Mother of the Year Candidate > Baby neglected, daughter drowns alone in pool, Mom drinks at bar

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This year's Mother of the Year so far belongs to Paraguay's Aurelia Salinas, who sold her 3-year-old daughter to be raped and murdered in a trade for crack cocaine. But, I think New York's Erica Baez should come under some consideration.

Bronx girl, 7, drowns in hotel pool while 5-month-old left alone in room

as mom drank at bar: prosecutors

By Larry Celona and Priscilla DeGregory

May 16, 2023 4:13pm  Updated

A Bronx mom allegedly let her 7-year-old daughter drown in a hotel pool — while leaving her 5-month-old baby in the room alone — as she downed drinks at the bar, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Erica Baez, 41, is now being held without bail on second-degree manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child charges in the Jan. 13, 2022 horror at a Marriott Hotel in Melville.

The tragic girl, Katlyn, died May 1 after spending more than a year on life support, Suffolk County prosecutors said.

Baez had been staying at the hotel with her boyfriend, her 5-month-old son and Katlyn when the boyfriend left for work early that day, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said.

The mom had asked hotel staff to open the indoor pool around 3:30 p.m. — with workers warning her that no lifeguard was on duty and that she’d have to stay with her child, the DA’s office said.

But Baez instead headed to the hotel bar where she ate and drank an alcoholic cocktail while her daughter played alone in the pool for 30 minutes, prosecutors claimed.

The mother went to check on the child but then left her alone again while she went up to the hotel room to see her infant, who was also alone, the DA’s office claimed.

Baez went for a second cocktail and left the daughter for over 30 minutes before returning to the pool to find the girl “floating lifeless in the pool” the office alleged.

Erica Baez was charged with manslaughter after her 7-year-old daughter died after drowning in a Melville Marriott pool (pictured here) while her mother allegedly drank.

But instead of jumping straight in, Baez took time to take off her shoes and socks and put her phone aside before taking Katlyn out of the water, prosecutors said.

When EMS workers arrived, Baez lied telling them she’d only left the girl for five minutes, the DA’s office said.

The EMTs were able to revive the girl but she was left with irreversible brain damage from the lack of oxygen and was forced to live on a ventilator and feeding tube for two months, prosecutors said.

Marriott hotel in Melville, New York.

The little girl died on May 1 after she became septic, the office said.

Baez was arrested on May 15 and charged with second-degree manslaughter and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. She pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday.

“The alleged actions of this defendant were selfish, senseless and heartless,” District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement. “We are going to do everything we can to ensure that justice is served for little Katlyn, whose short life ended too soon.”

Baez is due back in court on May 24.

Happy Valley Pastor Not so Happy Now

A Multnomah County Sheriff's deputy takes Happy Valley pastor Mike Sperou
 into custody after he was found guilty in Multnomah County district court on
and sentenced to 20 years in prison for abusing a girl who grew up in his church

Randy L. Rasmussen | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Pastor Mike Sperou was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison for sexually abusing a girl who grew up in his Happy Valley church.

Two sheriff's deputies led Sperou away in handcuffs while several supporters sobbed. He didn't address the court.

A Multnomah County jury of six women and six men had convicted Sperou moments earlier on three counts of first-degree sexual penetration of a person under the age of 12. The jury deliberated just 2½ hours after hearing 12 days of conflicting testimony.

Circuit Judge Cheryl A. Albrecht also ordered Sperou, 64, to register as a sex offender and to pay the victim $20,000 for her ongoing counseling and mental health therapy. When Sperou is released from prison, he must remain under supervision for an additional 10 years.

Victim Shannon Clark said by phone that she was "thrilled" with the sentence, for her the closing chapter in a long legal struggle. Clark was among seven young girls who complained in 1997 that Sperou had abused her while her family was part of the North Clackamas Bible Community. After a Portland police investigation, prosecutors declined to file charges and dropped the case.

But the case was reinvestigated in 2013 and 2014, leading to new charges against Sperou based on new allegations.

"I am very happy that someone believed me -- after all this time," said Clark, 29.

