at a loss for words

[bci21984]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/15/mic ... d.torture/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A Michigan man could face life in prison after he allegedly tortured and ultimately killed his girlfriend's 4-year-old son last week for wetting his pants, prosecutors say.
Brandon Joshua-Frederick Hayes, 24, "systematically beat" Dominick Calhoun, 4, "pummeling [him] with fists and kicking him" on his arms, legs and genitalia, Genesee County prosecutor David Leyton told CNN.
Hayes also apparently burned the boy in the course of the torture. "The knuckles across one hand were charred," Argentine Township police chief Dan Allen said.
"I've been doing this a long time, and this is the worst case of child abuse I've ever seen," the police chief said. "In all respects, he was tortured."
Prosecutors arraigned Hayes on Thursday on nine charges, including one count of first-degree premeditated murder, one count of first-degree child abuse and one count of torture, which by itself carries a possible life sentence.
"Little Dominick met his boogeyman, and that was defendant Hayes," Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell said at a news conference Thursday.
CNN was unable to reach someone who could speak on Hayes' behalf.
Hayes' motivation for his savage multiday attack on the boy was that the child "had wet his pants," Leyton said. "It had happened before."
Hayes also resented the child because his "biological father wouldn't pay child support," Leyton said.
Dominick's mother, Corrine Baker, was present for at least some of the beating and tried to shield the boy from Hayes' aggression, authorities said.
"She tried to lay on top of the child to guard the child against being beat any further, but she was beat in the process," according to the police chief.
The sequence of events that led to the discovery of the abuse began when Baker's sister and several acquaintances came to the apartment to buy drugs from Hayes, according to Allen. After seeing Dominick's condition, the sister alerted the boy's paternal grandfather, who in turn contacted authorities.
When emergency responders entered the apartment on the afternoon of April 11, Dominick was "barely alive." EMS transferred him to Hurley Hospital in Flint, where he was pronounced brain dead.
The boy was taken off life support the following morning.
Dominick's mother's whereabouts and actions through all portions of the torture session remain somewhat hazy. The county prosecutor said his office is "still investigating her involvement in all this."
"She's also culpable for putting him in the dangerous position in the first place," he added.
Baker was taken into custody on Sunday but released later. Attempts to reach her at her home Thursday evening were unsuccessful.
The town police chief said Baker and her son had been brought to the attention of Genesee County Department of Child Services on several occasions. The agency did not respond to CNN's requests for comment Thursday.
It was not immediately clear whether Baker's involvement with the child services agency predated her relationship with Hayes. The police chief said he believed Baker and Hayes had been together for about six months.

[CrimsonSoul]

I.. I can't even think of a fitting punishment. Death is too good for him and so is life in prison

[joe817]

I.. I can't even think of a fitting punishment. Death is too good for him and so is life in prison

Oh Dear Lord. Me neither CrimsonSoul. May that man roast in hades for eternity. This man deserves a slow death. Forgive me for saying that...it's what I feel.

[LarryH]

"an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" comes to mind, although that was originally intended to be a limit and not a prescription

[MasterofFajitas]

I read this and I thought of John Wayne and his movie The Cowboys. We've seen what you can do with a boy...how are you when they come a little bigger? I hope prison will not be a pleasant thing for Hayes.

Rest in peace Dominick.

[TexasGal]

By their actions, some people prove their humanity has been lost and they have become nothing but rabid animals deserving no quarter from society. I hope he gets the death penalty.

[AJ80]

This world is full of truly evil individuals. Without Christ, humans are capable of sinking to unimaginable levels. While it may be tempting to wish this man the worst, we should still be able to pray that he comes to faith in Christ. Of course even if he does come to faith in Christ, he must still pay for his crimes here on earth.

[TexasGal]

This world is full of truly evil individuals. Without Christ, humans are capable of sinking to unimaginable levels. While it may be tempting to wish this man the worst, we should still be able to pray that he comes to faith in Christ. Of course even if he does come to faith in Christ, he must still pay for his crimes here on earth.

I can agree with you. Even from the Cross, Christ did not condemn the death penalty for crimes deserving of such. I can hope for his salvation and his just punishment on earth without conflict.

[Keith B]

OK folks, back on topic and of religion as the discussions are not allowed here per the guidelines.

[cougartex]

Very sad.

[TLynnHughes]

How horrible!!!! And I have to say that I don't understand the actions of the "mothers" in these cases. As a mother, I would have died trying to protect my son. He would have had to kill us both. And I can only hope the adrenaline would have been enough for me to do some SERIOUS damage before I left this earth.

T.

[drjoker]

Working in the E.R., I see this type of stuff all too often (though not as severe). Lots of single mothers are real desperate and often overlook warning signs of bad apples when choosing boyfriends. 50-60 percent of marriages end in divorce, so this type of thing is real common. I told a female friend of mine to do a criminal background check on this guy she's known for LESS THAN A WEEK before inviting him to move in with her. Although she is a real smart lawyer in her professional life, she's real desperate and stupid in her personal life. She's going to leave her child in the care of a stranger that she's known less than a week and she's NOT having a criminal background check on him. I did check him for sex offender status online for her, but the criminal background check and court record check is her responsibility. She is NOT doing it and she wasn't going to check him for sex offender status either.

Lots of predators see single mothers as easy prey and surprise! That's because they ARE easy prey. C'mon people! Quit being stupid!

[edmart001]

The title of the thread says it all. Poor little one, RIP.