Lee Crutchfield finally goes to trial for beating death of 6 year old.

[Jessiesgirl1108]

http://media.bnd.com/smedia/2010/01/13/20/ZN_Crutchfield_in_lift.embedded.prod_affiliate.98. jpghttp://www.forgottenvictims.com/182466630336.jpghttp://www.forgottenvictims.com/Starr%20Lohman%202.jpg


The man accused of beating a 6-year-old boy to death on Christmas Day 2005 in Cahokia will go to trial on March 8.

Ethan Skaggs, attorney for Lee Crutchfield, 34, received for a 45-day delay on Wednesday to allow him time to look for witnesses and for a forensic pathologist to prepare his testimony.

St. Clair County Circuit Judge Milton Wharton agreed to the delay, but set the murder trial for March 8.

The four-year-old case was delayed once after prosecutors appealed a Wharton decision to bar two statements Crutchfield made to Cahokia police in the days after 6-year-old Ryon Smith's emaciated and beaten body was found.

"(The case) has languished in the appellate court for a long time," prosecutor Steve Sallerson said in court Wednesday. "I am sure Your Honor is ready for it to go to trial."

The 5th District Appellate Court ruled on July 7, barring the statement Crutchfield made on Dec. 26, 2005,. The court found that Cahokia police continued their questioning after Crutchfield asked for a lawyer.

But the appellate justices found Crutchfield initiated contact with the police the next day -- Dec. 27, 2005 -- when he asked about the autopsy report on Ryon, then waived his right to an attorney.

Prosecutors will be allowed to show the jury the videotape in which Crutchfield implicates himself, according to the appellate court's ruling.

Police found Ryon's bruised body on the floor of his bedroom about 7 p.m. on Dec. 25, 2005, after Starr Lohman, Ryon's mother, called 911 saying her son wasn't breathing.

The day before, the boy was released from his closet, where he was forced to spend hours without so much as bathroom breaks, then bit Crutchfield on the finger, according to previous testimony.

Crutchfield became enraged and he beat the boy so severely that his race could not immediately be determined, police have said.

Dan Colley, Crutchfield's friend, has testified before a grand jury that Crutchfield told him "a little boy was hurt" and that he was going to have to turn on Ryon's mother.

Another friend told the grand jury that he used methamphetamine with Crutchfield. That friend said Crutchfield was thinking of having Ryon attend a school that dealt with behavior problems.

Lohman also is charged with first-degree murder. She does not have a trial date scheduled yet, but is set to appear before Wharton on Feb. 17.
http://www.bnd.com/news/local/story/1087368.html

[LestYeBeJudged]

If he hasn't found a witness since 2005, I don't think he's going to find one now.


What a beautiful kid. How do you get so much hate in your heart to do any kind of harm on an angel like that?

[TheMeaningOfItAll]

What a piece of filth. Tears weren't flowing as he beat little Ryon to death. But, now, look at him cry. And as for Mama...she deserves everything she gets and then some. I'm glad she's also being tried for murder. I hope justice is served for Ryon's sake.

[badfish76]

I just can not believe that some asshole would beat a kid to death on CHRISTMAS!

We always make that day so special and Ana is allowed to eat what she wants and stay up late to play with toys on Christmas night. It is a very special day for children. Or it is supposed to be anyway.

The idea that this child was beaten and tortured while he should have been opening presents, playing with toys, munching candy and having a joyful holiday filled with love just breaks my heart.

Then I am soooooo PISSED OFF that these fuckers have been able to delay, delay, delay the justice they so richly deserve! I believe in justice and fairness in proceedings for the sake of those who may be wrongfully accused but what about justice for Ryon who didn't even get to have the joy of Christmas during his short, sad, tormented little life??? :cry:

[ineedanap]

Crutchfield became enraged and he beat the boy so severely that his race could not immediately be determined, police have said.

Merry Fucking Christmas.

Where was this kids mother while he was being beaten to death??? There is no way she did not hear anything. She allowed him to be locked in the closet, too. That bitch should fry alongside the baby beating bastard.

[Tundratot]

Doctors disagree on how Ryon Smith died. Ryon was found on his bedroom floor in the home he shared with his mother, Starr Lohman, and her live-in boyfriend, Lee Crutchfield, on Dec. 25, 2005.

Dr. Thomas Young, a Kansas City, Mo., forensic pathologist retained by Crutchfield's attorneys, Thomas Q. Keefe III and Ethan Skaggs, opined in an 11-page report that Smith died as a result of an undiagnosed epilepsy disorder.

