DESTINY COX - 3 yo - Chenoa (E of Peoria) IL

Man faces 6 murder charges in baby death


David Gharret's bail has been set at $2 million

Authorities in McLean County say they’re investigating the area’s
first murder case of 2011. Twenty-three-year-old David Gharrett was
charged with six counts of murder this morning over the death of 3-year-old Destiny Cox.
“This is the type of case we never want because it involves a child.
It’s a senseless death and a tragedy,” said McLean County Sheriff Mike Emery.
Emery said Gharrett is the boyfriend of the girl’s mother. Police say
they responded to a call about an unresponsive child in rural Chenoa on
Thursday afternoon. The 3-year-old was life-flighted to OSF St.
Francis Medical Center in Peoria. She was pronounced dead on Friday.
An autopsy performed the following day indicated Cox died from blunt
force trauma to her abdomen and head. According to a probable cause
statement read in court, the suspect told police he “flew off the
handle” after the child threw up on herself. The statement also said he
admitted to throwing the victim in the tub.
Gharrett’s bond has been set at $2 million.
http://wjbc.com/man-faces-6-murder-charges-in-baby-death/

Another POS mother. Another POS boyfriend. Where was the mother of this baby? If she knew him well enough to screw him she should have known him well enough to know he had an explosive temper.

Was this the first time he abused Destiny? Probably not.

twinkletoes that is the most ignorant thing i have ever read

Well, it's not THE most ignorant thing I've read, but I think this statement from the perp trumps Twink's post(which wasn't ignorant at all):

"the suspect told police he “flew off the handle” after the child threw up on herself. The statement also said he admitted to throwing the victim in the tub."

Guess what else is ignorant? Guys like this that kill babies.

If you can enlighten us, please do, with facts. Thank you.

Admin wrote:Well, it's not THE most ignorant thing I've read, but I think this statement from the perp trumps Twink's post(which wasn't ignorant at all):

"the suspect told police he “flew off the handle” after the child threw up on herself. The statement also said he admitted to throwing the victim in the tub."

Guess what else is ignorant? Guys like this that kill babies.

If you can enlighten us, please do, with facts. Thank you.

She probably threw up on herself after he punched her in the stomach.

You may have a point there, Twink.

He will get his in prison. Child killers don't live long in prison.

bestbuy1 wrote:He will get his in prison. Child killers don't live long in prison.

bestbuy1 wrote:He will get his in prison. Child killers don't live long in prison.

I hope they punish him first.

Chenoa man pleads ‘not guilty’ in death of 3 year old

By: Michelle Mantel


David Gharrett pleaded not guilty in the murder death of his girlfriend's
three-year-old daughter. (Photo from McLean County Jail)


A man from Chenoa has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the death of his girlfriend’s three-year-old girl.

Twenty-three year-old David Gharrett faces six counts of murder in the death of Destiny Cox. Police say Gharrett admitted to throwing the victim in a bath tub after she threw up on herself. An autopsy indicates Cox died of multiple injuries to the head and abdomen. A status hearing has been set for May 27.


http://wjbc.com/chenoa-man-pleads-not-guilty-in-death-of-3-year-old/

Mother gets probation, may testify against man accused of 3-year-old's killing
February 10, 2012 11:36 am • By Edith Brady-Lunny | eblunny@pantagraph.com

BLOOMINGTON -- A mother whose 3-year-old daughter was allegedly killed by her boyfriend admitted in court Friday that she knew her child could be in danger when she allowed him to babysit on April 28 -- the day the child suffered multiple traumatic injuries.

Candis Ethridge, 25, was sentenced Friday to 24 months probation in a plea agreement that requires her to testify truthfully if called as a witness at the trial of David Gharrett, her boyfriend who is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Destiny Cox. Ethridge pleaded guilty to a single count of child endangerment, a Class 3 felony that could have sent her to prison for 10 years under the state's enhanced penalty guidelines.

The child died of blunt force trauma to her head and abdomen, according to autopsy records.

In a statement outlining the evidence the state would have presented against Ethridge if she'd stood trial, State's Attorney Ron Dozier said Gharrett told police he had ordered the child to pick up dog feces at the family's home in Chenoa and a short time later she vomited after eating hot peppers.

"He took her to the bathroom where he dropped or threw her into the tub," said Dozier.

Neighbors and family friends interviewed by McLean County sheriff's investigators reported seeing Gharrett physically and verbally abuse the child, said Dozier.

"The child is going to get hurt badly someday," witnesses told police, according to Dozier.

