DAMIEN LYNN - 15 months - (2010) Bangor ME

BANGOR, Maine — Police are searching for a Massachusetts man charged
with murdering a 15-month-old boy during the early morning hours on
Tuesday while the baby’s mother was at a hospital.

The toddler was unresponsive and had broken bones, head injuries and
a human bite mark on his right arm when rescue crews arrived just after
7 a.m. Tuesday at his Bald Mountain Drive residence.

Damien Christopher Lynn was pronounced dead at the hospital an hour later.Police
issued an arrest warrant on a charge of murder Thursday afternoon for
the mother’s boyfriend, Edgard Anziani, 27, of Lawrence, Mass. He is
not the boy’s father.

Anziani told police that the baby had fallen down a flight of
stairs, according to a police affidavit. The baby’s 22-year-old mother
had left the home at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday to go to the hospital for
abdominal pain, the court document states, and was not at home when
police and rescue crews arrived at her 55 Bald Mountain Drive apartment
a few hours later.

Anziani met the ambulance in the driveway and handed them the child who “was blue and not breathing,” the affidavit states.

The suspect, who was alone with the child, told police that the baby
had awakened around 4:30 a.m. and was screaming, and after attempting
to comfort him, he went to the downstairs kitchen to warm a bottle of
milk.

“While in the kitchen, Anziani heard a thumping noise and found
Damien collapsed on the middle landing of the stairway,” the court
document states.

Because he was unfamiliar with the area, he called his girlfriend’s mother, who called 911 at 6:58 a.m., the affidavit says.

Damien Lynn’s body was taken to the medical examiner’s office in
Augusta. Dr. Marguerite DeWitt conducted an autopsy on Wednesday. She
determined the boy’s injuries “could not be explained by a simple fall
down six or seven steps,” the affidavit states.

“The cause of death is listed as non-accidental trauma, and the
manner of death has been classified as a homicide,” Bangor police Sgt.
Paul Edwards said Thursday afternoon.

The autopsy states the child had “trauma to the brain” that were
multifocused, “meaning that they were on all sides of his head,
including the front, back, left, right and top,” and he had optic nerve
hemorrhages, the affidavit states.

The child also had two broken bones in his right forearm,
“consistent with a twisting or bending type cause,” four broken ribs,
an abdomen injury, and three small puncture wounds on the bottom of his
left foot, it states.

Anziani had been staying with the child’s mother on and off for
about four months, according to police. The woman had left her child
with a babysitter and driven to Massachusetts Monday afternoon to pick
up Anziani and had returned home at about 11:30 p.m. that evening.

The mother “said that Damien was asleep in his crib when she arrived
and she went in to check on him and he was fine,” the court document
states.

She went to bed at midnight and woke up at about 2:30 a.m. with
stomach pains. She called her babysitter to come back to the house, but
the Eddington woman was not able to, so the mother left her sleeping
child with Anziani and got a ride to the hospital from her mother.

The babysitter and a neighbor, who saw the child on Monday
afternoon, and the boy’s mother all reported to police that there were
no bruises or marks on the child the last time they saw him.

The boy’s mother wrote on her Facebook page, “I can still see your
smile, i can still hear your laugh, i can still feel your touch, &
i cant help but to miss you so much! Your my pride & joy. Your
mama’s lil boy. I love you DBug! I love u so much!”

The main photo on her page Thursday afternoon was a picture of her
son wearing a red plastic fireman’s hat, smiling at the camera.

The mother says on the Internet page that she is attending college
and that her other son, a 2-year-old, is living with his father in
Georgia.

Sasha Stecher, a friend of the mother and boy, left the following
message on the Facebook page, “RIP lil D auntie loves you &&
ill never forget your smiling face ... I love you && miss you
punkin ...”

In a phone interview Thursday afternoon, Stecher said she was in the
process of distributing “wanted posters” to stores and bars around
Bangor. The fliers feature a picture of Anziani and the baby boy.

Neighbors in the area said Thursday that they are saddened by the baby’s death.

“I was absolutely horrified that that could happen right across the
street from us,” said Ryan McAffee, 24, whose girlfriend and child live
on Bald Mountain Drive.

Prosecutor William Stokes of the Maine Attorney General’s Office,
who is head of the criminal division, said the Bangor police did a good
job investigating the case.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to make an arrest in the near future,” he said.

