ALAYAH MAHONE - 3 yo (2009) - Chesapeake VA

On Monday, jurors began hearing testimony in the murder trial of Leon
Lamar Surgeon, 39, who is accused of beating to death his girlfriend’s
3-year-old daughter.
On October 28, 2009, Chesapeake police and paramedics arrived at a
home in the 3400 block of Clover Meadows Drive around 8:00 p.m., to find
Alayah Mahone, 3, lying naked, unresponsive on the floor.
She was taken to Maryview Hospital, and later transferred to
Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters (CHKD) in Norfolk, where she
was pronounced dead four days later from severe head trauma.
Surgeon is charged with first-degree murder, malicious wounding and child abuse.
During Monday’s opening arguments, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney
Shannon Stutz told the jury: “He had issues with Alayah. He was
frustrated with her because of potty training. You will hear statements
he beat her and shook her.”
Dr. Christopher Foley, who treated the little girl, testified: “The only thing really spared were the soles of her feet.”Dr. Foley, who works at CHKD, said that the swelling in her brain was
so severe that blood could no longer circulate. “My prognosis was she
was not going to survive this injury,” Foley stated.
Surgeon, who has pleaded not guilty, claims now that there was no premeditation in his actions.
His lawyer, Amina Matheny, told the court that while her client does not dispute the facts… “He did not intend to kill her.”
When police arrived at Surgeon’s home, he reportedly stated that
Alayah had fallen and hit her head on the bathtub, and that her body was
covered in bruises due to her frequent falls.
In July 2010, Dr. Suzanne Starling, who directs the Child Abuse
Program at CHKD testified during a preliminary hearing: “She was covered
from head to toe in bruises and abrasions.”
“She was beaten, shaken and left to die.” Starling added.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Doctor: "The only thing really spared were the soles of her feet." - Norfolk Crime | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/crime-in-norfolk/doctor-the-only-thing-really-spared-were-the-soles-of-her-feet#ixzz1MdSkwrav

From what I have read in all of the local papers and on TV the man who murdered this little girl was not her father and was not married to her mom. The mother left her 3yr old daughter with this monster bec she worked in a diffrent city and lived in a diffrent city than she worked or her daughter was staying in she only seen her on the weekends soem one please tell me what in Gods name was this mother thinking. Obviously she was only thinking of her self shame on her now look she dosnt even have a child to visit on the weekends. they should have locked her up as well just for being stupid and not given a damn about her child.

Like the song says: "Brenda Lee's comin' on strong" > and I like it!

Judge finds man guilty of killing 3-year-old girl in Chesapeake


May 20, 2011

Alayah Mahone was a playful, social 3-year-old girl who liked to sing.
She'd belt out songs like "This Little Light of Mine" and songs her grandmother had written, said her maternal great-aunt, Naomi White.
On Oct. 28, 2009, Alayah was found naked and bruised, lying on the floor in a dark townhouse where she lived with her mother's fiancé. Her breathing belied her physical condition - a brain so swollen it was pushing against her skull and the base of her spine, cutting off the blood supply.
Two days later, she was dead.
On Thursday, a Circuit Court judge found 39-year-old Leon Lamar Surgeon guilty of first-degree murder, malicious wounding and child abuse.
"This really wasn't a fair fight," said Judge Marjorie Arrington, who weighed her decision after testimony and evidence were presented Monday and Tuesday.
Alayah died from injuries to her head in what witnesses described as shaken impact syndrome after repeated beatings over the month she was in Surgeon's care, according to testimony. It happened in the 3400 block of Clover Meadows Road in Western Branch where Surgeon was living with his sister.
"The testimony from medical personnel is that this child suffered injuries over most of her body," the judge said. "The testimony was only the soles of her feet were spared."
Dark purple, green and light blue bruises on the girl's body proved too many to count, testified a medical examiner, Dr. Wendy Gunther. A tooth was missing in the center of her lower jaw. Red welts in the shape of a bottle cap and a "U" scarred the girl's chest and stomach.
Her back and buttocks weren't spared either. Her lower back had "J" shaped marks "usually created by a whip or something that can be used as such," Gunther testified.
Surgeon's attorney argued her client's actions weren't premeditated and said he'd been frustrated with the girl over potty training.
White wondered what Alayah could have been if she were still alive. President? A professional singer?
"She didn't even live her life," she said after hearing the verdict. "My niece did not deserve what happened to her."
Surgeon faces 20 years to life for first-degree murder, five to 20 years for malicious wounding and two to 20 years for child abuse. Each charge also could include a $100,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 23.
As for Alayah, "she's singin' in heaven right now," White said.
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/05/judge-finds-man-guilty-killing-3yearold-girl-chesapeake

brendalee wrote:From what I have read in all of the local papers and on TV the man who murdered this little girl was not her father and was not married to her mom. The mother left her 3yr old daughter with this monster bec she worked in a diffrent city and lived in a diffrent city than she worked or her daughter was staying in she only seen her on the weekends soem one please tell me what in Gods name was this mother thinking. Obviously she was only thinking of her self shame on her now look she dosnt even have a child to visit on the weekends. they should have locked her up as well just for being stupid and not given a damn about her child.

I agree.

Now, she doesn't have to worry about a baby sitter. She'll probably make another baby and continue with her stupidity, putting another poor little baby at risk.