GUILTY NJ - Brendan Creato, 3, found dead in Cooper River Park, 13 Oct 2015

[Mom2Mom]

Very true but it was said the parents heard all of that for the first time during the bail hearing. If that's true they probably feel bad about it now. That doesn't change the fact that the DJ continued a relationship with this girl though. As a parent I could never!! I get that he is young but he had a few years of being a father. Enough time IMO to grow up, like most people that have a child do no matter how old they are.

 

[Ontario Mom]

Out of all the things that blow me away about this case (and there are many), the one real close to the top, is that DJ and teenybopper are still together. As a grandmother myself to 4 grands and 2 step-grands, if I knew all the wicked things one of my kid's "partners" said about one of my grands, before he was found deceased, that twisted, self-absorbed little blankity-blank would never, in a thousand years plus a day, be welcome in my home. For that matter, my own kid would have received an earful (to put it mildly) about this relationship.

But hey, that's just me.

 

[Mom2Mom]

Oh I agree 100%. I'm just saying it was said the parents didn't know any of that until it was said at the bail hearin so its unfair to pass judgment against them (DJS parents). I would like to think that after hearing that they now would not let her into their home anymore.

 

[starling123]

First time on the site but i have been reading everything about this case as i live just a few towns away. anyway, the medical examiner doesn't seem to want to give a definitive opinion. It could be drowning but no water int he lungs.. it could be strangulation but no marks on the neck...That leaves suffocation. If it was done with a pillow there would be fibers in the childs airway. If brenden was suffocated by an adult covering the nose and mouth with their hands then there would be bruising on brendens face, maybe even a broken nose. The only plausible explanation is that brenden was suffocated with a plastic bag. If his head was covered with a bag while he was laying down the murderer would only have to twist the bag around the neck and hold the child down with one hand on the chest until the deed was done. Since the only bruise found on brendens body was on his sternum area I am guessing that this is how he was killed. I do have a lot of questions though.
1)Was the GF actually in NY and are there witnesses that place her there at the time of the murder?
2)Does the GF or anyone else involved in this case own a blue car?
3)What did the voices of the 2 people arguing outside of DJ's apartment sound like? a man and a woman? 2 men? 2 women?
4)If the child was placed near cooper river (a place that i am very familiar with and it does get VERY muddy) were there prints OTHER than footprints. Like perhaps wheel tracks from a carriage. Also, if there was mud on shoes or on carriage wheels that mud would have been tracked back along the street when the culprit was leaving.
There are just too many open questions and not enough answers.

 

[bwboy]

4)If the child was placed near cooper river (a place that i am very familiar with and it does get VERY muddy) were there prints OTHER than footprints. Like perhaps wheel tracks from a carriage. Also, if there was mud on shoes or on carriage wheels that mud would have been tracked back along the street when the culprit was leaving.
There are just too many open questions and not enough answers.

I really do not think mud tracks can be traced for great distances of up to a mile. How can the mud be distinguished from other dirt on the road and other people's footprints? But I do think Brendan's scent did get picked up by K9 dog. This still doesn't necessarily answer who did it and how he was placed there.

 

[strawberry]

Just saw this on the news

http://6abc.com/news/father-of-brendan-creato-pleads-not-guilty-in-boys-death/1193571/

 

[Roselvr]

Just saw this on the news

http://6abc.com/news/father-of-brendan-creato-pleads-not-guilty-in-boys-death/1193571/

Looks like he was in court for a quick hearing. Really hope the trial is quick.

It totally floors me that he killed Brendan when he could have stopped seeing Brendan like both of my ex's did.

Father of Brendan Creato pleads not guilty in boy's death

Tuesday, February 09, 2016 03:59PM
HADDON TWP., N.J. (WPVI) --
The Camden County father accused of murdering his 3-year-old son entered has entered a plea of not guilty.

David "D.J" Creato Jr. was in court for a brief hearing on Monday.

 

[bwboy]

DJ's next court appearance is April 18, 2016.

News http://www.philly.com/philly/news/n...ato_preparing_for_a_trial__attorney_says.html

Video http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2016/03/07/man-accused-killing-son-in-court/

 

[bwboy]

Per town fb group... 2 memorials came down yesterday. Local Residents were not yet told if this were due to family wishes or county park rules.

Did I mention how two actual "sleuths" on the street, one who works in photography and one who works in hardware, both told me the same rumor that they were looking into the father as prime suspect... way back in October? You know how rumors spread. Well both separate sleuths claim to have heard it from a spouse of one of the investigators. As much as I am angered by the alleged perp I am ever more disturbed at the lack of discretion used by this family member(s) as well as the sleuths for repeating it and I refused to spread such rumors during the investigation for fear of inadvertently tipping the hand of the detectives and prosecutor. I widh I had been more bold when I heard the scoop but Of course you never want to discourage open dialogue, but this could have been a case where things might have been better left unsaid until they came out in court.

