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Images of beaten boy evoke jurors' sobs

By Jason Dearen, Staff Writer
Inside Bay Area
Article Last Updated:12/06/2006 01:40:28 PM PST

OAKLAND _ Chazarus Hill beat his 3-year-old son to death when the boy could not recite his ABCs or numbers correctly, a prosecutor said Wednesday during opening statements in Hill's trial for murder and child abuse.
Jurors winced and sobbed as images of the boy's limp and badly bruised body were projected on a courtroom screen, and Alameda County prosecutor Darryl Stallworth described in detail the final days of Chazarus ``Cha Cha'' Hill Jr.'s life.

Stallworth said Cha Cha died painfully and slowly on Sept. 20, 2003 as a result of swelling in his brain that resulted from repeated beatings by his fathers. The beatings came often and Hill Sr. used his hands, a belt, a shoe or other items when Cha Cha failed to identify letters or numbers on homemade flash cards, Stallworth said.

Before his death, Cha Cha experienced internal bleeding from blows to his abdomen, and the boy's ability to identify figures on the flash cards became impossible, Stallworth said.

``His internal bleeding was causing him to be so sleepy. But the defendant would pull his ears to make him wake up. And when he couldn't do his numbers, (Hill Sr.) beat him more,'' Stallworth said.

Hill hung his head in his hands and wiped his eyes with a tissue.

Some jurors sobbed uncontrollably, and many wiped their eyes repeatedly with tissues.

Hill Jr.'s death created a furor in Oakland after it was learned that his maternal grandmother and some of Hill Sr.'s neighbors had notified Alameda County Child Protective Services prior to the toddler's death.

The agency received heavy criticism for its inability to stop the abuse. A county investigation showed that a social worker had recommended an immediate inquiry of reported abuse in Cha Cha's case, but was overruled by a supervisor, who said a slower response was appropriate. The county changed its procedures in handling such cases after Cha Cha's death.

Hill Sr.'s attorney William Daley, said he will not dispute that Hill used corporal punishment, and that the bruises on Cha Cha's body were the result of his beatings. But Daley said Hill's wife, Cha Cha's stepmother, Kimberly Ford, may have been responsible for the head injuries that caused the boy's death.

Ford previously pleaded guilty to child abuse and neglect and received a 4-year prison sentence. She is out of prison now, and is testifying against Hill as part of a deal with the district attorney.

Daley said the district attorney is relying solely on Ford's testimony for his version of events, and that she too had access to the boy before his death.

Stallworth said Ford will testify that Hill _ who had six of her own children taken out of her care because of negligence _ was obsessed with her and that he blamed Cha Cha for coming between them.

Ford told prosecutors that Hill screamed at his son and blamed him for messing up his marriage.

Stallworth reenacted for jurors one of Hill Sr.'s angry outbursts in which the defendant blamed his son for his marital problems. Stallworth, in a quiet soft voice, said the little boy looked at his father and responded, ``It's OK Dad, I'm going to learn my numbers.

I'm going to be a good boy,'' Testimony in the trial begins today. Ford is scheduled to take the witness stand Thursday morning.

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Views on father differ at trial in boy's death

Prosecutor says he beat toddler for failing flash-card questions; -- defense looks at stepmother

Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, December 7, 2006


An Alameda County jury heard conflicting views Wednesday about an Oakland man accused of intentionally killing his 3-year-old son in 2003 by beating him because the boy made mistakes while identifying numbers and letters on flash cards.

Chazarus Hill Sr., 27, repeatedly used a belt, his fists and switches to assault his son, Chazarus "Cha Cha" Hill Jr., who underwent a "very painful and slow death" after suffering contusions and internal bleeding, Deputy District Attorney Darryl Stallworth told jurors.

Cha Cha was an energetic little boy who loved his father, and his life was "literally and figuratively in the defendant's hands," Stallworth said in his opening statement in an Oakland courtroom. "This is what the defendant did with those hands," the prosecutor said as he projected onto a screen pictures of a lifeless Cha Cha on a hospital bed.

