"Toddler John" RAMKISSOON - 16 Months (2010) - Baltimore MD

Queen Antoinette - aka Toni Sloan or Toni Ellsberry - sat at a
defense table Tuesday and grimaced every time she heard a statement she
didn't like, particularly those containing the words "cult" or
"commune."Her actions irked Assistant Public Defender Maureen
Rowland, representing one of Antoinette's co-defendants in a bizarre
homicide case that involves the alleged starvation death of a toddler.Antoinette's
side comments during the motions hearing are "just one small thing that
is going to come up over and over and over again," Rowland argued
before Baltimore Circuit Judge Timothy Doory as she sought a separate
trial for her client. Even though Doory noted a "great potential for a train wreck"
during proceedings at which Antoinette intends to represent herself, he
denied the lawyer's request. Prosecutors claim cult members -
including Antoinette and her daughter, Trevia Williams, who is also
representing herself - starved the 16-month-old boy at Antoinette's
order because he refused to say "amen" after meals. Police say
the cult members carried the boy's body to Pennsylvania in a suitcase
in the hope that he could be resurrected later. Jury selection is to begin today and testimony on Monday.The boy's mother, Ria Ramkissoon, has pleaded guilty to child abuse
resulting in death, though prosecutors have agreed to drop the charges
against her, should her son, dead three years, somehow be revived.
Ramkissoon is expected to testify against the other defendants next
week. Prosecutors said Tuesday they plan to drop charges against
a fifth defendant, Steven Bynum, who has agreed to testify for the
prosecution. That leaves Antoinette, Williams, Rowland and her client, Marcus Cobbs,
at the defense table.While Rowland said it was "ridiculous" for her to go to trial under
those circumstances, the judge said Antoinette and Williams have
performed well in past hearings. The two women have refused
multiple opportunities to hire lawyers, and the trial has been
postponed six times. Antoinette said she lost her home and a personal
relationship because of the delays, and all the defendants have been
segregated for their safety in jail. "We should not be going on two years to be heard,"
Antoinette told the judge. "It's unjust."As the alleged cult leader, she is facing a first-degree murder charge,
while Cobbs and Williams are charged with second-degree murder.
Prosecutors recently charged Cobbs as an accessory after the fact. All
three face charges of child abuse resulting in death.

Trial opens in child-starvation case
Members of reputed cult defending themselves
February 23, 2010|By Tricia Bishop | tricia.bishop@baltsun.com


Prosecutors outlined a tale of demons, death and attempted resurrection Monday during opening statements of a child-murder trial that promises to be among the strangest the Baltimore City Circuit Court has ever seen, because of both its substance and its style.

The three defendants, all alleged to be cult members, have declined attorneys and are representing themselves against charges they starved a willful baby to death because he wouldn't say "amen" after meals.

The trial is expected to involve testimony from the child's mother, who prayed over his body for days in the hopes he would come back to life.

"This is going to be something of a unique circumstance for all of us," Judge Timothy J. Doory warned the newly seated jury Monday afternoon, shortly before Assistant State's Attorney Julie Drake took the floor.

In a slow and steady voice, Drake listed the characters and their roles as the state sees it.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-02-23/news/bal-md.cult23feb23_1_queen-antoinette-javon-thompson-religious-group

Mom's plea deal includes 'resurrection clause'
March 31, 2009|By Ashley Broughton CNN


A Maryland woman involved with a group described as a religious cult pleaded guilty in the starvation death of her son, but insisted that the charges be dropped when he is resurrected.

The condition was made a part of Ria Ramkissoon's plea agreement, officials said. She entered the plea Monday in Baltimore, Maryland, to a first-degree felony count of child abuse resulting in death, her attorney, Steven Silverman, said Tuesday.

Ramkissoon, a member of a group called One Mind Ministries, believes Javon Thompson, her year-old son, will rise again, and as part of her plea agreement, authorities agreed to the clause.

"She certainly recognizes that her omissions caused the death of her son," Silverman said. "To this day, she believes it was God's will and he will be resurrected and this will all take care of itself. She realizes if she's wrong, then everyone has to take responsibility ... and if she's wrong, then she's a failure as a mother and the worst thing imaginable has happened. I don't think that, mentally, she's ready to accept that."

