholas' autopsy by the Ramsey County medical examiner's office found multiple recent injuries, including damage to his brain. Earlier injuries that had healed also were found, Bellows said.

Ohmann said injuries to the boy appeared after his granddaughter married the stepfather in November.

"Things started showing up that we were all questioning," Herman Ohmann said.

The family once took Nicholas to the doctor with a broken collarbone, Ohmann said. "Well, then, not too long, and doggone, he had another broken collarbone," he said.

The stepfather's daughter from another relationship didn't live on the farm but occasionally visited, Ohmann said. During those visits, she told at least one family member that her father was beating Nicholas, he said.



http://www.startribune.com/local/south/49437262.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DU2EkP7K_V_GD7EaPc: iLP8iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

[MadeaBecBec]

http://www.republican-eagle.com/media/story/jpg/2009/06/29/hokanson.jpg
Tylar Hokanson Mug

Okay! Tylar Hokanson is 22 y/o with a 6 y/o daughter?? It appears the 6 y/o is wiser than he will ever be! How scary for her, to know what he was doing was wrong, but then, she was brave enough to tell what she had witnessed.

Rest in Peace Nicolas Miller, So sorry that we will never get the opportunity to witness your full potential...

[coffee achiever]

So the whole extended family had suspicions about the abuse after they started noticing bruises, and his own 6-year-old daughter was telling family members that he was beating the toddler, but nobody did ANYTHING? Not even a phone call to CPS?

They should all be charged as accessories.

Poor little girl - she's gonna have to live with this the rest of her life, knowing her daddy killed a baby even though she tried to get the baby some help. Her entire family failed BOTH those children.

[thebooblady]

Why the hell do they put the murderer's name in the obit? Anyhow, these young parents sure do have a lot of kids for their age.

http://northfield.org/node/6383#comments


Nicholas Miller, age 18 months or Greenvale Township, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, June 23, 2009, in Durand, Wisconsin.

Funeral services at Highview Christiania Lutheran Church in rural Farmington are pending.

Survivors include his mother and step-father, Melissa and Tylar Hokanson of Northfield; his father, Brian Miller of Castle Rock; his sister, Megan Miller; his brother, Noah Hokanson; two step-sister, Hailey Stodola and Elizabeth Gavin; his grandparents: Debbie and Charlie Ohmann of Northfield, Kim Miller (Phil) of Castle Rock, Emil (Jackie) Miller of Dodge Center; his step-grandparents, Ruth and Walter Hunecke of Maiden Rock, Wisconsin; his great-grandparents: Mary Larson of Brooklyn Park, Barb and Herman Ohmann of Northfield, Louie and Becky Mills of St. Cloud, Florida.

Arrangements are pending with the Benson & Langehough Funeral Home.

[DarkPrincess]

Is this family sharing one brain? How smart do you have to be to know that a broken collarbone is not a normal injury? Plus the 6 year old told them about the beatings. This is monumental stupidity.

[biteme]

So the whole extended family had suspicions about the abuse after they started noticing bruises, and his own 6-year-old daughter was telling family members that he was beating the toddler, but nobody did ANYTHING? Not even a phone call to CPS?

They should all be charged as accessories.

Poor little girl - she's gonna have to live with this the rest of her life, knowing her daddy killed a baby even though she tried to get the baby some help. Her entire family failed BOTH those children.

Come-on we all know CPS is worthless, unless the family is wealthy

[ineedanap]

Why the hell do they put the murderer's name in the obit? Anyhow, these young parents sure do have a lot of kids for their age.

http://northfield.org/node/6383#comments

Because he didn't do it! He's such a nice guy, he wouldn't hurt a fly. He has kids of his own. He lov ed that little boy like his own. The baby, he fell off the couch and that's why he died. This happened the day after he fell in the bathtub and hit his head. But he was perfectly fine, eating his food and playing until he just dropped over.....

Am I getting this right?????

[MadeaBecBec]

Come-on we all know CPS is worthless, unless the family is wealthy

You know it seems to be that way, alot of the time!!

I believe the family trusted the baby Nicholas' Mom to protect her child, to be smart enough to consider what her step-daughter was telling and take the baby to a Pediatrician or the ER and get an investigation going...
Of course, here, we know from experienced reading, that Moms (most of the time) can't see past the current penis and turn a blind eye to their childrens injuries until it is much too late!
Also, I noticed (in the obit posted) that Tylars two daughters, do not have his last name! Ummmm, is it just me or would that have been a HUGE red flag to other women/girls???

[Ninja0980]

In my option, society still has this idea mothers will NEVER let any harm come to their children. It's far past time to let that idea prevail. If injuries like this show up on a child, call CPS or the cops or something vs hanging onto the idea that mom will put her children above her penis. Like the case above, we've seen that isn't true.

[Silvahalo]

Barb Ohmann said she had no reason to believe her great-grandson was in danger — allegedly at the hands of his stepfather.

"We didn't suspect anything," Ohmann, of Northfield, Minn., said Monday. "He was a normal, 18-month-old baby that got his bumps ... as all kids do."
[...]
Ohmann said when she first met Tylar Hokanson "he appeared to be a clean-cut kid." "But we never knew very much about his background," she said. "And we hadn't known him that long."
[...]
"It's not easy to lose a child," she added. They hardly knew him but allowed him to be alone with little Nicholas. People do more work on researching to buy a car then who is around their children. First defense is the mother, who I think did a piss poor job, but IMO, all family around this child had a responsibility to Nicholas and they ALL let him down except for his step-sister who tried to help him.

I can't imagine its easy to lose a child...imagine how baby Nicholas feels, he lost his life.

Rest in peace little Nicholas, you deserved far better, to be treasured and protected.

http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s341/silvahalo68/Angels/AngelBaby-2.jpg


Northfield man suspected... (http://www.twincities.com/ci_12717183?nclick_check=1)

[Dakota Valkyrie]

A 22-year-old Northfield man was charged Wednesday with second-degree unintentional murder in connection with his 17-month-old stepson's beating death in late June.