Hill -- who is charged with murder, assault causing death and child abuse -- showed no visible emotion during Stallworth's comments, made before a four-man, eight-woman jury.

But two women on the panel dabbed at their eyes with tissues as Stallworth said Hill spanked the boy whenever he misidentified numbers and letters on flash cards. The severity of the injuries caused Cha Cha to be sleepy, and his father would beat him awake, the prosecutor said.

The assaults occurred repeatedly in the weeks before doctors at San Leandro Hospital pronounced Cha Cha dead on Sept. 20, 2003, police said. An autopsy showed that the 40-pound toddler died of multiple injuries, including a cerebral hematoma, a blood clot in the brain brought on by the beating, authorities said.

Hill's attorney, William Daley, told jurors that while his client had disciplined his son, he never intended to kill him and questioned whether some of the injuries could have been inflicted by Kymberly Ford, Cha Cha's stepmother, when Ford was alone with him.

Ford, who will testify in the trial, was released from prison a month ago after serving part of a four-year sentence on a child-abuse charge for allowing the assaults to occur. She married Hill four months before their arrests.

"My client will certainly admit that he disciplined his son," Daley said. "He will deny that he caused any of the head injuries. He doesn't know exactly how that happened." If the prosecutor fails to prove that Hill inflicted the injuries, then he must be found not guilty, Daley said.

Authorities said Hill beat his son at their home on Modesto Avenue near Mills College, at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland and at the home of Ford's mother on Lark Street in San Leandro in the days before Cha Cha died. Each time, Hill sought to discipline his son for incorrectly answering the flash-card questions that he asked almost hourly, Stallworth said.

After Ford told Hill that she was done with their relationship, an enraged Hill said, "I don't want him. I want you. I don't give a f -- about him," the prosecutor said.

Ford said that during one beating, she heard Hill tell his son, "Don't you understand? She's all I got. I'm nothing without her. I can't let you f -- it up," according to Stallworth. Cha Cha replied, "It's OK, Daddy. I'm going to do better. I'm going to learn my numbers. I'm going to be a good boy," the prosecutor said.

But the beating continued, Stallworth said. One day at the home of Ford's mother, Hill shook his son until he passed out, the prosecutor said. "The little boy gave up, died right there on the kitchen floor," Stallworth said.

The couple took Cha Cha to the hospital, but "he was already dead," Stallworth said.

Daley told jurors that his client tried to revive his son before taking him to the hospital.

The killing raised questions about whether county social workers did enough to protect Cha Cha. A county investigation found that the Department of Children and Family Services checked twice on his welfare but found no signs of abuse.

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Accused father didn't think son's wounds were fatal
Oaklander accused in 3-year-old's death admits disciplining with belts, switches

By Jeff Shuttleworth, BAY CITY NEWS SERVICE
Inside Bay Area
Article Last Updated:12/14/2006

A 27-year-old Oakland man accused of murder for allegedly beating his 3-year-old son to death testified Wednesday that he never took his son to the hospital because he didn't think the boy's wounds were life-threatening.

Taking the witness stand in his own defense in his trial in Alameda County Superior Court, Chazarus Hill Sr. said "I'm not a doctor, but the marks (on his son) weren't bruising."

He said the marks on Chazarus Hill Jr., nicknamed "Cha Cha," were only "like scratches."

Under cross-examination by prosecutor Darryl Stallworth, Hill said, "I don't know how all the marks got there."

Under questioning by his attorney, William Daley, Hill admitted that he disciplined his son with belts and switches but said he never intended to seriously hurt him or kill him.

"I wasn't trying to kill my son. I never would," Hill said.

Hill testified that he used to "playfight" or "spar" with his son, but said, "I was not roughing him up. ... It was something like body blows — it wasn't that hard."