Witnesses also saw Ethridge with bruises and black eyes from abuse she suffered during the time she lived with Gharrett -- abuse that could have affected her decision-making, said Dozier.

Ethridge cried as she stood in front of Judge James Souk during the plea hearing and nodded in agreement as the terms were explained to her.

Souk added a provision to the probation agreement that requires Ethridge to complete parenting classes and other terms of a plan in a neglect and abuse case related to a 2-year-old son she has with Gharrett. The child is now in foster care with relatives.

In remarks to Ethridge after accepting the plea deal, Souk encouraged her to continue the progress she's making in the neglect case.

"Obviously, you have suffered a loss and tragedy beyond any sentence the court could impose," said Souk.

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/mother-gets-probation-may-testify-against-man-accused-of-/article_209d5a8e-540e-11e1-989a-001871e3ce6c.html

Sad case. I don't remember much of this in the local news. William

Trial date set for Chenoa man accused of killing 3-year-old girl
By Edith Brady-Lunny | eblunny@pantagraph.com

BLOOMINGTON — A March 11 jury trial has been set for a rural Chenoa man accused of killing his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter.

David Gharrett is charged with first-degree murder in the April 2011 death of Destiny Cox.

The 25-year-old defendant initially told police the girl choked while eating hot peppers but later admitted to slamming her into a bath tub after she vomited. Medical reports showed the child suffered severe head trauma.

Gharrett was watching the child at a home he shared with Candis Ethridge, the child’s mother, when the incident occurred, according to police.

Ethridge, 26, was sentenced in February to 24 months’ probation for child endangerment for leaving the child with Gharrett while she was at work.

Defense lawyer Ron Lewis told McLean County Judge Rebecca Foley Thursday that the defense recently turned over a report from a forensic pathologist who reviewed autopsy findings in the case. Assistant State’s Attorney Matt Lee agreed with a continuance to allow the state to review the report.

Gharrett is due in court Jan. 11 for a status hearing.

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/trial-date-set-for-chenoa-man-accused-of-killing-/article_61b07114-3ff4-11e2-ae3b-001a4bcf887a.html

What was he even doing serving hot peppers to the child. Unfortunately here in Illinois we don't have the death penality any more so he won't pay with his life. William

why didnt these witnesses do something before he killed her? the mother needed the 10 years not probation!

I can't believe this uterus will get probation.

She is free to breed again, compounding the tragedy.

Destiny Cox's mother: Gharrett was mentally, physically abusive

David Gharrett is escorted into the courtroom at the McLean County Law and Justice Center in Bloomington, May 13, 2013. Gharrett is on trial for the April 28, 2011 death of 3-year-old Destiny Cox. The Pantagraph, Lori Ann Cook-Neisler

BLOOMINGTON — The mother of a 3-year-old girl allegedly killed by the mother’s ex-boyfriend described him as mentally and physically abusive toward her and the girl during testimony Tuesday at the man’s murder trial

During 80 minutes of testimony before Judge Rebecca Foley in McLean County Circuit Court, Candice Ethridge said she met David Gharrett in a bar in 2009 and shortly thereafter, she and her daughter, Destiny Cox, moved in with his mother. A few months later, Gharrett, who previously lived in Pekin, moved in and the relationship went from “pretty mellow” to one that soon included mental and physical abuse.

The couple had a son in December 2009 and Ethridge said the abuse escalated about that time. The boy is now living with foster parents.

McLean County First Assistant State’s Attorney Bill Workman asked Ethridge to define the nature of the abuse.

“Hitting me, choking me, pushing me, things like that,” she said, adding she was sometimes choked to the point of unconsciousness and suffered bruises. Friends encouraged her to leave, but Gharrett had threatened her and told her he would find her and kill her if she left, Ethridge said.

She also testified that once Gharrett slit the tires on her car when she tried to leave, and kicked in the windshield on another occasion.

Destiny also suffered abuse on several occasions before she died of blunt-force trauma to the head in April 2011, Ethridge said. About three weeks before her death, the child got between the couple and Ethridge said Gharrett picked her up threw her about 10 feet toward her mother.

“I think I caught her before she hit a toy box, but I’m really not sure,” said Ethridge.

Ethridge also said Gharrett would punish Destiny by making her stand in a corner and sometimes put her hands on the wall. He also would require her to eat hot peppers, which she did not like. The defense is arguing Destiny stopped breathing after she vomited while eating peppers.

