The Misery Machine - 2+ Hours Of Mom's New Man Being The Worst Monster Ever (The Misery Machine Plus Episode)

Episode Date: December 13, 2025

Some of the most devastating crimes don’t come from strangers lurking in the dark, but from the people allowed closest to home. This week's compilation tells the heartbreaking stories of four children whose lives were cut short not by chance, but by trust misplaced.Logan Cline. Tesslyn O’Cull. Sereniti Jazzlynn-Sky Blankenship-Sutley. Jabraylon Bables. Each of these children was brutally murdered by a man brought into their lives as a mother’s new romantic partner... someone meant to be safe, protective, and temporary. Instead, that access became deadly.PS: We're very aware that you don't cook Hamburger Helper in a big old pasta pot. Or porkchops. That's kind of the point of why someone's excuse is clearly made up. IYKYK. Support Our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/themiserymachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PayPal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.paypal.me/themiserymachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Our Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.co/DeSZIIMgXs?amp=1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: miserymachinepodcastTwitter: misery_podcastDiscord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/kCCzjZM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#themiserymachine #podcast #truecrimeSource Material Available Upon Request.

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regardless of the strategy used. Task performance does not guarantee future results. Hey guys, this is our official compilations channel. If you want to check out our newest videos as soon as they're uploaded, then check out our main channel, The Misery Machine. We usually don't start episodes with warnings, but this case is one of the most horrific we have ever covered, and it involves a young child. I can't even begin to think that a human being is capable

of doing such unimaginable things to a little girl in such a brutal fashion day after day after day. If you are faint of heart, I strongly suggest you skip this one. I'm not even kidding. Teslin Elizabeth O'Call was born in Ontario, California on June 8, 1994, to parents Stella Ann Kaiser and Jason Adam O'Call. She was the couple's second child. Their first was a boy named Jason who was named after his father. Teslin loved her big brother, who was described as her best friend. Tessalon had blue eyes and blonde hair cut into a bob with short bangs framing her face. Her grandfather Ken O'Call said she was a sweet baby who grew into a smiling and loving toddler.

Her aunt said that she was wonderful. She loved life. She loved music. She loved animals. Many relatives mentioned her love of all sorts of animals, from horses to dogs, cats, and bugs. Whenever she found a bug, her grandfather said she had to show it off to everyone in the house. She liked dolls, drawing, playing in the tub with her bath toys, and her favorite toy was a truck. Her uncle said she was always happy when they took her to the park, and she loved

being on the swings. Pictures taken in December of 1996 show Teslin dressed up to celebrate Christmas in bright red tites, a green and red plaid skirt, and a white shirt. In one photo, she holds up a candy cane and looks at someone behind the camera as if she was showing off a prize. Other photos taken that day show her enjoying her candy treat. Tesslin's mother, Stella, had a difficult childhood. She had a twin brother named Billy, along with two older brothers and an older sister. She described her father as a controlling man with a violent temper and said she was a victim of his physical mistreatment. Her twin remembered their childhood a little differently, however.

He said he personally didn't see his sister get hurt, but said his father was a very strict parent who was tough on his children. Stella was about 13 years old. She and her mother were in the house when her father removed himself from the earth with a gun. Billy was outside that day and he recalled hearing the gunshot. Said Stella and his mother ran out of the house screaming. That kind of a sudden violent death would be a traumatic event for anybody, but even more difficult for a young teen. For the next few years, she acted out by smoking, drinking, experimenting with drugs,

and running around causing trouble. She used Crystal for the first time when she was 14 years old. She started dating Jason Adam O'Call and was soon pregnant. She was 16 when Jason Jr. was born. Her boyfriend was 17. She moved in with his family in Victorville, California and lived with them on and off over the next several years. Two years afterwards, when Stella was 18, Teslin was born. Stella continued to live with Jason and his family, but she wasn't happy with her life there.

Jason's father described her as a party girl who was, immature and liked making Jason jealous, sometimes even encouraging Jason to fight with other men over her. Jason went back to school, graduated, and got a good job as a steel worker to take care of his family, but Stella wasn't ready to grow up and give up the party life. Stella's older sister lived in Oregon, and when her twin brother moved there, she decided that she also wanted a fresh start. In mid-1996, she moved herself in both children to Springfield, Oregon. Jason's father said she saw the kids as her meal ticket because Jason sent money to Stella for their care. Not much is known about her first few months in Oregon, but life as a single mom wasn't easy.

She struggled to take care of her son who was almost five years old by this time, and she was often impatient with him. Though the agency never released any records, her twins said that Oregon's DHS had gotten involved, and Stella was required to take parenting classes. At Christmas that year, she and the children visited Jason and his family in California. When Stella lived there, they said that she had been caring and attentive and a good mother to the children. But when she and the kids arrived at the bus station after living in Oregon, the family saw the first signs of neglect. Despite the cold weather, both children were barefoot.

The visit lasted six weeks, and over that time, Jason's family saw Stella treat her son harshly. She spanked him, pushed him, slapped him, and yanked him around by his arm. She told Jason's father, I just can't handle the boy no more. Stella treated Teslin kindly, though, and seemed to be able to take care of her. Jason's father said, she'd never shown any tendency to be abusive toward the baby. Concerned for the five-year-old safety, the family convinced her to leave Jason behind when she went back to Oregon, but they let her take Teslin with her. After her return to Oregon, Stella met Jesse Caleb Compton, who was newly single for all of the worst reasons one could imagine.

Starting in July of 1996, police were called six times to this apartment he shared with his girlfriend and their two-year-old daughter because of CA and DV. His girlfriend left for a little bit, but soon let him move in again. She was reported to DHS and their daughter was taken away until the mother could prove Jesse wasn't allowed any contact with her, realizing that she needed to protect her little girl, the girlfriend finally found the courage to end the relationship, kick him out of her home and her life for good. This left Jesse free to make another woman miserable. He found Stella.

Soon after they met, she and Teslin moved into his dirty and smelly bachelor apartment in Springfield. The fence behind his unit and the walls inside were marked by a number of holes because Jesse was in the habit of throwing knives and punching the walls when he got angry. Most mothers would want to keep their children far away from a place like that, but Stella was drawn to it. She was a party girl, and Jesse liked to party as well. He was known for throwing some drug parties,

featuring lots of crystal and lots of drinking. Sometimes these parties would not stop for several days at a time. He liked to smoke his crystal by melting it with a small propane torch. As a party trick, he would sometimes hold the torch, to his own hand, showing off how much pain he could withstand. Stella let Jesse take over Teslin's discipline. She would leave the girl alone with him while she attended her parenting classes. As of the parties, a number of people were around to see Jesse's interactions with Teslin.

Jesse always seemed to be angry with her. He always called her names, slapped the toddler's face, made her stand in the corner for hours on end. He smacked her with a wooden spoon, a spatula, and a bell. belt. He was seen dragging her around by the hair and often forced her to take cold baths and showers. Once, when Jesse angrily threw a knife, crossed the room, it almost hit Teslin, missing her head by mere inches. One witness saw him pouring a beer down her throat until she gagged. Another saw him beating her with a belt to make her go to sleep. When the woman asked Stella if they should stop him, Stella simply said, just let him take care of that.

Witnesses also saw Stella slapping Teslin on the bottom with her hand. They said she didn't feed the toddler regularly and sometimes pull her hair or yanked her by the arm. To remind her, this is a two-year-old girl. Neighbors in the apartment complex often heard shout, screams, and thumps coming from Jesse's apartment. They saw Teslin outside. She was covered from head to toe in long pants and long-sleeved shirts. This is the middle of summer. When one neighbor threatened to report the CA to the police, Jesse threatened to kill.

kill the man and his girlfriend as well if he did. After a few months, witnesses no longer saw Teslin during the parties, but they could still hear her. Jesse kept her in the bedroom. Only he was allowed to go in, and when he came out, they would hear her crying for hours. No one was allowed in to comfort her or to see what he had done to her. The most incomprehensible part of the story is the number of people who knew Teslin was in trouble, but never got any help for her.

Some might have been afraid of Jesse, but they could have made an anonymous call. Many likely were more concerned that their source of crystal would dry up if they reported what they saw. And without a report explaining the severity of a situation, the few people who tried to get her help were unsuccessful. One unnamed member of Stella's family reached out to Teslin's father in California. She said Stella was neglecting her daughter and offered to arrange for the toddler to attend a birthday party. In this plan, Jason would have essentially kidnapped Teslin and taken her back to California. Unaware of Teslin's dangerous living situation, Jason declined and instead hired an attorney to try to get custody illegally. Though no witnesses contacted authorities, someone told

Stella's mother and twin brother that Jesse was hurting her in Teslin. The anonymous person said that Billy needed to do something, so Billy went over to the apartment with a few friends to check on his sister and niece. When they got there, Jesse had nailed the front door closed and would not talk to him. Billy contacted the police and a sergeant and several officers responded to his call. Jesse told the officers that he had nailed the door shut because he was afraid of Billy. The officers asked Billy to leave, saying he was escalating the situation.

The officers were there, a neighbor came out of her apartment, told the officers they needed to go in and get that little girl. Somehow, the authorities also missed the severity of the situation. of this situation. Stella told them she was unhurt and that everything was fine. One officer broke down a couple of boards on the backyard fence and shined his flashlight into a rear window. He saw Teslin on the couch covered with a blanket and waved at her. She waved back, he decided that she was fine and concluded this odd welfare check. The whole visit was finished in half an hour. Had they entered the apartment, even a cursory examination of the toddler would have shown ligature

marks on her wrists and ankles, bruising all over her body and cigarette burns on her legs. In their final mistake, the cops never filed the report with DHS, even though state law requires them to do so in any case involving reports of CA. Not only that, Jesse was already forbidden from seeing his two-year-old daughter because of CA. If they had filed the report, the agency would have been able to take Teslin into custody immediately, but instead, they sent her uncle Billy home and left her with her tormentor. One week later on June 13th, Stella and Jesse left Hessland tied up in the bedroom while they partied.

Sometime between midnight and 2 a.m. on the 14th, they came back to find her blue and limp. Jesse cut her bindings. Instead of calling an ambulance or the fire station staffed with paramedics that was located right across the street from the apartment complex, he attempted to revive her on his own. When CPR didn't work, he hit her several times. and splashed her with cold water. In some sort of crystal-fueled Frankenstein craziness, he cut the cord off a lamp, plugged it into the wall, and used the frayed end to try to shock her back to life.

But Teslin was gone. He and Stella decided to leave her in the bedroom while they tried to figure out what to do. They knew that Teslin had so many severe injuries that they'd go to jail if anyone saw what they did to her. So they decided to bury her. Jesse called his 18-year-old sister Lacey and asked her to come to the apartment. Jesse and Stella put Teslin in a laundry basket, loaded her in a car,

and Lacey drove to a wooded area about an hour away near Sweet Home Oregon. They buried the toddler there in a shallow grave. Now back at the apartment, the couple put all of Teslin's clothes and any other evidence that they could find into two trash bags and threw it all into the apartment building's dumpster. Witnesses that saw them in the day's after, after, so they acted like they were on their honeymoon. They were not fighting as much as they usually did and seemed happy and affectionate. They talked about wanting to move out of town and about their plans to have a baby boy together. When anyone asked about Teslin,

they said she was with a babysitter or visiting Stella's aunt, but their lovy-dovey child-free vacation was short-lived. Two days later, Lacey, overcome by guilt and grief, confessed to Springfield Police, she told them what she had seen, and where she had driven. following her directions down a remote logging road. Cops found and unearthed Tesslin's grave on June 17th. Buried with her, they found a blue-braided belt, a piece of cloth torn from a curtain, a strip of gray cloth, and a woman's ring.

Police searched their apartment in the complex for evidence. They found trash bags and easily linked them to the couple. They had thrown away the cut electrical cord, but left the lamp with a matching end in their apartment. They threw away all the ropes and knotted cloth they used to tie Teslin up and also tossed in a handmade Mother's Day card that the toddler had made for her. Some of the knotted cloth and rope they threw away matched items recovered from Teslin's grave. Strands of the toddler's blonde hair were found caught in the knots.

