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Thread: Wesley Mathews Sentenced to Life in Prison in 2017 TX Slaying of Three-Year-Old Sherin Mathews

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Wesley Mathews Sentenced to Life in Prison in 2017 TX Slaying of Three-Year-Old Sherin Mathews


    Sherin Mathews


    Wesley Mathews (Dallas County Sheriff's Department)


    Sherin Mathews' father charged with capital murder in 3-year-old's death

    By Tasha Tsiaperas and Jennifer Emily
    The Dallas Morning News

    The father of Sherin Mathews has been charged with capital murder in the 3-year-old's October death, court records show.

    Sherin was killed by "homicidal violence" before her adoptive father, Wesley Mathews, hid her body in a Richardson culvert where it went undiscovered for weeks.

    A Dallas County grand jury indicted him on the capital murder charge this week. The indictment says Mathews killed Sherin "by a manner and means unknown to the grand jury," court records show.

    If convicted, Mathews could face the death penalty, should prosecutors choose to pursue it, or an automatic sentence of life without parole.

    "We have not decided if we are actually going to seek death," Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said during a news conference Friday.

    Mathews, 37, was arrested in October on a felony injury to a child charge after the girl's body was found Oct. 22. He originally said he put her outside Oct. 7 because she wouldn't drink her milk. He later changed that story to say that the child choked on her milk.

    He is charged with four felonies, including injury to a child and capital murder. He is also charged with abandoning a child and tampering with physical evidence.

    Mathews' attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

    Investigators have not said specifically how Sherin was killed, and her body had been outside for weeks before she was found and an autopsy could be performed.

    Autopsy results were pending for several months before the Dallas County medical examiner's office on Jan. 3 ruled Sherin's death a homicide. It did not offer many details on what might have caused Sherin's death.

    But in March, several months before her death, a doctor found multiple healing fractures on the child.

    Johnson did not say whether continuous abuse of Sherin contributed to her death and said investigators are still working to determine exactly what happened to the child.

    "We do want to make certain that justice is done on the behalf of this little 3-year-old," Johnson said. "We are going to be the voice for her."

    https://www.dallasnews.com/news/cour...capital-murder
    Last edited by Moh; 01-12-2018 at 05:05 PM. Reason: Corrected a bunch of stuff as usual.

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Sherin Mathews’ foster father might face loss of life sentence

    The Kaplan Herald

    Prosecutors in Texas will decide in the coming weeks whether to seek the death penalty against the Indian-American adoptive father of 3-year-old toddler Sherin Mathews whose decomposed body was found in a culvert, according to US media reports.

    A grand jury in Dallas County, Texas, on Friday returned several charges, most notably capital murder, against Sherin’s foster father Wesley Mathews.

    The 37-year-old man from Kerala is accused of killing Sherin in October last year.

    The indictment says Wesley killed Sherin “by a manner and means unknown to the grand jury,” court records show.

    The indictment for capital murder states that Wesley used a deadly weapon. The tampering with evidence indictment claims he altered, destroyed and concealed a human corpse with intent to impair evidence for a later police investigation.

    Wesley was arrested on October 7 and charged with felony injury to a child, which carries a sentence of up to life in prison, after Sherin’s body was found on October 22 in a culvert in suburban Dallas by a cadaver dog after an intense search.

    Initially, Wesley told police that he put her outside their home at 3 am to discipline her for not drinking her milk.

    His story changed after her body was found in a culvert, telling police that he “physically assisted” with pouring the milk down Sherin’s throat and then moved her body after he realised she had choked and died.

    Prosecutors in Dallas will decide in the coming weeks whether to seek the death penalty against Wesley, CNN reported.

    Authorities were tight-lipped at a press conference on Friday, saying they did not want to prejudice a jury and were continuing to investigate the case that attracted much global attention and led to tightening of India’s child adoption policy.

    “We do want to make certain justice is done on behalf of this little 3-year-old,” said District Attorney Faith Johnson. “We will be seeking justice on her behalf.”

    “We are going to be the voice for her in this offense, and do all we can to make sure the fair and just thing is done,” said Johnson.

    The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office said last week that while Sherin’s manner of death was homicidal violence, her exact cause of death could not be determined because of extensive decomposition.

    Johnson said the result of the autopsy led them to file the capital murder charge.

