Wednesday, February 03, 1999
Father gets 26 years in baby death
He asks for 'the needle' to be with her
BY DAN HORN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Before he finally killed his baby daughter, prosecutors say, Charles Williams had broken at least 16 of her bones and had once left her hanging from a curtain rod.
But as he was sentenced to prison Tuesday, Mr. Williams said all he wanted was to be with his child again.
“I would take the needle because I don't wish to live anymore,” he said, asking the judge for the death penalty. “I would then be with my precious daughter Cassie.”
Although he was not eligible for a death sentence, the judge ordered Mr. Williams to serve the maximum of 26 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter and child endangering.
Mr. Williams, 27, was convicted last month of beating 11-month-old Cassie so severely that she died from her injuries a few days later.
Prosecutors said the assault, which occurred May 25 at Mr. Williams' English Woods home, was the final beating for a baby who had seen many during her short life.
During the trial, prosecutors called a doctor who testified that Cassie had suffered as many as 16 broken bones, most of which had healed sometime before her death.
“She was a normal little girl until those bones started breaking,” the judge said. “You're the father; she was your daughter. She was in your care.”
He sentenced Mr. Williams to 10 years for involuntary manslaughter and eight years each for two counts of child endangering.
Assistant county prosecutor Seth Tieger said Mr. Williams terrorized Cassie, his two stepchildren and his wife, Crystal. He said threats and violence were common in a house where the slightest transgression could lead to a beating with a belt buckle.
“This baby was severely beaten over a period of time,” Mr. Tieger said.
He said the final beating occurred on Memorial Day, when Mr. Williams became enraged at the child for crying. The baby suffered broken ribs and other internal injuries.
In a statement to police, Mr. Williams first denied harming the child but eventually said he may have “hugged her too hard.” He later said he tried to give her cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which he learned from watching the TV show Baywatch.
Defense attorneys said Mr. Williams is learning-disabled and has an IQ of 66. During the trial, they suggested that Mr. Williams' wife could have beat en the baby.
“Charles has maintained his innocence and he continues to maintain his innocence,” said Robert Ranz, one of his attorneys.
Mr. Williams read a brief, mostly unintelligible, statement to the judge before his sentencing. He asked the judge to grant him probation in his hometown of Montgomery, Ala., and then told him that he was willing to “take the needle” and die by lethal injection.
Mr. Williams originally was charged under Ohio's new “kid killer” law, which makes any murder of a child under 13 a death penalty case.
The jury, however, found there was not enough evidence to prove Mr. Williams intended to kill his daughter.
Suburbanites, you can help your library
E-check leads to bribe charge
Innocent man spends week in jail
Better world at the tip of his tongue
Cold, hard look for regional rail
New transit center, big question
Abortion foes ordered to pay for Web site threats
Accusation not the first for teacher
Auto racing meeting becomes lovefest
More Morrow cop violations surface
Costs force networks to get real
Father gets 26 years in baby death
Groundhogs scarce here, so substitute squirrels
Psychedelic mushrooms confiscated
School bond issue defeated
Soccer team takes new home - new name next?
Union rips paid leave for officer
Blood drive counting on Fairfield
Boone housing plan: 1,200 units
Covington alternative for 12th St. is promoted
Flu-like illness shows up at schools
Nursing home rehab closer
Opening account lands suspect in jail
Storks frequent fliers at St. Elizabeth
Tax conspiracy trial goes to jury
TRISTATE DIGEST
Wayne schools considering levy
West Chester searches for new identity