Tylar Hokanson is accused of killing Nicholas Miller, abusing him multiple times. The child died after being taken to Pierce County, Wis., on June 23.

Hokanson admitted to sheriff's deputies that there were times when he would hold his hands over Nicholas's mouth because he would scream, according to a criminal complaint. He also admitted that he had shaken Nicholas "a little bit," the complaint said.

He allegedly shook the boy back and forth at least 10 to 15 times on Friday, June 19. By that evening, his family started noticing that Nicholas seemed hurt.

By Monday the 22nd, Hokanson said, the boy started losing color and just sat there, not wanting to play.

Melissa Hokanson, 18, the boy's mother, told deputies that on Tuesday the 23rd, Nicholas "just sat around and was not moving his head." He was breathing hard, was drooling and had a bad odor about him. About 5 p.m., she tried to wake him from his nap, and he had no muscle control, she told investigators. As an ambulance arrived to take him to a hospital, he was turning blue and his eyes remained open.

He died at the hospital in Durand, Wis., according to the complaint. An autopsy found that the boy had bleeding of the brain, a broken back and other injuries.

Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom said that in the days leading up to his death, the boy suffered extreme pain from the broken back, making it difficult for him to walk. The injuries also were causing lymphatic fluid to spill into his lungs, making it hard to breathe.
http://www.startribune.com/local/49612382.html

How could the mother (or ANYone) not notice that something was very wrong with the child in those 4-5 days it took him to die?

[Dakota Valkyrie]

According to the criminal complaint, 22-year-old Tylar Hokanson admitted to police officers that he had shaken the child after having an argument with the mother's sister. Yeah, that really "showed her" didn't it??? :mad5:

According to the Pierce County Medical Examiner, Nicholas Miller died as a result of multiple blunt force injuries, including a subdural hematoma to the brain resulting in the loss of about 20 cc's off blood. (2/3 of an ounce)

The charges state that Hokanson admitted to observing the boy's deteriorating condition in the aftermath of the shaking incident. The charges describe, in great detail, Nicholas Miller's loss of appetite, increasingly lethargy, frequent crying and sweatiness, and difficulty breathing.

Police asked Hokanson, who said the boy's mother alternates weeks of home care with the boy's biological father, if he suspected Miller's weakening condition might have been due to his earlier actions, and he said "To a point, yeah." yeah, to the point of death, you idiot!!!http://wcco.com/crime/toddler.homicide.investigation.2.1067379.html

[mysticviewer]

How sad. Hope someone fucking breaks his back in prison.

[Silvahalo]

He allegedly shook the boy back and forth at least 10 to 15 times on Friday, June 19. By that evening, his family started noticing that Nicholas seemed hurt.

By Monday the 22nd, Hokanson said, the boy started losing color and just sat there, not wanting to play.
[...]
Melissa Hokanson, 18, the boy's mother, told deputies that on Tuesday the 23rd, Nicholas "just sat around and was not moving his head." He was breathing hard, was drooling and had a bad odor about him. About 5 p.m., she tried to wake him from his nap, and he had no muscle control, she told investigators. As an ambulance arrived to take him to a hospital, he was turning blue and his eyes remained open.

He died at the hospital in Durand, Wis., according to the complaint. An autopsy found that the boy had bleeding of the brain, a broken back and other injuries.

Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom said that in the days leading up to his death, the boy suffered extreme pain from the broken back, making it difficult for him to walk. The injuries also were causing lymphatic fluid to spill into his lungs, making it hard to breathe.
[...]
The charges state that Hokanson admitted to observing the boy's deteriorating condition in the aftermath of the shaking incident. The charges describe, in great detail, Nicholas Miller's loss of appetite, increasingly lethargy, frequent crying and sweatiness, and difficulty breathing.

ALL OF THESE PEOPLE ARE USELESS, UTTERLY PATHETIC! Baby Nicholas suffered for 5 fuckn' days, and you have got to be kiddn' me that not one soul, especially the mother, did not realize prior to that day in which Nicholas finally succumbed to his injuries, that there was something terribly wrong with him???? Mother are you deaf, dumb and stupid????? Seriously???

The week, the helpless, the ones unable to defend themselves, ALWAYS LOSE! I hope this fucker dies a brutal unforgiving death in prison. For what he did to this sweet child, he should get death, here is hoping it finds him soon. Everyone else who was around baby Nicholas is a complete and utter FAILURE, I hope this mother never gets the gift of another child and these so called family members do not deserves such a lovely one as Nicholas in their lives. They fail, fail, fail, fail.....so sorry Nicholas.


Rest in peace baby Nicholas. My heart breaks that you died slow and in agony. Be at peace now in the heavens sweet child.
http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s341/silvahalo68/Angels/angel-9.jpg

[scorpiogirl]

How do you not notice a broken back. Oh and hey, try holding both your hands out , mimicking holding a wee one, and violently shake 15 times, its an eternity, I just did it. Don't forget to do it hard enough to break a little back.

FUCK YOU Tylar Hokanson Die you prick Die.

[thebooblady]

Here's the complaint: http://legacy.hastingsstargazette.com/pdfs/hokansoncomplaint.pdf

You know what makes me even angrier is that the children's father had just dropped them off with the mother and stepfather at 2. Hokanson states he shook him around 6. He couldn;t handle him after four fucking hours! And how ANYONE could see that poor baby and not rush him to the hospital on DAY 1 is unforgivable. I am sure we will see more charges soon.

[proudmom]

I am tearing up thinking of that babys last weekend in so much pain...

and NO ONE HELPED HIM!! WHY NOT??? DIDN'T ANYONE LOVE HIM!!!

I love you Nicholas. I'll love you till the end of time and i didn't even have to know you.

[scorpiogirl]

I just read that complaint. OMFG. It was days and days of that child being unable to walk, not eating, not playing, and then unable to hold his own head up, fever, drooling, unsteady breathing. They did nothing until he stopped breathing, not the mom, not the grandparents, and certainly not the POS that knew he had shook the living fuck out of him. Its like they sat and waited for him to die. OMG

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Hokanson is unemployed but helps out at his in-laws' farm, Warg said.

