LARANDON NICHOLS - 3 yo - Oklahoma City OK

An Oklahoma City woman and her boyfriend were in jail Monday on murder
complaints, accused by police of burning, beating and starving the
woman's adopted 3-year-old son who was found dead Sunday in the couple's apartment.
Alibra Nichols, 32, and Donald Miller, 35, were booked into the Oklahoma County jail
in the death of Larandon Nichols, Oklahoma City police Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow said.


Officers went to Oak Wood apartments
at 840 Greenvale Road about 9:50 a.m. Sunday and found Larandon
unresponsive, Wardlow said. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Larandon's body showed an assortment of injuries in various stages of healing,
according to the probable cause affidavit filed Monday in Oklahoma
County.Officers noticed a large red raised area on the left side
of Larandon's face, and fluid was seeping from a large knot on the back
of the boy's head, two Oklahoma City police sergeants wrote in the
affivadit. The four fingers of his left hand were red and swollen, and
showing what officers described as a blister or burn. Ligature
marks on the boy's wrists and forearms were caused by socks fastened
around them, and a patch of skin was sloughing off behind his knees,
police wrote.Healed burn and laceration scars were apparent on
the boy's torso, and numerous scrapes and bruises also were noted,
according to the affidavit.Nichols told investigators she spanked
Larandon with a sandal and admitted to striking him "too hard,"
according to the affidavit. She also said Miller "whups" the boy with a
switch.Miller's 6-year-old son told investigators Larandon was
whipped with a belt, coat hangers, sticks and a baseball bat. The boy
also said Nichols told him to whip Larandon, and that he did.The
affidavit also noted that Larandon was small for his age and appeared to
be malnourished. Nichols told investigators the boy weighed 18 pounds.Court
records show Miller and Nichols have no previous felony convictions in Oklahoma.No
one answered the door Monday at the apartment where the child was found
dead.Brandi Evans, a neighbor, said she often saw Nichols and Miller in the
parking lot."We'd see each other and wave," said Evans, 23. "They
seemed like real nice people, only I didn't know they had more than one
child. When the police were here, I saw an older child, like maybe 4 or
5, and a tiny baby."Evans noticed something happen at the
apartment in the early morning hours Sunday that she said was strange."I
heard this big bang around 1 (a.m.)," Evans recalled. "I peeked out and
saw a man unloading a lot of stuff, like TVs and things, into a maroon
truck. I almost called the police. I thought they were getting robbed.
Then he just drove away."The complex where the couple live is
gated, although the front gate is dislodged and rusted. On Monday, the
grounds were quiet except for the occasional barking of dogs.

A dead boy's adoptive mother has been charged with child abuse, and not
murder, because the evidence so far is "the abuse did not kill the
child,” a prosecutor said Thursday.
"There's no brain injury that would have resulted in death.
There's no internal organ injury,” said Gayland Gieger, an Oklahoma County assistant district attorney.
Larandon Nichols, 3, died July 11 at an Oklahoma City
apartment. Police reported the malnourished boy had numerous bruises,
burns, open wrist wounds, swollen fingers, scars and a large knot on the
back of his head. Patches of skin had sloughed off parts of his body.
The adoptive mother, Alibra R. Nichols,
32, was charged Tuesday with one count of child abuse, two counts of
child neglect, one count of enabling child abuse and one count of
enabling child neglect.Her live-in boyfriend, Donald Ray Miller, 35,
was charged with one count of child abuse, one count of enabling child abuse and one count of enabling child neglect.

Police tell of beatings
Police reported another child, Donald Miller Jr., 6, said he had seen
his mommy and his daddy "whoop” Larandon. The boy said "his mommy tells
him to also 'whoop' Larandon, and he does,” police also reported.
The boy, Donald Miller Jr., said Larandon was hit with a belt, hangers, sticks
and a red baseball bat, police reported.Police reported the mother admitted
whipping Larandon for various reasons and striking Larandon too hard.
The prosecutor said the medical examiner's office is continuing to work to determine the cause of death.
The prosecutor said he could change the charge to murder if the death can be tied to the child's abuse.

