LaRhonda McCall & and Steve Hamilton kept her son locked in closet for four years/ Mc Call sentenced to life and Hamilton sentenced to 20 years

POSTED: 10:13 am CDT September 28, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Two people have been arrested on suspicion of keeping a teenage boy inside a locked closet for four years, Oklahoma City police said.
A security guard at a National Guard facility called police on Friday after the teen showed up, malnourished and with multiple scars and other signs of abuse.
According to a police report, the teen told police he escaped from his home in northeast Oklahoma City, where he said he had been kept for 4½ years.
The 14-year-old boy, who lives in the 3500 block of Northeast Military Circle, told authorities that he often went days without food. He said he was beaten frequently and, at least on one occasion, stabbed with a knife and burned.
LaRhonda McCall, 37, and Steve Hamilton, 38, were booked into the Oklahoma County Jail on 20 counts each of child abuse and child neglect.




Mom Faces 29 Child Abuse Counts
UPDATED: 6:40 pm CDT October 16, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A metro mother was formally charged this week with 29 counts of child abuse. LaRhonda McCall and her friend, Steve Hamilton, are accused of beating McCall's son for years -- using their fists, bike chains, extension cords and boards.
Read Details Of Alleged Abuse (WARNING: GRAPHIC).

UPDATED: 9:54 pm CDT October 16, 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Graphic new details have emerged in a child abuse case against a mother and her boyfriend.

LaRhonda McCall and Steve Hamilton face a combined 53 charges after police said they locked McCall's teenage son in a closet and tortured him. The details of the allegations were part of a 33-page court document released Friday.
It said the 15-year-old victim was held in a closet and allegedly forced to relieve himself on the floor where he slept.
Also in the document, police said Hamilton told detectives that he saw "LaRhonda purposely pour rubbing alcohol all over (her son's) body." He said she lit the boy on fire when he moved. According to the report, Hamilton also told detectives that one time, "LaRhonda poured sugar water on (her son) and mosquitoes bit him." The report said he also told detectives that "LaRhonda tied a rope around (her son's) ankle and then around his neck. If he put his foot down, it would choke him." Hamilton also said that the 15-year-old was forced to stand outside naked in the snow for 45 minutes once as punishment.
Police said the 15-year-old eventually escaped the apartment one day when his mother was gone. He made his way to the National Guard Armory. "There were bruises. Some looked like burns," said Paul Clark, who helped the boy. "Some (were) as wide as my thumb, as long as my thumb, all up and down his stomach."
"He's been held inside the house, locked inside the house and not able to go out. He wasn't able to attend school," said Leslie Sanders, who helped the boy.
Despite what the adults are accused of doing, guards at the armory said the boy was worried about something else.
"He still had a good heart," Sanders said. "One of the questions was, 'What's going to happen to my brothers and sisters?'"
McCall and Hamilton are being held at the Oklahoma County Jail in lieu of $400,000 bond. The victim and his six siblings are all in the custody of the Department of Human Services.
The Oklahoma teenager has permanent scars, prosecutors said. He escaped from a northwest Oklahoma City apartment last month. The boy told police he had been locked in various closets for four years.
They are being held on $400,000 bond.


McCall, 37, Accused 14 Years Ago In New York In Death Of 2-Year-Old
POSTED: 2:36 pm CDT September 30, 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The mother arrested Saturday on suspicion of locking her son in a closet for more than four years was arrested 14 years ago in connection with the death of her 2-year-old child in New York, police said.
LaRhonda Marie McCall, 37, went by the name LaRhonda Pressley in 1995, Oklahoma City sex crimes detectives said.
Officials in New York told Eyewitness News 5 that McCall pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the death of her child. She was sentenced to six months in jail and five years probation.
Investigators continued to conduct interviews and examine evidence as they prepared a criminal case against McCall and a friend, Steve Vern Hamilton, 38. They were arrested Saturday on 20 complaints each of child abuse and child neglect.

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POSTED: 5:23 pm CDT October 1, 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The sister of an Oklahoma boy who says his mother locked him in apartment closets over four years said Thursday she would bring her brother food, but would tell him not to chew because their mother would check his teeth to see whether he had eaten.