Under the plea agreement, Ramkissoon, 22, must testify against four other One Mind Ministries members who are also facing charges, including first-degree murder, in Javon's death. At her sentencing, set for August, she will receive a 20-year sentence, which will be suspended except for the time she has already served behind bars, Silverman said. She must also undergo deprogramming and psychiatric counseling.

In court Monday, it was clarified that the "resurrection clause" would apply only in the case of Javon's actual resurrection -- not a perceived reincarnation, Silverman said.

"This has never come up in the history of American law, as far as I've seen," Silverman said, adding that the clause was "very important to her."

"On one level, she certainly is competent to stand trial, because she does recognize that as far as her legal entanglements are concerned, this is a grand-slam resolution for her," Silverman said. "On the other hand, she's still brainwashed, she's still delusional as far as the teachings and influence of this cult, and she certainly is going to benefit with professional help and deprogramming."

Ramkissoon and the others are accused of denying Javon food after the group's leader, a 40-year-old woman who goes by the name Queen Antoinette, decreed the boy was a demon since he refused to say "amen" after meals, Silverman said.

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-03-31/justice/cult.child.death_1_steven-silverman-plea-agreement-javon-thompson?_s=PM:CRIME

MAY 18, 2010

Prosecutor strikes back in cult case


Few Baltimore coure cases have generated more interest and more disgust than that of the mother starved her 1-year-old son to death at the behest of a religious cult because he refused to say "Amen" before a meal.

Ria Ramkissoon, 23, pleaded guilty to child abuse in the death of Javon Thompson, who died in East Baltimore and whose body was found in a suitcase in Philadelphia. The mother admitted denying food and water to the child over the course of a week.

She was sentenced last month but did not get any more jail time; the judge suspended what had remained of her 20 years sentence and she spent just the time she had been in jail since 2008. The idea was to get the mother to testify against three other cult members, who were sentenced today to a total 150 years in prison.

Assistant State's Attorney Julie Drake, facing criticism among bloggers for the mother's plea deal, penned an unusual letter that she wanted made public:

This is in response to e-mail messages that have been forwarded to me by citizens who have questions or concerns regarding the sentencing of Ria Ramkissoon. Ria Ramkissoon was the mother of 16 month old Javon Thompson, who died of dehydration and starvation while living with a cult in West Baltimore. I am happy to respond to questions and comments regarding Ms. Ramkissoon’s closed case, but first it is important to understand the facts which formed the basis for Ms. Ramkissoon’s guilty plea and the trial of her co-defendants.

Here is the rest of her response:

In April of 2006, Javon Thompson, then 7 months old, lived with his mother (Ria Ramkissoon), his grandmother (Seeta Newton), and other relatives here in Baltimore City. Ms. Ramkissoon was in school, studying to become a pharmacy technician. However, she had two desires. First, she wanted to be able to stay home and care for Javon full-time. Second, although she had been raised in Hindu faith, Ms. Ramkissoon had converted to Christianity, and wanted to live in a Christian household. Around that time Ms. Ramkissoon was persuaded by a friend to join a household run by a woman who called herself “Queen Antoinette”. Ms. Ramkissoon was told that this was a Christian household, where she could devote herself to the care of her child.

Toni Sloan, aka “Queen Antoinette” ran her household under a strict set of rules, which she said were based on Biblical principles. As time passed, the rules multiplied and became more restrictive. Eventually, all members were required to give up their personal possessions (including birth certificates and identification), as well as contact with old friends and family. Members were forbidden to dress in colors other than white, khaki or blue. The children were not permitted to attend school and the women were expected to stay home and home-school and care for the children. With the exception of Queen Antoinette, her daughter Trevia Williams (“Princess Trevia”), and her chief aide, Marcus Cobbs (“Prince Marcus”) no one could leave the house, unless they were accompanied by another member. Queen Antoinette claimed that God had appointed her queen and spoke directly to her; failure to follow her rules would result in damnation.

