CHRISTIANREID STEPHENS - 3 yo (2010) - Henrico (NW of Richmond) VA

A search warrant filed in Henrico County
court states that a 3-year-old boy's mother -- who wasn't home at the
time -- was the person who called 911 last week when the boy was found
unresponsive, not the person who was caring for the boy that day.
The document says that shortly before rescue units arrived at the
home of Maria E. Stephens, she had called 911 from her cell phone and
reported that "her child was not breathing" at the family's home in
Shannon Green near Shrader Road.
Christian Stephens, 3, was declared dead at the scene and his
caregiver, Stephen's boyfriend, Kevin M. Lucas, 45, was charged early
Friday morning with first-degree murder.
Neighbors said last week that Stephens, 40, had recently become
reacquainted with Lucas, who lived at the home and cared for Stephens'
children during the day.
Lucas called Stephens on Thursday evening, according to the search
warrant, and told her that Christian was not breathing. After being
contacted by Stephens, the 911 operator called the home and was told by
Lucas that "the child had fallen earlier," the search warrant states.
Christian, one of three boys who lived at the home, was declared dead
at 6:37 p.m. by a Henrico firefighter.
The child had "a swollen laceration on his forehead as well as
bruising about his body," the search warrant states.

Jury convicts mother's boyfriend in Henrico child's death


A Henrico County jury convicted Kevin M. Lucas of second degree murder in the beating death of a 3-year-old child.

Kevin M. Lucas sat stone-faced and silent for three days this week during his murder trial in Henrico County Circuit Court.
The expression didn't change Wednesday night when a jury handed down a
second-degree murder verdict in the beating death of a 3-year-old.

Lucas, 46, did not testify in response to Commonwealth's Attorney Wade A. Kizer,
who presented medical and circumstantial evidence that isolated Lucas as the only
plausible suspect in the beating death of Christianreid J.C. Stephens.
Kizer portrayed Lucas as a soulless thug who feigned innocence to police and even to the
child's mother, lacking the concern to summon rescue workers even as the
child died of injuries that may have been inflicted up to 24 hours earlier.
Christianreid was discovered by emergency responders April 15 lying on his back and
cold to the touch in his family's western Henrico townhouse. His mother,
Maria Stephens, had called 911 after Lucas told her the child wasn't breathing.
Lucas lived with Stephens and her children.
Lucas faces up to 45 years in prison on the murder conviction and a
conviction of felony child neglect when the 11-man, one-woman jury
begins deliberations on that aspect of the case this morning.
A possible first-degree murder verdict disappeared at the end of testimony,
when Judge Daniel Balfour upheld a defense motion by attorney Gregory Sheldon
that there was no evidence that Lucas intended to kill Christianreid with premeditation.
Sheldon countered prosecution evidence in the case, eliciting from a former
state assistant medical examiner, Jack Daniel, that Christianreid could have died of
fatal brain damage after hitting a wall and falling down some stairs.
Sheldon said an accidental death was consistent with Lucas' cooperation with
police, his remorse and his panicked response to realizing that Christianreid was not breathing.
But prosecution witnesses described a child whose battered body was a
quilt of abuse that could not be explained by rough-housing, Lucas'
protests that he only mildly spanked the boy, or by testimony that deep
abdominal damage to Christianreid's pancreas could have resulted from
sloppy, untrained CPR efforts by Lucas and the boy's mother.
One of Christianreid's older brothers, 8-year-old Efton,
testified Wednesday that his little brother was so frightened of Lucas'
harsh commands and verbal abuse that he would soil himself.
Lucas put Christianreid to bed at some point April 15 after he had thrown up and become sleepy;
medical evidence suggested that the child may have been dead when his
mother checked on him and left him with a quick kiss that evening.
"I was running what I call the rat race," Stephens told the jury, describing a hectic work day,
a quick return home and then a trip with her other two sons to baseball practice.
Minutes later she received a cellphone call from Lucas, an unemployed car mechanic, saying her youngest child wasn't breathing.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/local-news/2011/jan/27/tdmet01-jury-convicts-mothers-boyfriend-in-henrico-ar-801896/

A Henrico mother whose son was murdered by her ex-boyfriend says she forgives him.

Maria
Stephens says a year ago today she could have never imagined the peace
she feels right now. That day, her son Christianreid was beaten and
murdered by her then boyfriend Kevin Lucas.
Lucas is now serving fifty 50 years in prison for the crime.
On the first anniversary of Christianreid's death, Maria and her two sons went to his grave and released balloons in his memory."It's
the anniversary of the day Christianreid went to Heaven to be with
Jesus. The Lord took my son and today I rejoice and I have strength and I
know he's lighting up Heaven with his smile" Maria said.
Her two sons Alex and Efton wrote special notes and tied them to their balloons before they released them into the sky.
Stephens says while their family
isn't completely healed, they're in a good place. It starts with the
peace she says she got when she forgave Kevin Lucas.
"I woke up around 3 a.m. a few weeks
ago and dropped to my knees. I told the Lord that I forgave Kevin Lucas
for killing Christianreid. A warm glow came over my body and a burden
was lifted off of me. I feel so free today" Stephens told CBS 6 News.
Now she says she hopes to spend some
time volunteering as an advocate for child victims. She says ideally
she'd like to connect with an area agency that focuses on child abuse.
Stephens says she may never know why
Lucas killed her son that day. She does believe she has a mission from
God to share her message with others.
"Forgiving is the key. When you forgive someone, it's like you free yourself" said Stephens.
After visiting her son's grave, she embraced her two sons and her sister Linda who was also there for support.
They vowed to keep Christianreid's
memory alive. In his honor, they ended the day on a fishing trip. It was
one of Christianreid's favorite things to do.
"I've moved on and we all know he's
in his eternal home. I know he's happy smiling down and saying that's my
mama, I'm proud of her" said Stephens with a smile.
It's the anniversary of the darkest
day of her life, but her spirit is uplifted. This mom is happy because
she knows her baby is in a better place.

http://www.wtvr.com/wtvr-henrico-mother-forgives-killermother-of-murdered-child-forgives-killer-20110415,0,5443202.story