GUILTY MO - Elizabeth Guenther, 18 mos, beaten to death, Lee's Summit, 8 Feb 2010

[Texas Mist]

Jackson County prosecutors charged Mark A. Guenther with three counts of assault in the first degree.

Lee's Summit police claimed that Guenther confessed to striking the child several times.

Guenther first claimed his daughter hurt herself when she fell in the bathtub. According to court documents, when detectives later told him the hospital said the injuries were not consistent with his story, Guenther said he punched the girl on the back of the head with a closed fist because she was crying in her high chair and her head hit the table. When detectives asked him how she acted after that, Guenther said she was quiet and laid there.

........

Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar told KMBC's Peggy Breit that the girl is brain dead and remains on life support.

Kanatzar said the case demonstrates that suspected child abuse cases need to be taken seriously. There were two previous suspected cases involving the girl from spring 2009 in Cass County.

more here

http://www.kmbc.com/news/22521985/detail.html

at this link, it was reported the baby was also strangled

http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/2010/02/lees-summit-dad-accused-of-beating-1yearold.html

If he couldn't stand a crying baby, why is he taking care of her anyway???

 

[Texas Mist]

Doctors: Toddler Not Likely To Survive Beating
Girl's Father Charged With First-Degree Assault

POSTED: 4:29 pm CST February 10, 2010
UPDATED: 5:32 pm CST February 10, 2010

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. -- Doctors said an 18-month-old girl will not likely survive the injuries that police said she received from her own father.

Jackson County prosecutors have charged 22-year-old Mark Guenther in connection with the beating of his daughter. Police said the baby was declared medically dead on Wednesday morning, but she is currently on life support.
.................
Doctors said the girl suffered a skull fracture, bleeding on the brain, bruises along the jaw line indicative of strangling, bruises near the abdomen, arm and knee.

Detectives said Guenther admitted that he struck the child with his fist several times in the head and pushed her to the floor because she wouldn't stop crying. He said he held her down by her neck to administer some medicine. Officials said some of the injuries occurred the day before and when the toddler became lifeless the next day he waited two hours to call 911.

Police said two previous instances had been reported to the Cass County Missouri Division of Family Services last year. Guenther admitted to throwing a pacifier at the toddler, which hit her in the head and also to hitting her on the ear because she wouldn't stop crying.

Guenther is charged with three counts of first-degree assault in the latest incident.

more here

http://www.kctv5.com/news/22525993/detail.html

poor little baby....I don't understand why this was left alone w/ her.


ETA:

<snip>

Guenther, who never lived with the girl’s mother, had an informal custody arrangement where he would watch the girl on weekends.

According to court documents:

After initially telling police that she had fallen while standing up in the bathtub, striking her chin and neck before landing on the floor, Guenther allegedly told police he had punched the girl twice in the back of the head while she was in her high chair.

She continued to cry, so he took her out of the chair and struck her head on the carpeted living room floor three or four times.

He told police that the bruising around the neck was caused when he held her down with his hands on her neck as she struggled during a breathing treatment for asthma.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1739790.html

 

[Kymistry35]

Something has got to be done about all these cases where abuse is suspected and nothing is done until it is to late!! RIP sweet baby girl, that monster can't hurt you anymore.

 

[kbl8201]

fry his *advertiser censored**!!!!!!!!!!!!!
im assuming they have to wait for her to be pulled off life support so they can bump up the charges.......it better be first degree this time.

 

[Texas Mist]

fry his *advertiser censored**!!!!!!!!!!!!!
im assuming they have to wait for her to be pulled off life support so they can bump up the charges.......it better be first degree this time.

I just checked a couple of links I posted upthread.

This little one has died.

