A horrible news item like so many others

See MY comments at the bottom. If you dare.

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HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- The stepfather of a 2-year-old girl lost control and beat her to death because she wouldn't say "please" and "yes sir," an attorney for the girl's mother said Wednesday.

A body found last month in Galveston Bay is believed to be that of the little girl, Riley Ann Sawyers, though DNA tests are pending.

Her mother, Kimberly Dawn Trenor, and stepfather, Royce Clyde Zeigler II, were arrested Saturday.

Trenor's attorney, Tommy Stickler Jr., also said Wednesday that Trenor is pregnant.

According to court documents, Trenor, 19, told police she and her husband killed the girl in July and hid her body in a shed before dumping it in the bay.

Stickler said Zeigler, 24, was overwhelmed by his sudden fatherhood and didn't know what behavior to expect from a toddler. Trenor moved with her daughter from Mentor, Ohio, to Texas in June to be with Zeigler, whom she met online.

Zeigler wanted his wife to spank Riley with a belt when she failed to say things like "please" and "yes sir" or "no sir," Stickler said Wednesday. Zeigler didn't believe Trenor was doing it, however, because the 2-year-old's behavior wasn't changing.

The fatal beating happened after Zeigler stayed home from work to make sure his wife was following his discipline plan, Stickler said.

In her statement to Galveston authorities, Trenor said the girl was beaten with leather belts, had her head held underwater in a bathtub and then was thrown across a room, her head slamming into a tile floor.

Although the affidavit said the couple abused Riley over a four- to six-hour period, Stickler said it wasn't a continuous event. Instead, Zeigler grew increasingly enraged as he spanked Riley and she kept forgetting to do things the way he wanted.

"There was never an intention to beat Riley to death," he said.

At one point, Trenor wanted to call an ambulance but Zeigler wouldn't let her, saying they would both be arrested if officials saw her injuries, Stickler said. Instead, Riley was given some over-the-counter pain medication.

When Riley later stopped breathing, Zeigler performed CPR on her tiny body, Stickler said.

Neal Davis III, Zeigler's attorney, said Trenor's story isn't believable.

"She is placing all the blame on Royce, but I think that once the facts come to light, once the timeline's established and the evidence is combed through ... I think her credibility is gonna become a big issue," Davis said.

Trenor and Ziegler were arrested after investigators spent weeks trying to identify the girl they dubbed "Baby Grace," whose body was found in a plastic box floating in Galveston Bay. Riley's paternal grandmother in Ohio had called police, thinking a sketch of the dead child might have been the granddaughter she hadn't seen in months.

Trenor and Zeigler remained jailed Wednesday on charges of injury to a child and tampering with evidence. Bail was set at $350,000 each.
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Okay, "INJURY TO A CHILD" and "TAMPERING WITH EVIDENCE?" Is that the best we can do? How can justice be served for this little girl who was beaten bloody and thrown across the room into a wall if these are the best charges we can come up with?

"Injury to a child?" Excuse me, prosecutor, but is she merely injured or is she fucking DEAD?  Charge them with murder, for crying out loud! I just don't understand all this first-degree, second-degree, premeditated, manslaughter, bullshit jargon mumbo jumbo. A toddler was MURDERED by her stepfather while her mother stood by and let it happen.

"Tampering with evidence?" It's called CONCEALING THE BODY OF A PERSON YOU JUST MURDERED! ...TWICE!!! So after this little girl was killed, all she became was "evidence?" That's almost as sickening as the crime itself.

There is far too much leniency in our legal system. To use a cliché, we should just call a spade a spade and get on with some REAL punishment in this country. I don't need DNA evidence in a case like this. But it'll be there. I don't need a trial. But there will be one. The guy admitted to beating the shit out of a baby! What more evidence and incentive do we need to execute this man? I'm serious. I just don't understand this country sometimes. Here's the complete record of MY trial:

"Mr. Ziegler, you are charged with killing a toddler. Did a toddler die as a result of the harsh beatings you administered?"
"Yes."
"Guilty. Somebody fry this asshole, please. NEXT!"

How can we let people get AWAY with shit like this? He'll probably serve 15 years. How UNBALANCED is that?! What, we should take pity on him because he got overwhelmed and snapped? Should we give him another chance? Maybe we should give him another baby and see how he does. That is BULLSHIT! He's a lowlife scumbag that should be executed painfully!

I know this kind of thing happens all the time, and I'm not going to go off the rails every time I see a news item like this, but DAMMIT! It just makes me ANGRY! My wife and I had to try so HARD to have our two children together, and I love them so much that I can't imagine the coldness it would take to snuff out an innocent life like that. I can sorta understand the mindset it takes to kill an adult that you're angry with, but why are there so many people killing and hurting CHILDREN? I'm almost ashamed I live in a country where shit like this goes more or less unpunished.

And don't even talk to me about Christian forgiveness. It's inhuman to forgive a piece of shit like this. Besides, it's not OUR forgiveness he needs, is it? It's RILEY'S. And she can't forgive him even if she would be inclined to do so, because he KILLED HER!

...Riley, there are some of us who recognize the tragedy that's occurred. What you went through was terrible, unfathomable and unforgivable. Rest in peace, little one. I can only hope you will be rightfully avenged. Hail Riley.