Carlotta Brett-Pierce: Mother Charged in Death of 18 lb, 4 yr old Daughter, Marchella Pierce/Criminal investigation of Childrens Services/2 Workers Charged in Child's Death/Update:Mother & Grandmother Found GUILTY!

(Sept. 3) -- New York City authorities have filed charges against the mother of a 4-year-old girl who weighed 15 pounds when she was found dead in her family's Brooklyn apartment.

Detectives found lengths of twine attached to the headboard of a bed inside the home, and the rope was consistent with bruises on Marchella Pierce's ankles, suggesting the little girl might have been tied to the bed, The New York Times and local media reported.

Police were called to Marchella's mother's apartment on Madison Street in the Bushwick neighborhood at about 7:15 a.m. Thursday to investigate a report of an unresponsive child. Officers arrived to find tiny, malnourished Marchella unconscious on a bed. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities have charged Carlotta Brett-Pierce, 30, with assault, endangering the welfare of a child and drug possession. Brett-Pierce allegedly told police she had discovered her daughter at 6:30 a.m. and attempted to resuscitate her. Why she waited nearly an hour to call 911 remains unclear.

Before Brett-Pierce's arrest, Marchella's father, Tyrone Pierce, told the New York Daily News that his estranged wife is a "wonderful mother."

"I've never seen her hurt her kids," he said.

Brett-Pierce has two other children, ages 6 years and 9 months. A MySpace page in her name describes her as a "proud parent."

Pierce told the newspaper that his daughter had been born with underdeveloped lungs. Doctors inserted a tube in her trachea to help her breathe. She had been in hospitals for much of her life, the father said.

When asked about the twine that was allegedly found on the headboard, Pierce said he had never witnessed his daughter being restrained. "Maybe it was to hold the bed together," he said.

According to the New York Post, Brett-Pierce has been the subject of two probes by the Administration for Children's Services, and a private child development company had been hired by ACS to work with the family.

Calls made to ACS by AOL News on Friday were not returned.

"We don't yet know all the facts in this case, but we will get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible, and we'll take every appropriate action as quickly as possible," John B. Mattingly, the commissioner of children's services, said in the statement obtained by the Times.

The private child development company no longer works with ACS. A city source told The Associated Press that the company had failed to meet with the family two to three times per week, as required.

Brett-Pierce's other children are now in ACS custody.

The Post also reported that investigators served a search warrant on Brett-Pierce's apartment Thursday night, during which narcotics were allegedly found.

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Two days after the bruised, emaciated body of a 4-year-old girl was discovered in a Brooklyn apartment, new information from officials emerged about her life and death as her mother on Saturday made her first appearance in court to face criminal charges.

In a criminal complaint, prosecutors outlined a fearsome litany of abuse that they said the girl, Marchella Pierce, suffered in her final days at the hands of her mother, Carlotta Brett-Pierce, 30. The girl, who had been plagued by severe health problems since her birth on April 30, 2006, weighed 18 pounds when she died, according to the complaint.

Ms. Brett-Pierce repeatedly struck the girl with a belt and a video box at their home on Madison Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, the complaint said, citing a witness account. The mother lashed the girl to a bed with twine and forced her “to take blue sleeping pills,” the complaint added.

The girl’s body was emaciated and covered with bruises on her head, torso and limbs, and “ligature marks” were found on her feet, apparently from where her mother affixed them to the bed’s footboard with twine, the complaint said.

In interviews with detectives, Ms. Brett-Pierce admitted tying the girl down on Wednesday, “because the child was wild,” Tracey Downing, an assistant district attorney, said at Ms. Brett-Pierce’s arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court.

“The mother said she tied the child because the child got up at night and ate from the refrigerator and made a mess,” Ms. Downing said.

The abuse took place when, in the opinion of a physician for the medical examiner’s office, the girl’s state of malnutrition “put her at a grave risk of death,” the complaint said.

In an arraignment that lasted about 10 minutes, Ms. Brett-Pierce stood silently, dressed in a hooded white sweat shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers. She clasped her hands behind her back. At one point, she smiled and waved to her mother, Loretta, and to her brother, Brian Colas, who sat together in the courtroom. Her mother waved back.

The case is still under investigation by law enforcement and medical authorities, as well as by the city’s Administration for Children’s Services, which had been monitoring the family since at least November, officials said.

Ms. Brett-Pierce’s lawyer, George Sheinberg, pointed out that his client had not been charged with homicide and said she should be released on her own recognizance. But Judge Leonard P. Rienzi ordered Ms. Brett-Pierce held on $300,000 bail, which appeared to visibly distress her relatives.

“My sister loved her kids,” Mr. Colas, 23, said outside of court after the hearing. He said the proceeding was the first time he had ever heard allegations that his sister had restrained or beaten her child.

“The media’s trying to make her into an animal,” added Mr. Colas, who the prosecutor said lives in the apartment with Ms. Brett-Pierce.

After the arraignment, Mr. Sheinberg said, “There is nothing to defend until I get the preliminary reports and autopsy reports.” He added: “The complaint can say many things, but until we have evidence of what happened, if anything happened, I have nothing before me. We don’t even have a medical examiner’s report; we don’t have hospital reports.”

A spokeswoman for the child welfare agency said workers were still examining records for information on the case.

An autopsy conducted Friday was inconclusive, and Ellen S. Borakove, spokeswoman for the medical examiner’s office, said Saturday that further studies, including forensic testing, investigations and an analysis of medical records, could take a week or more.

The girl’s plight became public after her mother dialed 911 on Thursday morning, saying her daughter was unresponsive when she tried to wake her. Ms. Brett-Pierce told investigators her daughter had fallen down stairs, but the bruises on her body were inconsistent with a fall, Ms. Downing said.

Ms. Brett-Pierce was charged with second-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful imprisonment and reckless endangerment, according to the complaint. Mr. Sheinberg said a grand jury hearing would probably take place on Thursday.

The girl’s father, Tyrone Pierce, 30, who is separated from Ms. Brett-Pierce, was present in court on Saturday but declined to comment.

The complaint said a broken video box “with what appeared to be blood on it” was found at the family’s home. An official said a plastic container used to hold a VCR cassette was found in the garbage at the home.

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Carlotta's Details
Status: Married
Here for: Networking
Orientation: Straight

Carlotta
Carlotta Brett-Pierce
Female
27 years old
Brooklyn, New York
United States
Mood: good
Hometown: Brooklyn
Body type: 5' 4" / Slim / Slender
Ethnicity: Black / African descent
Religion: Christian - other
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Children: Proud parent
Occupation: Model / Entrepreneur



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The mother of the malnourished 4-year-old found dead in a squalid Brooklyn apartment was hit with assault charges Friday - but she denied murdering her child.

