GUILTY AZ - Matthew Vandergriff, 6 wks, tortured to death, Bullhead City, 15 June 2010

[Gingy]

<snipped>

McPhillips said Barbosa was aware of her baby’s health distress but waited days before friends’ convinced her to seek medical attention. The victim’s father awaits trial for first degree murder and sex offenses for allegedly brutalizing and sodomizing his son.[/I]

She deserves more than the 13-20. How can a mother be so heartless? What a monster.

Words fail me when it comes to what should happen to JV. Nothing seems like it will be enough.

JMO.

 

[DesertChildAZ]

Please if you can get permission to post it here, I would love to add it to the beginning of the thread.
Just like his name is now in the title... his picture should be here as well.
I can also edit it a bit for the facebook page as well. The red eye and/or make it black and white so that people don't ask about the pink outfit.

There is a new photo that has been posted on that facebook page of Matthew, in which he is not wearing the pink shirt. I don't know when it was taken, but I suspect it was after he was brought to the hospital because the reports of his abuse state that his eyes were swollen shut when he was brought in and his eyes appear to be swollen shut in this picture. Again, the person who posted it to the facebook page ask that it not be shared or reposted. But the page is open, I think, so anyone can see it.

It's been 2 years and this beautiful child has still not been buried. He's being victimized again and again by the Defense everyday he is not buried.

I cannot do much for Matthew, but I often think of him and imagine myself holding him in my arms and rocking him to sleep, so maybe somewhere his little soul can feel the comfort of loving arms. This may seem silly to some, but I have a 16 month old child and I just cannot even fathom how anyone could ever harm an infant, let alone a child. I can't imagine that he didn't get to feel an ounce of love in his 6 weeks of life. Such a precious little baby.

 

[LCoastMom]

She deserves more than the 13-20. How can a mother be so heartless? What a monster.

Words fail me when it comes to what should happen to JV. Nothing seems like it will be enough.

JMO.

Bumping for Baby Matthew. Tomorrow (3/2/12) Staci Barbosa's sentencing hearing.

 

[LCoastMom]

Vandergriff’s Defense Attorney Complains

In recent weeks Cornell has requested sanctions while accusing courtroom rival Greg McPhillips of prosecutorial misconduct. Cornell has complained to Mohave County Superior Court Commissioner Derek Carlisle that Carlisle’s pretrial rulings on pleadings lack specificity and leave too much room for interpretation.

Cornell has also lodged complaints about the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, the county jail and working conditions at the courthouse. His contention is that inadequate accommodations prevent him from providing effective representation for Vandergriff, who faces a possible death sentence if convicted.

Cornell is demanding “contact visits” with Vandergriff in the county jail. Cornell insists he needs direct, same room access to communicate with Vandergriff in a fully confidential environment.

The Sheriff’s Office has denied the contact visits for security considerations. Sheriff’s Office attorney Lynnann Wilson has argued that speaking through a window enclosure ensures sufficient communication between Cornell and Vandergriff.

Cornell has countered that he needs to be able to examine documents with Vandergriff in absolute privacy rather than having corrections officers pass papers back and forth between them. Commissioner Carlisle has refused to intercede in the beef, contending, as do other local judges, that the administration and operation of the jail is strictly up to Sheriff Tom Sheahan and his staff.

Cornell has promised to continue to fight for contact jail visits. He’ll argue the matter again, with the aid of an expert witness, at a hearing scheduled March 28.

More at link:

http://www.azinews.com/2011/03/04/vandergriff%E2%80%99s-defense-attorney-complains/

Why does this all sound so familiar? Oh yeah, because it worked the last time someone decided to make a name for himself while getting a baby killer off.

 

[JeannieC]

This is so sad. This baby deserved to be loved and held and rocked. How could any mother sit back and allow this to happen. In my eyes she is a guilty as he is! Rest in peace Matthew. May the angels rock you in heaven.

 

[JoeFromLB]

Bumping for Baby Matthew. Tomorrow (3/2/12) Staci Barbosa's sentencing hearing.

The day has come and gone and there is nothing in the news about a sentence. It's very difficult to find any information about her case. If I knew her DOB I could search the court records.

 

[LCoastMom]

The day has come and gone and there is nothing in the news about a sentence. It's very difficult to find any information about her case. If I knew her DOB I could search the court records.

I've been watching for an update but so far nothing (01/06/12 is the latest). Staci's DOB is 05/91.

 

[Gingy]

Court records show a continuance on 3/1. I am guessing from this that nothing happened 3/2.

 

[LCoastMom]

Court records show a continuance on 3/1. I am guessing from this that nothing happened 3/2.

http://apps.supremecourt.az.gov/publicaccess/caselookup.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

adding court link for future use -

Barbosa Staci - DOB 05/91

Vandergriff Jonathan Edward - DOB 08/86

 

[LCoastMom]

KINGMAN, Ariz. -- A young mother from Bullhead City, Ariz., who failed to protect her infant son from fatal abuse authorities say was inflicted by her former boyfriend was sentenced to 15 years in prison Friday.

In her letter that was read to the court in Kingman on Friday, Barbosa accepted responsibility for failing to get Matthew out of harm's way. Yet she and defense attorney Sandra Carr also said Barbosa was terrified of Matthew's father Jonathon Vandergriff, who authorities allege dominated and bullied her in belligerent fashion.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/arizona-mother-gets-prison-in-infant-son-s-death-143004595.html

Barbosa pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

SB can say she was "terrified" of JV til she's blue in the face, everyday for the rest of her miserable life, I will not believe it. She told the teenager who ratted her out for the abuse of her precious baby that she was afraid of getting busted for Matthew's injuries from sexual abuse!

