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A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 16 September 2017
Missouri: Professor, Oxford

Day care provider accused setting up sham adoption employee indicted

in Chicago murder

By HEATHER HOLLING- diately returned. The Stills
SWORTH don’t have a listed phone By DON BABWIN
The Associated Press number.The affidavit says Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Poindexter asked for mon- CHICAGO (AP) — A grand
Missouri day care provider ey for the girl’s care dur- jury has indicted a former
accused of taking a baby ing one visit to the Partons’ Northwestern University
to Arkansas to arrange for home, about 80 miles (130 professor and an Oxford
her adoption without the kilometers) to the south. University employee on
knowledge of the girl’s Poindexter’s attorney first-degree murder charg-
parents has been charged didn’t immediately return es in the July stabbing
with attempted kidnap- phone or email messages death of a hairstylist in the
ping. from The Associated Press. professor’s Chicago apart-
Lasonya Poindexter, 30, of She is in federal custody ment, a judge announced
Joplin, was charged Thurs- pending a Tuesday de- Friday.The announcement
day. tention hearing.The affi- made on the scheduled
Her plot fell apart in July davit says Poindexter first date of a hearing was not
when the would-be adop- contacted the Arkansas a surprise, as prosecutors
tive parents, Laura and This photo provided by the Joplin PD in Joplin, Mo., shows La- couple through a friend in routinely present their cas-
Garry Parton, became sus- sonya Poindexter. Poindexter, a Missouri day care provider has June and began making es to a grand jury rather
picious and reached out been charged with taking a baby to Arkansas to arrange for her arrangements for them to than let a judge, after a
to the baby’s birth parents, adoption without the knowledge of the girl’s parents. Poindex- adopt the infant girl who, public preliminary hearing,
Ashley and Christian Still, ter, of Joplin, was charged with attempted kidnapping Thursday. along with a sibling, was decide whether there is
(Joplin Police Department photo via AP)
on Facebook, an affidavit being left in her care a few enough evidence charge
says. days a week. Poindexter’s a suspect.The indictment
The Stills confirmed that taken their baby to Lincoln, vit, the Partons wanted to trips to Arkansas for the of Oxford financial offi-
they hadn’t put the girl up Arkansas, at least four times adopt after suffering a mis- couple to bond with the cial Andrew Warren was
for adoption and didn’t to meet the Partons. carriage. A message left at baby lasted two to three announced first. Warren,
know that Poindexter had According to the affida- their home wasn’t imme- hours each. wearing a yellow jail-issue
Attorney: Slender Man attacker fell into ‘madness’ jumpsuit, did not speak
when he was informed of
the indictment, before he
By TODD RICHMOND helping her friend stab their lonely, depressed and de- send the girl to a mental was led back to the hold-
Associated Press classmate nearly to death scended into “madness,” hospital rather than prison. ing area for detainees.
WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — A to please online horror her attorney said Friday as Anissa Weier and Morgan Wyndham Lathem, wear-
Wisconsin girl accused of character Slender Man was she pleaded with a jury to Geyser lured classmate ing a tan-colored jump suit
was led into the courtroom
Payton Leutner into the a short time later, informed
woods at a park in Wauke- of the indictment and then
sha, a Milwaukee suburb, led back to the same area.
in 2014. Geyser stabbed Both men are being held in
Leutner 19 times while Wei- Cook County Jail without
er urged her on, according bond.
to investigators. A passing The judge said that both
bicyclist found Leutner, men had demanded a tri-
who barely survived her al and ordered them to re-
wounds. All three girls were turn to court Sept. 28 for an
12 at the time. arraignment. Warren’s at-
Both Weier and Geyser torney did not speak to re-
told detectives they felt porters after the brief hear-
they had to kill Leutner to ing, but one of Lathem’s
become Slender Man’s attorneys, Adam Shep-
“proxies,” or servants, and pard, said that during that
protect their families from hearing Lathem will plead
the demon’s wrath. not guilty.
Weier, now 15, pleaded Prosecutors contend
guilty to attempted sec- that 46-year-old Lathem
ond-degree intentional ho- and 56-year-old Warren
micide in a deal with pros- stabbed Lathem’s boy-
ecutors in August. But she friend, 26-year-old Trenton
claims she was mentally ill James Cornell-Duranleau,
during the attack and not dozens of times as part of
responsible for her actions. an apparent sexual fanta-
A jury heard three days of sy that included killing oth-
testimony from psycholo- ers, then themselves.
gists and detectives. If the After Cornell-Duranleau’s
jury agrees she wasn’t re- body was found, authori-
sponsible, she’ll be com- ties embarked on a nation-
mitted to a mental institu- wide manhunt that ended
tion. If not, she faces prison. on Aug. 4 with Warren turn-
The jury began delibera- ing himself in to authorities
tions Friday morning. q in San Francisco. q