CA - Aarabella McCormack, 11, Murdered, 2 Siblings Abused and Tortured by Adoptive Caregivers, San Diego, Nov 2022

[Niner]

Defendant: Leticia Diane McCormack Defense Counsel: Gregory Garrison
Court No. CE414848

Date Time Event
01/18/2023 08:30 AM Preliminary Exam Readiness

Location:
San Diego Superior Court, East County Division, East County Regional Center, Dept. 2



Defendant: Adella Juanita Tom Defense Counsel: Randy Wagner
Court No. CE414848

Date Time Event
01/18/2023 08:30 AM Preliminary Exam Readiness

Location:
San Diego Superior Court, East County Division, East County Regional Center, Dept. 2



Defendant: Stanley Tom Defense Counsel: Shervin Samimi
Court No. CE414848

Date Time Event
01/18/2023 08:30 AM Preliminary Exam Readiness

Location:
San Diego Superior Court, East County Division, East County Regional Center, Dept. 2

link: link: Case Information, Search - San Diego County District Attorney

 

[Niner]

Can anyone access this article - just curious on what it says.

Hearing held on custody of siblings allegedly tortured by adoptive mother

Two younger sisters placed with new foster family following death of Aarabella McCormack, 11.

www.cbs8.com

 

[Layne2020]

SAN DIEGO — The woman charged with murder and torture in the death of her adopted daughter appeared in juvenile court Monday for a dependency hearing. The confidential hearing was meant to determine the custody of the two surviving, younger sisters. CBS 8 has learned the girls will remain in the custody of a new foster family as the criminal case progresses against the adoptive family members.

The biological mother, Torianna Florey, walked into juvenile court Monday expecting to come face-to-face with the woman accused of murdering her oldest daughter, Aarabella McCormack, 11. Florey lost custody of her three biological daughters in 2017 following several complaints to Child Welfare Services. The girls were placed into foster care with the McCormack family, who later adopted them. The adoptive mother, Leticia McCormack, and her parents, Stanley and Adella Tom, are now charged with torture in the death of Aarabella and the abuse of the two younger sisters. Monday's hearing was closed to the public. It was set to formally transfer custody of the surviving siblings, ages 6 and 8, to a new foster family. It will be a difficult transition, according family law attorney Anton Georghiou, who is not involved in the case. “They'll be placed with new foster parents, but how can you possibly move past this having lost your biological parents, then having been adopted by foster parents only to be abused by them, and now being placed with a second set of foster parents? They're never going to trust adults,” said Georghiou. Florey, the biological mother, said she is fighting to regain custody of her two daughters. But that's a legal long shot, according to Georghiou. “I don't see the authorities taking that risk. I think that they're going to place these children with another set of able adults that can take care of them,” said Georghiou. Eventually, the case may end up in a lawsuit, which could provide some answers about how and why the adoption of the three girls took such a tragic turn. “Somebody should be held accountable, and the county realistically should be, because they were the ones that placed these children with this family. It's pretty terrible,” said Georghiou.

Florey also is fighting to get her daughter's body released for burial. She may have to file a lawsuit against the Medical Examiner's office to make that happen.

Can anyone access this article - just curious on what it says.

Hearing held on custody of siblings allegedly tortured by adoptive mother

Two younger sisters placed with new foster family following death of Aarabella McCormack, 11.

www.cbs8.com

 

[Layne2020]

Can anyone access this article - just curious on what it says.

Hearing held on custody of siblings allegedly tortured by adoptive mother

Two younger sisters placed with new foster family following death of Aarabella McCormack, 11.

www.cbs8.com

The news article also had this video.

All three volunteered with police. Interesting.

Please forgive my formatting errors. I am on mobile.

 

[5W's]

The news article also had this video.

All three volunteered with police. Interesting.

Please forgive my formatting errors. I am on mobile.

This is what I mean look at these three. Its absolutly disgusting what they did. Yet here they are volunteering with police. I'm sure these three gave off bad vibes, they said inappropriate things with a lack of moral judgement and character and yet these people were considered decent people even though they may have appeared to lack moral integrity. Others just took it as whatever its ok. When really these people when they say something that is lacking morality should be looked at as to what they are actually getting at. But no it goes over people's heads and some excuse is made to say these people are OKAY!!!