"I did not kill my baby!" Carlotta Pierce, 30, said during her "perp walk" outside the 81st precinct stationhouse.

When asked if her arrest was all a mistake, she answered, "Yes, yes it is."

An autopsy of Marchella Pierce, who weighed just 15 pounds at the time of her death Thursday, was inconclusive, officials said.

Her mother could face a murder rap if the girl's death is ruled a homicide after further testing, the sources said.

The child had bruises on her ankles that suggested she could have been tied to her bed with twine, police sources said.

Pierce told investigators Marchella was recently hurt in a fall, but the bruises on the child's arms and legs were not consistent with those kinds of injuries, the sources said.

That inconsistency - as well as witness accounts - led authorities to charge Pierce with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child, police said.

Additionally, Pierce was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance after small amounts of crack cocaine and marijuana were found in her filthy Bedford-Stuyvesant home.

Marchella, who was born prematurely and barely weighed a pound at birth, had underdeveloped lungs and battled health problems throughout her sad life.

Pierce's two sons, ages 9 months and 6, are in the custody of the city Administration for Children's Services.

ACS has investigated the family twice before and assigned the Child Development Support Corp. to aid the parents, officials said. When CDSC's contract expired June 30, ACS resumed responsibility for the case.

"Workers visited the family throughout the summer," said agency spokeswoman Laura Postiglione. "ACS is continuing a full investigation of the case." Another child failed!



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Marchella (Marcella) Pierce, age 4, daughter of Carlotta Brett-Pierce and Tyrone Pierce, was born premature and spent much of her short life in the hospital. Weighing only 1 pound, 4 ounces when born, she required a tracheal breathing tube. Her twin sister died at birth.
Yesterday morning, Thursday, September 2, 2010, she was found ‘unresponsive’ by her mother. Paramedics pronounced the 15 pound, 4 year old child dead at the scene and noted possible signs of abuse.

It’s unclear at this point whether the precious and tiny tot Marchella (Marcella) Pierce died from abuse, negligence or health problems incurred at birth.
What is known is that Carlotta Pierce allegedly told law enforcement officers that the child was in her mother’s bed when ‘mom’ found her non-responsive and cold to the touch—this was about 6:30 AM.

Carlotta Pierce, 30, called 911 at 7:15 AM. The dispatcher instructed Pierce on CPR, but when responders arrived, the little one was pronounced dead.

Police and paramedics noticed a small bed in a filthy room that had twine tied to the top and bottom rails, indicating the child had been restrained. The tot also had marks around her wrists and ankles, as well as bruises on her body. ( From a fall, of course) An oxygen tank was in the room, but had not been in use.
The whole apartment has been described as ‘dirty’,’ messy’ and ‘filthy’ by some. Two other small children were also in the home.
Neighbor’s have described Carlotta Brett-Pierce as a good mother, as has her estranged husband, who insists that his daughter was always running and playing with the other children.
All 15 pounds of her—-with a trachea tube in place.
Ms. Pierce also refers to herself as a ‘proud parent’ on her My Space page.

Just last night, this ‘proud parent’ was arrested on drug charges stemming from a search warrant. Authorities allegedly found narcotics in the home.

Not sure I want to believe that—it’s my opinion that someone definitely dropped the ball when it came to this precious baby, Marchella. I do hope someone is held accountable—-there is truly no excuse, no reason, for this to have occurred.
While no one knows yet what happened to this 4 year old, 15 pound child, we need to remember that Carlotta Brett-Pierce is innocent of any wrong-doing until proven otherwise.

The results of a pending autopsy will determine whether Carlotta Brett-Pierce will face any charges in tiny Marchella (Marcella) Pierce’s death. Currently her two other children are in ACS custody.

If you have any thoughts on ‘Carlotta Brett-Pierce Finds 4 Year Old, 15 Pound Daughter Dead,’ please leave them in the comment section beneath the video.
Murder? Neglect? Abuse? Or was Marchella Pierce’s death the result of being born premature?

ACS had this to say:
ACS opened a probe of the family after Brett-Pierce’s youngest son tested positive for drugs when he was born last November, and again when Marchella went to the emergency room after her tracheal tube became dislodged earlier this year.
The agency’s private contractor, Child Development Support Corp., failed to visit the Pierce family at their home with the frequency required by ACS, sources said. But CDSC Executive Director Marcia Rowe-Riddick disputed that, saying, “We did the required number of visits, and we did the required work.”

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The father whatchamacallit.

Although the case seems open and shut, the child's father states that it is a case of rushed judgment.

"My wife is a wonderful mother. I've never seen her hurt her kids," Marchella's father, Tyrone Pierce told the New York Daily News. "It's hard for me to believe she would do anything like that."

According to the child's father, who is separated from her mother and states he knew nothing about her being bound, Marchella has been severely ill since being born prematurely, weighing little more than a pound with her lungs underdeveloped.

According to Mr. Pierce, Marchella was in hospitals from birth until this past February, when doctors gave her a tracheotomy, making a hole in her neck so she could breathe with a tube.

"She was beautiful, smart and very playful," Pierce continued.

"There were marks on each of the child's ankles consistent with her being tied up with that twine," a police source said.

Tyrone Pierce said he knew nothing about his daughter being restrained.

"Maybe it was to hold the bed together," he said.


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Carlotta Pierce, mom of dead, malnourished child, force-fed child sleeping pills: prosecutor

BY ERICA PEARSON AND LARRY MCSHANE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Saturday, September 4th 2010, 5:50 PM

Mother Carlotta Pierce force-fed her daughter sleeping pills to stop her 'wildness,' according to a prosecutor.

A malevolent mom lashed her 18-pound daughter to a bed after the morbidly malnourished girl made a mess while grabbing a midnight snack, authorities said Saturday.

After Carlotta Pierce tied down the frail 4-year-old Marchella, she force-fed her sleeping pills to halt her "wild" behavior - raiding the family fridge, according to the criminal complaint and Brooklyn prosecutor Tracey Downing.

"The mother tied up the child because she would get up in the night and eat food ... and make a mess," Downing said at a hearing.

A witness told police Pierce had battered tiny Marchella with a belt and a plastic video case, drawing blood from the helpless girl, the complaint said.

The 30-year-old mother - ordered held yesterday on $300,000 bail - "did repeatedly strike Marchella Pierce about the body," the complaint charged.

The witness told cops that the doomed daughter suffered bruises from her head to her legs, most likely from blunt-force trauma, the complaint said.

But it was the girl's "state of malnutrition" that put her at "a grave risk of death," the complaint charged.

Pierce, wearing a peach-colored hoodie and jeans, smiled at her mom and brother when she was led into the courtroom.

She has insisted on her innocence, telling reporters Friday, "I did not kill my baby!"

But officials provided chilling new details about the girl's final hours in a squalid Brooklyn apartment.

