Pennsylvania man beat girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter so badly she needed to have part of her brain removed before her death
SHAMOKIN, PENNSYLVANIA: A Pennsylvania man and his girlfriend have been charged with homicide after the death of her three-year-old daughter, who was subjected to such horrific abuse before her death that she needed to have a part of her brain removed.
Emergency personnel responded to the Zerbe Township residence of Jahrid Josef Burgess, 19, and Samantha Jo Delcamp, 24, on October 10 at around 9:50 pm after the latter called 911 and reported that they had found her daughter Arabella Parker unconscious in the living room, according to Penn Live.
She was rushed to the Geisinger Medical Center, where it became apparent that her injuries were the result of abuse. Aside from head injuries, she was found to have suffered broken ribs and collar bones, internal bleeding of the abdomen, vaginal bleeding, and bruises all over the body.
She also had neurological issues, and surgeons had to operate on her to remove a part of her brain. She was placed on a breathing machine, with Dr. Paul Bellino at Geisinger stating that even if she survived, she would not have a normal life.
Burgess initially denied inflicting the abuse, but later admitted that, on October 10, he picked the three-year-old up and pinned her against a wall because she wouldn't eat. He said he put her on the floor, then picked her back up and tried to throw her on a couch, only for her to land on the floor.
It was not the only time he had abused her either, with assaults occurring as far back as July. During one incident on October 6, Burgess was accused of throwing Arabella into a chair, then into a bathtub, turning on the faucet, and pushing Delcamp in on top of her.
Arabella remained on life support for more than a month with seemingly no improvement in her condition before she succumbed to her injuries this past Friday, November 22.
Following her death, Northumberland County District Attorney Tony Matulewicz charged Burgess with criminal homicide and Delcamp with being an accomplice as she continued to allow the girl to be around Burgess despite knowing she was being abused, reported the Daily Item.
The pair appeared before Shamokin District Judge John Gembic on Tuesday, November 27, and had their bail revoked as homicide is a non-bailable offense.
Burgess's mother, Christy Willis, of Sunbury, has also been charged with lying to law enforcement about the October 10 incident to help her son and Delcamp escape prosecution.