Cops: Grandma, Carmela Dela Rosa, 50, threw child to her death at Va. mall/ Carmela Dela Rosa sentenced to 35 years

McLEAN, Va. (AP) — A Virginia toddler was walking out of a shopping mall with relatives when her grandmother suddenly flung her over a railing, sending the girl on a fatal plunge to the pavement several stories below, police said Tuesday.

Carmela Dela Rosa, 50, of Fairfax was arrested and charged with murder, said prosecutor Ian Rodway. Authorities said interviews with witnesses and Dela Rosa led them to the conclusion that the girl's fall Monday night was no accident, but they couldn't yet explain why the grandmother threw her.

The 2 1/2-year-old child, Angelyn Ogdoc, died in a hospital several hours later. She fell from a walkway linking the mall's third floor to the parking garage's sixth floor at Tysons Corner Center in Fairfax, just south of Washington, D.C.

Fairfax County police spokeswoman Tawny Wright said Dela Rosa was leaving the mall with the toddler and two other adult relatives when she abruptly picked the girl up and threw her over the railing.

Dela Rosa was being held without bond, and a preliminary hearing in the case was set for Jan. 4, Rodway said. Deputy Public Defender Dawn Butorac, who is representing Dela Rosa, declined to comment on the case.

No one answered at Dela Rosa's home in Fairfax on Tuesday morning, but neighbor Russell Jackson, 51, described them as "a happy family" and said Dela Rosa lived with her husband and a son and often cared for her granddaughter.

"She was a sweet, happy baby," said Jackson, who lives in the rowhouse next door.

Dela Rosa would sometimes leave the blinds in the front window open when she was caring for the girl during the day.

"You could see them in the window waving at you," he said, adding she would encourage the toddler to throw kisses to her neighbors.

Dela Rosa's daughter and granddaughter were frequently at the home, and the group were often seen going on outings as a family, as they did Monday.

A few miles away in Falls Church, no one came to the door at the two-story home where the girl lived.

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This is so very sad to me. I did a search here of the grandma and of the baby and couldn't find mention of them on the threads. I just cannot understand what happened with this grandma to do such a thing?

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FILE - This handout photo provided by Fairfax County, Va., Police Department shows Carmela Dela Rosa. A toddler has died after police say she was thrown off a shopping mall walkway in Virginia by a woman believed to be her grandmother. Carmela Dela Rosa of Fairfax was arrested and charged with aggravated malicious wounding, the charge will be amended to murder now that the girl, Angelyn Ogdoc, has died. (AP Photo/Fairfax County, Va., Police Department, (File)

This is so sad. We here on this board would do anything for our grandchildren.

By Josh White and Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Carmela Dela Rosa often cared for her granddaughter during the day and would carry her carefully in her arms. The happy, 2-1/2-year-old Angelyn Ogdoc would blow kisses to neighbors, her face framed by her striking long, dark hair.

Dela Rosa, 50, of Fairfax County, would watch her daughter's daughter several times a week. On Monday, the three generations of her family got into a car on Ellenwood Drive for the short ride to Tysons Corner Center, Angelyn strapped meticulously into a child car seat by her grandfather. Before returning home, the family would meet with unexplained tragedy.

Police say Dela Rosa, while walking with the family from the mall to a parking garage, suddenly grabbed the toddler and tossed her over the guardrail of a fifth-story walkway. Angelyn's body crashed into the pavement 50 feet below, and she died hours later at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

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Officials say no argument or other incident preceded the child's fall from a walkway Monday at Tysons Corner Center

So far, police and family members have offered nothing that would suggest why a doting grandmother would so suddenly lash out at the little girl. Two law enforcement sources said nothing precipitated the tragedy - there had been no fight or argument.

Police charged Dela Rosa with murder on Tuesday. When asked if the death could have been accidental, Officer Tawny Wright, a Fairfax County police spokeswoman, said that did not appear to be the case.

"Our detectives looked at that and determined the act was intentional," Wright said.

The walkway is one of several that connect the parking garage and the shopping mall. Below is a two-lane access road and sidewalks. The safety railing appears to be above waist level on an average-height adult.

After Angelyn's fall, Dela Rosa and the other family members stayed at the scene as rescuers and police arrived. Dela Rosa was initially charged with aggravated malicious wounding, but the charges were upgraded Tuesday after Angelyn died at 4:30 a.m. Dela Rosa made an initial court appearance Tuesday and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Jan. 4. She is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

Law enforcement officials said they would look at possible mental health issues. One family friend said Dela Rosa had battled depression over the past few years.

Reached by phone Tuesday, Dela Rosa's family members declined to comment. Relatives of Angelyn's father in Falls Church also declined to comment by phone.