 

[lauriej]

http://www.phillyvoice.com/creato-l...er-charges-alleges-unfair-grand-jury-process/
Creato lawyer files motion seeking dismissal of murder charges, alleges 'unfair' grand jury process

Lawyer for accused father claims flawed investigation by medical examiner is reason for release from jail

--snip--
Dr. Gerald “Buck” Feigin, the medical examiner for Camden County, did not go to the scene on Oct. 13, 2015, to investigate the discovery of the lifeless body of 3-year-old Brendan Link Creato, who was found partially in a stream, with his pajama bottoms and diaper pulled down, according to a legal motion filed Thursday.

Despite the shocking placement of the body, Feigin didn't report to the scene until five days later – on a Saturday – a fact missing from his testimony before a grand jury, the filing alleges.

Citing Feigin's actions, and inactions, the lawyer representing David "DJ" Creato, 22, who is charged with his son's murder, is seeking to have his client released and the criminal charges dismissed.

--more@link.

 

[lauriej]

http://patch.com/new-jersey/haddon/...charges-against-david-creato-death-3-year-old
[h=1]Attorney Seeks Dismissal of Charges Against David Creato in Death of 3-Year-Old[/h]--snip--
The attorney representing David “DJ” Creato is seeking to have his client released from prison and charges against him dismissed due to the fact that Camden County’s medical examiner failed to report to the scene for five days after 3-year-old Brendan Link Creato’s body was discovered in October, philly.com reports.

Creato also allegedly wasn't read his rights or told he was a suspect in the murder investigation, according to the report.

--more@link--

 

[katydid23]

What the heck? The ME didn't go for 5 days? How is that even possible?

 

[DropthePuck]

Wow. Just wow. What a cluster.

 

[Roselvr]

http://www.phillyvoice.com/creato-l...er-charges-alleges-unfair-grand-jury-process/
Creato lawyer files motion seeking dismissal of murder charges, alleges 'unfair' grand jury process

Lawyer for accused father claims flawed investigation by medical examiner is reason for release from jail

--snip--
Dr. Gerald “Buck” Feigin, the medical examiner for Camden County, did not go to the scene on Oct. 13, 2015, to investigate the discovery of the lifeless body of 3-year-old Brendan Link Creato, who was found partially in a stream, with his pajama bottoms and diaper pulled down, according to a legal motion filed Thursday.

Despite the shocking placement of the body, Feigin didn't report to the scene until five days later – on a Saturday – a fact missing from his testimony before a grand jury, the filing alleges.

Citing Feigin's actions, and inactions, the lawyer representing David "DJ" Creato, 22, who is charged with his son's murder, is seeking to have his client released and the criminal charges dismissed.

--more@link.

Thanks for both articles. It's really disgusting to read the ME's office messed up so bad! I'm going to be shocked if they can keep him in jail and charge him with murder. Sounds like the RIME (main report) is missing a lot of information. I am so upset.

The RIME filed by Jackson in the Brendan Creato case does not list times for when the Medical Examiner's Office was notified that the body was found, for when the investigator arrived or for when the body was moved. The RIME does not include any diagrams of the scene, and offers no information on the actions undertaken by the medical examiner investigator other than to transport the body. Details like those would typically be included in a RIME.

The boy’s lips, mouth, neck, hands and fingernails should have been closely examined by a medical examiner at the scene and under magnification, but not until detailed photos were first taken by the medical examiner from a distance and the muddy creek bank scoured for tracks, Speth said.

Speth also said the only way to accurately determine a time of death is to measure the temperature in the victim's eardrums, then adjust for outside air temperature, humidity and the amount of clothing on the body. A child, with its small body mass, loses body heat faster than an adult, another consideration in the analysis, Speth said.

 

[MamaJoJo]

That's ludicrous! There was not even an assistant ME at the scene? We're pictures taken? Who moved the body? While it's stated that the law is often ignored, how is it possible that NO ONE at the scene thought to call in the ME? It's inexplicable. Did they all just ASSume that the dad was telling the truth that little Brendan wondered off during the night? So when they found him deceased they ASSumed it was an accident?

I wouldn't want an innocent man to go to jail over Brendan's death but I also surely wouldn't want a guilty murderer to go free. Oh, dear Lord!

 

[lauriej]

That's ludicrous! There was not even an assistant ME at the scene? We're pictures taken? Who moved the body? While it's stated that the law is often ignored, how is it possible that NO ONE at the scene thought to call in the ME? It's inexplicable. Did they all just ASSume that the dad was telling the truth that little Brendan wondered off during the night? So when they found him deceased they ASSumed it was an accident?

