BEAUTIFUL SKYLA VILLANUEVA - 3 yo - Pittsford/ Hillsdale MI

Hillsdale, Mich. —



The death of Beautiful Skyla Villanueva was caused by “abusive head trauma”,
according to the 3-year-old’s death certificate.
Homicide, torture and first degree child abuse charges were filed
against the mother’s boyfriend James David Campbell, 29, of Pittsford,
earlier this week. Her mother, Ashley Renee Ferguson, 26, of Bryan, Ohio
was also charged with third degree child abuse and accessory to a
felony after the fact. Villanueva died June 10 after medical responders
were dispatched to the Pittsford home.


http://www.thedailyreporter.com/highlight/x230659282/Death-of-3-year-old-was-from-abusive-head-trauma

Timeline


June 10: Villanueva injured, pronounced dead at Hillsdale Community Health Center.


June 13: James David Campbell arraigned on domestic violence and resisting and obstructing charges.


June 28: Campbell and Ashley Renee Ferguson arrested, lodged at Hillsdale County Jail. Ferguson arraigned.


June 29: Campbell’s arraignment concludes, court dates set.


July 6: Campbell and Ferguson scheduled for hearings at Hillsdale County District Court at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

A Hillsdale County man was in court Wednesday morning for his alleged role in the death of a 3-year-old girl.
James Campbell is being charged with first degree murder, torture and first
degree child abuse. Campbell is the boyfriend of 3-year-old Beautiful Skyla Villanueva's mother.
Wednesday Campbell faced a judge for his preliminary exam. He waived that hearing and will
be in Hillsdale Circuit Court Monday.
Skyla's mother, Ashley Ferguson, has also been charged. She faces third degree
child abuse and being an accessory to a felony, after the fact.
The state police say the murdered girl showed signs of long-term abuse.

http://www.wlns.com/story/15033233/man-charged-in-toddlers-death-appears-before-judge

James David Campbell, 29, is
accused of killing his girlfriends 3-year old daughter, Beautiful Skyla
Villanueva. Family members of the victims came to court with vivid
memories of the night Campbell was arrested.
"Ashley had been beaten and Beautiful didn't make it.
Beautiful had bruises all over her, bite marks all over her, a broken
arm, and the cause of death was a blow to the head," said Scott
Ferguson, Villanueva's grandfather.
Campbell was initially charged with two felonies
including domestic violence to his girlfriend Ashley Ferguson and
resisting and obstructing an officer. Now he faces three additional
charges of murder, torture, and child abuse.
"It's essentially child abuse
causing death, a murder case under Michigan law. It carries a term of
life without parole," said Ferguson.
In court, Campbell waived his preliminary exam and will appear in court next week.
Among those in the audience was one of Campbell's ex-girlfriends who says she's ready to testify of his abusive past.
"I don't really know how to explain it. He was very
controlling. He likes things a certain way. He likes things his way or
the highway," said Michelle Johnson, a former girlfriend of Campbell.
Family believe Ferguson's first statement to police
was made out of fear. She said her daughter fell down the stairs and has
since been charged with third-degree child abuse and an accessory after the fact.
"He broker her phone, and she had no car. They lived
in the middle of no where. Where could she run? Where could she hide?" said Ferguson.
Family members say they will attend every court date until justice is served.


Poster's Note: Several news sources have reported that the child's first name was "Beautiful". At first glance I thought it was descriptive adjective but looking back, I suppose it is possible that it indeed was her legal first name. Can anyone close to the story provide confirmation?

http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/Man_Charged_with_Murder_of_3-Year-Old_in_Court_125105679.html?ref=679

Another POS mother. Another POS boyfriend.

At least the mother was chsrged this time.

TomTerrific0420 wrote:James David Campbell, 29, is
accused of killing his girlfriends 3-year old daughter, Skyla
Villanueva. ...
Family members say they will attend every court date until justice is served.


Poster's Note: Several news sources have reported that the child's first name was "Beautiful". At first glance I thought it was descriptive adjective but looking back, I suppose it is possible that it indeed was her legal first name. Can anyone close to the story provide confirmation?

http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/Man_Charged_with_Murder_of_3-Year-Old_in_Court_125105679.html?ref=679

Your answer is YES, her legal name was "Beautiful Skyla Villanueva". I am a friend of Beautiful's mother and her family. I attended church and was a close friend of her grandfather. She truly was Beautiful!!! The most precious smile, she brightened everyone's world!!! My daughters' used to babysit her and her 5 year old brother, Ty. I even got to make her 2nd birthday cake. I still remember her searching for her Easter egg in my yard last year. It's so hard to believe I'll never see her again. I hope we can get justice for our sweet "Beautiful Skyla", as the Michigan police have stated... "the most horrific case of child abuse they'd ever seen!"

