KY - Michaela Watkins, 10, britally murdered, Winchester, 11 March 2007

http://www.winchestersun.com/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=4416&format=html
:furious: Joy Watkins' grandmother, Betty Stokley, who lives next door to the couple, said Patrick Watkins was cruel to Michaela, his daughter from a previous marriage. Stokley said she had seen him kick the girl in the back, knocking her down.

"'Caylah would dodge him and move to the side if he walked past her," Stokley said of Patrick Watkins. "She would shake and go on. She was afraid." (more at link)

(sorry I could only find the cached article:)
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cach...watkins"+winchester&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=19&gl=us

"Oh my God," Rachel Samuels repeatedly whispered when she saw her dead baby girl laid out on a stretcher early last week in a funeral home in Lexington.
Samuels searched for traces of the daughter she knew: the blond-haired, brown-eyed angel with an innocent, ivory face and dreams of being a cheerleader.
But a year had passed since Samuels last saw her, and that Michaela Watkins was gone.
In her place was a sickeningly skinny 10-year-old girl. A few cuts and large black bruises covered her face. Her cheeks were distorted and sunken. Her lips had been split, and chipped teeth were visible. Her nose was dented and unnaturally turned.
"There are no words to describe what my baby looked like," Samuels said. "It wasn't her -- her face -- it just wasn't her." (more at link)

Mygirlsadie, this does happen way too much, doesn't it? And we thought Cinderella was just a old fairy tale. :furious:
 
"I wish you were here but with a different mom and dad."

Well, that about sums it up, doesn't it.

Poor angel. I hope all the adults who failed Michaela know it.
 
So the grandmother saw her get kicked in the back and did nothing? I'm sorry, even if you're for corporal punishment, a child should never be kicked. (A child should never be hit IMO)
I don't understand where these mothers disappear to. How is it possible to not see your child for an entire year?
 
So the grandmother saw her get kicked in the back and did nothing? I'm sorry, even if you're for corporal punishment, a child should never be kicked. (A child should never be hit IMO)
I don't understand where these mothers disappear to. How is it possible to not see your child for an entire year?

I was thinking the same exact thing!
SO this "grandmother" just sat back and did nothing?
IMO she should be charged right along with the stepmother and father.
 
This is exactly what these monsters count on....NO ONE standing up to them and making them stop. Not even the grandmother, who traditionally is the warm, happy comfort in a child's life, stood up for this baby.

I hope they burn in hell.
 
With the exception of some of her teachers, it sounds like this girl was failed by just about every adult in her life.
 
I was thinking the same exact thing!
SO this "grandmother" just sat back and did nothing?
IMO she should be charged right along with the stepmother and father.

Not that it matters much, but "grandma" was grandmother to the stepmonster. Not to Michela.
 
How horrible... Yes, the grandmother should be charged as well. May they all burn in h*ll...

Rest in peace little angel...
 
Why didn't the bio mother see this child for a year? Where was she this whole time?
 
Why didn't the bio mother see this child for a year? Where was she this whole time?

She lost custody b/c of being a druggie and leaving the kids unattended. It doesn't say why she didn't visit for a year.

These kids didn't stand a chance.

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cach...watkins"+winchester&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=19&gl=us

...Rachel Samuels used to leave Michaela home alone in Fayette County with her baby brother, Michael, sometimes all day and night. They talked about alleged drug use and filthy living conditions. They said the children slept on a dirty mattress on the floor. Their hair often wasn't combed, their clothes weren't clean and they often weren't bathed.

<snip>

On multiple occasions, school administrators called Rachel Samuels to pick up Michaela because the girl had head lice. Jenkins and other teachers suspected that Michaela's home life was a lonely one.

"That's probably why she really seemed to enjoy school," Jenkins said. "She was so starved for positive attention. I think she just wanted someone to love her. And we did."

In the fall of 2005, Michaela and her brother were placed in foster care after authorities discovered the girl home alone.

<snip>

After the children were placed in foster care, Rachel said, Patrick Watkins, who had not seen Michaela since she was 3 months old, gained full custody of the girl, who was then 9. Patrick and Joy Watkins also adopted Michaela's half-brother Michael, who isn't related to either of the Watkinses. Patrick and Joy Watkins have two children of their own, Zachary, 4, and Mariah, 6.

"I begged and pleaded with the judge not to give them to Patrick," Rachel said. "I said, 'If I can't have them, leave them in foster care.' But no one would listen."

She believes her pleas were ignored because she and Patrick had gone through a messy divorce, and court officials probably thought she was being vengeful in trying to keep the children away from him.
 
This is sickening, and they should all go to prison for life. I know that it won't happen, but I think it should. And, the grandmother should be charged as well. She may have been a mother to the step monster, but I look at it this way. what if she were a stranger and not related? If she sat there and did nothing she still should be charged.

That poor little girl never had a chance. But, she was wise beyond her years. Bless the little Angel, and may she rest in peace.

Lion
 
May she fly high among the angels. Poor baby girl!
 
I wonder why the dad was so mean to his little girl. He hadn't seen her since she was 3 months old so he really didn't have any interest in her until she was taken away from the mother. It sounds like this little girl was the only child that was abused.

It doesn't sound like this little girl ever had anyone to love her. The mom was to drugged up and the father was so cruel to her. I can't imagine anyone holding a child down in scalding hot water and then beating them with a 2x4.

I too hope these people spend a long long time in prison. I can't imagine them just getting a few years. As far as the adults around that little girl goes...it sounds like everyone who knew her knew how her father and stepmother treated her yet not one person had the gutts to report it. They will have to live with that. If only one person had made a call it might have saved that little girl's life.
 
These people admitted to watching her get abused and did nothing. That is what makes my blood boil. I feel that they are also responsible for her death and her miserable life. I truely believe in that old saying something about.... It takes a village...... There is one thing called being too nosey but i'm sorry when a child is involved and you OUT RIGHT are witness to her abuse you MUST step in and become involved because little children have no voice they can't get help for theirself they look to us for their safety and if we fail them what else do they have? It should be a criminal act in my opinion to not report abuse.



I wonder why the dad was so mean to his little girl. He hadn't seen her since she was 3 months old so he really didn't have any interest in her until she was taken away from the mother. It sounds like this little girl was the only child that was abused.

It doesn't sound like this little girl ever had anyone to love her. The mom was to drugged up and the father was so cruel to her. I can't imagine anyone holding a child down in scalding hot water and then beating them with a 2x4.

I too hope these people spend a long long time in prison. I can't imagine them just getting a few years. As far as the adults around that little girl goes...it sounds like everyone who knew her knew how her father and stepmother treated her yet not one person had the gutts to report it. They will have to live with that. If only one person had made a call it might have saved that little girl's life.
 
geesh I just googled her name and read more about her life....seems to me the people who knew about the abuse (actually seen it) need to be punished, even it its only community service, they helped kill this little girl by not intervening!
 
Joy R. Watkins

Jury Trial - Guilty
Location: Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women
Sentence Date: 10/21/2008

Offense: Murder
Sentence: Life

Projected Release Date: Unknown - Parole possible after 20 years

Patrick Watkins

Jury Trial - Guilty
Location: Luther Luckett Correctional Complex
Sentence Date: 10/21/2008

Offense: Murder
Sentence: Life

Projected Release Date: Unknown - Parole possible after 20 years
 

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