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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Once Again The System Fails Another Child.


A four-year-old girl who weighed just 18lbs when authorities found her starved, beaten and drugged body tied to a bed was so emaciated that every rib was visible, a jury has heard.

Marchella Brett Pierce was tied to her SpongeBob SquarePants bed with a skipping rope when she died in September 2010, prosecutors in the case against her mother and grandmother said.

Her dehydrated, starved body contained just a single kernel of corn when she died, they added.
The girl’s mother, Carlotta Brett Pierce, is on trial in Brooklyn, New York for her murder, while her grandmother, Loretta Brett, has been charged with manslaughter for failing to prevent the death.

Prosecutors recounted the grim details of the heartbreaking case that could also have been prevented by childcare workers, police have said.

The jury was shown photos of the girl, who weighed just 18.8lbs on her death – nearly half the weight of an average four-year-old – in which every rib could be seen, the New York Daily News reported.

Images projected on a screen in the court room also showed open wounds on her limbs from where she had been restrained, as well as bruises seemingly caused by a blunt force.

Restraining items, including brown twine, string and jumping ropes, were found tied to the bed. The filthy apartment was strewn with plastic bags, empty alcohol bottles and trash.

Empty containers of Claritin and Benadryl were in bins; prosecutors said the girl had up to 60 adult doses of Claritin and 30 doses of Benadryl in her system when she was found.

On trial: Loretta Brett, grandmother


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