GUILTY TX - Riley 'Baby Grace' Sawyers, 2, brutally murdered, Spring, 24 July 2007

[nanandjim]

I don't get it. If this didn't want the baby, I feel certain the grandmother would have taken her. WHY did she and her boyfriend or husband torture and murder this poor, innocent baby? I do not get it. I really do not understand how this mother would allow this to happen and then stay with this guy. Yet, she had the audacity to bring charges against the baby's father for shoving her. Go figure...

I hope that they both get the death sentence. I take that back. I want them to get a life sentence and be put in with the general population. That should equate to a better death sentence if all goes well.

 

[Texana]

Okay, the news story from KPRC news/Houston isn't on the link yet, here's a summary of the news story:

The attorney for Zeigler spoke. He said that the mother is not credible and basically is putting the blame on the stepfather, who is very remorseful. (I'll bet.) The attorney said it was basically a horrible accident. (Right.) They were afraid and that's why they hid her body in the storage shed for awhile before dumping her in the bay. ((Whatever.)

The stepfather stayed home from work that day to enact a "discipline plan" for the child that the mother now says went too far. (You think?) The plan involved "spanking" (I forget the term they used) with a belt and then putting her in a cold bath.

The two of them are as expected blaming each other. However, if they really both thought that was an "appropriate" discipline plan then they are two very troubled individuals, to put it mildly. Why would someone think that was appropriate for a little not quite three year old girl? I truly do not understand that kind of thinking.

Zeigler is being held in solitary confinement for fear of reprisals from other prisoners and Treynor (hope I spelled that correctly) is being held at a medical facility because of her pregnancy. (No comment about that. :silenced: )

Right now the only charge is injury to a child, but the grand jury can change that if they see the need. However, injury to a child carries the same penalties as a murder charge--5 years to 99 years--and the prosecution does not have to prove that the defendant intended to kill, in order to get a conviction and by implication (my words) life sentence.

Some people have left little items at their house--pink balloons and little teddy bears. It is so sad.

 

[NewMom2003]

Thanks for the update Texana.

I started to type something out and I just can't. I don't know what to say.

 

[NewMom2003]

Riley Ann Sawyers "Baby Grace" at 1yrs old:

Such a beautiful child of God!

Thanks for the picture SpringTxMom. What a beautiful little angel Riley is.

 

[mum33004]

Did they honestly think they'd never get caught? Talk about warped minds????WTF???? I can't even comprehend how or why someone would do this? I have a 3 year old son and I love him so much, words can describe it.

How could that stupid of a mother stand by & let that nasty animal do that to her child? :loser: She is just as guilty as he is. If some man would lay a hand on my kids I WOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MY ACTIONS!

My father in law always says if someone would hurt his grandkids, he'd be in jail.

 

[NewMom2003]

I just sent the following message to my Senators and Representatives for my state in Congress:

"Dear Sirs:
There is a crisis reaching epidemic
proportions here in the US and I think it can be easily solved,
regardless of your party affiliation. Infants, toddlers and children
are being tortured, abused, beaten, raped and murdered in alarming
numbers. Pick a section of the country-from Rowan Ford, to Riley
Sawyers to Neveah Richardson. The headlines are screaming.

We could spend a whole lot of time and money analyzing this trend-are
these children on the fringes and thereby disposable? Is it the
pressure of a single parent household that tempts women to bring
virtual strangers into their children's lives who have no biological
tie and therefore do not feel connected to the children? Is it meth,
lack of faith, whatever? This would undoubtedly shed some light, but
in the meantime children will continue to die.

Please, I am begging you-as a committed voting member of the public and
as a devoted parent of small children...the time has come to act.
Someone needs to make some laws for children-to make it a federal offense
to batter a child. It should be a capitol offense to murder a child during
the commission of abuse. We have in office an administration that is smoke
and mirrors when it comes to the well being of children-witness the
lack of funding of the "No Child Left Behind" act and the recently
vetoed health care bill that would ensure innocents the right of
excellent health care. This is a no brainer-show the world that we
value the children we bring into this world-make it a HUGE penalty if
you harm a child. I am lobbing you a softball, gentlemen-be heroes in
the eyes of the world and your constituents by leading the charge to
place value on our children.
Respectfully,
Believe09"

:twocents:

Very well done believe09! :clap:

Would you mind if we at WS copied it and sent it to our representatives?

