MONTANA HANN-WERNTZ - 3 months (2001) - Riverside County CA

A couple accused of killing their infant daughter in Desert Hot
Springs, wrapping her body in plastic and traveling with the corpse
around the country before leaving it in a camper in Arkansas will be
brought to Riverside County for trial, prosecutors said Friday.
Jason Michael Hann, 34, and Krissy
Lynn Werntz, 29, were indicted by a grand jury on Sept. 3 on a
first-degree murder charge related to the February 2001 death of their
months-old daughter, Montana, according to court records.Hann
also faces an additional charge of assaulting a child causing great
bodily injury, and a special circumstance allegation of a previous
murder conviction in 2006 in Vermont for the murder of the couple's
first son, court records show.Werntz,
who is out of custody, and Hann will be brought to Riverside County by
November, when their trial is set to begin, said Michael Jeandron of
the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek the death penalty for Hann, Jeandron said.Hann
is imprisoned for the Vermont murder conviction, and authorities are
now ready to prosecute the couple in Riverside County, according to
Jeandron.Montana
was born in Arizona in December 2000, and the family moved to Desert
Hot Springs about a month later, where they lived in a trailer,
according to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant.Werntz
told Riverside County sheriff's Investigator Gary LeClair that on Feb.
10, 2001 she had gone to work and Hann had stayed home in their motor
home with Montana that day.Werntz
said that when she returned home, she picked up Montana from a bed in
the bathtub, but the baby was dead, according to LeClair.According
to court papers, Hann told a Maine detective in 2002 that he had lost
his temper and hit Montana on the side of her head with his hand, and
the baby died later that day, LeClair wrote.Hann
decided to keep Montana in a trash bag so they could keep her with
them, according to LeClair, adding that the couple left California two
months later to continue traveling around the nation.The
couple left Montana in a trailer at a storage facility in Wynne, Ark.,
but when they didn't make the rental payments, property managers seized
the unit and put the contents up for sale, according to LeClair.A
man later bought the trailer from the unit and while cleaning it out
found the infant's decomposed body. A coroner in Arkansas completed the
autopsy and the death was determined to be homicide by an undetermined
means, LeClair wrote.Her injuries included skull fractures and a leg fracture, but it was unclear whether they were caused before or after her death.The
couple met in Tennessee in 1998 and they moved away when Werntz was 18
years old and pregnant with their first child, Werntz told the
investigator.She
told LeClair that they had moved around the country traveling from
campground to motel, not staying in one place for very long.Their first son, Jason, died in Burlington, Vt. at the age of six weeks.Hann
had told her that their son had died from a spider bite and that they
did not seek any medical attention or tell anyone about the death,
according to the declaration.The
investigator reported that Werntz said they put the infant's body in a
bowling bag and traveled around the country with him for 18 months,
until giving birth to Montana on Dec. 1, 2000 in Arizona.The couple left Jason's body in a storage unit in Lake Havasu, Ariz., according to LeClair.The couple were arrested in April 2002 by Maine authorities at a Motel 6, according to court documents.The
couple were sent to Arkansas in June 2002 to stand trial for the death
of Montana, but a judge there ordered the case to be turned over to
California authorities because the death occurred in Desert Hot
Springs, LeClair wrote.
The couple left Montana in a trailer at a storage facility in Wynne,
Ark., but when they didn't make the rental payments, property managers
seized the unit and put the contents up for sale, according to LeClair.
A man later bought the trailer
from the unit and while cleaning it out found the infant's decomposed
body. A coroner in Arkansas completed the autopsy and the death was
determined to be homicide by an undetermined means, LeClair wrote.Her injuries included skull fractures and a leg fracture, but it was unclear whether they were caused before or after her death.The
couple met in Tennessee in 1998 and they moved away when Werntz was 18
years old and pregnant with their first child, Werntz told the
investigator.She
told LeClair that they had moved around the country traveling from
campground to motel, not staying in one place for very long.Their first son, Jason, died in Burlington, Vt. at the age of six weeks.Hann
had told her that their son had died from a spider bite and that they
did not seek any medical attention or tell anyone about the death,
according to the declaration.The
investigator reported that Werntz said they put the infant's body in a
bowling bag and traveled around the country with him for 18 months,
until giving birth to Montana on Dec. 1, 2000 in Arizona.The couple left Jason's body in a storage unit in Lake Havasu, Ariz., according to LeClair.The couple were arrested in April 2002 by Maine authorities at a Motel 6, according to court documents.The
couple were sent to Arkansas in June 2002 to stand trial for the death
of Montana, but a judge there ordered the case to be turned over to
California authorities because the death occurred in Desert Hot
Springs, LeClair wrote.

