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Thread: Patrick Ray Haney, Jr. - Pennsylvania Death Row

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    Patrick Ray Haney, Jr. - Pennsylvania Death Row





    A Fayette County man accused of beating a 4-year-old boy to death will face the death penalty.

    Patrick Ray Haney, 27, of Point Marion, is charged by state police with criminal homicide in the Sept. 13 death of Trenton Lewis St. Clair.

    This morning, District Attorney Jack Heneks Jr. announced he will seek the death penalty against Haney.

    Heneks indicated in a notice filed this morning that if Haney goes to trial and is convicted of first-degree homicide, prosecutors will cite torture and the victim's age as aggravating circumstances required for the death penalty.

    In addition, Heneks said Trooper James Pierce at the Uniontown state police barracks will file a general homicide charge against Trenton's mother, Heather Louise Forsythe.

    Forsythe, 27, currently is charged with child endangerment.

    "Her conduct rose to at least the level of recklessness consistent with malice required by the homicide charge," Heneks said.

    In a criminal complaint, Pierce alleges Haney beat Trenton over "an extended period of time" at a house he shared with Forsythe at 1129 Morgantown Road in Springhill Township.

    A doctor who treated Trenton at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W. Va., testified during a preliminary hearing in October that Trenton was already dead when Haney brought him into the emergency room on Sept. 13.

    "I saw a limp, blue child with no apparent signs of life," testified Dr. Hollynn Larrabee before McClellandtown District Judge Randy Abraham during a preliminary hearing . "I felt for a pulse. There was no pulse."

    Trenton's grandmother, Sharon Smitley of Lake Lynn, said in October she would support efforts to secure the death penalty.

    "I want him to have a slow, long death," Smitley said. "He needs to suffer, like my grandson did."

    Larrabee testified Trenton's body was covered in fresh and old bruises, including to his face, jaw, cheek, chin, throat, eyes, left shoulder and abdomen. She testified the injuries were inconsistent with Haney's contention that Trenton had fallen down a flight of stairs.

    "It is my strong opinion that is not consistent with the injury patterns that I observed," Larrabee testified. "I believe he suffered a traumatic death, that his injuries were secondary to trauma."

    Larrabee testified Haney reported that Trenton fell unresponsive upon arrival at the emergency room. She testified that was unlikely, but she could not place a time of death beyond five to 10 minutes prior to the boy's arrival at the hospital.

    "I believe that he had not just become unresponsive, that, in fact, he may have been dead for some time before he arrived," Larrabee testified.

    Trooper Charles Morrison testified in October that preliminary results of an autopsy performed at Ruby Memorial determined cause of death was blunt force abdominal trauma.

    Pierce testified Haney told him he hit Trenton in the face and on the back of the head. Haney, according to Pierce, said the beatings were a form of discipline, but he never intended to hurt Trenton.

    Under cross-examination by defense attorney Brent Peck of Uniontown, Pierce acknowledged that the county's Children and Youth Services agency had investigated Forsythe for allegations of abuse at least four times prior to Trenton's death.

    Forsythe in October waived her right to a preliminary hearing on the child endangerment charges. Her sister, Louella Forsythe of New Salem, said she believes that Heather Forsythe never harmed Trenton.

    "Heather was good to her baby," Louella Forsythe said. "He was spoiled rotten. She made him listen, but she never put her hand on him, ever."

    Peck said after the October hearing that Haney is innocent.

    "There's a long way to go yet," Peck said. "There's a lot of facts that we're just learning about."

    Haney and Forsythe are in the Fayette County Prison, where Haney is being held without bond and Forsythe in lieu of $250,000 bond.

    http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt...#ixzz1gcTdajCI

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    Trial ordered for Pa. woman in son's beating death

    A southwestern Pennsylvania woman accused of having allowed beatings that led to the death of her 4-year-old son has been ordered to stand trial on a homicide charge.

    Authorities allege that 27-year-old Heather Forsythe of Point Marion recklessly permitted abuse by her boyfriend, who was charged earlier with criminal homicide.

    Defense attorney Nicholas Timperio sought dismissal of the charge against Forsythe on Friday, saying there was no evidence that she was responsible for the Sept. 13 death of Trenton St. Clair.

    But Assistant District Attorney Linda Cordaro said that there was evidence that Forsythe knew what was happening to her son.

