MI - Calista Springer, 16, chained to bed, dies in fire, Centreville, 27 Feb 2008

[kbl8201]

Calista's father stated his daughter was a compulsive liar and not abused...

Anthony Springer referred to what is happening in the aftermath of the fire as “a witch hunt” and claims that DHS and police “are building a bonfire and looking for people to throw on it. Interesting choice of words there.

CPS began investigating in 95. This story is beyond tragic. What a horrific way to die. :-(

http://southernsassoncrime.com/?p=1049

omg what the heck............your daughter just died in a fire and you come up with THAT Metaphor?

 

[kbl8201]

tie THEM to a bed, light a match, and leave

 

[kbl8201]

reading thru this entire thread, im sorry if any of you find this offensive, but, yes, i have not walked in they're shoes, but i reckon that any of you have had, have never tied they're kids down like an animal.
and the 'dad' with the 'she was a compulsive liar' comment. what exactly does that have to do with you leaving her to fry cause your a lazy parent?

 

[believe09]

I dont understand-Adoptive Mom was vacuuming at what time of the morning?? Calista was still chained to this bed at what time of the morning? Mom walks away from the vacuum cleaner in a downstairs sitting room, comes back how many minutes later, finds a conflagration (any smoke detectors?) and flees the house with no additional thought for her child who is chained 4 inches from the wall, and has 6 inches of give between the chain and the zip ties. Which were for her own protection.

Calista had friends and interacted at school-but Adoptive Dad says she was a compulsive liar....because she told people she was chained and not well treated.

I don't know....sometimes when it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, I am hard pressed to call it a monkey.

 

[jjenny]

KALAMAZOO — The murder trial of Anthony and Marsha Springer, charged with the 2008 death of their daughter in a fire while she was chained to her bed, got underway this morning in a Kalamazoo courtroom.


Link: http://blog.mlive.com/kzgazette_impact/print.html?entry=/2010/01/springer_trial_under_way_in_ka.html

This is just so sad. According to witnesses, this child complained about being chained to the bed to a number of people, and child protective services were notified. Still the poor child died because she was chained to the bed.

 

[jjenny]

These people were lazy and selfish. Pure and Simple. Calista reportedly had mental and physical impairments therefore she was not able to defend herself, she was not able to tell someone how she was being treated and her 'parents' knew this and took advantage of it. They could put Calista to bed with no sheets or blankets with a clear conscience because Calista probably never asked for bedding so they could tell themselves - she doesn't want that. They could chain her to the bed with a clear conscience because Calista didn't complain and they could tell themselves they were doing it for her own safety. They took advantage of her disabilities to make things easier on themselves.

There is no doubt in my mind that the 'mother' did not try to save Calista. She ran out of the house and saved her own life rather than risk it trying to unbind the bounds she herself tied earlier. She knew Calista was in there alive, chained, struggling to get out, she knew that Calista was going to be burned alive and she made a choice to let that happen. I bet the other two daughters got out safe and sound, didn't they?

As far as comments made about these people being animals, humans ARE animals but I get the sentiment and that is insulting to animals. Animals (with few exceptions for certain situations) take care of their young, are attentive to their needs, feed them, bathe them, protect them with their own life, a mother cat will re-enter a burning building over and over in an attempt to save her kittens, they teach their young what they need to know before they reach maturity, they are never intentionally mean or cruel. Humans are the only animal that is cruel for the sake of cruelty. These people were acting Human, explicitly human. I am glad they were charged with homicide and I hope they are convicted. I would also like to see DHS employees who were idle and complacent with the knowledge of how this child was being treated and chose not to do anything face consequences.

According to witnesses she complained about being chained to the bed to a number of people.
According to witnesses child protective services were notified about this. I am having a really hard time understanding this. The child protective services are notified about this child being chained to the bed, and they leave the child in the home, and the child dies in a fire because the child is chained to the bed? Child protective services are supposed to protect children, don't they?

