Infant used as weapon

Chytoria Graham of Pennsylvania grabbed her 4 month old infant, Jarron, by his feet and swung him, hitting her boyfriend and fracturing the baby's skull. Her excuse? She had been drinking and snapped. Her attorney is blaming postpartum depression and possibly battered-woman syndrome. Graham has three other children and is pregnant with her fifth child.

Graham's unemployed 20-year-old, live-in boyfriend Deangelo Troop, has a history of arrests for possession of crack cocaine and other crimes. Graham is also unemployed. I assume they are on some form of welfare.

Police were told Thursday that Jarron, who was delivered by Caesarean section Sept. 11, was in serious but stable condition in a drug-induced coma at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. The baby emerged from the coma on Friday, according to police.

Police arrived at Graham and Troop's apartment at about 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 8, finding broken household items, furniture knocked over and paramedics treating Jarron.

Graham told investigators she was out drinking the night before and argued with Troop when she got home. The argument turned to shoving and pushing.

As Jarron lay in bed wrapped in a blanket, police say, Graham grabbed the infant and swung him at Troop.

When Graham put the child down, they said, Troop punched her in the eye. Graham called 911.

Graham was jailed in lieu of $75,000 (euro59,760) bail, charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of children, simple assault and reckless endangerment.

Scarpitti said her client was traumatized and kept inquiring about Jarron and her other children. Scarpitti wants Graham to undergo psychological evaluation. source

I don't know the history, but it bothers me that parents do this sort of thing and then claim battered woman syndrome, or post-partum depression, or temporary insanity, and get off with a slap on the wrist. It also bothers me that people can keep popping out child after child that they cannot care for. We all know who suffers, the children.

Comments

[Thomas Hamilton]

baby blanket weapon? - These deadbeats can have all the children they want. Just don't force me to foot the bill for it.

Frankly, if you don't work and can't afford it, you should not be having babies.....the thought of that doesn't scare me one bit.

[baby blanket weapon?]

I agree - this world is really unfair... but the talk of deciding who should and shouldn't have children scares me just as much.... eugenics started in the US in the 1920s with this sentiment in mind - and then was done much more efficiently by Hitler and company. I don't got answers today - but I do pray for the health of the little ones who don't have a choice.

[Debbie]

Good points everybody. When I read about this, I thought this is just one child, one example of what so many kids go through right here in the U.S. They can't help what deadbeats their parents are, yet they are dependent on those people. Terrible.

[Mrs. Peperium]

Sickening. Throw away the key. But of course our society is so messed up that we would be more critical if she had swung her poodle....

[RoadKnight]

My ex-non-wife was abused as a child. Her mother was a whore and used her as a "fluffer" for her clients from the time she was 3 years old. Though no proof was ever found, it is believed that she was a drug addicted baby. She was certainly on drugs, getting food out of trash cans, and having sex from the time she was 3 until she was removed from the home at the age of 6. She turned out to be bipolar and seriously messed up in the head.

Sadly, I didn't find out any of this until after she tried to kill me (literally) and I started divorce proceedings. In the middle of the divorce, my attorney discovered that we weren't really married because she was still legally married, under common law, to her ex-boyfriend (hence why she's my ex-non-wife).

Even when taken away at a young age, frequently the damage has already been done. It takes a very strong person to help a child through those kinds of problems.

[the merry widow]

I used to work part-time at a children's shelter, private Christian, and the children who came in...only one was temporarily there because of family poverty. His parents worked and regained their 2 children, the rest? Fetal alcohol syndome, drugs, abuse, neglect, sexual abuse...you name it, it was manifested. Some people shouldn't have children, while I have known people who would make wonderful parents can't have them. This world is very unfair!
i can hardly wait for the next!

tmw

[Thomas Hamilton]

"Graham told investigators she was out drinking the night before and argued with Troop when she got home."

If she is pregnant, why is she out drinking?

I get so sick and tired of having to pay for the behavior of people like this.