Hokanson, who was taken into custody Saturday, appeared in striped jail garb and was not called on to speak during the proceedings.

Speaking to the media afterward, Backstrom said Hokanson and his 18-year-old wife, Nicholas' mother, were recently married and had lived in three different residences in the past six months, shuttling back and forth between grandparents.

Nicholas' mother has a daughter from a previous relationship and a child she had with Hokanson two weeks before Nicholas' death.

Hokanson also has a daughter from a previous relationship, according to his attorney.

Nicholas was at a family home in Maiden Rock, Wis., when he stopped breathing, but he likely suffered the fatal injuries in Dakota County, Backstrom said.http://www.twincities.com/alllistings/ci_12738227

After reading the details in that article and the PDF of the criminal complaint, I am hoping there will be charges on the mom, too. I get more horrified with every article I read.

[coffee achiever]

The description of his last days is frighteningly reminiscent of Baby P's. I really hope our court system shows him more justice than the UK's did for Baby P.

Truly sickening, the way an entire family just sat around and watched this child die. The only one who even TRIED to save him was another child.

[MadeaBecBec]

http://www.northfieldnews.com/files/image/w07.01-OBIT-Miller-Nicholas.jpg
Nicholas Miller


I am distraught, I'll have to come back, later!

[scorpiogirl]

http://faribault.com/photos/File842.jpg

Putting a face to the already vivid images in my head.

Rest in peace little one.


The autopsy determined that Nicholas died as the result of complications stemming from the shaking, including a subdural brain hematoma and a fractured thoracic vertebra in the child’s back. The preliminary autopsy report listed the cause of death as the result of “multiple blunt force injuries.”

Medical examiners also discovered that Nicholas had sustained a number of previous injuries, including two broken clavicles and several broken ribs, as early as January 2009.

http://www.northfieldnews.com/news.php?viewStory=48964

[buggysmommy]

I just feel sick inside...

I honestly cannot breathe right...

[buggysmommy]

WTF kind of a mother is so detached from her child that she could not comprehend the obvious pain this baby was in. Fucking drooling and foul odor? Could not hold his head up? Are you fucking kidding me?

You stupid bitch-what did you do that weekend? Did you have good meals? Go shopping? Fuck your baby killing husband? Sleep well? Did you do all the normal things healthy motherfuckers do on a daily basis? Well if you did then you would have clearly determined something was severely wrong with your baby! You fucking trashy whore! Fuck you! I hope your ass goes up the river with this fucking piece of shit. I hope your other children never fucking see you again-just like they will never see their brother again. I hope the smell of your dieing baby permeates your senses for the rest of your fucking miserable existence. I hope the vision of his dieing eyes as he turned blue, haunts your memory for all eternity. I fucking hate you, both of you, with every ounce of hate in my soul. You deserve whatever the fuck comes your way...I hope it is painful and just fucking vicious-and I hope I hear about it promptly.

Fuck all these hateful, death dealing motherfuckers. Fuck I wish I could be some sort of shapeshifter-I swear every motherfucker that brings harm to innocent babies would suffer at my hand. I would shapeshift right to where the pussies are and just fucking rip them to shreds! And I would do it in the form of the baby they murdered.

I HATE ALL YOU MOTHERFUCKERS! HATE YOU!

[MadeaBecBec]

Before Nicholas died, the girl had told his maternal grandmother that her father, Hokanson, had been beating the boy, according to Herman Ohmann, Nicholas' great-grandfather. Nicholas often had a bloody face and he had two broken collarbones in recent months, Ohmann said. He said the girl's claims about her father had not been reported to officials before the death because the grandmother hadn't taken the claims "to heart."

http://www.startribune.com/local/south/49557357.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_ Yyc:aUUr

Where was her heart???

Let me apologize in advance, as I type this with tears, for Angel Nicholas, my only comfort (and it's not much) is that Nicholas, suffers no more, knows no pain or sorrow and that, we, here will express our love for him, honor his sweet, albeit short, life.... The emotions and heartbreak for Nicholas, are overwhelming, I am deeply saddened that we will never know, who he would've become,the possible wonderful contributions to our world made by Nicholas! I feel guilty, because it seems selfish of me, to cry for him, now, to need comforting.(not sure that makes sense) I am praying for the co-siblings, especially, the 6 year old, I pray she knows that she did all that she could, that she doesn't grow up carrying the burden of Nicholas' death on her small shoulders, that all of these children become happy, successful and productive adult people and that they are loved and appreciated until then!!

Nicholas is being laid to rest, as I post this....
We love you, Nicholas!

[buggysmommy]

By the way you dumb bitch, I might guess that the smell you were smelling was that fluid leaking into your sons chest cavity-most likely septic due to fluid fucking floating around in places other than where it should have been. the septicimia was probably seeping out his pores.

Fucking whore!

[MadeaBecBec]

The description of his last days is frighteningly reminiscent of Baby P's. I really hope our court system shows him more justice than the UK's did for Baby P.

Truly sickening, the way an entire family just sat around and watched this child die. The only one who even TRIED to save him was another child.

Baby P and Nicholas, favor each other, too!! Baby Cherubs! *sigh*

[MissKerosene]

I am totally heart broken reading this! Fucker I hope they never have any peace for the rest of their days! What a beautiful baby boy he was.
How?? How??? How??? Could anyone ignore his pain!! RIP angel you will always have a piece of my heart wee sweet one. May those who hurt you in life suffer always.

This story is so similar to Baby P which makes my heart sick... fuck the UK's so called justice!! Rest in peace sweet baby boys I hope you both are giggling, smiling and loved with each other in your new life.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

The charges are far more serious now.

Tyler James Hokanson, 23, no permanent address (but residing since July 1 in the Dakota County Jail) is now charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his 17-month-old stepson, Nicholas Arthur Miller, June 23, in Pierce County, Wis. Hokanson was arrested in Hastings July 1.