"Special-education teacher Diane Balyeat told jurors she filed a report with Child Protective Services after talking with Calista, and paraprofessional Marilyn Lafler said she passed the information along to a school counselor who informed her “social services was already involved” with Calista and her family."
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/01/eight_friends_say_calista_spri.html

 

[kbl8201]

I dont understand-Adoptive Mom was vacuuming at what time of the morning?? Calista was still chained to this bed at what time of the morning? Mom walks away from the vacuum cleaner in a downstairs sitting room, comes back how many minutes later, finds a conflagration (any smoke detectors?) and flees the house with no additional thought for her child who is chained 4 inches from the wall, and has 6 inches of give between the chain and the zip ties. Which were for her own protection.

Calista had friends and interacted at school-but Adoptive Dad says she was a compulsive liar....because she told people she was chained and not well treated.

I don't know....sometimes when it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, I am hard pressed to call it a monkey.

yeah dad there's zero evidence she was ever chained :waitasec:

 

[barrysgirl]

the dad's been on the stand all morning and will be into the late afternoon if anyone is interested

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/90th-pga-championship

 

[Tizzle]

Springer judge: 'We need a resolution'
Jurors will stay one hour later Tuesday

Updated: Monday, 22 Feb 2010, 7:00 PM EST
Published : Monday, 22 Feb 2010, 4:51 PM EST
By Henry Erb

CENTREVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) - The jury in the murder and child abuse trial of Marsha and Anthony Springer completed its first day of deliberation Monday after telling the judge last week it was deadlocked.

Jurors will continue talking Tuesday.

The judge had told them to keep talking and see if they can reach a verdict. On Monday, the jurors told the judge they are making some progress.

But they had a question that seemed to indicate they were looking for a way to convict the Springers of something other than first- or second-degree murder.

The couple's 16-year-old daughter, Calista, died chained to her bed when the house caught fire. The Springers contend they chained her to keep her safe at night because she was a troubled child.

"Well, the only question from you, really, that we haven't responded to was under the charge of second-degree -- can it be reduced to a lesser charge. If so, what would that charge be?" Judge Paul Stutesman said. "I'll go back to your duties as jurors. Your duty as jurors is to take the law as I give it to you.

"You must follow what I say and not what somebody else says. It's not for you to inquire about what other possible charges there are -- what other conditions there could be. You must not let prejudice or sympathy influence your decisions."

The jury has deliberated for eight days, which is the same number of days it listened to testimony.

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/kalamazoo_and_battle_creek/Springer-judge-We-need-a-resolution

 

[believe09]

Springer judge: 'We need a resolution'
Jurors will stay one hour later Tuesday

Updated: Monday, 22 Feb 2010, 7:00 PM EST
Published : Monday, 22 Feb 2010, 4:51 PM EST
By Henry Erb

CENTREVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) - The jury in the murder and child abuse trial of Marsha and Anthony Springer completed its first day of deliberation Monday after telling the judge last week it was deadlocked.

Jurors will continue talking Tuesday.

The judge had told them to keep talking and see if they can reach a verdict. On Monday, the jurors told the judge they are making some progress.

But they had a question that seemed to indicate they were looking for a way to convict the Springers of something other than first- or second-degree murder.

The couple's 16-year-old daughter, Calista, died chained to her bed when the house caught fire. The Springers contend they chained her to keep her safe at night because she was a troubled child.

"Well, the only question from you, really, that we haven't responded to was under the charge of second-degree -- can it be reduced to a lesser charge. If so, what would that charge be?" Judge Paul Stutesman said. "I'll go back to your duties as jurors. Your duty as jurors is to take the law as I give it to you.

"You must follow what I say and not what somebody else says. It's not for you to inquire about what other possible charges there are -- what other conditions there could be. You must not let prejudice or sympathy influence your decisions."

The jury has deliberated for eight days, which is the same number of days it listened to testimony.

http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/kalamazoo_and_battle_creek/Springer-judge-We-need-a-resolution

Thanks Tizzle-so in a nut shell, the jury is split on whether or not the death was the result of some kind of reckless disregard on the part of the parents. They heard 8 days of testimony and all of the evidence. I did not.

But if you chain a child to a bed upstairs from where a fire starts and you leave the child chained to the bed when you exit the house after the fire has started, it seems as if there is a possibility that your actions led to her death. Especially if you had no plan in place for this eventuality.