Dr. Raj Nanduri, who conducted the autopsy on Ryon and is expected to testify for the prosecution, found he died as a result of blunt force trauma.

After receiving Young's report, prosecutors Steve Sallerson and Lisa Porter retained Dr. Harvey Cantor, a St. Louis pediatric neurologist who refuted Young's finding that the boy died as a result of the seizure disorder and buttressed Nanduri's previous finding of trauma as the cause of death.
http://www.bnd.com/2010/05/13/1253769/experts-disagree-on-cause-of-boys.html
http://i44.tinypic.com/2090i0x.jpgLee Crutchfield, left, Ryon Smith, right

We already heard earlier that the boy was beaten beyond recognition in an effort to make his race impossible to determine. No matter what, epilepsy did not do that. That finding is a crock of shit.

[AngelFire]

Lee Crutchfield is the epitome of ugliness, inside and out.

Rest in peace Ryon Smith.

[Tundratot]

Prosecutors say the judge who was to preside over a murder trial Tuesday is biased against them and they want another judge.

St. Clair County State's Attorney Bob Haida filed a motion Monday asking that Circuit Judge Milton Wharton be replaced in the first-degree murder trial for Lee Crutchfield, who is charged with beating his girlfriend's 6-year-old son to death on Christmas Day in 2005.

A hearing to determine whether Wharton will preside over the trial will be held Tuesday morning.

Haida stated that Wharton is prejudiced against the prosecution, citing a letter Wharton wrote to 5th Appellate Court Justices Richard Goldenhersh, Stephen Spomer and Bruce Stewart. In that letter, Wharton said the police's conduct during the investigation in the murder of 6-year-old Ryon Smith in Cahokia was a "miscarriage of justice."

Wharton had found the police denied Crutchfield, 37, legal counsel, then subjected him to psychological intimidation for eight hours before taking a statement. Wharton had barred prosecutors from using Crutchfield's statements to police during the trial.

The appellate court overturned part of Wharton's ruling,

In his June 10, 2009, letter, Wharton added that the appellate opinion will "serve as precedence to encourage future station house miscarriages of justice."

In the prosecutor's motion, Haida wrote that Wharton told prosecutor Steve Sallerson that he considered removing himself from the case, but because he would have no discretion if Crutchfield was found guilty by a jury -- the murder of a child carries an automatic life sentence -- he decided not to.

But on Friday, Crutchfield waived his right to a jury trial, leaving Wharton to decide guilt or innocence.

. . .

Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2010/05/24/1268389/judge-to-decide-fate-of-man-accused.html#ixzz0ovt9YBfZ


I didn't expect to see the prosecution complaining.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Just moments after a judge denied a prosecutor's motion arguing that St. Clair County Circuit Judge Milton Wharton, who was to preside over a murder trial is biased against them, Wharton took himself off the case.
[...]

No new trial date will be assigned until a new judge is assigned to the case.
http://www.bnd.com/2010/05/26/1270386/wharton-takes-himself-off-case.html

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Trial delayed... again
A trial scheduled to begin today in the Christmas Day beating death of a six year old boy, has been delayed once again.

News Channel 5 has learned through the St. Clair County State Attorney's office that the first degree murder trial against 38 year old Lee Crutchfield will now take place October 24th. This is just the latest trial delay in the five and a half year old case which began when Crutchfield was arrested in the death of Ryon Smith.
[...]

The child's mother is also charged in the crime. 29 year old Starr Lohman is also facing the first degree murder charge in her son's death. She's tentatively scheduled to be in court next month.
[...]

Court documents show a number of plaintiffs have filed protection orders against Crutchfield because of his violent and unpredictable behavior. Among them was Crutchfield's brother and several former female acquaintances.
http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/268455/3/Trial-of-man-charged-in-childs-murder-delayed

[nopatience]

Will this little boy ever get the justice he deserves? This is why a large portion of the court/justice system we have is a fail.

[Whisper]

Christmas Day murder of 6-year-old boy goes to trial


Belleville, Ill (KSDK) -- The trial began Monday morning in the Christmas Day beating death of a six-year-old boy in 2005.

[...]
Smith's body was found on the bedroom floor of the home Crutchfield shared with the youngster's mother. Police say the child had been repeatedly beaten, a case one investigator said was the worse he had ever seen.