On Sept. 1, the day before the girl's death, Pierce grew angry with Marchella and tied her to the bed to prevent the late-night snacks. The witness told police that Pierce "repeatedly beat the child" - and a bloody video box was found in the garbage at the apartment.

The suspect is currently charged with assault, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child after an initial autopsy on her daughter was inconclusive. Police sources said an upgrade in charges was possible as the investigation continues.

"She's not charged with homicide," said court-appointed defense lawyer George Sheinberg.

Neighbors were shocked by the latest details. "If she did do it, she gets everything she deserves," said Simone Reid, 31. "God is going to judge her anyway."

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"She's not charged with homicide," said court-appointed defense lawyer George Sheinberg.

WHY is she NOT charged with MURDER!?

She looks like a hooker. And, skinny as a rail. I would bet she is addicted to cocaine. They can get so high they lose all sense of reasoning. And, most people don't eat on coke. So, if she was high and not hungry..she would not consider that her child is.

I am in shock that they are not charging this poor excuse for the mother with murder. As far as the father, either he has Got to be oblivious or lying or both.

RIP, Marchella.

A painfully malnourished 4-year-old girl was found dead in a filthy Brooklyn apartment Thursday - and cops found evidence she had been bound to her bed.

Marchella Pierce weighed just 15 pounds and had bruises and marks on her ankles that suggested they might have been tied with twine, police sources said.

Yet the cause of her death was a mystery, and police were unsure if they were investigating a horrific case of child neglect or the tragic death of a sickly child who spent most of her life in the hospital.

Cops were questioning the girl's mother, Carlotta Pierce, 30, her father, Tyrone Pierce, 30, and her grandmother, Loretta Brett.

Police sources said narcotics were found in the Madison St. apartment, but charges had yet to be filed. The NYPD's top spokesman, Paul Browne, said investigators are awaiting results of an autopsy, scheduled for Friday.

"My wife is a wonderful mother. I've never seen her hurt her kids," said Tyrone Pierce, who is separated.

He said Marchella was born prematurely at barely more than a pound. Her lungs were underdeveloped and she was in hospitals from birth until this February.

Doctors gave her a tracheotomy, making a hole in her neck so she could breathe with a tube.

Her father said a plastic insert for the hole was too small, causing problems, and that Marchella only recently began eating solid food through her mouth.

Cops were troubled when they responded to a 911 call Thursday. The child was on the mother's bed and inside the messy room was a bed for Marchella. Two lengths of twine were attached to the rails at each end, cops said.

"There were marks on each of the child's ankles consistent with her being tied up with that twine," a police source said.

Tyrone Pierce said he knew nothing about his daughter being restrained.

"Maybe it was to hold the bed together," he said.

Police questioned why Carlotta Pierce - who calls herself "a proud parent" on MySpace - waited 90 minutes to call for help.

She told cops she checked on her daughter about 4 a.m., and she was fine, the sources said.

She said she found her daughter unresponsive at 6 a.m. and did not call 911 until 7:30 a.m. because she was performing CPR, cops said.

Carlotta's two sons, ages 6 and 9 months, are in ACS custody.

ACS has investigated the family twice, police sources said.

The first case involved allegations Pierce had marijuana in her system when Marchella was born.

In the other, ACS assigned the Child Development Support Corp. to aid the parents after a report they were overwhelmed. The agency didn't visit the family two to three times a week, as required, the city source said.

But CDSC's executive director, Marcia Rowe-Riddick, denied the allegations and said the organization's contract expired at the end of June.

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With Erin Einhorn

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So, that is their excuse??? The contract expired in June?

A grand jury in the death of 4-year-old Marchella Pierce has demanded records from the Administration for Children's Services and a subcontractor.

An upstate pediatric hospital, Northwoods Health Systems, which released Marchella to her mother's care, was also hit with a subpoena.

Pierce, who was born prematurely and spent most of her life in the hospital, weighed just 18 pounds when she died Sept. 2.

Before she died, her mother, Carlotta Brett-Pierce, 30, allegedly lashed her to a bed and beat her when she tried to get a snack from a refrigerator.

Brett-Pierce has been charged with assault, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child.

Grand jurors will also hear evidence on the roles and responsibilities of ACS, the subcontractor service agency assigned to her case and the hospital.

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NEW YORK — The death of an emaciated 4-year-old girl found in her New York City home last month has been ruled a homicide.

The city medical examiner's office said Friday that Marchella Pierce died of child abuse syndrome, including acute drug poisoning, blunt impact injuries, malnutrition and dehydration. They say she had antihistamines, including Benadryl, in her system.

Her mother, Carlotta Brett-Pierce, has been charged with assault, endangering the welfare of a child and drug possession. Prosecutors say more charges could be added.

Her lawyer didn't return a message.

The Administration for Children's Services, subcontractors and others responsible for monitoring the girl are under criminal investigation. The agency has said it's cooperating.

Marchella weighed 18 pounds when she died Sept. 2.
source:
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My little bichon frise weighs 11 pounds. This was a four year old girl. Im so outraged right now I can hardly speak. I posted this because I will follow this case to see if this district attorney will finally bring charges to the childrens services department that handled this case and see that everyone of them is fired and their pensions stripped.

Carlotta Pierce, mom of dead, malnourished child, force-fed child sleeping pills: prosecutorBY Erica Pearson AND Larry Mcshane
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Saturday, September 4th 2010, 5:50 PM


A malevolent mom lashed her 18-pound daughter to a bed after the morbidly malnourished girl made a mess while grabbing a midnight snack, authorities said Saturday.

After Carlotta Pierce tied down the frail 4-year-old Marchella, she force-fed her sleeping pills to halt her "wild" behavior - raiding the family fridge, according to the criminal complaint and Brooklyn prosecutor Tracey Downing.

"The mother tied up the child because she would get up in the night and eat food ... and make a mess," Downing said at a hearing.

A witness told police Pierce had battered tiny Marchella with a belt and a plastic video case, drawing blood from the helpless girl, the complaint said.

The 30-year-old mother - ordered held yesterday on $300,000 bail - "did repeatedly strike Marchella Pierce about the body," the complaint charged.

The witness told cops that the doomed daughter suffered bruises from her head to her legs, most likely from blunt-force trauma, the complaint said.

But it was the girl's "state of malnutrition" that put her at "a grave risk of death," the complaint charged.

Pierce, wearing a peach-colored hoodie and jeans, smiled at her mom and brother when she was led into the courtroom.

She has insisted on her innocence, telling reporters Friday, "I did not kill my baby!"

But officials provided chilling new details about the girl's final hours in a squalid Brooklyn apartment.

On Sept. 1, the day before the girl's death, Pierce grew angry with Marchella and tied her to the bed to prevent the late-night snacks. The witness told police that Pierce "repeatedly beat the child" - and a bloody video box was found in the garbage at the apartment.