No one answered the door at Dela Rosa's home or at Angelyn's on Tuesday.

Neighbors on Ellenwood Drive, just north of Route 50 in Fairfax, described Dela Rosa as a loving, warm caregiver to her granddaughter and as an involved member of the community. She raised a daughter who graduated from a private Catholic high school and attended George Mason University, and she has a teenage son currently attending private Catholic school.

Dela Rosa and her husband have worked part time as ushers at George Mason University's Patriot Center in Fairfax. Barry Geisler, the Patriot Center's general manager, said Dela Rosa was friendly and engaging.

Russell Jackson lived next door to Dela Rosa and often saw her and the child smiling and having fun. "She always had her little granddaughter in her arms. The baby was always happy. She seemed like she loved that baby. . . . They are good people."

Jackson said that the Dela Rosas have lived in the house for a number of years and that Dela Rosa is the kind of neighbor who would organize barbecues and bring food around as neighbors shoveled snow this past winter.

About an hour before the incident at Tysons Corner Center, Jackson's son, Russell Jackson Jr., saw the family get into the car. Angelyn's grandfather buckled her into a car seat, and Angelyn left with her mother and her grandparents, he said.

Family friends, part of the tightknit Filipino community in Northern Virginia, said the Dela Rosa and Ogdoc families are well-liked and have been dedicated to the success of their children. Friends of Angelyn's mother and father left sympathetic messages on Facebook, with one calling them "the most wonderful parents I know."

The friends said Angelyn and her parents moved into Angelyn's paternal grandparents' home in Falls Church after living with Dela Rosa.

That home is a newly built, two-story white house with a fence and a manicured lawn. A child's seat and toys sat on the back porch Tuesday. Neighbors said the family slowly built the house over the past year.

Mark Bailey said he would see Angelyn playing in front of the home, adding that she came to his house on Halloween dressed as a princess.

"Beautiful little girl," Bailey said.

Another neighbor, Joan Naleppa, said Angelyn's paternal grandparents renovated the house when Angelyn was born and made an upstairs apartment for Angelyn and her parents. She said Angelyn's mother would drop the girl off with Dela Rosa three or four times a week, neighbors said.

"How could this happen?" Naleppa wondered. "What's this world coming to?"

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Innocent victim: Angelyn Ogdoc died after being allegedly thrown from a five-storey walkway by grandmother Carmela Dela Rosa (Photo: Alan Deep)

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This is crazy!! Why would a caring grandma suddenly snap like that?!? There must have been something going on that we aren't aware of yet. I always thought that grandmas were the "safe" ones for children, but now I am not so sure! Poor little girl!!

So Grandma snapped and threw the little girl to her death? I don't buy that. There has to be some history of a mental illness before this besides depression. Depression does not cause people to murder/hurt little baby girls.

This is why I think she did it. She wanted her all to herself and could not stand that she was now living with the paternal grandparents. How sick!!

The friends said Angelyn and her parents moved into Angelyn's paternal grandparents' home in Falls Church after living with Dela Rosa.

That home is a newly built, two-story white house with a fence and a manicured lawn. A child's seat and toys sat on the back porch Tuesday. Neighbors said the family slowly built the house over the past year.

Mark Bailey said he would see Angelyn playing in front of the home, adding that she came to his house on Halloween dressed as a princess.

"Beautiful little girl," Bailey said.

Another neighbor, Joan Naleppa, said Angelyn's paternal grandparents renovated the house when Angelyn was born and made an upstairs apartment for Angelyn and her parents. She said Angelyn's mother would drop the girl off with Dela Rosa three or four times a week, neighbors said

McLEAN, Va. — Prosecutors scanned surveillance video Wednesday for clues in the death of a toddler apparently thrown from a mall walkway.

The 2-year-old girl's grandmother, Carmela Dela Rosa, 50, of Fairfax, Va., has been charged with murder in connection with the death at Tysons Corner mall here and is being held without bond.

On Monday night, Dela Rosa was walking behind the rest of the family on the way out of the mall across a pedestrian bridge four stories high to a parking garage, carrying granddaughter Angelyn Ogdoc in her arms, a spokesman for the state Commonwealth Attorney's Office said. No known argument led up to the incident; there was no warning.

Authorities say previously that interviews with witnesses led them to the conclusion that the fall was no accident. Angelyn was transported to the hospital in critical condition and died Tuesday morning.

The grandmother has no previous criminal record, but prosecutors say they've been told she had some history of mental illness.

"No, she's not crazy. She'd never do that. She loved that baby," Russell Jackson, who lives next door to Dela Rosa, said Tuesday.