Inside the apartment, investigators found the propane torch that Jesse was so fond of. They found a pair of pliers covered with burn residue, multiple bottles of rubbing alcohol, and more strips of knotted white cloth. The significance of some of this evidence would not be clear until after Teslin's autopsy was completed. Captain Jerry Smith, the Springfield officer in charge of the investigation, said, this is the most severe case of CA that we've ever seen. This kid was literally tortured. In his interview with police, Jesse tried to say that some of Teslin's most serious wounds were accidentally caused.

He said he spanked her a little too hard and broke the skin. When the skin got infected, he and Stella poured rubbing alcohol in it, and he blamed the rubbing alcohol for her burns. He admitted he didn't get any medical treatment for the little girl, even though she was only steps away from the fire station staff with paramedics. He also never asked his mother for advice or help, even though she was a nurse. Stella also admitted that she didn't get any medical help for Teslin. She told police she was aware of what was going on but didn't get help because, according to Stella, I didn't want them to find out what Jesse had done. When police asked if Stella realized Teslin could die from her mistreatment,

Stella said, I feared there was a possibility it could happen if it didn't stop. I would have gotten out of there before then. Though that might have been her intent, Stella didn't get out before the worst had happened. She wasn't even trying to get out. Neighbors reported that in the days before Teslin's death, she was talking about going back to California and bringing her son back to Oregon. The same day Teslam was found, June 17th, Stella and Jesse were arrested for her murder. He was charged with aggravated murder, six counts of murder by abuse, two counts of first-degree

penetration, and abuse of a corpse. Though prosecutors believe Jesse inflicted most of these injuries, he claimed Stella knew about it that she sometimes even tied Teslin up herself. She also was charged with aggravated murder. After about a month in prison, Jesse hatched an escape plan. He wrote his idea out on paper, including details about how they should incapacitate the prison guard and used knotted bed sheets to crawl at the window. And then he gave it to another inmate.

That inmate handed over the handwritten plan to the guards, and Jesse was given a 60-day stay in solitary confinement. He was charged and found guilty of an escape attempt and sentenced to over two years for that before his murder trial even began. The murder trial started on October 19, 1998, and was presided over by Lane County, circuit judge Lyle Velier. In his opening statement, assistant DA Robert Gorham apologized to the jury for the testimony and evidence they would have to evaluate. He said, I'm sorry I have to tell you about these things. You must face the reality of this case. He described Teslin's final months to the jury. Sometime in the month or two before her death, Jesse had broken four vertebrae in her back. After that

injury he ramped up his torture. He beat, essayed, and starved her. He repeatedly tied her up. He burned her with cigarettes and his propane torch. He stabbed her with a fork. On multiple occasions, he and Stella poured rubbing alcohol into her open wounds. Assistant D.A. Gorm said, there are 64 different talking points I have written down on the autopsy report. There are more injuries than that. She has an injury on every part of her body. He explained that during the first two weeks of June 1997, Stella and Jessie tied up Teslin up to 10 to 15 separate occasions, sometimes leaving her that way for 10 hours at a time. They bound her with her hands and feet up above her head and shoulders. They secured her with knotted ropes. Sometimes her hair got caught in the knots and ripped out.

That is how she spent her third birthday on June 8th. tied up and tortured. The assistant DA called Jessie's assault of the toddler Merciless. While she was tied up on at least two occasions, Jesse penetrated her private parts with an object. He also burned them. While Jesse claimed those burns were caused by the rubbing alcohol, evidence of the trial showed he used his propane torch to inflict those injuries. Sometime on her last day, he hit her on the head so hard it bruised her brain. He punched or stomped on her, causing internal injuries, and he scraped, bruised, and punctured the skin on her belly with a fork.

Some reports at the time stated that the medical examiner cried during the testimony. Graphic photos of Teslin's injuries were shown to the courtroom. She was bruised all over her body. She had several hundred electrical burn marks from Jessie's attempt to revive her with a lamp cord. Her wrist and ankles had been rubbed raw from the, the repeated binding. Her back was broken in four places, and her private parts had been violated. She had infected and unheeled blisters all over her body. She had what was described as a gaping wound on her back caused by the propane torch. The toxicology report showed a large amount

of isopropyl alcohol in her system, alcohol she had absorbed through her many open wounds. internally, her brain and other internal organs were bruised and her liver and one of her kidneys had ruptured. She was bleeding internally. She also suffered from septic shock and fluid loss from her multiple third-degree burns. The medical examiner listed her cause of death as battered child syndrome and said she died of shock caused by her many injuries. You thought this was your run club era. Turns out, it was more of a thinking about run club era. The good news? Someone's marathon training is about to start.

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and save 10 cents a gallon on gas for six months. Now open, limited time offer new members only. BJ's Home of the Save. In his closing statements, the defense attorney, tried to argue that Jesse hadn't deliberately killed the girl and said her death was the result of inappropriate misguided medical care. If the burns had not been caused by the rubbing alcohol, the lawyer argued they could have been caused by overly hot bathwater accidentally used to clean the toddler. And even if his client had caused Hesselin's death, he argued that Jesse would not

have had a reasonable expectation that her death would follow. In response to the defense's closing argument, the prosecutor asked the jury to imagine Teslin's final days in detail. He spoke in plain language about the truly horrific events. It was a compelling and convincing argument, but we will warn you, it is not easy to listen to. It is probably arguably worse than the autopsy testimony. Here's what he said. Deliberately means a state of mind that examines and considers the contemplated act and whether that act should or shouldn't be done. Deliberation is present if the thinking is done in a cool mental state under such circumstances and for such a period of time as to permit a careful wane of the proposed decision.

I want you to, unfortunately, I am going to draw you back a little bit to what was going on in that home the last few days of Teslin's life. What we know pretty clearly is there was a violent, blow at least to her back and perhaps a violent blow to her abdomen that caused internal bleeding. We know she was essayed as she was vaginally penetrated within the last couple days of her life. We know the night she died. She was tied up with her legs up over her head. We know she had vomited. By all accounts, the abdominal bleeding was apparently causing her some distress. And we know, I think logically, that the defendant was well aware that the child,

was in some severe distress. And that alone might be enough for deliberation, but I want you to think about the condition that this little girl was in when those terrible injuries in and of themselves were inflicted on her. You can look at the pictures and see that the labia is essentially burned off,

and whether or not it is burned off by boiling water poured over her area when she was tied up, or whether or not it's burned off by a propane torch doesn't really matter. When Jesse is essaying her, he is looking at the full, sight, sound, smell, package of that child. She must have begged for mercy. She must have expressed the

terrible pain she felt and he went on anyway. I guess she was probably crying when he stomped on her back. And think about what he was stomping on. A little girl, 31 pounds, damaged almost beyond repair, beaten repeatedly, fed occasionally, tied up, essayed, burned with cigarettes for weeks, even months. Did he deliberately do those acts? what other word would you put with it? He extremely deliberately did those acts. He knew exactly what he was doing. Was it reasonable for him to expect her to die?

Could she survive another week in this household? Would she have lived another week? Ask yourself that. Probably not. Would she have lived another month? No. Was he going to kill her one day or another? Think about what she must have felt in the bedroom,

internally bleeding. tied up while her mother and Jesse partied in the other room. What a terrible, torturous, brutal way to die. It would be terrible for all of us, for adults, but for a little girl who just turned three years old the week before, it must have been much more terrifying, much more hard to understand. Were these acts deliberate? Absolutely.

After hearing this part of the closing statement, one of the jurors began to cry uncontrollably, repeatedly saying, God, that poor baby. The defense moved for a mistrial, accusing assistant DA Gorham of inflaming the jury. Judge Velier denied the mistrial and replaced the crying juror with one of four alternates. Jesse, thankfully, was found guilty on all counts. November 5th, the penalty phase of his trial began. The jury deliberated for four hours before returning with a death sentence.

Tessalon's grandfather Ken thanked the jury, saying they had the hardest job in the world. They just took somebody's life, but he deserved it. This is exactly what we came to Oregon for. Jesse appealed his death sentence multiple times. Last appeal started in 2003 and didn't finish until 2012, when it was denied. Stella's first trial began in January of 99 and was presided over by Judge Pierre Van Rieselberg. She was also charged with aggravated murder for her role in Teslin's death. During the trial, Stella often cried when evidence of her daughter's terrible,

injuries was shown. Much of her defense centered around her mental stability. The defense's expert witness testified that Stella suffered from PTSD and personality disorders caused by childhood CA and trauma from witnessing her father's death. Psychologists said her mental issues and drug addiction made her an easy mark for a monster like Jessie. At the trial, Stella claimed she hadn't seen her daughter for the last two weeks, but videotaped statements she made to police contradicted that claim. Her sister Karen spoke in her defense. She said Stella had always appeared to be a good mother who never even spanked her kids. Her sister, her mother, and another female relative all testified they had given Teslin a bath about one month before her death and saw no injuries on the toddler. This was contradicted

by medical evidence that claimed some of her burns had occurred as much as eight weeks prior. In his closing arguments, Assistant D.A. Gorum told the jury that Stella knew enough about right from wrong to try to save herself from what she did. He pointed out that she made sure to dress Teslin in long sleeves and pants any time she was outside and lied to police when they could have helped her. He said, you should look at her ability to make choices. The choices she made to protect her child. The choices she made to protect herself. She aided Jesse Compton in torturing that child to death.

The jury deliberated for almost two days, but couldn't come to an agreement. One jury member didn't think she was guilty of aggravated murder. In normal circumstances, the jury would have considered lesser charges, but they weren't a lot of. allowed to because of a law that had been passed by the Oregon legislature the year before. Without the unanimous vote needed to find her guilty, and also without two votes needed to find her not guilty, the jury was hung and the judge declared a mistrial. Her second trial started on April 23rd and concluded six days later. She was found guilty of all counts, including aggravated murder, murder by abuse by neglect, and abuse of a corpse. On May 7th, she was sentenced to life

in prison without the possibility of parole. She appealed in her conviction, and her conviction, was affirmed in July of 1999. She is currently serving her time at the Coffee Creek Correctional Institute in Wilsonville, Oregon, where she goes by the name Stella Singing Crow. In December of 2022, Oregon Governor Kate Brown

commuted Jesse's death sentence along with 16 other death row inmates. She said the commutation had nothing to do with the inmates' behavior, their attempts at rehabilitation, or whether they deserved forgiveness. Instead, she said it, reflects the recognition that death penalty is immoral.

It is an irreversible punishment that does not allow for correction. It is wasteful of taxpayer dollars, does not make community safer, and cannot and never has been administered fairly and equitably. Instead of facing death, Jesse will now face life in prison. There had already been a long moratorium on the death penalty in Oregon, and even when it was active, only two people had been exeastern. since 1984. The governor acknowledged the stress this placed on the victim's family, saying, I also recognize the pain and uncertainty victims' experience as they wait for decades while

individuals sit on death row. My hope is that this commutation will bring us a significant step closer to finality in these cases. In other words, the families at least know to stop waiting now. Jesse is currently serving his time at Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Eumatilla, Oregon. Let me know what you think about that in the comment section down below. As for me, I really hope his fellow inmates finish the job. Teslin's family in California buried her in Desert View Memorial Park in Victorville. Pictures from her funeral show her father grieving by her casket. Her gravestone reads, Walk softly, an angel lies here.

Her grandfather, Ken passed away in 2007. He was buried at the same cemetery not far from his beloved granddaughter. Her father never spoke publicly about her death. Family members spoke of his great grief. Shortly after her funeral, her grandfather told reporters, The other day it was 5.30 in the morning, and I had to go out and take care of the horses. Jason was sitting out front on the concrete by the driveway.

He was crying his eyes out. Teslin's brother, Jason Jr., stayed in California with his father and grandparents. For some time after her death, he often woke up terrified, screaming about monsters. Jason's cousin Michelle Smith told reporters that Jason wanted both his children to stay in California, but Stella had legal custody. If he had taken his daughter, he could have gone to jail for kidnapping. He was trying to do the right thing.