Deputy District Attorney Chris Mascal said she was pleased that the jury saw Sperou's  pattern of abusing helpless children – now adult women.

"They've waited a long time for justice," Mascal said. "I'm happy they finally got it."

Defense attorney Steven L. Sherlag said he intends to appeal Sperou's conviction to the Oregon Court of Appeals. He said the judge's ruling constituted "reversible error" when she allowed six additional women not listed as victims in the case -- Jennifer Olajuyin, Bryn Garrett, Rachel Schackart, Emily Bertram, Amy Robinson and Jessica Watson --  to offer graphic testimony of their experiences with Sperou when they were girls.

Hmmm. That does sound legally questionable.

Albrecht said she allowed the testimony only for the jury to decide if Sperou's contact with Clark was accidental or if it was part of a pattern of his behavior. If the appeals court agrees with Sherlag, the case would be sent back to Multnomah County.

"I am confident I will see us back in trial within two years," Sherlag said.

The trial has been unusual in several ways.

There was no physical evidence and the case turned solely on "he said-she said" testimony about incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.

Excessive church loyalty
The allegations pitted family members against one another. The parents of three women testified that they didn't believe their daughters' complaints. Those parents remain loyal to Sperou and the church, where they continue to hold positions of responsibility.

So their identity is, in part, invested in the church, and there would need to be some acknowledgement of guilt by association for their own daughter's molesting. That's a big pill to swallow, but it's better than tearing your family apart by calling your daughter a liar over what was, arguably, the worst thing that happened to her in her life.

Meanwhile, parents of the other four women blamed their former friends for protecting and enabling Sperou. After a couple of sharp verbal exchanges in the courthouse hallway, the judge has asked sheriff's deputies to keep an eye on the opposing camps.

The case also is unusual for The Oregonian/OregonLive, which generally doesn't disclose the names of possible sex crimes victims. But all seven women connected with the case came forward and asked that their names be made public.

The jury returned a mixed verdict on the three charges against Sperou, all Class A felonies. One count relating to an encounter in 1993-94 drew an 11-1 vote to convict. Another referring to the same time frame, drew a 10-2 vote to convict. The third, relating to an incident in 1995-96, also drew a 10-2 conviction.

In Oregon, 10 guilty votes are the minimum to convict in all but the most serious crimes.

Mount Scott and Happy Valley, Oregon

Christian community
The trial has brought into focus the North Clackamas Bible Community, a small, orthodox Christian church whose core members live communally in a group of rental homes that straddle the city limits of Portland and Happy Valley. Sunday services, along with weekly Bible study and language classes, are held in the homes.

At its peak, the church had about 60 members, but now has about 27. About  a third of the members left the church in 1997 after the girls accused Sperou of molesting them.

Supporters say the church draws its strength from the extraordinary faith and commitment of its members, who are dedicated to scholarship and applying biblical principles in their daily lives. But some of those who left said the church plummeted when Sperou began drinking heavily, taking drugs, having affairs with the wives in church families – and eventually sexually abusing young girls.

Yeah, that would do it!

Sex-abuse allegations against pastor
In 1996, seven girls told police that they were sexually abused by the pastor of a small Portland-area church. After an investigation, prosecutors declined to pursue the case, calling it unwinnable. Now the pastor faces new charges based on new allegations from one of the women.

Sperou admitted that he once drank heavily and took drugs to treat what was then-undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder from his combat service in the Vietnam War. But he said he has since remained sober and is under Veterans Affairs medical care for his PTSD.

Throughout the trial, the prosecutor painted a picture of a charismatic pastor who dominated and manipulated church members, convincing them that he has the highest and best understanding of the Bible and could guide them toward spiritual improvement.

By contrast, Sherlag worked to show that memories degrade and evolve over time. He said Sperou's accusers likely weren't lying, but suffered from memory errors introduced by repeatedly retelling their stories, by improper interviews that suggested certain acts may have occurred, by pressure from their parents and by "contamination" – discussions with other alleged victims who may have had axes to grind.