The suspect is currently charged with assault, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child after an initial autopsy on her daughter was inconclusive. Police sources said an upgrade in charges was possible as the investigation continues.

"She's not charged with homicide," said court-appointed defense lawyer George Sheinberg.

Neighbors were shocked by the latest details. "If she did do it, she gets everything she deserves," said Simone Reid, 31. "God is going to judge her anyway."

With Corinne Lestch

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What a sad & horrific story of abuse! I agree with you Artgal, this is outrageous!! The poor little girl was so hungry that she was getting up in the night to raid the fridge - and she got punished for that! What is wrong with this woman?!? She definitely needs to be charged with child abuse & murder!! So glad to hear that her other children were taken away!!

What is going on in this world? These poor kids. DFS or DHS (as it is called in Iowa) need to wake up. Maybe a few lawsuits should will do it.

It seems like DCF, CPS or DSS - whatever it's called...just doesn't really give a damn. I think it's a waste of money to pay them. They do NOTHING!!!

I think the citizens who see children being abused or neglected need to step up to the plate and bang on DCF;s doors until you drive them to the point they HAVE to do something.

BJ in OR wrote:

Sorry if I offend anyone, but this woman needs to be starved to death just the way she starved her child. She is skinny as a rail. Doesn't seem like it would take much. She is a bitch. Beyond a bitch. She deserves the death penalty.

well, well, well, first you would have to "BE THEIR" to see the abuse ahole, so no surprise their, probably covering for her stating she is a good mom so she doesn't rat him out of his own drug use, remember "you go to bed with theives, you wake up with theives" mom does not look to well, very thin and drawn, oh that's right crack kills!!! did the baby girl test positive at birth, did the twin baby who didn't make it?! I am so sick of these people having babies they don't want, their are people who would love to care for child, what the H is wrong with this world!!! these parents should hang their heads in shame!!!!

so she was born with crack in her body? why did they let the poor baby go home with the woman after birth?? and yes i agree they should starve her like she starved her baby!!

Child Welfare Workers Charged in Deadly Abuse Case

CPS supervisor speaks out about charges

NEW YORK (WABC) -- One of the two New York City child welfare workers charged in the death of an abused little girl is speaking out.

Chereece Bell, a supervisor with ACS, is accused of failing to intervene in the ongoing and horrific abuse.

"I never would have thought that a job that I loved so much would and took so much pride in would, would be the reason why I'm so miserable today," Chereece Bell said.

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Chereece Bell was on the fast track; after six years as a case worker she got promoted to a first level supervisor, and eight months later she was promoted again to second level supervisor.
The 32-year-old showed Eyewitness News glowing reviews over those 11 years; including the removal of nearly 1,000 allegedly abused and neglected children.

The former ACS supervisor juggled the demanding job, raising two kids and finishing up a master's degree.

"I just feel like everyone has forgotten all the good that I've done," Bell said.

Bell and case worker Damon Adams are charged with criminally negligent
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Conviction of mother of slain Marchella Pierce could hinge on young son's testimony
February 3rd 2011

The words of a son could doom a Monster Mom accused of starving and beating his 4-year-old sister to death.

"Very devastating" testimony against Carlotta Brett-Pierce by her 5-year-old son led to the Brooklyn woman's grand jury indictment, a source said Wednesday.

Prosecutors also plan to show the trial jury "horrific" photos of little Marchella, who weighed only 18 pounds when her battered body was discovered in September.

During a court appearance, Brett-Pierce, 30, displayed no remorse for Marchella - just impatience.
"Can you please start a trial immediately," she said. "I'm tired of this. I know what I did and did not do ... did not hurt my baby. I did not kill my baby."

Marchella suffered repeated beatings, was deprived food and water and force-fed medications, the indictment charges.

Brett-Pierce, who also has a 1-year-old baby, turned on the waterworks when Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Patricia DiMango blasted her for writing letters to her surviving kids in violation of an order of protection.

"I said to them that I love them and I miss them," Brett-Pierce, her eyes welling up with tears. "I'm extremely close to my children."

Brett-Pierce is due back in court Feb. 22. She also tested positive for marijuana after she was arrested, assistant district attorney Jacqueline Kagan said.

The Pierce household was being monitored by the Administration of Children's Services when Marchella died. Now it's role in the child's death is under investigation.

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raine1953 wrote:"Can you please start a trial immediately," she said. "I'm tired of this. I know what I did and did not do ... did not hurt my baby. I did not kill my baby."

Marchella suffered repeated beatings, was deprived food and water and force-fed medications, the indictment charges.

It is about time a CPS employee is investigated. Their job is to protect the children. If they don't they should be held partly accountable. Carlotta makes me want to

I hope every employee of CPS in every state and county is aware of this case. They all need to be aware that they could be held accountable for their actions/lack of action. As far as this Mother goes, she needs to live in the pits of the prison hole until she dies.

After what happened to poor Shaniya Davis & Zahra Baker...both from NC might I add - one would think CPS in every state is Well aware that they could be held accountable. I still cringe when I think of those two cases.

Koppell Calls for Children's Welfare Chief to Step Down


City Councilman Oliver Koppell called today for ACS Commissioner John Mattingly to step down from his post following the death of a four-year-old girl, Marchella Pierce, who was supposed to be under the agency's supervision.

Pierce died last September of child abuse syndrome, and also suffered acute drug poisoning, malnutrition, and blunt impact injuries. Both Damon Adams, the welfare worker assigned to the child's case, and his supervisor Chereece Bell have been indicted by Brooklyn D.A. Charles Hynes on charges of criminally negligent manslaughter. Hynes doesn't intend to stop here, however-he recently announced the appointment of a special grand jury to investigate "evidence of alleged systematic failures" at the agency.

"I think that the time is passed when we need new leadership at the ACS," Koppell said. "This shows that the system is just not working the way it should work, and children are not being protected."

A report about the tragedy found a significant number of child welfare cases that had been inappropriately closed, as well as a number of instances in which children who were in imminently dangerous living situations did not receive proper intervention or care. Bloomberg has publicly defended Mattingly, who in turn has stated that he recognizes his agency's shortcomings. Koppell, however, believes that a complete overhaul will be necessary, and that the agency needs "stronger leadership that makes sure that the personnel do their job."

"I'm sure he's well intentioned, but he has not done the job," Koppell said of the commissioner. "This is an instance where change is long overdue."

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BY Oren Yaniv
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, May 4th 2011, 4:05 PM

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Chereece Bell, the ACS supervisor charged with criminally negligent homicide.

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Carlotta Brett-Pierce, 30, charged with killing her daughter who died of starvation and beatings.


The Administration of Children's Services supervisor accused of criminally negligent homicide in the death of a Brooklyn toddler asked a judge Wednesday to toss the charge, with her lawyer arguing the law is being misused.

