KEEGAN ANDREW METZ - 23 Months (1/2009) - Clarksville TN

CLARKSVILLE, TENN. — The mother of a Clarksville toddler who was raped and murdered in January 2009 has been charged with her son’s death.Keegan Andrew Metz, 23 months old, died of blunt force trauma in February 2009.


His mother, Caitlyn Leanore Metz, 24, was charged with homicide
and booked into the Josephine County Jail in Grants Pass, Oregon on
Saturday. She is awaiting extradition to Clarksville.
Metz’s
husband, Joshua Ryan Starner, 23, is charged with aggravated abuse,
child rape and murder in the case. In a grand jury re-indictment, two
additional charges of aggravated child neglect and felony murder were
added in the February term of the grand jury.
Starner
was originally scheduled to begin his murder trial today in Judge Mike
R. Jones’ court, but in January Assistant District Attorney Robert Nash
requested postponing the trial, citing new medical evidence and pending
charges.
It was
originally believed Caitlyn Metz left Keegan with Starner at their
apartment at 100D Ballygar St. for two hours while going to the store.
Keegan was in good health and doing well when his mother left, the
warrant said. When she returned, Keegan was unresponsive in his bed.
Keegan
was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where medical
personnel said he had severe trauma to the forehead, bruises in various
places and other severe injuries, according to a previous report.
Keegan's brain was swelling, and he died the next day.
Nash
could not comment on the pending case, but said medical proof that came
to light produced new theories in the case and led to the indictment
being levied on Caitlyn Metz and new charges being filed against Starner.
Since
Caitlyn Metz has not been booked in the Montgomery County Jail, her
grand jury indictment remained sealed, according to court officials.

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20120213/NEWS/302130050

Justice for Keegan: Five years after two-year-old boy was brutally raped and murdered his mother and soldier stepfather finally go on trial

Keegan Metz was rushed to hospital in February 2009 suffering from brain swelling, bruising and severe tearing of anus
Boy's mother Caitlyn Metz told police her son was healthy when she left him with his stepfather for two hours
Joshua Sterner, 25, claimed his 23-month-old stepson slipped and fell in the bathtub

By Snejana Farberov
PUBLISHED: 11:34 EST, 21 January 2014  | UPDATED: 12:23 EST, 21 January 2014

Five years after the brutal rape and murder of a 23-month-old Tennessee boy, his mother and stepfather are finally going on trial.

Joshua Starner, 25, has been charged in the beating death of Keegan Metz, who suffered severe head trauma. A medical examination revealed that the boy had been sodomized before the slaying.

Both Starner and Keegan's mother, 26-year-old Caitlyn Metz, are facing two counts each of felony first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated rape of a child.


Monstrous charges: Joshua Sterner, 25, is accused of sodomizing his 23-month-old stepson, Keegan Metz, and then beating him to death in February 2009


Mother on trial: Caitlyn Metz, 26, faces charges of murder and child abuse and rape in connection to her son's death, which prosecutors say she had a part in

Starner and Metz's murder trial was originally scheduled to begin back in January 2011, but the proceedings were delayed as the prosecution continued analysing medical evidence, The Leaf Chronicle reported.

On Tuesday morning, the joint jury trial of Starner and Metz got under way, with Judge Mike R. Jones presiding over the case.  

The tragic incident took place February 7, 2009, when 23-month-old Keegan was rushed to a Nashville hospital with forehead trauma and bruises all over his body.

The following day, the toddler succumbed to his injuries, which doctors at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital ruled to be non-accidental.

The child’s stepfather, then-20-year-old Fort Campbell soldier Joshua Starner, was arrested on the day of the incident and charged with aggravated child abuse.

Keegan’s mother, Miss Metz, initially told police that her son looked healthy when she left him in the care of his stepfather in their apartment on Ballygar Street in Clarksville so she could go to the store.

When she returned home about two hours later, Metz told investigators she found her son lying unresponsive in his bed.