Police are asking residents to be on the lookout for Anziani, who
may or may not still be in the area. He is described as a black male,
6-foot, 1-inch tall, 175 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.

“If you do see this person, who is wanted for murder, don’t try to be a hero,” Edwards said. “Call 911.”

BANGOR, Maine — Police enlisted the aid of federal authorities and
expanded their search outside the state Friday for the 27-year-old man
accused of killing 15-month-old Damien Christopher Lynn on Tuesday.

Edgard B. Anziani of Lawrence, Mass., who police say was the
mother’s boyfriend, was charged with murder Thursday afternoon and an
arrest warrant was issued.

In court documents released Thursday, authorities said that Damien
Lynn died while his mother, who is 22, was in the hospital being
treated for abdominal pain and the boy was at home in Anziani’s care.According
to police, Anziani had been staying with the child’s mother on and off
for about four months at her 55 Bald Mountain Drive apartment. He is
not the baby’s father.

As of late Friday, Anziani remained at large, despite efforts to
locate him in Greater Bangor and beyond, Bangor police Lt. Tim Reid
said late Friday afternoon.

“He has not been apprehended yet,” Reid said.

“We have been in contact with the Lawrence [Mass.] Police Department and the FBI,” he said.

“We now have a fugitive from justice warrant on the federal level to
involve federal authorities in the search as well,” he said.

“We do have reason to believe he has left the state,” Reid said.

The toddler was unresponsive and had broken bones, head injuries and
a human bite mark on his right arm when rescue crews responded to a 911
call just after 7 a.m. Tuesday at the Bald Mountain Drive residence.

Anziani, who had been alone with the child for several hours, met
the ambulance and crew in the driveway and handed them the toddler who
“was blue and not breathing,” the affidavit states. The child was
pronounced dead at the hospital an hour later.

When asked why police did not immediately arrest Anziani, Reid said,
“In a nutshell, the medical examiner’s office determines the cause of
death. We can’t indiscriminately hold people for days” without criminal
charges.

The police affidavit that was the basis for Anziani’s arrest warrant
states that the suspect told police that the baby woke up at about 4:30
a.m. and was screaming.

Anziani told police that after attempting to comfort the boy, he
went downstairs to the kitchen to warm a bottle of milk. He said he
then heard the baby fall down the stairs.

Because he was unfamiliar with the area, Anziani called his
girlfriend’s mother, who called 911 at 6:58 a.m., the affidavit said.

An autopsy Wednesday by Dr. Marguerite DeWitt of the state medical
examiner’s office determined that the boy's injuries “could not be
explained by a simple fall down six or seven steps,” the affidavit
stated.

She ruled that the cause of death was “nonaccidental trauma, and the
manner of death has been classified as a homicide,” Bangor police Sgt.
Paul Edwards said Thursday.

The autopsy further found that the child had “trauma to the brain”
that were multi-focused, “meaning that they were on all sides of his
head, including the front, back, left, right and top,” as well as optic
nerve hemorrhages.

The child also had two broken bones in his right forearm,
“consistent with a twisting or bending type cause,” four broken ribs,
an abdomen injury, and three small puncture wounds on the bottom of his
left foot.

Though police so far are releasing few details about the suspect and
his background, Reid did say Friday that police believe Anziani is of
Caribbean descent, that he was born in the Dominican Republic and that
he has lived in the United States for about 14 years.

A staff member with the Lawrence, Mass., police department confirmed
Friday that Anziani has a criminal record there but declined to divulge
details.

“He is known to us. We have dealt with him,” said the staff member, who did not want to be identified.

According to the police affidavit released Thursday, Anziani’s last known address was 80 Warren St. in Lawrence.

According to the archives of The Eagle-Tribune, a daily newspaper in
Lawrence, an April 2003 police log noted that Anziani was charged at
age 20 with possession of alcohol by a minor, an open container
violation and operating after revocation of his driver’s license.

In July of the next year, the Lowell Sun, another Massachusetts
daily newspaper, ran a police log noting that Anziani had been charged
with vandalism and simple assault.

Sasha Stecher, a friend of the child’s mother and her sister, said Friday that Damien Lynn was the “happiest kid I ever knew.”

“She’s crushed,” Stecher said of the child’s mother. The toddler had just learned to say, ‘Mum-ma,’” she said.

