Post by Anja on Jun 22, 2006 17:56:06 GMT -5
Abuser is given death penalty
Lisa Ann Coleman, the 30-year-old Arlington woman convicted earlier this
week of capital murder for her role in the starving death of 9-year-old
Davontae Williams, was sentenced to death Wednesday.
The jury took about 3 hours to agree on the punishment. The jury also
recommended she serve 99 years in prison on the injury to a child charge.
Coleman becomes the 10th woman on Texas' death row and the second from
Tarrant County. Prosecutor Mitch Poe said she is the first female child
abuser to receive the death penalty, but she is not the 1st person
condemned for killing a child.
Poe said after the trial that he has prosecuted child-abuse cases for 16
years, and this was the worst he had ever seen.
"I see this as a step forward in child-abuse prosecution," Poe said. "The
fact that a female has gotten the death penalty for killing a child is a
step forward in bringing child abuse from the darkness of people's homes
out into the light of day."
Davontae's body was found inside his mother's east Arlington apartment on
July 26, 2004.
Davontae's mother, Marcella Williams, and Coleman were arrested shortly
after his death. Coleman and Williams were lovers.
Davontae Williams was beaten, bound and starved in the months leading to
his death. Davontae was 44.5 inches tall and weighed 35.8 pounds at the
time of his death. On Monday, the jury of 4 women and 8 men convicted
Coleman of capital murder and injury to a child in less than an hour.
CPS had investigated the family in 1999 and put Davontae and his younger
sister in foster care after investigators found that Coleman had
physically abused him.
After returning the children to their mother in 2001, CPS lost track of
the family, a revelation that helped lead to sweeping changes at the
agency.
Defense attorneys Michael Heiskell and Fred Cummings portrayed Coleman as
an misguided adult who was raped and abused by male family members.
"We're not trying to provide you with any excuses or any justifications,"
Cumming said. "We're trying to show you how someone can get into this
situation. How someone can live in a home where something like this can
happen to a child like Davontae. We're trying to show how she could
participate in the excessive disciplining."
The defense put on witnesses who said Coleman was conceived when her
mother, Patricia Coleman, was raped by her step-grandfather. Witnesses
also testified that Coleman was repeatedly raped by an uncle.
"People like Lisa are doomed from the start," Heiskell told the jury
during closing arguments. He described a child from a rape "raised by a
mentally retarded mother, sexual abused by an uncle and spanked when she
was 4 months old."
During closing arguments, Poe said he didn't doubt that Coleman had a bad
childhood but that it was not an excuse to abuse Davontae.
"At some point, you have to take responsibility for your actions," he
said.
Davontae's great aunt, Tracey Binder, said Davontae was finally getting
justice for what was done to him.
"This child was tormented, abused, and it doesn't make any sense because
they didn't have to do what they did to him," Binder said. "They could
have given him away; they could have given him up for adoption. There's no
excuse for what was done to this child."
Binder said she has forgiven both Coleman and her niece Marcella Williams
in order to find peace. But she will be back at the courthouse to make
sure Williams is also punished for her role in Davontae's death.
"I had to get the anger and the bitter out of my heart," she said. "But I
feel so much better because God can take care of it, and he has taken care
of it. One down, one more to go."
IN THE KNOW
Death Row
Prosecutor Mitch Poe said she is the 1st female child abuser to receive
the death penalty, but she is not the 1st person condemned for killing a
child.
3 of the 9 women on death row were convicted of killing their children or
children in their care.
At least 11 of the 390 men were convicted of killing their children or
children in their care. At least 12 more men were convicted of killing
children while killing their wives or girlfriends.
(source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
*******************
Lisa Ann Coleman, the 30-year-old Arlington woman convicted earlier this
week of capital murder for her role in the starving death of 9-year-old
Davontae Williams, was sentenced to death Wednesday.
The jury took about 3 hours to agree on the punishment. The jury also
recommended she serve 99 years in prison on the injury to a child charge.
Coleman becomes the 10th woman on Texas' death row and the second from
Tarrant County. Prosecutor Mitch Poe said she is the first female child
abuser to receive the death penalty, but she is not the 1st person
condemned for killing a child.
Poe said after the trial that he has prosecuted child-abuse cases for 16
years, and this was the worst he had ever seen.
"I see this as a step forward in child-abuse prosecution," Poe said. "The
fact that a female has gotten the death penalty for killing a child is a
step forward in bringing child abuse from the darkness of people's homes
out into the light of day."
Davontae's body was found inside his mother's east Arlington apartment on
July 26, 2004.
Davontae's mother, Marcella Williams, and Coleman were arrested shortly
after his death. Coleman and Williams were lovers.
Davontae Williams was beaten, bound and starved in the months leading to
his death. Davontae was 44.5 inches tall and weighed 35.8 pounds at the
time of his death. On Monday, the jury of 4 women and 8 men convicted
Coleman of capital murder and injury to a child in less than an hour.
CPS had investigated the family in 1999 and put Davontae and his younger
sister in foster care after investigators found that Coleman had
physically abused him.
After returning the children to their mother in 2001, CPS lost track of
the family, a revelation that helped lead to sweeping changes at the
agency.
Defense attorneys Michael Heiskell and Fred Cummings portrayed Coleman as
an misguided adult who was raped and abused by male family members.
"We're not trying to provide you with any excuses or any justifications,"
Cumming said. "We're trying to show you how someone can get into this
situation. How someone can live in a home where something like this can
happen to a child like Davontae. We're trying to show how she could
participate in the excessive disciplining."
The defense put on witnesses who said Coleman was conceived when her
mother, Patricia Coleman, was raped by her step-grandfather. Witnesses
also testified that Coleman was repeatedly raped by an uncle.
"People like Lisa are doomed from the start," Heiskell told the jury
during closing arguments. He described a child from a rape "raised by a
mentally retarded mother, sexual abused by an uncle and spanked when she
was 4 months old."
During closing arguments, Poe said he didn't doubt that Coleman had a bad
childhood but that it was not an excuse to abuse Davontae.
"At some point, you have to take responsibility for your actions," he
said.
Davontae's great aunt, Tracey Binder, said Davontae was finally getting
justice for what was done to him.
"This child was tormented, abused, and it doesn't make any sense because
they didn't have to do what they did to him," Binder said. "They could
have given him away; they could have given him up for adoption. There's no
excuse for what was done to this child."
Binder said she has forgiven both Coleman and her niece Marcella Williams
in order to find peace. But she will be back at the courthouse to make
sure Williams is also punished for her role in Davontae's death.
"I had to get the anger and the bitter out of my heart," she said. "But I
feel so much better because God can take care of it, and he has taken care
of it. One down, one more to go."
IN THE KNOW
Death Row
Prosecutor Mitch Poe said she is the 1st female child abuser to receive
the death penalty, but she is not the 1st person condemned for killing a
child.
3 of the 9 women on death row were convicted of killing their children or
children in their care.
At least 11 of the 390 men were convicted of killing their children or
children in their care. At least 12 more men were convicted of killing
children while killing their wives or girlfriends.
(source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
*******************