Koffi Dogbevi Charged With 1st Degree Murder After Son Taken Off Life Support

[Whisper]

PIMA COUNTY, AZ (KOLD) - A 6-year-old boy was taken off life support 8 days after detectives responded to the residence for a child abuse call, Pima County Sheriff's Department spokesman Deputy Jason Ogan said.

Pima County Sheriff's Detectives arrived at the residence in the San Xavier District on August 3, and interviewed a six-year-old boy who had fallen down a flight of stairs.
[...]
The father, Koffi Dogbevi, was booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Facility on August 10, for child abuse charges.

On August 11, Koffi Dogbevi was charged with 1st Degree Murder in the death of his 6-year-old son, who was removed from life support after initially being transported to the hospital on August 3.http://www.wxix.com/Global/story.asp?S=12966822http://i33.tinypic.com/33atk6o.jpg
Koffi Dogbevi

[nopatience]

So sad.:dong:

May he be beat w/ a soap sock dipped in boiling oil and coated with glass shards for the rest of his natural life.

[momof3]

6? Really? My oldest Just turned 7 and I was just telling a friend today that this is such a great age! She still wants to hang out with mommy, values my opinion, and is pretty self sufficient. What is better then that?

[Whisper]

Tucson man accused of beating stepson to death had been investigated by CPS
A man facing a murder charge in connection with death of his 6-year-old stepson had been investigated by Child Protective Services on child abuse allegations as far back as December, officials said Thursday.

CPS spokesman Steve Meissner said the state agency is conducting a joint investigation with local authorities against Koffi A. Dogbevi, 23, who is accused of beating Michael Ibarra on Aug. 3.

Ibarra died Wednesday after being taken off life support at University Medical Center.
[...]
Deputies first became involved with the incident on Aug. 3 when they went to the boy's home near South Swan Road and East Valencia Road.

They were initially told Ibarra had fallen down a flight of stairs, and court records indicate Ibarra told paramedics, as they took him to UMC, that he'd been getting spanked by Dogbevi prior to falling down the stairs.

Investigators determined Ibarra's injuries, which included bruises and head trauma, were not consistent with a fall, Ogan said.

Child Protective Services was called to UMC on Aug. 3 and told deputies they had first been in contact with Ibarra in December, court records show.

The CPS investigator had proposed a "sustained allegation of child abuse" against Dogbevi, determining Ibarra had sustained an eye injury after being struck in the face by Dogbevi, court records show.http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/d71da4e2-a638-11df-b94d-001cc4c03286.html

[ineedanap]

Damn, he was awake and alert enough to be interviewed by police and tell the paramedics what happened, yet he still died 3 days later!!! Poor kid!

[Jerri Blank]

http://a.imageshack.us/img198/7153/6yearoldmichaelibarra.jpg
6-year-old Michael Ibarra

Only picture I could find of the little man so far, This is just horrifying what has happened to him!

[Whisper]

http://a.imageshack.us/img198/7153/6yearoldmichaelibarra.jpg
6-year-old Michael Ibarra

Only picture I could find of the little man so far, This is just horrifying what has happened to him!
What a beautiful boy
Thanks Jerri

[Dakota Valkyrie]

News 4 has confirmed the arrest of Monica Ibarra-Dogbevi, the mother of a 6-year-old boy who investigators say was murdered by his stepfather.
[...]

Monica Ibarra-Dogbevi has been charged with child abuse.
http://www.kvoa.com/news/mother-of-murdered-6-year-old-arrested/

[tenntitanfan]

6? Really? My oldest Just turned 7 and I was just telling a friend today that this is such a great age! She still wants to hang out with mommy, values my opinion, and is pretty self sufficient. What is better then that?

It really doesn't get any better than that! I'm lucky my son just turned 11 and he still feels that way - we are uber close. I wish it would last forever.
How can someone hurt their child? It's such a warm feeling in your heart when you hear "mommy, I love you!" I will never understand it. It just breaks my heart.:banghead:

[Valasca]

Seriously?
I don't have children, and yet my maternal instincts tend to kick in when I see a child hurt or sad. How can a real mother do this? I am interested in seeing more on her charges.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

http://i0.simplest-image-hosting.net/168bf183b2abe8bc9188aacc163dd507/-dd-1172.jpg
As his cousin Monica Ibarra-Dogbevi faced a child abuse charge after the death of her son Michael, Jorge Parra held his family together Thursday. Ibarra-Dogbevi's husband has already been arrested on charges of the death.