 

[Niner]

New details revealed in death of 11-year-old Spring Valley girl who prosecutors say was tortured, abused

EL CAJON — At 11 years old, Aarabella McCormack weighed just 48 pounds — less than what she weighed when she was 5, a prosecutor said Tuesday.The girl was so emaciated “…

www.sandiegouniontribune.com

Nov. 29, 2022

EL CAJON —
At 11 years old, Aarabella McCormack weighed just 48 pounds — less than what she weighed when she was 5, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

The girl was so emaciated “her bones protruded from her skin,” Deputy District Attorney Meredith Pro revealed in El Cajon Superior Court.
[.....]
The new details about the case were revealed during a bail hearing for two defendants accused in the girl’s death: her mother and grandmother.
[.....]
After listening to the arguments, San Diego Superior Court Judge Kathleen Lewis ordered McCormack and her mother to remain in custody without bail.

Lewis said she believes the two defendants are a threat to the public, including Aarabella’s sisters, who survived.
[.....]
A criminal complaint alleges the abuse and torture occurred over the course of about five and a half years, leading up to Aarabella’s death.

If convicted, McCormack, 49, and Stanley Tom, 75, each face 25 years to life in prison, plus two life terms. Adella Tom, 70, faces two life terms in prison if convicted.
[.....]
Gregory Garrison, McCormack’s attorney, asked the judge to set bail at $1 million. Randy Wagner, Tom’s attorney, asked the judge to set bail at $100,000.

 

[Curious Me]

Murder suspect Leticia McCormack, 49, seen with Arabella, her younger sisters and her husband, Brian McCormack, who has committed suicide. CBS8

December 1, 2022 2:06 pm

Girl, 11, who was allegedly killed by adoptive mom weighed just 48 pounds

An 11-year-old San Diego girl who died after allegedly being tortured and starved by her adoptive mom and grandparents was so emaciated that “her bones protruded from her skin,” a prosecutor reveal…

nypost.com

Horrifying new details about Arabella McCormack’s death were revealed at a bail hearing Tuesday at El Cajon Superior Court for Leticia McCormack, 49, an ordained elder at a local megachurch, and her mother Adella Tom, 70.
​

McCormack was charged last month with murder, torture and willful cruelty to a child in the death of the 11-year-old. Tom was slapped with torture and cruelty charges.

Stanley Tom, 75, McCormack’s father, also was charged with murder, torture and willful cruelty but previously waived his right to revisit his no-bail status, the San Diego Union Tribune reported.

The Toms have both served as volunteers with San Diego Police Department since 2015, according to the paper.​

[...]

Arabella’s adoptive father, Brian McCormack, who served as a Border Patrol agent, killed himself in front of police after doctors declared her dead.

November 9, 2022

Adoptive Family Pleads Not Guilty to Murder, Torture in Death of Spring Valley Girl, 11

The adoptive mother and grandparents of an 11-year-old girl who died after being found in grave condition at a Spring Valley home last summer pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges that include murder and torture.

timesofsandiego.com

Leticia McCormack is reportedly an ordained elder and ministry leadership coordinator for the Rock School of Ministry at the Rock Church pastored by former NFL player Miles McPherson.

If convicted, McCormack and her father face a maximum sentence of 25 years to life, plus two life terms behind bars, while Adella Tom faces a maximum of two life terms in prison.
​

NOV. 29, 2022 8:37 PM PT

New details revealed in death of 11-year-old Spring Valley girl who prosecutors say was tortured, abused

EL CAJON — At 11 years old, Aarabella McCormack weighed just 48 pounds — less than what she weighed when she was 5, a prosecutor said Tuesday.The girl was so emaciated “…

www.sandiegouniontribune.com

 

[Curious Me]

@Niner, per the news video below, they'll be back in court January 18, 2023.