Fairfax Commonwealth Attorney Raymond Morrogh could raise the charge to first degree murder if his investigators determine premeditation. He is expected to try the case himself. A trial date could be set for March.

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Wrapitup wrote:The friends said Angelyn and her parents moved into Angelyn's paternal grandparents' home in Falls Church after living with Dela Rosa.

That makes a bit more sense - she was probably afraid of "losing" her granddaughter to them. I wonder why they moved into the paternal grandparents' home? There has to be more to this story... maybe the grandma & the son-in-law weren't getting along so well (as is often the case). Whatever happened, it's a terrible outcome!!

A Filipino grandmother who is in jail for throwing her granddaughter to her death may have been suffering from mental illness for several years.

Fairfax County Police said Carmela Dela Rosa picked up 2 ½ year-old Angelyn Ogdoc and threw her over the railing from a sixth story walkway. The girl died due to her injuries several hours later.

Law enforcers said her mental and emotional problems could have been a factor.

Reports said that just last week, Dela Rosa’s older brother died and was buried in the Philippines. She was unable to go to the funeral.

In September, a friend said she took a few weeks away from the family because she was nearing a nervous breakdown.

Dela Rosa is said to have had a tense relationship with the toddler’s father, James Ogdoc, to a point where they were not on speaking terms.

Law enforcement said there is video footage of the incident, as well as a statement from Dela Rosa, but neither has been released. She is in jail for murder and is expected back in court in January.

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BJOR wrote:Dela Rosa is said to have had a tense relationship with the toddler’s father, James Ogdoc, to a point where they were not on speaking terms.

Thanks for the info, BJ! This is kind of what I was suspecting was the case, but it is sad that it led to her murdering her own granddaughter!! Unfortunately, she will probably avoid jail time with a "mental illness" defense.

The Fairfax County woman accused of hurling her two-year-old granddaughter off a Tysons Corner walkway to her death was denied bond Monday morning in a hearing in Fairfax juvenile court.

Carmela Dela Rosa, 50, who lived just outside Fairfax City on Ellenwood Drive, has been in the Fairfax County jail since Nov. 29.

On that night, with her husband and 22-year-old daughter in front of her as they walked on a fifth-floor bridge from the Tysons mall toward the parking lot, Dela Rosa allegedly scooped up Angelyn Ogdoc and dropped her over the railing. The incident was captured on surveillance video, officials familiar with the case said.

Angelyn fell about 50 feet, and survived for about nine hours. After she died, her grandmother was charged with murder.

On Monday morning, Dela Rosa's husband, Leandro, and sister were in the courtroom and ready to offer their support, Deputy Fairfax public defender Dawn M. Butorac said. She said Dela Rosa, who appeared alert and well-groomed, had lived in the D.C. area for 32 years, since emigrating from the Philippines, has been married for 29 years and has no criminal history. Butorac said members of Dela Rosa's church also had offered their support.

"The issue in this case is Ms. Dela Rosa's mental illness," Butorac said. She said Dela Rosa had been stabilized while in the Fairfax jail, taking the psychotropic drugs Prozac and Klonapin, and that prior to the episode at Tysons, "I don't think anyone took her mental illness as seriously as they should have."

Butorac said if Dela Rosa was released on bond, she would stay with her sister in Southwest Washington, not with her husband and teenaged son in Fairfax.

Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Casey M. Lingan pointed out that Fairfax judges have little authority over people in the District. He reminded Chief Fairfax Juvenile Court Judge Thomas P. Mann that Dela Rosa "purposely threw a two-year-old child off of a skywalk at Tysons Corner," and that "this was a callous, premeditated act that shows nothing short of a depraved mind...the evidence is not going to be that she was insane at the time of the offense."

The judge said he had expected Butorac might suggest a transfer from jail to a mental health facility, "that would keep this lady safe, that would keep this community safe." Mann added that if Dela Rosa stayed in the District, "I've got no juice in the District of Columbia. I've got nothing. Once she's there, there's nothing I can do to get her back....I feel there is simply too much risk to the community."

Dela Rosa's preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 4. Her family members left the courtroom without commenting.

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Carmela Dela Rosa is a grandmother who showed no emotion as her daughter wept on the stand, testifying about the events of November 29, 2010 and the death of her two-year-old daughter Angelyn Ogdoc.

Officer Anthony Stancampiano of Fairfax County Police was among the first on the scene. He testified that he saw a woman standing on the skybridge. He climbed the stairs to her.

"She said, 'Yes. I did it. I threw the baby off.' And then I asked her to turn around and put her hands behind her back,” Officer Stancampiano testified.

Carmela Dela Rosa's lawyer says she has been seeing a psychologist for ten years.

