GUILTY OK - Kelsey Briggs, 2, beaten to death, Meeker, 11 Oct 2005

[Brwnigirl]

Just found out about this case? Can someone give me an update, is the mother in jail?
Was the first husband abusive?

 

[mysterygirl]

Just found out about this case? Can someone give me an update, is the mother in jail?
Was the first husband abusive?

I'm going on memory here but I am pretty sure the mom is in jail and the first husband......debatable.

 

[MonaSuzy]

I'm not sure if anyone is still reading about this adorable little girl but if you are please research both sides of this case before you make your minds up about who is at fault.:waitasec:

 

[mysterygirl]

I'm not sure if anyone is still reading about this adorable little girl but if you are please research both sides of this case before you make your minds up about who is at fault.:waitasec:

Why do you know of someone else who beat and killed her?

 

[Nocgirl]

This case is disgusting and one of the reasons I became a CASA. I am not sure of the Why Mona would make a comment like that. I can only guess that she is a supporter of Rae Dawn's family. The facts of the case are clear:

1) The child was abused and killed while in Rae Dawn's care
2) Raw Dawn knew her creepy husband was abusing the girl and yet still left the child alone with him
3) the judge also is partially responsibly for this girls death. Because he portayed Lance Briggs family as white trash and he an absent father, then the child must be returned to mom even though there is obvious abuse in the home.

Please clarify where i am wrong here. Rae Dawns is right where she belongs and the step-father is going to hell.

 

[intrigued79]

I agree with Mona - aren't we supposed to view both sides and made a impartial, educated decision? The mother was under a GAG order and has never had the chance to really tell her side of the story. After you hear what she has to say, you begin to wonder...I don't know who to believe in this horrible story.

This is a site operated by Raye Dawn's family. Of special interest to me was the letter from Raye Dawn to Oklahoma lawmakers.

If you are going to listen/read what the Briggs family has to say, don't you owe the same to the Smith family?

 

[charok]

well they are having hearings for raye dawn who wants a new trial!!! in my county no less ..id post the link to my local newspaper, but not sure of copyright rules... kelsey's great grandparents have endured enough and wish this was the last chapter, and not having to go thru ANOTHER trial, at our tax payer's $$$$! so they say in the article... im besides myself...

 

[believe09]

well they are having hearings for raye dawn who wants a new trial!!! in my county no less ..id post the link to my local newspaper, but not sure of copyright rules... kelsey's great grandparents have endured enough and wish this was the last chapter, and not having to go thru ANOTHER trial, at our tax payer's $$$$! so they say in the article... im besides myself...

Here is the link:
http://www.kjrh.com/dpp/news/state/kelsey-briggs's-mother-asking-for-a-new-trial

FWIW, she is looking for a new trial based upon juror misconduct, not claiming she is innocent...

 

[believe09]

OK-I read all of the links. Why shouldnt she be held accountable for the death of her daughter? The agencies were overseeing her care of her child, but at the end of the day she was solely responsible. Kelsey was failed time and time and time again. As far as I can tell, there was not a soul looking out just for her and her well being in a constructive and effective manner.

It was her watch. Porter asked for and received a plea deal. He copped to the same charge as Rae Dawn which makes him brilliant and lucky-but that does not preclude her role in this story.

JMVHO. What a tragedy.

 

[mysterygirl]

I just read that Kelsey shared the same case worker as murdered 7 yr. old Aja Johnson.

Her name is Yolanda Hunter. I just thought that was interesting.

 

[Salem]

I just read that Kelsey shared the same case worker as murdered 7 yr. old Aja Johnson.

Her name is Yolanda Hunter. I just thought that was interesting.

I sincerely hope she has lost her job by now. :furious:

Salem

 

[mysterygirl]

I sincerely hope she has lost her job by now. :furious:

Salem

I don't think that she has!:banghead:

 

[believe09]

I agree with Mona - aren't we supposed to view both sides and made a impartial, educated decision? The mother was under a GAG order and has never had the chance to really tell her side of the story. After you hear what she has to say, you begin to wonder...I don't know who to believe in this horrible story.

This is a site operated by Raye Dawn's family. Of special interest to me was the letter from Raye Dawn to Oklahoma lawmakers.

If you are going to listen/read what the Briggs family has to say, don't you owe the same to the Smith family?

Done. I dont see where she is not guilty of what she was charged with. I did read a lot of white noise regarding the abuse of Rae Dawn by the Briggs family and the possibility that Kelsey was abused by the Briggs.

FWIW, Rae Dawn continued to give the Briggs Kelsey even when her child was returned to her unable to walk? With bruising on her ear? As for Porter, how fast did his child share that Porter would abuse Kelsey when Rae Dawn was not around?

Did Rae Dawn not ASK people why her child was constantly injured while she was in other people's care? IMO she was focused on the custody issues to the exclusion of seeing this little being in front of her. This child was raped and sodomized, which was not discovered for MONTHS after she died and she died from a severed pancreas. She was two?

I think she was appropriately charged and convicted. Porter should have been charged with first degree murder. But he lucked out.

 

[mikeysmommom]

I sincerely hope she has lost her job by now. :furious:

Salem

They never fire them even after their incompetence kills innocent children they are hired to protect.They cover and protect and lie at least they do here in NJ.

 

[amberjade11]

Ever since I saw a video of this tragedy on Myspace this story just broke my heart. My daughter was the same age as Kelsey when she got her collarbone broken and I just couldn't imagine a mother allowing this to happen. To come up with the stupid stories that she did to explain away Kelsey's injuries.