"She was completely controlled. He had full control of her actions, 90 percent of the time, except maybe when she was away at work," Jorge Parra said about his cousin's relationship with her husband.
[...]

"They're also going to hold her accountable no matter what type of situation she was in," he said.

Parra said that she was dealing with the loss of other close family already.

"From her brother passing away, about three and a half years ago, her father passing away two years ago, now her baby passed away two weeks ago, now the call that her grandmother's on her deathbed," he said.

But Parra knows that now his cousin must face a case that charges what she did, or did not do, before her son's death.

"Our concern is for her safety and her welfare and I hope courts show her sympathy and remorse and we apologize to all of those who might be affected," he said.
http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=13094951

[Whisper]

Allegedly killed by step-father: Michael Ibarra, 6 – UPDATE with add’l arrest
Sep. 07, 2010
Michael Ibarra, 6, died Aug. 11, and his 23-year-old step-father, Koffi Dogbevi, is being charged in connection with his murder, according to a news release from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.


Koffi Dogbevi/submitted photo
Ibarra died after being taken of life support, eight days after he was found suffering from injuries.

Detectives in the San Xavier District were called to the 4700 block of East American Beauty Drive on a report of child abuse on Aug. 3. They found Ibarra injured, and were told he had fallen down a flight of stairs. They interviewed the boy but also found the stair story didn’t pan out.
[...]
Ibarra was taken to the hospital Aug. 3 and eventually ended up on life support, which was disconnected Aug. 11.

Dogbevi was originally booked into Pima County Adult Detention Center on child abuse charges Aug. 10, while his stepson was still alive.

When his stepchild died the following day, Dogbevi’s charges were increased to include first-degree murder.

UPDATE 09/07:
A second arrest has been made in the Aug. 3 death of 6-year-old Michael Ibarra, according to an update from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

Monica Ibarra-Dogbevi was arrested Sept. 2 on child abuse charges, a class 4 felony.http://tucsoncitizen.com/dead/2010/09/07/allegedly-killed-by-father-boy-6/

[Whisper]

CPS finds abuse...eventually
The little boy showed up at school last December with a black eye. He'd been absent for a few days and the bruise, by then, was faint but still there and so the child's teacher asked him what had happened.
The boy had a ready excuse. He'd fallen down the stairs. But there was something in the six year old's voice that made the teacher pull him aside and ask again.
“Mommy doesn't want me to tell anyone at school that my dad hit me,” the little boy said.

The teacher did his job that day. The question is, did anybody else?

Not the extended family, apparently. They'd suspected abuse but didn't do anything about it. Not the mother, certainly. She told authorities that her son fell down and that he often lies.

Tucson police took pictures but the injury wasn't deemed serious enough to warrant further investigation and so the fate of this boy was left in the hands of Child Protective Services.

On Aug. 23, eight months after he showed up at school with a black eye, CPS pronounced that the boy had indeed been abused by his stepfather that long ago December day. This was little solace to the teacher who had reported it or to the little boy who had endured it.

Michael Ibarra died on Aug. 11, the result of injuries he suffered the previous week when his stepfather reported that he'd fallen down the stairs -- again.

“Michael told me that his father had pushed him down the stairs and then (eight) months later, that's what he did again and it killed him.,,,,” Michael's teacher, David Dalrymple, told me this week. “They didn't do anything about it and that's what led to his death.”

Dalrymple is understandably angry that neither the police nor CPS took his report seriously.

According to Tucson police and a CPS report released this week in response to public-records requests, the boy had been absent for several days before arriving at school on Dec. 4 with a bruise beneath his left eye. The Arizona Republic requsted the report several weeks ago, as did the Arizona Daily Star and a Tucson television station. The agency is still withholding parts of the report, saying Pima County prosecutors have not yet cleared it for release.

After the boy admitted that he'd been hit, the school called CPS and the police. His mother, Monica Ibarra-Dogbevi and stepfather, Koffi Dogbevi claimed that Michael fell and was prone to “telling stories” and soon after, records indicate they withdrew the boy from the school, angry that police and CPS had been called.

