ROBERT BYRD - 4 yo (5/2011) - Highland Park/N Detroit MI

Police are investing the death of a 4-year-old who may have been tortured inside his Highland Park home.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office said the boy died of starvation
and neglect and ruled his death a homicide. He was 3 feet, 1 inch tall
and weighed 24 pounds, Wayne County spokesman Dennis Niemiec said.
The medical examiner has not released the name of the boy, but his father
Anthony Byrd said the 4-year-old's name is Robert Byrd.
The boy’s mother had died and he was living with his aunt and five other
children, all boys between the ages of 4 and 10, in a home in the 200
block of California, Highland Park Det. Sgt. Brenda Perkins said.
Doctors called police to report a possible child-abuse case after the boy was
taken to a hospital by ambulance Sunday, she said. Police are trying to
determine when the boy died, Perkins said.
When police arrived at the home nobody was there, so they got a search warrant, Perkins said.
“The first thing that hit us was the smell of bleach and we could tell that the place had been cleaned and mopped,” she said.
Police say they found some evidence that a crime took place but didn’t
elaborate on what that evidence was. Markings were found on the child’s
body, Perkins said, but she didn’t say what kind of marks.
An autopsy is being performed today by the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office.
Two people are in custody and are being investigated, but police didn’t say
who the people are or how they are believed to be involved.
Michigan State Police are processing the scene.
http://www.freep.com/article/20110509/NEWS02/110509007/Police-Dead-4-year-old-boy-may-been-abused?odyssey=nav|head

A Highland Park, Mich., couple were charged with first-degree murder
Wednesday in the starvation death of their 4-year-old nephew,
prosecutors said.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Randy Steven Gardner, 32, and
Matilda Jane Brown Gardner, 30, were charged in the death of 4-year-old
Robert Byrd Jr. Sunday in their home. Both face arraignment Thursday on
charges including child abuse, torture and murder.
Emergency personnel discovered the child's bruised, emaciated and
scarred body at their home Mother's Day, The Detroit News reported
Wednesday.
"The child in this case suffered unspeakable acts that led to his
death. The evidence in this case will show that the charged defendants
are responsible for these acts," Worthy said. "It's ironic that this
happened on a day where we recognize and celebrate mothers across the
nation."
"They starved my son," the 31-year-old father, Anthony Byrd, said crying.
The child, who suffered from sickle cell anemia, and his 6-year-old
brother, Anthony Byrd Jr., had been in the care of their aunt and uncle
since 2009 when their father went to prison for felonious assault.
The elder Byrd was unable to regain custody of his sons when he was
released nine months later. The children's mother died of a brain
aneurysm in 2007, the News said.
"They kept changing addresses and phone numbers, and wouldn't let me
see my sons," Byrd said. "I was trying to be an adult about it, but they
kept playing me."
An autopsy by the county Medical Examiner's Office determined 3-foot,
1-inch tall, 24 pound Robert Byrd's death was a homicide by starvation
and neglect.
Based on a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standard,
Robert weighed what a 2-year-old on the low end of a normal range would
weigh, the Detroit Free Press reported.
"Nobody knew what was going on there," said Michelle Burnett, Anthony Byrd Sr.'s sister.
Police say they suspect the child may have been tortured before his death.
Highland Park police Detective Sgt. Brenda Perkins said Robert had a
burn on his leg, and had bruises from "head to toe," and marks around
his wrist suggesting he had been tied, the Free Press reported.
There were five other children in the home but police say it doesn't appear any of them were abused.
Police said county Child Protective Services workers took Anthony
Byrd Jr. and four other children, while the elder Byrd's daughter was in
the care of another relative, the News reported.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/05/11/Couple-charged-with-starving-boy-to-death/UPI-31251305059425/#ixzz1M6kvWFcY

Robert Byrd

http://www.freep.com/article/20110512/NEWS02/105120541/Aunt-uncle-charged-4-year-old-s-death

Robert Byrd would have turned 5 in June. He weighed 24 pounds and was 37 inches tall when he died.Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

