William O'Shell & Tiffany Cuin-O'Shell: Murder-suicide brought on by injured baby?

[Jaded]

A Lakewood police officer who was questioned in an abuse investigation involving his 3-month-old daughter was found dead in his home along with his wife following an apparent murder-suicide.


Police are investigating the shooting deaths of William O'Shell, 36, a Lakewood police officer, and Tiffany Cuin-O'Shell, 25, a former Lakewood police officer, as a possible murder-suicide, said Sgt. Joseph Sandoval, a spokesman for the Commerce City Police Department.

The couple's daughter was taken from the home on June 17. Authorities began questioning William O'Shell in the abuse of the child — who had suffered serious injuries, including fractures — within the last few days, Sandoval said.

Lakewood police had been notified by O'Shell that he and other family members had been questioned in the abuse case but not that he was a suspect, said Steve Davis, Lakewood police spokesman. He had not been placed on administrative leave, Davis said.

Police went to the O'Shell home at 6:15 p.m. Monday after receiving a phone call from a relative of the couple, who were found in the home in the 11500 block of River Run Parkway, Sandoval said.


Authorities also are investigating who fired the shots, he said.

Davis said William O'Shell began working as a patrol officer for Lakewood in March 2005 and did not have any reprimands. His wife began working for the department in April 2006 and resigned in September 2007, he said.


He notified his superiors about the child-abuse investigation 10 days before the deaths. O'Shell worked his last shift as a police officer on Saturday from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m., Davis said.

Adams County Social Services took custody of the couple's 3-month-old daughter and placed her in foster care, Martinez said.

http://origin.denverpost.com/technology/ci_9752685

[Jaded]

Hmmmmm...interesting.
http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-cop-mur...,7622949.story

At a news conference in Commerce City on Tuesday, police made a stunning announcement: William O'Shell was the prime suspect in a child abuse case involving his own 3-month-old daughter. Sgt. Joe Sandoval told reporters, "The child suffered what we consider to be serious bodily injury. It was nothing life threatening, but serious enough to where it involved fractures, breaks and things of that nature."

Sandoval says it was June 17th when the couple first brought the baby to a hospital. "Our investigators responded directly to the hospital to start interviewing doctors and family members who were there to try to make their determination about who had cared for the child, " he said.

The investigation focused on four people: William O'Shell, Tiffany O'Shell and two relatives who had cared for the baby. But soon, everyone but William was ruled out as a suspect and police say they were just about ready to make the arrest. "The case was being built. We were getting very close to presenting the case to the D.A.'s office," said Sandoval.

[Jaded]

He really wanted to make sure the job was done....damn.

Friday, Commerce City released an update to the investigation, indicating that William O'Shell had shot his wife twice in the head before turning the weapons on himself.

"He placed two guns in his mouth," said Joe Sandoval, Commerce City Police spokesman.

Three Glock pistols were recovered from the bedroom.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/new...f-with-2-guns/

[Jaded]

Family members say a baby whose parents died in a murder-suicide amid a child-abuse investigation had a genetic disease that made her vulnerable to broken bones.

Jackie Cuin told the Rocky Mountain News in Friday's editions her granddaughter Alyssa O'Shell had spinal muscular atrophy, which prevents muscle development.

Cuin said Alyssa died Tuesday. The cause of death wasn't immediately available.

Commerce City police said that William O'Shell was under investigation for alleged child abuse involving his newborn, Alyssa. Their investigation began on June 17, when they said he and his wife took their daughter to a hospital.

Alyssa had multiple fractures, including a broken leg, police said. The child was removed from the home and placed with protective services while the investigation continued.

Police said the child abuse case was being built against William O'Shell, and they were getting close to presenting the case to the district attorney's office. Initially, they had four suspects, but had narrowed their list down to one: William O'Shell.

Police said they were close to arresting William O'Shell on child-abuse charges at the time of the shooting.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news.../detail.html#-

[Lizard]

Jaded, are you considering FPing this one? It's so sad...but I think I'd like to see it for the baby's sake. RIP, tiny one.