Chereece Bell, 34, was charged after the September death of 4-year-old Marchella Brett-Pierce, whose mother is suspected of beating, drugging and starving her.

Brooklyn prosecutors claim that had Bell done her job, they would have noticed Marchella was in danger and removed her from the home.

"If it's used here, it can be used in any high-risk situation where something happened," Bell's lawyer, Joshua Horowitz, said of the charge.

The lawyer later argued hospital staffers whose patient dies or a police officer who fails to prevent a crime could face similar prosecution based on this interpretation of the law.

"This will be a seminal case," Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Patricia DiMango said. "The law is always evolving with changes in society."

Damon Adams, the caseworker assigned to the Brett-Pierce, is also charged with criminally negligent homicide. He and Bell are the first ACS staffers in the state's history charged with a homicide in the death of a child under their care.

"I don't know the theory of their case," Horowitz said of the prosecution.

Outside the courtroom, which was packed with supportive social workers, he questioned why Bell was the only higher-up from the beleaguered city agency to face charges.

"Nobody looks at the disease, and everybody wants to get mad at the band-aid," said Horowitz, whose client was never supposed to visit Brett-Pierce herself.

Motions to dismiss the charges are routinely submitted in virtually every criminal case and are almost always denied.

The judge will make her ruling when Bell is back in court June 1.

Hopefully, this w/be the first in a long line of caseworker's and others in authority that could have taken a child or children out of an abusive or negligent home instead of NOT doing their job and children dying due to Their negligence!!!

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Head of Child Welfare Agency Resigns

John B. Mattingly, the commissioner of the city Administration for Children’s Services since 2004, has resigned, the mayor’s office announced this afternoon. Mr. Mattingly told Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg that he will return to Baltimore to work for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, where he directed the foundation’s child welfare policy initiatives.

The agency came under fire following the death of Marchella Pierce, a four-year-old girl who was found dead in September 2010.

The Brooklyn District Attorney, Charles J. Hynes, charged the caseworker on the case, Damon Adams, and his supervisor, Chereece Bell, with criminally negligent homicide. The prosecutor said that Mr. Adams had not made required visits to the family and lied about it, and that Ms. Bell had failed to supervise him. Mr. Hynes also convened a grand jury to explore what he called “evidence of alleged systemic failures.” The grand jury has not yet released the results of the investigation.

Mr. Bloomberg praised Mr. Mattingly’s leadership during his tenure as commissioner. “As I’ve said countless times over the last seven years, New York City has been extraordinarily lucky to have a nationally-renowned expert, John Mattingly, ably and tirelessly leading our Administration for Children’s Services,” Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement. “Few people have worked harder and more effectively in such difficult circumstances than he has.”

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"Between July 12 and Sept. 2, 2010, Brett-Pierce tied Marchella to her bed, battered her with household items, deprived her of food and water and force-fed her over-the-counter medications, including Claritin (a cold medicine) and Diphenaydramine (an anti-histamine)," the indictment reads.

Marchella, who weighed just 18 pounds when she died and suffered from a variety of ailments from birth, died of "child abuse syndrome with acute drug poisoning, blunt impact injuries, malnutrition and dehydration," according to the indictment.

Brett-Pierce lashed her daughter to a bed and beat her when the she tried to get a snack from a refrigerator just before she died, cops said

The case is the latest scandal enveloping the city's Administration for Children's Service, the agency that was monitoring Marchella Pierce's care and progress.

Caseworkers failed to visit her after June, three months before her death and Hynes has drawn parallels between Pierce's case and the tragedy of Nixmary Brown, the 7-year-old Brooklyn girl killed by her mother and stepfather four years ago.

Nixmary Brown was also being monitored by ACS.

Last month, two ACS workers were suspended without pay for not properly monitoring Marchella Pierce.

And a Brooklyn grand jury is currently probing what role ACS had in Pierce's death.

The grand jury has also subpoenaed documents from an ACS subcontractor that was also monitoring Pierce's care and an upstate pediatric nursing home where Pierce was treated for several months last winter before her release to her mother.

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Father of Dead Malnourished Girl Sues City for $150M

BROOKLYN — In the latest development in the saga ensuing from the death of 4-year-old Marchella Brett-Pierce, who was beaten, drugged and starved to death, the girl’s wayward father has filed a $150 million lawsuit against New York City.
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It sure seems to me that absent and usually incarcerated daddy is trying to cash in on his daughters death. What a louse.

ABOUT FREAKEN TIME THIS GOES TO TRIAL!!!!!!



Monday, April 16, 2012

A 4-year-old was so malnourished, there was nothing but a single kernel of corn in her belly at the time of her death.

Prosecutor Perry Cerrato described to a rapt Brooklyn jury on Monday how little Marchella Brett Pierce’s lifeless body was found “beaten, bound, drugged, dehydrated, starved” in September 2010.

He blamed the deplorable treatment on Marchella’s mother, Carlotta Brett Pierce, 32, who is now on trial for murder by starvation.

"Marchella was a fighter right to the end but she was no match for the defendant, her own mother," Cerrato said in his opening statement.

The assistant district attorney recounted how Marcella — whom he called "a fighter" — was a premature baby and spent the first 3½ years of her life in a hospital.

Carlotta was given training on how to care for her daughter, who relied on feeding and breathing tubes, before her release from a rehab center.

Instead Carlotta fed her daughter chicken and hot dogs, Cerrato said. And when the hungry kid tried to sneak food from the fridge, the mother bound her to the bed and gave her high dosages of antihistamines, "keeping her asleep as she slowly starved to death," he said.

Carlotta’s lawyer, Alan Stutman, admitted Monday that his client was “ignorant, stupid, neglectful” in allowing her daughter to wither away and ignoring doctors’ instructions. But he insisted her actions didn't "rise to the level of depravity."

Instead Stutman laid much of the blame on welfare agencies, claiming they knew how difficult the mother was.

"She thought she was doing the right thing," Stutman said. "There was no one there to support her. There was no one on the outside knocking on the door."

The Brooklyn District Attorney did charge the caseworker assigned to the family and his supervisor with criminally negligent homicide. Their trial is expected to begin after this one concludes.

Marchella's grandma Loretta Brett, 57, is also being tried for manslaughter alongside her daughter. Prosecutors allege Brett shared a room with Marchella but did nothing to help the child who was often bound to each corner of a bed.

"She just left her there," claimed prosecutor Jacqueline Kagan.

Marchella's 6-year-old brother is expected to testify against his mom and grandma during the weeks-long trial. The medical examiner's testimony, which will describe over 70 marks of abuse on Marchella’s rail-thin body, will also be key.

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A 4-year-old was so malnourished, there was nothing but a single kernel of corn in her belly at the time of her death.