Thank you khydd! I have made the appropriate correction to the headline of this topic. It is folks like yourself, who have intimate knowledge of these cases, that bring such clarity and focus to our understanding.

Did you see any indicators that would have suggested what was happening within the family?

Do you have any pictures of her that you would care to share with our members?

TomTerrific0420 wrote:Thank you khydd! I have made the appropriate correction to the headline of this topic. It is folks like yourself, who have intimate knowledge of these cases, that bring such clarity and focus to our understanding.


Did you see any indicators that would have suggested what was happening within the family?

Do you have any pictures of her that you would care to share with our members?

Campbell moved the mother(Ashley), Beautiful(we called her Skyla) and her brother from Ohio to Michigan. Ashley had no car, he broke her phone and they lived in the middle of nowhere. All 3 had been abused. Beautiful had bruises all over her, bite marks all over her, a broken arm, and the cause of death was a blow to the head!!!

Campbell was initially charged with two felonies including domestic violence to his girlfriend Ashley and resisting and obstructing an officer (he was even dumb enough to spit in a cop's face!) Now he faces three additional charges of murder, torture, and child abuse. Now there is talk of a plea deal already :( He's facing at max 2 life sentences for the murder and torture charges and a 15 year sentence for the charge of 1st degree child abuse, there is no death penalty in Michigan.

The following is a link for one of the news reports from his court appearance on July 6th. He actually had the nerve to smile on his way out of court!!! It's one of the best articles I've read...
http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/Man_Charged_with_Murder_of_3-Year-Old_in_Court_125105679.html?ref=679

I usually googled her name every couple of days to keep up with the story. A good site for info is MLive.com...
http://topics.mlive.com/tag/Beautiful Villanueva/index.html

I am also attaching a picture of Beautiful Skyla.

Please let Justice be brought for ALL involved in this! I know David Campbell all too well (unfortunately). He has a long history of crimes in In. Oh. and Mi. I knew this would happen and it just makes me sick that my fears came true on such a beautiful baby! I know the family is hurting here and the grandfather Scott's pain runs deep but Ashley is NOT an innocent victim. Skyla and Ty are the innocent victims!

ssbforjustice wrote:Please let Justice be brought for ALL involved in this! I know David Campbell all too well (unfortunately). He has a long history of crimes in In. Oh. and Mi. I knew this would happen and it just makes me sick that my fears came true on such a beautiful baby! I know the family is hurting here and the grandfather Scott's pain runs deep but Ashley is NOT an innocent victim. Skyla and Ty are the innocent victims!

Yes, Ashley is facing charges of third-degree child abuse and being an accessory after the fact, both of which are felonies. Being an accessory after the fact, which carries the most serious
penalty of the two offenses, is punishable by a maximum of five years in
prison.

David (JD) Campbell appeared in court Monday July 11th. He is pleading "mute" on the charges. Which means he is refusing to cooperate or talk about any of this! Go Figure. There was also an article in the hillsdale paper that said the prosecuting Attny. may be looking into a plea agreement and dropping the murder charge. I pray this does not happen. David needs to be punished to the fullest on every charge!

ssbforjustice wrote:David (JD) Campbell appeared in court Monday July 11th. He is pleading "mute" on the charges. Which means he is refusing to cooperate or talk about any of this! Go Figure. There was also an article in the hillsdale paper that said the prosecuting Attny. may be looking into a plea agreement and dropping the murder charge. I pray this does not happen. David needs to be punished to the fullest on every charge!

Oh, I hope there is not a plea. Someone needs to pay dearly for this horrible crime!

James David Campbell is set for a hearing in the Hillsdale County
District Court after his case was remanded back from Circuit Court.

Campbell, 29, is charged with homicide, torture and first-degree child abuse in connection with the June 20 death of 3-year-old Beautiful Skyla Villanueva.

Campbell
had been arraigned in Circuit Court on July 11 and not guilty pleas
were entered when he stood silent in court. He will now have the hearing
in District Court at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Prosecutor Neal Brady said.

