DYLAN HELMEY - 2 yo - Springfield GA

GBI investigating toddler death in Springfield

Posted: Jun 29, 2009 12:46 PM
Updated: Jul 01, 2009 5:27 PM EDT

SPRINGFIELD, GA (WTOC) - The Georgia Bureau of Investigations is looking into the death of a toddler in Springfield.

The 2-year-old boy died in his apartment home Sunday afternoon. It happened in the Spring Hollow Apartment complex off the Ash Street Extension.

Monday, neighbors were still in shock, wondering what happened to the little boy. They said his name was Dylan and he was going to turn 3-years-old next week. GBI agents are heading this investigating and trying to determine if Dylan's death was an accident or a criminal act.

Ashley Powell and Lindsey Shores live in the same apartment complex. They came home Sunday to half a dozen police cars in their neighborhood.

"It shocks you it gave me chills," said Powell. "I feel so bad for the family of the child. It was horrible." "I was shocked, I have a son the same age," Shores said. "I don't know what I would have done." GBI agents are not releasing any details about this case at this time.

Stepfather arrested, charged with toddler's death

Updated: Jul 02, 2009 10:21 AM EDT

Lester Casey Griffin
(Source: Effingham County Sheriff's Office)


SPRINGFIELD, GA - The Georgia Bureau of Investigations has made an arrest in connection with the death of a Springfield toddler.

GBI agents arrested Lester Casey Griffin on murder charges Tuesday around 4pm. He's being charged in the death of his 2-year-old stepson Dylan, who died in their apartment at the Spring Hollow Apartment complex off the Ash Street Extension Sunday afternoon.

Dylan would have turned 3-years-old next week.

An autopsy on the boy has been conducted, but investigators aren't releasing the exact cause of death at this time. Griffin is being held in the Effingham County Jail.

Family speaks out about toddler's death

July 3, 2009 9:45 AM EST

Dylan Helmey




SPRINGFIELD, GA - There's new information about the Springfield man charged with murdering his 2-year-old stepson.

Lester "Casey" Griffin has been in jail since Tuesday afternoon and now we know he's has been there before. He was arrested a year ago for child abuse.

Wednesday, the little boy's great aunt Crystal Houston, is speaking out about the nightmare she and her family are going through.

Houston said she now cherishes the few pictures she has of her nephew, Dylan Helmey. She took some photos of him on her cell phone on Easter. That was the last time she saw Dylan alive. "Heartbroken, heartbroken. He's such a precious little boy," she said. "He's a boy in every sense of the word, just a little cutie pie."

Houston is still struggling to accept that Dylan is gone and that his stepfather is charged with murder. "It's just like anybody you know, you don't expect it," she said of Griffin. "I'm shocked."

Neighbors were also still in shock and continued to question what happened to Dylan at the Spring Hallow apartment complex in Springfield.

Neighbors said they haven't seen any sign of the family since the little boy was found dead in an apartment on Sunday.

They now know Griffin is in the county jail. And it turns out he's been there before. In April 2008, he was arrested for child abuse.

The charge was cruelty to a child in the first degree. A judge let him out of jail on a $500 bond.

Houston said she doesn't know anything about that arrest and never saw Dylan with any injuries. She said she's just now hearing that there may have been prior abuse.

"If there was abuse then everyone is at fault because everyone, someone should have stepped up and done something," she said.

Houston said maybe then the family would be celebrating Dylan's third birthday next week. Instead they are laying him to rest on Friday.

"Abuse usually doesn't end very well, it never has in any story I've ever read and if that were true, why didn't someone call DFACS, call somebody," she said.

Now Houston said the only thing she can do to is make sure Dylan is not forgotten and hopes his tragic story may prevent other children from being abused.

Dylan's mother is Ciara Helmey. Houston said she hasn't seen her since Sunday and so far, Helmey is not facing any charges.
Helmey and Griffin have a child together, an infant son. Houston said he is now in the state's custody.

Jury deliberations expected today in Effingham toddler's death

Closing arguments expected today in trial of man charged in 3-year-old's murder

November 4, 2010 - 3:18am


Lester Casey Griffin, 22, Springfield.
(Effingham County Sheriff's Office)

SPRINGFIELD - An Effingham County jury is expected to begin deliberations today in the murder trial of a Guyton man charged in the death last year of a nearly 3-year-old boy.

The state and defense both rested their cases Wednesday afternoon in the trial of Lester Casey Griffin, 24, charged with murder in the death of Dylan Helmey.