I have researched, read every document, and read both sides and I talked to people on both sides of the fence, as well as people who knew Raye Dawn and Lance Briggs as teenagers, people that lived in Meeker at the time, people related to both families where I have made a lot of good friends and I can honestly say that I believe that it was Raye Dawn that murdered her daughter. But I don't believe that she did it on purpose. I think she lost her temper after Jean Bonner told her that Lance was due home any day, and that he would have unsupervised visits, which she felt was unfair because she hadn't had them in the past.

You see prior to this, Raye had fought to cut out the Briggs family from Kelsey's life, which she succeeded in doing when Lance's wife at the time Ashley filed for divorce and because she had seizures her doctor recommended that she should remain in one home in case she had another one, so her mother could monitor her activity.

The documents in the case are easily accessible, you can get them by going to www.thetruth4kelsey.blogspot.com.

What I think is the most aggravating factor of all is that Kelsey's mother Raye Dawn refuses to take any responsibility for what happened to her daughter. Since then, members of her family have fought to try to get her out of prison, just like they did in June of 2005 when they didn't know all the facts in the child abuse case, when Judge Key went AGAINST DHS recommendation and put Kelsey back into her mother's home. Which, has been revealed that he decided to do before he heard any evidence.

We see all kinds of allegations on the sites promoting freedom for "Kelsey's Mommy" when given the opportunity, she didn't act like a mother at all. We hear that Mike's daughter told her school counselor that she "heard a thump outside the house, so she ran outside to see what it was and saw her father hit Kelsey's head against the wall."

I don't believe that and this is why, first of all, since when can a school counselor question a child that could possibly be a suspect in a murder case? And by law if a child tells a counselor that they, or someone else has been hurt, or is in danger they have to legally notify authorities and there would be a police report. Is there one? No. It is not in any of the documents in the case.

If you hear a noise, then go to find out the source of the noise, it is impossible to SEE the sound being made. And you cannot hear anything being hit against brick. If Kelsey's head were hit against a brick wall, there would of been a bump, bruise, scratch, SOMETHING to show that it had happened, and if Raye Dawn didn't honestly know that her new husband was abusing her daughter then how could she not put 2 and 2 together when she sees a fresh injury on her daughter after being alone with him?

We hear about how "Kelsey was riding with her grandmother Gayla and reached over to turn the radio on and said "I need to hear good music"-well, where can a child of 2 be sitting in a car where she could reach the knob to the radio?

Please, if you do decide to get to the bottom of this story and I hope you do-use logic. And never, ever forget the TRUE victim in this case-which is Kelsey and ONLY Kelsey.

And FYI, Lance was in Iraq, did serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom and at the time of Kelsey's death was in Ft. Benning Georgia awaiting his discharge papers. He was NOT in rehab, but even if he was-he still wasn't the one who abused Kelsey, or killed her.

What they fail to mention on their sites, is how Raye Dawn Smith ADMITTED to doing drugs and drinking while pregnant with Kelsey, driving drunk about a dozen times with Kelsey in the car, and how her son Blaine who was born after Kelsey was murdered was reportedly treated for fetal alcohol syndrome.

RIP Kelsey :angel:

 

[staticgirl50]

As someone who also has researched the heck out of this case all I can say for sure is that this beautiful little girl NEVER had a chance. She was surrounded by a bunch of folks who used her as a tool in being mean to each other on both sides of the family. These people on BOTH sides make me wonder if Kelsey was important to any of them? Just makes me sick. This case and Kelsey will forever haunt me. ♥ RIP beautiful child.

 

[believe09]

and I can honestly say that I believe that it was Raye Dawn that murdered her daughter. But I don't believe that she did it on purpose. I think she lost her temper after Jean Bonner told her that Lance was due home any day, and that he would have unsupervised visits, which she felt was unfair because she hadn't had them in the past.


Please, if you do decide to get to the bottom of this story and I hope you do-use logic. And never, ever forget the TRUE victim in this case-which is Kelsey and ONLY Kelsey.

And FYI, Lance was in Iraq, did serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom and at the time of Kelsey's death was in Ft. Benning Georgia awaiting his discharge papers. He was NOT in rehab, but even if he was-he still wasn't the one who abused Kelsey, or killed her.

What they fail to mention on their sites, is how Raye Dawn Smith ADMITTED to doing drugs and drinking while pregnant with Kelsey, driving drunk about a dozen times with Kelsey in the car, and how her son Blaine who was born after Kelsey was murdered was reportedly treated for fetal alcohol syndrome.

RIP Kelsey :angel:

Respectfully snipped and BBM. If there were no other participants in this crime, how is it that Kelsey was raped and sodomized?

 

[charok]

if im not mistaken, our county shot down her appeal for new trial( she was saying a juror was biased, checking out website,ect...but YET the kelseys purpose site wasnt up when the trial was going on... ) thank god. our county is WAY away from her area...we're almost in KS for christ sakes... imo she was at very least guilty of enabling the abuse, she just needs to "woman up" and accept responsibilty.

 

[staticgirl50]

I sometimes think Raye dawn was just a seriously uniformed person. I think she was concentrating on her hate for Kathy that she missed what Mike was doing. I also think Kathy was so concerned with hurting Raye Dawn she let Mike get away with murder.
Of course these are just my thoughts.

 

[staticgirl50]

I don't recall ever seeing that. Is it here on this thread?

For the life of me I can no longer find it. I KNOW I saw it but well it has been awhile. I wish i had bookmarked all the links I was using to follow this case. Sorry.