GUILTY MI - Mariha Smith, 5, Detroit, 24 July 2011

[katydid23]

I hope the suspect and Q start talking; I want to know how they can explain why on earth something so unthinkable could be done to a precious 5 year old girl. I hope Q wasn't involved, though I think it's clear she had guilty knowledge after the fact, imo. I wonder if more family, friends, or foes will be implicated when/if the suspect starts talking. Anyone involved in any way should be held accountable for his/her part. Hopefully, it was just the suspect.

Rest peacefully sweet Mariha...

ETA: Good point Bette - maybe the huge jump in the reward jogged someone's memory. Was that reward increased by the PD, CrimeStoppers or the family? TIA...

At first I was upset thinking that someone would not come forward w/out the bigger cash reward---HOWEVER, now I wonder if maybe they felt they could not come forward for their own safety, unless they had the money needed to move far away.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I hope the suspect and Q start talking; I want to know how they can explain why on earth something so unthinkable could be done to a precious 5 year old girl. I hope Q wasn't involved, though I think it's clear she had guilty knowledge after the fact, imo. I wonder if more family, friends, or foes will be implicated when/if the suspect starts talking. Anyone involved in any way should be held accountable for his/her part. Hopefully, it was just the suspect.

Rest peacefully sweet Mariha...

ETA: Good point Bette - maybe the huge jump in the reward jogged someone's memory. Was that reward increased by the PD, CrimeStoppers or the family? TIA...

$2500 respectively from CrimeStoppers and Detroit Arson Squad. $5000 from Bureau of Drugs, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

 

[yllek]

At first I was upset thinking that someone would not come forward w/out the bigger cash reward---HOWEVER, now I wonder if maybe they felt they could not come forward for their own safety, unless they had the money needed to move far away.

On the same page...

 

[JourneyRain]

That's great that someone has been arrested.

Now I want to know WHY!!

 

[matou]

I just heard about this case tonight and read the entire thread. RIP beautiful little girl. I'm happy there's been an arrest in this case and I'm guessing there may be at least one more arrest. So sick over this.

 

[Flossie JMO]

I haven't caught up with this, and God Bless Mariha. So sick and sad

I wanted to post Marc Klaas was NOT there when his daughter Polly was kidnapped,and murdered.

Marc's ex wife, and some of Polly's friends were. Just thought it was important to clarify. JMO

 

[BeanE]

Police Arrest Boyfriend Of Mariha Smith's Aunt
Investigators Search For Girl's Aunt
POSTED: Friday, August 5, 2011
UPDATED: 11:01 pm EDT August 5, 2011

Police were searching for the girl's aunt, Quanita Smith, earlier in the week to question her. Konesha Smith said her sister had failed a polygraph test and was being held by police before eventually being let go.

On Friday, family members said she was still missing.

Family members also said that they believe the aunt's boyfriend is the man shown on a gas station surveillance video buying a relatively small amount of gas in a can shortly before the home where Mariha's body was found went up in flames.

On Wednesday, Konesha Smith said she feared her sister Quanita knew more than she was telling investigators.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/28784266/detail.html

 

[yllek]

I hope this case goes to trial quickly and Cheatham and others involved are severely punished for what they did to little Mariha.

I am so glad the ball is rolling towards justice for Mariha, though nothing will bring her back and this should have never happened. Mariha was alone and unguarded against evil-minded adults in the very home where she slept with her family. Thank god her brother was awake to see who was last in the house with Mariha or Detroit PD might be out looking for some random non-existent window creeping stranger So sad. So many questions, hope we get answers:

1. Was there really a second man at the house with Quanita and Cheatham after Konesha passed out, or was that something that someone planted in Mariha's brother's head to point to an unknown man once those involved realized he'd been awake and was a credible witness? If that second man is real, who is he and was he involved?

2. Would Cheatham really have needed to climb through a window to get in or out of his girlfriend's house or did he simply walk out the door with Mariha? Could Quanita not have known this was going down? Did one/both stage and plant the idea of the window abduction in Konesha's mind?

3. Did the person who finally identified Cheatham from the gas station video get the 10k reward? Was that person Quanita? Was it set up so that Quanita would have run money before she made a positive id and possibly told about a piece of key evidence that police would find in Cheatham's house? How could Konesha, Virginia, Dominque, and the rest of Konesha's family (including the older kids) not recognize the boyfriend of Quanita in the video when most of them lived with Quanita and he was presumably at the house during the party? (we know he was at least there at the end, according to Konesha's son) The video was grainy, but I'd sure recognize my sister's boyfriend at that level of clarity under the circumstances. Will we see or hear from Quanita again outside of a courtroom (as a witness or defendant)?

4. Was there really some ongoing feud between Konesha (and/or the rest of the family) and some man or group of people as was originally speculated by the family as the motive? Or, was that something conjured up by Quanita or someone else in the family to deflect attention from those in the house?

5. What, if anything, did the the altercation at the vigil have to do with Mariha's demise?

6. Was this a sexually motivated crime for Cheatham (for himself), a drug trade to someone else, or some kind of revenge aimed at Konesha?

Really want to get the answers because I just can not comprehend why this happened to precious Mariha, especially at the hands of adult(s) known to her. If we never get the answers but Mariha's killer(s) never see the light of day again, that's okay too.

Again, hats off to Mariha's little brother for being alert and articulate about who was last in the house after mom passed out, the Detroit PD, and those that quickly increased the reward: CrimeStoppers, Detroit Arson Squad, and the Bureau of Drugs, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Rest in peace angel Mariha...

