Devin Smith broke 2-year-old Sania's heart

[Dakota Valkyrie]

The Skagit County Prosecuting attorney filed a second-degree murder charge Friday against the uncle of a 2-year-old girl who died last month.

Devin Deon Smith, 25, of Mount Vernon, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Sania Amarie Dupree on the night of July 4 or early July 5. ... The Skagit County Coroner’s Office officially ruled Sania’s death a homicide this week after it received results from forensic lab testing.
[...]

The child had been left in the care of her aunt and uncle while her mother, who is in the military, served duty in South Korea. The aunt was not at home when the child died, according to police reports.

http://www.goskagit.com/home/article...oddlers_death/

From reporting in July:

[...]
In the week before Sania’s death, her aunt noticed bruises and swelling on the toddler’s face, according to an affidavit filed by prosecutors in Skagit County District Court. Smith told the aunt that Sania hurt herself on a trampoline or fell down the stairs, according to the affidavit.
[...]

Smith told police he awoke to a thumping sound and found Sania on the bathroom floor, according to the affidavit. He told police she wasn’t breathing, but he felt a pulse.

Smith said he tried CPR, then went to a neighbor for help rather than call 911 himself, the affidavit said.

Although Smith denied Sania was hurt while in his care, he later said he dropped her on the garage floor when he took her there to try CPR, the affidavit said. The uncle told police that he and the sleeping 5-year-old were the only people with Sania for the five hours prior to the 911 call.

At the hospital, the pediatrician saw no signs of injury but took a swab to test for the possibility of flu, according to police.

The test for flu was positive, though a test for swine flu was negative. But an autopsy Monday revealed two skull fractures, broken ribs, bruising on her back, an eye injury and a heart injury that could have caused immediate death, according to the affidavit.

The pathologist said the broken ribs were inconsistent with CPR injuries and that Sania had blood clotting in her skull, which indicated a previous injury, the affidavit said.

The aunt told police that Sania had been listless and not eating prior to her death. Brantley also described two different incidents in which Smith had told her that Sania had been injured while reportedly playing on the trampoline. The aunt told police that she was upset that Smith hadn’t told her about the injuries until she asked about the bruises, according to the affidavit.

Smith also told Brantley that Sania had been kicked by the 5-year-old girl, but the aunt told officers the severity of the child’s bruises made her doubt his explanation, the affidavit said.

Brantley told police that “she didn’t know why, but when Smith is gone everything is fine, and when Smith arrives home, (Sania) will say ‘help me’ and then starts crying,” the affidavit said.

http://www.goskagit.com/home/article..._nieces_death/

He was originally charged with 1st degree murder but due to a legal technicality, charges had to be reduced to 2nd degree.

Bruises you are suspicious of AND a child crying "help me"? I wonder what proof the woman was waiting for? Obviously, she has it now.

[FlamingFox]

SMITH DEVIN DEON 406274
Incarceration Date: 03:07:00 07/07/09
Scheduled Release:
Jail Housing Location: D Pod
Visitation Hours: Fridays 7:45PM to 8:50PM

Arrest Date : 00:15:00 07/07/09
Arrest Type : INVESTIGATIVE HOLD
Arrest Agency : MOUNT VERNON POLICE DEPT
Arrest Officer :
Arrest Location : MOUNT VERNON PD

Offense Date Offense Description Related Incident Court Court Reference Bail Amount Bail Type
00:46:00 07/05/09 MURDER 2 09-M11068 DC V09-257
00:00:00 07/05/09 MURDER 1 DEGREE 09-M11068 SC W09-002
00:00:00 07/05/09 MURDER 2 FELONY MURDER 09-M11068 SC 09-1-00611-2 1,000,000.00 BONDSMAN

Arrest Date : 00:15:00 07/07/09
Arrest Type : MISDEMEANOR WARRANT ARREST
Arrest Agency : BURLINGTON POLICE DEPT
Arrest Officer :
Arrest Location : MOUNT VERNON PD

Offense Date Offense Description Related Incident Court Court Reference Bail Amount Bail Type
00:00:00 12/17/07 DISORDERLY CONDUCT 07-B11001 BMC BUC010122

LINK

[FlamingFox]

Mount Vernon police were called to a home in the 3800 block of East Broadway for a child not breathing on July 5 at about 12:45 a.m., said police spokeswoman Jill Boudreau.

The 2-year-old child was taken to Skagit Valley Hospital where she later died.

According to a police affidavit, the toddler’s uncle, Devon Deon Smith told police he'd been sleeping, heard a noise and woke up to find the child not breathing.

Initially, it appeared the child had come down with flu like symptoms, but an autopsy later determined that the child had internal injuries consisting of head trauma and damage to internal organs, Boudreau said.

Smith, 25, was arrested for investigation of second-degree murder.

Police said the toddler had been living with her aunt and Smith while her mother was deployed in Afghanistan.

Smith’s bail is set at $1 million.

Link

[Silvahalo]

At the hospital, the pediatrician saw no signs of injury but took a swab to test for the possibility of flu, according to police.

The test for flu was positive, though a test for swine flu was negative. But an autopsy Monday revealed two skull fractures, broken ribs, bruising on her back, an eye injury and a heart injury that could have caused immediate death, according to the affidavit.
[...]
Brantley told police that “she didn’t know why, but when Smith is gone everything is fine, and when Smith arrives home, (Sania) will say ‘help me’ and then starts crying,”

Your kidding me? you didn't know why? a toddler says "help me", and STILL no one helps. Idiot. Same goes for the Pediatrician. She must have done a damn lazy job in inspecting little Sania to NOT see injuries to her eye and back, those I would think would be visible. These two adults just might have put a stop to this abuse if they had been more vigilant, simply taken more notice and taken nothing for chance. Champion the helpless, people. Sania couldn't defend herself.

This bastard should get death. He was a beating on a baby that was sick with the flu. Just die. I'm so sick of baby killers. The lot of them should just be killed or locked up to rot.

So sorry little Sania that your fears and pain went unnoticed.