I would still like to know what time of day it all occurred. Personally.

this child may have been a compulsive liar about some things-I dont know. But, she was chained to the bed at night just like she told people. DCF apparently thought it was OK. She was held rigid 4 inches from the wall and had 6 inches of play against the restraints. So she could not turn over, or even wiggle much. That is pretty tightly restrained. What if she had to pee in the night? No such luck?? I can see the reason for the lack of bedding-there was no room for it. She couldnt pull her sheets over herself etc because of the zip ties, right?

I guess this is like the case of the couple in the Midwest who would keep their foster kids in cages "for their own protection" at night.

I am missing something critical in this case I guess-because it seems pretty straightforward to me. :waitasec:

 

[6angels]

I am certain everyone here knows a person with a special needs child. Before anyone bashes them answer one question......when was the last time YOU offered to take the special needs child you know for a weekend to give the parents a much needed break???????????

Um.. Linda. I am a mom of a severely handicap child. He is blind. ( both eyes) Has Cerebral palsy and autism. I don't ask for breaks often. Matter of fact my husband and I are going on our FIRST vacation just ME AND HIM this may for our 14 yr annv!! The reason I don't ask for breaks often? Is not because I wouldn't like one or even enjoy one but because this is MY child and MY responsibility. NOT SOMEONE ELESES. It it not my friends responsibility to come up and offer a break because he is a special needs child no more then its their responsibility to offer a break for my 5 "normal" children.

If God Forbid I couldn't handle my son I'd ask for professional help. These parents could of asked for more professional help they made the choice not to and it has cost this child's life. shame on them.

BTW my son is 10 years old. Didn't sleep overnight until around 8 or so years old ( so I was up at night with him every single night) Still can't feed himself from a fork or a spoon( but can eat finger food) . He is in diapers and can't dress himself. My son can't read and besides my husband and his sisters and brother has no friends because he is unable to make "friends" He has brain damage and there for can not think the same way we can or do the things we can do. He can not drink from a Reg Drink ( has to use a straw) and every step in life my husband and I have to help him. BUT yet I would never ever ever ever ever ever ever do as these parents have. BTW we have no family suporit. We do this alone.

I love my son and he is PERFECT in my eyes . I WOULD NEVER EVER EVER EVER do what these people have. NEVER EVER. THERE IS HELP available you just have to fight hard enough to get it. They had dhs in their own they could of ASKED for help.

BTW every special needs child has something special they do. My son can hear a song one time and sing it word for word after hearing it one time. I know thats Off topic but it just brightens my heart so wanted to share that.

 

[Tizzle]

Thanks Tizzle-so in a nut shell, the jury is split on whether or not the death was the result of some kind of reckless disregard on the part of the parents. They heard 8 days of testimony and all of the evidence. I did not.

But if you chain a child to a bed upstairs from where a fire starts and you leave the child chained to the bed when you exit the house after the fire has started, it seems as if there is a possibility that your actions led to her death. Especially if you had no plan in place for this eventuality.

I would still like to know what time of day it all occurred. Personally.

this child may have been a compulsive liar about some things-I dont know. But, she was chained to the bed at night just like she told people. DCF apparently thought it was OK. She was held rigid 4 inches from the wall and had 6 inches of play against the restraints. So she could not turn over, or even wiggle much. That is pretty tightly restrained. What if she had to pee in the night? No such luck?? I can see the reason for the lack of bedding-there was no room for it. She couldnt pull her sheets over herself etc because of the zip ties, right?

I guess this is like the case of the couple in the Midwest who would keep their foster kids in cages "for their own protection" at night.

I am missing something critical in this case I guess-because it seems pretty straightforward to me. :waitasec:

{BBM}

IIRC, the fire started around 8:30 A.M. I don't remember what Calista was doing home at that time instead of being in school, though.

 

[6angels]

{BBM}

IIRC, the fire started around 8:30 A.M. I don't remember what Calista was doing home at that time instead of being in school, though.

I believe I read they had started to home school her.

 

[believe09]

I believe I read they had started to home school her.

Red. Flag. Here.

I do not have an issue with homeschooling. I can see where the family would have liked the school to stop reporting them to child services when she complained about being tied to the bed.

I just want to take a moment to ponder being chained to a bed from, what, say 10PM (if not earlier) to 8:30AM. Cant roll over, sit up or really move. Chained flat for at least 9.5-10 hours. How is that possible? Wonder if she was medicated at night to help her sleep.....