The Oklahoma County District Attorney's office has filed child abuse, neglect and enabling abuse charges against Alibra Nichols and Donald Miller.

Nichols was the adoptive mother of 3-year-old Larandon Nichols and Miller is the woman's boyfriend.

The D.A.'s office did not file murder charges because prosecutors said they could not prove the abuse killed Larandon.

"To prove a murder case, we have to show there was
some injury, torture, maiming, etc, to the child which caused his
death," said Scott Rowland, First Assistant District Attorney.

The boy was found dead in a northwest Oklahoma
City apartment July 11. Police reports noted multiple bruises, open
wounds and burns on Larandon's body. He also had a large knot on the
back of his head with some sort of fluid coming out.

Nichols and Miller have both admitted to abusing the boy with a belt, hangers, even a baseball bat.

Rowland said charges against Nichols and Miller could still change.

"If we come up with one scintilla of evidence that
could prove any injuries caused his death, we will amend to murder
one," Rowland said.

Neighbors said they can't believe such a small child endured so much pain.

"That baby was only 3-years-old. What could that
baby done to anybody?" said neighbor Barbara Biggs. "He only knew abuse
and neglect for love."

Family members said Larandon was never without a smile. They didn't know about the abuse and said Nichols was a good mother.

Friends said they thought the same, but now they want justice to the full extent.

"They abused one of this angels, and if they don't
get the right justice on earth, they will in heaven when they meet
God," Biggs said.

The M.E.'s office is waiting for additional tests to see if a disease, virus, or infection caused Larandon's death.

One of Larandon's family members said his death is
upsetting and frustrating because they still don't have a clear cause
of his death.

Media requests for related files from the Oklahoma
Department of Human Services were denied. An agency spokesperson said DHS does not
release files unless murder or manslaughter charges are filed against
the child's parent or caretaker.

Prosecutor didn't charge them with murder - apparently there is no evidence that boy died because of abuse....
"Authorities also interviewed the couple's 6-year-old biological son. He said that Larandon was "whooped" with a belt, hangers, sticks and a baseball bat.

Larandon also appeared to be malnourished and small for his age. He weighed only 18 pounds."

https://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/updates.php?id=110955438951100&sent=1&e=0#!/event.php?eid=144005835622467&ref=mf

Dear members. I think this is the case when we have to show our outrage and that child abuse should not be tolerated in our society! Please write David Prater Oklahoma County District Attorney and demand stiffest charges for these monsters – they beat this innocent child until his little body couldn’t take any longer! What more evidence they need?! Do not let these monsters to get away with slap on a wrist!
Email Court Clerk OKccc@oscn.net, put in subject -

Att: David Prater - Larandon Nichols murder!

or go to http://www.oklahomacounty.org/courtclerk/Contact/contact.asp

and copy & paste this letter or your personal letter.

I am writing to you as a concerned Citizen. Even though, I do not live in your area, I find myself with the need to speak out for an innocent child who cannot speak for himself.

I would like to show my support in your effort to put the harshest punishment for Alibra Nichols and Donald Miller.. Regarding the monsters who have hurt this innocent baby, I urge you to, not settle this for lower counts, far too many children are not getting justice from these horrible acts, far too many children are still being hurt. Please I beg of you show these monsters, that their actions have dire consequences.

But I am writing you to show my outrage that you didn’t charge them with murder. This poor baby suffered great amount of pain, which probably none of us suffered in a lifetime! They beat him until his little body couldn’t take any longer of an abuse! This boy was 3 years old and they took his life from him, they took his soul, dreams,
This is unacceptable! In they should be charged with first degree murder, child torture, child neglect, and for not providing medical care for her child.

What they did is a reckless indifference with to human life that is why in my opinion they deserve maximum Sentence - Life without Parole.