She added, if we had known what was going on, we would have kidnapped her. She doesn't understand how so many people could have seen what was happening to Teslin, and not one of them notified authorities. She said, I'm really frustrated that not one single person picked up the phone and called. Someone should have called. That's what would have saved her. Members of the Springfield Police Department realized they had the opportunity to save Teslin, but made fatal mistakes that day they visited. After her death, they made a policy change allowing officers to enter a home without a warrant in order to complete a welfare check. They also committed to enforcing state regulations that

already required a report to be made anytime CA is reported, even if officers find no evidence. Susie Day, the Lane County branch manager of DHS said, If we can take this terrible loss and turn it into a call for action for the community to save others, at least we have honored her and helped other children. And this is what the agency tried to do for Teslin. After her death, the agency created a public service campaign reminding the public that is everyone's duty to protect children. It featured a picture of Tesla on their poster.

Tagline read, The Invisible Child. It takes all of you to see me, hear me, Speak of me before I'm gone forever. Write red letters on the bottom of the poster read. Stop the abuse. Serenity, Jasland Sky Blankenship Sutley, was born in Ashdabula, Ohio on September 13th, 2016, to parents Kelsey Blankenship and Brandon Sutley. Kelsey told Brandon that there was a chance he wasn't the baby's biological father,

but Brandon stayed by her side throughout her pregnancy and was there the day Serenity was born. He wanted to be a father and was prepared to take care of the infant, so Kelsey listed his name on her birth certificate. Her godmother called Serenity a wonderful baby. She had blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and at the time of the story, was just learning to walk. She was almost always happy and had a bright personality. Her godmother said she was a beautiful, beautiful baby

who was always laughing and always making everyone else smile. She loves Scooby-Doo, the monkey stuffy her grandmother made for her, and playing video games with her mom. Her favorite animal was an owl, and she learned to say, who, who! Her mom loved hearing her make her owl sound and said, It made my day when she did it. For her first birthday, her family threw her a princess-themed party complete with pink and white

cake. She was dressed in pink from her dress and sash that said, I'm one, to her pink princess tiara and princess wand. She was surrounded by a family that adored her, including her parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, godparents, aunts and uncles, all who came together to celebrate her special day. Her godmother said she was so happy that day. Serenity's mother, Kelsey, struggled in her late teens and early 20s. She suffered from depression and tried to remove herself from this earth as a result. To try to deal with her mental health issues, she self-medicated with drugs and subsequently ended up.

up with a substance use problem. She moved quickly from one relationship to the next, looking for acceptance and love. But once she had serenity, Kelsey wanted to turn her life around, she said, My past was not a good one. When I held my little miss for the first time, I had a spiritual awakening. I knew a reason to stay clean and be the mother I needed to be for my daughter. Brandon's family embraced Kelsey and the new baby girl. His mother, Melissa Sutley, loved Kelsey and treated her like her own daughter. She said, Kelsey is not my child,

but I love her as if she was my child. Having the support of family helped, but taking care of a newborn was difficult. Already prone to depression, Kelsey struggled even more postpartum. She and Brandon broke up, realizing they were better as friends than his romantic partners.

Kelsey tried to power through it on her own, but eventually realized that she needed help. Around this time, Kelsey gave Serenity to somebody else to take care of to keep her safe, but she was adamant that she could never give up custody of her child. Kelsey said, from the beginning, I've had custody of my daughter. I've had my issues and I've had people there to help me out so I can work on my issue. When she felt stronger, Kelsey started taking care of Serenity again. By February of 2017, Serenity's godparents, Clarissa Murtha and her

husband Chico were watching the baby every Tuesday and Friday allowing Kelsey time to work her program. Her godparents were as close as family and were a huge part of Kelsey's support system. Larissa said, we were like her grandparents. We acted like her grandparents. I was the mu-ma and my husband was her papa. We were so close to her all the time. Kelsey appreciated their help saying they have been there for everything and without them I would be lost. She and Brandon were co-parenting. He and his family were also part of Kelsey's support system. With their support, she was able to take care of her baby and stay sober. Through it all, she was drug tested once a week and never failed a test. Despite all her success, though, she was still looking for love and acceptance,

which made her vulnerable to a certain kind of man, and one of those men eventually found her. Joshua Gerta was significantly older than Kelsey. He was 37, and Kelsey was only 22. He had children of his own, but they lived across the state line in Pennsylvania, and he didn't see that much. He met Kelsey in July of 2017. She had gone out with friends and, as the sober one, volunteered to be the designated driver and to get everyone home safe. When Kelsey brought her friend back to her place, Joshua tagged along. She said, he came back to my place with my neighbor. You all sat down playing video games and talking and it just started from there. Not long after, Joshua moved into her apartment on Clark Street in Coneyot, which meant he had easy access to Kelsey

and her baby. She thought she knew him, she said. I knew some of his background, but there was a lot he never told her. Kelsey was just too trusting and not just with Joshua. She didn't seem to understand the risk of letting people have access to a baby, especially one too young to talk. An example of her too trusting behavior occurred in August when she went to a local festival in Kaniot and ran into Melinda's Sailors. Belinda was the aunt of Andrew Payne, a man Kelsey had dated. Kelsey thought Andrew might be Serenity's father and asked him to take a paternity test, but he hadn't got the test done yet. Kelsey told Melinda she wanted Andrew to meet the baby in case she was his, so when she heard that Andrew might be there later, she handed

the baby to Melinda and left to enjoy the festival. Melinda was appalled. She said, She never met me before in my life, but she left that baby with me for 45 minutes unattended. Everything was fine that day, but Kelsey didn't seem to realize all the things that could have gone wrong. On October 6, 2017, about a month after the princess party, Kelsey put the baby down for the night, took her evening medicine, and went to bed. When she was asleep, Joshua was alone and unsupervised. Around 5.15 the next morning, Kelsey ran out of her apartment carrying Serenity's limp body, screaming, Help my baby. She shouted and banged on her neighbor's doors begging for help. Someone called 911 and paramedics quickly responded.

They arrived, the baby was unconscious and was not breathing. She had obvious blunt force injuries to her head and torso. The report noted that Kelsey told them she found her unresponsive and suffering from cardiac arrest in her bedroom. She was rushed to the university hospital's Kaniat Medical Center, but there was nothing doctors could do to help her. Serenity was gone and was pronounced dead at the hospital. Detectives questioned both Kelsey and Joshua, and they both said they were home at the apartment that night. Kelsey didn't report witnessing or hearing any violence, and officers didn't have enough evidence to arrest either of them. So they were both released from custody.

Coniott Detective Michael Sullivan said Joshua was very cooperative in the initial. interview. We had no charges against him and released him. Meanwhile, the doctors who saw her injuries in the emergency room were very concerned. They believed they saw evidence that the baby, who was only 13 months old, had been assayed. Acting on that information and concerned that an offender and a child murderer was on the loose, police obtained a warrant for Joshua's arrest, but he was nowhere to be found. Officers checked with his family in Western Pennsylvania in Ohio, but could find no trace of him. His picture was sent out to local media in both states and shared nationwide on television. Local police departments were also sent his picture and told to be on the

lookout for Joshua. In the Bolo, he was described as having brown hair, a brown goatee covering a misaligned jaw, a deformed right ear, and tattoos on his forearms. Joshua was sighted with a man driving a dark gray Ford F-150. Surveillance cameras captured an image, of the two men and also captured the license plate number of the truck. Using that information, the police tracked down the man who was from Buffalo, New York. Joshua had been hitchhiking and the driver had picked him up without knowing who he was or that he was wanted by police. The driver was able to tell the police that he dropped Joshua off when the truck broke down about 20 miles north of Sowickly, Pennsylvania, helping to narrow the search down. On October 16th, the Northern Ohio

Violent Criminal Task Force offered a $5,000 reward. for information about his whereabouts. Tips poured in, but most of them were dead ends. On October 26, he was seen at a Sheets Convenience Store on Mount Nebo Road, wearing a black ball cap and a camouflage jacket and carrying a large backpack. Local saw him walking in the area on foot. One woman named Amanda Manco saw him in the woods behind her house in Ohio Township, Pennsylvania, but didn't realize he was wanted by police until her mother sent her a picture of him

she had seen in the news. Because her German shepherds have been barking at night, she thought he might have been camping nearby. Police used a drone to search the area from above. They found his campsite in a fire pit, but no sign of Joshua. Neighbors were uneasy, and additional security was arranged for at least one school in the area. Now, if they catch Joshua Gertow tonight, they'll take him here to the Allegheny County Jail. But right now, he's still on the loose, and police are searching for him in the Ohio Township area. Now we talked with one man who says he came face to face with the alleged killer, and he says he asked him for directions to the nearest gas station and the interstate.

Drones and helicopters in the sky. Law enforcement on the ground, all looking for this man, Joshua Girdo. He's wanted in the sex assault and homicide of 13-month-old Serenity Sutley in Coneyot, Ohio. All my doors are locked right now, and they're going to stay locked. All day and into the night, several law enforcement. Air enforcement agencies have been trying to track him down. Brian O'Neill says he spotted him. Yeah, yesterday afternoon. I was down over the hill, down at the end of the driveway,

digging a ditch for a new gas line. And I was actually in the hole, and I just kind of turned to my left, and there was a guy only about five or six feet away from me. He says that man asked him for directions to the nearest gas station. He had disheveled clothes on and a big backpack, and he looked like he had been camping or hiking or something like that. O'Neill says he didn't realize it at the time, but he now believes that was Girdot. He says this happened before the siting at sheets.

These security camp photos possibly show Girdo inside of the sheets off Mount Nebo Road around 430 yesterday in Ohio Township. People also say they spotted a campsite near Ohio Township Community Park and Nature Center, and they alerted police. And now I see this tent in the woods. It's not ours. Police don't know if this was the place where Girdo may have been camping out, but they looked into it, then moved on to other leads.

Police are offering a $5,000 reward for anyone who has information leading to Gerdot's arrest. On October 27th, he was seen at another Sheets convenience store about seven miles away, this time on Nicholson Road in Franklin Park, Pennsylvania. Patrolman Kevin Lestition spent a few hours that evening looking for Joshua, but had moved on to do his regular checks of business in that area. At 140 in the morning, patrolman Lestitian saw him. him walk right by his patrol car and recognized him right away from the Bolo. He called for backup, but when Joshua looked at him and seemed to realize he had been spotted, the patrolmen decided

he needed to arrest him right away. He said Joshua gave up easily and that there was no fight in him. After three weeks on the run, Joshua was finally taken into custody. He was carrying a tent and officers found a knife in maps of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and his backpack. It was held in Allegheny County jail for a few days until he was extradited back to Ohio. Meanwhile, Andrew Payne finally submitted his DNA to be tested and discovered he was Serenity's biological father. Told reporters, I just found out she was mine three days ago, and I'm not going to have a life with her now.

When asked how he felt about Joshua, he said, I hope that he gets what he deserves. There is nothing else in this world that I want, but justice for serenity. Kelsey and Brandon held a press conference to talk about their grief and address the new information about the baby's paternity. Despite the results of the paternity test, Brandon and his family still considered the baby a treasured member of their family. At the press conference, Kelsey also explained the sense of relief she felt when Joshua was captured. She said she was jumping for joy when she heard the news. She was happy because he wasn't out there.

He couldn't harm anyone else. Finally, my daughter would receive her justice which she needs. She also told reporters that Serenity was now her guardian angel and that she did not want to destroy. disgraced her memory by using drugs again. The Blankenship and Sutley's family staying united as we mourn the loss of Serenity, the gorgeous branches that she was. Yes, I am not her biological father,

but being blood doesn't make you a father. The definition of a father is being there with unconditional love. I was next to Kelsey throughout every part of Serenity's joyful life. I watched her take her first breath in this frightening world. There were a few of us that knew that Serranian could have been one of ours. Even with that being known, I needed my duty to be there regardless, so she was ripped from us by this cruel world, by this evil monster.

My past was not a very good one, but when I held my littleness in my arms for the first time, I gained a spiritual awakening. I knew a reason to stay clean and to be the mother. I needed to be for my daughter. I just want to thank the first responders, the officers, the community, and everyone that has helped make Josh's world small.