The CPS caseworker suspected early on that Michael had been abused. On Jan. 19, during a follow-up visit, he told her he was “not supposed to tell about what happened at my old school because my mom and dad said if I tell I will be taken away.”

But the little boy talked anyway, telling her about being slapped in the face for failing to say good night to his stepfather, about being hit in the temple “because I wasn't doing my homework fast enough.” About missing school recently because of a bump on his head. “I'm not supposed to tell anybody,” he confided.

Despite the caseworker's concerns, CPS decided there wasn't enough evidence to offer Michael any protection. The caseworker did notify the school of their concern but they didn't have much to offer the family, other than six months of free daycare for Michael and his year-old brother and an 800 number for Community Information and Referral.

In April, CPS notified the couple that the report of abuse had been proposed for substantiation and that the case would be closed. Nothing, however, would happen in time to save the boy.

In August, Dogbevi called 911, explaining that his stepson had fallen down the stairs while he was babysitting and that the boy was unconscious. Michael awoke long enough to tell his rescuers that he was being spanked at the top of the stairs when he fell. He died eight days later, just a few days before CPS declared that he'd suffered physical abuse last year.

In addition to the injuries suffered from his August fall, he had bruises in various stages of healing, and several older fractures. He also had a bunch of relatives who came out of the woodwork to tell police that they'd suspected all along that the boy was being abused.

Sadly, it appears they never bothered to say anything to the police when it might have mattered. Neither did CPS.

Chuck Rydzak, a Tucson police spokesman, said they would have assigned a detective had they known CPS suspected abuse. Instead, they investigated his death. Dogbevi has been charged with murder and Ibarra-Dogbevi with child abuse.

CPS officials, meanwhile, haven't explained why they didn't notify the police about their concerns. But a spokesman says the agency's Protective Services Review Team couldn't make a formal finding of abuse without first giving Dogbevi a chance to appeal.

“It's a complex process and it can take awhile,” spokesman Steve Meissner said. “It's detailed and has to be respectful both of the rights of the child and of the person being accused.”

I'm not sure how the rights of the child were respected here, other than his right, presumably, to a decent burial. But Meissner, at least, admitted that something went wrong here. That's a refreshing change from past cases when I've been assured that CPS workers did everything right -- right up until the moment of death.
“A kid's dead,” Meissner said. “That's never acceptable.”
[...]http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/LaurieRoberts/98482

[Dakota Valkyrie]

A Tucson woman charged with child abuse in the death of her 6-year-old son will be getting a new lawyer after making accusations against her current attorney in open court.

Monica Ibarra-Dogbevi told Judge Charles Sabalos this morning she wants a new attorney because the one she hired -- Mark Williams -- gave her a kiss once and because he exposed her to children when she's not allowed to be around children.

Ibarra-Dogbevi would've gone on, but Judge Sabalos interrupted her.

Asked to respond, Williams told the judge his client "isn't representing the truth" to him and her comments were "not accurate."

He also said he didn't feel comfortable with Ibarra-Dogbevi talking to the judge because of the seriousness of the charges she faces and the fact he didn't know what she was going to say next.

Ibarra-Dogbevi told Judge Sabalos her mother took out a loan to pay Williams, but now she wants a court-appointed lawyer. The judge granted her request after learning Ibarra-Dogbevi lost her job at a bank after her arrest and she now works at a call center in Nogales making $8.75 an hour.

Ibarra-Dogbevi said she has a 10-year-old car and $20 in the bank.

The judge also agreed to allow Ibarra-Dogbevi supervised visits with her 1-year-old son.
[...]

What has gone unreported until now is UMC doctors discovered old broken bones that were in the process of healing. Michael's left hand, his lumbar and cervical spine had all been injured in the past. He also had older bruises.

The attending radiologist for UMC said the lumbar fracture would've caused "considerable pain and would not be something a 6-year-old child would be able to ignore," according to court documents.

CPS and TPD had investigated Koffi Dogbevi for abuse last December, but he was never charged with a crime until Michael died.

According to court documents, Michael told investigators in January his mom knew he'd been spanked by Koffi Dogbevi before, but his mom didn't do anything. He also said he was told he'd be spanked if he told anyone and that he had to stay home from school and in his bedroom until the"bump" on his head went away.

