GUILTY MI - Jasmine Phillips, 21 mos, scalded to death, Orion Twp, 18 Dec 2004

[Casshew]

A 27-year-old Orion Township woman who police said burned her boyfriend's 22-month-old daughter during a bath in scalding water was charged with second-degree murder Wednesday, three days after the baby's father reported the infant had stopped breathing.

Letitia Johnson was held without bond in the Oakland County Jail after her appearance in 52-3 District Court in Rochester Hills. Her preliminary examination was set for Jan. 4 before District Judge Julie Nicholson. If convicted, Johnson could be sentenced to up to life in prison.

Prosecutors said Wednesday they believe the woman intended to harm the baby, identified by police as Jasmine Phillips. The woman gave the child a bath Saturday night in scalding water, then diapered the child and put her to bed, even though the baby clearly was suffering, according to her statements to police.

The next morning, the baby's father, Johnson's 26-year-old boyfriend, Louie Phillips, found Jasmine unresponsive and called 911, according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. Jasmine was taken to POH Medical Center in Pontiac and pronounced dead at 11 a.m. Sunday.

The Oakland County medical examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by dehydration from extensive third-degree burns.

The burns were so bad, Bouchard said, the child's skin was falling off.

Johnson has six children of her own, all under age 8, by four fathers, including Phillips, said Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Sara Pope-Starnes.

http://www.freep.com/news/locoak/baby23e_20041223.htm

 

[Jeana (DP)]

WTF????? I can't even imagine how much pain that baby must have been in!!!!!! :behindbar :behindbar :behindbar :behindbar :behindbar

The death penalty. Those are the only words that come to mind right now.

 

[amandab]

I wish MI was a death-penalty state; we certainly have our share of nutcases.

That poor sweet girl....her pain must have been unbearable.

Had I followed this case a little closer I could've given you guys more insight - that courthouse is all of 5 minutes from my house.

 

[cherub]

I hope she gets hers . How can anyone do that to an innocent child? Id put her on death row for it.

 

[TKSands]

UNBELIEVABLE. This lady doesn't deserve to breathe another breath. 6 kids of her own and can be so cruel. The poor mother of this baby was probably forced to allow visitation and this BI*** wanted to get some revenge. Sounds like both women had a baby by this man that were close in age. Probably some cheating and this was a chance for some revenge. Surely she will get LWOP. SURELY?????

 

[mainepotato]

I just hope she lost consciousness quickly and didn't have to suffer long.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/122304/loc_20041223018.shtml

 

[Casshew]

Hi marinepotato... welcome to websleuths

 

[englishleigh]

This makes me sick. That poor, sweet little baby girl. :banghead:

This woman deserves the death penalty. I can't believe they are calling this second-degree murder...it was clearly premeditated.

 

[poco]

I have absolutely NO TIME for people like that!!!

Someone should give her a scalding hot bath... boy does that PI** me off!

 

[lilpony]

I have absolutely NO TIME for people like that!!!

Someone should give her a scalding hot bath... boy does that PI** me off!

This is what I was going to say....That poor little baby. So sad, I just cannot understand how people can be so heartless and evil. My husband was burned badly in a fire, so I know all to well, the pain this child went through. Heartbreaking!!!!

 

[Rachael]

That is so horrible. Poor poor baby. If only they could do the same thing to the woman as her punishment.

 

[mainepotato]

Inmate: Scalding was no accident


Web-posted Feb 11, 2005

Prisoner testifies woman accused in slaying admitted in jail she intended to kill the child


By STEPHEN FRYE
Of The Daily Oakland Press


An Oakland County jail inmate testified Thursday that Letitia Johnson, accused of scalding to death her boyfriend's 21-month-old daughter, asked her for advice on looking remorseful.
"Her mother said she was smiling on TV," the inmate said. "I told her, 'I can't teach you how to be remorseful.'"

