PATRICIA HIXSON - 3 yo - DeWitt MI

DeWITT
-- A DeWitt man was arraigned today on second-degree murder and
first-degree child abuse charges in the January death of his 3-year-old
stepdaughter, police said.Jon Arbon, 23, is in Clinton
County Jail without bond. He is accused of killing Patricia Hixson, who
died Jan. 24 at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.An autopsy
the following day revealed that she died of "blunt force trauma to the
lower back of her head," said DeWitt City Police Chief Larry Jerue."She struck her head on a coffee table in the living room," Jerue said.The chief said it is believed that the girl was thrown down and backwards on Jan. 23, causing her to hit her head.An investigation is continuing.

Family members are still mourning the loss of three-year-old Patricia Hixson. Tuesday, police arrested 23-year-old Jon Arbon for the murder of his step-daughter in late January. Patricia's mom says it's difficult knowing nothing will bring her little girl back. Three-year-old Patricia was full of life. Family members called her the super hero princess because she always wanted to save everyone. Instead, her life was cut short all too soon.
Chief Larry Jerue, DeWitt Police Department: "As much as we all hoped and prayed that this was truly an accident, a tragic, horrible accident, the reality is that it came at the hands of another person."
On January 23rd, DeWitt Police Chief Larry Jerue says Jon Arbon got angry when he saw Patricia singing and dancing around the living room. He grabbed her and threw her to the ground. Jerue thinks she hit her head on the corner of the coffee table.
Chief Larry Jerue: "It's difficult to comprehend that your anger would get to be such that you would use force against a child in anger."
An autopsy showed the cause of death was severe, blunt trauma to the brain. Mom, Kasie, did not want to go on camera, but says that after Patricia's death, her husband feels responsible, that he's hurting and shut off. She says she's devastated by what he did and can't understand why he did it, but she says good people do bad things and that Arbon truly loved Patricia.
Kasie: "You're alone and you think, you know, why, you know, it's, that's the hard part."
Kasie says the hardest part is knowing her baby is gone and the person she's married to is responsible. Arbon is being held in the Clinton County Jail without bond. He faces one count of second-degree murder and another count of first-degree child abuse. If convicted he could face life behind bars, a sentence that Patricia's mom says won't change anything. She just wants him to get the help he needs.

A 24-year-old man charged in the January death of his 3-year-old
stepdaughter is expected to plead guilty to child abuse and manslaughter
charges, his attorney and prosecutors said today.
In Clinton County District Court today, Jon Arbon waived his right to
a preliminary hearing, sending the case to circuit court. The hearing
would have determined if there was enough evidence for a trial.Clinton County
Prosecutor Chuck Sherman told Judge Richard Wells that he has made a
plea offer to Arbon, who is charged with second-degree murder and
first-degree child abuse in the death of Patricia Hixson.In exchange for
dropping those charges, Arbon would have to plead guilty to manslaughter
and child abuse, Sherman said. He would face up to 15 years in prison.Outside the courtroom,
Arbon's attorney, Ron Zawacki, said he expects Arbon to enter a plea at
a June 14 hearing."It's
in the best interests of the family and Mr. Arbon to resolve this,"
Zawacki said.Several
family members, including Patricia's mother, Kasie Hixson attended
today's hearing. She did not comment afterwards.Arbon is accused of killing Patricia in a fit of
anger.According
to police, Arbon told them he became angry with Patricia the afternoon
of Jan. 23 because she was singing and dancing in the living room. He
said he grabbed Patricia by the head and flung her backward, and she
struck her head on a coffee table.She was taken to Sparrow Hospital, where she died the
next day.Arbon,
his wife Kasie Hixson, and Patricia had moved from Colorado and were
living with Kasie's mother in DeWitt at the time, police said.

Jon Arbon, 24, of DeWitt has plead guilty to manslaughter and first degree child
abuse in the death of his stepdaughter. A charge of 2nd degree murder was dropped.
Kasie Arbon, 31, sat tearfully in Clinton County Circuit Court as her husband admitted to killing their
3-year-old daughter. Judge Tahvonen asked if Arbon did in fact knowingly kill Patricia Hixson and
he quietly said 'yes.' All of Arbon's responses were soft and he rarely
said more than 'Yes' or 'No, your Honor."
Patricia Hixson, affectionately known as Tricia would have been 4 years old on July 16th. On January
23, 2010, in a fit of rage, Jon Arbon threw Tricia down causing her to
hit her head on the coffee table. She died the next day.
Standing before the judge in a yellow jumpsuit, Arbon described what happened that day.
"She was getting loud and I yelled
at her, told her to be quiet but she didn't listen. I overreacted and I
pushed her. She fell and hit her head on the coffee table and was unconscious."
The judge probed further. "Did you shove her on purpose?"
"Yes," said Arbon.
Arbon frequently babysat Patricia while her mother was at work. Family members said this behavior was
uncharacteristic. Arbon's lawyer, Ron Zawacki said that his bad, split decision changed everyone's lives forever.
"Both parties would like to have the child back. Unfortunately that can't happen. He's shown tremendous
remorse and wishes he could undo the situation," said Zawacki.
Kasie Arbon was emotional when she spoke of her husband. She believes that he is not a killer at heart
but that he made a mistake. She forgives him and now is not only
grieving the loss of her daughter but the loss of her husband. She says
his sentence will not compare to the punishment that Jon is putting himself through.
While Arbon said he panicked and he's sorry, Clinton County Prosecutor Charles Sherman said that's not enough.
"I don't have any doubt that Mr. Arbon feels great remorse. That's not the sole factor that goes into
making a decision," said Sherman. "We make our decision on what to
initially charge somebody based on the evidence."
Kasie Arbon said for her this case
hasn't been about fighting for justice but rather dealing with a deadly mistake.
The manslaughter and child abuse charges each carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Arbon will
be sentenced on July 26th.