Court documents indicate Monica Ibarra-Dogbevi enrolled Michael in a different school after his teacher reported the suspected abuse last December.

Ibarra-Dogbevi started out her litany complaints by telling Judge Sabalos "I'm a domestic violence victim, but I'm not being seen as one."
http://azstarnet.com/news/blogs/courthouse/article_4a3af848-eb81-11df-a012-001cc4c002e0.html

[Whisper]

TUCSON, AZ (KOLD) - A Tucson mother admits she didn't do all she could to save her son from his step-father.

Today Monica Ibarra-Dogbevi pleaded guilty to child abuse in the death of 6-year-old Michael Ibarra.

She admitted in court that she didn't protect him and didn't get medical help for him after he'd been beaten.

She told Judge Leonardo she saw her son's bruises over several months
[...]

Paramedics found Michael unconscious suffering from a head injury at the family's home last August.

Before going into surgery, he woke up and told paramedics he fell down the stairs while being spanked by his step-father.
Michael went through a second emergency surgery and he was on life support for more than a week before it was removed and he died.

He was covered in bruises and his autopsy revealed he had had two spinal fractures and a broken hand.

Today his mother pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse and as part of the plea agreement, she will testify against her husband.

Koffi Dogbevi, who is charged with first degree murder and child abuse, is set to go on trial June 28.

Child Protective Services interviewed the boy twice in the month before he died.

Both CPS and the Tucson Police Department investigated Dogbevi but he wasn't charged with anything until Michael died.http://www.kold.com/story/14520258/mom-pleads-guilty-in-sons-death

[Whisper]

Mother of killed 6-year-old sentenced for two counts of Child Abuse

TUCSON - The Tucson mother who pleaded guilty to child abuse after her 6-year-old son died in an area hospital was sentenced for two felony counts of Child Abuse in Superior Court this morning.

For the first count of failing to protect Michael Ibarra from abuse by his stepfather, Monica Yadira Ibarra-Dogbevi was sentenced to two years in prison, minus time served, which amounts to about a year total of jail time. For the second count, which states that she committed child abuse by "failing to seek medical attention for fracture to the lumbar spine," she was sentenced to 15 years probation.

Koffi Dogbevi, the boy's stepfather, was arrested August 10th, the day before Michael Ibarra was taken off life support at a local hospital. He pleaded not guilty to first degree murder charges.
Case files released last year reveal a pattern of abuse.

The first call to Tucson police occurred in December of 2009. The police report says, "The teacher says Michael Ibarra 'came to school with a black eye.'"

According to the police report, the teacher asked Michael about it, and the child responded "I fell down some stairs." The teacher asked a second time, the child responded, "My mommy told me not to tell anyone, but my daddy hit me."

Tucson Police were called; an officer asked Michael "What happened with his eye." Michael said," I was hit," it says in the report.

The officer contacted his Sergeant, a crime scene unit responded. A report was made to Child Protective Services, and the Dependent Child Unit who "Advised that he would not be sending a detective to the scene."

[....]
"We did not feel it warranted any action on that day based on the history, based on information we obtained."

According to the police report, the police officer spoke with Michael's mother and asked how the child had gotten the bruise? She responded that they were moving and he was walking around some of the boxes slipped and fell down the stairs.

The report says the mother told police Michael "was prone to telling stories."

The stepfather was then questioned, "Koffi responded, he slipped on the stairs going up their old apartment last night."

Assistant Chief Robinson says, "So is there something we could've done to prevent this tragedy, no, I don't think there is, and that responsibility lies with the individual who committed this crime."http://www.kvoa.com/news/mother-of-killed-6-year-old-sentenced-for-two-counts-of-child-abuse/

[Dakota Valkyrie]

On Wednesday, Pima County Superior Court Judge John Leonardo received petitions signed by more than 1,600 people pleading with him not to send Monica Ibarra to prison.

Many of them were gathered in his courtroom wearing purple to signify their support of the woman, who admitted she neither protected her murdered 6-year-old son from her husband nor sought medical care for the boy after he'd been beaten.