Autopsy reports revealed the little boy had bruises over most of his young body, many recurring injuries after extended periods of abuse. Officials say Ryon was clearly emaciated when found dead on the floor of his bedroom. The official cause of death was classified as blunt trauma to the head and torso.

Starr Lohman, 29, was also charged with first-degree murder charge in her son's death.

Police say they received an emergency 911 call on Christmas night 2005 from Lohman claiming her child was not breathing. Detectives later discovered the child was allegedly disciplined by being kept inside a closet for hours at a time. http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/288255/3/Christmas-Day-murder-of-6-year-old-boy-goes-to-trial

[Tundratot]

deleted

[Tundratot]

The trial of the man accused of the beating death of the Cahokia 6-year-old boy is set to begin on Tuesday. A jury was selected late Monday afternoon.

Cahokia Police received a call on Christmas Eve from Ryon's mother, Starr Lohman, saying the boy wasn't breathing. Police found Ryon's lifeless body. They said the boy was beaten so badly his race could not immediately by determined.

Ryon weighed 35 pounds at the time of his death. He wasn't attending school. There were no presents or Christmas decorations in the home Ryon shared with his mother and Crutchfield on Falling Springs Road in Cahokia.

During a coroner's inquest, a police officer testified that Ryon was often placed in a closet as a form of punishment. Crutchfield and Lohman moved a large armoire against the closet to keep the boy inside, police said. The closet floor was stained with urine.

Dr. Thomas Young, a Kansas City, Mo., forensic pathologist retained by Crutchfield's attorneys, Thomas Q. Keefe III and Ethan Skaggs, opined in an 11-page report that Ryon died as a result of an undiagnosed epilepsy disorder.[!!!!!! One that leaves a child so bruised you can't tell his race?]

Dr. Raj Nanduri, who conducted the autopsy on Ryon and is expected to testify for the prosecution, found he died as a result of blunt force trauma.

While questioning the potential jurors on Monday afternoon, Keefe asked about whether anyone in the jury pool knew about epilepsy and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The case sat without a trial date for three years while waiting for an appellate decision about whether Crutchfield's statements to police could be used at trial. The trial has been delayed four times since the appellate decision came down in 2007. . . .

Lohman, 29, also remains in St. Clair County Jail awaiting trial on murder charges. She is expected to testify for prosecutors against Crutchfield.
http://www.bnd.com/2011/11/28/1958657/cahokia-man-to-stand-trial-for.html#ixzz1f8KVKwUe

Well, it's about f***ing time! That business about epilepsy is laughable. I have a hunch it will not gain any traction with the jury.

[Tundratot]

Former Cahokia Police Sgt. Tony Flinn broke down on the stand Tuesday during his testimony in the Christmas Eve 2005 murder of 6-year-old Ryon Smith.

It was Exhibit 8 -- a photograph of the lifeless Ryon's bruised and bloody face -- that caused the veteran police officer to cry. . . .

Flinn was the first police officer on the scene and the first to testify Tuesday as trial began for Lee Crutchfield. . . .

"He hit him and hit him and hit him and hit him and hit him," said Assistant State's Attorney Lisa Porter. "He hit him in the face. He hit him in the body. So many times."

Defense attorney Thomas Keefe III said Ryon died from an epileptic seizure, not a beating, and that it was Ryon's mother, Starr Lohman, who failed to get help for her little boy. . . .

Illinois State Police Special Agent Ben Koch, who was then working as a crime scene investigator, testified that he found in the house a wooden board used to wedge a closet door shut, clothes with a bloodlike substance on them in a box and a telephone book open to the hospital section.

Koch also told jurors that the house's thermostat was set at 90 degrees and the boy was wearing two pair of pants, thick socks, a T-shirt and sweatshirt.[WTF??]

He later took pictures of Crutchfield and Lohman's hands. He testified under questioning by St. Clair County Assistant State's Attorney Steve Sallerson that he believed Crutchfield's right hand was swollen.

During a videotaped statement taken Dec. 26, Crutchfield told officers that he punched Ryon twice in the face after the little boy bit his finger. He said the boy was challenging and called him racial slurs.

"I didn't have any dealings with Ryon," Crutchfield said. "He didn't like me. He resented me. ... He thought I was taking his mother away from him." . . .

During a second videotaped interview, Crutchfield told Taylor that Ryon slept inside the closet and was let out that Christmas Eve to use the bathroom. Crutchfield and Lohman placed diapers on the boy because he had started wetting his pants, Crutchfield told Taylor.