The media was fantastic with helping get his picture out. I'm so heartbroken over the whole situation. I'll never get to see my baby grow again. I'll never get to see her go to school for the first time. or loose her tooth or even get to run around with her and chase her. I'll never get to do any of those fun activities. This was all taken from me and I'll never get this back. I'm not perfect by no means.

I have made my mistakes and I have owned up to him all. As for the biological father, I'm sorry that he will never get to know her. but he has known from the beginning that she could be his. The Sutley family has been there from the beginning, knowing there was a chance that she wasn't theirs. And thank God for certain his godparents. They have been there for everything, and without them, I would be lost. Are you seeing Facebook comments and posts and stuff like that?

Yes. And how do they strike you? There's some that are devastating to me because I've loved my daughter from the beginning. From the beginning, I've had custody of my daughter. I've had my issues, and I've had people there to help me out so I can work on my issues. And then there's some that are very sweet and sweet and caring

and that are sincerely there for me. Are you still attending drug court? Yes. So that means that you are randomly drug tested on a pretty constant basis. Yes, I've been drug tested pretty much almost every day besides a couple days. And so you're still participating in that? Yes, I'll be graduating in November. What can you say to people say you should have heard it or?

could have heard it or heard something going on or anything like that can address the Annabelle? I do not like to talk about that at this moment because of the case. I do not want to ruin our chances at getting as much prosecution that we can get for my daughter to have the justice. How did you meet Kurtel? I was someone's deedy and he came back to my friend. place with my neighbor and we all sat down playing video games and talking and just started from there. So you want to wear out his background?

I knew some of his background but didn't know that he had this. Why aren't you two together this? I mean I understand being together as far as being there for humanity. We just found out his best for us to be friends, be there for her. be there for her being apart is better for us. It's more of a healthy relationship that way. So what's next for you? What do you do next to move ahead or move forward? Right now I'm trying to get housing and I'm trying to

I've been going to my grief counseling and to my counselors. I start trauma class in November. in November to finish out. It would probably be January, I believe. What was your feelings when he was finally captured? I was enthusiastic. I was jumping for joy at 2 o'clock in the morning when I received the phone call. I ran upstairs. I woke up my cousin and her best friend. I almost woke up the kids. I was so excited. Because there was a sense of

the relief that I felt finally, that he wasn't out there, that he couldn't harm anyone else, and that finally my daughter would receive her justice that she needs. Will you be following once a preceding start in arrangements? Will you be following that or attending that? Yes, absolutely. How about your brand? I would like would be that. What was your reaction when you heard that they found a cop to? but there was still a part of me that wasn't still satisfied.

Just after that I just don't want to talk about it. Even though that I'm in the stage where I am very unbelieving in my higher power right now, there's still, he's out there helping me to stay clean, to keep going to meetings, to keep being strong that I need to be to get through all this. You're doing it for Serennae, too. Yeah, Serenius. My guardian angel, right now. The extended family was devastated.

Her grandmother told reporters, We can hardly breathe right now, but we will have to go on without her. Her great-a-Bobby Lee Blangenship said that she'd been looking forward to spending Halloween with Serenity. She said, she was going to be a teddy bear for Halloween. Now there will be no trick-or-treating,

no celebrating Christmas, or watching Serenity at dance recitals. On November 7th, a secret grand jury indicted Joshua. There's arraignment on November 17th, Serenity's family attended and wore pink t-shirts in her memory. He was charged with three counts of murder, two counts of aggravated murder, one count of SA, one count of DV, and one count of felonious assault.

The aggravated murder charges came with the possibility of a death sentence. Serenity's great-grandfather, Randy Butts, told reporters, it's just devastating to me. I want him to go for the death penalty. I want him dead. I'm sorry, that's just the way I feel about him. Joshua pled not guilty, and his bond was set for $1 million. He remained at the Ash Tabula County Jail until his trial.

That trial would be a long, long time coming. The next five years would be a nightmare for Serenity's family as the county prosecutor's office changed hands several times. A judge recused herself, and the charges against Joshua were lessened from the death penalty to involuntary manslaughter. And the worldwide events of 2020 slowed the court systems down to a crawl. Though the details of the case have been plastered all over the media when Joshua was on the loose and a possible risk to the public at large, once he was arrested, that all changed.

Many of the details became closely guarded secrets, and several of the hearings were sealed from public view. Serenity's grandmother, Melissa, attended all of the hearings, but she said, she was not allowed to speak publicly about many details. On October 17, 2018, a secret grand jury indicted Kelsey on seven charges. Two counts of murder, one count of felonious assault, three counts of endangering children, and one count of DV. Kelsey's attorney asked the judge to set a bail at $50,000, claiming she wasn't a flight risk.

She said Kelsey had maintained her sobriety, even while struggling with, her grief and loss and would have run already if she was a flight risk. The prosecutor argued that she didn't run because she didn't know she was going to be charged, saying, now that she's arrested and charged, we do consider her a flight risk. The judge sided with the prosecutor and set her bill at $250,000. When Kelsey was indicted, the prosecutor also dropped the death penalty specification from Joshua's charges, but made no other changes. While running Joshua's DNA

to investigate Serenity's case, investigators got a match to an unsolved 2004 essay and burglary case. In that case, a woman had come home a little bit after midnight after her shift as a bartender. She fell asleep watching TV in her bedroom, woke briefly when she thought she heard a noise,

but she fell back asleep. She woke again later, an intruder was choking her with one hand and holding a hammer to her head with his other. She begged him to stop, but he choked her until she passed out. He also hit her on the head with a hammer cutting her scalp. When she came to, she was stuffed beneath her bed and her underwear were missing. The intruder was still there when she crawled out from under the bed and he threatened to kill her.

She fought back, pried the hammer out of his hand, and squeezed his private so hard that he ran away. She called 911 and officers responded. They found a pair of men's underwear outside her home. She was taken to the hospital and during her again, examination, doctors found evidence that she had been essayed, including fluids containing DNA. This DNA profile was entered into a database, and 16 years later, it matched the DNA sample investigators had taken from Joshua. In December of 2020, he was indicted on one count of essay, one count of felonious assault, and two counts of aggravated burglary. By this time, the two

previous prosecutors were no longer in office, the prosecutor Colleen O'Toole had taken over. In March of 2021, Kelsey pled guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of endangering children. At her plea hearing, evidence was presented that Kelsey had told medical personnel that she wished to cause physical harm to her child about six months before she started dating Joshua. The Ohio Child Service Board became involved on January 27, 2017, and arranged for Serenity to live elsewhere for some time before returning her to Kelsey. Though the exact details haven't been released, Prosecutor O'Toole publicly called Kelsey mentally ill and said that Serenity was left in the care of two people who were not competent to care for themselves,

let alone have a child of this tender age. Her family noted that Kelsey said those things when she was struggling with postpartum depression and was asking for help because she was afraid that she would hurt her baby. They thought asking for help was the right thing to do, which it is. and that the prosecutor unfairly used it against her. Prosecutor Old Tool also decided she wouldn't arrange for Kelsey to testify against Joshua because, in her words, the state doesn't know that they did not act in concert against Serenity

and nobody can say that besides Ms. Blankenship and Mr. Girdow, and they haven't. Despite her plea, Kelsey didn't say she directly hurt her daughter, but instead claimed that she failed her daughter by allowing a wolf and sheep's clothing into their lives. She said, I brought someone into my daughter's life, and I didn't know he would ever hurt or harm her, and he hurt my daughter. She admitted she created a substantial risk to the health or safety of her child by violating a duty of care, protection, or support that resulted in serious physical harm to the child. As part of her plea, she was sentenced to six years in prison and an additional six months on parole. In October of 2021, the prosecutor presented a global resolution plea agreement to Judge Marianne Sazon, which covered both Serenity's murder and the 2004 essay and burglary.

Under the agreement, which was sealed from the public, Joshua would take an Alford plea, meaning he would plead guilty without admitting he did anything wrong. His charges for Serenity's death were reduced to one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of felonious assault. He would be sentenced to six years for her death, an additional 10 years for the essay for a total of 16 years for both crimes. He got more years for the essay in 2004 than he did for killing a young child. Judge Sazon asked if the victims were happy with the plea agreement, and prosecutor O'Toole responded, and I quote, although no one is happy, obviously, with this plea agreement, based on the evidence that has come forward, they are all in agreement that this is acceptable.

The prosecutor also mentioned that the victim of the 2004 case expressed fear and distress at reliving experiences long ago in this cold case. Judge Sazon wanted to talk to the other victims, in particular Serenity's family members that attended the hearing. Prosecutor O'Toole didn't want the judge to speak with them and asked her to move on, but the judge insisted on doing so. Though the judge made it clear that the victims didn't get to decide if the plea would be accepted. She thought they should be allowed to voice their concerns. Their exact identities

were not revealed in official documents, but one of Serenity's family members told the judge, we don't know anything as to what happened, and that's what our main concern is. It's trying to figure out who is guilty, who is not, and what happened so we can understand that. Another told her, we felt that if it went to trial, that there's the possibility that he could end up with more time, or if it's not a good case and not presented well enough he could walk well that's how we had to decide and we're willing to go to trial first of all we want the truth and we feel if there is a trial we are going to get the truth prosecutor o't tool also decided some family members didn't qualify as victims according to grandmother melissa she was told by the prosecutor that she was not part of

Serenity's real family. The prosecution characterized the case as a he said, she said type of situation because, and I'm quoting the chief assistant prosecutor here, nobody else was in the room. It's not video recorded. It was one of these, who done it? Prosecutors also revealed some disturbing information to the court, in particular that the state had no evidence supporting the essay charge. The judge was surprised that, knowing they had no evidence, the state still

hadn't dismissed those charges. The judge said that just because it was a difficult case didn't mean the state couldn't prove serious crimes beyond a reasonable doubt, and the difficulty of the case meant it should go before a jury. She said, justice rests with the trier of fact, in this case, a jury of 12 citizens, and rejected the plea agreement. Prosecutor O'Toole filed an affidavit with the state Supreme Court, asking to have Judge Sazon removed. She called the hearing unhinged and described. the judge's conduct as unprecedented. Judge Sazon recused herself, as did the other Ashtabula County judges. Visiting Judge Patricia Cosgrove replaced her. Serenity's family filed to have the

records of the secret hearings unsealed and were ultimately successful. Without their lawsuit, the public still would not know what happened at the first plea hearing. After the hearing, great-a-a-bobuilie wrote a letter to the editor that was printed in the Ashtubula Star Beacon. In it, She condemned the actions of prosecutor Colleen O'Toole and revealed a few details that hadn't been shared with the public. She wrote, I am the great aunt of the one-year-old baby Serenity who was murdered in Coneyot, Ohio, on October 7, 2017. Serenity was found in her home, dead with her skull caved in. Serenity's mother's boyfriend, Joshua Gertow fled the city, fled the state, and was ultimately taken into custody by authorities in Pennsylvania. Mr. Gerto has been sitting in the Ashdibula County Jail away.

trial for the past four years. Serenity's family is appalled and horrified by the way this case has been handled by our new county prosecutor. Currently, Prosecutor Colleen O'Toole is attempting to force a plea deal down the throats of both Serenity's family and the public, which would result in Mr. Gertow receiving 18 years in prison. This is a travesty, if allowed to occur. Serenity's head was crushed, and there was enough direct and circumstantial evidence to

convict Mr. Gertow of this cold and calculated act. We were assured of the office of the Ashdabula County prosecuting attorney in 2018 that Mr. Girdo would never see the light of day. Nicholas Iarachi, then the prosecutor, assured Serenity's family that there was enough evidence to put this monster behind bars for the rest of his life. Now, our new law and order prosecutor calling O'Toole has told us that the family should accept a plea deal because she didn't believe that a jury would convict Mr. Gertow. It seems to me that Ms. O'Toole is lacking in the courtroom experience and common. necessary to effectively perform her job. If the court approves Ms. O'Toole's plea deal with Mr. Gerto, what is life worth? My beautiful niece Serenity only lived one year.

