VA - Baby girl, 4 mos, found dead in motel room, Spotsylvania, 24 Aug 2018 *charges dismissed*

[Niner]

Thanks a bunch Momof4RN!

 

[Niner]

Looks like they will have a Bench trial now instead of a jury one. I did notice that one line says Trial withdrawn, but the next line says trial is on.

Guess we will just have to wait & see if there is/was a bench trial today & tomorrow....

 

[Niner]

Well the court site says 2/4 for trial - so...

Tuesday, February 4th:
*Bench Trial continues (Day 2) for both (@ 9am ET) – VA – Baby girl (4 mos) (Aug. 23, 2018; found in motel room) – *Cherie Danielle Sullivan (31/now 32) “mom” arrested (8/23/18), charged (8/27/18) & arraigned (12/11/18) with felony murder, 2 counts of child abuse/neglect & 1 count of child abuse/neglect-injury. Plead not guilty. No bond.
*James Edward Cressel (31/now 32) (BF) arrested (11/30/18), indicted (11/19/18) & arraigned (12/11/18) with felony murder, 2 counts of child abuse/neglect & 1 count of child abuse/neglect-injury. Plead not guilty. No bond. $10K bond granted (10/15/19).
Bench Trial began on 2/3/20 & 2/4/20 for both
1/31/20 Update: Jury trial has been withdrawn instead it will be a bench trial.
2/3/20 Day 1 of Bench trial: No info yet. Trial continues on 2/4.

 

[Momof4RN]

Spotsylvania County Circuit - Criminal Division
Case Details

Case Number:
CR18002056-00
Filed:
11/19/2018
Commenced by:
Direct Indictment
Locality:
COMMONWEALTH OF VA
Defendant:
CRESSEL, JAMES EDWARD
Sex:
Male
Race:
White
DOB:
09/30/****
Address:
STAFFORD, VA 22555
Charge:
FELONY MURDER
Code Section:
18.2-33
Charge Type:
Felony
Class:
3
Offense Date:
08/23/2018
Arrest Date:
11/30/2018
Hearings

# Date Time Type Room Plea Duration Jury Result
1 11/19/2018 9:00AM Grand Jury 1 True Bill - Def. Arrested On Capias
2 12/05/2018 9:30AM Capias 2 Set For Trial
3 12/11/2018 9:00AM Arraignment 2 Not Guilty Set For Trial
4 12/11/2018 9:00AM Motion - Other Pre-Trial 2 Continued Generally
5 02/03/2019 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 2 Day(s)
6 02/04/2019 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 2 Day(s)
7 02/13/2019 9:00AM Continue 2 Granted
8 03/06/2019 9:00AM Trial 1 1 Day(s) Continued
9 05/09/2019 9:00AM Motion - Other Pre-Trial 1 Continued
10 06/05/2019 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 2 Day(s) No Continued
11 06/06/2019 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 2 Day(s) No Continued
12 09/10/2019 9:00AM Withdraw Counsel 1 Tried
13 09/16/2019 9:00AM Status Hearing 1 Set For Trial
14 09/18/2019 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 2 Day(s) No Withdrawn
15 09/19/2019 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 2 Day(s) No Withdrawn
16 10/15/2019 9:00AM Bond 2 Granted
17 12/16/2019 9:00AM Motion - Other Pre-Trial 1 Granted
18 02/03/2020 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 No Withdrawn
19 02/03/2020 9:00AM Trial 1 2 Day(s) Continued
20 02/04/2020 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 No Withdrawn
21 02/04/2020 9:00AM Trial 1 2 Day(s)

Final Disposition


Spotsylvania County Circuit - Criminal Division
Case Details

Case Number:
CR18002075-00
Filed:
11/19/2018
Commenced by:
Direct Indictment
Locality:
COMMONWEALTH OF VA
Defendant:
SULLIVAN, CHERIE DANIELLE
Sex:
Female
Race:
White
DOB:
08/01/****
Address:
STAFFORD, VA 22555
Charge:
FELONY MURDER
Code Section:
18.2-33
Charge Type:
Felony
Class:
3
Offense Date:
08/23/2018
Arrest Date:
11/30/2018
Hearings

