In Virginia, Navy Sailor from Seymour, MO charged with murder in death of 4 month old | Shaken Baby Syndrome

A Virginia grand jury has reportedly indicted a navy sailor from the Ozarks on new charges in connection to the death of a four-month-old girl. 


Micah Patterson is now reportedly charged with second-degree murder and object sexual penetration in the death of his girlfriend's daughter, Aubrey Hannsz. Patterson, who was stationed near Virginia Beach, VA but grew up in Seymour, MO had already been charged with child abuse back in January and is being held without bond. 


An autopsy determined Hannsz reportedly died of abusive head trauma consistent with shaken-baby syndrome. The victim's mother testified she'd never seen Patterson abuse her daughter, but she said he often complained about the infant being "a pain." Patterson is scheduled to go on trial august 8th.


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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

In Iowa, Father charged with 2 felonies | Abusive Head Trauma

The father of Mikayla Valentine, a 5-year-old who reportedly died in January 2011 from what authorities called abusive head trauma, has been arrested on child abuse-related charges, according to court records. Robert Valentine Jr., 29, of Eagle Grove, has reportedly been charged with child endangerment resulting in death and child endangerment resulting in serious injury, according to court complaints filed by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The complaints state that the alleged offenses happened on Jan. 1, 2011. Mikayla Valentine died on Jan. 8, 2011. The charges were reportedly filed Wednesday, and Valentine made his first appearance in court that day. A preliminary hearing has reportedly been scheduled for 9:15 a.m. Thursday in Wright County District Court. Kara Crapser, 21, of Eagle Grove, is reportedly serving a 50-year prison sentence for her role in the child's death. She reportedly pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to prison on May 7. During her sentencing hearing, a written statement from Robert Valentine Jr. was read. "How low can a person be?" he wrote. "To murder a baby and not care. To take that life and make others believe your innocence and then waiting a year to confess." "My daughter was a beautiful and innocent baby," he wrote. Mikayla Valentine was reportedly the daughter of Robert Valentine Jr. and Michele Movall. The girl was in Crapser's care in her home at 208 N. Wright Ave. in Eagle Grove, when she suffered the injuries that led to her death. Emergency personnel were called to that home on Jan. 7, 2011, to treat the girl's injuries. She was later airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, where she died the following day. Investigators have said little about what happened to her. The most detailed account thus far has come from her older brother, Robert Valentine III, who wrote a victim impact statement that was read during Crapser's sentencing hearing. "You know you killed Mikayla," he wrote. "You know you threw her." To Read More on this Story: Click Here If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

In Ohio, Coroner: Bowling Green baby's death is a homicide | Shaken Baby Syndrome

The death of a 3-month-old baby boy who died under suspicious circumstances on May 5 was reportedly ruled a homicide Thursday by Wood County Coroner Dr. Douglas Hess.

Abusive head trauma was listed as Carter Steinmiller's cause of death.

Although no one has reportedly been charged with causing the infant's death, his mother, Rebecca Steinmiller, 25, of rural Bowling Green was indicted in May by a Wood County grand jury on one count of endangering children.

Wood County Prosecutor Paul Dobson said at the time that Mrs. Steinmiller reportedly knew her son's arm was broken for at least four days before his death but failed to seek medical attention for him or notify law enforcement.

Mr. Dobson reportedly said Thursday that with the coroner's report, more charges could be filed in the case.

"We're evaluating the full report right now, and I would anticipate that from the information we've got --
there's not a whole lot left in our investigation

-- if anything is going to happen it would likely happen soon," he said.

About 5:50 p.m. May 5, Mrs. Steinmiller called 911 crying and saying her baby was not breathing, that she
and her husband, Brian Steinmiller,

could not resuscitate him.

"I need an ambulance right away," she told the dispatcher. "I just woke up from my nap, and my
husband found my baby vomited. We're trying to resuscitate him. We can't get him to breathe, and I just woke up from my nap."

The baby was reportedly transported by ambulance from the couple's Brim Road mobile home to Wood County Hospital
where he was pronounced dead.

Mrs. Steinmiller is reportedly being held in the Wood County jail on a $10,000 bond from Bowling Green Municipal
Court where she failed to appear for a hearing on a community control violation from an unrelated case.

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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

In Illinois, Day care owner convicted of shaking baby to death gets fall hearing | Shaken Baby Syndrome

A former home day care owner from Bartlett reportedly convicted of fatally shaking an infant has moved closer to a hearing that could result in a new trial after spending over a decade in prison.

Pamela Jacobazzi, 57, was reportedly found guilty in 1999 of the murder of a 10-month-old boy. He was in her care in August 1994 and died a year and four months later after going into a vegetative state because of brain trauma.