Author: City News Service, David Gotfredson
Published: 7:04 PM PST November 29, 2022

No bail for adoptive family members charged in girl's death

Prosecutor: Aarabella McCormack, 11, was emaciated and weighed 48 pounds when she died.

www.cbs8.com

Tuesday's bail review hearing yielded the first specifics regarding the accusations against Leticia Diane McCormack, 49, and McCormack's parents, 70-year-old Adella Tom and 75-year-old Stanley Tom.​

Nov 29, 2022
No bail for adoptive family members charged in girl's death

 

[5W's]

5/2 years. Absolutely horrendous. The above photo where the husband is sitting with the children and the adoptive mother Aarabella looks like she is perhaps around 8 or 9 yrs. old. In th midst of this horror! Wow! Awful. I suppose that photo is a testament to what was actually happening and not an actual happy family photo at all. So sad. What we didn't know while this was photo taken and now we do!

 

[cvaldez1975]

The court site doesn't say "when" all these people were arrested - anyone have that date? I know the charges were filed on 11/4/22. TIA!

nov 7

'Her Bones Protruded from Her Skin': Grisly Details Emerge After Megachurch Leader Charged with Torturing and Murdering 11-Year-Old Daughter

A judge in California will not allow a local megachurch leader and her mother to be released from jail.

lawandcrime.com

 

[cvaldez1975]

absolutely awful. speculation... was this a tiger mother gone awry scenario and dad was a "yes dear"?

 

[Curious Me]

FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News

Get the latest San Diego news, breaking news, weather, traffic, sports, entertainment and video from fox5sandiego.com. Watch newscasts from FOX 5/KSWB and KUSI.

www.kusi.com

"Toys for Joy seeks to impact the lives of children by providing a toy and food for each family. Over the past 22 years, it has served over 166,900 children and their families and annually gives out 21,000 toys and 60,000 pounds of food."​

San Diego Rock Church Pastor Breaks Silence on Former Church Elder Charged With Child-Abuse Death

San Diego Rock Church Pastor Miles McPherson spoke out publicly on Sunday about the death of 11-year-old Aarabella McCormack. It was the first time he addressed the adopted child’s killing and the arrest of three former church members in connection with her death. That included her adoptive...

www.nbcsandiego.com

"...a church spokeswoman has been responsive to questions from NBC 7 Investigates over the last two months. She told us the Rock Church did not have any involvement in the fostering or adoption of Aarabella or her sisters."

[...]

(Pastor Miles) McPherson then directed people to the church’s website, which posted this statement:

...For the Rock, our church has numerous volunteers who serve in a variety of ministries. The church relies on these volunteers to fulfill its mission of helping others in service to God. As a volunteer, Leticia had a limited capacity and was mostly focused on administrative coordination. The Rock Church routinely runs background checks on all of our volunteers with the most recent for Leticia conducted on 10/25/21. Nothing was provided in the background check information we received that would indicate a red flag.

Leticia was not a part of our paid staff, was not a pastor and did not serve in any official pastoral role for the church. Her ordination as an elder was completed at another church and transferred to the Rock in January 2022. She is no longer affiliated with the church and her ordination was suspended at the beginning of the investigation and has now been officially revoked.

A tragedy like this will rightly inspire intense reflection and soul searching by anyone who had interaction with this family. Despite numerous background checks, despite involvement with law enforcement both as a volunteer as well as a member with her husband as a Border Patrol officer, despite government agencies and the courts authorizing adoption and monitoring the children, despite all of this, clearly evil was hidden from obvious view.

BBM and UBM​

 

[OckhamsRazor22]

Fly high, angel.
May justice be swift and harsh.

From your words to the universe. Godspeed Angel. The coward adoptive father removed himself via suicide in the midst of the nightmare he (and others) created. Sick & beyond twisted. I pray Justice FINDS the rest of the group while in prison. MOHO

 

[Curious Me]

absolutely awful. speculation... was this a tiger mother gone awry scenario and dad was a "yes dear"?

MOO, I don't know, was he passively following along? JMO, I wonder if there was "something more" he was doing to that little girl that he knew would come down on him. The others have no qualms going to court, but not the husband.

Brian McCormack was a Border Patrol Officer. He would've definitely lost his job. I wonder, like you, about how assertive he was within that household. Nobody stopped Arabella from being treated that way. Was there more going on? Was it grooming, teaching her to not speak of what was going on in that household?

He didn't hesitate to kill himself right in front of LE. I figure he was contributing his income to that household, and wonder how Leticia could afford working as a volunteer, not paid by the church. MOO, why did he kill himself right off? I wonder if there was something more that he knew would come out.