 

[kbl8201]

awwwwww rip angel

 

[CHICANA]

A-CR01401 - ST V MARK A GUENTHER

This information is provided as a service and is not considered an official court record.
Judge/Commissioner Assigned: COLLINS, WILLIAM B Date Filed: 10/22/2009
Location: Cass Case Type: Criminal/Infract.- see Charges
Disposition: Not Disposed

09CA-CR01401 - ST V MARK A GUENTHER





This information is provided as a service and is not considered an official court record.
Charge/Judgment
Description: Domestic Assault - 3rd Degree - 1st/2nd Offense { Misdemeanor A RSMo: 565.074 }
Date: 10/21/2009 Code: 1301900
OCN: U6007784

Next Charge/Judgment
Description: Property Damage 2nd Degree { Misdemeanor B RSMo: 569.120 }
Date: 10/21/2009 Code: 2313500
OCN: U6007784


I want to know if the court ordered visitation. Maybe under his Grandparent's supervision ?

 

[jnTexas]

Of all the cases I have read similiar to this, this one is so heartbreaking. I guess it's the visual I have of this helpless child sitting in a highchair unable to try and get away from the one person who should protect her as he punched her in the back of the head.

2 days a week!! That's it 48 hours. He only had her a short time. WHY just why did he do this? Why didn't he call his mother, aunt, sister, the babies mother, aunt, grandma? There had to be someone he could've called instead of beating a child with such rage.

 

[Texas Mist]

A-CR01401 - ST V MARK A GUENTHER

This information is provided as a service and is not considered an official court record.
Judge/Commissioner Assigned: COLLINS, WILLIAM B Date Filed: 10/22/2009
Location: Cass Case Type: Criminal/Infract.- see Charges
Disposition: Not Disposed

09CA-CR01401 - ST V MARK A GUENTHER





This information is provided as a service and is not considered an official court record.
Charge/Judgment
Description: Domestic Assault - 3rd Degree - 1st/2nd Offense { Misdemeanor A RSMo: 565.074 }
Date: 10/21/2009 Code: 1301900
OCN: U6007784

Next Charge/Judgment
Description: Property Damage 2nd Degree { Misdemeanor B RSMo: 569.120 }
Date: 10/21/2009 Code: 2313500
OCN: U6007784


I want to know if the court ordered visitation. Maybe under his Grandparent's supervision ?

One of the articles said the baby-killer & mom were never married & had in "informal arrangement" for him to keep her on the weekends.

Maybe the grandparents were trying to get him to do the right thing & be a "dad"....who knows - especially after the previous abuse complaints.

It's obvious he wasn't up to the job.

 

[jnTexas]

http://www.kmbc.com/news/22521985/detail.html

Bottom of this article states they are donating her organs. Hopefully several children will live a long life thanks to Elizabeth's organs. This to me is the most unselfish act a parent can do in the time of mourning the loss of a child.

 

[kbl8201]

http://www.kmbc.com/news/22521985/detail.html

Bottom of this article states they are donating her organs. Hopefully several children will live a long life thanks to Elizabeth's organs. This to me is the most unselfish act a parent can do in the time of mourning the loss of a child.

i vote we donate the dad's organs now......witouth anasthesia

 

[Marine Mom]

http://www.kmbc.com/news/22521985/detail.html

Bottom of this article states they are donating her organs. Hopefully several children will live a long life thanks to Elizabeth's organs. This to me is the most unselfish act a parent can do in the time of mourning the loss of a child.

This is sad and beautiful. This little one will live on through others.

 

[CHICANA]

One of the articles said the baby-killer & mom were never married & had in "informal arrangement" for him to keep her on the weekends.

Maybe the grandparents were trying to get him to do the right thing & be a "dad"....who knows - especially after the previous abuse complaints.

It's obvious he wasn't up to the job.