 

[NewMom2003]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/27/riley.sketch/index.html#cnnSTCText


"She was so very, very small. She looked like the size of a child that you would change the diaper on, just laying there on a metal gurney like a giant stainless steel cookie sheet," Gibson says just above a sad, disbelieving whisper before her voice shifts and she's strong and scientific. "If you are very, very small, then the iris, that colored part of your eye, takes up almost the entire eye opening."
The corpse's decay helped Gibson perfect the gentle downward slope of Riley's eyes. "The decomposition was such that I could see that bone on her face," she said. "And her eyebrows were going to follow her little ridge."
Gibson said she felt her blood pressure rising during her morgue visit. It passed quickly, she said, and "I turned into the artist. I was going to make the best picture possible and get every piece of anatomy right and find her name and get justice for her." In spite of what lay on the gurney, Gibson said, "I knew that she was beautiful, and the picture would reach out to people who knew her and loved her."

This story has touched me, she reminds me of my little girl Sydney - I've been hugging her A LOT over the past few days... What is wrong with people?

ETA - above should have been 'describes'

Thanks for the article. It's because this woman took such care with Baby Grace's sketch that her grandmother and father were able to recognize Riley's face.

 

[believe09]

NewMom-I am sure there are more articulate writers on here, but I would be honored if anyone wanted to use any part of my letter. Thank you for your kindness-If we at WS start some kind of campaign to raise awareness and insist on maximum penalties, the decision makers will have to listen, I have no doubt.:blowkiss:

 

[Texana]

What a beautiful little baby she was. How sad that she is with the angels now.
But at least she will never know any more pain and suffering at the hands of her "parents."

You would think that Zeigler would have realized something was wrong when he gave her pain medication! That is going to be argued both ways by the defense and the prosecution, I am sure. One will say it showed he did not want her to die and the other that he knew she was truly injured.

The news reports are calling it her "tortue." :banghead:

Time to take a break again and go hug some children around here.

 

[NewMom2003]

Thank you believe! :blowkiss:

I'm ashamed to admit this. I've always said I was going to do this and do that, but I've never acted on it. I've seen some horrible cases on here over the years, but I can't let this one go. However big or small, whatever I can do to raise awareness to get our laws changed - I'll do it. I'm starting now.

 

[believe09]

What a beautiful little baby she was. How sad that she is with the angels now.
But at least she will never know any more pain and suffering at the hands of her "parents."

You would think that Zeigler would have realized something was wrong when he gave her pain medication! That is going to be argued both ways by the defense and the prosecution, I am sure. One will say it showed he did not want her to die and the other that he knew she was truly injured.

The news reports are calling it her "tortue." :banghead:

It was torture-he stayed home from work to participate in the torture of a 2 year old, but when push came to shove, so to speak, they could not bring themselves to outright kill her. So they gave her pain meds to quiet her instead of calling for help and just let her fall into a coma and die-my heart is firm in this. I bet he threw her across the room because she kicked, bit him or struggled. And then they conceived a child-or perhaps it is someone else's if there is a bombshell to come...who knows. How incredibly surreal and sad.

Tell me Royce and Kim-how bad was Riley really that she deserved this? I need to know how big and bad a 35+ pound child can be that you both have to open up a can on her? How pathetic are the two of you???

(Sorry for the direct attack.)

 

[nanandjim]

What a beautiful little baby she was. How sad that she is with the angels now.
But at least she will never know any more pain and suffering at the hands of her "parents."

You would think that Zeigler would have realized something was wrong when he gave her pain medication! That is going to be argued both ways by the defense and the prosecution, I am sure. One will say it showed he did not want her to die and the other that he knew she was truly injured.

The news reports are calling it her "tortue." :banghead:

Time to take a break again and go hug some children around here.

There is not one part of this pathetic story as told by Zeigler that I believe. He stayed home to implement a displinary plan. (Notice that he has to be in protective custody, though.) That baby had THREE skull fractures.

In any case, you do not use corporal punishment on any child much less on a toddler. I hope that they are eventually put with the general population because I want them to be beat to death.

 

[Indigo]

A chronicle of the Sawyers family's ongoing turmoil-- from the Plain Dealer News:





Riley's short life

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

March 11, 2005: Riley Sawyers is born in Mentor to Kimberly Trenor and Robert Sawyers.

March 30, 2007: Robert Sawyers is arrested for domestic violence after Trenor calls police and says he grabbed her throat because she parked in his space in the driveway.

April 12: Sawyers is ordered by Lake County Domestic Court to stay away from Trenor.

May 25: Trenor agrees to give Sawyers custody of Riley every Wednesday and every other weekend.

May 29: Sawyers files a claim that Trenor failed to give him Riley. Trenor's father, Randall Trenor, says his daughter and Riley are in Canton and will return in June.