A Dakota County Grand Jury last week returned an indictment with three counts of murder in the first degree while committing child abuse and three counts of murder in the second degree while committing a felony against the child.
[...]

Hokanson had previously been charged with murder in the second degree (unintentional).
[...]http://www.woodburybulletin.com/event/article/id/32848/group/home/

[Bay]

So it FINALLY dawned on these retards that something was wrong with the baby?
Arrest them all.

[Tundratot]

One year later, no trial set for murder suspect
By: DAVID HENKE, Staff Writer
Posted: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 9:56 pm

Almost a year after Nicholas Miller’s death, the man who police say killed the toddler has yet to go to trial.

. . .

A dozen court hearings have come and gone for Hokanson, who is being held in the Dakota County Jail, but authorities still haven’t set a trial date for him, largely because the defense attorneys argue that officers didn’t follow proper procedure when questioning Hokanson.

Last year, the attorneys filed a memorandum in the First District court asking Judge Robert King to suppress statements taken by police from Hokanson during an interview last June 27. During that interview, investigators say, Hokanson admitted he shook the child.

Hokanson’s attorneys, Public Defenders Patrica Phill and Lauri Traub, argue that officers should have read Hokanson his Miranda rights before the interview, because the defendant was thentechnically in custody. Hokanson was arrested following that interview with investigators.

Hokanson’s attorneys have also asked the judge to suppress statements taken from Hokanson during a second interview on June 30, because Hokanson was deprived of his right to an attorney during the interview, the defense attorneys say.

Finally, the defense asked to dismiss the grand jury indictment against Hokanson, claiming the prosecutor omitted pertinent evidence while discussing the case with the grand jury and saying the state cannot prove Hokanson has a past pattern of child abuse. Additionally, the defense attorneys argue that Nicholas’ broken back could not have been caused by shaking, but would have required a forceful blow.

The defense attorneys’ memorandum is contested by Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom, who believes Hokanson’s June 27 statement about shaking Nicholas is admissible in court. The prosecutor in the case, Assistant Dakota County Attorney Cheri Townsend, also filed a response contesting the defense attorney’s request.

. . .

HIS OTHER CHILDREN
The two other children living with Tylar Hokanson and his wife were placed in the custody of their maternal great-grandparents last year, Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom said.http://www.northfieldnews.com/news.php?viewStory=52869

I find that placement disturbing. Aren't these the same great grandparents who did not take the little girl's report seriously?

[AussieMum]

What upsets me even more is that he suspected his 'doing' was a possibility for why the little boy was unwell. All he to do was insist they have him checked out, just to be safe. Even if he didn't say what had happened, say he thinks maybe he fell off a chair or something and since then he's been 'not right'. But get him medical attention. He quite likely could have been saved!!!!!! And then this dick fucker wouldn't be facing murder charges!!!!!!

[Tundratot]

None of the bastages around this poor little boy cared enough to take him to the hospital or doctor. It was another of those situations where, even if someone cared enough to suggest it, they didn't care enough to DO it or call 911. In their position, I think I'd take the chance and just take that child to the hospital, with or without the parents' cooperation. If the hospital didn't think I should have or my guardianship or whatever they might not like, they'd still have to recognize a child in need of care and do something.

[Whisper]

Supporters demand justice for little Nicholas
A year after the Dakota County tot died, he has a Facebook page and an e-mail campaign seeking harsh penalties and new charges.

Nicholas Miller suffered for four days with no medical help before he died with a broken back and a bleeding brain.

The 17-month-old, who was staying in rural southern Dakota County, had what a doctor called the worst spinal break he had ever seen. His ribs apparently broke after his rib cage was squeezed with such force that the fronts of the ribs were pressed to the backs.
A year after his shocking death, in which his stepfather, Tylar Hokanson, has been charged, sympathetic strangers who've read about the case are demanding justice for Nicholas and raising questions: Why didn't anybody stand up for the boy during months of abuse? And, should other relatives be held criminally liable for allowing the abuse to continue?
September Lukic, a Shoreview mother of five, never knew Nicholas, but she saw his obituary. Both she and Hokanson hailed from Maiden Rock, Wis. She started a Facebook page in Nicholas' memory, and more than 850 people have since joined.
Supporters also started an e-mail campaign, urging Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom to pursue the harshest penalty for Hokanson -- and to press charges against Nick's mother or other adults who did not report the abuse or get help.
Among the writers is Inesa Jenza of the Philadelphia area.

"This poor baby suffered great amount of pain, which probably none of us suffered in a lifetime," Jenza wrote.
Backstrom said he has received about 20 such e-mails. He has assured Nick's supporters that the investigation continues and that after Hokanson is tried, prosecutors will look into whether anyone else contributed to the death.
Said Lukic of starting the Facebook page: "I am sure Nicholas must have had someone who cared, but they never came forward to demand justice, so I took it upon myself."
[...]


http://www.startribune.com/local/south/97777649.html?page=1&c=y


kinda long but worth the read,the rest is at link b/c to long to post all

[Mom2three]

What a horrible story. I don't remember reading this last year. :sad2:

I just think of how much pain that baby was in when the mother was bathing him because of the "horrible odor". Also when she made him try and walk. I don't know if I should be outraged :cursing: or cry :crying2:.

[Tundratot]

This one makes me cry and rage and gives me sleepless nights. The sheer obliviousness of everyone of the members of the family just blows my mind. I can't imagine that poor child's pain and desperation. And all mom can do is smell. She can't think, gee, a bad smell like that coming from live person can't be healthy? This is more than a little weird. He should see a doctor? And no one else can say, hey, take the baby to the doctor! Do it now! Or just call the ambulance? Too busy being irritated by the freeloading imbeciles living in your home? Have a care for the kid! Someone!

[Whisper]

Trial begins Monday in Hastings in death of 17-month-old
The toddler's stepfather is accused of breaking Nicholas Miller's ribs and back and causing a brain injury.