Griffin was arrested June 29, 2009, after 911 was called to an apartment complex on Ash Street in Springfield on a report of an unresponsive child.

Dr. James Downs, the coastal regional medical examiner for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in Savannah, testified Tuesday the boy was a victim of battered-child syndrome and died after a fatal blow to his chest ripped a hole in the child's heart.

Taking the stand Wednesday, GBI Special Agent Eugene Howard told the jury the crime scene didn't match Griffin's first statements.

Howard testified Griffin first told investigators the child had fallen on a toy truck and cut his chin. Griffin initially told authorities he tried to tend to the wound, cleaning it with wipes and tissues and looking for bandages.
Howard said the investigators found tissues, but with little blood on them.

"It surprised me from the gash on his chin," Howard testified. "It was very deep."

Downs, however, previously testified the wound would not have bled much, because at that point the child would not have much blood pressure. The doctor noted with such a severe heart injury, the boy would have died within minutes.

The defense's first and only witness was district attorney investigator Eric Riner, who also said investigators knew Griffin was lying.

Riner said Griffin's statement under investigators' questioning that he had walked the boy to his bedroom holding his hand after he fell on the truck just wasn't possible.

"Obviously he lied," Riner said. "Based on the autopsy, I learned he would have died within a minute."

Griffin's defense attorney, Public Defender Robert Persse, questioned Riner's and Howard's interview tactics, playing an almost two-hour tape recording of the interview for the jury.

During the taped interview, Griffin can be heard crying as he was questioned about the child's death, while the investigators frequently refer to the incident as an accident.

Persse said the investigators used "accident" 16 times while questioning Griffin.

Riner, under questioning by Assistant District Attorney Ben Edwards, explained while he never at any point in the investigation believed the child's death was anything but a homicide, telling that to a suspect doesn't work.

"When people have murdered a child, they tend to lie," Riner said. "They don't want to talk about it. You pick a theme, maybe it was an accident, or stress, and see which gets a reaction from a suspect."

Riner and Howard were heard on the tape repeatedly asking Griffin to tell them what happened to the boy, with Griffin sticking to his original statement through much of the interview before admitting he hit the child in the chest and signing a statement to that effect."I didn't mean to hit him at all," Griffin says on the tape.Riner said despite Griffin's admittance in the end to hitting the child, the truth is still out there.

"We never really got the truth (from Griffin)," he said. "We got close."

Court records show Griffin was not the child's biological father, but that he did have a relationship with Dylan Helmey's mother, Ciara Danielle Helmey, who also has been charged in the case. The couple have another young child together.

Helmey was indicted on charges of one count of cruelty to children for failing to seek medical attention for her son.

Closing arguments are expected to begin today, with the jury to deliberate immediately afterward.

