CHLOE LEWIS - 6 Months (2010) - Baltimore MD

Chloe Lewis was a week away from turning six months old when police say she was strangled to death by her father.
"It's kind of like the thing you feared the most has actually happened," said Stephanie Cross, the victim's great grandmother. "The Department of Social Services needs to really go over this again to see what they can do to help another family, so they don't have to go through this."

Her father and sole guardian, Timothy Lewis, brought the baby to the hospital after she had stopped breathing, telling doctors it was Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Police say eventually Lewis admitted that it wasn't SIDS. He had murdered his daughter.

"We knew from the beginning that Timothy was not a responsible person to take care of her," said Calvin Cross, the victim's great grandfather. "And those that were in authority also knew that."

The baby's mother lives in an adult home and was refused custody when Chloe was born. Her side of the family says the father shouldn't have been taking care of the baby.

"I sat down with one of the social workers, and I told her specifically that my gut feeling is telling me that Chloe does not need to go with him because of all of the things that I've heard," said Tiffany Cross, the victim's aunt.

Darrius Fields lived with Chloe and her dad.

"I was there with him when Chloe was born," said Fields, the suspect's god brother. "We would always tell him what he should do, and he would do it. We'd say make sure you change her diaper, he would change her diaper. Make sure you feed her, he would feed her."

But the autopsy revealed old wounds on the baby, including several broken ribs on the baby's body.

"One of the loose ends that we have to tie up to see what the baby might have been through before her death," said police spokesman Donny Moses.

"God took that baby from him because he mishandled the treasure," said Michelle Williams, Chloe's aunt. "And God said 'no more, that's it.' And now we're one dead baby later."

Lewis did not have a previous criminal record. He is now charged with first degree murder, assault and child abuse.

Baltimore city police said a father killed his 6-month-old daughter because she wouldn't stop crying.Police said Timothy Lewis, 20, called 911 at 11 p.m. Wednesday because his daughter, Kloe, wasn't breathing.
When officers arrived at the home in the 3800 block of Glengyle Avenue, between Park Heights Avenue and Reisterstown Road, Lewis told police that he'd walked into the baby's room and found her not breathing in her crib.The girl was rushed to Sinai Hospital, where she died shortly thereafter.Detectives said an autopsy showed the girl had several old injuries, including a broken rib.Police said Lewis later confessed that he choked the baby because she wouldn't stop crying.Doris Acuna lives next door to Lewis. She said the news just can't true about the neighbor she briefly knew as a good father."The family is very nice," she said.The slaying of an infant on their block had neighbors thinking about their interactions with Lewis and talking about how something like that could happen to a child just a few doors down."He helped me shovel the snow this winter when the lady was stuck up here," said neighbor Steven Madden. "I guess the pressure of the children, you know.""No, no, no. You can't put it on the pressure of a kid," said neighbor Charles Scott. "A kid can't help himself. You have to put up with the kid. He doesn't know the responsibility of a child."Lewis was charged with first-degree murder, along with first- and second-degree assault. A check of court records showed Lewis has no criminal past in Maryland.

Father charged in infant choking death
Police: 6-month-old girl had previous injuries
October 15, 2010|By Jessica Anderson, The Baltimore SunA 20-year-old Baltimore father was charged Friday in the choking death of his 6-month-old daughter, city police said.

Officers were called to the home of Timothy Darnell Lewis in the 3800 block of Glengyle Avenue in Northwest Baltimore for reports of a non-breathing child at about 11 p.m. Wednesday, said Kevin Brown, a police spokesman. The father escorted the child in an ambulance to a local hospital where he was questioned by police, Brown said.

At first, Lewis told officers he was unsure what happened to the girl, but Brown said the father later confessed to choking the child when she would not stop crying.

Brown said the child also had previous injuries that did not contribute to her death.

Lewis was arrested Friday morning and has been charged with first degree murder.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-10-15/news/bs-md-ci-infant-death-20101015_1_northwest-baltimore-baltimore-father-baltimore-sun-local-news