No Bond for Highland Park Couple in Deadly Child Abuse Case



Updated: Thursday, 12 May 2011
HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. (WJBK) - 30-year-old Matilda Brown Gardner and her husband, 32-year-old Randy Garnder, were charged with first-degree murder and torture in the death of their nephew, four-year-old Robert Byrd.
Matilda shook her head as each charge was read -- murder, torture and child abuse. They'll spend the rest of their lives in prison if convicted. They're being held without bond.
In court, Matilda Gardner was asked whether she understood the charges.
"Yes, but I didn't do anything," she responded.
Robert, whose mother died and father was in prison, had been living with his aunt and uncle, their children and his brother.
Robert died weighing only 24 pounds.
"They had a torture chamber, had this baby in a room for days in the dark beating him from sun up to sunset, not feeding him," said Erica Shepard, Robert's Godmother.
"She's been telling everybody she was tired and tired, and she couldn't take it (any) more," said Walter Brown, Matilda's uncle. "Why didn't you go to somebody in the family that wanted that little boy?"
"She moved three times to avoid the system. The system failed here," said Percy Baker, Godmother to Robert's brother.
Friends and relatives have said Matilda had a history of violence. Her sister's neighbor had a personal protection order against her because she brutally assaulted her.
Relatives have also said she isolated herself and the children. Only her sister Connie saw the kids. She said she babysat for all of the children in March and Robert was fine.
"The family is completely done with the both of them. We are done," said Connie Brown, Matilda's sister.
Even the mayor, a former police officer, still can't believe what happened to this child.
"Someone had to know that this abuse was going on," said Highland Park Mayor Hubert Yopp. "This is the worst I've seen in 31 years of police service."
Funeral arrangements for the child are pending. Donations to help with funeral and burial costs can be made to the Robert Byrd Memorial Fund at any Fifth-Third Bank.
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/amy_lange/highland-park-couple-in-deadly-child-abuse-held-without-bond-20110512-wpms

HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. — A Detroit-area couple have been ordered to
stand trial in the Mother's Day death of their 4-year-old nephew.
Wayne County Medical Examiner Carl Schmidt testified Friday that Robert Byrd Jr. was beaten and tortured.
Thirty-year-old Matilda Gardner and 32-year-old Randy
Gardner, are to be arraigned June 17 in Wayne County Circuit Court on
charges of first-degree murder, felony murder, torture and first-degree
child abuse.
Authorities say Byrd starved to death in his aunt and
uncle's care and was bound by the wrists and beaten over a long period
of time.
The Gardners have been jailed since May 8, the day Byrd was found dead.
Defense lawyers Robert Kinney and Lillian Diallo argued
for a number of charges, including torture, be dropped, but the judge
denied their requests.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/3ac2015e06ac4ba5bfab6373f115f187/MI--Child-Dies-Highland-Park/

The Wayne County Medical Examiner's chief pathologist testified
Friday that a 4-year-old Highland Park boy who died last month of
starvation had skin erosions and bruises on about 90% of his body and
likely suffered long-term abuse.Dr. Carl Schmidt said Robert Byrd
suffered not only from malnutrition and neglect, but he also had
injuries that likely stemmed from being beaten and bound over time, as
well as chemical burns from sitting in urine and feces.There also
was hyperpigmentation, or darkening on areas of the child's skin,
Schmidt said. "I don't think he was bathed with any regularity," he
said.Schmidt's testimony was a major factor in 30th District
Judge Brigette Officer ordering Robert's aunt and uncle to be bound over
to stand trial in the boy's death.Matilda Brown Gardner, 30, and
Randy S. Gardner, 32, are to be arraigned Friday in Wayne County
Circuit Court on charges of first-degree premeditated murder, felony
murder, torture and first-degree child abuse. Both are being held in
Wayne County Jail.Robert died of starvation on Mother's Day.
Police said Matilda Gardner called 911 before noon on May 8 to report
that Robert was not breathing. The boy was later pronounced dead at the
hospital.Schmidt said Robert weighed 22 pounds and was 3 feet
tall when he died. He said Robert's weight was within the fifth
percentile for a boy his age, which led him to believe that the boy was
malnourished. Robert's height was in the 40th percentile, Schmidt said,
which led him to believe that the boy had been receiving proper
nourishment at one time."It would have been months that food was withheld," Schmidt said.Matilda
Gardner became the legal guardian of Robert and his 6-year-old brother
after their mom, Theresa Brown, died in 2007. The Gardners have four
sons. The couple's sons have been placed in the care of Children's
Protective Services.Highland Park Detective Paul Thomas testified
that he interviewed the Gardners separately, and they each voluntarily
gave a statement.In the statements, Thomas asked both defendants what type of child Robert was."He was good just like any other kid," he quoted Maltilda Gardner as saying. "He was not bad at all.""He was good, but he was hurt because his dad gave up on him," Thomas quoted Randy Gardner as saying.Matilda
Gardner would later say in her statement that her husband beat the
children with extension cords, but Robert's was worse. She also said
Robert was the target of beatings when he urinated on himself."I would stand in the middle of them," Matilda Gardner said in her statement. "Randy would then fight me."http://www.freep.com/article/20110611/NEWS02/106110342/Medical-exam-shows-Highland-Park-boy-4-suffered-long-term-abuse-before-death

