Baby-death case involving sister, 4, set for grand jury

clarionlledger.com ^ | 2/2/03 | J Gates

[RGSpincich]

One of Jackson's most horrific homicides in 2002 remains a legal dilemma that may never be resolved.

Jackson police initially thought a 4-year-old girl beat her 2-month-old brother, Alfred Griffin Jr., to death Nov. 11 in their home in the Presidential Hills subdivision in northwest Jackson.

[RGSpincich]

Update on an old story, with some interesting new twists. Evidently the two month old who was killed belonged to Jackson and Griffin, the 4 yr. old who is being fingered as the murderer by Jackson (baby's mother) is not related to Jackson, at least two of the older siblings in the home at the time of the murder are Jackson's.

And Jackson making the following statement.

"I wish they would just leave it alone," Felicia Jackson, 25, said last week. "I wouldn't want to think that either of my children would kill their brother."

Quite possible that she is covering for one of her older children.

[Irene Adler]

There have been cases where adults have committed murder and successfully blamed kids who (as in this case) had little or no ability to defend themselves given their youth/maturity level/verbal skills, etc. I have read a book by Jim Fisher, a crime writer, professor of criminology and ex-FBI man which detailed three such crimes. It's a horrible thing to let a child grow up with when it's a lie made up to exonerate another responsible party.

Obviously I don't know what happened in this case, but I do question the ability of most four-year-olds to successfully heft a brick and whack somebody with it even if using both hands.

[RGSpincich]

I am also worried that a child aged between 6 and 12 will have gotten away with murder and liked it. Would pray for all helpless creatures who cross the path of this individual.

[oil]

There was a case in Georgia several years ago in which an adult woman reopened a case where she was accused of killing her younger brother. She had lived for years with that guilt and having not recollection of doing it. It turned out it was her stepfather who killed the child and blamed her. He was convicted.

[FITZ]

Is the 9 year old a child of the 25 year old?

[FITZ]

A 25 year old with 5 kids and a fiance? She's one busy girl but maybe doesn't have time to supervise her children? No one leaves a 4 year old alone with a small infant for more than a couple minutes.

[RGSpincich]

Between ages 6 and 9, not 6 and 12.

[RGSpincich]

I'm thinking it's a blended family. Possibly one of the 6 -9 yr.old kids is his, the other two are hers, the 4 yr. old is his and the baby was theirs. Regular Brady Bunch with a twist.

[JudgemAll]

Bull crap. THe parents are responsible for supervision. This is involuntary manslaughter at least on the fault of the parents. A 4 year old should not be responsible for this. If not we might as well issue them guns to protect their own lives. Who the fck is the judge? THE PARENTS STOLE TIME FROM THEIR CHILDREN AND PERMANENTLY FROM THE 2 MONTH OLD!!! BRAIN DEAD LAWYERS!!!

[Irene Adler]

I don't necessarily disagree with you. My post only suggested that young people have been blamed for murders actually committed by others. It's a good way for an older person to escape responsibility for a crime and put the blame on someone who is unable to defend himself or herself.

Of course parents are responsible for supervising children properly so that older ones do not harm younger ones. I had an Aunt who did not supervise her kids properly and they were always getting hurt and into trouble.

My point was that I am skeptical of the physical ability of a four-year-old to pick up a brick in tiny hands and clop somebody with it. I have loaded and unloaded quite a few bricks in my time, and am also familiar with the average size and strength of four-year-old hands.

Perhaps you got my post mixed up with someone else's.

[FITZ]

Either way the parents are guilty. They either killed that child themselves or allowed one of the other children to do it. Blaming a 4 year old shouldn't get them off the hook if they didn't supervise.

[FITZ]

But the "father" is only 23. I hope the 9 year old isn't his.

[Tax-chick]

I think a 4-year-old could pick up a brick and drop it ... I haven't paid enough attention to see whether that's a possibility. My 4 and 2 yo girls can both pick up a brick (and drop it on their own feet!).

Not that I think it's a likely scenario ... I bet on the mother or one of the older children.

[Valpal1]

Peterson said she has received the results of forensic tests scrutinizing bite marks on the infant's body. She won't say if the marks exclude the 4-year-old girl. She said the results will be presented to the grand jury.

Seems like the authorities probably know who is responsible. If those marks were from an adult they'd have busted them already. Very sad story all around.

[Irene Adler]

"I think a 4-year-old could pick up a brick and drop it ..."

Yes, that is the only scenario I can envision; baby on blanket on the floor, and brick (held in both hands) dropped from above. That would have been physically possible. I wonder how a loose brick got in the house, though. Kinda strange, no? Well, maybe using it for a doorstop or something.

[JusticeLives]

"...after DHS found.."

Please, someone, tell me this isn't the Department of Homeland Security.

And, FWIW, my younger sister, around the same age as this girl, was found by my Mom, holding a pillow over the face of my youngest sister in her crib. It was blamed on jealousy and with 4 sisters a few years apart, I can only imagine we we're all vying for attention from my Mom (my Dad was off in Korean War) and Lord knows we all came up short at any given time. BTW, we all lived! :) My sister, the PillowPusher, was shortly thereafter found to have a hole in her heart and was one of the first open heart surgeries at Mayo Clinic, and shortly thereafter contracted polio and was in an iron lung and the rest of her life (she's still living) she had petit mal epilespy in her teens, had bilateral partial mastectomies, twice, for removal of benign tumors, in her late 20's and again in her early 30's, has plastic jaws as a result of severe TMJ, had to undergo early hysterectomy, developed spondylolethesis (sp?) of her spine and is presently dealing with post-polio syndrome.

I mention this for those who believe in karma ;)

JL

[Marie]

You're right. I have a relative who (when she was two) bit the little toe off her newborn baby brother while he was nursing. She was farting around under the blanket, like little kids do, and the baby wouldn't continue nursing or stop crying. I can only imagine the horror their parents felt when they realized what had happened right in front of them. (BTW, the toe was saved, she got a spanking and now it's a family joke.)

[JudgemAll]

Perhaps you got my post mixed up with someone else's.

Sorry Irene, my post was directed against the judge and the media. These people deserve a big 2x4 spanking. Sorry if the blown shards went your way.