"Ms. Dela Rosa's mental illness was well known within her family. We have reason to believe that her daughter had stopped allowing her to babysit Angelyn specifically for that reason," said public defender Dawn Butorac.

About 30 family members and friends attended the preliminary hearing.

Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Morrogh says the case is devastating for all involved.

"It really is a drag on the spirit. I think that everyone who's involved in the case feels that way. Really, my heart goes out to the families on both sides and we'll do our best to see that justice is done," said Morrogh.

At Friday’s preliminary hearing, the judge found there is enough evidence to send the case to the grand jury. The defense attorney said Friday they are "exploring" an insanity defense.

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Mary Kathlyn Ogdoc broke down in tears as she testified against Carmela Dela Rosa, at a preliminary hearing in Fairfax County Court, today.
She bravely told the court how that on November 29 of last year she watched Dela Rosa drop her daughter Angelyn from the elevated bridge in a shopping mall in Fairfax County, Virginia.
The child plunged more than 50ft to the ground from the open walkway that connects the mall to the car park.
She was rushed to hospital with critical injuries after landing head first on the roadway below, but later died.
Tragically Ms Ogdoc said she tried to keep a close eye on her daughter when she was around Dela Rosa because the grandmother had previously tried to commit suicide.

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The Fairfax County woman who allegedly dropped her two-year-old granddaughter to her death from a Tysons Corner walkway has been indicted by a Fairfax grand jury on a murder charge.

Fairfax Juvenile Court Judge Helen F. Leiner found probable cause to certify the case to the grand jury in circuit court. The grand jury issued its murder indictment on Tuesday, but the document was not publicly available until Thursday. A trial date was set for next month, but a true trial date will be set after both sides handle pretrial hearings and motions, which are expected to include requests for mental evaluations of Dela Rosa.

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What a darling baby she was. I don't have one iota of sympathy or empathy for this "grandmother".

Wrapitup wrote:What a darling baby she was. I don't have one iota of sympathy or empathy for this "grandmother".

She just seems to be nuts. She seems to have no presence of mind and probably doesn't even realize exactly what she has done. Dementia would probably be a word for how she seems to be, not in a real world. JMO.

Thanks for posting this BJ. I was just thinking of this case yesterday. What a horrible loss for everyone. That grandmother needs to be locked up forever.

I agree, raine! This "grandmother" seems like a very self-centered person, and maybe was jealous of the attention her granddaughter had. I just hope that she doesn't go free with the "mental illness" defense!

A judge denied bond Friday for Carmela Dela Rosa, the Fairfax woman accused of throwing her 2-year-old granddaughter to her death at the Tysons Corner Center.

ABC7 reports that the judge ordered Dela Rosa, 50, to remain in custody without bond on a murder charge.

Dela Rosa is accused of killing Angelyn Ogdoc by throwing her from a sixth-floor walkway on Nov. 29. The family was at an outing at the mall at the time.

Police have offered no motive for the killing, though attorneys on both sides have been probing Dela Rosa's mental health.

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A Virginia grandmother convicted of murdering her 2-year-old granddaughter by tossing her off a sixth-level walkway at a busy shopping mall was sentenced Friday to 35 years in prison.
Carmela dela Rosa was convicted earlier in Fairfax County of killing young Angelyn Ogdoc in November 2010 at Tysons Corner Center after a family trip to the mall's food court.

She will also have to serve three years of supervised release. Her lawyers say they will file an appeal within 30 days.

Before sentencing, Dela Rosa stood before the judge in tears, apologizing to her family for everything. Dela Rosa's lawyer argued unsuccessfully that her client was legally insane.

"It is clear from knowing Ms. Dela Rosa that she loved her granddaughter and would never do anything purposely to hurt her and as such her mental illness is the only reason, the only explanation for what happened," says attorney Dawn Butorac.

Defense witnesses testified that dela Rosa was diagnosed with severe depression and tried to kill herself on several occasions in the months before she killed Angelyn.

In a videotaped confession, dela Rosa told police she killed Angelyn to get back at her son-in-law for getting her daughter pregnant out of wedlock.

Judge Bruce White upheld the jury’s recommendation of 35 years behind bars, telling Dela Rosa "that a grandmother would do that to her granddaughter is beyond comprehension.”

He went on to say that he believes she knew exactly what she was doing when she killed her granddaughter.

"Resting on the insanity defense, I threw my granddaughter off a bridge but don't hold me accountable because I'm depressed - I mean that just doesn't wash,” he says.

Commonwealth attorney Ray Morrogh says baby Anglyns parents, James and Cat Ogdoc, are grateful that justice has been served.

"It's just been a real nightmare to be honest with you and they are unfortunately still in the nightmare," he says.

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