Detroit— A Highland Park woman accused of binding, beating and
starving her 4-year-old nephew to death is considering a plea-bargain
offered by Wayne County's Prosecutor to avoid going to trial on charges
that could put her in prison for life without parole.
Matilda
Gardner, 31, will return to Wayne Circuit Court next week with her
decision on whether to accept the deal that mirrors a bargain accepted
earlier this week by her husband, Randy Gardner, 33. The agreement will
send Randy Gardner to prison for at least 30 years.
Both had been
scheduled to go on trial this week on charges of torture, child abuse
and first-degree murder for the May 8, 2011, death of Robert Byrd.
The
boy's emaciated and bruised body was taken from the couple's Highland
Park home on Mother's Day. The youth's 6-year-old brother and the
Gardner's own four sons were taken into state custody in reportedly good
physical condition.
Robert and his brother had been placed in
Gardner's custody after the 2009 death of their mother and imprisonment
of their father.
An autopsy showed the victim's body had bruises,
healed scars and open infected wounds over 90 percent of his body. There
was adhesive tape around the raw flesh on his wrists. His skin had
signs of long-term exposure to urine and feces. Examination of internal
organs showed evidence of long-term stress and physical abuse. He
weighed just 22 pounds, 10 to 20 pounds under normal weight for his age
and height.
Police, who found a pair of handcuffs in the house,
said they were told by Matilda Gardner during questioning that her
husband beat the child with a belt and an electric cord when he wet
himself. Both parents insisted that the youth was fed the same as the
other children.
Randy Gardner pleaded guilty Monday to torture,
child abuse and second-degree murder. His deal calls for a sentence of
at least 30 years and up to 60. He is slated for sentencing March 21 by
Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway.
The prosecutor's office made an
identical offer to Matilda Gardner, who did not immediately accept the
deal. The judge, who has kept both husband and wife in jail since their
arrests last spring, ordered the woman returned to court on March 9. She
will be ordered trial if she accepts the offer.
Connie Brown,
sister of both Matilda Gardner and the victim's dead mother Theresa
Brown, said the family is satisfied with the plea offer and grateful to
the prosecutor's office for it's work on the case. Brown said Gardner's
children have been in the care of Randy Gardner's family.
"I just
don't think she has any choice but to accept that plea deal," Brown
said. "Our first concern was with the welfare of the rest of the
children. After that it was clear that they were going to have to go to
prison. I think the family just wants this to be over."
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120301/METRO01/203010443/1409/metro/Woman-accused-starving-torturing-child-death-weighs-plea-deal

This monster couple deserves the sentence another judge gave a murderer--The death penalty PLUS 20 years. These murders should be tortured to death like they did to that poor baby. I just can't believe people do such horrific things to another human being, let alone a little child.