    Prosecutors said earlier that they intend to seek the death penalty if 27-year-old Patrick Haney Jr. is convicted of first-degree murder. Haney has denied being responsible for any abuse.

    http://www.yorkdispatch.com/penn/ci_19893512

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    Doctor describes bruising, injuries that killed child

    A West Virginia forensic pathologist described more than a dozen areas of bruising and abrasions to the body of a 4-year-old Point Marion boy whom Fayette County prosecutors contend was beaten to death by his mother’s boyfriend.

    Dr. Martina Schmidt said Monday that some of the marks on Trenton St. Clair’s body were fresh and others were older. She testified that the bruises were circular and resembled fingers.

    Patrick Haney Jr., 27, of Point Marion is charged with criminal homicide in the boy’s death and could face a death sentence if he is convicted of first-degree murder. State police contend he beat the boy over several weeks. St. Clair died from peritonitis, an inflammation of the tissue that lines the inner wall of the abdomen.

    Schmidt was the final witness to be called in a bid by Haney’s court-appointed defense attorney, Jeremy J. Davis, to have murder charges thrown out, to suppress statements Haney made to police and to bar Assistant District Attorney Linda Cordaro from seeking the death penalty in the case.

    Schmidt, working as deputy chief medical examiner in West Virginia, conducted an autopsy on St. Clair, who she said was bruised “from head to toe.” She detailed bruises to the child’s face and head, neck, chest, back and buttocks and arms and legs.

    Internally, Schmidt testified, the boy had bleeding in his skull, and various abdominal injuries — some fresh and some older.

    The abdominal injuries caused the peritonitis that ultimately killed St. Clair and was caused by a physical assault, Schmidt testified.

    The doctor acknowledged under cross-examination that peritonitis could have been caused by a fall down the steps, but said that one fall would not cause all of the injuries.

    “A child would have to fall multiple times on something shaped like fingers,” Schmidt testified.

    Her testimony was the only evidence to be presented during the second part of the hearing. Last month, Cordaro called the emergency room doctor who saw St. Clair when he was brought into Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., on Sept. 13, 2011. Dr. Hollynn Larrabee called St. Clair’s case one of the worst cases of abuse she had seen. The child was already dead when his mother, Heather Forsythe, 27, of Point Marion, brought him to the hospital, Larrabee said.

    Forsythe is also charged with criminal homicide. Police contend she knew Haney, who is not the child’s biological father, was beating St. Clair, and did nothing to stop him.

    Davis argued that prosecutors were unable to show that Haney had a specific intent to kill St. Clair. Specific intent is a legal standard necessary to secure a first-degree murder conviction.

    “There’s nothing connecting Patrick Haney to causing these injuries,” Davis argued.

    If Judge John F. Wagner Jr. finds there was no specific intent to kill, it would bar prosecutors from seeking the death penalty because they would be unable to prosecute Haney for first-degree murder.

    Davis also argued that the child was not killed with malice, also a legal standard necessary to secure any murder conviction.

    Cordaro argued that Haney told police that St. Clair did not listen, and he disciplined the boy in an effort to have him do so. She said there has been sufficient evidence presented to show that Haney battered the child.

    Those repeated blows show a specific intent to kill the boy, she contended.

    Prosecutors have alleged two aggravating factors in seeking a death sentence: St. Clair’s age and that he was killed by means of torture.

    “There’s been no evidence tying Patrick Haney to torture,” Davis contended.

    Cordaro argued that torture can be inferred from testimony that the boy was bruised all over his body, and that some injuries were fresh while others were older.

    Wagner will rule in the case at a later date.

    http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/c...73f4f93b0.html
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    Thousands to be spent on defense in boy’s beating death

    A Fayette County man who faces the death penalty in the beating death of a 4-year-old boy will undergo a psychological examination at a cost of up to $3,000.

    Patrick Ray Haney and the boy‘s mother, Heather Louise Forsythe, both 28, are charged with criminal homicide in the Sept. 13 death of Forsythe‘s son, Trenton Lewis St. Clair. Prosecutors allege Haney beat the boy over an extended period of time and Forsythe did nothing to stop the abuse.

    District Attorney Jack Heneks is seeking the death penalty against Haney, with torture and the victim‘s age listed as aggravating circumstances.

    A yet-to-be-named expert will be paid up to $3,000 to conduct a psychological examination on Haney, according to court documents. In addition, another $6,000 has been set aside, by court order, for the defense to hire an investigator and a mitigation specialist.