    “We have some information as to what might have happened,” Johnson said. “But we are still investigating, looking into the facts, trying to make our case look better, and get better as we research, investigate and prepare for trial.”

    Despite the limited details about what actually happened to Sherin, Johnson said she’s confident her team will be able to get justice.

    “We plan to be very tenacious, persistent, prosecute this case to the fullest, do the best we can,” Johnson said.

    Sherin was adopted by the Indian-American couple from Bihar in 2016. Her highly decomposed body was found by a cadaver dog in a culvert beneath a road in suburban Dallas on October 22, two weeks after she mysteriously vanished from their home in Richardson.

    The medical examiner has ruled that Sherin died from “homicidal violence” but did not release additional details.

    “Based on the autopsy report we were able to determine we could seek capital murder in this case,” Johnson said.

    The capital murder indictment against Mathews was a new development in the case, Fox4News reported.

    Wesley previously was charged with injury to a child, a first-degree felony punishable with a maximum 99 years in prison.

    Friday’s indictment adds abandoning a child and tampering with evidence, second-degree allegations punishable by two to 20 years in prison.

    Sherin’s adoptive mother, Sini Mathews, 35, faces one count of abandoning a child. That stems from the couple’s decision to leave the girl at home on October 6 while they went out to dinner with their biological child, according to the indictment.

    Sini, a registered nurse, has maintained her innocence.

    Autopsy results were pending for several months before the Dallas County medical examiner’s office on January 3 ruled Sherin’s death a homicide. It did not offer many details on what might have caused Sherin’s death.

    But in March, several months before her death, a doctor found multiple healing fractures on the child.

    The doctor ed the Child Protection Services after finding multiple fractures in various stages of healing.

    Sherin suffered injuries to her upper-arm bones and fractures in her leg bones that were in various stages of healing, according to a court testimony.

    The doctor, Suzanne Dakil of the Referral and Evaluation of At Risk Children Clinic, testified at a custody hearing involving the couple’s biological daughter that she suspected Sherin had been injured at the hands of her parents.

    “I had no explanation other than this that child had been physically abused,” Dakil had testified.

    The Indian government has barred the operations of Holt International, the US adoption agency involved in placing Sherin with the Mathews family.

    The firm said it has followed all national and international laws and best practices during the adoption process.

    Richardson Police Chief Jim Spivey said he is “pleased that we have reached this stage” after the indictments against the parents were announced.

    “It has been a very intensive case for the Richardson Police Department,” he said.

    https://kaplanherald.com/2018/01/16/...life-sentence/

  3. #3
    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    if there is anyone I want sentenced to death it's him
    Last edited by CharlesMartel; 01-17-2018 at 11:53 AM.

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    What to expect: Adoptive parents of Sherin Mathews returning to court

    Now that the Mathews are returning to court for their criminal charges, we wanted to take some of the most asked questions surrounding their case to an attorney for answers on the legal process.

    By Alisha Ebrahimji
    WFAA

    Sherin Mathews' adoptive parents, Sini and Wesley Mathews are back in court for their criminal charges.

    The two had their first court setting Feb. 20 in which a pass was granted, a new court date was scheduled for March 7 in which a pass was granted also. Their next setting is for March 22.

    The body of 3-year-old Sherin was found in Oct. 2017 in a culvert near her Richardson home. Both Sini and Wesley were later jailed as authorities investigated Sherin's disappearance and death further.

    Sherin's story has made headlines internationally with many interested in following along to find out how and why she died.

    Sini and Wesley have been to court once already in a Child Protective Services case for their biological child. It is during this hearing that information was released about the conditions in which Sherin was forced to live in prior to her death. The state asked Sini about reports of Sherin's broken bones and fractures she had endured and her being classified as a "failure to thrive" patient because of her continuous weight loss.

    After several hearings, the couple voluntarily relinquished their parental rights to their biological child. She is living in the Houston area with relatives and neither Sini nor Wesley may legally have contact with her.

    Now that the two are returning to court for their criminal charges, we wanted to take some of the most asked questions surrounding the case to an attorney for answers.

    WFAA sat down with Dallas attorney, Shaun Naidoo who practices both criminal and civil law to explain and understand the trial process.

    Why are their two separate criminal trials for Sini and Wesley?

    Both Sini and Wesley individually have separate charges.