[Jaded]

Jaded, are you considering FPing this one? It's so sad...but I think I'd like to see it for the baby's sake. RIP, tiny one.

I'm trying to study up on spinal muscular atrophy, but medical terminology makes my eyes bleed.

[Lizard]

I'm trying to study up on spinal muscular atrophy, but medical terminology makes my eyes bleed.

Ask imp and/or nurseronda?

[Unamused Cat]

"He placed two guns in his mouth," said Joe Sandoval, Commerce City Police spokesman.

If he had used a S&W or a Colt, he would've only needed one gun.

[brokenandtwisted]

Ouch...pity the parents died in vain because they were unaware of their child's motor neuron disease. Front page it, SJ...this one's reminiscent of a Greek tragedy.

[Jaded]

Ouch...pity the parents died in vain because they were unaware of their child's motor neuron disease. Front page it, SJ...this one's reminiscent of a Greek tragedy.

Does a skull fracture fit in with the disease?
And...if he hadn't actually been abusing her, why bite the bullet? I mean, they had to have known that she had the disease, right? Unless it was determined after the suicide...

[Lizard]

Ouch...pity the parents died in vain because they were unaware of their child's motor neuron disease.

Broken, what can you tell us about the disease? Would the infant have appeared to physicians as abused just because of normal care by parents?

[Jaded]

Broken, what can you tell us about the disease? Would the infant have appeared to physicians as abused just because of normal care by parents?

....in laymen terms? For those of us who know absofuckinlutely nothing about medical terminology?

[Lizard]

....in laymen terms? For those of us who know absofuckinlutely nothing about medical terminology?

Sorry, Jaded, I absolutely meant that but got distracted by my pretty blue shoes.

[brokenandtwisted]

Does a skull fracture fit in with the disease?

In this case, yes. You essentially have a very fragile human being.

Probably the somatic motor neurons (skeletal). This is evidence:

"The child suffered what we consider to be serious bodily injury. It was nothing life threatening, but serious enough to where it involved fractures, breaks and things of that nature."

And...if he hadn't actually been abusing her, why bite the bullet? I mean, they had to have known that she had the disease, right? Unless it was determined after the suicide...

I believe the murder/suicide occurred because he was to be blamed for his daughter's injuries. To my knowledge it seems as if they did not know she suffered from this disorder...

[Lizard]

To my knowledge it seems as if they did not know she suffered from this disorder...

If so, I almost can't wrap my mind around the levels of sadness.

[brokenandtwisted]

Broken, what can you tell us about the disease? Would the infant have appeared to physicians as abused just because of normal care by parents?

Lame terms:

It is genetic. They would not know without running tests like gene testing and muscle biopsies. So, no...nothing was wrong here. There was just a sick little girl and a misunderstanding on the father's behalf.

[Lizard]

Lame terms:

It is genetic. They would not know without running tests like gene testing and muscle biopsies. So, no...nothing was wrong here. There was just a sick little girl and a misunderstanding on the father's behalf.

And, so, even sadder than it appears on the surface.

[brokenandtwisted]

And, so, even sadder than it appears on the surface.

Yep:

Ouch...pity the parents died in vain because they were unaware of their child's motor neuron disease. Front page it, SJ...this one's reminiscent of a Greek tragedy.

[Jaded]

I'll work on getting a write-up finished this weekend.

[Lizard]

Don't mean to be slow, broken...it's just late, and I'm a bit tired. Plus, I tend to be slow in letting the emotional impact of a story hit me. Yeah, maybe sometimes I need some bad rep for being slow on the uptake, but I do my best.

Again, thanks for the info.

[Jaded]

Family members say a baby whose parents died in a murder-suicide amid a child abuse investigation had a genetic disease that made her vulnerable to broken bones.

Jackie Cuin told the Rocky Mountain News in Friday's editions that her granddaughter, Alyssa O'Shell, had spinal muscular atrophy, a condition that prevents muscle development.