How did 17-month-old Nicholas Miller die in June 2009?
On Monday, jury selection begins in Hastings on the first day of what's expected to be a monthlong trial for the toddler's stepfather, whom a grand jury indicted on suspicion of first-degree murder and other crimes in the death.
[...]
A team of public defenders, however, plans to call its own expert to testify that Nicholas died of natural causes. Or perhaps, the attorneys contend, the death was an accident.

And if someone did kill the child, the defense attorneys maintain, there could have been other perpetrators -- perhaps his maternal grandfather or his biological father.
"They're got to choose" what happened to the boy, Townsend said during a hearing over what evidence and testimony will be brought into court.
[...]
Dakota County sheriff's deputies questioned Hokanson. Court documents say he admitted shaking Nicholas 15 or 20 times and squeezing him at the home of his wife's parents, on a farm in Greenvale Township.

Hokanson had been mad at his sister-in-law when he shook the tot, he told investigators, court papers say.http://www.startribune.com/local/106419648.html

[Tundratot]

More from the same article, second page:


An autopsy report documented multiple injuries of various ages, including bruises to the skin, scalp and muscles, cuts to the mouth and tongue, multiple rib fractures, and a fracture of a vertebra in the middle of the back.

The child had what a doctor called the worst spinal break he'd ever seen. His ribs broke after his rib cage allegedly was squeezed with such force that the fronts of the ribs were pressed to the backs.

The experts said those injuries caused his lungs to fill with fluid, which the state maintains killed Nicholas. The examination also found that his brain had been bleeding.

Public defender Lauri Traub told the judge that the state has to pick who did this, and "they got it wrong."

She pointed to two instances, including one close to the time when Nicholas died, when his biological father was reportedly seen shaking Nicholas' sister.

Townsend, however, said Hokanson was the only one who admitted shaking Nicholas, his stepson.

Hokanson also is accused of breaking the posterior rib of Nicholas' younger brother, Noah Hokanson, when he was 2 weeks old.

Traub said the boys' maternal grandfather, Charles Ohmann, has admitted that he slapped Nicholas' mother when she was a teenager.

"Sometimes you have to beat on them," Ohmann told investigators, adding that he, too, was beaten while growing up.http://www.startribune.com/local/106419648.html?page=2&c=y

Bunch of assholes! There is a huge difference between slapping a teen and squeezing babies and toddlers so hard their ribs break IN BACK, ignoring pain, lethagy, rotting smells, inability to move one's limbs and so on!

[Tundratot]

The trial of Tylar Hokanson has started.
. . .
Defense attorney Lauri Traub, however, suggested to jurors that the boy's biological father or perhaps others could have hurt him, and she said sheriff's deputies failed to thoroughly investigate once they focused on Hokanson.

He had placed the first 911 call about 5:30 p.m. on June 23, 2009, saying a "two-year-old" was "barely even breathing." Hokanson told the dispatcher the child had bloody lips, was black and blue and had asthma.

Hokanson's own mother, Ruth Hunneke, got on the line and told the dispatcher the child was turning blue, and then that he was "lifeless."

"One, two, three," Hunneke kept repeating in that call as Hokanson and the toddler's mother, Melissa Hokanson, tried to resuscitate him.

It would take a paramedic more than 20 minutes to get to the rural home after the first 911 call. Jurors listened to the failed revival attempts, reading along with transcripts, and one, a middle-aged man, removed his eyeglasses to wipe away tears.

. . .
http://www.startribune.com/local/south/107059283.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUvckD_V_jEyhD:UiD 3aPc:_Yyc:aU7DYaGEP7vDEh7P:DiUs


. . .
But the prosecution contended, during opening statements for Hokanson's murder trial, that he was the only person who admitted shaking little Nicholas Miller -- and that it was hard, 15 or 20 times.

In addition, after his stepson died, it was determined that Hokanson's own newborn had suffered an injury like those an autopsy found on his half-brother, Nicholas, according to testimony.

The newborn, Noah Hokanson, was found to have a rib broken along the spine, which the state maintains is indicative of abusive squeezing.

Prosecutor Cheri Townsend told jurors that the children's mother, Melissa Hokanson, had told investigators that at different times she saw Tylar Hokanson pick up and squeeze both boys around their rib cages to stop them from crying.

. . .

But an autopsy found one of the most serious injuries, which caused his brain to bleed, occurred two to four days before his death in rural Dakota County.

Nicholas also had a broken back, lungs that compressed as his lung cavity filled with spinal fluid, and other injuries in various stages of healing, including five broken ribs, two clavicle fractures and bruises.

. . .

It was after Hokanson came into Nicholas' life that he began having bruises and other injuries, Townsend told jurors.

According to Townsend, the most devastating came Friday June 19, 2009, when Hokanson was alone in an upstairs bedroom with Nicholas at the farmhouse near Northfield where Melissa and Tylar Hokanson had been staying with her parents.

Nicholas died the following Tuesday, and nobody got him help because Hokanson didn't tell anyone what he had done, the prosecutor said.

"He watched as that child deteriorated over the weekend, and he didn't want to report this," she told jurors. "He didn't want to get medical attention."

Lauri Traub, one of three defense attorneys, opened her arguments with three words projected onto a screen in the darkened courtroom.

"I hate him" she read out loud, explaining that's what Nicholas' biological father, Brian Miller, had said of his son to others before the death.

Traub said Miller had cared for the boy for a week and that he was frustrated when he arrived at the farmhouse to drop off the boy because the mother wasn't home to accept him.

. . .

She said others had also been alone with the toddler but were not interviewed by authorities.

. . .

http://www.startribune.com/local/south/107115163.html?page=2&c=y

[Tundratot]

Really disturbing testimony:


. . .

Melissa Hokanson, of Greenvale Township in southern Dakota County, where the injuries allegedly occurred, did not look at her husband while testifying.

She told of Nicholas' bruises and broken clavicles after she met Tylar Hokanson in summer 2008. She also told of his punishment of the boy and about hearing Nicholas' "terrified scream" on June 19, 2009.

Authorities say his death four days later could have been prevented with medical care.

