TN - Jonathan Goodrum & Kristina Sawyer for rape of newborn, McKenzie, 2006

[christine2448]

Thanks for the article Marie:

I still don't believe the story about the couple. I'm wondering if the hospital isn't protecting their own. After all, if it was a hospital employee, they're looking at a huge scandal and lawsuit.

JMHO
fran

Just stumbled onto this story, I'm with all the posters who believe this was NOT done by the parents. I do not believe what they are describing is consistent with sexual assault...a child of the age of 1 day old, would have MASSIVE injuries if rapped, IMO. I believe these parents are being used as scapegoats because of their age and financial status, again, that's just MO.

 

[Marie]

It's at the very least an attempted sexual assault. Those parents could have tried to insert just about anything. And why is everyone so distrustful of LE? They said the hospital/staff were investigated and ruled out, LE isn't stupid.

 

[2sisters]

I don't know why this is so hard to belive. Some people sexually assult their kids all the time no matter the age and this kind of thing has happened before.
I don't know for sure if the parents are guilty, I havent seen enough evidence, but I trust LE and will belive they thoroughly investigated it until I hear otherwise.

 

[Jeana (DP)]

It's at the very least an attempted sexual assault. Those parents could have tried to insert just about anything. And why is everyone so distrustful of LE? They said the hospital/staff were investigated and ruled out, LE isn't stupid.

We're normally not Marie. See the Riley Fox thread. We ALL thought her father was guilty (of course he confessed, but it turned out to be a coerced confession) and I think some of us have learned to try and see all sides before we automatically assume someone's guilty (at least I do).

 

[dbmthur]

If the parents did this they definately deserve to be locked up...I have a 6 week old myself and I just cannot fathom how anyone could do that to a 1 day old...or to any child for that matter...honestly I just don't see the parents doing this...I know with my son, when he was born, the nursery workers, and nurses were in and out of my room...they constantly checked on me and the baby...they have to take your vitals, check your feet for swelling, etc. and also check the baby's vitals...I just know it seemed that someone was always in my room for some reason or another, not to mention family and friends that came by! We even had student nurses coming in and out...the janitor to clean the room, nutritionists, other hospital staff for paper work stuff and to do the birth certificate info...I am sure different hospitals do things differently but I just don't see how they could do anything without fearing someone would walk in and catch them. I know they are young but that doesn't automatically make them guilty. When a baby is first born, so many people are touching and handling your child, it could have been anyone. I know in the nursery at the hospital I deliverd at there are cameras but there are also areas where there isn't a camera...usually there was more than one person in the nursery but not always...

I think they need to look at the 1 year old and check her over real good...because if these parents would do this to a 1 day old then they would have had to have been doing something to the 1 year old...I wouldn't think they would just "all of a sudden" have started doing stuff like this when their 6 week old was born. JMO

 

[2sisters]

I guess all hospitals are different b/c I only had alot of nurse traffic only in the hours ( about every hour on the hour) after my delivery and at that time the babies were in the nursery. The following day though I was only checked on about 4 times and the last time was when I called to have them taken back to the nursery. So I can see how it was done and if they are lower income and on medicaid then they probably didn't end up in the best of hospitals.

 

[sleuthin4fun]

Just stumbled onto this story, I'm with all the posters who believe this was NOT done by the parents. I do not believe what they are describing is consistent with sexual assault...a child of the age of 1 day old, would have MASSIVE injuries if rapped, IMO. I believe these parents are being used as scapegoats because of their age and financial status, again, that's just MO.

I was a L&D nurse for 10 years and I find it hard to believe that if this baby was actually sexually assaulted that it would not have severe external as well as internal trauma. Something about this whole situation is not right.

 

[tweedledee]

Maybe I'm the dumb one here, but I can not grasp the body mechanics in this scenario. I do not see how a male penis inserted in the rectum or vagina of a 1 day old would result in "minute tears". Since I do not think like a pedophile or a rapist, I am also having a hard time understanding why anyone would penetrate with an object. What's in it for them? Rape is usually about control. There's no control issue over a 1 day old. How does the mother play into this??? There has to be a lot more to this story for LE to have charged the parents. Maybe both parents said the other parent did it? I just don't understand!!!!

 

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

Hi tweedledee.

Sadly, in addition to the minute tears, there was also "a larger tear extending to the front private area".

 

[GlitchWizard]

Do they still use thermometers in the rectum of babies for taking temperature or is there another way to do that for newborns? Maybe it was an accident with the general checkup and whoever accidently hurt this kid would rather let the parents take the rap for abuse when maybe it was something else. I don't know. I didn't let my infant daughter out of my sight when we were in the hospital, but lots of babies were in the nursery and they were poking and prodding them with all sorts of routine monitoring. I do know one nurse leaned on the wheeled bassinette and almost dumped my daughter on the floor from a height of about 4 1/2 feet - so accidents do happen.

But yeah, accidents in the private area... it's really hard to see that happening.

As for the comment someone made "And why is everyone so distrustful of LE? They said the hospital/staff were investigated and ruled out, LE isn't stupid."