Clearly we are all missing whatever is compelling enough to cause this jury to question the level of the charges being brought.

 

[kbl8201]

she was still chained up at 8;30 in the morning? im starting to wonder if she wasnt chained up 24/7 if thats the case.

and here we go again with idiot juries........this is a bit more then manslaughter dont you think?

 

[kbl8201]

Um.. Linda. I am a mom of a severely handicap child. He is blind. ( both eyes) Has Cerebral palsy and autism. I don't ask for breaks often. Matter of fact my husband and I are going on our FIRST vacation just ME AND HIM this may for our 14 yr annv!! The reason I don't ask for breaks often? Is not because I wouldn't like one or even enjoy one but because this is MY child and MY responsibility. NOT SOMEONE ELESES. It it not my friends responsibility to come up and offer a break because he is a special needs child no more then its their responsibility to offer a break for my 5 "normal" children.

If God Forbid I couldn't handle my son I'd ask for professional help. These parents could of asked for more professional help they made the choice not to and it has cost this child's life. shame on them.

BTW my son is 10 years old. Didn't sleep overnight until around 8 or so years old ( so I was up at night with him every single night) Still can't feed himself from a fork or a spoon( but can eat finger food) . He is in diapers and can't dress himself. My son can't read and besides my husband and his sisters and brother has no friends because he is unable to make "friends" He has brain damage and there for can not think the same way we can or do the things we can do. He can not drink from a Reg Drink ( has to use a straw) and every step in life my husband and I have to help him. BUT yet I would never ever ever ever ever ever ever do as these parents have. BTW we have no family suporit. We do this alone.

I love my son and he is PERFECT in my eyes . I WOULD NEVER EVER EVER EVER do what these people have. NEVER EVER. THERE IS HELP available you just have to fight hard enough to get it. They had dhs in their own they could of ASKED for help.

BTW every special needs child has something special they do. My son can hear a song one time and sing it word for word after hearing it one time. I know thats Off topic but it just brightens my heart so wanted to share that.

bless you.

 

[6angels]

Red. Flag. Here.

I do not have an issue with homeschooling. I can see where the family would have liked the school to stop reporting them to child services when she complained about being tied to the bed.

I just want to take a moment to ponder being chained to a bed from, what, say 10PM (if not earlier) to 8:30AM. Cant roll over, sit up or really move. Chained flat for at least 9.5-10 hours. How is that possible? Wonder if she was medicated at night to help her sleep.....

Clearly we are all missing whatever is compelling enough to cause this jury to question the level of the charges being brought.

My Husband is a Law Enforcement officer. So he see's cases very often where handicap children are abused and the parents get off. One of the reasons is because the Jury feels sorry for them. I just can't wrap my mind around that because I'd never ever want someone to feel sorry for me or my husband or our child. Yes we struggle at times but the struggle is WORTH IT. The pay off we get from our son learning something new. Singing a song to us. telling me he lovessssssssssssssss me!!( to the end of the world and back) when he can't sit and "talk" with us but tells us how much he loves us. Our pay off is sooo high!

I just don't believe in feeling sorry for the parents I just don't because with every child EVERY SINGLE ONE even the MOST severe there is a blessing there. We have such a blessing having our son as our son. I just can't imagine or wrap my head around what these " parents " did. I am not saying it is not hard raising a handicap child. I should know. Our son is severe. YES it is hard. sometimes very very hard. Yes I cry for my son at night at times but you know what? He is a happy child. Goes to bed everynight with a giant smile on his face. Wakes up with a giant smile on his face. what more could we ask for?

I am not stupid. I am not ignoring that its hard. I am not in deniel. I Just know I KNOW for a fact that it can be done. So manyy manyyy parents give up on the handicap child thinking " they can't do more then they do now" and that makes me soooooooooo sad. If my husband and I would of thought that.. If we would of believed that... Or listened to Dr. He would not be talking today. Eatting real food! Laughing! Expressing love and accepting love. He would not be where he is today. You can't give up on a child and so many do ( NOT all!!) and I know we have sooo many wonderful parents on this very site that have handicap child that have did such a great job.