“I will never forget his smiling face,” Stecher said. “That little boy could make you laugh.”

Stecher said she never met Anziani and is extremely angry about the situation.

A candlelight vigil in memory of Damien Lynn has been scheduled for
7 p.m. Tuesday, March 9, at Cascade Park in Bangor. Organizers Leslie
Collagan and Marissa Ouellette said all are welcome to attend.

“We felt like we had to do something,” said Collagan, who said
Friday that she has never met Damien Lynn or his mother but was moved
by the baby’s tragic death.

Anyone who wants to help plan the vigil or who has suggestions for
what the event might include can call Collagan at 949-5832 or Ouellette
at 843-0550.

Police are asking residents to be on the lookout for Anziani, who
may or may not be in the area. He is described as 6 feet 1 inch tall,
weighing about 175 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.

“If you do see this person, who is wanted for murder, don’t try to be a hero,” Edwards said Thursday. “Call 911.”

BOSTON — The FBI has posted a $10,000 reward for the
capture of a Lawrence man charged with killing a baby boy in Bangor,
Maine last week.

Edgard Anziani, 27, with a last known address of 80
Warren St., is being sought on an arrest warrant from Bangor police for
killing 15-month-old Damien Christopher Lynn.

Anziani, who is described in an FBI bulletin as "a
violent criminal," has not been seen since last Tuesday, when his
girlfriend left him to take care of the child in her home so she could
go to the hospital.

Anziani later told police that the baby had fallen
down a flight of stairs. He met the ambulance in the driveway and
handed over the child, who "was blue and not breathing," according to
police reports.

Rescue crews found the toddler unresponsive, with broken bones, head injuries and a human bite mark on his right arm.

"The cause of death is listed as non-accidental
trauma, and the manner of death has been classified as a homicide,"
Bangor police Sgt. Paul Edwards said last week.

The autopsy states the child had "trauma to the brain"
that was multifocused, "meaning that they were on all sides of his
head, including the front, back, left, right and top," and he had optic
nerve hemorrhages, according to the affidavit.

The child also had two broken bones in his right
forearm, "consistent with a twisting or bending type cause," four
broken ribs, an abdominal injury, and three small puncture wounds on
the bottom of his left foot.

The FBI described Anziani as a Hispanic male, 6'1"
tall, and weighing 175 lbs., with brown eyes, black hair and possibly
four tattoos.

Anziani is a citizen of the Dominican Republic and a permanent resident of the United States.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of
Edgard Anziani is asked to call the FBI at 617-742-5533 or to contact
the Lawrence Police Department.

Lawrence police Chief John Romero said his department
has Anziani's city address under surveillance and has been looking for
the fugitive, who authorities believe was headed back to the city.

BANGOR, Maine — The FBI has arrested the man wanted in connection
with the death of a 15-month-old boy last week, Bangor police said
Monday afternoon.

“The FBI has just announced that Edgard Anziani … has been arrested
in Baltimore, Maryland,” Bangor police Sgt. Paul Edwards, the
department’s spokesman, said in a press release at 1 p.m.

Anziani was charged Thursday with murder in connection with the
death of Damien Christopher Lynn at an apartment on Bald Mountain Drive
in Bangor. The FBI on Saturday offered a $10,000 reward for
anyone providing information on the whereabouts of Anziani, 27, of
Lawrence, Mass., who it said is “known to be violent.”

Anziani was not the boy’s father but was staying with Damien’s
22-year-old mother, who was in a local hospital when the boy died
Tuesday. He had been staying with the boy’s mother off and on for the
past four months, according to Bangor police.

Paramedics went to 55 Bald Mountain Drive early Tuesday morning.
When they arrived, Anziani met the ambulance and crew in the driveway
and handed them the toddler, according to previously published reports
in the Bangor Daily News.

The child was described in court documents as “blue and not
breathing.” The boy was pronounced dead at Eastern Maine Medical Center
an hour later.

Anziani reportedly told police that the child fell down the interior
apartment stairs. The autopsy found the boy’s injuries “could not be
explained in a simple fall down six or seven steps.”

I'm glad they caught him Tom. I have been wondering if the mother's abdominal pain had anything to do with having been beaten up by this creep. We'll have to wait and see.