She never had a chance to start life, go to school, to grow up, or to do any of the normal things children do. Mr. Gertow, on the other hand, if O'Toole gets her way, will have the opportunity to start life over again in 18 years. How can anyone with a conscience or an ounce of humanity allow this to have to have? happen. The grief and pain of the family was evident in her letter. Though she wouldn't know it until some days later, the judge had rejected the plea deal, but was then forced off the case by prosecutor O'Toole. Instead of working with the victims, the new prosecutors seemed to want to work

against them. Note that in her letter, Bobby Lee wrote that the plea deal was for 18 years, while the unsealed document listed it as only 16 years. Those documents would not have been available to her at the time, and she may have been told something different. It wouldn't have been surprising if the prosecutor rounded up when talking to the family. In July of 2022, Prosecutor O'Toole dismissed six of Joshua's eight charges and reduced the remaining murder charges to involuntary manslaughter. She also released a public statement about the case in which she repeatedly called Serenity, this child, instead of using her name.

Serenity's family spoke out against the reduction and organized, a protest around it in August. They lined the streets outside of the prosecutor's office and chanted, step up or step down and say her name as cars drove by and honked in support. Serenity, life matters. For Jean Carlo and all of those who loved Serenity Sutley, that's the motive that drove them to the Ashibula County Courthouse for protests. The family outraged over Ashibela County District Attorney Kalino-Tools' decision

to amend charges for Joshua Gertow, who's accused of raping and murdering the 13-month-old in 2017. Gertrto initially faced over nine charges related to the crime, including two counts of aggravated murder, one count of rape, and three counts of murder. In July, O'Toole's office dismissed the aggravated murder charges, the rape charge, and two of the murder charges, among others. I'm sorry, my family, and I want it to be the charge. charges that he started with and to go to court, to trial. We want to see him in trial. O'Toole responded to the protests in a statement Friday afternoon, saying Gertto's case has been reset 22 times, in that, quote, the charges as amended conformed to the evidence and what can be

proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Investigators say suddenly died from blunt force trauma to the head. Her mother, Kelsey Blankenship, was also charged and sentenced to six years in prison for her role in Suttley's death. Gertow led federal and local police on a national manhunt after she was killed. Our problem is we have been doing this for five years, and it turned into a mess, and it's just gone on and on and it's just breaking our heart. Great Aunt Bobby Lee hoped the community's support would help sway the prosecutor. she said, it's not just our family. The whole community is upset. It gives us hope that the community does stand with us. It gives us hope that maybe she will see the air of her ways. See what she's doing. She's not only upsetting us. She's upsetting the whole community. It could have been anybody's baby.

But prosecutor O'Toole was unmoved. She said, although I have deep respect for their right to protest and what they're saying, it does not change our course. She split the two cases and negotiated a new plea deal in the 2004 case. The family's protest against the first plea deal wasn't entirely in vain, however. Joshua didn't get to make an Alfred plea this time. March 16th, 2022, he pled guilty to two counts of aggravated burglary, one count of essay and one count of assault. Judge Cosgrove sentenced him to 28 years, 18 more than the 10 he would have gotten for the 2004 charges in the first plea deal. He filed an appeal in May, but his sentence was upheld. Finally, All that was left was Serenity's case.

Though the family still wanted a trial, the prosecutor didn't want to take the risk. She told reporters, a plea agreement allows the defendant to be held accountable for the crimes and adds certainty to the outcome. There is no certainty in the outcome of a trial and no finality in the appeals process. On October 3, 2022, Joshua pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter. All other charges, including the essay, were dropped. Coroner's official report completed in June of 2018, included that Serenity had not been essayed, but that information was not released to the public until years later.

According to Prosecutor O'Toole, what ER doctors thought was evidence of an essay was actually a severe bacterial infection. The baby had been treated for the same condition at least once before. Some sources described the condition as a severe diaper rash. Judge Cosgrove confirmed this information during the sentencing portion of the plea hearing. She said the initial charge was based on the misinformation that the prosecution received that there was an essay involved, which there is absolutely not one shred of evidence that an essay of this child was ever perpetrated by anyone.

No semen, no DNA, no penetration, nothing. The judge said that one month before her death, she had been treated for another terrible rash and infection in her pelvic area. Further investigation also revealed additional injuries that were inflicted before the night of her death. The judge said, it has come to light through medical records that prior to Mr. Girdow coming onto the scene, this child had suffered physical injuries that were detectable on x-rays. She said these injuries occurred before Mr. Girdo got associated with Ms. Blankenship. Though no DNA was found in her private areas, male DNA was found elsewhere on Serenity. But according to Prosecutor O'Toole, that DNA belonged to an unidentified male

and only weakened her case against Joshua, allegedly. Several members of Serenity's family read impact statements at the hearing. Brayna called Joshua a coward and a monster. He said, To a child, a monster is anything that appears scary. As a parent, your duty is to protect that child. The monster my princess had to face was one a parent could never be prepared to protect her from. A parent should not be burying their child.

You're taking my daughter from me, robbed her of being able to investigate. enjoy this scary world she won't be able to experience learning to ride a bike for the first time she won't be able to learn how to get back up dust herself off and try it again she won't find out what anxiety of the first day of school feels like and the happiness of school being done for the summer you ripped all of the joy out of our life you stole all of our first from us now we won't know what her voice will sound like her learning full sense so our ability to hear her laugh and cry to see her smile you were the

monster you were a stole all of the man's life when you made your intentious choice to be the executioner I'll never be able to see the nervousness when she introduced me to her first boyfriend I'll never be able to put her heart back together after someone stole she loves she loves it you took so much from me and our family you are a monster that should suffer in his own mind knowing what you did but you won't suffer as much as my princess has to be exact She won't have any of these first talking, running, playing with other children, going to school for the first time, making friends. She won't be able to experience becoming a woman.

She won't be able to decide what music she likes or her favorite color. She won't be able to ask me to teach her how to drive to get her permit and then her license. She can't run to me to comfort her when she needs it. You took her before she could see any part of the world. You ended her life before it even started. I'll never be able to hear her say the words, I love you. daddy. You took things that I can never be replaced. You are a coward to hurt her child. You are a killer of my daughter's host injuries as well as the killer of the love. She would have been able

to give us. You are keeping any information that happened on the day of October 7th, 2017 to yourself and hiding behind the silence. Grandmother Melissa asked Joshua to turn around. She said, And I would like this gentleman to turn around and look and watch. He did this. This is why we're here. He should see the emotions of what he's done to the families, that he destroyed their lives. He should be forced to see us in the emotions instead of standing forward in his back towards us. Like it meant nothing.

Where is that? Where's the justice in you standing there with your back against us? Where is that justice? There's no... It's been... five years since the... Okay, he should look at us. He should be looking at the victims.

All right, I like me for security here. I don't want to be having enough. Mr. Gertrude, please turn around. You did this, you put us all here. Turn around and look at us. Face what you did to our family. It's been five years since the bone chilling phone call to hurry to the hospital.

The nightmare began. All right, he doesn't really now if he turns around or not. I am. I don't know if you understand what you're saying. I am. I'm saying, I'm reading my other. Go ahead. The nightmare began and it dragged out for five years.

For five years we've been doing this. I have nieces, nephews, friends, have children, Sorrenties, age. And each time they share pictures or go on adventures, I think to myself and think, Serenity should be and would be doing these things if she was here. She would have started kindergarten this year.

So you ask me about justice. How can any human being understand and justify in taking the life of a baby, a child that was just learning to walk, let alone how to say full sentences? She was robbed of so much. But most of all, she was robbed of life. And you still get to live. You still get to live. I can't for the life of me understand why or what or how any person could just kill a baby. We probably will never know what really happened.

The only thing I know is the broken heart that you left behind. I know the actions that was made October 7, 2017 early in the morning in that apartment has mentally, emotionally destroyed my entire being. Our entire family is destroyed. This life's not here. Reliving this nightmare over and over, I can't remember a night I've slept well without waking up and crying because all I want to do is hold that sweet angel. I just want to protect her.

You took her from so many. So many that spent their day, loving her, teaching her, and bringing her joy. So for the last five years, coming to each hearing, hell, reliving the nightmare over and over again, the one thing is for certain, I will never be the same person I was before your actions that early morning. I honestly believe you destroyed and changed the life of so many. You are nothing more than a pure evil monster. I pray with all of my being, your children never endeared what our family has had to endure, what that baby endured.

I hope your children never have to endure. I hope third children, never have to endure what you guys endeared in that apartment, that morning, that took the life of this baby. Do you believe the amount of time you're being given is enough? Do you believe that's enough for that? If it was your child, would that, would that be enough? Nope, it sure wouldn't be. But I do believe in karma.

Karma will find you and you will pay the higher price. And the beauty of karma is, you never know when she will find you. But she will. But that's for certain. Don't deserve to see the light of day. You don't deserve that. You don't. Thank you.

In her impact statement, great aunt Bobby Lee said she went to school with Joshua. I actually know Mr. Girl, I went to school with Mr. Groville. And I never in my life could imagine that one day we would be standing in this courtroom talking about what you would take from my family not just our family but from friends and the community and just everybody that baby had the biggest smile was always laughing always happy and we're not going to see that again we're not going to see her go to kindergarten we're not going to see her take her first driver's test we're not going to get to see her go to prom. We're not going to get to see her do anything. And we have no

answers. Every time we have to step in this courtroom, it rips it open again. And all we really know is why. That is our biggest question. Why? How could anybody do this to a child? And again, we'll never know. The answer is because you don't say anything. You won't even look at the family of the little girl that you took away from us. approved of his new honey-chilly crisp and jalapena ranch sauces the moment he tasted them and said that's right no notes just absolute silence turns out some flavors don't need explaining they just need dipping it's saucy season at kFC with new honey chili crisp and jalapena ranch get dipping with a boneless bucket today prices and participation vary ryan reynolds here from mint mobile the message for

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Heinz, and all birds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into... Sign up for your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash special offer. After the family spoke, Judge Cosgrove handed down her sentence. Since Kelsey also pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter, the judge started with a matching baseline of six years. She said Joshua deserved a higher sentence because he had a criminal record and he fled

after the crime. She also acknowledged that no sentence she handed out would truly be fair. She said. No time, the court realizes this, there is no amount of time that I don't know. I can give Mr. Grotto that will make up for the loss of his precious child serenity. Nothing, nothing. Judge Cosgrove sentenced him to an additional eight years to be served in addition to the 28 years for a total of 36 years. She said,

30 years you're going to be in your 70s if you lived that long. And all I can say is your parole officer hasn't even been born yet. Joshua is currently serving his time at the Mansfield Correctional Institution in Mansfield, Ohio. His earliest release date is May 11, 2052. Kelsey served her time at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. She was released on parole on March 26, 2024, and her parole is scheduled to end on September 15th, 2024. Serenity's family asked for donations to be made in her name to the Halo Christmas program administered through Catholic charities because that program provided presents for her first Christmas.

A vigil for Serenity was held on October 14th at Conyot Township Park. Jean Carlo, Serenity's great grandma, told reporters, Our hearts are broken. We've gone through every emotion possible. Hundreds attended. They struggled against the wind to light candles and tall glass jars, saying amazing grace and prayed together. They also recited the Serenity Prayer, chanting,

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Pastor Jan Walsh ended the prayer service saying, Serenity is looking down on us right now with a big smile because she is safe in the arms of Jesus. We lift Serenity up to you, knowing that when she left, she took a huge piece of our heart with her, but knowing she also left a piece of her heart with each and every one of us

whose lives she touched. Serenity's funeral was held on October 16th of the Thompson-Smith-Nesbett funeral home. She was buried at Greenland Memory Gardens. Though they don't think they will ever know what really happened that day, Serenity's family thought Kelsey's biggest crime was making a mistake that is all too common with young people. She trusted someone she shouldn't have and let him have access to her daughter. In an interview, great-aunt Bobby Lee said, she believed in somebody she didn't know enough about yet.

We look at these young girls, even young males that have little kids, and they just want someone to love them. They just want someone to be with that's going to love them. They don't take six months to get to know that person. They don't take the time to get to know that person before they move them into their home. They could look like a night in shining armor when you first meet them, but you don't know. She also said too many people think these kinds of things could never happen to them, thinking that it can't happen here or can't happen in my family or neighborhood. She wants people to learn from the pain her family suffered and to be more vigilant because it can

happen anywhere. Great grandmother, Jean Carlo, felt the same way. She said, these babies are being hurt, and they're being hurt by people that were trusted and people that told them they love them. She hoped other families would learn from their tragedy, that Serenity's memory could live on through her story and the other children she could protect. Grandmother Melissa said that men like Joshua pray on young girls who don't have any stability and no real connections with their family. They pray on females like that.