    Haney‘s attorney, Charles M. Carpinelli of Hiller, wants Haney to undergo a psychological examination to determine whether he suffers from any mental disorders that would prevent him from understanding right from wrong, according to court documents. In addition, the exam will determine whether Haney understands the charges against him and whether he can assist in his defense.

    Haney is accused of beating Trenton over an extended period of time at a house he shared with Forsythe at 1129 Morgantown Road in Springhill Township. On Sept. 13, the couple took Trenton to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., where he was pronounced dead.

    Forsythe initially was charged with child endangerment, but state police later added a general homicide charge against the mother.

    In a pretrial hearing held in October, an emergency room doctor who treated Trenton testified she had never encountered a worse case of abuse.

    “I‘ve seen many cases of abuse,” Dr. Hollynn Larrabee testified during the hearing. “This is one of the worst, if not the worst, abuse cases I have ever seen.”

    Larrabee described numerous bruises on Trenton‘s jaw, chin, neck, eyes, abdomen, arms and legs. A hand pattern was noticeable in some of the bruises, she said, and his abdomen was abnormally stiff and distended.

    The injuries were not consistent with Haney‘s alleged claim that Trenton had fallen down stairs, Larrabee testified.

    An autopsy performed in West Virginia lists the cause of death as peritonitis from an abdominal injury caused by battering.

    Haney is in the Fayette County Prison without bond while Forsythe is in the Greene County Prison, according to court records.

    Haney is awaiting a judge‘s ruling on a pretrial motion seeking to take the death penalty off the table. Forsythe‘s trial is scheduled for February.

    http://triblive.com/news/westmorelan...#ixzz2GFT1xBxr
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    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

  5. #5
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    Fayette judge rules DA can seek death penalty in boy’s fatal beating

    A Fayette County judge has rejected a Springhill Township man's attempt to stop prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in the beating death of a 4-year-old boy.

    Point Marion residents Patrick Ray Haney and Heather Louise Forsythe, who are both 28, are charged by state police with criminal homicide and child endangerment in the Sept. 13 death of Forsythe's son, Trenton Lewis St. Clair.

    Haney is accused of beating Trenton over an extended period of time in a house he shared with Forsythe at 1129 Morgantown Road in Springhill. Forsythe is accused of doing nothing to stop the abuse.

    Only Haney faces the death penalty if convicted of first-degree homicide. District Attorney Jack Heneks Jr. cited Trenton's age and torture as aggravating circumstances required for the death penalty.

    Haney's attorney, Jeremy Davis of Uniontown, asked a judge in a pretrial motion to take the death penalty off the table. In addition, Davis wanted charges of first- and third-degree homicide dismissed, and Haney's statements to police suppressed.

    Davis argued prosecutors failed to present evidence of the aggravating factors at Haney's preliminary hearing in October, and claimed that his client was not advised of his right to remain silent and to get an attorney before he gave a statement to police.

    President Judge John F. Wagner Jr., denied the motion in an order issued on Wednesday.

    “The Commonwealth has established a prima facie case for murder in the first degree, and if it can prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt at trial, two aggravating factors to make the death penalty applicable are, if proven, present herein – the age of the victim and torture,” Wagner wrote.

    He rejected Davis' attempt to disqualify Haney's statements to police as evidence. Wagner, citing testimony in which a state trooper said Haney waived his Miranda rights in writing, said the claim to suppress the statements is “almost frivolous.”

    Haney and Forsythe are being held in the Fayette County Prison without bond.

    http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/3...#ixzz2KtcumsGe

  6. #6
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    Trial to open for Uniontown couple in boy's death

    UNIONTOWN, Pa. — A southwestern Pennsylvania couple goes on trial this week in the beating death of a four-year-old boy 2 1/2 years ago.

    Twenty-nine-year-old Patrick Haney Jr. and 30-year-old Heather Forsythe of Point Marion are charged in Fayette County in the September 2011 death of Forsythe's son, Trenton St. Clair.

    Prosecutors allege Haney systematically beat the boy over several weeks and that Forsythe knew about the abuse but did nothing to stop it. They say they plan to seek the death penalty if Haney is convicted of first-degree murder.

    The (Uniontown) Herald-Standard reports that jury selection in the case is slated to begin Monday.

    http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/...s-death/nd4kw/

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    More jurors selected in Haney trial

    Six jurors have been seated in the trial of a Fayette County man who could face the death penalty in the fatal beating of a 4-year-old boy.

    Patrick Ray Haney, 29, is charged with criminal homicide and endangering the welfare of a child in the Sept. 13, 2011 death of Trenton Lewis St. Clair.