A man serving time for killing his
infant son and trekking around the country with the child's body
pleaded not guilty Friday to doing the same thing to his baby daughter.
Prosecutors contend that Jason Hann stuffed 2-month-old Montana Hann's corpse into
a trash bag in 2001 then kept it in trailers and motorhomes for nine
months as he and his girlfriend moved from state to state doing odd
jobs.
The body was finally discovered in an Arkansas storage facility.
Hann, 34, pleaded not guilty in Indio Superior Court to murder and assaulting
a child causing great bodily injury after being extradited from
Kentucky, where he was serving time for killing his 6-week-old son 10
years ago.
Authorities said Hann had trekked around with the boy's body for 18 months.
Prosecutors in Riverside County were unsure if they would pursue the death penalty,
district attorney's spokesman Michael Jeandron said.
It was unclear why it took so many years to bring charges against Hann in California involving the death of his daughter.
His attorney, Greg Johnson, said he had only been appointed by the court a day earlier and could not immediately comment.
Hann and the children's mother, Krissy Lynn Werntz, 29, were indicted by a
Riverside County grand jury in September. Werntz previously pleaded not
guilty.
The parents "should have been protecting them and nourishing them. It's a very sad case," Jeandron said.
A declaration in support of an arrest warrant said Hann told a Maine
detective that he lost his temper and hit the girl in the head on Feb.
10, 2001, while the couple was living at a trailer park in Desert Hot
Springs east of Los Angeles.
"Jason decided to keep Montana in a trash bag so they could keep her with them," according to the court declaration.
The couple eventually arrived in Arkansas and left the body in another
trailer at a storage facility with the intent to return, the
declaration said, citing Werntz.
The couple missed rental payments, however, and the managers sold their
property. In February 2002, a man who bought the trailer found the
girl's decomposed body wrapped in plastic bags, authorities said.
The couple was arrested two months later in Maine.
Hann told a Maine detective he was to blame for the death of his infant son
Jason at a Shelburne, Vt., campground in 1999, the court declaration
said.
"They kept the baby's remains inside
a bowling ball bag and traveled the country with him for the next 18
months" before leaving it in a storage container in Lake Havasu, Ariz.,
when their daughter was born, according to the declaration.
In 2006, Hann pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Vermont and was
sentenced to serve 27 to 30 years at a prison in Kentucky.

Father's Competence: Attorney Has Doubts


Man Accused Of Killing Daughter Faces Questions About Sanity



UPDATED: 4:48 pm PDT April 12, 2010



INDIO -- Criminal proceedings were suspended today for a man accused of killing his baby daughter near Desert Hot Springs and leaving her body in a camper in Arkansas, because his attorney declared a doubt of his client's competence.


Riverside County Superior Court Judge Thomas Douglass suspended the criminal proceedings against Jason Michael Hann, 35, when defense attorney Gregory M. Johnson asked for a sanity examination.


Douglass appointed psychologist Michael Leitman to examine Hann and submit a report to the court. The judge also ordered Hann to return to court on May 24 for a hearing on the psychologists' findings.


Hann could face the death penalty if convicted of a murder charge stemming from the February 2001 death of his months-old daughter, Montana.


Hann also faces a special circumstance allegation that could bring the death penalty, because he was convicted in Vermont of murdering another child of his there after Montana's death. Hann was already serving a prison sentence for that crime when Vermont officials allowed him to be hauled back into California courts, where a death penalty could be imposed.


Montana was born in Arizona in December 2000, and the family moved to a trailer park near Desert Hot Springs about a month later, according to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant prepared by Riverside County sheriff's Investigator Gary LeClair.


Also charged in Montana's death is Hann's then-girlfriend Krissy Lynn Werntz, 30, who faces life in prison if convicted. She told LeClair that on Feb. 10, 2001, she had gone to work and Hann had stayed home in their motor home with Montana.


Werntz said when she returned home, she picked up the infant from a bed in the bathtub, but the baby was dead, according to LeClair.


Hann told a detective in Maine in 2002 that he had lost his temper and hit the baby on the side of the head with his hand, and she died later that day, LeClair wrote.


Hann decided to keep his daughter in a trash bag so they could keep her with them, according to LeClair, adding that the couple left California two months later to travel around the nation.


The couple left their daughter's body in a trailer at a storage facility in Wynne, Ark., but when they didn't make the rental payments, property managers seized the unit and put the contents up for sale, according to LeClair.