The best things in life are hard. The best pay off is hard work. Our children are worth it. When others don't understand and judge us we turn out cheek and love them anyways. When our child is made fun of we don't teach them to do that to another child but teach them acceptance.

IT can be done! And NO I was not always strong. I came from foster care as a Foster child that aged out of the system being told I'd never be anyone! I now have 6 kids One handicap 4 adopted and a bio 12 year old. I KNOW it can be hard and I KNOW when your weak you have to pull down and grab whatever you can to get past it BUT I KNOW IT can BE DONE if you WANT it to be done.

My son didn't make my life harder... My son made my life happier and I thank God everyday for that.

 

[believe09]

OK guys-I have been going backwards to pick apart this case as much as I can with the media that has been done. This is what we know to be true based upon the autopsy:

“When I examined her airway … it was just basically black with soot all the way down which means she was breathing while that soot was being produced by the fire,” Cole said.

Cole said he also found that Calista had hair under her armpits and that the chain used to restrain her to her bed left an indentation around her waist. He also said he found no indications that the teen had tried to escape from her bed during the fire.

“My recollection was that the chain mark was circumferential,” Cole said. “I’m quite comfortable saying it would have encircled her waist with some degree of force.”

The fire never reached the second floor. Firefighters sucessfully reached her room from the outside with a ladder. The room was smoke filled with no visibility. Two firefighters reached her and could not move her. They could not see to realize initially that the reason they could not get her off of the bed was because she was chained and tethered to it.

So I wonder-what if they had known she was tied to the bed and could have gone in with pliers or something to cut the chain? Could she have been saved?

Here is the link to the testimony of the firefighter who entered her room:

In his taped testimony Wednesday, Pop said he and another firefighter used a ladder to get to Calista’s second-floor bedroom but had were unable to see anything once they wee inside the room because of intense smoke. Eventually, Pop said he was able to find Calista’s body but was not able to move her.

“Her legs were the first thing I found and I tried to pull and I couldn’t,” Pop said. “My second step was to try to l lift the body but I couldn’t hardly get my hands under the body and I couldn’t understand why such a small body was so hard to lift.”
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/01/first_day_of_testimony_reveals.html

Further, the media appears to have taken liberty with the discussion of the alarm. According to the defendant's brother, the alarm system was not working "properly." Hence the dog chain. Perhaps this is the reason for the discrepancy: the state police were able to determine that it worked and the Springer's felt that it did not work well enough?

 

[6angels]

BTW homeschooling can be great for a handicap child and it can be done also for bad reason. We did home school our son almost a year and half because we found out the teacher was mistreating our son. We then moved to a new area with better schools.

Parenting a handicap child is different then a normal child but you know what with every child you have to parent them different then another. So we just parent our son the way HE needs and with each of our other 5 children we parent THEM different because each has different needs. None the same they are all their own person with their own special needs.

You have to just get out there and do what is needed. When we couldn't get a Dr to tell us what was wrong with our son ( autism) we didn't sit around around playing the pity game. We drove out of state to see a special Dr. You just have to get up and do the best you can for each of your children.

 

[believe09]

If you take the time to go back through the grand jury testimony and the current trial, you will see that the the Springer's claimed that Calista experienced lead poisoning as a child which led to her "special needs." All of those who were interviewed from the DHS reports between 1995 and the time she died indicated that Calista was very poorly taken care of, wore the same clothes for a week at a time, was extremely underfed and had marks on her body that were covered with long pants and turtlenecks even in the summer. She would only accept food that she could consume completely, like an apple vs a banana because she had no where to hide the peel.

Getting back to her death-it was caused by smoke inhalation. Eventually the heat of the air singed her face and melted the zip tie that held her waist.

Clearly that did not happen when the firefighters reached her because they would have been able to get her off of the bed. JMO.

As early as 1999, the Springers were cited for tethering Calista to a chair and a pole in their dirt basement. Calista was often left standing or sitting in one spot on her porch for up to 5 hours at a time. Witnesses testified that her adoptive mother would check and make sure she had not moved. the Springers also had a history of isolating Calista from required reporters to CPS/DHS.

OK, guys-this does not look like much of a struggle to me...again I do not have access to the info the jurors have access to.

But the more I read, the worse it gets.