In his opening statement last week, Stallworth told jurors that Hill should be convicted of murder for allegedly brutally beating Cha Cha to death because the toddler was slow in learning numbers and the alphabet.

Stallworth said that early Sept. 20, 2003, Cha Cha, who weighed 40 pounds, died "a very painful and slow death" from a brain hemorrhage that was so massive his brain swelled and blood couldn't flow for vital functions.

Cha Cha was born March 28, 2000, the son of Hill and his girlfriend, Tyrinza Brown of Southern California.

Hill said he already had broken up with Brown before Cha Cha was born and his son didn't live with him in Oakland until he was about 2.

Hill testified that he married another woman, Kymberly Ford, in May 2003 and they lived together in Oakland with Cha Cha and Ford's three children.

Ford testified at a preliminary hearing in 2004 and at Hill's trial last week that Hill repeatedly beat, spanked and whipped Cha Cha for making mistakes while learning how to count numbers.

Ford pleaded guilty in April 2004 to felony child abuse for not doing enough to stop the beatings allegedly administered by Hill.

She was sentenced to four years in state prison and released from custody in October.

Hill testified that he never punched his son in the face.

He said Cha Cha hurt his head one time, but "I assumed he tripped when he fell" running away from him after being spanked.

Hill said that when he was growing up, he was spanked and beaten with switches and belts by his mother and grandmother.

Hill testified that he physically disciplined Cha Cha "if he was doing something wrong."

He said, "The way that I was raised, if I was disobedient or doing something wrong, I was spanked."

Brown attended Wednesday's hearing with several family members and cried during parts of Hill's testimony. At other times one of her legs shook vigorously while she listened to Hill testify. Stallworth and Daley will present their closing arguments Monday.

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Dad 'put (son) in a casket,' prosecutor tells jury
Defense's closing argument: Discipline went 'horribly awry'

Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 19, 2006


An Oakland man should be convicted of first-degree murder because he tortured and killed his 3-year-old son in 2003, beating him after the boy wet the bed and made mistakes while identifying numbers and letters on flash cards, a prosecutor told jurors Monday.

Chazarus Hill Sr., 27, repeatedly used a belt, his fists and switches to assault his son, Chazarus "Cha Cha" Hill Jr., Deputy District Attorney Darryl Stallworth told jurors as he whipped the air with a switch and slapped his own palm with a belt.

In an interview with Oakland police, Hill "had the audacity" to make "the understatement of the year -- probably of the century," Stallworth said in his closing argument, quoting Hill: "I may have hit him harder than I was supposed to."

Instead of putting the 40-pound toddler to bed at night, "the defendant put him in a casket," Stallworth said. The boy died Sept. 20, 2003, of multiple injuries, including a blood clot in the brain.

Hill's attorney, William Daley, said in his closing remarks that although his client had admitted to disciplining Cha Cha, he had never hit him in the head or caused his death. Daley urged jurors to reach a verdict based on the facts and not emotion.

Daley said the case "deals with, in an extreme way, the discipline of children" that went "horribly awry." Hill, who had limited education, disciplined his son in the only way he knew how, the defense attorney said: by observing how parents around him treated their children.

"Mr. Hill had nothing to look at except his own experience," Daley said. "That is how we got here."

In response, Stallworth said it was insulting to suggest that only people with formal training would know not to beat a child.

The prosecutor projected onto a screen in the Alameda County Superior Court pictures of a lifeless Cha Cha, prompting three female jurors to weep. The slain boy's mother, Tyrinza Brown, also began crying from the gallery of the Oakland courtroom.

Hill, who is charged with murder, assault causing death and child abuse, covered his face with his hands at times during Stallworth's comments to the jury of eight women and four men.

According to Stallworth, Hill spoke to police investigating the case in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, "as if he was going over his taxes," the prosecutor said. Hill's attorney countered that his client had been in shock and hadn't gotten much sleep after being arrested.

