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Thread: William Henderson Gets Life in Prison in 2007 LA Death of 10-Month-Old Kaleb Nelton

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    William Henderson Gets Life in Prison in 2007 LA Death of 10-Month-Old Kaleb Nelton

    Prosecutors to seek death penalty in child-death case

    The Terrebonne Parish District Attorney's Office announced this morning it will seek the death penalty against William Henderson, 23, of Chauvin, who is accused of killing a baby.

    Authorities said Henderson broke the forearms of 10-month-old Kaleb Nelton, his girlfriend's son, Oct. 20 and smothered him while trying to quiet the child's crying.

    He was indicted on a 1st-degree murder charge in November. He pleaded not guilty in December.

    Authorities said Henderson is also charged with cruelty to a juvenile for beating his girlfriend's other son, Kaden, 2.

    Prosecutor Mark Rhodes had been weighing whether to argue for the death penalty in Henderson's case. He considered the opinion of Kaleb's relatives as well as aggravating factors such as the child’s injuries while making a decision, he has said.

    The decision was announced via a news release from District Attorney Joe Waitz.

    "At this time it would be inappropriate to comment on any facet of the case including the decision making process employed in the making of this decision," Waitz writes.

    (source: Daily Comet)

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    Accused baby killer's statement OK for trial

    The statement a 25-year-old gave to police after he allegedly smothered his girlfriend's infant son to death will be heard during his trial, a Terrebonne judge said Monday.

    William Henderson has been in the Terrebonne Parish jail since October 20, 2009, the day 10-month-old Kaleb Nelton was pronounced dead, authorities said. Henderson and the infant's mother, 24-year-old Kimberly Nelton, lived at 5115 Trisha St. in Chauvin, and Henderson allegedly broke the boy's arms and then smothered him when he wouldn't stop crying.

    Henderson was indicted on a first-degree murder charge in November 2009, and a few months later prosecutors said they were seeking the death penalty.

    On Monday, after a hearing that lasted several hours, Judge George Larke said the statement Henderson gave to police shortly after the baby was found dead can be used when the case goes to trial. Henderson's attorneys, all from the Baton Rouge Capital Conflict Office, objected to Larke's decision.

    The hearing was held in response to a motion filed by the attorneys earlier this month, claiming that Henderson's rights were violated when he was questioned by police outside his home and at the Sheriff's Office. He was told he could not leave by detectives at the Sheriff's Office, even though he had not been officially arrested, the motion says.

    The motion also says that while he was questioned, Henderson "was still drunk from the vodka consumed only a few hours before," and that he was coerced into giving the statements.

    http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20...t-OK-for-trial

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    Death penalty off the table for accused baby-killer

    A Chauvin man accused of smothering an infant no longer faces the death penalty, as prosecutors elected Thursday to reduce his charge to second-degree murder.

    William Henderson, 25, was arrested on Oct. 20, 2009, the day 10-month-old Kaleb Nelton was pronounced dead. Henderson and the infant's mother, 24-year-old Kimberly Nelton, lived at 5115 Trisha St. in Chauvin, and Henderson allegedly broke the boy's arms and then smothered him when he wouldn't stop crying, police said at the time.

    Henderson was indicted on a first-degree murder charge in November 2009, and a few months later prosecutors said they were seeking the death penalty.

    On Thursday, the Terrebonne District Attorney's Office reduced Henderson's charge to second-degree murder, effectively taking the death penalty off the table. The change was agreed upon by Henderson's attorneys, prosecutors said, and Judge George Larke granted the change.

    If convicted, Henderson faces mandatory life in prison. He is being held in the Terrebonne Parish jail in lieu of a $2 million bond.

    Henderson is also charged with cruelty to a juvenile and second-degree cruelty to a juvenile. The trial is set to begin Sept. 17 in District Judge George Larke's courtroom.

    District Attorney's Chief of Trials Mark Rhodes said the decision to reduce the charge was informed by the family's wishes, as well as a desire to bring the case to a faster conclusion.

    “Capital cases get a lot of scrutiny, and I don't fault them,” Rhodes said. “This case was just two years post-indictment, and we were still arguing about minor details.”

    Rhodes also said attorneys from the Baton Rouge Capital Conflict Office, which specializes in representing those facing the death penalty, will continue to represent Henderson.

    There is currently one other pending death-penalty case in Terrebonne Parish Jocobby Lee, 23, is accused of killing three people in July 2009. Terrebonne First Assistant District Attorney Carlos Lazarus has said the “execution-style” killing of cousins Michael D. Herbert and Michael G. Herbert were a contributing factor to the decision. Gail Collins, who initially survived a gunshot to the head when Lee fired shots in her home, died in 2010.