I read the article, I just don't know who said it. You know me and my conspiracy theories, I'm always thinkin someones trying to cover their butt.
Lee's Summit is like 10 minutes away from me. I know how the family court system works here. It's weird that there's no case establishing paternity and child support was ordered the day the case was filed. There's only one docket entry. I think I found mom's myspace. It's private but her last login was Feb 4th and her mood was worried.
It sounds like he admitted to hitting her before, if a judge ordered visitation,it wouldn't look too good on their already troubled Children's Division.
IDK, but that's what I want to find out.
I talked to the owner of a foster care group home here in Jackson County about a year ago, right after an 11 year old who was staying with him killed himself, he told me 3 other foster child suicides in the same county that year. None of them got any media attention, even after I sent the obit along with the story to our major media outlets. When a local station ran a story about a case, they said on national tv that they had received threatening phone calls and officials tried to convince them not to run the story.
IDK if that's the case here, but I want to know why this baby was left alone with someone who had already confessed to hurting her.

 

[4Kat]

Here are links to his Myspace and Facebook pages. I wasn't sure if it was him at first. He must go by his middle name "Andrew". There are several pictures of this little angel and boy was she a cutie! RIP Elizabeth

I will never understand....

http://www.myspace.com/musicianstud

http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=m...!/profile.php?v=wall&ref=search&id=1294230082

 

[CHICANA]

i vote we donate the dad's organs now......witouth anasthesia

I'll help hold him down.

 

[4Kat]

http://www.kmbc.com/news/22521985/detail.html

Bottom of this article states they are donating her organs. Hopefully several children will live a long life thanks to Elizabeth's organs. This to me is the most unselfish act a parent can do in the time of mourning the loss of a child.

Also from this article, Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar says that he will be upgrading the charges to second-degree murder in the coming weeks.
Anyone know what the punishment for 2nd degree murder is?

 

[CHICANA]

Here are links to his Myspace and Facebook pages. I wasn't sure if it was him at first. He must go by his middle name "Andrew". There are several pictures of this little angel and boy was she a cutie! RIP Elizabeth

I will never understand....

http://www.myspace.com/musicianstud

http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=m...!/profile.php?v=wall&ref=search&id=1294230082

He went to the same high school that my kids will go to.

 

[Filly]

2 days a week!! That's it 48 hours. He only had her a short time. WHY just why did he do this? Why didn't he call his mother, aunt, sister, the babies mother, aunt, grandma? There had to be someone he could've called instead of beating a child with such rage.

Frustration, mad at the mother, not equipped with any parenting skills, pride, an easy target, hungover?

This poor little girl. jn like you said we keep seeing this all the time. It appears and I just say appears as it's only a few pictures of this guy and his baby girl, but it looks like he's working two jobs, doing his music thing and then he's "parenting". Meanwhile he probably dislikes the mother of this beautiful angel. He probably felt a need to "prove" he can be a dad. Mix that in with anger issues and a baby with asthma, and maybe an ear infection or some other illness and you have this horrific mix.

In no way am I even remotely excusing the murder of his own child in such a violent rage and as you said "Call someone". I'm just looking for a "WHY"? What would provoke a violent attack like that on the dear baby you profess to love so much? They are WORDS! Words written on a da*n social network.

I'm thinking back to the days when I had a baby that age and if I'd have been working two jobs outside the home and still wanting to "jam with the boys" and hated my childs father I doubt I'd have time at all to post on a Myspace.

I don't know. I can't even begin to fathom. However, I do recall sleepless nights. Frustration over colic and ear infections. I was older than 23, but I can remember calling my mom or gram saying "O.K. this is two days straight now. What do I do?"

What any normal human being knows what you do NOT do is freakin punch a little baby in the head. Waits two hours to call 911. This guy should have never been left alone with a little baby.

 

[kbl8201]

i have anger issues too.
but the day a take it out on a baby in a high chair is the day you can all line up and shoot me..........

 

[CHICANA]

i have anger issues too.
but the day a take it out on a baby in a high chair is the day you can all line up and shoot me..........

We will :crazy:

A local poster commented that "the mother tried to get his visitation rights taken away but they told her that if she were to deny him visits with Lizzy, he could get a lawyer and she could go to jail for it."

http://www.kmbc.com/news/22521985/detail.html