Witnesses testified that the boy came up to them when he wasn't with his father, telling them, "My daddy punched me," and "Shh, my dad hurt me, don't tell anybody," Stallworth said.

In the weeks before the boy died, neighbor Cheryl Calhoun hugged him, but he "grimaced with both his arms" and "walked like an old man" because his legs had been beaten, the prosecutor said.

According to Stallworth, Hill spanked the boy whenever he misidentified numbers and letters on flash cards and when he wet the bed. Among the evidence shown to the jury were switches, belts and flash cards that police seized from Hill's home.

Stallworth said the assaults occurred repeatedly in the last month of Cha Cha's life, in what the prosecutor called the "30 days of hell."

His attorney said Hill, who testified on his own behalf, had been "straightforward and honest on a lot of things" on the stand.

Hill said he had never intended to kill his son, Daley said. The defense attorney questioned whether some of the injuries could have been inflicted by Kymberly Ford, Cha Cha's stepmother, when Ford was alone with the boy.

Ford, who also testified in the trial, was released from prison more than a month ago after serving part of a four-year sentence on a child-abuse charge for allowing the assaults to occur.

Authorities said Hill had beaten his son at their home on Modesto Avenue near Mills College, at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland and at the home of Ford's mother on Lark Street in San Leandro in the days before Cha Cha died.

After Ford told Hill that she was done with their relationship, an enraged Hill said, "If you leave, I'm going to f -- him up," the prosecutor said.

[Admin]

Oakland Man Convicted Of Causing Son's Death

POSTED: December 21, 2006
KTVU.com


OAKLAND -- Jurors convicted a 27-year-old Oakland man Thursday of felony assault on a child causing death and child abuse for brutally beating his 3-year-old son with belts and switches because he was slow in learning numbers and the alphabet.

But jurors are still deliberating the most serious charge against Chazarus Hill Sr., which is whether he murdered his son, Chazarus Hill Jr., also known as "Char Char" and "Cha Cha."

Deliberations, which have spanned three days so far, won't resume until Jan. 8, as Alameda County Superior Court Judge Ken Kingsbury is giving jurors a long holiday break.

According to Deputy District Attorney Darryl Stallworth, Hill could face a sentence of up to 37 years to life in state prison for the charges he was convicted of Thursday, as jurors found that he used dangerous and deadly weapons - belts and switches - and inflicted great bodily injury on a child under the age of five.

A first-degree murder conviction would add another 25 years and a second-degree murder conviction would add 15 years.

In his closing argument on Monday, Stallworth said Hill should be convicted of first-degree murder, stating that the last month of Char Char's life was "30 days of hell" because he was beaten badly all over his body.

Stallworth said Hill's home was "like a torture chamber" because he had 22 switches and 8 belts, most of which he said were used to hit his son.

According to Stallworth, Char Char, who only weighed 40 pounds, died in the early morning hours of Sept. 20, 2003, from a brain hemorrhage that was so massive that his brain swelled and blood wasn't available for vital functions.

Stallworth said Hill spanked and beat the boy whenever he misidentified numbers and letters on flash cards and when he wet his bed.

Hill's attorney, William Daley, admitted to jurors that Hill engaged in "extreme discipline" and beat Char Char, but he said there's no evidence that Hill inflicted the blows to the boy's head that he believes caused his death.

Daley said Char Char could have been hit in the head by Hill's wife Kymberly Ford, who was the boy's stepmother, or by other family members who occasionally took care of the boy.

Ford pleaded guilty in April 2004 to felony child abuse for not doing enough to stop the beatings that were allegedly administered by Hill.

Ford was sentenced to four years in state prison and was released from custody in October. She testified against Hill both at his preliminary hearing and at his trial.

Responding to questions from Judge Kingsbury, the jury foreperson said jurors haven't yet decided whether Hill acted with malice aforethought, a key element necessary for a murder conviction.