At trial, medical experts reportedly testified that the child showed signs of shaken baby syndrome, or bleeding in the eyes and brain, that could only have been caused by violent shaking. Prosecutors argued that Jacobazzi shook the child in frustration and then gave police different stories about how the injuries occurred.

The defense argued that the injuries could have occurred after the child left her care and said police were too quick to focus on Jacobazzi and did not adequately consider other possibilities.

In April 2007 Gov. Rod Blagojevich denied Jacobazzi's petition for clemency, according to a spokesman for the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. The agency is tasked with reviewing such petitions and making recommendations to the governor's office.

The spokesman recently reportedly declined to say whether the board asked for clemency in Jacobazzi's case, saying it is barred from making recommendations public.

In 2010, the 2nd District Illinois Appellate Court ordered a hearing to determine whether questions surrounding shaken baby syndrome — as well as medical evidence that was not presented at the original trial — warranted a new trial.

Defense attorney Anthony Sassan, of Crystal Lake, reportedly said his client hopes evidence showing the boy had prior injury or illness, along with growing doubt surrounding the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome, will give Jacobazzi another chance to show her innocence.

A status hearing is reportedly set for this month, and the hearing ordered by the appeals court is scheduled to begin in November.

In a written statement, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said Friday he is confident the hearing will show that jurors were correct in their 1999 verdict.

"We will try our case in a court of law, where we expect to contradict the defense's new theory through the presentation of evidence and the cross-examination of expert witnesses," Berlin said.

"This case will not be tried in the media or the court of public opinion. My office stands by the conviction and the jury's finding of guilt."

Jacobazzi is reportedly serving a 32-year sentence at Lincoln Correctional Center near Springfield. She will be eligible for parole in May 2015.

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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

In Mississippi, State Supreme Court declines to hear appeal of Jackson County woman convicted of killing baby | Shaken Baby Syndrome

The Mississippi Supreme Court has reportedly declined to hear an appeal from a Jackson County woman convicted of murder in the death of a child left in her care.

Court records show Amy Danielle Wilkerson reportedly pleaded guilty in 2007 to murder in the death of 8-week-old Tristan Chinn. Prosecutors say the baby was shaken to death.

Wilkerson was reportedly sentenced to life in prison.

Wilkerson reportedly claimed her guilty plea was involuntary and wanted to go back to Jackson County Circuit Court to prove it.

The state Court of Appeals last year reportedly said Wilkerson was thoroughly advised of the consequences of her guilty plea and nothing her attorney did rendered the plea involuntary.

According to court records, the boy's father reportedly dropped him off at Wilkerson's home on July 18, 2005. Wilkerson later called 911 and said the boy had stopped breathing.

Investigators reportedly started questioning Wilkerson after the boy's injuries turned out to be consistent with that of other victims of shaken baby syndrome.

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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

July Organization Spotlight | Amazing Advokids Organization | With Margaret Coyne

Recently, Keane Law Firm had the pleasure of speaking to Margaret Coyne, from Advokids.  Each month we speak with an Organization going above the call of duty to serve children across the U.S., and for the month of July we are so delighted to share with you Advokids!

Advokids Office

Advokids continually works to make the California foster care system function as the law intended, keeping children safe and secure and providing them with stability and permanency when they cannot be returned to their parents.  When the system does not work right, children get hurt.

The role of the Juvenile Court is critical for oversight of a foster child’s case. The system works best when the juvenile court has complete and accurate information about the child.  Advokids teaches people how to effectively bring information about the welfare of the child to the court’s attention.

Advokids provides an educational website, a free telephone hotline for anyone who is concerned about a California foster child, and training for attorneys, social workers, mental health professionals, caregivers and other child advocates on how to use the law to make the child welfare system actually serve the best interests of the child.

Advokids is about making the child welfare system and the adults in it accountable to the children they serve and to the people of California.

Thank You notes from the children of Advokids

Margaret Coyne is the Executive Director for Advokids, and during our interview with her we have learned so many amazing accomplishments that have prevailed throughout the years, however from a personal point of view Margaret has shared with us, from behind the scenes at Advokids, a personal story of triumph and dedication.

Miss California, a former foster child, at an event for Advokids

Throughout the years since the establishment of Advokids, Margaret has learned that too often our children in foster care in this country have no voice. Their lives and futures are determined by policies and philosophies that fail to consider their best interests.  With the best interest of our children in mind, she  has proclaimed that finding and working with like minded, passionate child advocates from every field and discipline who refuse to accept the status quo and will fight for the right of every child to be safe and secure in a stable and loving home, to be the best advocate she can be.