She wanted other young women to be warned against bringing a stranger into their child's life. She said her family wanted to use all of this as awareness and to maybe help protect somebody else's child. Because if it reaches one person, one person in each town, imagine how many babies this story saved. Gibralon Quintes Babels was born on July 3rd, 2009 to parents Byron Babels and Jasmine Thompson of Dallas, Texas. Jasmine was originally from Arkansas and was about 19 when Gibralon was born, well, Byron was about 37. Gibralin already had an older brother who was about a year and a half older than him, as well as many extended family members. Everyone called Gibralon Bam Bam or Bamster, and he was known for being bright and talkative. Gibralon was an adorable little boy with black hair, dark brown eyes, and a big smile.

Fortunately, little Gibralon was born into a complicated family life. His father, Byron, went to prison for felony forgery shortly after Jabralon was born. While Byron was in jail, Gibralon's mother, Jasmine, wasted no time finding a new boyfriend. She started dating a new boyfriend named Carnellus Delaney Simmons, age 37. Carnellus was a man with a violent pass, having already been convicted of homicide in 1994. He had killed another man during a fight outside of a South Dallas bar and was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the homicide as well as drug charges. He was released in late 2007, but it didn't take long for him to get into trouble again. Two years after leaving jail, Carnellis was arrested by the Dallas police on even more drug charges after he told them he was selling vials of PCP for 50.

$15 each. After serving his jail time, Jabralon's father, Byron, was released from prison on parole in September of 2010. He spent as much time as he could with his one-year-old son after his release, but Jabralon and his older brother lived with Jasmine and her new boyfriend, Cornelis. Cornelis's apartment was a known drug house, but that didn't seem to deter Jasmine from bringing her two young children into his vicinity. By November of 2010, she was living with Carnellis in a new apartment in the same complex at 8110 Skilman Street in the Lake Highlands neighborhood of Dallas. Jasmine knew that Carnellis was a convicted murderer, but she brushed that off. She never pressed him for details about his homicide conviction and said, that was way before

he knew me. Jasmine definitely knew that Carnells was a drug dealer, but didn't seem to think that made him a danger to her two sons. She frequently left the boys with Carnellis while she went to work, said he treated the boys like they were his own, and that she didn't. didn't have money to hire somebody else to babysit them. On November 4th, 2010, when Gibralon was 16 months old and his brother was nearly three years old, their mother went to the hospital to seek treatment for a UTI. She left Carnalas in charge of babysitting the two boys. At 1149 p.m. that evening, Carnellus called 911 to report that Gibralon had been burned

while he was cooking in the kitchen. In the 911 call, Carnellus says that he was heating up water on the stove and didn't realize that his baby son Gibralon was behind him. Carnalus said that when he turned around, all the water spilled on him. He said, the water so hot it hit him and all his skin is coming off. Sometime during the 911 call,

Jasmine returned home. With the help of friends, she tried to administer care for Gibralon while Carnellus relayed instructions from the 911 operator. Paramedics with Dallas Fire Rescue arrived and rushed Gibralon to Parkland Memorial Hospital

where it was found that he had third-degree burns on about 30% of his body. There were burns on both of his legs and butt, as well as on his right hand and wrist. He also had bruises on the left side of his face. Dallas police were called to investigate. Officer Alyssa Wattis, Officer Ronald Carroll, and Officer R. Fink arrived at the hospital at 1210 a.m. and found Jasmine in the emergency room with the Gibralon. While there in the hospital, Cardnell is told responding officers that he was standing in the kitchen holding a pot of boiling water when Jabralon came running up to him. He told the officers that he dropped the hot water on the floor and heard the boy begin to scream.

He said that he picked up the child and put him on a bed. When he realized that the toddler's skin was falling off, he called 911 for help. Jasmine told the officers that she wasn't home at the time of the injuries, but that Carnalus had called her to say that Jabralon had been burned. She stated to the officers that when she left home herself that evening, Gibralon was uninjured. Cornelis confirmed that the only other person in the apartment during the incident was Jabralon's older brother.

Doctors in the burn unit explained the extent of Gibralon's injuries to the investigating officers, which were at least second-degree partial thickness burns on his legs and second-degree burns on his hand. The police and the doctors agreed that the burn injuries did not seem consistent with Carnellus' story that he had simply splashed Gibralon with water from a drop pot. Jasmine and Carnellis signed consent forms for the police to search their apartment, and then Carnalis was transported to Dallas Police headquarters to be interviewed further by detectives. According to Jasmine, Carnalis often cook food for the family. When she got the call that Gibralin had been burned, she arrived home from the hospital to find

that everything was laid out in the kitchen as if Carnellus was preparing a meal. Police photographed the scene the next morning, which showed a box of hamburger helpers sitting out, as well as a package of pork chop sitting on the top of the refrigerator. Other photographs of the kitchen showed a towel on the floor near the stove, as well as a large pot on the stove containing a small amount of water. In addition to the hamburger helper, police found a lot of other interesting items of evidence in the apartment. In a cabinet over the stove, officers found eight plastic baggies of coke in a clear plastic

bowl. In the refrigerator, they also found 95 brown vials containing liquid PCP. In addition to the illegal drugs, officers also seized 27 bottles of assorted flavored vodka, 16 bottles of other vodka, 17 cigarette lighters, three condoms, four empty cigar boxes, 43 cigars, a box of cut-up cigarettes, and a small amount of cash that was found in the cabinets. Carnellis also had over $1,000 in his pants pocket, which the police placed in a secure property room, along with the other items removed from the apartment. After speaking to Carnelis, the Dallas Police CA unit arrested him the following morning on November 5th.

He was arrested on the charge of injury to a child, a first-degree felony charge. The case was being investigated by Dallas police detectives as well as child protective services. Cornelis was held at the Dallas County Jail with bail pending. DeBreelan's older brother was not injured in the incident and was eventually placed in the care of his grandmother. Meanwhile, little Jablaylon remained in the parkland, hospital burn unit. His condition was not initially released to the public, but we can assume from the extent of his horrific burn injuries that he was likely in critical condition. Jasmine was not considered a suspect in the case as she was not home at the time of the incident. She said that Carnells told her

that a pot of scalding water had accidentally fallen over onto Gibralon. When interviewed, she said, the police told me that it looked like he was dipped in water. The doctors told me the same. I'm still searching for the truth. Why she hesitated to believe the place, police and expert pediatric doctors who were in agreement about Gibralon's injuries and instead gave the benefit of the doubt to the boyfriend who was a convicted murderer and a known drug dealer, we will probably never know. Little Gibralon spent five agonizing weeks in the hospital, hooked up to a battery of tubes and a breathing machine. In pictures, his body looked lost under the wires, monitors, and tubes

crisscrossing his body, placed there in an effort to keep the little boy alive. Doctors tried everything they could to keep the toddler from succumbing to his horrific injuries. During one surgery, doctors had to remove about 60% of his intestines because they were so badly damaged. They removed even more during a second surgery. Gibralon's tiny body was continuously racked with infections during his harrowing hospital stay. He eventually suffered kidney failure and his body swelled up so much that he was unrecognizable as cute little bam-bam. Tragically, despite the doctor's best efforts, at 8.53 p.m. on Saturday, December 11th, Jabralon passed away at the Children's Medical Center, Dallas. The injuries and

infections that he endured were simply too much to overcome. He had suffered 36 days in the hospital since the burn incident before his little body finally gave out. Some trauma is just too much for the human body to bear, especially when, like, Gibralon, No one is hardly older than a baby. A one-year-old boy died this weekend. Police say he was held in boiling water more than a month ago. The man accused in the baby's death is his mother's boyfriend, a man with a checkered past.

Tonight in an exclusive interview, Gibralin Babel's mother speaks to News 8 and the Dallas Morning News. Here's Rebecca Lopez. For more than five weeks, one-year-old Gibralin Babel's battled for his life. Such a small baby like that, having to go through anything like that. His legs and hands burned so severely that his little body couldn't fight off the infections. Babels died this weekend. His mother's boyfriend is accused of causing his death.

I wish it was me laying in his spot. His mother says she's still searching for answers. Her boyfriend, Cornelius Simmons, was babysitting the child when he claims he burned him accidentally. Cornelius, he called me and he told me that the baby was burned. He had accidentally burned the baby a pot of water cell over on him. But police say it was no accident. They say the one-year-old was dipped and held in boiling water. Simmons has a violent past. He was convicted of killing a man in a bar fight in 1994. He got a 15-year prison sentence for the crime.

I walked out that day thinking that I was going to come home to him and I didn't. Leaving to Brayland with Simmons is a decision Jasmine Thompson says she'll regret forever. Came home to a burnt baby. The baby's father says he's still trying to understand how someone could hurt his son. I see a beautiful angel. I see a baby that could never be hurt by anybody. It's hard for me to believe in my heart that anybody would hurt my child, beautiful and nice and just happy. Police have arrested Simmons and planned to charge him with the murder of this innocent child.

Unsurprisingly, the Dallas County Medical Examiner ruled Gibralon's death a homicide. According to the police, the burns on Gibralon's feet, legs, butt, and hands were not consistent. with the story that Carnellus had told them. It looked as if the little boy had been dipped into the pot of boiling water and held there, rather than the accidental spill that Carnells claimed had happened. Dallas Police Sergeant Brendan Nichols, supervisor of the CA unit, said, It's a horrible case. It's heartbreaking for everybody involved. Carnalis, meanwhile, was still in jail for the pending injury to a child charge,

and was also being held on two felony drug delivery charges. His bail totaled $80,000. Jabralon's mother gave a phone interview the following Monday from the funeral home where she was making arrangements to bury her son. During the interview, Jasmine still sounded supportive of Carnalis, calling him a good person. She said, it would hurt me so much if it was intentional because I gave my trust to this man. Like I said, God hasn't put anything in my heart to say, Jazz, he did it on purpose. However, other family members were less naive. The Braylon's aunt Veronica said in an interview,

From the injuries on the baby, I think he did it intentionally. I feel like he tortured him. Braylon's father, Byron, said, It hurts for me to believe in my heart that anybody would hurt my child. Right now, I just want to bury my son and find out what happened. At his trial, Carnalis pled guilty to his drug charges, but not guilty to the charge of injury to a child. However, on May 4, 2012, a jury found Carnellus guilty for the first-degree felony charge of injury to a child with significant bodily injury.