A grand jury has indicted a 27-year-old Massachusetts on charges of murder and
manslaughter in the death of a 15-month-old boy who was in his care.

A Penobscot County grand jury on Wednesday indicted Edgard Anziani of
Lawrence in the death of Damien Lynn, who suffered fatal injuries Feb. 23 in
Bangor.
According to the Bangor Daily News, Anziani told police Damien had fallen
down some stairs, but the state medical examiner concluded the injuries weren't
consistent with a fall. The boy's mother was being treated at a local hospital
at the time.
Anziani was later arrested in Maryland after fleeing Maine.

Mass. man pleads guilty in Bangor toddler’s death





Last modified April 21, 2011, at 7:21 p.m


BANGOR, Maine — A Lawrence, Mass., man admitted Thursday that he caused the death of his former girlfriend’s 15-month-old son last year.
Edgard B. Anziani, 28, pleaded guilty to manslaughter during a hearing at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor.
Anziani was indicted in March 2010 on charges of murder and manslaughter for the February 2010 death of Damien Lynn, son of Cheryl Metzger, 22, of Bangor and Patrick Lynn of Orrington. Metzger and Lynn had two children together. Their older child, now 4, lives with his father.
Anziani pleaded not guilty to both charges in April of that year. In a plea agreement with the Maine Attorney General’s Office, the murder charge will be dismissed when Anziani is sentenced this summer.
Wearing black slacks, a blue dress shirt and tie, Anziani sat quietly at the defense table throughout the 40-minute hearing. Anziani showed no emotion as Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea read a detailed account of the child’s multiple injuries from the autopsy report.
The autopsy found that the boy’s injuries included several broken bones, numerous head injuries and a human bite mark on his arm, Zainea told Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy on Thursday.
During the prosecutor’s account of the injuries, Metzger broke down sobbing and rushed from the courtroom. Many of the friends and family who came with her to the courthouse also cried during the hearing.
Lynn and Metzger declined Thursday to speak to reporters, but have said they will comment on the case after Anziani has been sentenced.
The sentencing is tentatively scheduled for June 24.
The plea agreement does not include sentencing recommendations, and Anziani faces up to 30 years in prison. If he had been convicted of murder, Anziani would have faced a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life.
Zainea declined to talk about what sentence she might recommend. It is the practice of the Attorney General’s Office not to comment on cases until after they have been resolved.
In an impromptu press conference outside the courthouse, defense attorney Jeffrey Silverstein of Bangor said that his client did not react as Zainea outlined the evidence the state would present if he had gone to trial because Anziani already was very familiar with it.
Silverstein declined to say what sentence he would recommend.
Anziani had been staying with Metzger on and off for about four months at her apartment at 55 Bald Mountain Drive and was caring for the toddler in the early morning hours of Feb. 23, 2010, while Metzger was in the hospital being treated for abdominal pain, according to police and court documents.
The toddler was unresponsive when rescue personnel responded to a 911 call just after 7 a.m.
Anziani, who had been alone with the child for several hours, met the ambulance and crew in the driveway and handed them the toddler, who “was blue and not breathing,” a police affidavit stated. An hour later, the child was pronounced dead at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
Anziani told police, Metzger and her family that the boy was injured when he fell down a flight of stairs at the apartment.
The state medical examiner’s office determined that the toddler’s injuries “could not be explained by a simple fall down six or seven steps,” the affidavit stated.
After receiving the autopsy report, Bangor police charged Anziani with murder on Feb. 25, 2010. By then, he had fled the area.
Anziani was arrested on March 1, 2010, by the FBI in Bladensburg, Md., and returned to Maine 10 days later.
Silverstein said after Thursday’s hearing that exactly what happened in the early morning hours 14 months ago might never be known even though Anziani will have the opportunity to address the judge when he is sentenced.
“We may learn more at the sentencing, but we may never learn how this happened,” Silverstein said. “That’s something he has to come to peace with.”
After serving his sentence, Anziani — whose brother Davis Anziani and father, Victor Anziani, both of Lawrence, Mass., sat behind him in court — is not likely to be set free. A native of the Dominican Republic who has lived in the United States most of his life, Edgard Anziani is expected to be deported after serving his sentence.
He will continue to be held without bail at the Penobscot County Jail until his sentencing.

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/04/21/news/bangor/mass-man-pleads-guilty-in-bangor-toddler’s-death/