An autopsy found bleeding on the brain. The state alleges shaking caused Nicholas' brain to hit his skull, and bleeding then pressured his brain.

His spine was severed, as were blood and lymph vessels. His lung cavity filled with fluid, squishing his lungs. He had bruises and cuts including to his mouth and tongue.

He also had five ribs broken in prior weeks and fractures of his clavicles in recent months.

Three of the photos were taken two days before the toddler died at his stepgrandmother's house. In the photos, he lay on a couch from which he did not move, according to his mother's testimony.

In one photo Nicholas looks upward, eyebrows knitted and mouth crumpled. It's a look of discomfort, Assistant County Attorney Cheri Townsend said.

Melissa Hokanson wept then but went on to testify -- until another batch of photos later caused her to break down. . . .

Hours earlier, jurors watched a video in which Tylar Hokanson confessed to shaking Nicholas, using a rag doll provided by sheriff's investigators.

"I shook him, and then all of a sudden, it was like, 'What in the hell am I doing?'" Hokanson told the detectives.

Part of his confession was suppressed, however, including admissions that he caused "a couple" of the injuries.

After an earlier evidentiary hearing, Judge Robert King threw out the last part of Hokanson's confession. As admissions grew more incriminating and Hokanson figured he was going to jail, he should have been given a Miranda warning but was not, the judge ruled.

Melissa Hokanson told jurors of that Friday evening when she left a bedroom for a minute and then heard Nick's "terrified scream."

She rushed back to see Tylar standing next to the bed, looking "scared," and her son seated, looking "tired and overwhelmed." She asked Tylar what happened, and he told her to stop accusing him of beating Nick, Melissa testified.

Over the next four days, the boy stopped eating and moving and he became unable to hold up his head. He cried when he saw Tylar, and he drooled and smelled oddly. The last day, his mother said, she planned to take Nicholas to the doctor if a nap didn't help.

But his breathing slowed way down. Then it stopped.http://www.startribune.com/local/south/107806364.html?page=2&c=y

Hanging is too good for Tylar Bacteria but I have no suggestion at all for Melissa Bacteria, who was less than useless and whose only possible defense would have to be her evident IQ of 34.

This case makes my blood boil.

[Kindly One]

This case makes me want to vomit. It's just Baby P all over again. Another terrified pre-verbal toddler. Another shitstain stepfather. Another useless failure of a mother. Another bunch of useless bystanders who did nothing. Another big steaming pile of human fail, and another poor blonde baby boy with piercing blue eyes.

[Silvahalo]

This is one of the most disturbing, disgusting things to read. A child in sheer misery, pictures taken days before death, yet not a one, not ONE miserable fuck did a damn thing to help him.

Three of the photos were taken two days before the toddler died at his stepgrandmother's house. In the photos, he lay on a couch from which he did not move, according to his mother's testimony.

In one photo Nicholas looks upward, eyebrows knitted and mouth crumpled. It's a look of discomfort...Discomfort?? NO. misery, hell, anguish....not discomfort.

Over the next four days, the boy stopped eating and moving and he became unable to hold up his head. He cried when he saw Tylar, and he drooled and smelled oddly. The last day, his mother said, she planned to take Nicholas to the doctor if a nap didn't help. But his breathing slowed way down. Then it stopped.
Nicholas died a slow miserable death witnessed by people who by duty, by human decency by common sense should have done something to care for him...see that he get help. This woman he called mother IS no mother, IS one of the most pathetic, useless so called bitches I have ever read on. The bastard who killed baby Nicholas is a monster, not human and those who saw with their own eyes a baby that was not right in any way, they can all rot and go to hell. Every single person should be charged and held accountable.

My ache runs deep for you little one, tears just for you.... all the love and joy that should have been yours. No more fear, anguish or sorrow. In the arms of the angels may you find comfort and love always.
http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s341/silvahalo68/Fallen%20angels/FallenAngels2/NicholasMiller.jpg

[OMalley]

Good lord, what this poor child went through. How he suffered! It makes me ill; makes me cry (and I'm not a crier!) He looked like an angel and now he is one.

[VXIII]

I did, it is an eternity, too long...

[VXIII]

I guess this is another case of the new step dad, the mamas dick having to show those pesky little male toddlers who is the boss... because you know how the boy babies just have to disrepect the new daddy... I dont know the answer here... Wish I did... Why does it have to be like this?

[VXIII]

What a pretty baby he is too, you can tell he is smart also by looking at him, I cant believe this piece of shit beat and broke this little boy like this... guess you feel like a man now, you showed that little baby who was boss didnt you... anyone that ever had a dog who had puppies knows that the male dogs, wont even look at the pups, they avoid them and lower their eyes as a sign of respect for the mothers, you never hear of animals beating or killing the babies, No because the mother takes care of them, and she likes doing it and will die for them if need be, some of us must have lost that instinct...

[billabong]

I just don't have the words.... and if I did, I can't stop crying long enough to say anything.

[Parkersmom120106]

I don't know how I missed this one..it's horrible. How could all those people fail him? I have an almost 4 year old boy..my family adores him..they don't want to see me unless I have him with me lol. This would never fly in my family. Once, my older sister took him to a pool party..I guess she let someone take him in the pool with his diaper on, then let him run around in the wet diaper (he was about 1.5-2). It caused a heck of a rash where the leg bands are in the diaper. She went to my Dad's afterward and when someone changed his diaper, Gammy saw it and both Grandpa and Gammy freaked..they went off on my sister demanding to know how it happened and how she could let it happen, then went to the drugstore for ointment and treated it..then once he was back with me, I got a phone call so they could make sure that I was treating it properly. Got a phone call from my sister grumbling that they "torn her a new one" lol. So, yea..no broken collarbones or bloody faces gonna get past them. So there are families out there that care about the welfare of children. If my Dad thought I was hurting his Grandson or allowing someone else to hurt him, he wouldn't care if his little girl went to jail for it..he'd do something.
On another note, little Nicholas looks an awful lot like my best friend's son, who, coincidentally, shares the same last name. He is also the same age that Nick would be now. Well, my friend's son's Daddy is in heaven and is probably taking real good care of baby Nicholas.

