JAYDEN PIERCE - 4 Months - Colorado Springs CO

A Colorado Springs father accused
in the beating death of his 4-month-old son told police the boy was
injured in a fall from his bouncer chair, according to a coroner who
disputed the claim in court Friday.
At a preliminary hearing for defendant James Pierce, El Paso County
Deputy Coroner Dr. Leon Kelly said Jayden Pierce’s tumble onto a
carpeted floor couldn’t explain injuries that were found during an
autopsy.
Kelly ruled the April 15 death a homicide
after noting partially healed rib fractures, bruising on the child’s
face, head and chest, and brain injuries consistent with repeated blows
to the head, which Kelly listed as the cause of death.
“Could falling out of a bouncer chair cause the injuries you observed?” prosecutor Brian Cecil asked.
“No, it can’t,” Kelly responded.
At the hearing’s conclusion, 4th Judicial District Judge Larry E.
Schwartz ruled that prosecutors have enough evidence to take the
20-year-old first-time father to trial on charges of first-degree murder
and two counts of child abuse resulting in death.
The judge also set a $200,000 bond for Pierce, who has been held
without bond at the El Paso County jail since his arrest 10 days after
Jayden’s death. The hearing marked the first time details in the case
have been made public.
Emergency crews were called about 9 a.m. April 15 to Pierce’s
apartment in the 1600 block of East Woodmen Road after his girlfriend,
Carli Marino, awoke to find Jayden unresponsive in his bassinet.
The boy was pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital Central.
According to testimony by a police detective, Pierce’s temper drew
the attention of authorities shortly after Jayden’s birth, when hospital
workers overheard him shouting at the screaming newborn. The El Paso
County Department of Human Services was summoned to investigate.
Colorado Springs police detective Rebecca Arndt said Pierce was alone
with his son for most of the day before his death, and used his Apple
IPhone to research “shaken baby syndrome” and to hunt for tips on
healing bruises.
The fatal brain injuries occurred within 24 hours of death, Kelly
testified. He said the bruises were one to three days old, and the rib
fractures were caused at least six weeks earlier.
Defense attorneys argued that prosecutors lack evidence of where, when and how Jayden suffered the deadly injuries.
They emphasized that it was Pierce who sought help for the child
after noticing that he appeared “lifeless” and unable to keep his head
upright early on April 15. At Pierce’s urging, the couple drove the boy
to Memorial Hospital North about 3 a.m., but turned around for home when
they arrived, Arndt testified.
Marino told police the child seemed to be OK, so she decided they should keep an eye on him and return if necessary.
According to Pierce, however, Marino didn’t want to attract further
attention from child protective workers, a claim that public defender
Marcus Henson seized upon as he sought to shift suspicion toward
Jayden’s mother, who had quarreled with her boyfriend and spoke of
leaving him and the child. Marino hasn’t been charged in the death.
Defense attorneys also noted that several other people watched Jayden
during the week of his death, including Marino’s mother, Angela Marino,
her boyfriend and another relative.
Henson said Pierce had attempted CPR on the child before police
arrived, suggesting an alternate cause of the bruises on the boy’s
chest.
Pierce is due to be arraigned on July 18.

Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/coroner-121238-pierce-chair.html#ixzz1RZivmzNs

Murder defendant Pierce to angle for a deal
January 23rd, 2012

A man accused of fatally injuring his 4-month-old son was granted a trial delay Monday while his attorneys attempt to hash out a deal, court records show.

James Pierce, who was due for a Jan. 30 trial, will instead pursue mediation with prosecutors who are pursuing first-degree murder charges against him.

Pierce said his son Jayden tumbled onto a carpeted floor, but an El Paso County deputy coroner testified in August the fall couldn’t explain the severity of the boy’s injuries. Jayden died April 15.

Pierce was re-scheduled for a June 4 trial if the negotiations are unsuccessful, court records show.

The Pierce case is part of a string of child homicides that authorities say pushed the city into record-breaking territory for slayings.

Of last year’s 32 homicides, seven involved child victims.

ANOTHER CARPETED FLOOR FALL. DO THESE KILLERS ALL GET TOGETHER AND DISCUSS WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO SAY AFTER THEY KILL SOMEONE. AMAZING. I NEED MORE ABBREVIATIONS FOR HOW I FEEL THAT I CAN USE AND NOT GET INTO TROUBLE HERE. THIS IS SICKENING.