I'm sorry, but my best friend is on Death Row and HIS friend has a life sentence for two murders that a third guy committed. The third guy was the first to "make a deal" and got only 5 years for saying the other two did it. Made things easier on the system, I guess. Makes me crazy to read their documents and see exactly where the system failed them time and again. The more I read, the more I distrust the system in general.

...and I am currently dating (on and off) a correctional officer, so I certainly don't say it's them all - but still... they are human, and humans can be lazy and take the easy way in any job - Law Enforcement is no different.

Hope that answers the question, at least for my part of it.

 

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

Do they still use thermometers in the rectum of babies for taking temperature or is there another way to do that for newborns? Maybe it was an accident with the general checkup and whoever accidently hurt this kid would rather let the parents take the rap for abuse when maybe it was something else.

Especially if it's an employee that's already been written up or an RN who's already had disciplinary action against his/her license, etc. If a mistake could cause someone to lose their license and therefore, their livelihood, I can see them letting someone else take the rap.

I hope that LE has looked over the work/license records of each and every employee there, including reviewing the records for the narcotic count sheets, (if there even is a narcotics box on the maternity floor). I've only personally heard of one person being dismissed from her nursing position over a 15 year period for drug-seeking behavior but it does happen. And this woman's drug use caused her to use a defibrillator on a patient that still had a weak, but regular, pulse. Luckily the patient ultimately was okay but the ensuing investigation revealed that the on and off issues that they had been having with the narcotics count was most likely her. Once she was suspended, the narcotic count was right on every night since. Her habit caused her to make an error in judgement that cost her her career. Sadly, I think that many people in similar circumstances would let someone else take the fall for them if it meant keeping their job.

My point is, like others have speculated, this could even have been some type of accident brought on by other issues. I think that every stone needs to be turned over in that department to see if there might be other issues that have gone on in the recent past. I can't stand the thought of the parents going down for such a horrendous crime if it was connected to some sort of problems at that hospital. I'm sure that the attorneys are looking into hospital records, and I would hope that that would include the number of complaints and/or lawsuits against the hospital compared to average, etc.

 

[lisag]

We're normally not Marie. See the Riley Fox thread. We ALL thought her father was guilty (of course he confessed, but it turned out to be a coerced confession) and I think some of us have learned to try and see all sides before we automatically assume someone's guilty (at least I do).

Me too.....

 

[GlitchWizard]

What if it was someone's first offense? The parents could take the fall even if Law Enforcement checked everything on everyone else. I just hope they don't get in trouble because of eliminating other people. Can't they themselves be eliminated?

How scarey. I'd be sick if I were accused of something like that.

 

[dale46]

It's not working for me that it's the parents either. I remember just after having my daughter - sexual ANYTHING was the last thing on my mind. Everyone in the family is just too tired, busy making phone calls - too much on their minds to be thinking anything like that.

Hospital staff, however, to them - baby birthing is routine and there is so much access to the babies...

I agree with you because with the age of male nurses coming into the field there have been these kind of horror stories.
I'm not saying all male nurses are that way but I am saying it happens more often with them for some reason.

 

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

I agree with you because with the age of male nurses coming into the field there have been these kind of horror stories.
I'm not saying all male nurses are that way but I am saying it happens more often with them for some reason.

Probably only because males are more likely to rape. Otherwise, I don't necessarily think that it's a profession that draws that type of person. I'm sure it happens but luckily, I haven't heard of it happening much at all. Of course, even once is too much and I hope they get to the real and complete truth behind this situation.

 

[Amraann]

LE is going to walk into that situation investigating with some preconcieved notions..
Who's version do you think they are going to believe?
THat of respected Dr's or nurses or that of two teenagers who live on the fringe of society?
Investigators are human like the rest of us.
It would have been easy for the hospital to cover their own butts.

 

[christine2448]

LE is going to walk into that situation investigating with some preconcieved notions..
Who's version do you think they are going to believe?
THat of respected Dr's or nurses or that of two teenagers who live on the fringe of society?
Investigators are human like the rest of us.
It would have been easy for the hospital to cover their own butts.

Yep. You are right Amraann. IMO anyway

 

[Marie]

As unbelievable as it may be to some of you (and I understand not wanting to believe something so horrendous), it appears as if there's no question that this newborn was abused by the parents -

Mother expected to file plea in baby's rape

By TONYA SMITH-KING
tsmithking@jacksonsun.com
The girlfriend of a Carroll County man is expected to testify against him [Jonathan Wayne Goodrum] in a case in which both initially were charged with the rape of their 1-day-old baby girl.

Goodrum's girlfriend, Kristina Louise Sawyer, 18, plans to enter a guilty plea June 6 in Carroll County Circuit Court to a lesser charge of failure to report child abuse in exchange for her testimony against him, her attorney Steve West said.

"That plea agreement is conditioned upon Miss Sawyer's testifying truthfully," West added.

The arrest warrant states that "an unknown object" was inserted in the child's rear private area, which caused tears in that area that extended to her front private area.

Complete Article

 

[bykerladi]

UNKNOWN OBJECT!!! :furious:

Where did they get the "object"? Bring it with them? I can't believe a person could do this to a child...

 

[Beyond Belief]

I think I am going to be sick.