Speaks Volumes!!

Carlotta’s lawyer, Alan Stutman, admitted Monday that his client was “ignorant, stupid, neglectful” in allowing her daughter to wither away and ignoring doctors’ instructions. But he insisted her actions didn't "rise to the level of depravity."

Really??? What level does it rise to then?


Nite, thanks for keeping up on this horrific case!!

Jury hears heartbreaking details about death of 4-year-old Marchella Brett Pierce

Tot tied to bed when her starved and drugged body was found in 2010; mom Carlotta Brett Pierce on trial for murder

BY OREN YANIV / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, April 17, 2012, 11:09 PM

Little Marchella Brett Pierce drew her last breath bound to a cheerful SpongeBob SquarePants bed, a Brooklyn jury learned Tuesday during the murder trial against the toddler’s mom and grandmother.

A jump rope and string used to restrain the 4-year-old were still tied to the yellow and blue bed when her starved and drugged body was discovered in September 2010, prosecutors said.

The squalid apartment was strewn with plastic bags, empty alcohol bottles and other trash, the pictures showed. Empty containers of Claritin and Benadryl were in the garbage.

Hard-to-watch photos of the rail-thin child, who weighed only 18.8 pounds, were also shown to the panel.

Marchella was so emaciated that every rib was visible. There were raw restraint marks on her limbs and dozens of other signs of abuse all over her body.

The courtroom was silent — save for a gasp or two — as the images were projected onto a screen while a detective described them matter of factly.

“It’s a brown piece of twine,” said Detective Greg Anzalone, who’s now retired. “This was removed from the toddler bed.”

Marchella’s mother Carlotta Brett Pierce is on trial for murder and grandmother Loretta Brett is charged with manslaughter.

Prosecutors accuse them of failing to care for the special needs child who spent most of her short life in hospitals. They allege that the mother would drug, beat and bind the little girl as she withered away from malnutrition.

Marchella was a premature baby who spent the first 3½ years of her life in a hospital.

Two city caseworkers who supervised the family were separately charged with not preventing the death. Their trial is expected to begin after this one wraps up.

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One kernel of corn.

That’s all little Marchella Brett-Pierce had in her stomach when the skeletal 4-year-old was found in a dingy Bed-Stuy apartment where her own mother allegedly starved, beat and drugged her to death, Brooklyn prosecutors said today.

“Marchella was a fighter, right to the end,” prosecutor Perry Cerrato told jurors in his opening statement. “But she was no match for the defendant, her own mother.”

As the alleged monster mom went on trial for murder, prosecutors portrayed her as a callous caretaker who ignored doctors’ orders and allowed her sickly daughter to shrink from a curious, active and nearly chubby-cheeked 29-pounder to one almost half that size in a matter of months.

“It was going to be Carlotta’s way or no way,” Cerrato said.

Marchella weighed 18.9 pounds when her battered body was found in Sept. 2010, seven months after leaving an upstate medical facility where she had gotten her weight up to nearly 30 pounds before going home to her family in Brooklyn.

“That’s kind of on the bottom end, but it’s still a normal child,” Cerrato said. “All of that stopped the moment she got home to these defendants.”

Carlotta Brett-Pierce and her mother Loretta Brett - who is being tried for manslaughter by a second jury - are charged with allowing the child to shrink to next to nothing while keeping her strapped to a bed because she was slipping out at night in search of candy and food.

“Her response is that her daughter’s making a mess, her daughter is wilding out,” Cerrato said. “So what does she do? She begins to bind her daughter to the bed.”
Loretta Brett was her own daughter’s “teammate,” prosecutors charged, by neglecting the child and trying to cover up how she died.

The child had bruises all over her tiny body when she died, the result, prosecutors said, of being bound “to the bed, one limb to each post of the bed, spread eagle.” She also had allegedly been force-fed massive amounts of the allergy drugs Claritin and Benadryl.

“She had multiple times a safe adult’s dosage,” Cerrato said. “I’m not talking about one or two times, I’m talking about 30 times.”

Cerrato said Brett-Pierce admitted to a detective that she strapped Marchella to the bed “because her little ass was wilding out.”

The mom also told a first responder that she had fed her daughter chicken and rice shortly before she died.

“It wasn’t the chicken and rice that the defense says she ate, it was one kernel of corn,” Cerrato said.

The horrific child-abuse case also led to charges against two former Administration for Children’s Services workers tasked with keeping an eye on Marchella, who weighed less than two pounds when she and a twin sister named Miracle were born prematurely in April 2006. Their cases are pending.

A defense lawyer for Brett-Pierce blamed child welfare agencies for not coming to the child’s aid.

“There was no one there to support her, there was no one from the outside saying, ‘Let us in, we think what you are doing is wrong,’” defense lawyer Alan Stutman said. “They came and they looked and they saw nothing was wrong.”
While acknowledging that Brett-Pierce may have been “stupid” and “ignorant” in her care of Marchella, Stutman said she thought she was doing right by the child. GMAB!!

“There is such a thing as a five-point restraint for a child,” he said of the mom binding the child to the bed.

“She didn’t take the advice of the medical experts,” Stutman added. “She thought she could do it on her own. Obviously, she couldn’t do it on her own.”

The trial is expected to last a month, and jurors will see photos of the little girl’s tiny corpse that may “disgust” them, Cerrato said.

They may also hear from her 6-year-old brother, who prosecutors have described as a key witness who can detail the “depravity” of his mom’s handling of Marchella.

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Son, 6, testifies he never saw mom abuse sister Marchella Brett-Pierce before she died

In a blow to the DA's case, the sweet-faced son of an accused monster mom testified today that he never saw her beat his 4-year-old sister, or force-feed her sleeping pills.

Tymel Pierce didn't give Brooklyn prosecutors much to work with as he testified in Carlotta Brett-Pierce's horrific murder trial, saying he never saw his little sister bound with a jump-rope to her SpongeBob bed.
"No," he answered as prosecutor Perry Cerrato gently asked him if his mom tied her to the bed.

The 6-year-old boy, who is set to turn seven on Monday and wore a tie and vest for his turn as a witness, referred to his mother as "my old mommy" but said he saw none of the sickening acts she's accused of committing against little Marchella Brett-Pierce.

The skeletal little girl weighed just 18.9 pounds when she died in September 2010, after Brett-Pierce allegedly battered and drugged her.

On the day of her death, Tymel said he awoke to "detectives, cops and somebody else" in the family's Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment and an explanation from his mom on what happened to his sister, who he called "Chella."

"When I woke, my mom said she fell down the stairs," he said.

He said his mom would get "angry" when his sister would wet her bed, but said he never saw her lay a hand on the girl.

"What about if Chella got in trouble, would anything happen with that belt?" Cerrato asked the boy, as he held up a photo of his mom's skull belt.

