CHICAGO – A 15-year-old Chicago-area girl pleaded guilty in juvenile court on Tuesday to the fatal stabbing of her younger sister in a quarrel over household chores, local media reports said. The girl, who was not identified because she was charged as a minor, stabbed her 11-year-old sister 40 times with a kitchen knife. The Daily Herald in suburban Chicago reported the attack took place last January when the two girls were home alone in Mundelein, Illinois. READ MORE HERE

__________________________________

Police: Girl, 14, stabs sister 40 times

Girl aged 14 stabs 11-year-old sister 40 times

Chicago-area Teenager Pleads Guilty To Stabbing Death Of Sister

CINCINNATI, Ohio — A grand jury indicted a West Virginia mother on charges that she intentionally put fecal matter into her son’s IV as he received treatment at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Candida Fluty, of Kermit, is charged with felonious assault and two counts of endangering children. Her nine-year-old son Elijah was born with Hirschsprung, which affects the bowels. The Hamilton County prosecutor’s office said the nine-year-old has had several surgeries and has a colostomy bag. He was last admitted to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital this month. READ MORE HERE

MAN CHARGED W/ RAPING, KILLING HIS 19-DAY-OLD DAUGHTER

LOS ANGELES — Matthew Brendan Warner, 30, of Newhall, Calif., is accused of sexually abusing and killing his 19-day-old daughter, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday. Warner faces one count each of murder, assault on a child causing death, torture, oral copulation or sexual penetration with a child 10 years old or younger and aggravated sexual assault of a child, Deputy District Attorney Julie Kramer said in a news release. READ MORE HERE

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers these tips for parents. Please feel free to use them in any print or broadcast story with appropriate attribution of source. Sexual abuse is a difficult subject for most people to discuss, and especially difficult for parents to discuss with their children. But as frightening as the topic may be, sexual abuse is a serious and, unfortunately, common problem that affects both boys and girls. In most cases, the person who sexually abuses a child is an adult or older child known to the victim, often an authority figure that the child knows, trusts or loves. The offender usually uses coercion and manipulation, not physical force, to engage the child.

What parents should know about child sexual abuse:

• Most offenders are known to the child; they may be family members, relatives, friends, teachers, coaches, babysitters, and others in positions of authority.

• Children most susceptible to sexual abuse have obedient, compliant and respectful personalities. They may be children from unhappy or broken homes, as these youngsters may be eager for attention and affection.

• Children who are victims of sexual abuse can display many or few behavioral symptoms. They may withdraw from family or friends, display poor school performance, experience depression, anxiety, or exhibit aggressive and self-destructive behavior. Or they may not display any outward abnormal behavior.

• Child sexual abuse often involves more than a single incident, and can go on for months or years.

• Sexual abuse includes any kind of sexual act or behavior with a child, and includes activities involving genital contact as well as non-contact events- such as showing pornographic images to children, taking pornographic photographs of a child…

READ MORE HERE

A Michigan couple faces life behind bars after being charged with first-degree child abuse after torturing their relative’s 2-year-old son. Steven A. Torres and Erica Jackson-Torres were watching the boy in their home. Then last weekend, the boy’s injuries, thought to have occurred on January 18, were discovered. It is unclear, according to the police report, if the mother found the injuries or if they were reported by someone else. However, the report does make it clear the injuries were disturbing. READ MORE HERE

A woman has shared the shocking story of how she was sexually abused by her father and had his baby when she was a teenager. Helen Rees (not her real name) agreed to appear on today’s This Morning and be interviewed by presenters Phillip Schofield and Christine Bleakley on the condition she would not be identified. Speaking to them with her face turned away from the cameras, she revealed how she and her younger sister and older brother grew up In Ireland in fear of their father. READ MORE HERE

Woman, 35, handed 5-consecutive life sentences for sexually abusing 10-yo male relative

A woman has been handed five consecutive life sentences for sexually abusing a 10-year-old male relative in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Melissa Kay Anderson, 35, pleaded no contest to assaulting the child and forcing him to watch her have sex with her boyfriend. She also forced her victim to use sex toys on her, and showed him pornography. READ MORE HERE

Port Huron, MI woman gets 19-50 years

A 22-year-old Port Huron woman will spend at least 19 years in prison for the abuse, torture and assault of her boyfriend’s 4-year-old son. St. Clair County Circuit Judge Cynthia Lane sentenced Charlisa Wood to 19 to 50 years for first-degree child abuse, 19 to 50 years for torture, and two years, 10 months to five years for assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder. The sentences are to be served concurrently, with credit for 174 days served. READ MORE HERE

Parent’s outrage after son, 15, is tied up like ISIS hostage in class – teacher does nothing to stop them

MINNESOTA – An alleged bullying incident during which a 15-year-old boy was tied up with his hoodie over his face in Minnesota is being investigated by authorities after the boy’s parents used social media to draw attention to it. Dave and Nicolette Rochefort say they were shocked when they found out what had happened to their son, especially as a teacher had been present. They say the teacher made no effort to stop the bullies – two 18-year-olds and a 17-year-old – who also whipped their son with an electrical cord. The incident happened at Osakis High School during an industrial technology class on Friday. READ MORE HERE

Bullying in school: Bound and blinded

Ex-soldier charged with beating, raping baby

A 26-year-old former U.S. Army soldier has been charged with assault and rape over the brutal attack of his girlfriend’s baby, authorities said. Thomas Randle Babler was charged Friday in Pierce County, Wash., with second-degree assault and first-degree child rape, according to court records. Bail has been set at $1 million, court documents show. Babler first said the child fell off a couch, then later told investigators he had attacked the baby while experiencing a PTSD episode in his sleep, The News Tribune reported. Babler and the baby’s mother have been dating about a month, and he had been watching the child while the woman went to class. READ MORE HERE

A man accused of raping a 7-year-old girl appeared in Cascade County Court on Friday on a warrant for his arrest. According to court documents, Danny Lynn Severson, 45, molested and digitally penetrated the girl. Court reports say Severson told investigators he was intoxicated during the alleged incidents. READ MORE HERE

A junior high teacher and basketball coach in suburban Illinois was arrested Wednesday on charges of sexual abuse against two girls who were former students. Cara Labus, 30, met the two alleged victims, who were between 14 and 16 at the time of the reported abuse, when working at Jerling Junior High School in Orland Park, prosecutors said. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Labus stayed in contact with the two students after they graduated, and that between December 2008 and February 2011 she allegedly engaged in sexual acts with the two. READ MORE HERE

SafeParent app helps parents recognize ‘red flags’

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately one in six boys and one in four girls are sexually abused before the age of 18. And it may surprise you that 90% of those victims are molested by someone they know, according to the Justice Department. So what can parents do to protect their children from sexual predators? A new app created by Jeff Herman, child advocate and attorney for victims of sexual abuse, may be the answer. “Most children are groomed before they are sexually abused,” Herman told HLN. “The grooming process follows typical patterns that can be identified as red flags. After representing hundreds of victims of sexual abuse it became readily apparent to me that many kids can be protected from sexual abuse if their parents recognized these red flags and responded.” READ MORE HERE

Child’s mother stabbed him when she witnessed the abuse

FLORIDA – A US Army staff sergeant has been found guilty of molesting a 10-year-old girl, whose mother stabbed him when she witnessed the abuse. Jason Lucas Revis, 33, of Oveido, Florida, was convicted of of lewd and lascivious molestation, after he made the girl touch him inappropriately in September 2011. Jurors deliberated for less than four hours before finding Revis guilty last night. He is set to be sentenced on Monday. READ MORE HERE