Ibarra’s sister, Cathy Romero, played Leonardo a PowerPoint presentation. In it, a child, speaking as Ibarra’s surviving son, pleaded with the judge to allow his mommy to come home to him. He described Ibarra as a loving mother who was afraid her husband would either take her children to Africa or kill them if she reported his abuse.

Under the terms of the plea agreement Ibarra signed, Leonardo had no choice. He had to send her to prison.

Leonardo did, however, send her to the minimum time possible.

Ibarra was sentenced to two years in prison with a consecutive sentence of 15 years probation.
[...]

Ibarra, who has since divorced Dogbevi, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of child abuse and agreed to testify against him. He has since pleaded guilty and will be sentenced Monday.

Romero told Leonardo the justice system cannot continue to punish battery victims and her sister plans to become a voice for other victims.

Deputy Pima County Attorney Ryan Schmidt told Leonardo his office was troubled Ibarra told Michael he would be taken away from her if he ever told anyone about the abuse. Nor did Ibarra take advantage of the many family members available to help her — family members who had noticed Michael’s injuries.

Defense attorney Jordan Cohen said a doctor who performed a psychological evaluation on Ibarra concluded the woman believed she was powerless to act. Her husband threatened to kill her family and alienated her from them. Ibarra now suffers from post traumatic stress syndrome, depression and anxiety, Cohen said.

Since her arrest, Ibarra has read a lot on domestic violence and parenting and attended counseling sessions, Cohen said. She has completed most of tasks given her by CPS in the hopes of being reunited with her youngest son.

“It’s extremely sad the state is requiring any incarceration,” Cohen said.

Ibarra asked the judge for the minimum amount of time possible, not for her, but for her son.

However, according to court documents, the state is moving to sever Ibarra’s parental rights.

Michael’s father told a probation officer Ibarra could have placed his son with him at anytime and expressed anger he wasn’t told of Michael’s death until a month after the fact. However, he said Ibarra has suffered enough and doesn’t need to go to prison. He wants her to continue counseling.
[...]
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/tucson-mom-given-years-for-role-in-son-s-death/article_da60da06-4d13-11e1-8436-001871e3ce6c.html

[ineedanap]

Oh fucking wahhhhh! She should fry!

[Dakota Valkyrie]

A political asylee from Togo was sentenced to 22 years in prison Monday for causing the death of his ex wife’s 6-year-old son.

Koffi Dogbevi, 25, admitted he was spanking Michael Ibarra for not cleaning his room when the boy fell down some stairs, suffering a massive head injury that proved fatal.

“I regret my actions,” Dogbevi told a presentence report writer. “I am not a bad person or a criminal. I made a huge mistake.”

In Togo, corporal punishment is considered incumbent upon responsible parents, Assistant Pima County Public Defender Brian Metcalf told Pima County Superior Court Judge Clark Munger.

His client did not act with a “malicious heart,” Metcalf said in asking for a 16-year prison sentence to be imposed.
[...]

Monica Ibarra was permitted to attend the hearing, but was not permitted to speak because of her status as a co-defendant.

Prior to his sentencing, Dogbevi told a probation officer he didn’t think Ibarra, who divorced him following their arrest, should have to go to prison for something he did. He said he wanted her to remain free to raise their now 2-year-old son.

However, Dogbevi also disputed Ibarra’s contention that she was a victim of severe domestic violence. She has long maintained she could not seek help for herself and Michael for fear of being beaten or killed. She also said Dogbevi threatened to take the children to Africa.

Dogbevi recalled a lone incident in which they shouted and pushed each other and he threw a remote control.

Dogbevi moved to Ghana at 18 to avoid arrest and came to the United States the following year. He was granted political asylum in August 2006.

U.S. Immigration, Customs and Enforcement has placed a hold on Dogbevi.

However, Deputy Pima County Attorney Ryan Schmidt told Munger he would prefer Dogbevi serve 100 percent of his time prior to ICE taking custody of him.

While the U.S. often deports immigrants convicted of crimes prior to their sentences being completed, Togo and the U.S. do not have an extradition agreement so it’s unclear what will happen to Dogbevi, said his other attorney, Margo Cowan.
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/tucson-man-given-years-in-death-of-wife-s-son/article_bbe37196-50fc-11e1-9704-001871e3ce6c.html