I wouldn't want an innocent man to go to jail over Brendan's death but I also surely wouldn't want a guilty murderer to go free. Oh, dear Lord!

BBM

http://www.nj.com/camden/index.ssf/2016/04/dj_creatos_lawyer_wants_charges_thrown_out.html

--snip--


According to the report, it's unclear why Feigin did not respond to the scene and why a detective removed Brendan's body from the wooded area along the Cooper River. The report adds that the grand jury that indicted Creato was not aware of these circumstances.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

Per town fb group... 2 memorials came down yesterday. Local Residents were not yet told if this were due to family wishes or county park rules.

Did I mention how two actual "sleuths" on the street, one who works in photography and one who works in hardware, both told me the same rumor that they were looking into the father as prime suspect... way back in October? You know how rumors spread. Well both separate sleuths claim to have heard it from a spouse of one of the investigators. As much as I am angered by the alleged perp I am ever more disturbed at the lack of discretion used by this family member(s) as well as the sleuths for repeating it and I refused to spread such rumors during the investigation for fear of inadvertently tipping the hand of the detectives and prosecutor. I widh I had been more bold when I heard the scoop but Of course you never want to discourage open dialogue, but this could have been a case where things might have been better left unsaid until they came out in court.

On the other side of the river, there is a bench for a woman who was murdered in Collingswood in 1998 so I don't see why they couldn't put up a permanant memorial for Brendan.

 

[cattlekate]

This new information is pretty shocking and helps the defense.

Brendan was found facedown on a rock, with his legs (and arms) in the water, and pjs and diaper pulled down. So even if the socks were clean, the defense can argue the dirty slippers got transported by the water and thus Brendan could've walked there. Maybe a dog tried to pull the body from the stream after Brendan slipped and drowned and that's why the buttocks were exposed. Or maybe the pulled down pajamas and diaper suggest a deviant motive by someone who saw a little boy wandering the street but the deviant's trace evidence on the boy was lost when moving the body. The assistant ME may have ruled out these scenarios, but there apparently isn't much in his report. Not even time of death or methods used to determine it.

The fact that the grand jury wasn't even told the supervisory ME inspected the site five days later could be used by the defense to show a deliberate effort the withhold information in order to railroad the dad.

Unless there is something really incriminating on DJ's phone or computer, there seems to be enough for reasonable doubt.

 

[DropthePuck]

This article is from 10/22/15 and talks about ME Dr. Gerald Feigin: http://www.phillyvoice.com/questions-linger-about-death-and-investigation/

"The initial anatomical examination of the boy’s body by Dr. Gerald "Buck" Feigin, a pathologist with a troubled past who oversees the Medical Examiner’s Office shared by Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties, did not reveal a cause of death, though additional results are still pending. Feigin, seen at left in a photo from the Gloucester County medical examiner's home page, came to New Jersey as a medical examiner shortly after his competency was questioned in 1997 as a result of the so-called “Boston Nanny” case.Feigin, who had performed the autopsy on an eight-month-old boy, Matthew Eappen, who died in the care of English au pair Louise Woodward, had initially claimed a fall of 15 feet killed the baby.The pathologist eventually acknowledged that a drop of as little as two feet could have fractured the child’s skull. It also turned out critical evidence from his examination was not preserved. Woodward, who was convicted on a second-degree murder charge, had her sentence reduced to involuntary manslaughter and was released from prison after serving fewer than 200 days."

"Feigin was also criticized for failing to perform a key test in the case of a teenager accused of manslaughter in the death of a middle school teacher in Lowell, Massachusetts. The teacher died six months after being kicked in the head while breaking up a fight. Feigin ruled the teacher died from the blow, but another medical examiner conducted a test on samples from the case and concluded the teacher may have died due to heart problems. Manslaughter charges against the teenager were reduced to assault as a result."

"Two of Feigin’s colleagues this week independently told PhillyVoice the pathologist is known for taking shortcuts, though they did not want to be identified."
[Bolding is mine.]

How in the world does this guy still have a job? It is so upsetting that these charges could be dismissed due to pure laziness and incompetence on the part of the ME's office. Part of being an ME is being a voice and advocate for the victim and their family so that they can get some form of justice in a conviction. But when the head schmuck at the ME's office can't even be bothered to do his jobcorrectly, one of the consequences can be dismissal of charges and that is certainly not justice. JMO

 

[cattlekate]

I always wondered why time of death was never released. These latest cryptic articles make me think the ME people didn't bother to determine that at the scene. Time of death is important as it can affirm, or not, DJ's assertion all was well at night, he was reading books to little Brendan late in the evening, and then went on social media. If time of death was 5 am, who is to say the youngster didn't wander out and get snatched by a deviant or trudge to the stream.

Not that I believe those scenarios, but it looks, tragically, there may be reasonable doubt.