A Highland Park woman will stand trial May 16 on claims of torturing
and starving her 4-year-old nephew after passing up a plea deal to
avoid trial and a possible term of life in prison without parole in his
death.Wayne County Circuit Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway set the
trial date Friday for 31-year-old Matilda Gardner, who is charged with
first-degree murder, torture and child abuse in the May 8, 2011, death
of Robert Byrd.
The aunt had been weighing the same deal that her
husband accepted last month. Randy Gardner, 33, pleaded guilty Feb. 27
to charges of second-degree murder, torture and first-degree child abuse
in Robert's death.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office extended the offer the week both were set for trial.
Randy Gardner will serve at least 30 years in prison and up to 60. He'll be sentenced March 21.
Robert's
emaciated body was taken from the couple's home on Mother's Day. The
boy's 6-year-old brother and the Gardners' own four sons were taken into
state custody in reportedly good physical condition.
Gardner had custody of Robert and his brother since 2009 after their mother's death and the imprisonment of their father.
Robert
was 22 pounds when he died, 10 to 20 pounds under normal weight for his
age and height. The Gardners said he was fed like the other children.
An
autopsy showed the boy had bruises, healed scars and open infected
wounds over 90 percent of his body. There was adhesive tape around the
raw flesh on his wrists and his skin had signs of long-term exposure to
urine and feces.
Hathaway approved Kinney's request Friday for funding to hire an independent medical examiner to testify at Gardner's trial.
Police
have said Matilda Gardner told them during questioning that her husband
beat Robert with a belt and an electric cord when the boy wet himself.
It's
been nearly a year since Robert's death, but his stepmother LaQuiana
Burnette said for the family, it hurts like it was yesterday. "We just
want justice to be served so we can put back the pieces, but it will
never be 100 percent complete," she said.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120310/METRO01/203100320/1409/metro/Trial-set-woman-boy-s-torture-death

An anguished Anthony Byrd Sr. questioned on Wednesday the cruel
death of his 4-year-old son, Robert, who died of starvation last year in
what authorities called one of the most horrific cases of child abuse
they had seen.
"Why did he have to go out like that?" Byrd asked.
Byrd
spoke before Wayne County Circuit Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway sentenced
Randy S. Gardner of Highland Park to 30-60 years in prison for
second-degree murder, 10-15 years for torture and 10-15 years for
first-degree child abuse for Robert's death on May 8.
The sentences are to run concurrently.
Gardner said that "Robert was thin and he was little and I only disciplined him when it was needed."
Byrd
was incarcerated at the time his sons -- 6-year-old Anthony Jr. and
Robert -- moved in with their aunt Matilda Brown Gardner and her
husband, Randy, in 2007 after their mother died of a brain aneurysm.
A
Wayne County Medical Examiner's report revealed that Robert died of
starvation and likely suffered long-term abuse. The boy had skin
erosions and bruises on about 90% of his body when he died.
The
Wayne County Medical Examiner's chief pathologist, Dr. Carl Schmidt,
testified during a preliminary examination in June that Robert's
injuries likely stemmed from being beaten and bound over time.
Schmidt
said the boy also had chemical burns on his body from sitting in urine
and feces, and that food was likely withheld from the child for several
months.
"No child should die in such an inhumane, uncivilized
way," said Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Lora Weingarden, who asked
the court to adhere to guidelines when sentencing Gardner. "The
defendant was caring for six boys, four biological, and none of those
boys, only two -- Robert and Anthony -- were abused. He systematically
and purposely treated those kids horribly."
Gardner said the boys' mother asked him and his wife to take the children if anything were to happen to her.
"My
sister-in-law told my wife, 'I want you to take care of my kids because
I like the way you take care of yours,' " Gardner said. "If I can take
care of four, I can take care of two. As far as I'm concerned, I loved
all of my boys and nieces and nephews and I would never hurt anyone."
Hathaway said she could not understand why no one saw signs of Robert's abuse.
"Anybody
with normal eyesight should see this child was injured," Hathaway said.
"It's not a 12- or 13-year-old, it's a baby, and somebody did something
to this baby and nobody wants to stand up for it."
A trial for Matilda Brown Gardner is to begin May 16.
http://www.freep.com/article/20120405/NEWS02/204050510/Man-gets-30-60-years-in-4-year-old-s-abuse-death?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

A Detroit-area woman has been found guilty of murdering her
4-year-old nephew, who authorities say was beaten and tortured to death
on Mother's Day last year. Matilda Gardner of Highland Park was
convicted Thursday by a Wayne County Circuit Court jury of felony
murder, second-degree murder, torture and first-degree child abuse.
Last
month, Gardner's husband pleaded guilty to second-degree murder,
torture and first-degree child abuse. Randy Gardner was sentenced to 30
to 60 years in prison.
Authorities say Robert Byrd Jr. starved to
death in his aunt and uncle's care. The boy was bound by the wrists and
beaten over a long period of time.
He was found dead on May 8, 2011.
Matilda Gardner is to be sentenced on June 12. She faces mandatory life in prison without parole.
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/highland-park-woman-found-guilty-in-death-of-nephew,-4-20120525