Cuin, Tiffany's mother, told the News that the baby wasn't abused but rather had been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy.

Test results showing Alyssa had the disease came back the day the couple buried Tiffany O'Shell.

The disease occurs in 1 out of 6,000 births and sometimes results in broken bones. Average life expectancy for babies diagnosed with the disease is about 2 years.

Cuin and her husband, Paul, gained custody of Alyssa after the murder-suicide. But Alyssa's condition deteriorated to the point where she couldn't eat, swallow or lift her head, and she needed oxygen. Mucus had to be suctioned from her airway five or six times a day.

Paul Cuin speculated that William O'Shell may have committed the murder-suicide because he didn't have hope.

"The minute they hit on abuse, they wouldn't look any further, even though we kept telling them there's more," he said of investigators.

http://cbs4denver.com/local/Murder.S....2.853657.html

[AussieMum]

OMG that is just too sad. The poor poor baby and the poor parents. What a nightmare for all involved.

[Peeperann]

Jaded, are you considering FPing this one? It's so sad...but I think I'd like to see it for the baby's sake. RIP, tiny one.

I think it should be FP'd to Lizard. Oh, that tiny precious baby. Rest with Jesus little one.

Do we know yet if she really had that disease? Or if he was just beating her (gagged on that).

How, how can anyone do that to someone so tiny????

[MickeyFine]

Well wait now....Lets say the parents didnt know about the disease and lets say he didnt ever lay a hand on the child! They were both just stricken with overwelming grief. Best case scenairo right. And also lets even assume that his wife even wanted to die and wanted him to shoot her!

IMHO the guy was nothing short of a fucking coward! Thats not a father to begin with! I know its really easy to have an opinion especially when its not you - However This friggen assclown had sooooo many other options than the EASY one that he decided to take!

And regardless if they didnt have custody of her - he decided that not only would he abandon her but turn into a murderer and kill his wife??

What a waste of space! Rest in Peace little baby! The disease wasnt your fault and the fact that your parents were fucked up loosers wasnt either!!

Rant over-

[Dakota Valkyrie]

In order to be diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, symptoms need to be present. In most cases a diagnosis can be made by the SMN gene test ... In some cases, when the SMN gene test is not possible or does not show any abnormality, other tests such as an EMG electromyography (EMG) or muscle biopsy may be indicated.
...

SMA type I, also known as severe infantile SMA or Werdnig Hoffmann disease, is the most severe, and manifests in the first year of life. This type generally onsets quickly and unexpectedly after birth; babies diagnosed with Type I SMA do not generally live past one year of age.

Infantile SMA is the most severe form. Some of the symptoms include:
* muscle weakness
* poor muscle tone
* weak cry
* limpness or a tendency to flop
* difficulty sucking or swallowing
* accumulation of secretions in the lungs or throat
* legs that tend to be weaker than the arms
* hypotonia [abnormally low muscle tone], areflexia [below normal or absent reflexes], and multiple congenital contractures (arthrogryposis) associated with loss of anterior horn cells
* feeding difficulties
* increased susceptibility to respiratory tract infections
* developmental milestones, such as lifting the head or sitting up, can't be reached.

In general, the earlier the symptoms appear, the shorter the life span. The onset is sudden and dramatic. Once symptoms appear the motor neuron cells quickly deteriorate shortly after. The disease can be fatal and there is no cure for SMA yet known.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinal_muscular_atrophy

Werdnig-Hoffman disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means the defective gene is located on an autosome, and two copies of the gene - one from each parent - are required to inherit the disorder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werdnig-Hoffman_disease

The tests came back the day of the funeral BUT I'm betting they knew what they were dealing with and the test were just confirmation.

Still nothing about the broken bones, though...

[Eagles Mom]

If neither one of them knew the baby was ill, it may have been that they were blaming each other for the injuries.

If both of them knew in their own mind that they hadn't hit their child, yet she had damages consistent with abuse, that must mean that the other parent did it right? I damn sure would have been wondering who did it.