"It's just procedural," Brady said. The case likely will be sent to Circuit Court again.

http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/hearing_set_for_tuessday_in_hi.html

Campbell was in court, smiling once again! He is just that arrogant!!! I'm enclosing the link for today's court appearance. I'm going to warn you what was said in court was NOT pretty!!! This man is a MONSTER!!! Beautiful Skyla Villanueva had over 85 wounds on her body! Some people in attendance couldn't believe some of the testimony they heard today! And it's just going to get worse. My prayers for any and all who have ever gone through losing a loved one to the hands of an abuser!!!

http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/case_against_man_accused_of_ki.html

A 3-year-old Hillsdale County girl died in June of multiple acts of
trauma to the head, which were not accidental, county Prosecutor Neal
Brady said Tuesday, recounting testimony another attorney called
“horrifying.”Further, Beautiful Skyla Villanueva had 85 other
wounds on her body, including bite marks, abrasions, bruises, cuts,
scratches and some scalding, caused by a hot liquid on her arm and
elsewhere, Brady said.He was summarizing statements of Dr. Diane
Scala-Barnett, deputy coroner in Lucas County, Ohio, who testified at a
preliminary examination in the case against Beautiful’s accused killer,
James David Campbell, the boyfriend of the girl’s mother.At the
close of the exam late Tuesday morning, District Judge Donald Sanderson
found there was probable cause to believe Campbell committed
first-degree murder, torture and first-degree child abuse. Sanderson
sent the case to Circuit Court, where Campbell may stand trial.“The testimony was horrifying,” said Campbell’s lawyer, Barry Poulson. “It’s just terrible.”Poulson
suggests the mother, Ashley Renee Ferguson, is culpable for Beautiful’s
death. Campbell says he did not kill Beautiful, which leaves only one
other adult in or around the home at the time, Poulson said.Ferguson is charged with third-degree child abuse and being an accessory after the fact.There
was evidence of “inappropriate discipline,” though Ferguson says if she
did take the action, Campbell would do worse, Brady said.She also is accused of telling lies to cover for herself and Campbell, Brady said.Ferguson
did not testify Tuesday, but Brady said he hopes she will testify
against Campbell. Her preliminary examination is scheduled for Aug. 3.Beautiful
was pronounced dead June 10 at Hillsdale Community Health Center.
Police were told she had fallen down the stairs in the home near
Pittsford she shared with Campbell and Ferguson, but an investigation
showed signs of abuse, Michigan State Police reported.Campbell
also is charged with resisting and obstructing an officer stemming from
his actions on June 10 and domestic violence, at least his third such
charge, against Ferguson. A preliminary examination on those charges is
scheduled for Aug. 3.
http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/07/case_against_man_accused_of_ki.html

A Hillsdale County man accused of murdering his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter will stand trial in late January, according to the Hillsdale Daily.

James David Campbell's trial will start on Jan. 24 in Circuit Court and is expected to last four days, the newspaper reported. He faces murder, torture and first-degree child abuse charges.

His lawyers have sought to throw out the torture charge, the Hillsdale Daily reported.

Campbell, 29 is accused of killing Beautiful Skyla Villanueva,
the daughter of his girlfriend, Ashley Renee Ferguson. Beautiful died
on June 10 at Hillsdale Community Health Center. Police were told she
had
fallen down the stairs in the home near Pittsford she shared with
Campbell and her mother, but an investigation showed signs of abuse,
Michigan State Police have reported.

Ferguson is also facing
felony charges. She is
accused of being an accessory after the fact and with third-degree child
abuse stemming from an incident weeks before her daughter's death.

She is expected in Circuit Court on Aug. 29 for a pretrial hearing, according to court records.

Campbell’s
lawyer, Barry Poulson, suggested in an earlier court hearing that
Ferguson is responsible for Beautiful's death. Campbell says he did not
kill Beautiful, which leaves only one
other adult in or around the home at the time, Poulson said.


http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/08/trial_for_hillsdale_county_man.html

A Hillsdale County mother charged in connection to her 3-year-old
daughter’s death pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice today.
Hillsdale
County Circuit Judge Michael R. Smith will sentence Ashley Ferguson on
Oct. 10, according to court records. She could face up to five years in
prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
Ferguson had been charged with
third-degree child abuse and being an accessory after the fact following
the death of Beautiful Skyla Villanueva. Beautiful died June 10 at
Hillsdale Community Health Center of abusive head trauma, according to
police. The child abuse charge stemmed from an incident weeks before
Beautiful's death.
During their investigation, police were told
Beautiful fell down stairs at Ferguson’s Pittsford home. Later, police
determined that Beautiful had been abused; Ferguson had known and lied
about it.
Ferguson’s father, Scott Ferguson, said his daughter was
coerced into lying to police. He said James David Campbell, Ashley
Ferguson’s boyfriend, told his daughter to lie.
Campbell, 29, is
charged with murder, torture and first-degree child abuse in Beautiful’s
death. His trial is scheduled to start Jan. 24.
Ashley Ferguson’s
attorney, Roderick Dunham, did not know if his client would testify
against Campbell. Dunham would not comment further on the plea
arrangement.
In July, Hillsdale County Prosecutor Neal Brady said
he hoped Ashley Ferguson would testify against Campbell. Brady could not
be reached for comment this evening.
http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/08/mother_charged_with_felonies_i.html

A Hillsdale County man’s plea to torturing his girlfriend’s 3-year-old
daughter will avoid a trial his lawyer described as “beyond graphic.”