"No," Tymel said, adding that he only saw the belt being worn around his mom's waist.

Prosecutors had said Tymel would provide key information "that no one else can offer," but the little boy fell back on "I don't know" or "no" as an answer to many of the questions he faced.

The boy testified in another room of Brooklyn Supreme court. Questions and his dramatic answers were shown to jurors on three screens.

When Tymel was seated, he pointed at the camera and said: "What's that, people are looking at me?"

Jurors this week were shown pictures of Marchella's stick-thin body, with all of her ribs visible and bruises all over her back and face.

Prosecutors have charged that Marchella's mom -- and her mother, Loretta Brett, who is being tried for manslaughter -- abused the child because she was "wilding out" and snatching food from the fridge.

Tymel said he was allowed to go into the fridge whenever he wanted, but said he never saw his sister go in there. The little boy said his mom would feed him chicken and rice, and that his dad would take him to McDonald's for Chicken McNuggets with sweet and sour sauce.

But it was a different story for his little sister.
"Did anyone ever feed Chella?" Cerrato asked.
"Nope," he said.
"Did she ever eat?" Cerrato asked again.
"Nope," Tymel responded.


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That poor baby is on the stand and his mother is probably staring holes through him. He probably feels threatened by her and is afraid to tell the truth. I hate it when they put children on the stand.

Poor little guy.

By Crimesider Staff Topics Daily Blotter
Marchella Pierce (Credit: CBS New York)

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - A New York mother was convicted Wednesday in the murder of her 4-year-old daughter, who was drugged, beaten and starved to death.

Jurors deliberated less than an hour before finding Carlotta Brett-Pierce guilty of the most serious charge in the death of her daughter, Marchella. Brett-Pierce faces 25 years to life in prison when she is sentenced June 6.

Loretta Brett, the little girl's grandmother, also faces manslaughter charges and a jury was expected to begin deliberations in that case Thursday. Both defendants pleaded not guilty.

Police found Marchella's body in the home she shared with her mother and grandmother on September 2, 2010. She was bound to her broken plastic toddler bed with a jump rope and had 60 adult doses of Claritin and 30 doses of Benadryl in her system, a medical examiner said.

Prosecuters said Marchella weighed 18.8 pounds, half the weight of an average child her age, and had bruises and cuts on her body.

Although Brett-Pierce acknowledged in her testimony that the girl "had lost weight," she denied harming her daughter and said they were doing the best they could.

"To me, at the time, it didn't look bad," Brett-Pierce said while testifying in the trial. "She looked like a child who wasn't sitting on her booty in the hospital all day. She was outside running around for the first time in her life."

Marchella was born premature with severe medical problems and spent most of her life in hospitals, according to testimony. When she was found dead, her ribs were visible through bruised, scarred and scratched skin, according to CBS New York.

Two child welfare caseworkers once assigned to the family were charged with criminally negligent homicide for their handling of the case. They have pleaded not guilty.

The murder trial shined some light on fresh cracks in the city's child wefare system. According to CBS New York, Brett-Pierce was on the radar of the city's child welfare system after she gave birth to a boy who tested positive for drugs. She was in drug counseling, but no abuse cases were opened, and the Administration for Children's Services admits it did not do enough to help her or her three children.

As she was led away, Brett-Pierce said she was charged falsely. Her attorney, Alan Stutman, said he would appeal, and said the case was more about a system that failed a mother who needed help.

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That didn't take long.

A Brooklyn jury needed all of one hour today to convict a mouthy monster mom of beating, starving and drugging her 4-year-old daughter, Marchella, to death.
Carlotta Brett-Pierce showed no reaction as she was pronounced guilty, then popped off as a judge ordered her to have no contact with her two surviving kids.
"I've been charged falsely," Brett-Pierce whined, as she was led out in handcuffs.

GREGORY P. MANGO
Carlotta Brett-Pierce

Asked by Justice Patricia DiMango if she understood the order, Brett-Pierce remained petulant.

"I heard what you said," she said.

The 32-year-old mom was quickly convicted after prosecutor Jacqueline Kagan made an impassioned plea to jurors to make her pay for Marchella's September 2010 death.

"We are satisfied with the verdict," Kagan said after the verdict was announced. "We are gratified that Marchella got some justice."

The sickly tyke weighed all of 18.9 pounds and her body was covered in bruises when she died.

"Marchella was a fighter," Kagan said in her closing argument. "She fought hard to survive, fought hard to live and she lost her fight to her mother.

"Now, you fight for her."

The four-week trial featured graphic photos of the little girl's naked, skin-and-bones corpse - which Kagan contrasted with photos of her looking robust and happy when she left an upstate clinic at nearly 30 pounds months before she died.

Jurors also heard tapes of jailhouse phonecalls in which the monster mom spewed filth about her dead daughter, calling her "that bitch."

"The words she chose to describe her show her disregard for her child's life," Kagan said during her closing.

The jury was also shown the tiny SpongeBob bed where Marchella was tied up by jump-ropes after she raided the fridge in her mom's Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment.

Carlotta Brett-Pierce claimed the little girl dropped the weight by running around in the heat, and blamed her horrific bruises on a stairwell spill.

She was also portrayed as an overwhelmed mom who didn't quite know how to care for her sick child.

"I was just very surprised that a jury came back that quickly," said her lawyer, Alan Stutman.

Brett-Pierce will be sentenced June 7.

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By: Jeanine Ramirez

Closing arguments were heard Thursday in the case of Loretta Brett, a Brooklyn grandmother accused of starving her dying four-year-old granddaughter.

Loretta Brett is charged with manslaughter in connection with the 2010 death of her granddaughter, Marchella Pierce.

In closing arguments, prosecutor Jacqueline Kagan told jurors, "Loretta Brett is arms reach from this child as she's suffering. Every day Loretta Brett walked by and did nothing."

Marchella died in September 2010 from child abuse syndrome.

Autopsy results showed she was starved and beaten.

At one point, Kagan showed jurors the bed where Marchella was allegedly tied down and also showed graphic pictures of Marchella covered in bruises and wasting away to just 18 pounds over the seven months she lived with Brett. However, Brett's lawyer argued her client didn't hurt but helped Marchella, including calling 911 when the child was already dead.

"She was a grandmother. That's what families do. But that doesn't make her a parent. You have to provide. You have to pay for things. You have to buy food. You have to pay for rent. Cooking a meal for your grandchildren? We're all clear on what grandparents do. That doesn't make you a parent," argued Defense Attorney Julie Clark.

In addition to manslaughter, Brett is charged with criminally negligent homicide, assault, unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child, for allegedly failing to intervene to protect Marchella.

Brett's lawyer argued the little girl was a special needs child and the grandmother was not properly trained in how to care for her. That also, she said, was the parent's responsibility.