An Effingham County jury took less than three hours Thursday to declare eight guilty verdicts against a Guyton man charged in the death of his girlfriend's nearly 3-year-old child.Lester Casey Griffin, 24, was found guilty by a jury of six men and six women on three counts of felony murder. He also was found guilty of one count of involuntary manslaughter on a charge of malice murder and guilty on four other charges associated with cruelty to children, aggravated assault and aggravated battery.Griffin was arrested in June 2009 after 911 was called to an apartment complex on Ash Street in Springfield on a report of an unresponsive child.Dr. James Downs, the coastal regional medical examiner for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in Savannah, testified Tuesday the boy, Dylan Helmey, was a victim of battered-child syndrome and died after a fatal blow to his chest ripped a hole in the child's heart.Downs said it would take "extreme force" to cause the 29.25-pound child's heart to burst."The heart was crushed between the chest and backbone until it popped," Downs said.The medical examiner also testified Tuesday he had only seen this type of injury in car crashes, motorcycle accidents and when a bull had stepped on someone's chest. He also described one occasion in his experience when a football player with a heart defect had the same type of injury after being hit by another helmeted player in the chest.Downs said the heart injury was fatal and would cause death in minutes.Bruising on the boy's chest also showed a knuckle pattern caused, most likely, by a fist, Downs said Tuesday. Downs also testified the child had 70 injuries that occurred within two hours of his death. Downs also said the boy had a number of other healing and healed injuries, including recently broken ribs.Griffin was the only adult home with the child from about 11 a.m. until the call to 911 at 1:36 p.m. the afternoon of June 28, 2009, Assistant District Attorney Ben Edwards told the jury.Special Agent Eugene Howard testified Wednesday that Griffin first told investigators the child had fallen on a toy truck and cut his chin. Griffin initially told authorities he tried to tend to the wound, cleaning it with wipes and tissues and looking for bandages. After returning to the child to help him, Griffin told investigators he found the toddler breathing heavy and seeming to be asleep. Griffin said he called 911 about 10 to 15 minutes after the fall.Howard said the investigators found tissues, but with little blood on them."It surprised me from the gash on his chin," Howard testified. "It was very deep."Downs, however, previously testified the wound would not have bled much, because at that point the child would not have much blood pressure. The doctor noted with such a severe heart injury, the boy would have died within minutes.The defense's first and only witness was district attorney investigator Eric Riner, who testified Wednesday that investigators knew Griffin was lying.Riner said Griffin's statement under investigators' questioning that he had walked the boy to his bedroom holding his hand after he fell on the truck just wasn't possible."Obviously he lied," Riner said. "Based on the autopsy, I learned he would have died within a minute."Griffin's defense attorney, Public Defender Robert Persse, questioned Riner's and Howard's interview tactics, playing an almost two-hour tape recording of the interview for the jury Wednesday.During the taped interview, Griffin can be heard crying as he was questioned about the child's death, while the investigators frequently refer to the incident as an accident.Persse said the investigators used "accident" 16 times while questioning Griffin.Riner and Howard were heard on the tape repeatedly asking Griffin to tell them what happened to the boy, with Griffin sticking to his original statement through much of the interview before admitting he hit the child in the chest and signing a statement to that effect."I didn't mean to hit him at all," Griffin says on the tape.Riner said despite Griffin's admittance in the end to hitting the child, the truth is still out there."We never really got the truth (from Griffin)," he said. "We got close."In closing arguments Thursday, Persse said Griffin was responsible for the child's death, but that it wasn't murder."He died out of a reaction of frustration by a young, inexperienced stand-in parent," Persse said.Persse said every parent understands the stresses children can place on them."You've had a long day, you lash out. Every parent has," Persse told the jury. "This is not murder. It's about losing your temper and lashing out."Edwards told the jury the child's death was no accident."The truth of this case is that man murdered Dylan Helmey," Edwards said.Griffin told investigators during a taped interview he had hit the child after he and his younger son got into his compact-disc collection.Edwards used that point to once again tell jurors murder was the right charge."The last two hours of that little boy's life were spent being brutalized by that man," Edwards said pointing to Griffin. "Not only did he cause 70 injuries and the blow to the chest, he let him lay there and die."Superior Court Chief Judge William E. Woodrum Jr. delayed sentencing at the defense's request. No date has yet been set.The child's mother, Ciara Danielle Helmey, also has been charged in the case.

A Guyton man convicted in the 2009 beating death of a 2-year-old child last month was sentenced to life without parole plus 20 years in Effingham County Superior Court.A jury found Lester Casey Griffin, 24, guilty of felony murder and involuntary manslaughter charges Nov. 4 in the death of his live-in girlfriend's son, Dylan Helmey.Chief Judge William E. Woodrum Jr. followed the state's recommendation Wednesday in handing down the sentence.Holding up an autopsy photo of the toddler's bruised body, Assistant District Attorney Ben Edwards told the judge life without parole was the right sentence in this "heinous" case."This grown man senselessly took the life of this little boy. For whatever reason - at trial it was said for messing with his CDs - the defendant punched him with sufficient force that he almost pushed his heart to his back to where it exploded," Edwards said.Griffin also was found guilty of cruelty to children for failing to seek medical attention for broken ribs and a black eye the child had received in the last weeks of his life.Edwards said those injuries deserved a 20-year consecutive sentence.Several of Griffin's sisters testified Wednesday to his compassion, asking the judge to allow their brother a chance at freedom and give a sentence including parole."I have six children and have left them with Casey," his sister Pamela Mikell said. "I've never known Casey to be agressive."Mikell read a letter Griffin had written to her from jail, saying he had been studying his Bible and was thankful for her prayers."Wouldn't it be fair to say the multiple injuries he inflicted on Dylan are a better indicator of what kind of man he is?" Edwards asked."I couldn't say," Mikell answered.Joan Washburn, who served as Dylan Helmey's foster mother beginning at 3 months of age and until he was returned to his mother, Ciara Helmey, asked Judge Woordrum to keep Griffin behind bars."Dylan doesn't have the choice of life with parole," Washburn said. "He doesn't have a life."Washburn said Dylan came into her custody in a body cast as an infant.At the time of Griffin's June 30, 2009, arrest for the boy's death, he was awaiting trial on cruelty to children charges stemming from an incident in October 2006. The child involved was Dylan Helmey.Griffin's defense attorney, Public Defender Robert Persse, told the court Griffin was remorseful and showed no evidence of being a danger to society."This was a crime of passion and, ultimately, frustration," Persse said.During Griffin's trial, Persse said the case wasn't murder, but a "dumb parent making a dumb decision."Griffin admitted to investigators in a taped interview he had hit the child.Judge Woodrum said because of the medical examiner's testimony during Griffin's trial of the child's injuries, taken together with what he suffered as an infant in the short time after he was returned to the couple, earned Griffin life in prison."(Dylan) never had a day on the face of this earth that a child should have," Woodrum said. "Mr. Griffin, you'll spend the rest of your time in the prison system."Persse indicated this case was not yet over."We look forward to our appeal to the supreme court."