At the time of Matthew's death SB had given birth 3 times in two years...my guess is when they fought JV threatened to cut off her flow to her precious drugs which in was way more important than her newborn son, Matthew's life. That may have frightened her.

 

[LCoastMom]

Staci Lynn Barbosa, 20, pleaded guilty in October...

Barbosa’s attorney, Sandra Carr, read a letter from Barbosa....

Carr also painted a troubled picture of Vandergriff, who she said abused his younger sister when he was about 10 years old and was always in trouble as a teenager.....

Carr also said that Vandergriff did not want Barbosa’s son Matthew and once taped his mouth shut when he cried. He also allegedly abused the child physically and sexually. He refused when she wanted to take Matthew to the hospital.

Deputy Mohave County Attorney Greg McPhillips argued as an aggravated factor of the cruel and heinous injuries to Matthew and that some of his injuries were not recent, since the broken bones had calcified.

Judge Steven Conn took into account Barbosa’s age, her lack of criminal history and her minor involvement in Matthew’s death saying, there was no evidence she caused the child’s injuries. But the issue was her obligation in protecting her child over any obligation to Vandergriff. The judge also said it was difficult to compare criminal cases to each other since each case had different variables. In the end, Conn sentenced her to 15 years in prison.

Vandergriff, 25, is still charged with first-degree murder... Vandergriff’s murder case remains in limbo after recently being assigned a new attorney from Phoenix.

http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2012/03/18/news/local/doc4f65947eede60818843740.txt

More at link

 

[Gingy]

Thanks LCoastMom for the updates. IMO, 15 years is not nearly enough. I am beyond appalled at the treatment to which poor baby Matthew was subjected and cannot fathom a mother not protecting her newborn. I have no other words right now - shock and disbelief at the new info (like calcified injuries and tape over Matthew's mouth) - saddens and sickens me more than this case already did.

 

[Gingy]

Another update - lawyer infighting.

http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2012/04/01/news/local/doc4f781646d127a623020499.txt

And, thankfully, the judge ordered Matthew's body released.

The Facebook page confirms that baby Matthew was finally laid to rest.

RIP little one.

 

[LCoastMom]

http://www.azcorrections.gov/Inmate_DataSearch/results_Minh.aspx?InmateNumber=270562&LastName=BARBOSA&FNMI=S&SearchType=SearchInet


Last Name - First Name - Middle Initial - Birth Date
BARBOSA STACI L 05/07/1991

Gender - Height (inches) - Weight - Hair Color
FEMALE - 64 - 138 - BROWN

Eye Color - Ethnic Origin - Custody Class - Inmate / Detainee
BROWN - MEXICAN AMERICAN - 0/0 - INMATE

Sentence (yyymmdd) - Admission - Prison Release Date - Max End Date
015/00/00 - 03/21/2012 - 06/10/2025

Most Recent Loc. Unit
NEW COMMITMENT - ASPC Perryville Recept/Assmnt Community Supervision/ Parole Last Movement Commitment Status Status
N 03/21/2012 COMPLETE, BUT NOT VERIFIED ACTIVE

I don't know what it is, I'm not a violent person, but when I see her photo or that of her buddy Vandergriff I want to reach out and smack them each a good one.

I haven't sat down and figured out when she becomes eligible for parole, but our list grows and no matter how long she spends behind bars it won't be enough.

 

[JoeFromLB]

She has the empty eyes. They all do. They look right through you.

 

[passionflower]

This is when I believe in the DP!!!

 

[mel1971]

rip little matthew god only takes the good and i hope the monsters go to hell

 

[LCoastMom]

Former Vandergriff attorney suspended for ethics violation

The former attorney for a Bullhead City man charged with his son’s murder has been suspended from practicing law for two years.

Creighton Cornell of Tucson had been acting as a Knapp attorney for Jonathan Edward Vandergriff, 25.....

In an order imposing sanctions by the state bar against Cornell, Presiding Disciplinary Judge of the Supreme Court of Arizona William O’Neil concluded that in a Yuma County criminal case, Cornell filed repeated bias challenges against the judge without purpose other than to embarrass or delay the case. Cornell also accused the Yuma County judge of failing to address the perceived misconduct of that county’s prosecutors and suggested the judge also gave prosecutors favorable rulings. Cornell’s two-year suspension begins at the end of June.

“There is ample record support for the conclusion that the Respondent (Cornell) violated the ethical rules,” the judge ruled.

<<more at link>>

http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2012/06/07/news/local/doc4fd056b936c1c970522540.txt

Finally some good news in this case!

 

[BrownRice]

Finally some good news in this case!

What a coincidence. I read this story earlier but didn't link it to Baby Matthew. Wow.

I just reread all of these 7 pages and am so saddened by this (again).

When I was much younger I volunteered (and later worked) in a child sex abuse clinic. Before I started, I didn't even realize people could molest/rape an infant. Never crossed my mind. It took less than a week there for me to understand the extreme evil that lurks in our world. And in our houses. These monsters were 99% of the time the parents and "mom's boyfriends." And then, over and over again, I saw Mom go back with Dad/boyfriend and go against her kids. Again and again and again.

How I would love to go back to that innocent age before that job where I didn't know this existed.

 

[believe09]

Vandergriff will now reap the reward of his counsel being sanctioned and now a new atty will have to have time to be brought up to speed.