When they took him out of the closet, they found he had a dry diaper and had urinated inside the closet, Crutchfield said. Lohman began spanking the boy, Crutchfield said. When she went to put him back inside the closet, Crutchfield said he told her to stop because he noticed blood in his mouth. Ryon bit him on the finger.

Crutchfield told Taylor that he punched him a couple of times in the chest and twice in the face. Crutchfield said in the videotaped statement played for jurors that Lohman told Ryon that he shouldn't have bitten Crutchfield's finger.

She went to put him back in the closet, but Crutchfield said Lohman told him that she thought he was seizing. He said he told Lohman to put Ryon in his bed.

"He did still call me (an epithet) from that bed," Crutchfield told Taylor.

Crutchfield said he then went to a casino immediately after that.[Oh? How immediately? Did you leave the boy alone while Lohman was out?]

When he returned to the house on Upper Cahokia Road about noon, Crutchfield said Ryon was cold, but still had a pulse, so they put extra clothes on him to keep him warm.[How about you take him to the hospital instead?]

Lohman was reluctant to seek medical attention because she didn't have health insurance and she feared she would lose custody of her other son, 2-year-old RonTre.[Uh-huh. Stupid excuse.]

Sallerson showed Exhibit 8 to Taylor and asked about Ryon's injuries. Like Flinn, Taylor, too, became emotional before saying it appeared to be bruising, echoing Flinn's earlier testimony

"I'm not a doctor, but in my experience I have never seen anything like that caused by a seizure," Taylor said. . . .

http://www.bnd.com/2011/11/30/1960873/he-hit-him-and-hit-him-and-hit.html#ixzz1fJTrd0BT
Starr Lohman saw her boyfriend hit her son 20 to 30 times, then she went to the store.

Lohman said she did not call for help for 36 hours because she was scared and her boyfriend had told her that her son would be fine, even though the little boy was unresponsive following the beating. . . .

The altercation between Crutchfield and the boy began after Lohman told Crutchfield her son had urinated in a closet, she testified. This was the closet she said Crutchfield would place Ryon in when he was upset with him -- a couple of times overnight and with the door blocked by furniture.

She said Crutchfield was yelling at Ryon when Ryon bit Crutchfield's finger. Crutchfield started hitting Ryon in the face, held him down and beat his chest and stomach with the 20 to 30 blows. . . .

Lohman said she tried to stop Crutchfield and told him to stop, but he pushed her away and wouldn't stop hitting the little boy.

Crutchfield, 39, told police that he hit the boy a couple of times after being called a racial epithet. Lohman said she never heard her son use a racial slur against Crutchfield on the day he died.

Under questioning from Sallerson, Lohman also said her son did not have epilepsy. Defense attorney Thomas Keefe III said during opening statements Tuesday that Ryon died from an epileptic seizure, not a beating. . . .

Lohman said she did not recall that but did testify that he would have a "fake" seizure when he argued with Crutchfield. He would lie on the ground but would not injure himself, she said. She testified she went to the store after Crutchfield told her Ryon was probably just faking again and would get up when she left.

Keefe asked Lohman whether she conducted CPR on Ryon after calling 911 and being told to do so. She said she didn't because she thought he was still breathing -- his shirt was moving up and down. And why after she saw her son struck dozens of times by her boyfriend, did she go to the store and leave him with his attacker, Keefe asked.

"I shouldn't have left my child but I did," Lohman said.[Yeah, no kidding. Derp.]

What was the cause of death?

Nanduri on Wednesday afternoon restated her findings she developed for the coroner's office that Ryon died of a homicide caused by blunt trauma to the abdomen. But the defense's expert witness Dr. Thomas Young, of Heartland Forensic Pathologist LLC and the former head of the medical examiner's office in Jackson County, Mo., stated his opinion that the boy died a natural death due to epilepsy.

Much of the questioning focused on the different approaches the doctors took in their investigations. Nanduri relied mostly on her autopsy findings to conclude what had happened while also reviewing police, school and medical records. Young, on the other hand, said he used the statements Crutchfield and Lohman gave police before comparing it with the autopsy findings and other medical reports. He said those statements made immediately following the incident were fresher, therefore more reliable than any they had given since.

"(Nanduri) did an autopsy and she jumped to a conclusion," Young testified.

During Nanduri's testimony, graphic pictures of Ryon's bruised body were shown as the doctor indicated what she found.

