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Details Revealed In Infant’s Death; PA Man Faces Murder Charge: Affidavit
Newly released court documents provide chilling details about the events leading up to the death of a 3-month-old baby, for which Harrisburg resident Eriezer Eddie Melendez Jr., 37, is now facing a murder charge.
According to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by Daily Voice on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 27, Pennsylvania State Police were dispatched to a home on Canvasback Drive in Oliver Township on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 8:31 a.m., for a report of an infant in cardiac arrest. The baby, identified as "CR," was transported to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, where doctors determined she…
PA Man Accused Of Shaking Infant Now Charged With Murder
The tragic case involving Eriezer Eddie Melendez Jr., 37, of Harrisburg, has escalated as the 3-month-old baby he was accused of shaking has died from her injuries, a source close to the family told Daily Voice.
The infant was removed from life support on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, at 6:30 p.m., and passed away at 10:35 p.m., according to family sources. As a result, Melendez now faces a Felony 1 Murder charge in addition to five other charges:
Felony 1: Aggravated assault – victim less than 13 years old and defendant 18 or older.
Felony 2: Aggravated assault – victim less than 6 years old a…
Baby Nearly Killed When PA Man Shakes Her: Affidavit
A Harrisburg man is accused of shaking a 3-month-old baby, causing life-threatening injuries, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice.
Troopers responded to a call about a baby in cardiac arrest at a home on Canvasback Drive in Oliver Township on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 8:31 a.m., Pennsylvania State Police said in the affidavit of probable cause.
The baby, identified as "CR," was taken to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, where doctors found severe injuries, including extensive subdural hematomas, retinal hemorrhages, and bruising considered a sentinel injury, according to med…
PA Man Faces 86 Charges For Raping 4 Children Over 9 Years: Affidavit
A Hatfield man has been charged with 50 felonies and 36 misdemeanors related to the alleged sexual abuse of four minors across Montgomery County, authorities announced on Thursday, Nov. 21.
Resul Mustafa Ozdemir, 26, of Pinegrove Avenue in Hatfield Township, was arraigned on the charges and jailed on $500,000 cash bail, according to court records.
The charges against Ozdemir include five felony counts each of rape by forcible compulsion, rape via threat of forcible compulsion, rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse by forcible compulsion, involuntary deviate sexual intercou…
PA Infant's Life Cut Short After Father Violently Shook Her, Community Rallies Around Family
A one-month-old Lackawanna County girl died after her father violently shook her. Now, the community is rallying around the family.
Cecilia Rossetti suffered traumatic injuries after falling prey to Shaken Baby Syndrome, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up to benefit the family. She died on Monday, Oct. 21.
Although her life was short, "Cecilia's sweet, gentle spirit has touched the hearts of many, especially her big sister Celeste, who has cherished every moment of being a big sister," the campaign states.
Watching the two sisters together was their mother's greatest joy, a…
Virginia Man Wanted In Delco Child Rape Case Arrested: Police
A Virginia man who was wanted in Delaware County for raping a child was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 8, according to police.
Candelario Ochoa Bravo, 47, of Emporia, Virginia, was charged for raping a nine-year-old girl at a residence in Sharon Hill Borough in 2012, according to police documents.
**WARNING THE FOLLOWING DETAILS ARE GRAPHIC**
Bravo is accused of taking the girl from a bath, laying her on a bed, and performing oral sex on her in 2012, the criminal complaint states.
**WARNING THE ABOVE DETAILS ARE GRAPHIC**
The girl reported the incident to police in 2017 and again more r…
PA Man Charged For Raping Girl 20 Times At Daycare Center: Affidavit
A Delaware County man was arrested for raping a girl 20 times during the course of his time working at a daycare center 16 years ago, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
William Thomas McGrath IV, 30, of Upper Darby, was charged for raping the victim 20 times while she attended Ms. Barb's Daycare, located in the 200 block of Parker Avenue, Upper Darby, beginning in 2008, the criminal complaint says.
McGrath would have been about 16 years old at the time, according to the documents. He was arrested and charged on Thursday, Oct. 3.
When the girl was…
Child Raped During Burglary, Philadelphia Police Say
A child was raped during a burglary, according to a police release on Thursday, Oct. 3.
Tyreek Collier, also known as Tyreek Jackson, 28, was arrested from the 6400 block of Charles Street on Wednesday, Oct. 2, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.
Collier is accused of sexually assaulting a child during a burglary in the 3000 block of Cottman Avenue at 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, police said.
He was charged under two separate dockets with:
Rape Forcible Compulsion.
Unlawful Contact with Minor - Sexual Offenses.
Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse Forcible Compu…
Accused PA Incestuous Child Rapist Arrested In VA: Police
An accused child rapist who appears to have been on the run, was captured in Virginia, New Holland police announced on Thursday, Sept. 19.
Jeffrey Alan Smith, 45, of New Holland, was charged by Officer Halstead with the following felonies: Rape of a Child, Statutory Sexual Assault, Aggravated Indecent Assault, Indecent Assault of a Minor under 13 (two counts), Corruption of Minors (two counts), Incest of Minors, Unlawful Contact with Minors (two counts) and Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse.
The police began investigating following a referral by Lancaster County Children and Yout…
PA Daycare Worker, Mom, BF Made Children Perform Sex Acts: Affidavit
Multiple videos found on a man's phone of young children being sexually abused or being forced to commit sex acts by and on a daycare employee and Mechanicsburg mom have led to two arrests in Cumberland County, according to court documents received by Daily Voice on Monday, Sept. 16.
Morgan Rothenhoefer, 24, of Mechanicsburg, has been charged with the following felonies: corruption of minors, five counts of filming a sex act of a child, deviate sexual intercourse of a child, aggravated indecent assault with a child under 13, and child rape.
Jamie Souders, 41, of Middlesex, has be…
Death Penalty Sought For Woman Accused Of Killing Pittsburgh Friend's Baby, Abusing Twin
The death penalty is being sought against a PhD student from New Jersey who is accused of killing an infant boy and abusing his twin brother in Pennsylvania, according to court records obtained by Daily Voice on Friday, Sept. 6.
Nicole Virzi, 30, a PhD student who graduated from Northern Highlands Regional High School, was charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, child endangerment, and more in connection with the incidents last June.
The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty in Virzi's case on Thursday,…
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Cecilia Levine
PA Mom Charged With Attempted Homicide Of Baby, Prosecutors Say
A Lansford woman is accused of "causing significant harm" to her infant, said the Northampton County District Attorney's Office.
Abigail Horn, 18, is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and endangering the welfare of a child, prosecutors wrote in a release.
Witnesses told Bethlehem police in May that they saw Horn "smothering" the then-6-week-old child, according to authorities. Others said Horn caused the baby to "scream and gasp for air," and on a separate occasion, "squeezed the infant and caused the infant to scream in apparent pain."
Photo evidence showed …
Infant Thrown Like 'Dog Poop' Out PA Window By CNA, Mom: Affidavit
A certified nursing assistant in Maryland and her boyfriend have been arrested for throwing their newborn son out an apartment window and attempting to cover up his death, Pennsylvania State Police troopers announced on Tuesday, June 25, and detailed in court documents obtained by Daily Voice.
Joshua Wooters, 19, and Emily Dickinson, 20, both of McConnellsburg, have been charged with felonies for criminal homicide and conspiracy, as well as misdemeanor counts of concealing the death of a child and abuse of a corpse, as stated in their court dockets.
The couple's arrests com…