The mother of a Springfield toddler who was killed last year at the
hands of the woman's live-in boyfriend has been convicted for failing to
seek medical help for her son in the weeks leading up to his death.Effingham
County Superior Court Chief Judge William E. Woodrum Jr. found guilty
Ciara Helmey, 20, in a bench trial Tuesday and sentenced her to 20 years
probation, less 720 to 800 days in prison.Helmey's live-in
boyfriend Lester Casey Griffin, 24, was found guilty Nov. 4 of murder in
the child's death and sentenced last week to life in prison, plus 20
years, in the crime.Dr. Jamie Downs, the medical examiner for the
Georgia Bureau of Investigation, testified Tuesday - and in Griffin's
trial - that 2-year-old Dylan Helmey, just weeks shy of his third
birthday, was a victim of battered-child syndrome and died after a fatal
blow to his chest. Downs also noted the toddler had five healing broken
ribs at the time of his death June 28, 2009.The broken ribs
would have caused the child "intense and constant" pain, Downs
testified, and a marked difference in his behavior.Downs also
testified Tuesday the child received a head injury sometime between
three and 30 days of his death. Downs said the iron pigment in the
lining of his brain observed during autopsy indicated a blunt force
injury.Downs said the child had multiple injuries occurring
within hours of his death, along with a large number of healed injuries.
Downs defined healed injuries as those that would be at least one month
old.District attorney's investigator Erick Riner testified
Tuesday that Helmey said she noticed no injuries to her son in her first
interview with him on the day of the child's death.During a second interview two days later, Helmey told Riner she had seen a recent injury her son."She said his head was swollen and she had confronted Casey about it," Riner testified Tuesday.Helmey
also later told Riner, he said, she did not take her child to the
doctor over fears that state child welfare officials would take him and
her other, younger son away.Riner said Helmey admitted in a third interview she should have taken her son to the hospital."She said it was her fault," Riner said.The
state had taken custody of Dylan Helmey when he was about 3 months old
in 2006 and found to have a broken rib and a fractured leg. He was
placed in foster care then, as was his younger brother at a later date.Defense
attorney Melissa Calhoun, in her closing statement Tuesday, noted
Helmey sought treatment for her son in 2006 and had followed medical
advice.The children were later returned to Helmey under court
order, Aleece Browher, a case worker with the Division of Family and
Children Services, testified. Browher said DFACS officials recommended
the children not be returned as no determination had been made as to who
actually caused those injuries to the boy.Calhoun presented a
number of witnesses who reported they had not noticed any injuries on
Dylan Helmey in 2009, including Springfield day care owner Carmen
Newberry.Newberry testified she hugged the boy daily, and he did not pull away in pain and was a happy and active child.Calhoun said her client should not be held responsible for not noticing something any layperson could not.After
hearing from the state and defense, along with a number of witnesses
regarding sentencing, Judge Woodrum's decision on punishment was
interrupted.Ciara Helmey left the courtroom, her attorney saying
she was sick. Helmey stayed in the bathroom for about 20 minutes with
emergency personnel being called for evaluation.After Helmey returned to the courtroom, Calhoun assured the judge her client's behavior was no act."She is being charged with hurting the children she loved," Calhoun said.Woodrum gave Helmey several conditions with her punishment - and a suggestion."You
better think twice before you have any more children," Woodrum said.
"You don't need to have any more - you have had your chance."Woodrum also is requiring Helmey to obtain her general-educational development diploma and receive counseling.Helmey's younger child, also a boy, was adopted by foster parents.