A jury poll revealed that only one juror voted to acquit Sperou on all charges. The juror was not available for comment.

Two 15 Year Old Filipinas Raped By 'Photographer' With STD

This is a dreadful, unfortunate story, 

but one that didn't have to happen

By Kevin A. Lagunda

Cebu, the Philippines: A 15-YEAR-OLD high school student charged a man who claimed to be a photographer after he allegedly raped her in what was supposed to be a photo session.

Pia (real name withheld) filed a complaint against Jaydee Mar Pardillada for violation of Republic Act (RA) 8353, or the Anti-Rape Law, before the Office of the Cebu City Prosecutor.

The girl told Sun.Star Cebu that she contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD) because of the incident. She even contemplated to commit suicide by stabbing herself, but she was stopped by her brothers.

Pia said she has not yet taken medicine for the STD because her family doesn’t have money.

Her mother, who works as a fortune teller outside the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, cannot afford the injectible drug which costs P2,500 (about $56 USD)

“Maka-cancer daw kon di ko matambalan (I would get cancer if I am not cured). Nahadlok ko (I’m afraid),” she said. “Gusto nako mabulok siya sa bilanggoan (I want him to rot in jail).”

After the mother learned about the incident, she fainted.

“Mao ra niy anak nako nga babaye, nya na ingon ana pa (She is my only daughter and this is what happened to her),” said the mother.

Sun.Star Cebu tried to reach Pardillada, but the calls and text messages to his cellular phone were not answered.

Before the incident last Dec. 9, Pia and her friend Miley (real name withheld), also 15, went to Harrison Park on Osmeña Blvd. and had a few drinks with their friends.

“A couple of minutes later, a friend (of Miley) whom I later know as Jaydee Mar Pardillada texted her and invited her, including me, to join him at Clubholic at Mango Ave., Cebu City,” said Pia in her affidavit.

They met and Pardillada allegedly treated the girls to a drink.

An hour later, Pardillada invited Pia and Miley to go with him to his rented room in Barangay Duljo Fatima.

“He was going to show us the photo shoot of his models on Facebook because according to him he is a photographer,” said the victim.

Pardillada was not bringing a professional camera, but only a cellular phone, said Pia.

She said she was offered P1,000 to pose for him. She agreed on condition that she would not undress.

The girls boarded Pardillada’s motorcycle. They arrived in his house at 3 a.m. on Dec. 10.

Miley asked to use the comfort room while Pia was left alone in the room.

“Jaydee suddenly pushed me to his bed and tried to undress me. I protested and cried but Jaydee threatened me not to shout. It was at this juncture that (Miley) came back from the comfort room. And when (Miley) entered the room, Jaydee pulled her hair and took her shirt and bra... Jaydee proceeded to pull her pants but (Miley) resisted.”

The suspect locked the door, went back to Pia and undressed her. She tried to resist but Pardillada slapped and punched her several times in her arms.

“(He) choked me and smothered me with a pillow,” she said.

Pardillada then covered the girl’s mouth, undressed her and raped her.

“After raping me Jaydee fell asleep while me and Miley tried to open the door of his room but we could not unlock it so we woke him up and begged him to set us free. He acceded to our request and gave us P100 for our cab fare,” said Pia.

The photographer threatened Pia to not file a complaint against him.

This creep, if all is true, should be locked up for a very long time. Raping girls when you have an STD is beneath despicable.

While not wanting to blame the victim, rape is always the perpetrators fault, they did put themselves in harm's way by their very questionable decisions. Going out for a few drinks with your friends at age 15 sounds like normal behaviour in the Philippines. I hope it is not. Going to a man's room at 3 a.m. is definitely reckless behaviour. If such recklessness was a result of the drinking, then it just makes the drinking all the more reckless.

The world is full of evil, lecherous men. That is not as it should be but it is what it is. Behaviour that makes you more vulnerable to those lechers is irresponsible and dangerous. While it is not the girl's fault that they were raped, they could have avoided it by making better decisions.

There is no word on whether the other girl is able to afford the medication needed to treat the STD she most likely contracted.