# Date Time Type Room Plea Duration Jury Result
1 11/19/2018 9:00AM Grand Jury 1 True Bill - Def. Arrested On Capias
2 12/05/2018 9:30AM Capias 2 Set For Trial
3 12/11/2018 9:00AM Motion - Other Pre-Trial 2 Continued Generally
4 12/11/2018 9:00AM Arraignment 2 Not Guilty Set For Trial
5 02/13/2019 9:00AM Continue 2 Continued
6 03/06/2019 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 No Continued
7 06/05/2019 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 No Continued
8 06/06/2019 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 No Continued
9 09/10/2019 9:00AM Limine 1 Tried
10 09/16/2019 9:00AM Status Hearing 1 Set For Trial
11 09/18/2019 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 2 Day(s) No Withdrawn
12 09/19/2019 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 2 Day(s) No Withdrawn
13 02/03/2020 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 2 Day(s) No Withdrawn
14 02/03/2020 9:00AM Trial 1 2 Day(s) Continued
15 02/04/2020 9:00AM Jury Trial 1 2 Day(s) No Withdrawn
16 02/04/2020 9:00AM Trial 1 2 Day(s)

Final Disposition

Virginia Court Case Information

 

[Niner]

Williams:
CR18001974-00 SULLIVAN, CHERIE DANIELLE CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT 02/04/2020 Trial - Judge With Witness

CR18001975-00 SULLIVAN, CHERIE DANIELLE CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT 02/04/2020 Trial - Judge With Witness

CR18001976-00 SULLIVAN, CHERIE DANIELLE CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT-INJURY 02/04/2020 Dismissal

CR18002075-00 SULLIVAN, CHERIE DANIELLE FELONY MURDER 02/04/2020 Dismissal

link: http://ewsocis1.courts.state.va.us/CJISWeb/Search.do


Cressel:

CR18001966-00 CRESSEL, JAMES EDWARD CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT, INJURY 02/04/2020 Dismissal

CR18001967-00 CRESSEL, JAMES EDWARD CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT 02/04/2020 Dismissal

CR18001968-00 CRESSEL, JAMES EDWARD CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT 02/04/2020 Dismissal

CR18002056-00 CRESSEL, JAMES EDWARD FELONY MURDER 02/04/2020 Dismissal

link: http://ewsocis1.courts.state.va.us/CJISWeb/Search.do



Looks like all charges against Cressel have been dismissed, and on Williams - "maybe" guilty on only the 2 counts of child abuse/neglect and murder & child abuse/neglect-injury were dismissed.

I'll keep an eye out on the court site to see about the 2 counts for Williams.

 

[Momof4RN]

Wow! Just wow! Poor baby girl

 

[Niner]

Got an article in my google alert.

Charges dismissed against parents accused in baby's death in Spotsylvania

February 04, 2020
Charges against the parents of a four-month-old girl who was found dead in a Spotsylvania County motel room in 2018 were dismissed Tuesday at the end of a two-day trial.
[.....]
Judge Ricardo Rigual dismissed the charges, saying the evidence was insufficient for convictions.

Prosecutors Crystal Montague–Holland and Alice Sheridan spent two days trying to convince Rigual that the parents deserved felony convictions. The evidence showed that both parents appeared to be high when deputies arrived at the motel room that morning and text messages lifted from Cressel's phone indicated that he had been involved in drug transactions in the days before Leighton's death.
[.....]
The biggest obstacle facing the prosecutors was the fact that a medical examiner was unable to determine the cause or manner of Leighton's death. Court records show the baby tested positive for opiates at birth, but the drugs were out of her system by the time she died.
[.....]
Sullivan's attorneys, William Torrico and Kevin Perry, argued that there was even less evidence against Sullivan. They pointed out that the children were in Cressel's care when the baby died.

Rigual said that although he was convinced that the parents were impaired and there was evidence of drug distribution by Cressel, the described actions were not enough to support the charges.


How sad....

RIP Leighton