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/destiny-cox-s-mother-gharrett-was-mentally-physically-abusive/article_ba770fd8-bcc2-11e2-9f6d-0019bb2963f4.html

I'm so glad I was not called for jury duty on this one. I'm not sure what I would have done the first time I saw him. At least little Destiny is getting some justice. William

Prosecutor: Destiny Cox's life was a 'living hell’ after mom met Gharrett

A photograph of Destiny Cox is shown during the trial at the McLean County Law and Justice Center in Bloomington, May 13, 2013. David Gharrett is on trial for the April 28, 2011 death of 3-year-old Destiny Cox. The Pantagraph, Lori Ann Cook-Neisler

BLOOMINGTON — Described the life of 3-year-old Destiny Cox as a “living hell,” a McLean County prosecutor said she was physically abused by her mother’s boyfriend after they moved in with him and his family in Chenoa.

That abuse eventually led to her death in April 2011, said Assistant State’s Attorney Matt Lee during opening arguments Monday before Judge Rebecca Foley in the bench trial of David Gharrett. Gharrett, 25, of Chenoa is charged with first-degree murder.

“She was spanked far too often, and far too hard for her age,” he said. “Her life was a living hell.”

On April 28, 2011, she stopped breathing while Gharrett was baby-sitting her, said Lee. She died the next day at a Peoria hospi-tal.

Defense attorney Ron Lewis said the evidence will prove that in the days following the incident, Gharrett underwent a “verbal barrage” of questioning by law enforcement officials. The child choked while vomiting after eating hot peppers and then stopped breathing, Lewis said.

The child’s father, Davey Cox, now living in Clinton, was the first to testify Monday. Glaring directly at the defendant after tak-ing the stand, Cox described how he missed much of Destiny’s early life because he was jailed on a drug charge in 2008.

He was allowed to leave the DeWitt County jail on the day his daughter was taken to the hospital. The state’s attorney reduced his bond to a personal recognizance bond due to the circumstances.

“I saw devastation,” he said. “The doctors told me she was brain dead and there was nothing they could do.”

The child’s mother, Candis Ethridge, previously pleaded guilty to child endangerment and was placed on 24 months of proba-tion. She is expected to take the stand later this week.

While on the stand, Cox described how Ethridge and Gharrett denied him visits and phone conversations with Destiny. He de-scribed how he never received explanations for bruises and scrapes on his daughter.

He also questioned what happened to cause a foot fracture she suffered when she was about a year old and living with Gharrett and Ethridge in Lincoln. He said he never got a proper explanation.

“I always had a bad feeling after that,” he said.

Also taking the stand on Monday morning were Illinois State Police troopers who showed pictures of the house where Ethridge lived with Gharrett and several members of his family.

Trooper Grant Hentze testified about visiting the family’s home and collecting evidence, including a piece of carpet with what appeared to be vomit on it, after Destiny was hospitalized. Hentze described the house as dirty and said one bedroom had what appeared to be animal feces on the floor.

Also testifying was Trooper Brandon Smick, who visited the OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria and took pictures of the victim. Pictures and testimony revealed bruising on her chest and abdomen, the right side of the back of her head, her back, elbow, upper arms and her left thigh.

Her father viewed the pictures, often clasping his hands together and shaking. Gharrett did not look at the pictures, instead looked down at the defense table.

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/prosecutor-destiny-cox-s-life-was-a-living-hell-after/article_a6eba8a8-bbf9-11e2-b114-001a4bcf887a.html

I don't know what it is with some people these days. Mothers, fathers, step parents, everyone treating little babies like animals. I would have given any thing to have and love a little angel like Destiny. Just breaks my heart. Too bad we don't have the death penalty here in Illinois anymore. William

This mother needs to spend time in prison. She allowed him to murder her child. Had she had him thrown in jail, he could not have done this. I hope the sex was worth the cost, her daughter's life.

Gharrett found guilty of murder in 3-year-old's death
2:26PM Wednesday May 22, 2013

David Gharrett has been found guilty of murder for the April 2011 death of Destiny Cox (pool photo).
By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON - A Chenoa man has been found guilty of murder in the death of a three-year-old girl.

McLean County Judge Rebecca Foley announced her ruling on Wednesday against 25 year-old David Gharrett.

Gharrett was convicted on four counts of murder, in that his actions created a strong probability of death. Gharrett threw her girlfriend's daughter, Destiny Cox, in a bathtub in April of 2011 after she threw up on herself.