I'm all for a National Campaign to let Prosecutors, Judges, Attorney Generals and the Dept of Human Services understand we as a group of citizens are watching and we are sick of this injustice. We are more then willing, as a group of concerned citizens, to expose all failures to protect children and to demonstrate our outrage through demonstrations, rallies, public outcry, petitions, and our constant show of support for child victims. We need to do whatever it takes. The criminal will only get away with injustice as long as they are not exposed. Once exposed they have no choice but to deal with the consequences or face the public outrage. More people need to be willing to do what is necessary for change and I know there are many on the front lines as we speak. That is why it is so necessary to contact prosecutors and attorney generals, such as yourself. If we don't. Who will? We are demanding justice be served in this case and furthermore the problems associated with the failure to protect this child (he had a history of doctor visits with broken bones!!! And not reported to CPS?) be dealt with and fixed immediately. I hope you will be hearing from many others who feel the same way as me. Thank you for your time.


Please send the message to all children that the monsters will pay, that there are people who will protect them from the monsters. Child abuse become an epidemic.
Child Abuse in America
Children are suffering from a hidden epidemic of child abuse and neglect. Over 3 million reports of child abuse are made every year in the United States; however, those reports can include multiple children. In 2007, approximately 5.8 million children were involved in an estimated 3.2 million child abuse reports and allegations.

• A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds.
• Almost five children die everyday as a result of child abuse. More than three out of four are under the age of 4.
• It is estimated that between 60-85% of child fatalities due to maltreatment are not recorded as such on death certificates.
• 90% of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way; 68% are abused by family members.
• Child abuse occurs at every socioeconomic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education.
• 31% percent of women in prison in the United States were abused as children.
• Over 60% of people in drug rehabilitation centers report being abused or neglected as a child.
• About 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, continuing the horrible cycle of abuse.
• About 80% of 21 year old that were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder.
• The estimated annual cost of child abuse and neglect in the United States for 2007 is $104 billion.
• Abused children are 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy.
• Abused teens are 3 times less likely to practice safe sex, putting them at greater risk for STDs.


Speak....for the children who cannot speak for themselves.
Listen.....for their cries as they try to ask for help.
Protect....These children as if they were your own.

Sincerely,

Sincerely Yours,

Welcome IJ-PA. I completely agree with you and hurray to you for taking action. I am not a US citizen otherwise I'd be sending a letter too. The following recent comment makes me still hopeful that further tests will prove that death was caused by their abuse."If we come up with one scintilla of evidence that could prove any injuries caused his death, we will amend to murder one," Rowland said.
What are the maximum sentences for what they have been charged with so far?

The Oklahoma County District Attorney's office has filed child abuse, neglect and enabling abuse charges against Alibra Nichols and Donald Miller. And this makes me mad! Why not torture and murder?

and Kiwimom, it is don't matter that you are not a citizen. I am not a citizen too. We are Citizens on this planet, child abuse do not have countries and borders, holidays or weekends... we have to be the voice for this children.

Join us on War Against Child Abuse (W.A.C.A), we are planning more campaigns :)

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/War-Against-Child-Abuse-WACA/110955438951100?ref=ts

The State Medical Examiner's Office has ruled 3-year-old Larandon Nicols manner of death as a homicide and the cause of death as sepsis due to blunt force trauma."The pathologist in this case determined that sepsis caused this child's death due to multiple blunt force trauma," said M.E.'s Spokesperson Cherokee Ballard. "Sepsis is an infection that can set in when some kind of injury or wound is not treated."And investigators said it could have been caused a number of ways. Larandon Nichols lived in a northwest Oklahoma City home with his adoptive mother, Alibra Nichols, and her boyfriend Donald Miller II.According to a report issued this week by the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth, Larandon weighed only 18 pounds on the day he died and was covered in cuts, scratches and marks.Alibra admitted to abusing Larandon with flip-flops, belts, hangers, switches and a plastic bat, and a week before Larandon died, the 370 pound woman fell on top of him."I can't imagine a horrible death like this for this little boy," Ballard said.Nichols and her boyfriend are charged with eight counts of child abuse and child neglect, but after the district attorney reviews the M.E.'s report, the pair could be facing murder charges.Alibra and Miller are being held in the Oklahoma County jail both without bond.