Brett's daughter and Marchella's mother, Carlotta Brett-Pierce, was found guilty Wednesday of murdering Marchella.

Brett-Pierce was also found guilty of assault, unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child.

"Obviously I'm very very pleased that the mother of Marchella Pierce was convicted of murder in the second degree and I intend to instruct my assistant DA to ask for the maximum jail sentence," said Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes.

Jurors will continue their deliberations in Brett's case on Friday.

If convicted of manslaughter, Brett faces up to 15 years in prison.

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MUST SEE VIDEO!

Friday, May 11, 2012 - 03:54 PM
By Mirela Iverac

A Brooklyn grandmother was found guilty of manslaughter in the second degree in the death of her 4-year-old granddaughter on Friday.

Loretta Brett showed no emotion as the verdict that declared her responsible for Marchella Brett-Pierce’s death was read on Friday in Brooklyn Supreme Court.

She was also found guilty of unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child, but acquitted of assault in the second degree.

Brett was on trial alongside her daughter, Carlotta Brett-Pierce, who was found guilty on Wednesday on second-degree murder charges for the September 2010 death of her daughter, Marchella.

Prosecutors said Marchella was tied to her bed with a jump rope for six months, beaten, drugged and starved to death by her mother, and that the grandmother failed to prevent the abuse.

Julie Clark, Brett’s lawyer, said she was disappointed by the verdict and vowed to appeal.

“For somebody that has no record and was not the aggressor and was really trying to help out…” said Clark. “It’s devastating for her and her family.”

Brett faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail.

Jacqueline Kagan, Assistant District Attorney, said she was “very satisfied” with the verdict.

“This is justice for Marchella,” Kagan said. “The people who stand by and watch have to be held accountable.”

Marchella weighed 18 pounds at the time of her death in September 2010, and had more than 70 injuries to her body and head. Lethal dosages of Benadryl and Claritin were found in her body.

She died of child abuse syndrome, with acute drug poisoning, blunt impact injuries, malnutrition and dehydration, according to the medical examiner’s report.

Marchella was born prematurely, at 24 weeks, and weighed just over a pound. She spent most of her life in various hospitals, and required a feeding and tracheal tube.

The jury started deliberating late Thursday and asked for clarification of the charges, read-back of testimonies and additional review of evidence.

But after the trial one of the jurors, Jose Perez, 21, said “everyone was on the same page” from the beginning and that reaching a verdict was not difficult.

“She was living in the house and witnessing everything that was happening, and she did nothing about it,” Perez said, explaining why the jury came back with a guilty verdict for Brett on the top charge. “She knows that it’s not for the best benefit of the child, but yet she still chose not to get assistance or medical help when she really needed to.”

Brett and her daughter will be sentenced in June.

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Judging from the pics of the little girls "mother", she thought she was something else, huh? She looks like a skinny coke head to me. And the father does too. He's suing the city? HA! As much as I believe the city dropped the ball on this little girl, the father certainly doesn't deserve to reap the benefits of anything. Was HE in the home also? If so, he deserves to be charged as well.

As for the mother, she deserves to be fed one.kernel.of.corn.only at every meal in jail. See how much she likes it. Lets get HER down to 18 pounds.

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The monster mom convicted of abusing and starving her little daughter to death was sentenced to 32 years to life in prison Wednesday — but not before she claimed she was a good parent.

“I want people to see I’m a loving and caring mother of three,” Carlotta Brett Pierce, 32, said, referring to her 4-year-old girl — who died with only a kernel of corn in her belly — and her two surviving sons who are now in foster care.

“By no means am I a malicious or vindictive person.”

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Patricia DiMango was unswayed by the delusional appeal, giving Brett Pierce the maximum sentence and a hammering her over the brutal abuse Marchella Brett Pierce endured before her death in September 2010.

“Marchella lived in a hell created and maintained by you,” DiMango said. “She was imprisoned in the secrecy of her home, where she was supposed to be safe.”

A disturbing picture emerged during the five-week trial of a sickly toddler, who after spending most of her short life in medical facilities, was not being fed properly and repeatedly beaten.

When the girl tried to sneak food from the fridge, she was tied to her SpongeBob SquarePants bed and given medications to keep her sedated. She weighed less than 19 pounds at the time of her death.

Her mother referred to her with vile vulgarities in a recorded phone conversation from jail.

Brett Pierce tried to put blame on social services for not helping with the special needs child, even as trial evidence indicated that she never even took Marchella to the doctor in the seven months she was under her care.

“I’m not perfect,” Brett Pierce said. “I lacked the knowledge, education and economics to care for such a sick baby.”

While taking responsibility for some mistakes, she added: “I do not accept responsibility for the actual death of my daughter because I didn’t, in fact, kill her.”

But the judge didn’t buy any of that, noting that while Marchella’s hospital caretakers were almost in tears when testifying about the child, the only emotion from her mom was apathy.

“What kind of a person would do this to a child, let alone her own child?” she asked the defendant. “You demonstrate that type of person.”

DiMango also gave the maximum sentence to the tot’s grandmother Loretta Brett, 57, who was convicted of manslaughter for failing to prevent the death.

The grandma, who slept in the same room as Marchella, was sent upstate for 5 to 15 years.

She could have saved the child from her nightmare, said prosecutor Jacqueline Kagan. “Not by throwing herself in front of a train,” she added. “Save by giving the girl food.”

The defense argued that the kid’s father, Tyrone Pierce, also should have been prosecuted. He now has a pending multi-million lawsuit against the city.

Two other people who were charged in the case are the social workers assigned to the family. Their trial for criminally negligent homicide is expected next year.

In setting the stiff sentences, DiMango said, she was sending a message that “children do matter in society and they do have a voice, even in death.”

She barred Brett Pierce from having any contact with her other kids, ages 7 and 3, for the next 100 years.

The oldest boy, Tymel, took the stand at trial and, while prepping him, Kagan said, “I’ve never seen a child that traumatized.”

Marchella’s brother, who witnessed many of the crimes against her, still misses his sister dearly, the prosecutor said. He even brought her something to eat and drink when he came to her funeral.

“I hope she gets enough food and water in heaven,” Kagan quoted him as saying.

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HippyChick2 wrote:Judging from the pics of the little girls "mother", she thought she was something else, huh? She looks like a skinny coke head to me. And the father does too. He's suing the city? HA! As much as I believe the city dropped the ball on this little girl, the father certainly doesn't deserve to reap the benefits of anything. Was HE in the home also? If so, he deserves to be charged as well.

As for the mother, she deserves to be fed one.kernel.of.corn.only at every meal in jail. See how much she likes it. Lets get HER down to 18 pounds.

The mother said she didn't in fact kill her. Only starved her to death. I missed this story earlier. The grandmother was there staying in the same room as the child.

I really need to read all of this case.