A man later bought the trailer from the unit and while cleaning it out, found the infant's decomposed body. The infant's injuries included skull and leg fractures.


The couple was arrested in April 2002 by Maine authorities at a Motel 6, according to court documents.


They were sent to Arkansas in June 2002 to stand trial for the death of their daughter, but a judge there ordered the case to be turned over to California authorities because the death occurred in Riverside County.


Hann is being held at the Indio Jail without bail. Werntz is free on her own recognizance.



http://www.kesq.com/news/23130419/detail.html

Third Psychologist Examines Accused Baby Killer


Jason Michael Hann Charged With Killing Daughter In Desert Hot Springs



POSTED: 3:18 pm PDT July 9, 2010

INDIO -- A third psychologist was appointed today to examine a man accused of killing his baby daughter near Desert Hot Springs and leaving her body in a camper in Arkansas.


Jason Michael Hann, 35, could face the death penalty if convicted of the February 2001 murder of his infant daughter Montana.


Also charged in Montana's death is her mother -- Hann's then-girlfriend, Krissy Lynn Werntz, 30 -- who faces life in prison if convicted.


Hann is being held at the Indio Jail without bail. Werntz is free on her own recognizance.



read more>

http://www.kesq.com/news/24203429/detail.html

Father found guilty of killing his baby daughter and keeping her body in a storage locker - years after doing the same with his infant son

A father who killed his infant son more than a decade ago was found guilty on Tuesday of also murdering his 2-month-old daughter, whose decomposing remains were found in a trash bag at an Arkansas storage unit.

Jason Hann, 38, was convicted of first-degree murder and one count of assault on a child resulting in death, according to the Riverside County district attorney's office.

The Vermont man was living in Desert Hot Springs east of Los Angeles in 2001 when he became angry that his daughter, Montana, was crying. He struck her in the head and killed her, prosecutors said.


Jason Hann, right, was convicted on Tuesday of murdering his 2-month-old daughter, Montana, while mom Krissy Lynn Werntz, left, is awaiting trial on one count of murder

Hann and the girl's mother stuffed the body into a ‘blue Tupperware-type plastic container’ and moved away, keeping it in trailers and motorhomes for nine months as they moved from state to state living a ‘transient, gypsy-style life’ doing odd jobs, authorities said.

The couple eventually arrived in Arkansas and left the body in a trailer at a storage facility, authorities said. They intended to return, but they missed some rental payments and their property was sold, authorities said.

In February 2002, a man who bought the trailer found the girl's decomposed body wrapped in plastic bags, authorities said.

Hann and the girl's mother, Krissy Lynn Werntz of Indiana, were arrested two months later at a motel in Maine.

With them was a one-month old son, named Jason, who was found to have numerous broken ribs, bleeding under his skull and other internal injuries, according to the prosecution.


Krissy Werntz, left and Jason Hann, center, are escorted from a courthouse in Portland, Maine in 2002 after their daughter's decomposing remains were found in a trash bag at an Arkansas storage unit

The state placed this child with foster parents, who eventually adopted him.

Witness Jennifer Bloom, an employee of Maine's Department of Human Services, testified she and a colleague were sent to check on the new baby's welfare, and Hann admitted to being involved with the deaths of his two previous children.

‘He said he was responsible for both deaths. He didn't provide a lot of detail. He said, “I fell and blacked out with the baby,”’ Bloom said.

She added Hann said he felt guilty about the death of his two previous children, and felt he had to keep moving to evade police.

The body of the couple's first child, who also was named Jason, was found similarly wrapped in trash bags inside a rubber container, in a storage locker in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. He was 6 weeks old when he died in 1999.


Hann and the girl's mother stuffed the body into a ¿blue Tupperware-type plastic container¿ and moved away, keeping it in trailers and motorhomes for nine months as they moved from state to state (stock image)

Authorities said Hann had trekked around with the boy's body for 18 months.

Hann was serving a 27- to 30-year prison sentence for that death when he was extradited to California in 2009 to be tried for Montana's death, and it took four years for the death-penalty case to make its way through the system and into opening arguments.

He pleaded no contest to second-degree murder in that case, and California jurors found the special allegation that he had previously committed murder.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. The other option would be life without possibility of parole.

Werntz, 34, is awaiting trial on one count of murder. She was originally scheduled to be tried at the same time as Hann, but family medical problems have postponed her trial.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2525822/Father-guilty-killing-baby-girl-storing-body-storage-locker-years-doing-baby-son.html


They both should get the death penalty.  Poor little babies.  William

Dear God, things like this are hard to comprehend.  They should be tortured to death.