Sunday, May 07, 2006

More El Salvadoran family values in Nebraska Supreme Court decision State v. Molina, 271 Neb. 488 Filed May 5, 2006. No. S-04-1230. Germai R. Molina from ElSalvador was convicted of second degree murder and child abuse resulting in death, arising out of the death of his 2-year-old daughter, Diana Molina. Molina was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 80 years to life on each conviction, sentences to be served consecutively. Molina appeals from his convictions and sentences. Interesting facts; I dont believe them because all immigrants are only here to do jobs Americans refuse to do and to make a better life for their families; plus I think we could be a little less judgmental of the values of other cultures: Molina explained in the interview that when he and his wife moved from El Salvador. Molina admitted in the interview that he had "spanked" Diana with a belt each of the four times she had urinated in the bedroom, striking five or six blows each time. Diana had, according to Molina, been "spanked" in that way twice in the 2 or 3 days preceding the interview. Molina also admitted that he had "got kind of mad" when Diana urinated in bed and hit her a bit more that time. Molina also said that Diana had defecated in her pants about a week before the interview and had been "spanked" with a belt about six times on that occasion. Molina said that he had not shaken Diana or struck her with anything other than a belt. Molina admitted that he picked Diana up once by her hair, about 3 or 4 days before the interview, and told her to clean up where she had urinated. Diana's hair came out, and Molina said it was the last time he had done that. Molina explained that because Diana was 2, almost 3, years old, he told Diana when he punished her that she was old enough to know not to urinate in her room.on July 22, 2003, approximately 24 hours before Diana's death. Molina was awake and with Diana. Mrs. Molina said that Diana "was naked and her arms were raised and she was standing on top of something that looked like a white bucket." Diana's hair was wet, and there were marks on her body from a belt. Molina was sitting on the edge of the bed with the belt in his hand, telling Diana not to fall asleep, and that if she put her hands down, he was going to hit her with the belt. Mrs. Molina testified that Molina told her that he was punishing Diana because she had urinated in her crib. Mrs. Molina said that Molina kept Diana there for about 3 hours and hit her with the belt five times during that period. Mrs. Molina said she told Molina to let Diana go to sleep, but he refused, saying that Diana could not go to sleep because "she was always peeing and that she was filthy and that she was being punished." When Diana fell asleep and fell over, Molina put her back on her feet in the same position. Eventually, Molina put Diana in her crib. Mrs. Molina testified that when she woke up around 10 a.m., Diana was again standing with her arms raised, and Molina was again telling her that if she dropped her arms, he would hit her with the belt. She remained in that position for approximately 2½ to 3 hours. Mrs. Molina said that when she told Molina not to make Diana suffer, Molina said that Mrs. Molina "needed to stop talking and telling him that because it would just make him spank her more and that it would just be best if I just would be quiet." Molina said that "he could do whatever he wanted because he was the father and he was the one that brought her into this world." Mrs. Molina testified that about 1:30 or 2 p.m., Molina went out and got some food, and they then ate inside the room. Molina had Diana stand up again because she had urinated on the floor. Mrs. Molina testified that Molina was very angry and pulled Diana up by her hair, and a chunk of Diana's hair came out. Diana spent the rest of the day on her feet. If Diana lowered her arms, Molina yelled at her and hit her with a belt until she raised her arms again. Mrs. Molina testified that around 8 p.m., Diana was allowed to drink some juice and eat an apple. Mrs. Molina said that she thought Diana "was very hungry because she was eating really fast and she was falling asleep and [Molina] went over and picked her up and spanked her or hit her about five times and then put her on top of the bucket again." Diana remained standing on the floor until Mrs. Molina went to bed at around midnight. Mrs. Molina testified that she slept intermittently, but heard Diana say that her feet hurt and she wanted to go to bed. Molina would not let her and made her run around the room while Molina hit her. Mrs. Molina said it sounded as if Diana was running into the furniture or walls. Mrs. Molina said she heard Diana say she needed to use the bathroom, and Molina said he would take her out in the living room and "have her do it in the paper." Diana then told him she was finished, Molina said he would clean her up, and then they came back into the room. Mrs. Molina testified that she heard Diana say her feet were hurting and that she wanted to sleep. After that, Mrs. Molina heard Diana screaming, and it sounded as if Molina was repeatedly hitting Diana with the belt. Mrs. Molina looked and saw Molina swinging Diana around and shaking her. Molina made Diana run and then after she fell, hit her repeatedly while she was on the floor. Mrs. Molina said that it sounded like Molina then repeatedly picked Diana up and dropped her to the floor "ten or twenty times." Molina hit Diana hard in the stomach; then, when Mrs. Molina looked, Molina was trying to get Diana up, but she was unresponsive. Molina told Mrs. Molina that Diana had fallen when he was bringing her back from the bathroom, but Mrs. Molina testified that she would have heard had Molina taken Diana up the stairs to the bathroom. Mrs. Molina attempted to resuscitate Diana, but was unsuccessful. They decided to take Diana to the hospital, but Molina insisted on dressing her in an attempt to hide bruises that Mrs. Molina testified were "almost all over her body." According to Mrs. Molina, Molina "said that I should say that she had already come that way from El Salvador; that a cousin had beat her and that not all of those [bruises] were from him." "That I should say that -- that what I had heard was that she had fallen down the stairs when he -- he was bringing her back from the bathroom." Mrs. Molina said that she told Molina "'[y]es,' that I would say that at the hospital so that he would take her to the hospital because if I didn't say that he wouldn't take her." They left for the hospital out the basement door, although that was not the door they usually used, because Molina said his mother was watching television and she would see what had happened and get worried.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How horrible. How could you strip a little 2-year-old girl naked and whip her with a belt over her entire body? Sick.