Dealing with our most precious, delicate human beings, working as an advocate for children can be very emotional, and very personal at times, really bringing the circumstances of a child in foster care close to home.  All of the wonderful advocates at Advokids cope with the emotional instances by fighting hard for every individual child who comes to their attention, using every legal tool available to bring the child’s best interests to the attention of county administrations and judges, and enlisting help from their pro bono attorneys who will fight in the trenches on behalf of the child. They also learn from every hard case and use the opportunity to strategize on how to prevent that situation from ever happening again.

Margaret Coyne, Executive Director, Advokids, with Miss California, former foster child

Within every organization there is always a mission, there is always a dream, however Margaret shared with us the dream they have set out to achieve, and we believe in them, and are so amazed by their past, present, and future accomplishments.   As a group of advocates for the most delicate children in the United States today, the goal of all advocates at Advokids is to teach and encourage everyone in the child welfare field to respect and follow the law! Our laws are child focused and encourage safety, stability, and permanency, but they are too often side stepped to accommodate bureaucracies, the overwhelmed judicial system, and the adults who have loud grown up voices.

Established in 1993, Advokids has a uniqueness unlike any other organization in the U.S. today. Advokids’ legal services integrate the recent compelling social science and neuroscience research that proves the devastating effects that instability and placement disruptions have on the brain development of young children in foster care. In light of this research, over the past five years, Advokids has a dedicated focus on advocating for the right of foster children to have the child welfare system meet their developmental and emotional needs, as well as their need for physical safety. No other legal advocacy group is dedicated to this interdisciplinary model of advocacy.

Inspiration often times derives from the heart, however when carried with a mission greater than the mind could ever imagine, comes inspiration to move mountains.

"When we fail our children in foster care, the consequences are life long. When we commit ourselves to meeting their critical emotional and developmental needs at the start, we spare them the heartache, and we spare society the burden of meeting their needs throughout their lifetimes." - Margaret Coyne

Miss California at one of the 2012 Fundraising Events for Advokids

Such a beautiful organization, and we truly urge you to take a moment to visit their website, and introduce yourself to them, and see the amazing work, the achievements, and the up and coming events, so you to can carry the legacy with you, which is that of Advokids.

From the bottom of our hearts, and with the greatest gratitude, we thank Margaret for taking the time to speak with us here at the Keane Law Firm, and will always remain a passionate supporter of Advokids!

To learn more about Advokids, please visit their website at: http://www.advokids.org or follow Advokids on Facebook: Click Here

If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help children due to child abuse, shaken baby syndrome, brain injuries, or day care injuries, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com

In Virginia,York Woman Pleads Guilty to Child Neglect in Infant Death | Shaken Baby Syndrome

A York County woman reportedly pleaded guilty Thursday in York-Poquoson Circuit Court to one count of child abuse and neglect connected to the death of her infant son in November.

Sabrina A. Battad, 20, was initially charged with first-degree murder when she was arrested Nov. 18, but the charge was reduced to second-degree murder before it was finally reduced to child neglect.

At Thursday’s hearing, York-Poquoson Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Donna Maw said Battad told authorities she was home alone on the morning of Nov. 18 when her son, Curtis, became fussy. Battad said that when the baby refused to take milk, she bounced and patted the child on her lap until he fell asleep, then placed him in his crib. She told investigators the baby shook a little as she laid him down on his stomach, but she said that was normal. When she thought she heard a cry, she went to check on him and found her baby was not breathing.

After further investigation, authorities reportedly heard Battad was easily frustrated and handled her baby roughly. When questioned again, Battad said the baby was having a temper tantrum, and then began to cry as she told authorities she had shaken the baby. She said he cried loudly, his face turned red and she thought he might not be breathing, but she placed him in his crib. She estimated 10 to 15 minutes passed before she checked on him again, at which time she found he wasn’t breathing and called her mother for help. Her mother advised calling 911.

Maw reportedly said the amount of time Battad allowed to lapse between her first hint the baby wasn’t breathing and her call to 911 constituted child neglect. An autopsy performed by the medical examiner showed no signs of shaken baby syndrome, but a Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters pediatric expert wrote that minutes could have made a difference in saving the child’s life, and “a prudent parent would have called.”

Citing the tragic nature of the case, Judge Richard AtLee denied the defense’s request for bond. Battad will be sentenced Sept. 6.

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If you have any questions or concerns about what can be done to help babies who have been shaken, or families of babies who have died, please call Christopher Keane and The Keane Law Firm toll-free for free consultation at (888) 592-5437 (KIDS), click on contact us here, or use the web form provided at http://www.keanelaw.com