    Sini is charged with abandoning a child, which holds a punishment that ranges from two to 20 years in prison with a fine up to $10,000, a second degree felony and could be eligible for probation since she doesn't have a past criminal history.

    Wesley is charged with capital murder and tampering with evidence. He now faces life in prison or the death penalty. The district attorney has not said whether they will seek the death penalty at this time. He was also indicted for injury to a child, which is punishable by five to 99 years in prison, as well as abandoning a child.

    Is this average timing for the case to be heard or should this have come to criminal court faster?

    Because of the complexity of the case (evidence, forensics, DNA, etc.) these announcement settings or "passes" are taking place and likely will continue for several months. This is so that all parties involved can see all the documents and evidence involved.

    What exactly does a pass or announcement setting mean? What happens during these dated settings?

    On an announcement setting, Sini or Wesley are not expected to physically be present or be brought over from jail. These settings are a time for the defense attorneys and the district attorney to have closed-door, informal talks to discuss the evidence gathered in these cases: autopsy reports, forensics data, DNA collected, etc.

    Who determines a pass or announcement setting? Is there a limit on how many passes can occur before they have to begin hearing the case at a jury trial?

    Depending on the court, there is a limit on how many passes can be made in a case. Each court has their own limit. On average a case can be passed anywhere from 10-25 times before a plea bargain hits the table or the case is taken to a jury trial. This process usually takes place over the course of several months.

    The court coordinator is typically the one in charge of facilitating announcement settings.

    Do the defendants have to show up every time?

    No. The reason why the Mathews were present during their CPS hearing is because the court was trying to determine their parental rights through witness testimony and questioning. CPS is dictated by the family code, criminal court is dictated by the code of criminal procedure.

    Are these settings open to the public like the Mathews' CPS hearing was?

    No. Since these are discussions between defense attorneys and the district attorney, there is no formal setting inside a courtroom for the public to listen in on. If and when the case goes to a jury trial and unless the judge states otherwise, the public may attend then.

    How will we know when the case goes to a jury trial?

    If that is the case, the court coordinator will post that information on the Dallas County courts website. They will formally set a date and the process to find a jury will begin. In Wesley's case, he is charged with capital murder, a charge that requires a detailed, thorough process of jury selection.

    Can Sini or Wesley still get out of jail?

    Yes. During these announcement settings or passes, Sini or Wesley could still post bond. Sini is being held with a $100K bond and Wesley is being held with a $1 million bond. If either of them do, they will then be required to appear at each court announcement setting as part of the terms of their bond.

    It's important to note if and when either of these cases go to a jury trial, the time that Sini and Wesley have spent in jail leading up to the jury trial can be applied to their sentencing. For example, if Sini is convicted on the child abandonment charge, the time she has already spent in jail will apply-- this is called back time.

    http://www.wfaa.com/article/news/loc.../287-525998312
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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Richardson dad's bond lowered for charges in adopted daughter's death

    By FOX4News.com Staff

    The Richardson father charged with murdering his adopted 3-year-old daughter has been granted a lower bond.

    Wesley Mathews is in jail for capital murder and other counts related to the disappearance and cover-up of 3-year-old Sherin Mathews’ death

    Investigators say Wesley first reported his adopted daughter missing after claiming he forced her to stand outside in the middle of the night as punishment for not drinking milk. He then later claimed she choked on her milk and died while he tried to help her.

    Sherin's body was found in a drainage pipe 15 days after she was reported missing. The official cause of death was listed as homicidal violence.

    Wesley has been in jail since he was indicted on the three additional charges last October. Given some of the testimony in court on Wednesday, he’ll likely remain in jail until he goes to trial on all four charges sometime next year.

    Appearing in hand cuffs and jail stripes, Wesley sat quietly and emotionless as his lawyer argued for a bond reduction on Wednesday.

    "He was complying with his conditions of bond the first go around,” said Rafael De La Garza, Wesley’s lawyer. “There's no specific evidence that he's a threat to anybody else. There's no specific evidence that the court has that he's a flight risk."

    Wesley was initially free on a $250,000 bond for child abandonment before his lie was exposed and he was charged with three additional counts, including capital murder.

    Prosecutors told the judge again on Wednesday that Wesley lied to investigators from the beginning about what happened to Sherin.

    The lead Richardson detective took the stand saying it was the most unique case of his career. He said Wesley’s lies made the investigation even more complex.