Jaleasa McCall, 18, told The Associated Press that her mother beat, whipped, choked and tied up her 14-year-old brother, often locking him away for days at a time.

She said she would bring her brother food and sympathy, but couldn't summon the courage to call police.

"He was losing a lot of weight. Some days he would be pale from being in there so long," McCall said. "He would really start to smell and stuff. It looked to me like he was losing hope."

The mother, LaRhonda McCall, 37, and a friend, Steven Hamilton, 38, are jailed on 20 complaints each of child abuse and child neglect after the boy, malnourished and covered in bruises and scars, sought help from a security guard at a National Guard armory last Friday. A police affidavit says both acknowledged beating the boy and that he often was locked in a closet. Jail officials do not know of an attorney for either.

LaRhonda McCall was convicted of second-degree manslaughter in New York in 1996 in the death of her 2-year-old daughter and served six months jail time. Prosecutors in that case alleged McCall, who then went by LaRhonda Presley, essentially starved the toddler who died in February 1995, according to a New York grand jury indictment obtained by the AP.

Jaleasa McCall was 4 years old at the time and said Thursday that she doesn't remember her sister, but said she and her brother went to live with a cousin in New Jersey for several years after their mother was convicted. She said she moved to Oklahoma to live with her mother in 2007, a couple years after her brother moved to the state.

She said at first she saw no mistreatment by her mother, but that LaRhonda McCall eventually starting abusing the eldest of seven younger brothers and sisters. Jaleasa McCall said the beatings became worse over time and that her mother and Hamilton started accusing the boy of stealing, tying him up and locking him in a bedroom closet for five days at a time or more.

"When my mom wasn't home or when she would go to work, I would try to get him out so he could get washed up and give him some food until it was time to get him put back in there," Jaleasa McCall said.

She said she eventually realized the punishments had become abusive, but she feared what might happen to her other siblings if she called authorities.

"Some days, if it got really rough, I would go to the phone and pick it up, but then I'd put it back down because I'd be too scared," she said. "I was basically scared and afraid. I didn't really care about what would happen to me, but it was my brothers and sisters I was mostly worried about."

McCall said she and her brother had gotten into an argument last Friday while their mother was at work.

"We were trying to get the house cleaned up so she wouldn't yell and scream at us," she said. "That's when he just said, 'I can't take this anymore,' and he just left. He walked out of the door."

The boy wandered about a mile-and-half to the military facility. Security guards at the base said the boy was covered with scars and bruises and that his hands had deep cuts.

Managers at the last two apartments where the family lived have said they never saw the boy. One manager said that after the family was evicted for not paying bills, she found a hole in the wall of a closet filled with human waste.

The 14-year-old and the six other minor children, who range in age from 1 to 12, are in custody of the Department of Human Services, police said. Jaleasa McCall said she's not aware any of the children attended school.

McCall said she's glad her siblings are safe, but acknowledged mixed feelings about her mother's fate.

"They deserve what they get, but then again, that's my mother. I love her," McCall said. "As for what she should get, that's up to Oklahoma."

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All I can say is Oh My God.

soo so sad :(

There is not excuse for this!!!!!!!!!!!

put that woman out of her misery

How could someone like this monster have continued to breed? Did she ever hear of birth control???????

An Oklahoma City mother and her friend who are accused of beating and imprisoning her teenage son have been ordered to stand trial.

LaRhonda McCall, 37, and Steve Hamilton, 39, face multiple counts of child abuse and neglect.

The decision came after the judge heard testimony from Bernell McCall, who showed his scarred wrists and said he had often been bound, beaten and locked in a closet for taking food from the family's kitchen.

The allegations came to light Sept. 25 when Bernell McCall showed up on foot at Oklahoma National Guard armory to get help.

LaRhonda McCall's attorney, Brian Young, said there were inconsistencies between the boy's testimony and what he told police.

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LaRhonda McCall's attorney, Brian Young, said there were inconsistencies between the boy's testimony and what he told police.

i hope this "man" suffers for this!!! and i mean the lawyer... what is he trying to prove with saying that???

Can't find any updates

UPDATE: LaRhonda McCall's torture of her 14-year-old son was more horrific than originally reported.