 

[MsFacetious]

This is just way too much. Mariha HAD a Daddy. He didn't choose to not be involved in her life. :cry:

Many family members wore white T-shirts with a picture of Mariha — whose name has been spelled differently by family and police —
on the front and their relation to her on the back.

Among the relatives were "Granny," "Auntie" and "Daddy," a man who said he had to attend the funeral —
even if he didn't know he had a daughter until it was too late. :cry:

Curtis Miller, 27, said he dated Mariha's mother for months, but they lost contact and he said he never knew Mariha was his daughter.
Mariha's mother asked him to take a blood test after the girl went missing that confirmed his relationship.
The parents sat next to each other during the funeral.

"I would've taken care of her. She would've been living with me," said Miller, who has two sons and lives with a girlfriend and her three children. "She would still be alive."

http://detnews.com/article/20110806...mourns-as-girl--5--laid-to-rest#ixzz1UEChxLAZ

 

[katydid23]

I wonder why Q is missing after her release from custody?

Is she running because she was involved in this crime?

OR is she running because she told on those who were involved?

 

[yllek]

OMG MsFacetious... That's all I can say...

 

[yllek]

I wonder why Q is missing after her release from custody?

Is she running because she was involved in this crime?

OR is she running because she told on those who were involved?

Or is she being hidden/protected?

 

[obody]

This might be a dumb question. If the boyfriend were the one on the surveillance video, wouldn't LE have been able to identify him? They had questioned him previously IiRC. Or is identifying someone on a video left to those who know them better?

 

[yllek]

This might be a dumb question. If the boyfriend were the one on the surveillance video, wouldn't LE have been able to identify him? They had questioned him previously IiRC. Or is identifying someone on a video left to those who know them better?

I don't understand that either. I was surprised earlier today when an article stated that family members thought it was Q's boyfriend in the video. If it is him, they had to know last week. So did the police. Maybe because the video was so grainy, they needed more than the video; they needed that piece of evidence that was found in his home today. Speculating that possibly Q or somebody else in the family finally confirmed that Cheatham was seen in those exact clothes the night Mariha was killed and that was a firm enough ID to get them a search warrant for the house. Just speculating... But, I don't think it's even been confirmed 100% that it's Cheatham in the video or that accomplices have been ruled out...

 

[MsFacetious]

Amid the bright flowers, poster-size photographs and calls for justice, the casket took center stage.

"Mariha T. Smith" was etched in gold on the ivory-colored box, matching the gold handles and trim.

Inside was 5-year-old Mariha, a joyful girl with a beautiful smile...

http://detnews.com/article/20110806...mourns-as-girl--5--laid-to-rest#ixzz1UEAdUD4V

Mariha's funeral began at noon today and drew a near-capacity crowd, which almost filled the church that has a capacity of 800.

http://detnews.com/article/20110805...est-man-in-Mariha-Smith-slaying#ixzz1UEPBndJg

"I'm here today because I want to pay honor to an angel, Mariha, who left too soon," Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee said.

http://detnews.com/article/20110805...est-man-in-Mariha-Smith-slaying#ixzz1UEJSxUD3

The girl was laid to rest at Detroit Memorial Park West.

Three doves were released -- representing the father, the son and the Holy Spirit --
before family and friends made their way to the Garden of Joy.

A rope, attached to a crane and swaddled around her small casket, lifted Mariha up and placed her into a grave.

Family members tossed flowers into her grave and said their good-byes.

"We love you, Mariha."

Balloons were released into the sky.

http://www.freep.com/article/201108...e-then-arrest-5-year-old-Detroit-girl-s-death

http://www.detnews.com/article/2011...s-fill-church-to-say-goodbye-to-little-Mariah

 

[Trident]

This is just way too much. Mariha HAD a Daddy. He didn't choose to not be involved in her life. :cry:

Many family members wore white T-shirts with a picture of Mariha — whose name has been spelled differently by family and police —
on the front and their relation to her on the back.

Among the relatives were "Granny," "Auntie" and "Daddy," a man who said he had to attend the funeral —
even if he didn't know he had a daughter until it was too late. :cry:

Curtis Miller, 27, said he dated Mariha's mother for months, but they lost contact and he said he never knew Mariha was his daughter.
Mariha's mother asked him to take a blood test after the girl went missing that confirmed his relationship.
The parents sat next to each other during the funeral.

"I would've taken care of her. She would've been living with me," said Miller, who has two sons and lives with a girlfriend and her three children. "She would still be alive."

http://detnews.com/article/20110806...mourns-as-girl--5--laid-to-rest#ixzz1UEChxLAZ

I'm a wee bit skeptical of "after-the-fact" dads.

 

[Donjeta]

I am glad that they have an arrest and apparently some key evidence was found as well.
Hope the family can heal one day.

What a devastating thing it would be to only find out you have a daughter after she's gone.

 

[Cubby]

I'm a wee bit skeptical of "after-the-fact" dads.

Respectfully, I'm a little bit skeptical of mothers who choose not to tell a man they are expecting their child or have their child. There are too many reasons to discuss why some women make that choice. Some reasonable, some very unreasonable.

In this case, I am happy she chose to finally tell him even though it was too late. At least he had the choice to attend his daughters funeral and made the choice to attend. I don't know her reasons for not previously notifying him, nor will I speculate on them - mainly because this is a victim friendly forum.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

I can not imagine not knowing I had a child. Ever!
Not to mention not finding out until something tragic happened and then realizing it's too late to even see her or hear her voice.

 

[chasing.halos]

My heart is breaking. Can you even imagine not knowing you had a baby girl and only finding out after she was murdered. Bless you Curtis You can see the pain in his face.

And what a most gorgeous funeral for a most gorgeous baby girl. Bless those that donated- you can tell they went ALL out.

:rose: