Big Country Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I'm sure we had threads on this topic back when it first came to light, but it just sickens me to think of this poor girl calling out to her mom like this while being beaten to death. LINK GALVESTON, Texas – A slain toddler tried to stop her mother and stepfather from beating her to death by reaching out to her mother and saying, "I love you," a prosecutor told jurors Tuesday. The pleas from 2-year-old Riley Ann Sawyers didn't stop her mother, Kimberly Trenor, from continuing to brutalize her, assistant district attorney Kayla Allen said in her opening statement at Trenor's murder trial. But defense attorney Tommy Stickler Jr. told the jury that Trenor, 20, never intended to kill her daughter in 2007 and that things just "spun out of control." The toddler was dubbed "Baby Grace" by investigators who worked to identify her decomposed remains after the body was found in a plastic container in October 2007 on a tiny island in Galveston Bay. Trenor's 25-year-old husband, Royce Zeigler II, is to be tried separately on murder charges. His attorney points the finger at Trenor. Prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty because they didn't think they could prove that either one would be a future danger, as required. During her opening statement, Allen detailed for jurors the day that she said Riley Ann died for forgetting to say "please" and "yes, sir." Allen said that on July 25, 2007, Trenor and Zeigler disciplined Riley by whipping her with a belt, pushing her head against a pillow and holding her head under water. She said Zeigler grabbed Riley and tossed her across the room, fracturing her skull. An autopsy concluded the skull fractures caused her death. "To the very end, Riley said, 'I love you' to her mom. She's reaching out," Allen said. "That's her lifeline, to her mother. What does Kim do after hearing her say I love you? She starts beating her." Allen said the adults did nothing to help even as Riley lay dying. She said the pair bought a plastic container, stuffed Riley's body inside and stored it in a shed for a month or two before setting it out to sea, prosecutors said. Stickler portrayed Trenor as a scared 19-year-old girl who had moved to Texas from Ohio to marry a man she met while playing an online game. She said Riley's father, her former boyfriend, had assaulted her and Zeigler was her "knight in shining armor, her Texas cowboy." "I don't want to use the word accident, but this wasn't something that was intentional," Stickler said. Trenor could receive an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted of capital murder. The jury could also convict her of a lesser charge. Riley's remains were unidentified for weeks until an Ohio woman, Sheryl Sawyers, saw an artist's sketch and told authorities she believed the girl was her granddaughter. Sawyers' son is Trenor's ex-boyfriend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 i can't read these threads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingfootball Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 (edited) I'm not really a religious man, but if there is a hell I hope they have a particularly heinous place for bastards like this. Edited January 28, 2009 by fingfootball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I can't explain the anger I feel towards child abusers and women abusers alike. It is so difficult to read about a child getting treated so brutally. Takes me back to some of the stories that my folks told me about when I was a kid of things that went on in the family. Makes me sick!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 no lie, whoever could do that to a young one is truly a diabolic person; makes me want to hug my kids extra tonite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Czarina Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 This is a horrific story. I'm wondering though, how does the DA know that the child kept saying this? Presumably the boyfriend has turned on the girlfriend at this point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Like Soup Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 (edited) This is a horrific story. I'm wondering though, how does the DA know that the child kept saying this? Presumably the boyfriend has turned on the girlfriend at this point? Probably trying to put an even worst feeling in the pits of the jurors stomachs...you know, more than the one that is already there. Regardless if it is an attempt at pulling at heartstrings, I hope people like this are killed. Edited January 28, 2009 by I Like Soup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polksalet Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 "Welcome to the express lane" Ron White Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 "Welcome to the express lane" Ron White Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 gotta be honest , this one got me bad ... eyes are welling up Children have to be protected and loved always Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zooty Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 why did I even open this thread? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Some people are nothing more than animals. I'd have zero problem flipping the switch on these two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chargerz Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Some people are nothing more than animals. I'd have zero problem flipping the switch on these two. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 This is a horrific story. I'm wondering though, how does the DA know that the child kept saying this? Presumably the boyfriend has turned on the girlfriend at this point? I was wondering the same thing. That is, when I wasn't too busy being angry beyond belief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 This is a horrific story. I'm wondering though, how does the DA know that the child kept saying this? Presumably the boyfriend has turned on the girlfriend at this point? The mother testified. Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheikYerbuti Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Incomprehensible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 i can't read these threads +1,000. The rage this stuff brings on is almost blinding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hat Trick Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 f'ers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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