UPDATED: 15:58 EST, 11 November 2022

PICTURED: Church elder and her husband accused murdering daughter

Leticia McCormack, 49, and her husband Brian, a border patrol agent, were accused of murdering 11-year-old Aarabella McCormack, one of their three adopted daughters.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Neighbors tell CBS 8 that Leticia, a church elder, was struggling with the girls and constantly complained that they had 'temper tantrums.'

On August 30, they were called to the home amid reports that a child was choking at 2am.

They rushed Aarabella to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

She was severely malnourished and covered in bruises.

After deputies arrived at the home, they contacted the girl's adoptive father, Brian McCormack, who drove over and shot himself in front of them, the sheriff's department said.
​

Brian, a CBP agent, was also due to be charged but he killed himself in front of police when they arrived at his home to arrest him (this) week in San Diego.

 

[Curious Me]

Before the trial starts, I want to get some info about this case moved over here. I want to post a couple of pics of Arabella from 2015 before she was adopted in 2017. She looked healthy and happy. Hard to understand how she'd end up deceased by 2022 after being adopted with her siblings.

The children were home schooled and neighbors say they didn't see children living there. One neighbor only saw children once, when she first moved in, four years ago. ​

2015 photos of Arabella before she was adopted in 2017

Very Informative Video at this link - November 14, 2022 at 2:41 pm

Questions Linger About Death of Former Megachurch Elder's 11-Year-Old Adopted Girl in Spring Valley

An adopted 11-year-old girl named Aarabella died at a San Diego County hospital on Tuesday, Aug. 30. More than a week later, after NBC 7 Investigates reached out to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, it released a statement confirming detectives were actively investigating Aarabella’s...

www.nbcsandiego.com

San Diego Sheriff's Investigating Death of Former Megachurch Elder's Daughter, 11, in Suspected Child Abuse Case

The same day the girl died, law enforcement officials say her father took his life.

www.nbcsandiego.com

 

[Lusitana]

What is Mega Church? Never heard of it.

Disgusting what they did to these kids.

 

[Curious Me]

What is Mega Church? Never heard of it...

A megachurch is a church with an unusually large membership, who also offer a variety of educational and social activities. Rock Church is an evangelical megachurch located in San Diego, California, with five campuses located throughout the county.

Rock Church cuts ties with volunteer, mother accused of murder, child abuse in her daughter’s death

SPRING VALLEY — A Spring Valley woman charged this week with murder, child abuse and torture in the death of her 11-year-old daughter was a Rock Church volunteer, but the evangelica…

www.sandiegouniontribune.com

 

[Lusitana]

A megachurch is a church with an unusually large membership, who also offer a variety of educational and social activities. Rock Church is an evangelical megachurch located in San Diego, California, with five campuses located throughout the county.

Rock Church cuts ties with volunteer, mother accused of murder, child abuse in her daughter’s death

SPRING VALLEY — A Spring Valley woman charged this week with murder, child abuse and torture in the death of her 11-year-old daughter was a Rock Church volunteer, but the evangelica…

www.sandiegouniontribune.com

Oh, wow. Interesting.

 

[Niner]

Looks like Adella Tom has been added a bail bond motion hearing - I received this in my email:

THE FOLLOWING EVENT(S) HAVE BEEN ADDED FOR CASE CE414848:

Bail Bond Motion scheduled for Dec 20 2022 1:30PM at the San Diego Superior Court, East County Division, East County Regional Center in Department 3.


from court site:
Defendant: Adella Juanita Tom Defense Counsel: Randy Wagner
Court No. CE414848
Date: 12/20/2022 Time: 01:30 PM Event: Bail Bond Motion

Location: San Diego Superior Court, East County Division, East County Regional Center, Dept. 3

link: Case Information, Search - San Diego County District Attorney

 

[Niner]

Before the trial starts, I want to get some info about this case moved over here. I want to post a couple of pics of Arabella Aarabella from 2015 before she was adopted in 2017. She looked healthy and happy. Hard to understand how she'd end up deceased by 2022 after being adopted with her siblings.

snipped by me....​

see above for correction!