The torture they endured at the hands of armed kidnappers was worse than death, Rubens Morais said Wednesday as he testified against one of the men suspected of terrorizing his family in a November 2009 home invasion. Morais said the gunmen played Russian roulette, pulling the trigger and causing the empty chamber to click while they pressed it against the head of his 5-year-old son.  READ MORE HERE

Stepfather sentenced to 20 years after punching and suffocating stepdaughter, 2, who was a ‘spoiled princess’

Found in Birmingham brothel –didn’t even know which country she was in

A teenage sex slave rescued from a cage at a Birmingham brothel didn’t even know which country she was in. The Chinese girl, aged 18, was found locked in the cage after a raid by police. Other shocking cases of trafficked sex slaves in the West Midlands include a 13-year-old boy from Vietnam whose grandfather sent him to the UK in a bid to secure him a better life.  READ MORE HERE

SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR 12-YEARS

A pedophile firearms officer raped an eight-year-old girl and carried out violent attacks on a series of former girlfriends. Jonathan White, 41, who worked for South Yorkshire Police,was a firearms support officer who helped provide round-the-clock armed cover. But the officer carried out sex attacks on a young girl over a two-year period when she was aged between eight and 10.  READ MORE HERE

JEFFERSON COUNTY, CO — Two Columbine High School students were wounded when a hammer-wielding classmate attacked them outside a school restroom Monday. According to Aaron Flowers, one of the injured students, a 14-year-old female freshman verbally threatened his 15-year-old friend shortly before the attack. “She came up to my friend Jacqueline before the incident…talking about ‘I’m going to get a bat and beat you with it,” Flowers told FOX31’s Mark Meredith.  READ MORE HERE

16-YEAR OLD MISSING TEEN MAY BE ONE OF THE VICTIMS

LINDEN, CA– After 5 days of searching, authorities have recovered at least 1000 bones, skull fragments and pieces of women clothing near a mine where convicted “Speed Freak” serial killers Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog buried victims. Shermantine, who is on death row, has been providing maps and information leading to the burial grounds of 10 or more victims of the drug fuel killing spree in the 1980’s and 90’s. His partner, Herzog, committed suicide in January.  READ MORE HERE

ALBANY, GA– An 11-year-old boy has been charged with felony murder in the shooting death of a 13-year-old. Police say Darius Wallace suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen with a small caliber handgun. The district attorney’s office says several kids were playing without adult supervision when Wallace was shot and killed. On Monday, a judge determined that there was probable cause to hold two young people, ages 11 and 15, in connection with the shooting. The 11-year-old, who authorities believe was the shooter, is charged with felony murder and evidence tampering.  READ MORE HERE

UPDATE:

Mother of Drowned Toddler Charged With Murder, Attempted Murder

SOUTH LOS ANGELES — A mother is in custody for allegedly trying to drown her two young children in South Los Angeles. It happened Wednesday morning in the 900 block of W. 50th Street. The Los Angeles Fire Department received a medical call around 7:30 a.m. The children, girls ages 1 and 5, were found in the bathroom of a small converted garage, LAPD Cmdr. Andy Smith confirmed. “They were not conscious and not breathing when the fire department arrived,” Smith said. READ MORE HERE

A Utah woman who conspired to sell her then 13-year-old daughter’s virginity for $10,000 has been sentenced to prison. The woman, who is unnamed to protect her daughter’s identity, is set to serve anywhere from one to fifteen years in jail. Last year, she pleaded guilty to the second-degree felony of sexual exploitation of a minor, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Her lawyer said in court that the woman was ‘taking (prescription pills) like candy’ when she tried to pawn her daughter’s virginity to a man known only as ‘Don.’  READ MORE HERE

Anthony Bush Accused Of Killing Donovan McKee In Knoxville

PITTSBURGH — A man who was watching his girlfriend’s son brutally beat the child to death because he hadn’t vacuumed their apartment in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood, police said in a criminal complaint. Anthony Bush, 29, was arrested Sunday morning at the Rochelle Towers apartment building on Knox Avenue and arraigned on a charge of criminal homicide.Police said an investigation revealed that Bush was with Donovan McKee while the child’s mother was at work. They said Bush disciplined the child by beating him with various objects found in the apartment.  READ MORE HERE

Child abuse can cause lasting problems and even premature death for kids. Helpguide.org states that “Child abuse is more than bruises and broken bones. While physical abuse might be the most visible sign, other types of abuse, such as emotional abuse or child neglect, also leave deep, long lasting scars.” Yale School of Medicine researchers reported in a new study that in one year alone, over 4,500 children in the United States were hospitalized due to child abuse, and 300 of them died of their injuries. In a Yale news release by Karen N. Peart, “Children hospitalized at alarming rate due to abuse” it has been reported these researchers found that 4,569 children were hospitalized in the U.S. in 2006 due to serious abuse and 300 of these children died.  READ MORE HERE