But Young said the child abuse claim made no sense when comparing witness statements and the autopsy. What Lohman called "fake" seizures were actually real ones that could have caused the bruising when he fell down, he testified. Furthermore, the boy's habit of urinating and alleged use of racial epithets were also symptoms of epilepsy that began about a month before his death, he testified.[WTF!!!!]

Under questioning, Young testified a seizure was to blame for the altercation the morning Ryon died. The boy, suffering from a seizure, started biting down on his tongue, and Crutchfield stuck his finger in the boy's mouth to get him to stop. When the boy bit down on his finger, Crutchfield acted like anyone would and began "raining" down blows in order to have him let go, Young testified.[Uh, no. Anyone would not put their unprotected finger in the mouth of seizure victim.]

During cross-examination, Assistant State's Attorney Lisa Porter said Nanduri found no indication the boy's tongue was injured and noted no doctors had diagnosed the boy with epilepsy.

Young also said evidence of abdomen trauma was actually caused by Lohman giving the boy CPR long after he died. He based that on records that stated her mother told authorities she assisted Lohman with CPR.

http://www.bnd.com/2011/11/30/1961511/slain-cahokia-6-year-olds-mother.html#ixzz1fJR9Ozhe

[Dakota Valkyrie]

After deliberating for about two hours, the jury found Lee Crutchfield guilty of murder.

Crutchfield, 39, is charged with first degree murder. Authorities say he beat 6-year-old Ryon Smith to death 6 years ago on Christmas Eve. Ryon was the son of Crutchfield`s girl friend.

The sounds of crying and sobbing could be heard as attorneys for the state and the defense delivered closing arguments.
[...]

Ryon`s mother Starr Lohmann witnessed what happened to her son. She was also charged with first degree murder. She testified against Crutchfield after she cut a deal with the state and will plead guilty to a lesser charge and spend 15 to 30 year in prison.

Photos of the boy’s battered body were repeatedly shown to the jury.

A sentencing hearing has been set for January 19, 2012 before the Honorable Judge Brian Babka.http://www.fox2now.com/news/ktvi-jury-finds-man-guilty-in-christmas-eve-murder-case-20111201,0,4384945.story

[Whisper]

Crutchfield, 39, is charged with first degree murder. Authorities say he beat 6-year-old Ryon Smith to death 6 years ago on Christmas Eve. Ryon was the son of Crutchfield`s girl friend.
wouldnt that be poetic justice if he was beaten to death on Christmas Eve??:santaclaus:

[badfish76]

This is good news!

I HATE these fucking "people" and I think they both should die.

[HeatherHabilatory]

They should both just be shot. But I'll take this I guess.

How would a six year old know what a seizure looks like???

[Tundratot]

I'm not sure I'd know what a seizure looked like. I have my ideas, but there seem to be a lot of kinds of seizures.


The sentencing for a former Cahokia woman charged in connection with the death of her son has been delayed.

Starr Lohman had been scheduled for sentencing today as part of a plea deal in return for her testimony that helped convict boyfriend Lee Crutchfield of beating her 6-year-old son, Ryon Smith, to death in Cahokia at Christmastime 2005. The hearing was continued and a new date has not been set.

Prosecutors said Ryon died because his mother, failed to protect him as Crutchfield inflicted numerous blows to his body. Ryon had spent the final days of his life locked in a closet, and had 57 distinct injuries, according to medical testimony. . . .

At trial, she said she was under an agreement that her own first-degree murder charge would be reduced to aggravated battery of a child, with a recommended sentence of 15 to 30 years. She would have to serve 85 percent, and get credit for six years in jail awaiting trial. . . .

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/cahokia-woman-to-be-sentenced-for-role-in-son-s/article_c09e5b22-4c26-11e1-a03e-001a4bcf6878.html

Dragging this out . . . further and further.

[Tundratot]

The sentencing for a man convicted of the Christmas Eve fatal beating of 6-year-old Ryon Smith was delayed until June 11.
http://www.bnd.com/2012/03/06/2088043/sentencing-delayed-for-man-convicted.html

[AngelFire]

Ugh keep delaying this shit. Just shoot them both betweens the eyes and let's get on with life. Wasted more time then we need to.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

http://i0.simplest-image-hosting.net/picture/20120901-01.jpg#REMEMBER-TO-LINK-SIMPLEST-IMAGE-HOSTING.NET-WHEN-HOTLINKING (http://simplest-image-hosting.net/jpg-0-20120901-01) http://i0.simplest-image-hosting.net/picture/20120901-02.jpg#REMEMBER-TO-LINK-SIMPLEST-IMAGE-HOSTING.NET-WHEN-HOTLINKING (http://simplest-image-hosting.net/jpg-0-20120901-02)
Crutchfield was sentenced to life in prison.