[AussieMum]

Oh come on, that bitch new what was happening to her son.... and now she cries!! Did she cry as she protected her baby?? No, she allowed this piece of shit into her beautiful babies life! She allowed him to not only once injure her baby, but to keep hurting him until he could take no more!

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Two former cellmates of murder suspect Tylar Hokanson testified Thursday in Hastings that he admitted to them that he hurt his 17-month-old stepson, who died soon after.
[...]

"He said he did it, 'but this is between you, me and God,'" Richard Hafner told jurors of one of his discussions with Hokanson about the death.
[...]

Thursday, Kevin Boldt, 30, of St. Paul, testified that Hokanson told him in jail that he squeezed and shook Tyler because he wouldn't stop crying after his father dropped him off at the Northfield farm of Hokanson's in-laws.

Sheriff's deputies interviewed Boldt and Hafner after they stepped forward earlier this year. Neither received breaks in their own cases for giving statements about what Hokanson told them, said prosecutor Cheri Townsend.

On Wednesday, Hafner carried to the witness stand a journal in which he had written about daily jailhouse talks with Hokanson.

Hafner said Hokanson told him that Nicholas, like his father, had no discipline.

Hafner testified about what Hokanson had told him: "That he tried playing with him, but sometimes it got a little rough, and sometimes he would squeeze Nicholas 'and maybe a little hard,' he said. But then his wife or his mother-in-law would say something ... and try to take Nicholas away."

Hokanson said he squeezed Nicholas because "it would keep him quiet," Hafner said.
[...]
http://www.hastingsstargazette.com/event/article/id/23600/group/homepage/

[Whisper]

Northfield man sentenced to life in prison for role in stepson's death

Dakota County jurors found a 24-year-old man guilty Thursday of murder in the death of his 17-month-old stepson.
After the jury returned its verdicts against Tylar James Hokanson, Judge Robert King then sentenced the former Northfield man to life in prison.
The jury began deliberations Monday and spent about 31 hours deliberating since getting the case. On Thanksgiving Day they found him guilty of two counts of first-degree murder while committing child abuse and two counts of second-degree murder. He was acquitted on two other counts.
During the trial prosecutors said Hokanson shook his stepson on June 19, 2009, and caused multiple blunt-force trauma, bleeding in his brain, a fractured back and fluid leaking into his lung cavity. Nicholas had multiple bruises on his face and body when he died.
A frustrated Hokanson attacked his stepson after his aunt removed him from timeout — a punishment Hokanson doled out, Assistant Dakota County Attorney Cheri Townsend had told the jury.
Before Nicholas' death, she said, Hokanson told the child's family to "stop babying him" and "he needs to learn to act like a man."
"He wasn't a man," Townsend said. "He was a baby."
[...]
"Nicholas Miller suffered horrific injuries through the actions of his stepfather," said
James Backstrom, Dakota County attorney, in a statement Thursday following the verdicts. "These injuries directly led to his death four days later. We are pleased to have brought Tylar Hokanson to justice for this violent crime."
Backstrom said "other aspects" of the case remain under investigation by his office.
http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_16710678?source=rss&nclick_check=1

[Dakota Valkyrie]

I heard this on the new last night and was overjoyed. One of the most horrific shaken baby cases in the area (as described by investigators) has been tried to partial conclusion.
After two and one-days of deliberations a Dakota County jury on Thanksgiving morning convicted Tylar James Hokanson, 24, formerly of Northfield, of two counts of murder in the first degree and two counts of murder in the second degree in the death of his stepson Nicholas Arthur Miller, 17 months old. Nicholas died June 23, 2009, in Wisconsin.

The trial began Nov. 1.

Following the reading of the verdict, Judge Robert King sentenced Hokanson to life in prison.

“Nicholas Miller suffered horrific injuries through the actions of his stepfather,” said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom. “These injuries directly led to his death four days later.”

According to the criminal complaint, Nicholas Miller, 1 and ½, was in pain from a broken back, which made it difficult to walk or even breathe. His brain was bleeding and he had other wounds on his body. For four days, he received no medical help from his family.

On June 23, Nicholas turned blue as his stepfather and step-grandmother tried to revive him on picnic table in Maiden Rock, Wis. They called 911 for help. The ambulance arrived 23 minutes later. When the boy arrived at the hospital in Durand, he was pronounced dead.

According to the complaint, prosecutors say an autopsy and investigation found Nicholas had been abused many times in Greenvale Township, which is located near Northfield. Hokanson told investigators he shook Nicholas back and forth on June 19. He said he was mad at his sister-in-law at the time of the shaking.

The defense maintained throughout the trial that the shaking did not cause the baby’s death.

Backstrom said the case remains under investigation.
http://www.hastingsstargazette.com/event/article/id/23721/group/News/

Hokanson was sentenced to life in prison; he'll be eligible for parole in 30 years. Prosecutors say they're considering filing charges against other family members who were caring for the child.http://kstp.com/news/stories/s1855068.shtml

[Tundratot]

Life and at least 30 years before parole! Yay!
Happy dance! http://i42.tinypic.com/r7r8gk.jpg

Now I really would like to see the many adults in the family charged, since there were several around during the time the little boy was suffering and dying . . . and not a one had the sense God gave little green apples.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

YES! :elefant: I hope they nail her too!

http://i0.simplest-image-hosting.net/168bf183b2abe8bc9188aacc163dd507/-dd-1739.jpg

The mother of a toddler killed at the hands of his stepfather has been charged in connection with her son's death, accused of failing to get help for her dying child, the Dakota County Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.

Melissa Hokanson, 19, of rural Northfield, was charged with one count of manslaughter and two counts of child neglect.
[...]

After calls to hold Melissa Hokanson partly responsible in the child's death, County Attorney James Backstrom said in July that the investigation was continuing, and that after Hokanson was tried, prosecutors would look into whether anyone else contributed to the child's death.