He was given the maximum sentence of 99 years in prison, plus five years for each of his two pending drug charges. It's unclear why his charges weren't upgraded to homicide, which is what the medical examiner had determined to be the manner of death for Gibralon. The prosecution may have simply decided it would be too difficult to prove that Carnellis, intentionally killed Gibralon, while getting a conviction for injury to a child would be a more definite outcome that still carried a heavy sentence. The following year in June of 2013, Carnellis filed an appeal contesting his sentence. From the Court of Appeals opinion documents, we finally get a full picture of Gibralon's injuries. He was admitted to the hospital, Gibralon had burns on his legs all the way up to his

waist with more serious burns below the knee. He had burns on the back of both of the thighs around his groin, on his right butt, the bottom of both his feet, and on his right hand. He also had a small burn around part of his waist. He had no burns on his head, face, or shoulders, but there were bruises on his left cheek and around his left ear. Disturbingly, it appeared as if the burns were already hours old by the time DeBrelawn arrived at the hospital. Its last detail suddenly puts into perspective the fact that Cornelis had called 911 at 1149 p.m. nearly midnight. It's not exactly a time when you would expect someone to be making hamburger helper and pork chops to feed a couple of toddlers. Three doctors who treated Gibralon

in the hospital testified for the state. Two of these doctors were board certified in CA pediatric medicine. All three doctors testified that the nature of the burns indicated that Jabralon had been immersed in a hot liquid and that the burns were not accidental. In the doctor's opinion, it looked as if Gibralon had been immersed in the hot liquid while wearing a diaper, which leaked a little, causing the burns on his right butt. In a heartbreaking detail, the doctors also agreed that from the burn patterns, it appeared as if the little boy had folded himself into a fetal position to try to protect himself from the scalding liquid. The medical examiner who ultimately performed the autopsy on Gibralon agreed with the three doctors assessment of the toddler's injuries. However, a pediatrician

who testified for the defense after reviewing case documents, and said that the burns appeared to be accidental and were caused by splattering water. In the appeal, Carnalus's defense argued that since there was evidence that he was making a meal in his attempts to help the child after the boiling water incident, no rational jury could have found that he intentionally heard Gibralon. They also argued that Carnellus simply acted on an involuntary physical reflex when he was startled by the little boy coming up behind him in the kitchen. The appeal decision pointed out that at no time during Carnal's 911 call,

did he explain how the boiling water ended up in contact with Gibralon. Rather, in the call, he simply said that he was boiling water. He did not see the child behind him. And somehow the child was burned so badly that his skin started peeling off. The appeals court obviously didn't find Carnal's story any more credible than the original jury did because they affirmed the trial court decision and denied the appeal. Cornelis is currently imprisoned with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the Jim Ferguson unit in Midway, Texas.

and also will be eligible for parole in 2040. A wake for Gibralon Babels was scheduled at 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 16th, at Golden Gate Funeral Home with his funeral the next day. We were unable to find any other information on any other memorials or vigils held to remember the little boy. Gibralon was buried with a simple granite headstone, which reads, Jebraylon Quintes Babels, July 3rd, 2009 to December 11th, 2010. There are no tears in heaven.

Running along the bottom is an etching of a train with a teddy bear. Earlier this year, Gibralon's family visited his grave to celebrate what would have been his 15th birthday. They cleaned his gravestone and decorated it with flowers and balloons to remember their Bam Bam. Little Gibralin was callously killed by being immersed in boiling water before he was even a year and a half old. Because he was so little when he died, we don't know more.

much about what his personality was going to be like if he'd been allowed to grow out of his toddler years. He hadn't even reached his terrible twos before his life was cut short in such an agonizing way. He never had a first day of a kindergarten, never lost his first tooth, never got to ride the school bus. So many milestones and experiences were denied to this little boy for no reason. Let us hope that by telling his story, Gibralon's memory can live on for a many, many more years to come. Logan Nicholas Klein was born on July 14th, 2008 in Midland, Texas. At the time of our story, he was a sweet, energetic 11-year-old boy

with big brown eyes and dark blonde hair. He loved playing baseball, solving his Rubik's Cube, building things, and playing Legos with his friends. Logan's parents were Stormy Lorraine Johnson and Nicholas Klein. The couple had another child, Lexi Klein, who was born on February 18, 2006. Logan's maternal grandmother was Dorothy Holland, and his paternal grandparents were Christine Barrow and John Klein.

Stormy and Nicholas had first met while serving in the U.S. Army together in New York. Stormy later left the army due to a disability and became a disabled veteran. Nicholas and Stormy divorced right after Logan was born, and Nicholas remarried Christy Klein on May 12, 2012. Logan's younger half-brother Jackson was born in June of 2014. Stormy also remarried after divorce and had two more children. Her marriage ended in divorce again and she lost custody of the two youngest. After their parents broke up, Logan and Lexi lived with her mom in Mullin, Texas,

since their father was stationed overseas quite a bit. Now, according to his teachers, Logan was a quiet boy who desperately wanted to make friends. In fact, Logan was so shy that the school thought he might have been getting mistreated at home. The school contacted CPS four different times, but they did not investigate anything. At the beginning of September 2019, Logan and Lexi moved back to Midland, Texas, to live with her grandmother Dorothy. Stormy had been using drugs and was no longer capable of looking after her kids properly. Two months prior, Stormy had gotten into a relationship with 32-year-old,

Corry Trumbull. Corry Allen Trumbull was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, which at one point was the murder capital of the nation. Corrie had a very dark and explosive personality. He was a crystal addict and had been from a very young age. He was also cruel to animals and liked to try to kill deer with his bare hands. I have no idea how he would do that. But anyway, his body art also showed that he had a strange obsession with death. In March of 2012, he got a tattoo of a tree on his back, which he called a family tree on Facebook. One month later, he added six gravestones to the tattoo.

He also had a tattoo of a gravestone with the Latin words, Veritas and Equitas, which translates to truth and justice, which will become really ironic later. Around the same time, he was making Facebook posts about how much he hated his life and venting about his mood switching between happy and depressed so easily. Corey attended Chiquipee Comprehensive High School and graduated in 2006 with no career plans

and little future to look forward to. When he wasn't working to McDonald's, he was using Crystal or hanging out with his baby cousins and nephew. Corey decided to date his cousin named Ashley Gebo from 2010 to 2016. After their breakup, Corey moved to San Angelo where he became homeless and had to live at the Salvation Army homeless shelter. In 2019, he relocated to Midland, Texas. Corey met Stormy in July of 2019, and one month later, they moved into a Midland motel

with Logan, Lexi, and Corey's three pet dogs in Chaos, Mayhem, and Aphrodite. After meeting Logan and Lexi, Corey instructed them to call him daddy and referred to them as his kids. He was the leader of the household from that moment onward, and referring to himself as the Alpha. Family lived together in one hotel room, which was full. filthy and had holes in the ceiling. Corey and Stormy became more open with their crystal addiction

and convinced both kids to try the drug out for themselves. That summer, CPS began to investigate the couple, as they should have. They visited them at the motel but failed to take any further action despite the obvious living conditions being so poor and the signs of drug use in the home. After Corey came into their lives, it did not take long before verbal and physical violence started to unfold in the house. Corey was violent towards everyone in the home,

but it was Logan in particular who received the brunt of Corey's temper. Cory could not stand Logan. Corey, who was a 5-foot-10-inch, 220-pound man, once stomped on the boy's head, leaving Logan with a permanent brain injury. Because of this, it caused him to have frequent seizures.

He was never taken to a doctor for these seizures. And Corey and Stormy would even slap Logan while he was having seizures. On another occasion, Corey kicked Logan into a wall. Stormy never intervened or appeared to stress that her boyfriend was beating her own son. In fact, she would actually encourage Corey to do so, and she would even laugh at him while watching. Logan was treated like a subhuman by his own mother and her boyfriend, Corey. He was only allowed to eat dog food and could only drink water from a dog bowl.

He was not permitted to use the bathroom and was forced to urinate on himself. Beatings were a daily occurrence for Logan. Corey would hit and kick him in the chest, stomach, back, and legs. He also smoothed down branches and put epoxy and electrical tape on them to make them less likely to break. Or he would hit Logan with the sticks while he begged for him to stop. Stormy would always watch her son being treated horrifically. He would just laugh or join in if she felt so inclined.

In late September of 2019, Corey got Stormy to pull Logan and Lexi out of school. He then told their grandmother, Dorothy, that she would never see her grandchildren again, as they were moving to Chillicothe, Texas. Dorothy was understandably devastated and refused to let Corey and Stormy collect their belongings if they weren't going to let her visit her grandchildren. The couple ended up calling the sheriff's department on her, and Dorothy said one last goodbye to her grandchildren, who were not allowed out of the backseat of the car.

After her grandchildren moved, Dorothy began calling CPS, and at that point in time, CPS requested a hair follicle test after Stormy said that Logan was on medication for his mental health. The family lived in a rented rundown trailer. Now, all of the rooms were in poor condition, but Logan's was made the worst on purpose. His bedroom was bare with just a bed frame with no mattress. It was also full of dirty clothes,

covered with dog feces. The conditions were so uncomfortable that Logan tried to make a bed out of the dirty clothes, which Corey and Stormy found hilarious. Logan was not allowed to leave his bedroom without Corey's permission. If he dared, he was beaten mercilessly.

Around this time, Lexi began using Crystal regularly. Neither Corey nor Stormy worked, and the family was living in poverty using child support in disability payments to buy drugs instead of necessities. The family started become very concerned for Stormy and the kids as she had blocked them on social media and would only call to beg for money. Corey had also taken away all of Logan and Lexi's electronic devices, so they had no way to

contact family or anyone in the outside world for that matter. Dorothy requested a wellness check on the family and continued making reports to CPS, but no real action was ever taken. On October 2, 2019, Corey, Stormy, Logan, and Lexi all moved to Wichita Falls. They checked in at the Red Roof Inn and lived in one hotel room with two queen beds. The hotel was completely run down with holes in the ceiling, no hot water, and bedbugs. Guests who had the misfortune of staying at this hotel described it as traumatizing and the most disgusting, horrific place. A lot of crime occurred at the hotel as well, and it was well known to the local police.

Each morning, Stormy would bring breakfast to the room and Corey would decide if Logan would eat something or not. If the starving boy was caught trying to sneak food and Corey didn't allow it, Corey would threaten to cut off Logan's fingers. The bedbug infested beds were also considered too much of a luxury for Logan, so they forced him to sleep on the floor in a corner underneath the sink while Corey's dog slept on the bed instead. As Logan and Lexi weren't enrolled in school and Corey and Stormy didn't work, they spent spent each day all huddled in the hotel room, watching TV, and doing drugs. The whole family used Crystal, and Logan probably consumed more of it than he did food. Lexi's Crystal usage increased dramatically after moving into the Red Roof Inn. Watching her little brother being tortured daily and not being able to help him was likely

emotionally scarring, and Crystal helped numb the pain that she felt. As December was approaching, the long-term effects of the torture and mistreatment Logan had been subjected to for months, we're finally starting to show on him. His body could no longer withstand the almost daily beatings. His health began to decline rapidly. First his feet started to hurt. Lexi would try to rub Logan's feet to ease the pain, but Corey ordered her to stop doing that. Next, Logan became too weak and frail to eat.

Stormy responded by attempting to feed him chicken noodle soup, but Logan kept vomiting up black blood. Logan relied on his mother to feed him, but she never did it regularly. Then lost his ability to walk and could only communicate with grunts or hums. Despite being well aware of Logan's deteriorating medical condition, nobody ever sought any sort of medical attention for him. Corian Stormy still continued to slap and hit Logan just like they had been doing for months, even in his current condition. On one occasion, Logan fell off the bed and could, not get back up. Lexi asked Corey if she could help her brother, but he said that she could not. Lexi then hugged Logan and said that she loved him. Not long after that, Logan appeared to be

unconscious. Corey tried CPR, but was unsuccessful. He checked Logan for a pulse, but never found one. Stormy then began to scream and cry knowing that her son was dead. Corey covered Logan's body in a bed sheet and discussed with Stormy ways to dispose of his body. For the next three days, Logan's naked, lifeless body lay in the hotel bathtub, which Bori had filled with ice water to prevent him from decomposing. Lori allowed Lexi to see her brother's body and say goodbye to him. Lexi said she apologized to Logan for letting him down and hope that he was in a better place. Corey and Stormy then took Logan out of the tub, dressed him in his clothes, and put him in a wheelchair that he had found in the hotel dumpster.

Logan's body was finally wheeled out of the hotel and dumped in a nearby abandoned car on Kenzie Avenue off Old Iowa Park Road. Lexi testified that when Corey and Stormy returned from discarding Logan's body, they were acting as if they had just had a fun night out. The couple kept laughing with each other believing they had gotten away with killing Logan. They then had a casual night in front of the TV watching Futurama and using Crystal. There's a trend you may have noticed in some of the previous cases we've covered, and especially Logan's case.

And that is a parent or the boyfriend girlfriend of a parent, harming or torturing a child, realizing they need medical attention, not only not getting the medical attention, but once they realize that that child is dead, trying to resuscitate them. makes you wonder what the purpose is. Is it just to keep this child in this near-death state so they can forever torture them? I don't understand it.

I want to know just exactly what goes through these people's minds when they look at a defenseless child and think he doesn't need medical attention. But oh, he's dead, I have nothing to torture anymore. I have nothing to harm anymore. The first time I heard something like this, I couldn't believe it. I thought it was an anomaly.

