BRIYANA HOUSTON - 2 yo (2010) - Tacoma WA

A 25-year-old Tacoma man accused of fatally beating his toddler
daughter after she refused to eat has pleaded not guilty to a charge of
second-degree murder.
Andrew Houston III was charged Friday in the death of his 2-year-old
daughter and entered his plea in Pierce County Superior Court.
Police say Houston told them he became frustrated with the little
girl earlier this week when she refused to eat her dinner.
The toddler died Thursday at a Tacoma hospital. According to court
documents, the girl suffered retinal hemorrhaging, skull fractures,
liver damage and severe brain injury.
Bail for Houston has been set at $1 million. Trial is scheduled for Sept. 7.

Pierce County prosecutors Friday charged a Tacoma father with
second-degree murder in the death of his 23-month-old daughter. A
plea of not guilty was entered on behalf of Andrew Houston III, 25,
during his arraignment in Superior Court. Court Commissioner Patrick
Oishi ordered Houston jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.Briyana
Houston was taken off life support and died Thursday after scans showed
she had no brain activity.Paramedics were called to the Houstons’
apartment in the 1200 block of North Pearl Street on Wednesday night
and found Briyana critically injured.
Doctors at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital discovered that the
toddler had retinal hemorrhaging, skull fractures, liver damage and
severe brain injuries, court documents state. The doctors told
investigators the injuries were “consistent with the child having been
violently shaken and subjected to blunt force trauma,” charging
documents state.Investigators talked to Houston at the hospital.
He initially denied harming his daughter. He said he usually
cares for Briyana and her older sister in the evening while their mother
works. He told detectives he prepared dinner Tuesday night, but Briyana
would not eat. He tried to force her to eat by grabbing her
mouth, but the girl continued to refuse, the documents state. Houston
told investigators he took his daughter out of her high chair and shook
her by the arms.“Houston indicated that he was frustrated by
(Briyana’s) lack of cooperation, financial issues and caring for the
children by himself,” charging documents state. “Houston told detectives
that he didn’t think he injured the child because she kept moving.”Houston
told detectives he later pushed the girl over as she was sitting on the
floor awaiting a diaper change and that she hit her head on the floor,
court records show.Briyana’s mother noticed her daughter had
vomited overnight, but, because she had no fever, took her to day care
Wednesday.Day-care workers told investigators Briyana was
lethargic and clingy throughout the day.Houston told police he
picked his daughter up Wednesday evening as normal. He said that after
he put her to bed he noticed Briyana face down in vomit and apparently
not breathing.He called Briyana’s mother and told her there was
some sort of problem and that he’d handle it. He then shook Briyana in
an attempt to rouse her and called 911.Doctors told detectives
the girl likely suffered her fatal injuries Wednesday evening as she
“would not have been able to function at day care had the catastrophic
injury been suffered Tuesday night as described by Houston,” charging
documents state.

Tacoma man pleads guilty to killing his toddler daughter
Posted By Adam Lynn on February 16, 2011 at 3:21 pm Share this
A 25-year-old man pleaded guilty this afternoon to killing his 23-month-old daughter last year.

Pierce County prosecutors will recommend a term of 25 years in prison for Andrew Houston III when he's sentenced in May.

Houston pleaded guilty to a single count of second-degree murder with aggravating circumstances.

He admitted he inflicted fatal injuries on Briyana Houston in July. The defendant told investigators he was frustrated over financial issues and the girl's refusal to eat her dinner, court records show.

Doctors who examined the girl before she died told investigators she had retinal hemorrhaging, skull factures, liver damage and severe brain injuries consistent with being violently shaken and hit with something blunt, records show.



Read more: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/crime/2011/02/16/tacoma-man-pleads-guilty-to-killing-his-toddler-daughter/#ixzz1LVDyfojQ