EMILY SCOTT COOK - 17 Months (2009) - Jacksonville FL

A medical examiner testified Tuesday that a 17-month-old girl whom
the state says was strangled by her mother’s boyfriend had 32 bruises on
her body, indicating she was abused.

The boyfriend, Donald Lance Crawford, 30, is charged with
second-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in the May 5, 2009,
death of Emily Scott Cook.

Prosecutors said Crawford was the only person who came in contact
with Emily during a nearly three-hour nap when the strangulation
occurred.

The case weighs heavily on testimony from medical examiner Valerie
Rao, who said Emily died from asphyxiation. Rao said among the bruises
on the toddler’s body were several on her neck. She said she found
hemorrhaging from her eyes and neck muscles, pointing overwhelmingly
toward strangulation.

Crawford lived with Emily’s mother, Daphne Cook, and her three
daughters at Mission Pointe Apartments at 12450 Biscayne Blvd. It was
also common for Crawford’s son to regularly spend the night at their
apartment, according to the defense.

With Crawford’s son and her oldest daughter, Sabrina, away at school,
Cook testified that she laid her two other girls down for a nap shortly
after lunch, with Emily in her crib.

At about 1:30 p.m., she woke her middle daughter, Madison, from her
nap and took her to a birthday party for Sabrina at her school, leaving
Crawford alone in the apartment with Emily.

Defense attorneys said Crawford kept a door to Emily’s room open to
listen out for her as she slept while he played video games in another
room.

Cook said she returned around 3 p.m. and began preparing a dinner for a family gathering to again celebrate Sabrina’s birthday.

While she was cooking, she said she told Crawford to go wake Emily
up. Moments later, he emerged from the room with Emily, yelling that
something was wrong.

She said they took Emily to the dining room, where they both tried to
perform CPR, thinking she was choking on the milk she had before her
nap.

She said when Emily would not respond, she screamed for help and called 911.

A neighbor, Akia Powell, heard her calls for help and rushed to the
upstairs apartment, as she testified Tuesday. At the time, Powell was
learning to become a paramedic and was trained in CPR.

Powell said when she made it to Cook’s apartment, she saw Crawford
pounding on Emily’s back as he held her over a tub in the bathroom,
saying she was choking.

She said Crawford threw the toddler into her arms from a distance of
about three feet. Powell said she performed CPR despite Emily showing no
signs of life.

Powell testified that another neighbor who was a registered nurse
came into the apartment and tried unsuccessfully to revive the child.
Soon, police and rescue arrived and rushed a lifeless Emily to the
hospital where she was pronounced dead at 4:26 p.m.

Defense attorneys pointed toward Cook’s calls to help her choking
daughter as well as a white substance that came from her mouth during
CPR as evidence that Emily’s suffocation was a result of her choking on
her milk.

However, Rao said vomiting is commonly found with children who are strangled and no milk was found in Emily’s lungs.

The defense also made note of the five attempts at CPR as a possible cause for Emily’s bruising.

The trial is expected to go to the jury today.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-09-13/story/trial-man-accused-strangling-toddler-begins#ixzz1XtXEqx91

A medical examiner testified Tuesday that a 17-month-old girl who the
state says was strangled by her mother's boyfriend had 32 bruises on
her body, indicating she was abused.

The boyfriend, Donald Lance Crawford, 30, is charged with
second-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in the May 5, 2009,
death of Emily Scott Cook.

Prosecutors said Crawford was the only person who came in contact
with Emily during a nearly three-hour nap when the strangulation
occurred.

The case weighs heavily on testimony from Medical Examiner Valerie
Rao, who said Emily died from asphyxiation. Rao said among the bruises
on the toddler's body were several on her neck. She said she found
hemorrhaging from her eyes and neck muscles, pointing overwhelmingly
toward strangulation.

Crawford lived with Emily's mother, Daphne Cook, and her three
daughters at Mission Pointe Apartments at 12450 Biscayne Blvd. It was
also common for Crawford's son to regularly spend the night at their
apartment, according to the defense.

With Crawford's son and her oldest daughter, Sabrina, away at school,
Cook testified that she laid her two other girls down for a nap shortly
after lunch, with Emily in her crib.

About 1:30 p.m., she woke her middle daughter, Madison, from her nap
and took her to a birthday party for Sabrina at her school, leaving
Crawford alone in the apartment with Emily.

Defense attorneys said Crawford kept a door to Emily's room open to
listen out for her as she slept while he played video games in another
room.

Cook said she returned about 3 p.m. and began preparing a dinner for a family gathering to again celebrate Sabrina's birthday.

While she was cooking, she said she told Crawford to go wake Emily
up. Moments later, he emerged from the room with Emily, yelling that
something was wrong.

She said they took Emily to the dining room, where they both tried to
perform CPR, thinking she was choking on the milk she had before her
nap.

She said when Emily would not respond, she screamed for help and called 911.

A neighbor, Akia Powell, testified Tuesday she heard her calls for
help and rushed to the upstairs apartment. At the time, Powell was
learning to become a paramedic and was trained in CPR.

Powell said when she made it to Cook's apartment, she saw Crawford
pounding on Emily's back as he held her over a tub in the bathroom,
saying she was choking.

She said Crawford threw the toddler into her arms from a distance of
about three feet. Powell said she performed CPR despite Emily showing no
signs of life.

Powell testified that another neighbor who was a registered nurse
came into the apartment and tried unsuccessfully to revive the child.
Soon, police and rescue arrived and took her to the hospital where she
was pronounced dead at 4:26 p.m.

Defense attorneys pointed toward Cook's calls to help her choking
daughter as well as a white substance that came from her mouth during
CPR as evidence that Emily's suffocation was a result of her choking on
her milk.

However, Rao said vomiting is commonly found with children who are strangled and no milk was found in Emily's lungs.

The defense also made note of the five attempts at CPR as a possible cause for Emily's bruising.

The trial is expected to go to the jury today.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-09-13/story/medical-examiner-testifies-about-signs-duval-toddler-was-strangled#ixzz1XzLaM4u3