    Defense attorney Pete Schulte, who's not involved with the case, says bonds are set based on a promise to appear in court.

    "This wasn't a random act against somebody in the public. This was his own daughter. So, it's really limited and I think that's what the judge is going to consider,” Schulte said. “He was out on bond before, and he hasn't done anything to be violet toward the community while he was out on bond. And that's what really the judge is going to look at. Is he going to come to court and is society going to be protected?"

    Dallas County Judge Amber Givens-Davis lowered Wesley’s bond from $2.5 million to $1.35 million.

    "It's an unfortunate set of circumstances that occurred,” De La Garza said. “And I know Mr. Mathews looks forward to letting people know how he feels about everything when we have our trial."

    Wesley’s attorney says he respects the judge's decision on the new bond amount and will see if his client can make that amount.

    There was testimony in court that it was difficult for Wesley to make the initial $250,000 bond so it seems unlikely that he'd be able to make a bond that's now more than a million dollars more.

    The DA’s office does not plan to seek the death penalty.

    Sini Mathews remains in the Dallas County Jail as well. Her bond is set at $250,000. She's charged with child abandonment for her role in Sherin's death and disappearance.

    In January, both Sini and Wesley voluntarily gave up their parental rights forever for their 4-year-old biological daughter.

    http://www.fox4news.com/news/richard...aughters-death
    In the Shadow of Your Wings
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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Judge to decide whether to lower bail for mother of 3-year-old found dead in Richardson culvert

    Dallas News (blog)

    The mother accused of abandoning 3-year-old Sherin Mathews before the girl's death in Richardson could have her bail reduced at a hearing Friday morning.

    Sini Mathews has been held in the Dallas County Jail since her arrest in November 2017, when bail was set at $250,000.

    Mathews' trial had been set for Monday, but was postponed. No new trial date has been set.

    Her husband Wesley Mathews, who is charged with capital murder in their daughter's death, had his bail significantly reduced in August.

    His bail was lowered from $1 million to $500,000 for the capital murder charge, from $250,000 to $100,000 for a tampering with physical evidence charge, and from $1 million to $500,000 for a charge of injury to a child with serious bodily injury.

    In total, his bail is set at $1.1 million. His defense attorney had asked for his bail to be set at $250,000. He remains in the Dallas County Jail.

    A capital murder indictment for Wesley Mathews' says he killed Sherin "by a manner and means unknown to the grand jury," according to court records.

    Sherin's body was found in a culvert Oct. 22, 2017, after she had been reported missing Oct. 7.

    Wesley and Sini Mathews left the girl at home alone while they went out to eat the night before Sherin's death, police have said.

    At a November 2017 hearing in which her bail was reduced to $100,000, a detective testified that he believed Sini Mathews was a flight risk because she had asked for her biological daughter's immunization records. The detective said he believed the woman wanted to flee out of desperation and to "be with family in India."

    The Mathewses adopted Sherin from India in June 2016.

    Wesley Mathews' murder trial is scheduled for May. If he is convicted, he could face the death penalty or an automatic sentence of life without parole.

    https://www.dallasnews.com/news/cour...donment-charge
    In the Shadow of Your Wings
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    Senior Member Frequent Poster NanduDas's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CharlesMartel View Post
    The DA’s office does not plan to seek the death penalty.
    Why the hell not?

    Quote Originally Posted by CharlesMartel View Post
    Wesley Mathews' murder trial is scheduled for May. If he is convicted, he could face the death penalty or an automatic sentence of life without parole.
    Ok, which is it?
    Last edited by NanduDas; 01-11-2019 at 04:36 PM.
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    Capital murder trial for Sherin Mathews' father to begin Monday

    FOX4News.com

    Testimony is set to begin Monday in the trial for a Richardson father charged with capital murder for the death of his 3-year-old special needs daughter, Sherin Mathews, who was adopted from India.

    The case has received high interest since Sherin went missing in October 2017.

    A judge recently ruled he will not have to wear shackles to stand trial.

    This case involves an adopted special needs girl and a father with changing stories about what happened to her.

    At the time of her disappearance, Mathews told police he left her outside of their Richardson home because she wouldn't drink her milk.

    Her body was found dumped in a drainage ditch near their home weeks later.