Starr Lohman, who stood by while her 6-year-old son, Ryon Smith, was beaten so badly by her boyfriend he would later die, has been sentenced to 16 years in state prison.

Lohman, 30, was sentenced Tuesday by Circuit Judge Milton Wharton on her guilty plea of aggravated battery to a child under 13. [...]

Lohman was given credit for 2,436 days, or 6.7 years, she served in the St. Clair County Jail while awaiting a final outcome in her case. That leaves 9.3 years on her sentence.

St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly said Wednesday that his office requested a 30-year sentence for Lohman, which is the maximum.

St. Louis attorney Mike Mettes, of the law firm of Rosenblum, Schwartz, Rogers and Glass, P.C., who represented Lohman, said, "We pointed out to the judge that Starr Lohman has grown a lot in the last six and one-half years she has been incarcerated. The judge noted that in sentencing. She got her GED. She never got a write-up in the jail... She was kind of a model citizen..."
[...]

Instead of calling for help after seeing her son punched again and again, Lohman went to a store and didn't call for medical help until 36 hours later. She claimed that Crutchfield told her that despite Ryon's unconscious state, the 6-year-old would be all right.

During a coroner's inquest in 2006, a formality required under law to establish a cause of death even though murder charges against Lohman and Crutchfield had already been filed, Cahokia Police Detective Tim Schrader said that one of Ryon's last acts was to defiantly bite Crutchfield's finger. The boy was then struck numerous times, the detective said.

Schrader testified that Lohman told investigators that Ryon was locked in the closet whenever he made Crutchfield angry.

"The mother said he spent more time inside than outside the closet," Schrader said at the inquest.
http://www.bnd.com/2012/08/29/2300889/cahokia-woman-sentenced-to-16.html

[VXIII]

This just makes me ill and very sad for little Ryan. WTF is wrong with that DR.

[LadyCygnet]

Dr. Thomas Young, a Kansas City, Mo., forensic pathologist retained by Crutchfield's attorneys, Thomas Q. Keefe III and Ethan Skaggs, opined in an 11-page report that Smith died as a result of an undiagnosed epilepsy disorder.


Under questioning, Young testified a seizure was to blame for the altercation the morning Ryon died. The boy, suffering from a seizure, started biting down on his tongue, and Crutchfield stuck his finger in the boy's mouth to get him to stop. When the boy bit down on his finger, Crutchfield acted like anyone would and began "raining" down blows in order to have him let go, Young testified.[Uh, no. Anyone would not put their unprotected finger in the mouth of seizure victim.]

During cross-examination, Assistant State's Attorney Lisa Porter said Nanduri found no indication the boy's tongue was injured and noted no doctors had diagnosed the boy with epilepsy.

Young also said evidence of abdomen trauma was actually caused by Lohman giving the boy CPR long after he died. He based that on records that stated her mother told authorities she assisted Lohman with CPR.

This guy needs to lose his license.

[GoldenChild20k]

and Crutchfield stuck his finger in the boy's mouth to get him to stop. When the boy bit down on his finger, Crutchfield acted like anyone would and began "raining" down blows in order to have him let go, Young testified.



This guy needs to lose his license.

Absolutely. What a fucking crock of shit. I've got seven kids, all breastfed, and each and every one of them have at some point bitten me hard on the nipple. THE NIPPLE! Way hurtier than a finger. Not once did I feel inclined to begin "raining down blows" upon them. This guy obviously got a kick back to skew the autopsy report in the direction the defense wanted it to go. Someone should check up on how many other times he's testified in court, and take a close look at each of those cases. His "expertise" clearly can't be trusted, because it's for sale.

[Tundratot]

My heart aches for Ryon, being pulverized, starved, locked in the closet, forgotten, humiliated being forced to wear diapers and refused bathroom breaks -- all without any defense from his mom. When he tried to retaliate or defend himself, just more pain and anguish.

Bitch deserves the same treatment. Crutchfield, well, he should just die. His life is worthless and a needless drain of resources.

And . . . where the hell were the neighbors, extended family, Ryon's father?