...


entire article at

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/021105/loc_20050211015.shtml

 

[golfmom]

Burns are the most agonizing injury.
OMG I can't believe that this woman did this to a child ...
This is outrageous ...
:furious:

 

[Jeana (DP)]

The defense attorney is inhuman in my opinion. Saying that anyone can accidentally put a baby in 148 degree water is lying through her teeth. Its unconscionable to me that she'd (the attorney) do this in order to protect this murderous beotch. :furious: :furious: :furious: :furious:

 

[golfmom]

Jeana,
This is another one for those mandatory tube-tying cases IMO ...
This woman has like 6 kids under the age of 8.
She's also been investigated for drugs in the home and putting beer in a baby bottle.

 

[golfmom]

http://www.freep.com/news/locoak/scald11e_20050211.htm

Johnson, 27, who is pregnant with her seventh child, is charged with first-degree murder.
....

Johnson initially told investigators she had scrubbed the tub with chemicals before giving the baby a bath, causing the burns, but an autopsy showed the injuries were consistent with scalding water.


Within days of her arrest, Johnson began talking to Tucker, who is in jail as a first-time offender, charged with being an accessory after an armed robbery. Soon, Tucker said, the two were writing notes back and forth about Jasmine's death. Tucker gave the notes to investigators.


"Did you just want to hurt her?" Tucker wrote, according to her testimony Thursday.


"Yes," she said Johnson wrote.


Later, Tucker said, Johnson wrote, "I just wanted to hurt her, not kill her... I was mad because he kept bringing her around."


Tucker said Johnson told her, "I didn't want to take care of anybody else's kid but ours."

 

[Jeana (DP)]

Jeana,
This is another one for those mandatory tube-tying cases IMO ...
This woman has like 6 kids under the age of 8.
She's also been investigated for drugs in the home and putting beer in a baby bottle.

And she's pregant. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

 

[lisad71]

And she's pregant. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

Can you believe it? :furious: I had to go back and see if I was reading that correctly. At least if she spends her life rotting in jail, I'm hoping that her children get placed in safe, loving homes where the might stand a chance of having normal lives.

 

[ariel7]

http://www.freep.com/news/locoak/scald11e_20050211.htm

Johnson, 27, who is pregnant with her seventh child, is charged with first-degree murder.
....

Johnson initially told investigators she had scrubbed the tub with chemicals before giving the baby a bath, causing the burns, but an autopsy showed the injuries were consistent with scalding water.


Within days of her arrest, Johnson began talking to Tucker, who is in jail as a first-time offender, charged with being an accessory after an armed robbery. Soon, Tucker said, the two were writing notes back and forth about Jasmine's death. Tucker gave the notes to investigators.


"Did you just want to hurt her?" Tucker wrote, according to her testimony Thursday.


"Yes," she said Johnson wrote.


Later, Tucker said, Johnson wrote, "I just wanted to hurt her, not kill her... I was mad because he kept bringing her around."


Tucker said Johnson told her, "I didn't want to take care of anybody else's kid but ours."

One evil woman. Death penalty is what I think she ought to get.
Death by scalding is what I FEEL she ought to get.

 

[mainepotato]

Excerpt from http://www.detnews.com/2005/metro/0502/13/A01-88197.htm :

In one recent case, an Orion Township woman was charged with murder in the Dec. 20 scalding death of her boyfriend's 22-month old daughter, Jasmine Lawrence Phillips -- only eight days after an FIA case worker was at the couple's apartment investigating the suspected abuse of another child by the father.
Letitia Johnson, 27, who is pregnant and has six children, and Louie D. Phillips have been investigated by the FIA for at least six abuse and neglect complaints of children dating to 1998. Yet none of the incidents was apparently serious enough to warrant actions or removal of children. Investigators say she deliberately held Jasmine in 147-degree water because she resented the infant and the infant's mother interfering with her relationship with Louie Phillips.

"I didn't know they (FIA) had been out there just a few days earlier," said Jamila Lawrence, the baby's mother.