Foley said Gharrett gave several accounts of what happened, but they didn't hold up to the evidence. She added that Gharrett had a history of abusing the child.

"The court heard testimony that the defendant spanked Destiny, made her hold up the wall for lengthy periods of time, hit the back of her head, forced her to eat peppers, pick up dog feces, smacked her in the hand and leg and popped her in the mouth," Foley said.

Foley rejected claims that some of Destiny's injuries were caused by CPR. She noted that only one neighbor tried to resuscitate the child and they were trained in CPR.

"Her bruising was not of the DIC (Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation) type and there was no evidence in the autopsy supporting a diagnosis of DIC," Foley said.

McLean County Assistant State's Attorney Bill Workman rejected defense claims that Gharett simply wasn't smart enough to be aware of what he was doing.

"I think he did know what he was doing. His problem was that he was trying to cover his tracks at that point," Workman said. "He was trying to keep her alive because he knew he had killed her."

Workman said he hopes the verdict brings some comfort to Destiny's family.

"But it's still a big loss for a family like that. That's a tragedy that can never be overcome, but at least at this time there is a start for getting justice," Workman said.

Foley said Gharrett is eligible for life in prison when he is sentenced July 26 because the crime met the legal definition of exceptionally brutal behavior.

Gharrett had requested a bench trial.
http://www.wjbc.com/common/page.php?pt=Gharrett+found+guilty+of+murder+in+3-year-old%27s+death&id=55923&is_corp=0

Nothing is worth the life of a child. He should pay with his life as should the mother. She knew the abuse was taking place. Unfortunately Illinois no longer has the death penalty. At least she got some justice. Maybe some fellow inmates will do to him what he did to little Destiny. William

William, I so agree. This uterus is every bit as guilty. I'm sick of the woman who allow this to escape punishment of any type.

Another POS mother. Another POS man. Another dead baby.

I don't know what it is with some men. I would love to have a little 3 year old girl. Even a step daughter I would love and cherish as my own. Loving her with all my heart and soul. It just makes me sad for the little angel and very mad at the monster who did this. I'm just glad I was not on the jury. I'm not sure what I would have done if I had seen him face to face. William

Gharrett gets 76 years for killing 3-year-old girl

BLOOMINGTON — In calculating a prison sentence for child killer David Gharrett, Judge Rebecca Foley took into account how many years will pass until he becomes a centenarian.

“This sentence will ensure he will serve his 100th birthday in the Department of Corrections,” said Foley, sending 25-year-old Gharrett to prison for 76 years for the 2011 murder of 3-year-old Destiny Cox. A packed courtroom erupted in applause at the sentence.

Foley sentenced Gharrett, following a series of victim impact statements, including one from Davey Cox, the father of the girl who was killed.

“My heart is broken. I have no feelings,” he said.

The grief will never be erased, said Cox. “On my tombstone it will say ‘Justice for Destiny,’” said Cox.

The victim’s aunt, Kim Thomas, told the judge the child is more than another murder victim. “She was our blood, our angel,” she said.

Gharrett appeared in court in restraints after the prosecution aired taped telephone conversations in which Gharrett threatened Foley, security personnel and his defense lawyer.

Reading from a written statement, Gharrett claimed, “It was a stupid mistake, but I have been convicted of the wrong crime.”

Autopsy results indicated Destiny died of blunt force trauma to the head and stomach one day after Gharrett reportedly found her unresponsive while he was baby-sitting her. He lived with Destiny’s mother, Candis Ethridge, who testified against Gharrett and is on two years of probation for child endangerment in the case.

Gharrett claimed the child choked on jalapeno peppers, then vomited and passed out. He later admitted he dropped her into a bathtub on her back, injuring the back of her head.

But medical officials testified during the trial that Destiny had several injuries indicative of long-term abuse. Witnesses testified to both mental and physical abuse of the child.

In convicting Gharrett, Foley said trial testimony showed he “spanked Destiny, made her hold up the wall for lengthy periods of time, hit the back of her head, made her eat hot peppers, smacked her on her hand and legs, popped her in the mouth, picked her up and threw her, karate-kicked her in the chest, head-butted her, and made her engage in punishment known as ‘get cracking’ where she would be forced to hold a push-up position with her feet on the wall.”

Foley concluded those actions and whatever happened on April 28, 2011, led to her death.

“He’s a bully, plain and simple,” said Foley.

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/gharrett-gets-years-for-killing--year-old-girl/article_742156dc-f616-11e2-b971-0019bb2963f4.html

Well some justice.  I hope he never gets out.  William