Jackson County authorities have accused a 30-year-old woman of second-degree murder, child abuse and first-degree child endangerment in the death of a 3-month-old infant whom she baby-sat during an overnight visit. Prosecutors charged Sonya Nerissa Perry of Grandview on Monday in the death of Stephon McCoy, who was taken off life support by his parents on Jan. 17. A physician at Children’s Mercy Hospital told police that Stephon suffered multiple injuries consistent with being shaken, according to court records. READ MORE HERE

MI Report: Cases of child abuse, neglect jump 92 percent in Ingham County

LANSING, MI — The rate of confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect in Ingham County jumped 92 percent from 2005-2011, according to a report released Thursday. Kids Count in Michigan, an annual report compiled by the Michigan League for Public Policy, ranks child well-being in each county and in the state as a whole. READ MORE HERE

Related: Statewide trends in Kids Count report show worsening well-being for Michigan’s children

A jury on Wednesday convicted a priest and teacher in a pivotal church-abuse case that rocked the Philadelphia archdiocese and sent a church official to prison for child endangerment. The verdict supports accounts by a 24-year-old policeman’s son that he was sexually abused by the Rev. Charles Engelhardt and sixth-grade teacher Bernard Shero in about 1999, when he was 10 years old. The accuser’s 2009 complaint describing abuse by two priests and the teacher led to Monsignor William Lynn’s landmark conviction last year for endangerment. Lynn is serving three to six years in prison for his role transferring an admitted pedophile priest to the accuser’s parish in northeast Philadelphia. READ MORE HERE

He’s been plagued by stories and rumors about the strict upbringing of his nine children for most of his life. But Joe Jackson has now admitted to physically disciplining son Michael and the rest of his family, claiming that he doesn’t regret ‘being tough.’ Speaking during Piers Morgan Tonight, which aired on Wednesday, the Jackson patriarch also claimed that he doesn’t believe that there’s any such thing as beating a child but that they ‘will remember’ being punished. READ MORE HERE

Mother pleads guilty to allowing daughter, 6, to be sexually abused by different men in exchange for drugs and money
A 36-year-old mother faces up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to allowing her daughter, six, to be sexually abused by different men for drugs and money. Authorities say Dalina Nicholas, from Jacksonville Beach, is charged with four counts of child neglect and faces a minimum of 15 years in prison. Nicholas agreed to testify against four other people charged in the case. She won’t be sentenced until those trials conclude. READ MORE HERE

Father on trial ‘for starving and beating daughter, 3, to death after months of abuse because she was incontinent
A father has gone on trial for allegedly beating and starving his three-year-old daughter to death – three years after her bruised, malnourished body was found at his home. Donald Lee Cockrell, 30, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Alexis Marie Pounder with his fiancee, Michelle Nicole Smith, in Sandy, Oregon in January 2010. Smith pleaded guilty to the killing last year and faces a minimum of 30 years behind bars, and as part of the plea deal she will testify against Cockrell. READ MORE HERE

Imagine the trauma of being a child separated from all you know – parents, possessions and home – and not having anything to cling to for comfort. Sadly, each year, hundreds of thousands of children here in the United States must be rescued from severe abuse, neglect or abandonment. Traumatized and facing an uncertain future, they frequently enter shelters and foster care with nothing – no favorite stuffed animal, no special blanket. They are afraid, disoriented, and desperate for comfort. That’s where we come in.

The My Stuff Bags Foundation, with the help of thousands of people across the country, provides these unfortunate children with new belongings and new hope through its innovative “My Stuff Bags” program. READ MORE HERE

CNN anchor: “How can you not call that a person?”

An eight-minute segment on Monday night reached a turning point when CNN host Erin Burnett exclaimed: “That baby was 8 pounds, 2 ounces. He was going to be born in a couple of days. How could you not define that as a person? That is a viable life.” Burnett covered the story of Heather Surovik, who was days away from giving birth to her son, Brady. She was returning from her final prenatal checkup when a drunk driver on his fifth DUI smashed into her car. Although Heather and her other family members survived, Brady did not. Since Colorado law does not recognize pre-born children as persons, state prosecutors could charge the drunk driver only with destroying Heather’s vehicle, not with Brady’s death. READ MORE HERE

7-YO Boy Was Arrested and Interrogated by NYPD for 10-Hours over Missing $5.00

This kid was no killer — but some callous Bronx cops sure treated him like one. Instead of earning himself a simple trip to the principal’s office, a terrified 7-year-old boy was hauled out of class, handcuffed like a hardened criminal and “interrogated” by police for a grueling 10 hours — all over a playground dispute involving $5, his family is charging. “My son was crying, ‘Mommy, it wasn’t me! Mommy, it wasn’t me!’ I never imagined the cops could do that to a child. We’re traumatized,” Wilson Reyes’ distraught mom, Frances Mendez told The Post last night. READ MORE HERE

HUNGRY parents in North Korea have been caught eating their CHILDREN to avoid starvation, according to reports. One father is said to have been executed by firing squad for killing his two kids for food. And it has sparked fears there could be further cases of cannibalism in the country. READ MORE HERE

Another school shooting in the news: A 14-year-old boy got shot at an Atlanta middle school this afternoon, reports WSB-TV and 11Alive. The victim was hit in the back of the neck but was alert upon arrival at the hospital, say school officials. READ MORE HERE

The District Attorney who refused to prosecute JonBenet Ramsey’s parents did so because he was ‘too scared’ to put them on trial, it was claimed today. Alex Hunter did not indict John and Patsy Ramsey because he was ‘in over his head’, said Donald Davis, who co-authored one of the most authoritative books about what happened. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Mr Davis said that Mr Hunter was ’embarrassed’ at the prospect of losing one of the most high profile cases in recent memory – so decided not to go forward with it instead. READ MORE HERE

Parents of four-month-old baby ‘broke six bones in his body by beating him with cutlery and whipping him with electric cord’, court hears

Prostitutes openly using Facebook and Twitter to sell sex ‘are putting children at risk’