Friday, September 15, 2000
Mother recounts day girl, 2, died
Father charged with murder, rape of daughter
By Steve Kemme
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — When Jessica Fuller left her house to go to work on March 21, her 2-year-old daughter threw a tantrum, as usual.
“She was a mommy's girl,” Mrs. Fuller said Thursday at her husband's murder trial.“She never wanted me to go to work. I snuck out the back door so it wouldn't be so bad. Her last words to me were, "Momma, work bad.'”
The next time she saw Randi, two hours later, the little girl lay lifeless on a table in a hospital emergency room.
5th day of trial
Sobbing in court as she looked at photos of Randi's body, Mrs. Fuller said almost all the bruises on the girl's body were not there when she left for work.
Christopher Fuller, 29, of Hamilton, is charged with two counts of aggravated murder and rape. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. His trial in Butler County Common Pleas Court is in its fifth day.
Police said Mr. Fuller told them he became angry when Randi resisted his attempt to sexually assault her. He pushed her down and hit her twice in the chest, police said.
Signs of suffocation
But prosecutors said they think that after Mr. Fuller hit his daughter, he covered her mouth and pressed on her chest, causing her to suffocate.
Dr. Charles Smith, a pediatric pathologist who reviewed Randi's autopsy report, testified that medical evidence indicates that the girl died from suffocation. Someone most likely applied pressure to her neck or chest, he said.
Pinpoint hemorrhaging in her left eyelid and her chest, and the swelling of her brain are signs of suffocation, Dr. Smith said.
"I begged God'
Police said Mr. Fuller gave them various possible reasons for Randi's death: choking on water, holding her breath and being struck in the chest.
None of those circumstances could have caused her death, Dr. Smith said in court.
Police said Mr. Fuller admitted to sexually assaulting Randi in May 1999 and last February. Dr. Smith said the medical evidence he reviewed could neither confirm nor refute that Randi had been sexually assaulted.
Mrs. Fuller, a certified nursing assistant, said she had only been at work a few minutes on March 21 when she received a phone call about Randi.
She said her husband was much calmer than she was while medical personnel at Mercy Hospital in Hamilton were trying to revive Randi.
“He wasn't crying,” Mrs. Fuller said. “I was a wreck.”
She said that at one point, she held Randi in her arms.
“I begged her to wake up,” she said, crying. “I begged the doctors. I begged God.”
After Randi was pronounced dead, Mrs. Fuller held her daughter in her arms and told her that she loved her.
She said that when Mr. Fuller learned of Randi's death, he threw himself on Randi. Then he hugged his wife. But Mrs. Fuller said she sensed something strange about him.
“Something was off,” she said. “It didn't feel right.”
She said that when she questioned her husband about what had happened to Randi, he became angry and stormed off.
Fliers powerless on baggage rules
Tourists spend day in pen over stolen pig
Please don't abuse the pigs
Downtown eateries open this weekend
Sprawl label is disputed
Cleveland's 'Ecovillage' held up as role model
Woman left in stench called eccentric
International trade meeting to spark protests
Adopted teens to be tried as adults
Mother recounts day girl, 2, died
Rising from ashes - again
A busyness dropout
Ask a Stupid Question ...
He's a new man
On The Fridge
Aquatic center plan criticized
Attempted murder indictment issued
Coca-Cola memorabilia a big draw
Event helps homeless vets
Flying Fortress lands at Lunken
Getting ready for Kentucky Cup Day of Champions
Hamilton gas rates to rise 35%
Holdup nets 46 months
In the Schools
Money shifted into sidewalks
Office workers roll up sleeves for good cause
Persistence pays off for small college
Radio airs game prayers
Signs have message for under-21 drinkers
State expands day-care aid
Get to it
Kentucky News Briefs
Pig Parade/The Puccini Pig
Tristate A.M. Report