One morning in early 2007, Javon Thompson, then 16 months old, refused to say “amen” after the blessing before breakfast. Queen Antoinette told the others that Javon possessed a “spirit of rebellion”, and that God told her that the way to purge Javon of this evil spirit was to deprive him of food and water until he said “amen”. At first, Javon became more hungry and irritable. As he cried, Queen Antoinette warned the household members not to feed him. Ms. Ramkissoon was so distraught over this that Queen Antoinette ordered Trevia Williams to take control of Javon – she did not want Ria to disobey her order. When it became clear that Javon was on the verge of death, he was returned to his mother and he died in her arms.

After Javon’s death, Queen Antoinette ordered everyone to kneel and pray for his resurrection. God would bring Javon back to life, she said, but only if they had enough faith. When Javon did not respond initially to the group’s prayers, they placed his body in one of the bedrooms. As the days passed, and Javon’s body began to decompose, the only person who remained by his body, praying, reading and singing to Javon, was his mother. When Ms. Ramkissoon wondered why Javon had not risen from the dead, Queen Antoinette told her that it was her fault – she wasn’t a good enough mother and she didn’t have enough faith. Ms. Ramkissoon believed her.

After a visit from the landlord, Queen Antoinette informed the group that God had told her that it was time to move to Philadelphia. At the insistence of Ms. Ramkissoon, who still believed that Javon would be resurrected, his decaying body was placed in a green suitcase which was taken with the group to Philadelphia. The suitcase was secured in a locked shed in Philadelphia when the group moved on to New York. Meanwhile, Seeta Newton had filed a missing persons report for Ria and Javon. Ultimately the authorities were able to piece the cases together, located Javon’s body, and arrested the cult members. Ria Ramkissoon, Queen Antoinette, Trevia Williams and Marcus Cobbs have been in jail since their arrest. As of the trial date, Ms. Ramkissoon still believed that Javon could be resurrected.

On March 30, 2009, Ms. Ramkissoon pled guilty to child abuse resulting in the death of Javon Thompson. The basis of her guilty plea was her failure to feed Javon or seek medical treatment, after the point when feeding would have been dangerous. Under Maryland law, her admittedly sincere religious beliefs did not constitute a defense. Pursuant to the terms of her plea agreement, Ms. Ramkissoon was required to (1) testify truthfully against Queen Antoinette, Trevia Williams, and Marcus Cobbs at their trial, and (2) participate in and successfully complete a long-term, in-patient program in a residential treatment facility selected by the State’s Attorney’s Office. At Ms. Ramkissoon’s insistence, the court agreed that if Javon is resurrected (not reincarnated), she can come back to court and withdraw her guilty plea. Ms. Ramkissoon received a sentence of 20 years, with all but the time she has already served suspended, and 5 years probation. She testified at the trial of Queen Antoinette, Trevia Williams and Marcus Cobbs, helping to secure convictions of all three on charges of second degree murder and child abuse resulting in death. Immediately after her sentencing and release from Baltimore City Detention Center, Ms. Ramkissoon was driven to the residential treatment facility where she will be held indefinitely.

I will attempt to summarize and answer the questions I have received regarding Ms. Ramkissoon’s case.

(1) Why did Ria Ramkissoon receive probation instead of a lengthy jail sentence?
Isn’t this just a “slap on the wrist”?

There are a number of reasons why one co-defendant receives a more lenient sentence than the others. There were several factors which applied to Ms. Ramkissoon’s case.

First, it was clear to everyone that the central and most culpable defendant in this case was Queen Antoinette. She was the leader of the cult. She was the individual who issued the order to withhold food and water from Javon. Queen Antoinette was the defendant who warned the others not to feed Javon, and who removed Javon from Ms. Ramkissoon’s control in order to ensure that she did not feed him. In order to secure justice for Javon, our first priority was to convict Queen Antoinette of child abuse and murder, and secure a substantial prison term in her case. In order to do that, it was necessary to obtain eye-witness testimony regarding what had occurred. Although Ms. Ramkissoon did not want to testify against anyone, she was willing to tell the truth. Her truthful testimony was essential to obtaining Queen Antoinette’s conviction.