    Mathews then told police that she died choking on milk he was feeding her.

    “Obviously, Wesley Mathews gave a lot of statements to the police and his story changed over time, so the case will probably not come down to whether or not he caused Sherin's death. It's probably going to come down to whether it was intentional or knowing,” said criminal defense attorney Mike Howard, who is not associated with the case.

    Howard believes prosecutors could argue Mathews knowingly caused her death based on what prosecutors say is his history with Sherin.

    A judge ruled that the state can reveal that Sherin was injured six months before her death with multiple fractures, and her parents did not get her treatment for weeks.

    Prosecutors can also tell the jury that Mathews deleted messages between him and his wife, Sini, when police seized his phone.

    “To say, well look, because of her previous broken leg, because she didn't have proper nutrition, because they missed these appointments -- those sort of things. They can help that to build the case of, this isn't just one thing in isolation. There's a long build up, and that shows that this wasn't just an accident,” Howard added.

    A judge has also ruled that Mathews will not have to wear shackles at his trial.

    Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty.

    If he is found guilty of capital murder, he faces life without parole. Or he could be found guilty of a lesser charge.

    “The defense is probably going to look at this case as either a really unfortunate accident, not criminal at all, or that he may be guilty of something, just not capital murder,” Howard said. “They'll argue a lesser charge or manslaughter, which is reckless, or that he didn't intentionally or knowingly injure her, and that would be injury to a child.”

    “This is going to be a sad case. No matter how it comes out, it's going to be sad,” Howard added.

    Wife and mother, Sini Mathews, was originally charged with child abandonment in the case, but that charge was dropped because, as the district attorney said, it could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

    She could be called to testify in this case.

    http://www.fox4news.com/news/capital...o-begin-monday

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    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Wesley Mathews Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge

    Wesley Mathews PLEADED GUILTY to a lesser charge of Injury to a Child By Omission. Instead of a capital murder trial we are now in the punishment phase of trial. Decided by a Jury.

    https://twitter.com/jobinpnews
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
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    Jury Sentences Wesley Mathews To Life In Death Of 3-Year-Old Sherin Mathews

    CBS News

    DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – A jury unanimously sentenced Wesley Mathews to life in prison after he pled guilty to a lesser charge of injury to a child by omission in the death of his adopted daughter Sherin Mathews.

    The 39-year-old from Richardson took the witness stand Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning where he answered questions about the decisions he made on the night of Sherin’s death.

    The original report from Mathews claimed the child disappeared, which triggered an Amber Alert. Her body was eventually found inside a culvert near their Richardson home.

    As Mathews’ story changed, he ultimately stated that she died after choking on milk.

    “I tried to gently shake Sherin so she would be out of that spell but nothing was working and in a matter — pretty soon her head started going different directions and her head came to a still,” Mathews said. “I truly am sorry. I don’t have words to express how sorry I am to these fine officers, these fine people who were full of love and concern for my baby Sherin and they devoted a lot of time and effort and I could have easily stopped that.”

    During his time on the witness stand, Mathews also addressed questions about why he didn’t immediately tell his wife, Sini, or police about what happened. He was also frequently asked about the lies he told authorities during the investigation.

    Mathews admitted to putting Sherin’s body inside a bag and into the culvert. When shown the bag that Sherin was in, Mathews testified it was a “blue” bag rather than a “trash” one, which prosecutors continually called.

    He also took issue with the prosecutors saying he “dumped” her body, and he called the culvert “a place to protect her body.”

    On Wednesday, he referred to the way he handled Sherin’s death as a “mistake” due to not seeking the proper help.

    Prosecutor: “When you caused her death you keep referring to it as a mistake. Right?” Mathews: “It was an accident.” Prosecutor: “Was it a mistake or no?” Mathews: “It was a mistake not seeking adequate medical help.”

    Authorities on Tuesday testified that there were a lot of red flags and suspicion about the case involving the Richardson man. He had been accused of murder and was read his rights during a police interrogation.

    The defense rested shortly before 10 a.m. Wednesday. Prosecutors began their closing arguments just before the lunch hour.

    Mathews’ wife, Sini, was initially charged with child endangerment during the investigation, but those charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence.

    She was seen — her face stoic — exiting the courtroom after Judge Amber Givens-Davis read the jury’s decision.

    https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/06/26/...herin-mathews/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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