But now we're seeing this case after case after case. It's just disgusting. In December of 2019, Stormy and Corey were evicted from the red roof in for not paying rent. Other guests had also been complaining about Corey walking around the parking lot with knives. When the general manager Natan Patel confronted Corey about the rent, he slammed the door in his face. The couple didn't bother paying their own rent, and Stormy's mom, Dorothy, had been paying the previous months, but refused to keep doing it, understandably so, like I wouldn't either if she can't see the grandkids. After having a door slammed in his face, Nitan called the police to forcibly evict the couple. The family left the hotel at the end of December, but would drive back to pick up mail in the days following.

Despite the hotel offering weekly housekeeping, Corey and Stormy left the room. in a filthy state and it took one month of cleaning before the room could be rented again. That sang a lot for a bedbug-infested room. After leaving the red roof in, the family lived in another Wichita Falls Hotel before leaving the state. Corey had started to become very paranoid about the police finding Logan's body and tracing him back to it. His original plan was to run away to California, but the three of them settled in Las Vegas instead. They lived in Corey's new white pickup truck, which he had parked at 3.375 Glen Avenue. The place they were renting was a large self-storage container rather than a house.

If Logan now dead, Corey needed someone new to bear the brunt of his temper. It was not long before he started slapping and hitting Stormy the same way they had done to Logan. Corey was becoming more violent each and every day. And now all of a sudden, Stormy wanted out of their relationships. since she was the victim. On February 24th of 2020 at approximately 4.30 a.m. Corey fell asleep and Stormy ran away to a 7-Eleven across the street. She was visibly upset and crying and asked the employee to call the police for her.

Officer T. Hager, who responded to the call, did not observe any injuries on Stormy at that time and didn't notice any red flags when he spoke to Corey. After leaving the 7-Eleven with Corey, Stormy reported that he began to physically batter her once again. Once they returned to the truck, Corey wrapped a metal dog leash chain around Stormy's neck, securing it to the headrest to prevent her from escaping. He forced her to drive while at the same time strangling her by pulling on the leash. This violent behavior continued as they drove to the Walgreens pharmacy located at Las Vegas

Boulevard in Charleston where they stayed parked. Corey repeatedly strangled Stormy until she was on the verge of losing consciousness before releasing the leash. As a result, Storkewerexie. Stormy developed a sore throat, difficulty swallowing, a raspy voice, and nausea. After removing the leash, Corey savagely beat Stormy with his fists in a red and black sticker pipe, focusing on her right leg to prevent her from running away ever again. Stormy sustained numerous injuries, including pain in her left elbow, right elbow,

fingers, her right ankle, lower lip, in her head. February 26 of 2020 at roughly 9.20 a.m. Corey fell asleep in the truck parked at the Walgreens across the street. Stormy ran away from Corey again, went into the Walgreens, and begged the staff to call the police in an ambulance for her. Sergeant Donaldson responded to the call. He and two additional officers arrived. They found Stormy who was visibly battered. Stormy told them that Corey had caused all of her injuries.

After she was taken inside the ambulance, Officer Palmyra and Sergeant Donaldson spoke with Corey in his truck. Corey explained that all three of them had been in the Walgreens. They returned to the car, Corey said he had fallen asleep, and when he woke up, Stormy was gone, and he assumed she had gone back into the store to buy a drink. He also said he knew she was at Walgreens, as he had tracked her phone. Inside Corey's truck, police found a dog leash and the black and red sticker pipe that Stormy said she had been beaten with. Officer Jay Gara spoke with Lexi, who refused to say whether or not there had been any physical

altercations between Stormy and Corey. Stormo was taken to Sunrise Hospital for her injuries, which included a broken right shoulder, left elbow, nose, right middle finger, left pinky, right ankle, as well as severe head pain, swollen bruised eyes, swollen bleeding lips, and multiple bruises. Medical staff confirmed several fractures and noted that some had previously healed, indicating ongoing DV. Given the evidence and the nature of these injuries, it was clear to officers that a battery with a deadly weapon had occurred.

At 10.45, that same night, Corey was arrested in charge with DV, kidnapping, coercion, and domestic battery by strangulation. And he was interviewed by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He said that Stormy used drugs and had made the whole thing up. Lexi was interviewed as a witness, and Corey coached her on what to say. Back at the hospital, Stormy was questioned three times by Detective Metzger about her missing son. The pair spoke at the trauma bay at Las Vegas Hospital.

During the interview, Stormy spoke on the phone with her mother and passed the phone to Detective Metzger at one point. Dorothy asked the detective about the children which made Stormy appear visibly uncomfortable. After hours of questioning, Stormy finally admitted that Logan was dead in Texas. On February 27th, the Wichita Falls Police Department was called the Red Roof Inn to search for Logan's body. Detective Bailey was scouring the nearby areas of the hotel and came across an abandoned house with an abandoned Ford in the driveway, was half a block away from the red roof inn. As the detective approached the vehicle,

he was hit by a faint smell of decomposition. When he looked in the rearview window of the vehicle, he saw two white tennis shoes with what appeared to have ankles in them, as well as the cuff of a pair of blue jeans. Detective Billy then looked in the driver's side window and found piles of clothing. As he moved to the passenger, window, the smell of decomposition became even more intense.

Logan's body was badly decomposed, and he was lying in a fetal position with bugs eating away at his flesh. It was clear to the detective that Logan's body had been there a long time, and he had been dumped in the car purely out of convenience. He also noted that there were no blood stains on Logan's clothing, suggesting that he had been dressed after death. Detective Bailey sealed off the crime scene and the criminal investigation division and the Wichita Falls Police Department impound facility were both alerted. For Logan to be removed from the car without any of his decomposed limbs breaking apart, he had to be carefully rewrapped in the tarp he had been lying on. The car he was found in was then towed in a rolled back wrecker and transported to the evidence bay

of the Wichita Falls Police Department impound facility. After being identified with a hair sample, Logan was taken for an autopsy by the Dallas County Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Hastings. Dr. Hastings noted that the level of decomposition made it hard to determine the cause of death or assess the extent of Logan's injuries. However, he did find hemorrhaging in Logan's deep tissues and bleeding in his soft tissues. Logan's bones also showed signs of obvious trauma. There were multiple fractures to the left and right nasal bone in the left and right upper jaw. Additionally, there was a lot of discoloration, bruises, and contusions which could only have been caused by extensive blunt force trauma. Logan's skin also had numerous lacerations and tears, suggesting that he had been punched or kicked.

One of the tears was actually so deep that it reached the bone. While the autopsy was happening, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Wichita Falls Police Department search one of the vacant rooms at the Red Roof Inn and found a bulletin. bloodstain about a half inch width near the shower on the inside of the bathroom. A swab was taken of the blood stain and the results matched Logan's DNA. They also spoke with Natan Patel, who said he thought his tenant Corey acted crazy and weird and that Logan and Lexi were quiet, wore the exact same clothes every day and showed no happiness and no smiling whatsoever.

Natan also said he only saw the kids at breakfast for a week or two after the family had checked in. After that, Stormy would always bring breakfast back to the room. At this point, Wichita County already had put out a fugitive warrant for both Corey and Stormy. On March 2nd, he was booked on a $3 million bond and extradited from the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas to Wichita County Jail. Wichita County Sheriff's Office had also contacted a member of Las Vegas Police Criminal Apprehension Team Fugitive Task Force about Stormy. She had a full extradition warrant out of Wichita Falls. She was taken to the Clark County Detention Center and booked on February 29th on a $1.25 million

bond and later extradited to Wichita County Jail. Corey Trumbull was charged with capital murder and tampering with a corpse. His trial began at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, August 22nd, 2023, and 78th District Court with Judge Jeff McKnight presiding with a jury of six men and six women in attendance. The lead prosecutors in this case were Richottah County District Attorney John Gillespie, an assistant district attorney Kyle Lesser. For his defense team was led by William Hall and Gant Grimes, both of the Wichita County Public Defender's Office. Corey pled not guilty to all charges, claiming Logan, a child, a young child, was into BDSM and asking Corey to hit him.

Lexi testified that prior to Corey entering her family's life, life, her brother was a happy and healthy boy. The prosecution noted that after Corey entered Logan's life, he didn't even make it to the end of the year. Through tears, Lexi admitted that once she was able to move beyond the drug-induced fog that she had been living in, she realized she had been manipulated by Corey. That is the reason why she didn't try to get help. Lexi also claimed that Corey and her mother both mutilated her brother's corpse. Corey's sentencing hearing took place on August 29, 2023. The jury only needed, it's probably the quickest I've ever heard.

The jury only needed 16 minutes to find him guilty of all charges, and the judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. March of 2024, he appealed his conviction of capital murder, claiming that the prosecution didn't prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, that his capital murder conviction should be reversed altogether. The appeal also stated that the prosecution failed to present evidence showing Corey knowingly and intentionally caused Logan's death and that he was charged on mere

speculation rather than actual evidence. Stormy Johnson pled guilty to felony murder and tampering with evidence. She was sentenced in early September 2023 to life in prison, the minimum of 20 years. Corey's appeal is still in the works. After Logan's death, Lexi went to live with her maternal grandmother. In September of 2021, she moved to Germany with her father, who was stationed there for three years. She made a Facebook post saying she had met so many people and was happier than ever. When she was 18, she moved back to Wichita Falls to testify at Corey and Stormy's trials. Lexi then moved back to Mullin, Texas, to live with her grandmother and recently graduated from Mullen High School. The same night police discovered Logan's body, the community.

of Wichita Falls came together to honor the life of Logan Klein. A candlelight vigil was held at the Angel of Hope Memorial Garden. Dozens of strangers were in attendance alongside some of of Logan's neighbors and his fifth grade school teacher, Carrie Polowski. An emotional gathering tonight, people in Wichita Falls paid their respects for an 11-year-old gone too soon. On February 27th, police found Logan Klein's body in a car on Kinsey Avenue near the Red Roof Inn of Old Iowa Park, wrote after investigating an unrelated case. Zach Radia attended the candlelight vigil tonight at the Angel of Hope Memorial.

Now Zach, how did the community honor Klein? Well, Lauren and Jaron, the story hits close to home for many who have children or a young sibling. And most folks in attendance tonight had never met Klein, but want to make sure to keep his name alive. It just hurts me so much because I have my children, my grandchildren and everything and something like this happening here and we're close to my house. And I'm thinking somebody needs to do something. The body of 11-year-old Logan Klein found in late February leaves many unanswered questions.

Carrie Polowski teaches in Chilicothe and says Logan was only in her class for 30 days before suddenly leaving. And although it wasn't long, something seemed off. He wasn't there for long, but he was very quiet. He was a sweet kid. You could tell he wanted to try to make friends. But we knew something was wrong. that things weren't necessarily right for him. Belowski says the school did what it could,

trying multiple times to get help for Klein, but unfortunately it was too late. We contacted CPS four different times, our school did, but by the time they could get anything done, they had already moved on. You could tell they knew what they were doing by moving. The Candlelight Vigil was a chance for the community to pay their respects, even for those who never got to meet, Logan.

When people pass away, They're easily forgotten within two weeks or a month. You know, the time just passes by. So it's a great reflection to see individuals come together just to support even people that they don't know. Gathering to support and remember Logan Klein as the quiet, sweet kid that Polowski knew. We're just doing our best to just remember Logan and, of course, his age is kind of difficult in the circumstances that we heard on the news and things like. like that. So just basically doing whatever we can to say a prayer. A prayer to remember a life cut way too short. A plate with Logan's name was added to the memorial wall. After his death,

Logan's grandmother, Christine Barrow started a GoFundMe page to cover the travel costs of his funeral as his father was stationed in Afghanistan. The fundraiser received $2,279 in donations. Logan's funeral was held on Saturday, March 21st, 2020, at Winter's funeral home in Winters, Texas. It was a private ceremony, and he was buried in nearby Lakeview Cemetery. The exact date of Logan's death is unknown, but February 26, 2020 was written on his grave. The headstone reads, Our Beloved grandson, son, brother, Logan Nicholas Klein, July 14th, to February 26, 2020. Logan's favorite toy, his Rubik's Cube, was placed near the headstone, alongside a wire sculpture of a baseball mitt in a baseball.

He will be forever missed by everyone who loved him.