James David Campbell, 29, pleaded guilty Monday to torture, domestic violence and resisting, obstructing and assaulting a police officer, said his attorney Barry Poulson.

“It’s
probably better for all who remain living to have this resolved without
a trial,” Poulson said Tuesday. “It’s just an ugly thing.”

Campbell was accused of killing Beautiful Skyla Villanueva,
the 3-year-old daughter of his girlfriend Ashley Ferguson. Beautiful
died June 10 at Hillsdale Community Health Center. An investigation
showed signs of abuse, Michigan State Police reported.

Murder and
first degree child abuse charges will be dismissed when Hillsdale
County Circuit Judge Michael Smith sentences Campbell on Oct. 24.

He
could get life in prison on the torture charge. He also pleaded guilty
to resisting, obstructing and assaulting a police officer and domestic
violence, both felonies, said Hillsdale County Prosecutor Neal Brady.

“He’s
going to go away for a long time, and he deserves it,” Brady said,
noting the torture conviction is akin to pleading to second-degree
murder.

Campbell admitted Monday to biting Beautiful dozens of
times but said he did not cause other abusive injuries found on the
child, Poulson said. Beautiful had a broken arm caused by someone
grabbing and pulling it and scalding burns on her right arm from a hot
liquid. The child’s death was not his fault, Campbell told the judge.

“He did not cause the killing blows,” Poulson said, indicating someone else could have inflicted them.

Beautiful
died of abusive head trauma, according to a pathology report. State
police investigators said her head struck up against something or was
struck by something.
Campbell also admitted to shoving his girlfriend
and shoving and spitting in the face of a state trooper on the day
police came to investigate Beautiful’s death.

Poulson said
Campbell changed his mind several times about whether to take a plea
arrangement offered by the prosecutor’s office or take the case to
trial. Campbell’s trial was scheduled to start Jan. 24 and would have
lasted days, Poulson said.

Convincing a jury beyond a reasonable
doubt that Campbell killed Beautiful could have been difficult, Brady
said. Photographs Brady planned to show of Beautiful’s bruised and
abused body might have turned members of a jury against him, but they
could have acquitted him or convicted him of a lesser crime, landing him
in prison for a maximum of only 15 years.

No one witnessed the
blows to the head that investigators believe killed the child. Ferguson,
who would have testified against Campbell, had made conflicting
statements and might not have been the best person to put on the stand,
Brady said.

Ferguson pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and
admitted lying to police about what happened to her daughter. She is to
be sentenced Oct. 10.
http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/09/guilty_plea_to_torture_avoids.html

Such a beautiful little girl murdered by an animal. I wish he got the death penalty. I found a picture of her with her obituary at the following link. So precious.

http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=1185518&fh_id=13177

Hillsdale, Mich. —


Ashley Renee Ferguson was sentenced to 2-5 years in prison after
pleading guilty to obstruction of justice in the case of her 3-year-old
daughter’s death.
“That sentence is totally inadequate,” said Hillsdale County Circuit
Court Judge Michael Smith in court Monday morning. “You violated the
most basic maternal instinct — protect your children.”
Ferguson’s daughter, Beautiful Skyla Villanueva, was found dead on June
10 in the home of Ferguson and her boyfriend James David Campbell.
Villanueva died from a traumatic blow to the head, and had multiple
injuries all over her body.
Ferguson was charged with third-degree child abuse and accessory to a
felony after the fact but these charges were dismissed when she pleaded
guilty to obstruction of justice and agreed to cooperate with the court
regarding the trial against Campbell, who was charged with homicide,
torture and first-degree child abuse.
“I’m prepared for my punishment,” Ferguson told Judge Smith.
For the complete story, see the Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011 edition of the
Hillsdale Daily News or visit
http://hillsdaledailynews.mi.newsmemory.com/.

Obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice is Ferguson’s first felony charge, punishable
with up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. Ferguson has
multiple misdemeanors on her record, with some charges occurring while
she was on bond. Smith said local incarceration would be an inadequate
sentence, so she was taken into custody until she can be transported to
prison.
http://www.hillsdale.net/breaking/x663897542/Ferguson-gets-prison-time-for-part-in-her-3-year-old-daughter-s-death