Just before 1pm February 7, 2009, the mother called 911 and the boy was taken to Gateway Hospital, and later transferred to Vanderbilt for treatment.

Doctors who examined little Keegan noted that besides brain swelling, the toddler suffered from severe tearing of the anus and bruises all over his body consistent with abuse.


What she claimed: Metz, pictured here possibly with her older daughter, told police that her son looked healthy when she left him in her husband's care for two hours to go to the store

When questioned by police, Starner said that his stepson may have slipped and fallen while he was giving him a bath.

In the course of the five-year investigation, the prosecution said that medical evidence produced new theories that implicated Caitlyn Metz in her son's murder.

The woman was arrested in Oregon in February 2012 and extradited to Tennessee to face charges in connection to her child's sexual abuse and death.

It has been alleged that Miss Metz may have been aware of her son's abuse and the circumstances of his killing.

Joshua Starner has been jailed on $1.45million bond since his arrest more than five years ago.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2543386/Keegan-Metz-killing-Five-years-two-year-old-boy-brutally-raped-murdered-mother-soldier-stepather-going-trial.html

I would comment on the woman, but won't here.  At least he will get justice now.  Poor little angel what he had to endure.  Makes my heart and soul cry.  William

Another POS mother.  Another POS man.  Another dead baby. 

How sad.

Five-year-old Clarksville child murder, rape case moves closer to trial
Joshua Starner, Caitlyn Metz charged with killing 23-month-old Keegan Metz

Apr. 3, 2014

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. A hearing was held Wednesday morning to determine if a Montgomery County jury will see pictures of a deceased toddler when the five-year-old case goes to trial in May.

Joshua Ryan Starner, 25, and Caitlyn Leanore Metz, 26, are charged with two counts of felony first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated child abuse and aggravated rape of a child.

Keegan Andrew Metz, 23-months-old, died on Feb. 7, 2009 from multiple blunt force injuries. He sustained severe head injuries, tearing of the anus and bruises on various parts of his body. Prosecutors believe Starner, Keegan's stepfather, sexually assaulted and beat Keegan to death.

Starner was led into Judge Mike R. Jones’ courtroom in red Montgomery County scrubs and shackled at the hands and feet.

Starner’s attorney, Sheri Phillips filed a motion not to allow several photos of Keegan including autopsy photos and photos when he was on life support at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Philips said they were not contesting the cause of Keegan’s death and none of the photos would assist the jury in determining who caused the injuries.

Robert Nash, assistant district attorney, described several photos that the state intended to introduce including photos showing bruises, contusions and injuries to Keegan’s head, buttock, genitals, neck, ears, arms. Nash said the state would show the photos to prove the severe abuse that Keegan sustained all over his body from head to toe before his death.

Nash also said he planned to move forward with the child rape charge, because although there was no physical evidence, there was physical characteristics in different areas of Keegan’s body that support the charge.

Phillips said the photos were prejudicial and ‘highly inflammatory.’

Judge Mike R. Jones ruled that photos from the hospital would be admissible at trial, but the autopsy photos, which didn’t show anything not depicted in the hospital photos, would not be admitted.

Starner was seen praying before he was led out of the courtroom to go back to the Montgomery County Jail.

His joint trial with Metz is scheduled for May 19 at 8:30 a.m.

The case has been rescheduled multiple times due to issues with witnesses, new evidence and change in defense attorneys.

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20140402/NEWS01/304020034/Five-year-old-Clarksville-child-murder-rape-case-moves-closer-trial

Too bad he didn't pray before he raped and tortured this little baby boy to death.  What an evil POS.  He was probably praying to Satan.

 "said the photos were prejudicial and ‘highly inflammatory.’ "

What he did was 'highly inflammatory'! I hate it when defense says something like this. That baby is not only dead but how horribly he suffered in the process - and his own mother not protecting him. That is 'highly inflammatory' too.