    In Lafourche, nobody awaiting trial is facing the death penalty. Last year, the death penalty was taken off the table for Esdras Garcia, Luis Nava, Jose Moreno and Gonzalo Cortes, who all faced first-degree murder and aggravated-rape charges in the death of 33-year-old Golden Meadow resident Angela Laudun. Prosecutors said after new evidence came to light, the case was re-submitted to a grand jury, who instead indicted the quartet on a second-degree murder charge.

    http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20...nion?p=2&tc=pg

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    Trial begins today for boyfriend accused of beating, killing baby

    The murder trial of a Chauvin man, charged with breaking the arms of his live-in girlfriend's baby and smothering him when the baby wouldn't stop crying, was scheduled to begin today.

    William Henderson is charged with second-degree murder and faces a life sentence in prison for the October 2009 death of 10-month-old Kaleb Nelton.

    The prosecution and defense will likely give their opening statements today, Assistant District Attorney Matt Hagen said.

    On Oct. 20, 2009, 911 dispatchers were alerted that the baby wasn't breathing, and the boy was dead when first-responders arrived, police said at the time.

    Henderson smothered the infant in his attempt to quiet the child when the boy was crying, investigators said. The baby's body bore extensive bruises and several broken bones.

    Deputies questioned Henderson while he “was still drunk from the vodka consumed only a few hours before,” according to a motion filed by his attorneys.

    Henderson is in the Terrebonne Parish jail in lieu of a $2 million bond.

    http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20...g-killing-baby
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    Baby-killer found guilty

    A jury chose to send a Chauvin man to jail for life after finding him guilty tonight of smothering a baby to death.

    William Henderson, 25, was found guilty of second-degree murder at the conclusion of a trial that began Wednesday.

    After lawyers gave hours-long closing arguments, the jury found Henderson guilty in less than an hour of murder and two counts of cruelty to a juvenile.

    The verdict came just a month shy of three full years after 10-month-old Kaleb Nelton died and Henderson was arrested.

    "I'm just so happy right now," said the child's mother, Kimberly Nelton, who was in a relationship and living with Henderson at the time. "Kaleb can rest in peace."

    Forensic pathologists testified that the baby had been suffocated and had his arms and ribs had been broken.

    Henderson's family and attorney declined to comment after the verdict was read. His attorney, Kathryn Sheely, said it was too early to say if they planned to appeal the verdict.

    http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20...r-found-guilty
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

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    Baby killer denied appeal

    The Louisiana Supreme Court rejected an appeal from a Chauvin man serving life in Angola Prison after he was convicted of killing a 10-month-old boy in 2007.

    William Anthony Henderson had requested an appeal from the Supreme Court after the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his request for post-conviction relief last year. Henderson is serving life in prison after a jury found him guilty in 2012 of smothering Kaleb Nelton to death.

    During the original trial prosecutors used a statement in which Henderson told police investigators that the toddler had been crying and he had grabbed the baby's face and told him to shut up.

    Kaleb's mother, Kimberly Nelton, was also arrested and charged with cruelty to a juvenile in connection with the incident.

    The night before the baby's death, Kimberly Nelton went to a party with Henderson, her boyfriend, authorities said. They allegedly left the infant and his 2-year-old brother, Kaden Hardwick, unattended at their home.

    The couple left the party separately after a 3 a.m. fight, friends and neighbors said. Henderson returned home about half an hour before Kimberly Nelton.

    After she arrived, the mother thought her baby was asleep, relatives said. She discovered he was dead about 10 a.m. and called police, authorities said.

    At the trial a Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's detective stated her home had no running water, a toilet full of feces and dirty tampons, and her second son had extensive bruising on his thighs, back, chest and head.

    Another witness also described an incident in which she had seen Henderson bounce Kaleb on a trampoline.

    Kaleb died Oct. 20, 2009. An autopsy determined that both his arms and several of his ribs had been broken, his face was bruised and he had been smothered to death, authorities testified.

    In his appeal, Henderson claimed the court had erred during the cross examination proceedings, by selecting a racially biased jury and in preventing a cross examination of the trampoline witness who he claimed would have perjured herself. He also claimed the trial judge erred in allowing the prosecution to amend charges immediately before the trial and disallowing Henderson to specifically inform the jury on the nature of those charges.

    The defense also argued that the trial court erred in failing to allow Henderson to cross-examine Kimberly Nelton. The first circuit judge said that the appeal was without merit because it was based on an assumption that Kimberly Nelton had made an agreement with the prosecution — the trial judge determined that the state had not made a "deal" with her regarding future prosecution.

    The outcome of charges against Kimberly Nelton wasn't available Tuesday.

    Henderson also argued the court erred in allowing the prosecution to introduce a statement by Kimberly Nelton through a detective's testimony, circumventing his right to cross-examine the witness. The 1st Circuit judge found that Henderson's defense had opportunity to cross-examine her during the trial and that the statement was consistent with her previous testimony.

    The appeals court upheld his conviction in September, rejecting all six of the errors Henderson appealed on.

    http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20...1320?p=2&tc=pg
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

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