AMBER RUSSELL - 15 Months (2004) - Colton (S of San Bernardino) CA

Poster's Note: More DEALS than a high-stakes poker game...

Patricia Darby often wonders what it would have been like to watch her granddaughter,
Amber Russell, grow up. Amber died at 15 months old almost six years ago. Authorities
found her beaten and strangled in a Colton apartment in August
2004. She was covered with bruises, had cuts on her throat and a
cigarette burn on her chest, police said at the time.
On Monday, Ivan Hancock, 48, of San Bernardino, was sentenced in a
Fontana courtroom to 15 years to life in prison for the killing
as part of a plea deal he agreed to last month. He pleaded no
contest to one count of second-degree murder in the death of
Amber, the daughter of his then-girlfriend, Iyesha Lightcsy.
Lightcsy also was charged with murder and later pleaded guilty to child
endangerment. She was sentenced last year to seven years and four months
in prison. Two years after Amber's death,
Hancock -- who had not yet been charged -- was implicated in the
beating death of another toddler. He was charged
with murder in the killing in San Bernardino of Talonia
Johnson-Boutee, who also was 15 months old when she died Jan. 2, 2007,
after a New Year's Eve 2006 assault. That charge was dismissed as
part of the plea agreement. Talonia's
mother, Talonia Henderson, 38, who was Hancock's girlfriend at
the time of her daughter's killing, pleaded guilty last month to child
abuse and to infliction of great bodily injury. She is scheduled
to be sentenced Friday and faces 12 years in prison.
Authorities suspected Hancock and Lightcsy in Amber's killing but
could not obtain charges initially due to what they described as
lack of cooperation from witnesses. Following Talonia's death,
prosecutors reopened the case and filed charges in both cases in November 2008.
Darby of San Bernardino, who is Lightcsy's mother, broke down in
tears as she attempted to read a statement before Hancock's
sentencing, describing the pain the family has suffered. "Amber was my little sweet baby,"
she said. Darby said later Hancock's conviction helps a little. "I needed that closure," she said. "I just wish he could have
gotten more time. I just don't want anybody to go through what I
went through." Angela Stephens, Darby's sister and Amber's great-aunt,
said Hancock should have gotten a harsher sentence. "Fifteen years to life,
that seems too lightweight to me," she said. "(Amber) didn't even get to spend 15 years on Earth."
Deputy District Attorney Vicki Hightower, who was responsible for
reopening the case, called the outcome a "long time coming."
Hancock will not be eligible for parole until he's
served a full 15 years in prison and will remain on parole for
life, she said "I think ultimately it gives justice to both of the victims," Hightower said.
Hancock's attorney, Julian Ducre, said he had no comment on behalf of his client.