Second, and equally important, I believe that justice was best served by placing Ms. Ramkissoon in a residential treatment facility rather than in prison. It was clear to everyone who interviewed Ms. Ramkissoon that she had been indoctrinated through classic “brain-washing” techniques into a cult. She had no malice or ill will toward Javon; quite the contrary, she believed Queen Antoinette was acting in his best interests by attempting to free him from an “evil spirit”. Nonetheless, she was extremely distraught when Javon began showing signs of distress, and Queen Antoinette actually removed him from her control in order to ensure that she didn’t disobey her order. After Javon’s death, Ms. Ramkissoon spent weeks by his decomposing body, praying for the resurrection Queen Antoinette told her would occur if only she had sufficient faith. This was not an individual who was acting out of a classic criminal intent (e.g. malice, anger, desire for revenge or gain), but rather a mother who has and will suffer anguish over the result of her inaction.

It is important to note that Ms. Ramkissoon’s attorney sought a finding of “not criminally responsible” for his client. (This is Maryland’s alternative to the old insanity defense.) The main reason she was not found “not criminally responsible” is because her “delusions” were of a religious nature and were shared by other people; therefore they could not be classified as a “mental disorder”. This opinion was provided by the State’s psychiatrist. The defense was prepared to present expert testimony that she was “not criminally responsible”.

It is also important to note that Ms. Ramkissoon was not simply released to freedom. A condition of her probation is that she remain in and successfully complete a long-term, in-patient, residential treatment program. This residential treatment facility was selected by DeVera Gilden, L.C.S.W.-C., a clinical forensic social worker, who works for the State’s Attorney’s Office in the Felony Family Violence Division. After reviewing many options, and visiting this facility, it was her judgement that this intensive program would offer the most appropriate supervision and therapeutic services necessary for Ms. Ramkissoon’s slow process of rehabilitation. Should she leave the facility “AMA”, fail to successfully complete the program, or violate any other condition of her probation, she could be incarcerated for 20 years (with credit for the 19 months she has already spent in jail).

(2) Why did the judge agree to let Ms. Ramkissoon withdraw her guilty plea if Javon is resurrected?

If Ms. Ramkissoon’s religious beliefs are correct, and Javon resurrects, then it would be legally appropriate for her attorney to file either a “Bill of Actual Innocence” or a “Motion to Reconsider Based on Newly Acquired Evidence”. That said, I do not share Ms. Ramkissoon’s religious beliefs, and I believe the likelihood of Javon’s resurrection in my lifetime is too remote to be a concern. (I carefully specified on the record that this condition involved resurrection of Javon’s body – not reincarnation into another body). Since Ms. Ramkissoon insisted on this condition, the State had no objection to it. The court simply accepted the plea agreement between the State and Defense.

(3) Did Ms. Ramkisson receive special treatment because she is not “white”?

No.

(4) Did Ms. Ramkissoon receive special treatment because she is a submissive woman?

No. Marcus Cobbs was offered a plea deal, which his attorney rejected.

(5) Where was Javon’s father?

Javon’s father has not been involved in his son’s life to any significant degree. At the time of Javon’s birth, he was in jail. He has been physically abusive to Ms. Ramkissoon and other members of her family.

(6) Will the co-defendants receive probation?

I
(7) Is the prosecutor too lenient?

As a prosecutor, my ethical obligation is to do justice, not to secure a conviction or the maximum possible sentence. n the case of Ria Ramkissoon, I believe the guilty plea and sentence were just – to her, to her mother, Seeta Newton, and to Javon. I believe this outcome is what Ms. Newton wanted and what Javon would have wanted. In other circumstances I would make different sentencing recommendations. In my last case, in which I prosecuted Mark Castillo for drowning his three children, I asked for and received a sentence of three consecutive life terms without parole. This was the harshest sentence the defendant could have received. It is my belief that justice requires a meticulous review of the facts, the role of each defendant, and the wishes of the surviving, innocent family members. That is what I did in this case. I respect the fact that not everyone will agree with me, but I would ask those who disagree to take a careful look at the factors I considered, before rushing to judgement.

