ISABELLA HURLEY - 18 Months (2010) - Hinton WV

HINTON -- The Summers County woman facing charges in connection with the
murder of her 18-month-old daughter is arrested on new charges of
violence against a minor. Cristen Hurley, 24, was arrested at the end
of May on assault charges.



Summers County Magistrate J.W.
Jeffries confirms a criminal complaint is
on file alleging Hurley assaulted a juvenile victim on May 31.
Jeffries says bond for Hurley was set at $500 in this case.
Hurley was already free on bond on felony charges. Hurley was charged
with child abuse resulting in injury and child neglect causing death on
Nov. 11, 2010. Hurley's daughter died on Nov. 4. last year, shortly after being taken
to the hospital. Investigators say the toddler had blunt force injures
to the abdomen and head. Hurley's live-in boyfriend, R.L. Summers is
facing first degree murder charges in the case. Summers County Prosecuting Attorney,
Amy Mann, was not available to
comment on the impact the new charges against Hurley will have on bond
revocation, in the meantime Hurley remains free on bond.

http://www.wvnstv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=101674

The child's name is Isabella Hurley.

http://www.dreamindemon.com/forums/showthread.php?41552-James-Meadows-Arrested-For-Allegedly-Abusing-Little-Isabella-To-Death&s=3fed8bc7a69ef9406bd2df97d49ebdd1

Thanks to you, lined!

HINTON -- After months of delays, the trial for a Summers County man accused of killing a child will start, Wednesday. A change of venue has been approved in this case. It will now be heard out of Monroe County.
James "R.L." Meadows, 20, is charged with first degree murder after
his girlfriend's 18-month-old daughter died on Nov. 4, 2010.
Investigators say an autopsy reveals the child suffered internal
injuries to her abdomen and brain days before she was taken to the
hospital.
The toddler's mother, Cristen Hurley, 24, faces felony child abuse charges in the case.

http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=107687

September 17, 2011
Jury hands down guilty verdict in murder trial
By Tina Alvey
Register-Herald Reporter



UNION — “I’ve never been violent, never hurt a kid,” testified the man accused of murdering the 17-month-old daughter of his girlfriend just after Halloween last year.

James “R.L.” Meadows, 20, of the Talcott area of Summers County spoke those words only hours before a Monroe County jury convicted him of second degree murder in connection with the death of Isabella Danielle Hurley. The trial was moved from Summers to Monroe due to pretrial publicity.

The six-man, six-woman jury deliberated for three hours before rendering their verdict at around 10 p.m. Friday.

Taking the stand in his own defense, Meadows denied ever injuring Isabella, who was rushed to the hospital by ambulance Nov. 4, 2010, covered in bruises and suffering from a multitude of internal injuries. She never regained consciousness, dying only days later in a Charleston hospital.

The state’s chief medical examiner, Dr. James A. Kaplan, testified Thursday that Isabella died “as a result of a fatal assault,” ruling out accidental injury due to the “sheer volume of injuries” the child had suffered.

While Meadows had blamed Isabella’s injuries on a fall or series of falls in early statements, on Friday he told a different story, saying he had been trying to cover up for abuse inflicted on the toddler by her mother, Cristen Hurley.

He contradicted testimony from other witnesses, who had said Isabella had only a few minor scrapes and bruises prior to spending the early morning of Nov. 4 — a Thursday — alone with Meadows.

He said that on Tuesday of the week Isabella was hospitalized, he returned to the trailer he shared with Hurley and her child after an absence of several hours to find Isabella’s entire face was covered in bruises. Meadows blamed Hurley for those injuries.

The next day, he personally witnessed Hurley beating the toddler, striking Isabella 15 to 20 times all over her body, Meadows testified.

He said he didn’t call the authorities about the child abuse because Hurley threatened the safety of his family if he made a report.

“Cristen and her family are very unstable ... very angry,” he explained.

“I’m guilty of not protecting the child from her mother,” Meadows admitted, insisting, however, that he never harmed Isabella.

In a prior statement recorded by West Virginia State Police Sgt. C.C. Smith, Meadows asserted he and Isabella spent time early on the morning of Nov. 4 “sitting on the couch, eating Cheetos.”

Friday, Meadows testified his earlier assertion was a lie, that in fact Hurley laid the bruised, already unconscious child next to him on the couch, telling Meadows that she had beaten Isabella again during the night.

“I’d already started smoking (marijuana) and was playing Xbox,” Meadows said, adding that as far as he knew, Isabella was asleep, not unconscious.

He finally realized that something was wrong with the child’s breathing. After trying to rouse her for about 15 minutes, he wrapped Isabella in a blanket and carried her to a neighbor’s trailer seeking help, he testified. That neighbor, Melissa Gill, called 911.

“This is what happened; this is the truth,” Meadows said on the stand.

“I’m not an angry person. I’m not an evil person.”

- - -

During closing arguments, Summers County Prosecutor Amy Mann strongly disagreed with Meadows’ self-analysis, maintaining, “R.L. Meadows, with his fists or his feet or his arms or something, injured that little girl.”

She added, “He was supposed to be caring for her. There was no one else there.”

Defense attorney Warren R. McGraw II launched his closing by saying, “This is a horrific, terrible case.”

He conceded, “There’s no question this child was beaten to death.”

McGraw said with Meadows and Hurley tossing accusations at each other, it is impossible to “sort out all the lies” and figure out which one killed Isabella.

“You don’t know which one of those two people did this to that child,” he told the jury, calling for his client’s acquittal.

- - -

Among the other witnesses offering testimony during the trial’s third day were Bluefield psychologist Steve Ferris, who treated Isabella’s older brother for grief issues in the months following her death.

Ferris said the two “consistent themes” that emerged in his sessions with the four-year-old boy were grief over his sister’s death and anger directed toward a person the child called “Ro-Ro.” The psychologist said he believes “Ro-Ro” is actually the youngster’s pronunciation of “R.L.,” the initials by which Meadows is commonly addressed.

The defense called 10 additional witnesses Friday, including Meadows’ mother and Isabella’s father. Meadows was the last witness to take the stand.


http://www.register-herald.com/todaysfrontpage/x2127773742/Jury-hands-down-guilty-verdict-in-murder-trial