    State police Trooper James A. Peirce alleges Haney repeatedly beat the boy over an extended time period. An autopsy showed Trenton died of peritonitis from an abdominal injury caused by repeated battering, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing.

    Trenton's mother, Heather Lynn Forsythe, 30, is charged with homicide for alleged failure to stop the abuse. She is expected to testify against Haney in exchange for a plea bargain, the terms of which have not yet been disclosed.

    Potential jurors are being questioned individually by Assistant District Attorney Mark Mehalov and defense attorneys Jeremy Davis of Uniontown and Charles Carpinelli of Brownsville.

    They selected one juror on Monday and five on Tuesday.

    Among those who were selected is a woman who previously served on a capital case in Virginia. She said the Virginia case resulted in a guilty verdict and a life sentence.

    A woman who was not selected said she previously served on a jury where she believed the defendant was guilty, but the panel found him innocent because of reasonable doubt.

    “Two months later, the man was killed in an alleyway,” the woman testified. “So I guess when it comes down to it, justice was served.”

    A man was excused when he said criminal defendants who are innocent should testify in their own defense.

    “I would think he should defend himself, if he's an innocent man,” the man said. “If a man is innocent, he should prove his innocence.”

    Judge Nancy Vernon on Tuesday advised potential jurors the burden of proof in a criminal case is on the prosecution. Defendants have a constitutional right not to testify or present evidence in their defense, she said.

    If Haney is found guilty of first-degree homicide and a penalty phase is necessary, prosecutors will argue the victim's age and the alleged torture he suffered are aggravating circumstances that would justify the death penalty.

    Haney and Forsythe are in the Fayette County Prison without bond.

    http://triblive.com/news/westmorelan...#ixzz2v4KanQKY
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

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    Mother To Testify In Beating Death Of 4-Year-Old Son

    A southwestern Pennsylvania woman has pleaded guilty in the beating death of her 4-year-old son as jury selection continues for the death penalty trial of her boyfriend.

    Heather Forsythe, 30, of Point Marion, pleaded guilty Wednesday to endangering the welfare of a child in the September 2011 death of her son, Trenton St. Clair.

    Prosecutors say they have recommended a sentence of 2˝ to five years. They say Forsythe has agreed to testify against 30-year-old Patrick Haney Jr., who could face capital punishment if convicted of first-degree murder.

    Authorities allege that Haney systematically beat the boy over several weeks and Forsythe did nothing to stop the abuse.

    Forsythe testified that she repeatedly sought to call her family or go to the hospital but Haney said she was “overreacting.”

    Authorities said they believe the alleged abuse happened at a home in Point Marion where the couple was living.

    Previously in court, a doctor from Ruby Memorial Hospital testified that the boy had likely been dead for some time before his mother and her boyfriend took him to the hospital.

    http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/...-year-old-son/
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

  9. #9
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Why is the mother only going to jail for two to five years. I know it said that she did nothing to stop the beatings of the child, but still isn't that kind of low for doing nothing while her son was violently beat to death in front of her.
    "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

  10. #10
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    Fayette jury hears closing arguments in murder trial for death of boy, 4

    A Fayette County jury is hearing closing arguments Tuesday morning in the trial for a Point Marion man as prosecutors seek the death penalty for the fatal beating of a 4-year-old boy in 2011.

    Patrick Haney, 29, took the stand to deny that he ever beat Trenton Lewis St. Clair. The boy died Sept. 13, 2011, at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., of peritonitis due to an abdominal injury caused by repeated battering, according to trial testimony.

    The child's body was covered in bruises, a medical expert testified.

    The boy's mother, Heather Forsythe, testified Monday that she arrived home after attending a funeral on Sept. 11, 2001, to find Haney beating Trenton and pulling his hair.

    Forsythe said Haney refused to allow her to seek medical attention for her son, keeping them both captive in a bedroom at their Point Marion home until Haney finally relented and took them to the hospital.

    But Haney testified he never harmed the boy and never noticed bruises on him until he saw Trenton in the hospital on the day he died.

    Prosecutors are seeking a first-degree homicide conviction against Haney. If successful, they will ask the jury to issue a death sentence.

    Defense attorneys are seeking to deflect blame away from Haney.

    Forsythe, who was originally charged with homicide in her son's death, testified against Haney under a plea deal that allowed her to plead guilty to child endangerment.

    http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/5...#ixzz2vfcv0kai
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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

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