He showed up scarred and starving at an Oklahoma City National Guard post with a horrific tale: His mother had locked him in a closet for four years, periodically beating and torturing him.

He showed up wearing but over-sized pants with only a belt holding them up. There were scars covering most of his body. He said his mother, LaRhonda Marie McCall, and her boyfriend, Steve Vern Hamilton, had poured alcohol on his stomach and set it on fire, beat him with extension cords and choked him. The scars extended nearly head to foot...

The boy said his trouble began four years ago when the family moved from New Jersey. He hadn't attended school since then, and spent most of his time locked in a closet. But he managed to escape to the National Guard post when he pushed open a closet door blocked by a bed.

What's odd about the case is that there were six other children in the house, none of which appeared to be abused. It's unknown why McCall and Hamilton specifically picked the 14-year-old for their unique brand of sadism. But they'll now have plenty of time to reflect on their choices. Both have been charged with 20 counts of child abuse and neglect.

UPDATE I: The boy was locked in a closet for hours and days at a time.

After LaRhonda McCall was evicted for unpaid rent in August from the Hillcrest Apartments in Oklahoma City, building manager surveyed the place. In the closet where the boy lived, she found a hole in the wall filled with human waste, presumably where the child went to the bathroom.

She told the Associated Press that she didn't know seven kids were living in the place, and never knew of the boy in the closet since the door was always closed whenever she visited. "I just wish I would have known about it," she said. "I would have done something."

UPDATE II: We now know that McCall and Hamilton beat and tortured the boy. We just don't know why.

Both adults have confessed to police that they locked the 14-year-old in a closet and beat him over a four-year period. The child has told police that he was beaten with a broomstick, electrical cord and belt. He was also tied up with twine and locked in a closet for days on end without food. When he showed up at the National Guard post, he said he hadn't eaten in a week.

37-year-old LaRhonda McCall has confirmed much of the boy's story in an affidavit. She admits to beating her son numerous times on his chest, back and legs, in addition to choking him.

38-year-old Steve Hamilton, an Oklahoma City cab driver, also confessed to pummeling the boy multiple times with a belt, wire cable and a tire jack.

The Oklahoman newspaper printed a portion of Hamilton's affidavit, where the boy is identified by the initials B.M.:

"Steve stated between June 2007 and August ... 2009 he has probably left marks on the victim's back, arms or legs about 20 times ... Steve witnessed LaRhonda also beat the victim in this way as well," the police officer reported in court papers.

"Steve stated he also knew that LaRhonda would punish B.M. by putting him in a closet on several different occasions. Steve advised he saw B.M. locked in the closet on at least 27 different occasions. Steve advised LaRhonda would at least keep him in a locked closet sometimes all day or more. Steve also was aware that LaRhonda would tie the victim's hands up to punish him with a belt. ...

"Steve never wanted to contact the police because he was afraid his best friend LaRhonda would get into trouble."

Unfortunately, we still don't know why they did it. Or why they seemingly picked on just one child while not harming McCall's other six children.

UPDATE III: LaRhonda McCall was convicted of killing another child 13 years ago.

That's the latest word out of New York City, where she was convicted in 1996 of second-degree manslaughter in the death of her two-year-old. Manslaughter usually implies death caused by negligence or error, rather than any purposeful viciousness. And that seems to be how a court saw it, since she was given an unknown amount of jail time and probation.

Early reports don't indicated what actually transpired.

UPDATE IV: Though light sentences are the exception rather than the rule these days, LaRhonda McCall was one of those exceptions in 1996, when she received just six months for starving her two-year-old to death.

You know there's a judge out there just waiting to take a beating for this: In 1995, McCall -- then going by the name LaRhonda Pressley -- showed up at a Bronx hospital to report that her 2-year-old daughter Ciara was having trouble breathing. The girl weighed just 14 pounds and could neither walk or crawl. She died at Lincoln Hospital a week later from malnourishment.

But a year later, McCall was only convicted of second-degree manslaughter, and given six months in the slam and probation. How do you get just six months for starving a toddler to death?

At the time, she would have either been pregnant or have already given birth to the 14-year-old boy she now admits to torturing in Oklahoma City.

We still don't have all the details in the case, but just from what we have so far, it looks like heads are going to roll in the Bronx, as well they should.