The charges say that because Melissa Hokanson failed to seek medical care for her son after he was injured on June 19, 2009, she thereby contributed to causing his death.

“The death of a child under circumstances such as this is deeply disturbing," Backstrom said in a statement on Tuesday. "A thorough investigation has been completed in this matter. I do not anticipate that anyone else will be charged in connection with this tragedy.”
http://www.startribune.com/local/south/111855324.html

Hokanson was arrested following the court appearance. However, a district judge ordered that she be released without bail later today on her own recognizance with conditions, including having no unsupervised contact with any children, said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom.

Under a separate child protection order, Hokanson already cannot have unsupervised contact with her remaining son and daughter, Backstrom said.http://www.twincities.com/ci_16856264

If convicted of as currently charged, she faces a maximum of 20-years in prison and $40,000 in fines.

[Tundratot]

Well, hallelujah and thank the Lord! It's about time someone saw the light! This unspeakable female organism allowed that spouse of hers to harm her son, ignored Nicky's distress, ignored the warnings of members of her family, ignored Nicky's symptoms and Nicky's pain. . . . Damn skippy she should be held accountable. She's not the only one, though. There was an entire family in that house that failed to do the right thing.

[MadeaBecBec]

Melissa Hokanson will be in court tomorrow!!

A 20-year-old mother accused of doing nothing while her son slowly died is scheduled to be in court Monday.


http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S2102003.shtml?cat=10728

I'll be watching!! Get on with the Justice. Reap those evil seeds sown, Melissa!

[Tundratot]

Keep us posted, @MedeaBecBec

[Toxic]

Prosecutors say they're considering filing charges against other family members who were caring for the child.

Thankyou! Everyone...everyone who knew this baby was suffering like this and did nothing should pay.

[Robynne]

4 buttons is all it would have taken.
911 *send*

Poor Sweet Baby.
R.I.P Nicky

[princessgrandma]

Two sorry wastes of skin and a whole family full of negligent assholes. How could you not at least check out the sister's story that Nicholas was being hurt?? How STUPID can you get???

I'm glad that Stepfather of the Year has been given life in prison. Now mommy dearest needs a nice long vacation in prison. And I do mean LONG.

[Toxic]

I'm glad that Stepfather of the Year has been given life in prison. Now mommy dearest needs a nice long vacation in prison. And I do mean LONG

It shouldnt stop tgere...it never should...every aunt, uncle, grandma, neighbor, every single person who sees abuse like this and does nothing should be persecuted...

Granted that will never happen but thats the way it should be

[Whisper]

Northfield mother of shaken toddler pleads guilty to manslaughter

The mother of a 17-month-old toddler, who died after his stepfather shook him, admitted Friday that she did not get her son medical treatment after he was injured.

Melissa Louise Ohmann, 20, formerly Hokanson, pleaded guilty in Dakota County District Court to second-degree manslaughter. In court, Ohmann explained what happened in the days after the shaking incident that caused her child to stop eating, walking and finally breathing.

"It was apparent within a day or two that the child's physical condition had deteriorated to the point of where he needed medical attention," Chief Deputy Dakota County Attorney Phil Prokopowicz said. "And she failed to take him to the hospital."

There was no evidence that Ohmann, of Northfield, committed the abuse, or that she knew her former husband, Tylar James Hokanson, had abused her son, Prokopowicz said.
[,,,]

Weeks after that conviction, Ohmann was charged with felony counts of manslaughter and child endangerment and a gross misdemeanor count of child neglect.

In Friday's plea agreement, Ohmann admitted to a manslaughter charge that would carry a jail sentence of between six months to a year, Prokopowicz said.

Ohmann also would be sentenced to four years in prison, which she may have to serve if she fails to follow court orders.

Judge Erica MacDonald
ordered Ohmann to have a psychological evaluation and return for sentencing. MacDonald will review the evaluation before accepting the plea, she said.
Ohmann is scheduled for sentencing June 12.

Her attorney, Christopher Lehmann, declined to comment Friday on the plea. Ohmann is currently out of custody. She has two other children, who are not in her care.

The county attorney's office received more than 20 emails from the public asking that Ohmann face criminal charges for her part in Nicholas' death. A Facebook page created in memory of Nicholas has garnered more than 2,300 supporters. On Friday, many people posted messages saying they were angry because of Ohmann's plea agreement.
[...]
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_20140930/northfield-mother-shaken-toddler-pleads-guilty-manslaughter

[Tundratot]

In Friday's plea agreement, Ohmann admitted to a manslaughter charge that would carry a jail sentence of between six months to a year, Prokopowicz said.

Ohmann also would be sentenced to four years in prison, which she may have to serve if she fails to follow court orders. It's a travesty. I am beyond angry and disgusted with this female blowfly.


She has two other children, who are not in her care. Good thing. I hope she's not pregnant, either.

[LadyCygnet]

It is not enough.

[princessgrandma]

OK, so that's all the baby's life was worth? 6 months to a year? As for the "if she fails to follow court orders," the bitch never should have had that kind of deal. She should do the four years AT LEAST. If she had two other kids who have been taken away, then obviously "mother" is NOT a qualification on her resume.

I keep wondering over and over, WHY, WHY, WHY does this keep happening to innocent babies?? The stories write themselves, it seems. Just the names change.

[HeatherHabilatory]

This fucking useless whore should have been hanged.

[Tundratot]

It's official:


The 21-year-old Minnesota mother accused of failing to get medical help for her toddler was sentenced to one year in prison Thursday. . ..

Hokanson will also serve 10 years of probation. . . .

A criminal complaint filed against the boy’s mother says she watched the child’s health decline over four days until his death, but did not get medical care for him.

Investigators said Melissa Hokanson watched her son lose color, stop eating and struggle to walk and breathe before he died.

Doctors said if someone would’ve stepped in to help the toddler, he’d be alive today. http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/09/13/mother-gets-1-year-in-prison-for-letting-toddler-die/

A fucking travesty. :angry: