FOUR and a half years after 15-month-old Prince McLeod Rams was found unresponsive, cold and without a pulse by paramedics responding to a 911 call, his father was found guilty of his capital murder. Judge Randy Bellows, hearing the case without a jury in Prince William County (Virginia) Circuit Court, explained his decision April 13 in a 62-page opinion that methodically sorted through the evidence and definitively answered questions surrounding the case. No, the judge concluded, the boy did not die from a febrile seizure or any natural cause, but was drowned or suffocated by his father - who stood to benefit from more than $500,000 in life insurance.
But the conviction of Joaquin Rams, set to be sentenced June 22 to life in prison, doesn't tie up all loose ends. Two other deaths - the murder of Rams' ex-girlfriend and the ostensible suicide of his mother - need to be accounted for. There are questions about whether Prince's death could have been averted had Maryland and Virginia officials been more diligent. Most critical is whether lessons were learned from this tragedy that will help protect other children.
Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert can take justified satisfaction from his office's successful prosecution of a complicated case. But authorities in Prince William need to do some soul-searching about missed signals and missteps in investigations involving Rams that preceded Prince's death. Was sufficient attention paid to the 2003 murder of ex-girlfriend Shawn Katrina Mason? Why did police brush aside suspicions when his mother died and he benefited from her insurance? Then there was the botched inquiry into allegations surrounding a disputed sexual encounter involving Rams and the teenage sister of Prince's mother, Hera McLeod.
McLeod, as she wrote recently in a Post essay, faults the family court system that made her son vulnerable to harm. She had sole legal and primary physical custody of her son and fought fiercely to prevent Rams from having unsupervised visits. But a Montgomery County (Maryland) Circuit judge allowed them, and Prince died on the fourth one. "Parents," McLeod wrote, "should not have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the other parent is dangerous."
Part of the problem, according to lawyers experienced in custody cases, is an inherent bias, even distrust, of parents - in most cases women - who without physical evidence raise safety as a reason to limit or prevent contact with the other parent. "I hate it when I have to tell a client who genuinely fears for her child that she risks appearing as an alarmist and alienating the court," one attorney told us. "I hate it even more when I have to tell her she has no choice but to abide by the court's order."
No judge can lightly suspend parental contact with a child. But the interests of children always should take precedence. Montgomery County, reacting in part to this case, appears headed toward opening its first monitored child exchange and supervised visitation center, which would give judges a better option in cases such as this. It's long overdue. When it opens, it would be fitting for it to bear Prince's name.
The Washington Post
Mon May 01 2017
Four and a half years after 15-month-old Prince McLeod Rams was found unresponsive, cold and without a pulse by paramedics responding to a 911 call, his father was found guilty of his capital murder. - Pic for illustration purpose
Setiausaha Agung PBB desak gencatan senjata dikuatkuasa di Gaza
Kenyataan ini dibuat ketika pusingan baharu rundingan tidak langsung dijadual berlangsung di Kaherah, Mesir.
ICC minta henti ancaman ke atas kakitangannya
ICC mengeluarkan kenyataan meminta tindakan mengancam kakitangannya berkaitan perkembangan perang di Gaza dihentikan segera
Setiausaha Agung PBB desak gencatan senjata dikuatkuasakan di Gaza
Setiausaha Agung PBB, ulangi desakan supaya Israel dan Hamas mencapai perjanjian gencatan senjata di Gaza
164 PAWE aktif di seluruh negara - Nancy
Sebanyak 164 Pusat Aktiviti Warga Emas (PAWE) yang aktif di seluruh negara setakat ini, kata Menteri Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
Khilaf dalam kalangan ulama adalah 'rahmat' jika dikawal dan dijaga
Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menyifatkan bahawa perbezaan pendapat atau khilaf dalam kalangan ulama boleh menjadi satu 'rahmat' dan membawa kebaikan sekiranya ia dikawal dan dijaga dengan baik
PM yakin kerajaan mampu laksana kenaikan gaji penjawat awam
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim memberi jaminan bahawa peningkatan gaji penjawat awam mulai Disember tahun ini mampu dilaksana menerusi kawalan pengurusan kewangan kerajaan
Onn Hafiz harap ramai anak Johor di perantauan pulang sumbang bakti
Pelbagai usaha sedang giat dijalankan pihak kerajaan negeri bagi menarik minat anak jati Johor di perantauan itu.
Rakyat perlu kuasai AI untuk tentukan sendiri nilai moral, budaya dalam teknologi itu - PM
Jika AI tidak dikuasai, nilai dan moral dalam teknologi itu akan ditentukan oleh pihak-pihak yang menguasainya terutama dari barat.
Piala Thomas: Taiwan lakar kejutan singkir Denmark untuk mara ke separuh akhir
Kejayaan sensasi itu menyaksikan Taiwan berdepan Indonesia dan Malaysia menentang China di pentas separuh akhir pada jam 5 petang hari ini.
Gaji penjawat awam boleh dinaikkan dengan kawalan pengurusan kewangan - PM
Ketegasan dalam menguruskan kewangan juga mampu untuk memberikan lebih banyak manfaat serta barakah selepas ini kepada kumpulan terbabit.
COVID-19: Lebih 86 juta kanak-kanak bakal dibelenggu krisis kemiskinan
Lebih 86 juta kanak-kanak akan hidup dalam kemiskinan hujung tahun ini, menurut kajian bersama Pergerakan Save The Children dan Tabung Kanak-kanak PBB (UNICEF).
38 kanak-kanak jadi mangsa korban serangan di Idlib, Syria
Sekurang-kurangnya 38 kanak-kanak dilaporkan terbunuh dan 46 lagi cedera dalam serangan di Idlib, Syria sejak 1 April lalu.
Children, tema iklan Merdeka Petronas
Kehidupan kita mungkin berbeza. Impian dan harapan tetap sama. Itulah tema yang diketengahkan oleh Petronas untuk Hari Kebangsaan 2013.