UPDATE V: 18-year-old Jaleasa McCall knew her mom beat, whipped and choked her brother, but was too afraid to call police.

For those of us who've never been in this situation, it's impossible fathom just standing by while this brand of sadism occurred. But who knows the mind of a child raised in this environment.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Jaleasa confirmed that her brother was tortured and locked in a closet for days on end. He was pale and stunk from lack of bathing or a bathroom to use. The boy apparently was targeted for abuse because LaRhonda and Hamilton believed he was stealing from them.

Jaleasa says she would sneak him food and offer comfort, but she was too afraid of her mom -- and what she'd do to the other five kids -- to ever call police. "When my mom wasn't home or when she would go to work, I would try to get him out so he could get washed up and give him some food until it was time to get him put back in there," she says. But the boy couldn't even chew his food because mom would check his teeth when she got home to see if he'd eaten.

Jaleasa was only four years old when her mom was convicted of starving another daughter to death. She and her brother went to live with relatives in New Jersey, then joined their mother again when she moved to Oklahoma City.

Equally surprising is that the boy never tried to escape until now. It seems he had regular opportunities when his mom was at work and Hamilton was off driving a cab. But he only decided to flee after Jaleasa and he had a fight over cleaning the house.

Thankfully most of us will never know what it's like to live in such a perverse environment. Nor how twisted a child's mind can become when that's all he knows. But when you've been beaten with a tire jack, as Hamilton has confessed to doing, one would think that even the most abused kid would know it's time to flee.

UPDATE VI: Prosecutors say LaRhonda McCall's torture of her 14-year-old son was much worse than initially reported.

In an Oklahoma court yesterday, prosecutors said McCall and Hamilton beat the boy unmercifully with "fists, bike chains, cables, extension cords, and/or boards," leaving permanent scars.

They also contend she found inventive means to make the boy suffer. She once tied him naked to a ladder, then poured sugar water over him to attract ants. In another incident, she's accused of pouring alcohol on him and setting him aflame. Finally, she forced him to stand barefoot in the snow for 45 minutes.

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My God that poor child! I don't know what to say.... this is so sad. I hope this child gets lots of therapy, it's probably his only hope to one day have a 'normal' life. That Mother needs a firing squad and the b/f too.
What's happening in our country?

BJ♥OR wrote:

Can't find any updates

I'd need about 5 minutes alone with her--two for the deed, and three to fix my hair afterward. I just don't understand how these evil people can breed so easily.

When it comes to stuff like this, I'm all about eye-for-an-eye: render her as defenseless as her victim and inflict the same vile treatment. BUT...don't let her die. Give her as much pain as she can stand WITHOUT dying, because she doesn't deserve to die--dying's too easy. Let her LIVE, and let the LIVING be MISERABLE, PAINFUL, and FOUL because that's what she did to her kids.

A woman who threw herself at the mercy of the court after being accused of abusing her son has been sentenced to two life terms for child abuse.

Oklahoma County District Judge Lisa Davis imposed the sentence Thursday on LaRhonda Marie McCall. McCall's friend Steve V. Hamilton was sentenced to life plus 20 years.

Prosecutors said the boy was choked, starved, stabbed, tied up and set afire, and that he was once covered with a sugar-water solution and left outside so bugs would bite him. He never went to school.

McCall pleaded guilty last year but did not have a plea agreement, opting instead to let the judge set a penalty. Hamilton entered a similar plea.

The victim sat in the jury box during Thursday's sentencing hearing, weeping at times.

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Thank God, Justice was Served. She will die in the pen. What a worthless human being!!!

BJ wrote:A woman who threw herself at the mercy of the court after being accused of abusing her son has been sentenced to two life terms for child abuse.

Prosecutors said the boy was choked, starved, stabbed, tied up and set afire, and that he was once covered with a sugar-water solution and left outside so bugs would bite him. He never went to school.

The victim sat in the jury box during Thursday's sentencing hearing, weeping at times.

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OMG, that poor little boy was in court? He must be a very brave little boy to come there and face that thing of a mother. I so hope that he has been getting the best of the best therapy so he can deal with what's happened to him. I hope that animal egg donor rots in hell.