Day after day here we blame mothers or fathers for not standing up for their child when there is obvious abuse. We post what we would do if our spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend would have hurt our children.

I'm not saying by any means that the murder/suicide was right, but what would you do if you thought your spouse had hurt your child?

Of course, this is assuming that the broken bones were caused by the child's illness and not a parent. Either way, rest in peace little one.

[Jaded]

I have no clue, really, about what SMA is. Even after reading about it all night.
The broken bones could come from the fact that the muscles waste away, leaving the bone more brittle maybe?

SMA is a deadly and relatively common genetic disease and is the leading genetic cause of death in infants and toddlers. It is the absence/defect in the Survival Motor Neuron Gene (SMN1) that causes Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The SMN1 gene codes for survival of motor neuron (SMN) protein, and this protein is critical to the survival and health of motor neurons, nerve cells in our spinal cord that our brain uses to control our muscles. Without sufficient SMN protein, motor neurons shrink and die. As the motor neuron network breaks down, the ability of the brain to control muscles diminishes and with less control and use, muscles weaken and waste away.

http://www.smafoundation.org/index.p...d=32&Itemid=32

[Silvahalo]

The family left behind must feel like they are drowning in grief...an anguish unbearable.

They look so happy in that photo, and my, what a beautiful baby girl!

I agree that if indeed the father, knowing his innocence should have fought and never gave up. After all the fight was not just for him but for his baby girl...his family.

I pray that the O'Shell family has finally found the peace they never did in life. Rest...dear little Alyssa, now in the arms of your mother.

[BluLobster]

Man, this sucks. I mean, I can't forgive the dad for killing the mom, but I guess when people get desperate they do crazy things. Still, its unfortunate that no one would believe the dad.

It's a strange kind of balance police have to strike, I guess, between always looking for abuse and searching for alternative reasons for the injuries at the same time. While I'm glad when police are vigilant, it appears the officers here were a little too vigilant.

I do have a distant cousin who had a later onset, less sudden form of muscular dystrophy. It could definitely be responsible for broken bones, as when the muscle weakens the bones just crack so easily. My cousin fell out of her chair and broke her arm in two places.

[dcbtexas]

I met Dave in Texas about 6 years ago. We kept casually in touch when he moved to Colorado with his former wife.

He loved Star Trek, Raiders, and Rush. He was big on his education, he was working towards PHD in Philosophy. He was a Vet and an Army Officer.

He called me because he was so excited about meeting Tiffany, he told me they were going to get married and have a baby. It was the happiest I heard him sound in years. He loved Tiffany.

I kept casual contact with Dave after that, texting and talking about our similar hobby, which was how we had actaully met.

The last text I received was when I ask about the baby and he told me she was awesome, about three months old now, her name and how happy he was.

I didn’t get anymore Texts after that, and my life was busy and I figured his was too. :(

A few weeks ago I sent a text and again with no response, to texts or emails, so I googled.

Needless to say how I felt or how I feel right now.

This man LOVED his wife, he LOVED that baby, I know he had no ill intent towards anyone. For as many years as he wanted a child, to have this happen to him, he simply just snapped.

I can imagine taking your child to the hospital, a child you love, to be told she being taken, and your never going to see her again. Not understanding why, (it was the illness they didn’t know about) but something was happening, maybe both parents felt guilty, because there were fractures, and no one knew why. I would have felt horrible had I hurt my child unintentionally. I can imagine parents that loved their baby so much and having gone 2 weeks without seeing her. We just dont know what pain they felt.

Dave did love her. He WAS happy with her AND Tiffany.

Dave was a good man. I hate what the media and people have said about him. He would only have done what he did out of anguish and loss of hope. The man I knew that night was not there anymore that one fateful night.

I also believe that the slow death of the baby would have also had a terrible impact on his life.

I don’t condone what he did, but I don’t condemn him either. We never know the reasons of why things may happen. I hope the police department that was trying to hang him, will let him rest now. He was a good man. I personaly can say that having met and known him.

Rest in Peace Dave.