ALEXIS HAWKINS - 3 yo - Oklahoma City OK

OKLAHOMA CITY – A couple could be charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 3-year-old girl.


On Sunday, October 30, emergency crews were called
to an apartment at 12831 Stratford Drive in northwest Oklahoma City to
help an unresponsive child. Alexis Hawkins was taken to Children's
Hospital where medical staff noticed several signs of abuse.



Police interviewed Alexis' mother Victoria
Phanhtharath, 22, and her boyfriend, Freddy Mendez, 24. Police then
arrested them on child abuse charges.

Alexis died from her injuries Monday morning.
Police amended the booking complaints against Phanhtharath and Mendez to
first-degree murder.
http://www.news9.com/story/15916156/mother-her-boyfriend-arrested-in-death-of-okc-toddler

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Police in
Oklahoma City investigate a tragic case of child abuse. A 3-year-old
girl is found beaten to death. The girl's mother and boyfriend are
behind bars accused of the murder.

It happened at an apartment complex near 122nd St. and Stratford Dr.
That's where Victoria Phanhtharath is accused of abusing and killing her little girl.

In addition to the victim's mother, the boyfriend, Freddy Mendez, is also charged with murder.
Neighbors admit they're stunned by the girls death and the criminal case against the couple.

"There's no words to describe when a child dies before they have the chance to
live. It's ridiculous," neighbor Thomas Justice said.

Neighbors say the suspects initially told them the child died from chocking while eating breakfast.

Investigators say the truth is much more sinister.

"The child showed multiple signs of abuse, according to medical personnel.
Sadly, the child succumbed to her injuries," OK Police MSgt. Gary Knight said.

Knight said by the time officers arrived at the suspects' apartment, the little girl already appeared unresponsive.

Right now it's unclear if the alleged abuse had been ongoing or what sparked the fatal incident.

"Anytime you deal with a homicide, it's a tragedy, but it's shocking to the
conscience when it's a 3-year-old child who dies from someone who is
supposed to love them," MSgt. Knight said.

The two suspects remain behind bars at the county jail.
Both are being held without bond.
http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-toddler-found-beaten-to-death-mother-boyfriend-arrested-20111031,0,3910890.story

The mother of a 3-year-old girl who was beaten to death told police she
shoved her daughter into a wooden baby bed and her boyfriend beat the
girl with a leather shoe.

Victoria Phanhtharath, 22, and Freddy Mendez, 24, have been arrested on murder complaints in connection with the death of Alexis Hawkins.
Amy Elliott,
spokeswoman for the state medical examiner's office, said Alexis died
of head trauma and blunt force. Her death has been ruled a homicide.
Medical
officials said the victim had a massive skull fracture and an injury to
the brain. She had severe brain swelling and bruises all over her body,
according to a probable cause affidavit.
Alexis died of her injuries Monday at The Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center. A 7-month-old boy was taken from the home and placed into protective custody.
Oklahoma City police Master Sgt. Gary Knight
said officers were sent to 12831 N Stratford Drive about 9:30 a.m.
Sunday on a report of an unresponsive child. When officers arrived, the
girl was lying in a grassy area in front of the apartment complex,
according to a police report.
The girl's mother, Phanhtharath, was
visibly upset when officers arrived. She was crying and telling Alexis
to wake up, according to a police report.
She told investigators
she shoved Alexis out of frustration Sunday, causing the girl to strike
her head on a wooden baby bed. Phanhtharath said she saw her daughter's
eyes roll back in her head and she began choking, according to the
affidavit.
Before the incident, the mother told police, Mendez was
screaming at the child for not eating. He instructed her to get a
braided leather shoe and he began hitting Alexis all over her body with
it, Phanhtharath told police.
Investigators said the mother told
them Mendez was always hitting the girl. According to the affidavit,
“she described seeing Freddy pick the victim up by the neck and ‘shake
her like a rag doll' on several different occasions in the past.”
On
Sunday, Phanhtharath told police, Mendez became even angrier and told
her to deal with Alexis because he did not want to. She said she took
Alexis into a bedroom and shouted at her and told her to eat before
shoving her.
Mendez admitted to hitting the girl with a leather
shoe and demonstrated to police how he picked her up around the neck a
few days prior and slammed her down onto a couch, according to the
affidavit.
Police said Phanhtharath told officers she began CPR on
Alexis before paramedics arrived. She said Mendez picked up the girl
and took her to the sink to splash water on her face to try to wake her
up.
Mendez told a social worker he had been with Phanhtharath and
Alexis for a year and a half. He said the girl's biological father was
not in her life and had previously beaten her.
He said she fell
down the stairs a few days previous to her death but appeared to be fine
because she walked with the family to pick out Halloween costumes.
Mendez and Phanhtharath are being held in the Oklahoma County jail.


Read more: http://newsok.com/mother-boyfriend-admit-to-abusing-oklahoma-city-toddler-before-her-death/article/3619344#ixzz1cfEoxt7k