June 1: Kimberly Trenor and Riley move to Texas, where Trenor, 19, moves in with Royce Clyde Zeigler II, 24, who she met on the Internet.

More of the story at this link:
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/lake/119615633599510.xml&coll=2

 

[SpringTxMom]

Interesting, since Harris County records show the marriage license was issued on May 29th and they were married on June 1st. So that means Trenor's father was lying for her.

 

[AnnieOakley]

The legal/court pieces of this bug me a lot...
I notice that Robert (dad) filed a claim with the court in May for Kimberly (mom) not delivering Riley for visitation... and that was only 4 days after the mom agreed to give him visitation on Wed's and alternating weekends! Then, she shuffles off to Canton, reporting that she will be back in June- when all along, she intended to move to TX!! Has the court even heard his claim yet??

Maybe it's because I read this stuff too often, but it seems like custodial interference cases take forever to get heard, and then kids disappear from a parent's life. I know the courts are overwhelmed, but maybe there needs to be a more severe penalty for just deciding to up and take off with your kid in violation of court ordered visitation... ( Trust me, I definitely know there are two sides to this deal since I am a divorced/custodial mom... It's been a nightmare sometimes and I can only imagine what some others go through...)

 

[2sisters]

So she is a poor judge of men and now her child is dead b/c of her being a stupid twit and her stupid jerk boyfriend. She goes from one abuser to the next. At least Riley is in heaven and doesn't have to be tourtured anymore.

 

[Reannan]

Believe09, what you wrote was wonderful!!:clap: I am going to work on sending this to my representatives also! Regarding what the Zeigler is saying about "having stayed home that day to work on a discipline plan"......:furious: Well, that right there is premeditation IMHO. From what nightmare did he devise a "discipline plan" that included beating with a belt and then submersion in a tub of cold water??? :doh: :banghead: Personally, I think this would be a great way to start his day for the rest of his miserable life. I also would be surprised if him throwing her across the floor is what resulted in the skull fracture(s). There are three of them, all on the back of her head from what I have read. IMO, he deliberately and intentionally banged her head into the tile floor. His pathetic whine about having given her pain medicine is not registering any sympathy with me....in fact - just the opposite. I would personally get up early to beat him with a belt, hold him under cold water in a tub, and then bang his head into the floor until his skull was fractured. At bedtime, he gets a tylenol as I shove him face down into a pillow. Sorry folks, but I have walked around in a daze and depressed all day over this case. It is one of those cases that is going to haunt me for a long time.

 

[Texana]

There is not one part of this pathetic story as told by Zeigler that I believe. He stayed home to implement a displinary plan. (Notice that he has to be in protective custody, though.) That baby had THREE skull fractures.

In any case, you do not use corporal punishment on any child much less on a toddler. I hope that they are eventually put with the general population because I want them to be beat to death.

I hear you. I felt the same way.

I think that Riley was acting out as two year olds/three year olds do--especially since she had left her grandmother's home and was in a completely new setting. I think Zeigler had pathologically unrealistic views of children's development and natural behavior. She refused to do something or she had a toileting accident (which sets off many abusers) and he decided that she had been "spoiled" long enough.

I think that when Riley did act as they perceived to be misbehaving--I won't even say she actually was--Kimberly blamed it on Grandma's "spoiling" her. So Zeigler decided to literally take matters into his own hands.

How anyone could consider what he did as appropriate is frightening. I wonder if he was abused himself as a child, or if he just literally lost control.

I think he did throw her across the room. She was a tiny child and her head might have hit the floor more than once. I can't imagine why Kimberly would make up the detail "took her by the hair and threw her" when it's just as bad as "beat her head against the floor."

I don't even want to think about what Riley might have been thinking or saying at the moment he inflicted the head trauma on her or even before that.

 

[believe09]

Peace to you Reannan-and thanks for your kind words.:blushing:

Now you have a great idea-I wonder what kind of deterrent it would be if there was a sentence that included starting your day every day with the same treatment you offered your victim? Short of death, I mean. Yeah, OK, it is cruel and unusual punishment, but wow can you imagine if Royce and Kim began each day being whipped with leather belts and submerged in a tub of cold water???!!! And imagine how some of the other perps on other threads would start THEIR day...you gave me a little glint in my eye after such terrible sadness that has washed over me lately...

 

[Reannan]

...you gave me a little glint in my eye after such terrible sadness that has washed over me lately...

lol - Believe09; I like you! I deal with anger much better than grief. Here is a link to an article I found that reveals the view of Kim's parents.

http://tinyurl.com/35ltkn