Julie Drake
Division Chief
Felony Family Violence Division
Office of the State’s Attorney for the Baltimore City

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/2010/05/prosecutor_strikes_back_in_cul.html

May 18, 2010 1:14 PM

Cult Members Face Sentencing for Starving Toddler Javon Thompson to Death for Not Saying "Amen"
Posted by Edecio Martinez



BALTIMORE (CBS/AP) Javon Thompson was 16 months old when his mother and three other cult followers effectively ordered his execution by starving the toddler because he didn't say 'Amen" before meals.
Prosecutors say cult leader Queen Antoinette told the mother that denying food would cure her child's rebellious spirit.
Antoinette, her daughter Trevia Williams and fellow cult member Marcus Cobbs face up to 60 years on second-degree murder and child abuse charges at sentencing Tuesday in Baltimore.

Javon's mother, Trinidad-born Ria Ramkissoon, who pleaded guilty in 2009 to child abuse resulting in death, testified that Antoinette said Javon had "a spirit of rebellion" inside him and that denying him food would cure him. She said she believed Antoinette's claim about the evil spirit.

Ramkissoon testified that after Javon died Antoinette ordered her to pray for his resurrection and "nurture him back to life." Ramkissoon said she stayed with the body for weeks, dancing for him and singing to him, even trying to give him water.

When those efforts failed Javon's body was stashed in a suitcase and taken with them when the group relocated to Philadelphia.

Twenty-three-year-old Ramkissoon is already in a residential treatment program for young women as part of an unusual plea bargain, in which her plea will be withdrawn if the child comes back to life.

According to the Huffington Post, law experts and psychiatrists said there was no problem with the agreement because Ramkissoon was mentally competent and freely entered into the deal, and extreme religious beliefs aren't deemed insane by law.

"To say that someone is crazy because they have beliefs is very difficult," said Dr. Jonas Rappeport, a retired forensic psychiatrist and the former chief medical officer for Baltimore Circuit Court. "If I believe that God wants me to starve my child, that gets close to the edge, but it's very questionable as to calling that an illness that would exonerate someone for a crime."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20005229-504083.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody

Judge Praises Former Cult Mom Who Starved Son to Death
Published August 04, 2010
| Associated Press



BALTIMORE -- A judge praised a young mother for great strides in her treatment after she starved her 1-year-old son to death while part of a religious cult, and the woman's attorney said Wednesday she is breaking free of the belief that her son will be resurrected.
Ria Ramkissoon pleaded guilty to a single count of child abuse resulting in death and received a suspended sentence. Prosecutors agreed to the deal after determining that she had been brainwashed by cult leader Queen Antoinette.
Ramkissoon, a native of Trinidad, testified in February that Antoinette ordered her not to feed or give water to her son, Javon Thompson, after the 16-month-old boy did not say "Amen" during a mealtime prayer. Javon starved to death over the course of a week.
Antoinette was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison. Her daughter, Trevia Williams, and another follower, Marcus A. Cobbs, received 15-year sentences.
After Javon died, Antoinette ordered Ramkissoon and her followers to pray for his resurrection, and Ramkissoon testified in February that she still believed her son would come back to life.

But her faith in the resurrection is fading, according to her attorney, Steven D. Silverman.
"She's come to realize that she was misled," Silverman said.
As part of her deal with prosecutors, Ramkissoon has spent the past 90 days in a faith-based residential treatment center. The purpose of Wednesday's hearing was to let the court know whether the treatment has been effective.
Asked outside the courtroom how she was doing, Ramkissoon said, "blessed. Very blessed."
After conferring with Silverman and prosecutors, Baltimore Circuit Judge Timothy J. Doory said he was impressed with Ramkissoon's progress and ordered her to remain at the treatment center until its operators decide she's ready to leave. She will likely stay there for a year or longer, Silverman said.
"You have made great strides," Doory said. "Everyone is hoping that you're going to make even greater strides in the future, and you're going to be one of our few true success stories."
According to testimony at trial, Antoinette brought troubled young men and women into her household and told them to renounce their possessions and cut off contact with their families and friends. Members were told what to wear, their movements outside the house were restricted, and they shunned medical care -- orders that Antoinette said she received directly from God.
After Javon died in December 2006 or January 2007 -- a firm date was never established -- Ramkissoon spent weeks with his emaciated body. Ultimately, the cult members stuffed the body into a suitcase and hid it in a shed in Philadelphia, where it remained for more than a year before police found it.


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/08/04/judge-praises-cult-mom-starved-son-death/