Parents, Mary Leann Webb & Robert Molinski arrested at Children's Hosp of the King's Daughters, where their daughters Piper & Ella, 4 m old,W/skull fractures,fractured ribs & bruising. Piper has died!! Update: Found GUiILTY!!!

WVEC.com
Posted on February 14, 2012 at 5:11 PM
Updated today at 10:39 AM

SMITHFIELD -- The two parents of twin girls who have been arrested for allegedly abusing them were arraigned in Isle of Wight County General District court on Wednesday.

One of two twin girls has died; the other remains in the hospital in stable condition, Isle of Wight County authorities said Tuesday.

Mary Leann Webb and Robert Molinski were arrested at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters, where their daughters Piper and Ella have been since Sunday.

The couple is charged with felony child neglect.

The four-month-old girls were taken from their grandfather's home on Stallings Creek Drive after the family called for help.

Spokeswoman Kristi Wilda says the girls suffered skull fractures, fractured ribs, and bruising. Piper, the child who died, also had burns on the soles of her feet, investigators said.

Capt. Rick Gaddis, who is the chief investigator on the case, says the children appeared to have been beaten with objects. He called it the worst case he's seen in his 30 years of law enforcement.

The couple and their three children had moved to Smithfield from Newport News about a month ago, Wilda stated.

Webb's four-year-old daughter, who has a different father, had no signs of injuries, Gaddis stated, and was to undergo a check at CHKD. She's staying with her mother's family for now.

Capt. Gaddis said the Smithfield home was "in utter chaos" and there were dog feces on the floor.

Monday night, authorities served a search warrant at the home as the investigation continues.

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This was posted on 2/13 ~ prior to Piper passing away. This is Horrific!!

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Isle of Wight man faces first-degree murder charge in daughter's death

Autopsy showed infant died from blunt force trauma

ISLE OF WIGHT — Hours after being arraigned Wednesday for felony child neglect, Robert Eph Molinski, 23, was charged with the first-degree murder in connection with the death of his 4-month-old daughter, Piper Molinski.

Piper died on Valentine's Day in the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters after being taken off life support. An autopsy on Wednesday morning showed Piper died from blunt force trauma to the head, according to the Isle of Wight Sheriff's Office.

Medics rushed Piper and her twin sister, Ella, to the Norfolk hospital on Sunday, after receiving a 911 call that an infant had stopped breathing at 10476 Stallings Creek Lane. The twins both suffered from skull fractures, fractured ribs and bruises, said Isle of Wight Sheriff Mark Marshall. Piper also had burns on the soles of her feet, probably caused by a space heater too close to her feet, Marshall said.

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Ella remains hospitalized in stable condition, he said.

The pint-sized pink Jeep and a swing set in the backyard belie the conditions investigators found inside the red-shuttered house in rural Isle of Wight Sunday. No one answered the door there Tuesday afternoon.

"The inside of that house was a wreck," Marshall said. "The bedding was soiled, dogs had been allowed to defecate on the floor.

"It must have been a rough four months for Ella and Piper," he said. "I've been in this business for 27 years and this is one of the worse child abuse scenes I've ever dealt with."

Molinski and the twin's mother, Mary Leann Webb, 22, were arraigned on one count of felony child neglect each in Isle of Wight Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

Their court appearances were brief. Webb said she plans to retain an attorney and Molinski asked for court-appointed defense. Webb goes back to court on Feb. 21 to report whether she has legal representation, while Molinski has a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 9.

Other than saying the case is still under investigation, Marshall declined to speculate on whether other charges may be filed.

Webb and Molinski are being held without bond in Western Tidewater Regional Jail, according to a release from Marshall's office. Investigators delivered papers charging Molinski with first-degree murder at the regional jail in Suffolk Wednesday night.

The family had moved from Newport News to Isle of Wight about a month ago, and were living with Webb's father, Michael Webb, according to Marshall. Molinski was unemployed, while Mary Leann Webb worked as a nurse's assistant.

The twins' multiple fractures were impact wounds – injuries caused by hitting against something hard, such as a counter, wall, golf clubs or other objects, said Marshall.

The twins' 4-year-old sister, who lived in the house but apparently didn't suffer any abuse, has been placed with her biological father's family, said Marshall.

While he doesn't believe Piper's autopsy was necessarily fast tracked, Marshall says the investigators in the medical examiner's office have made the case a top priority.

"It's gotten a lot of attention from the medical examiner's office," he said. "I think it's a pretty egregious case and everyone wants to make sure they get this one right."

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Isle of Wight judge certifies charges in daughter's death

Grand jury will take up murder, involuntary manslaughter charges against Molinski, Webb

By Allison T. Williams, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] | 757-247-4535
7:38 p.m. EST, December 3, 2012

ISLE OF WIGHT — After hearing five hours of testimony, Isle of Wight Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge Robert S. Brewbaker ruled Monday that sufficient evidence exists to try Robert Eph Molinski and Mary Leann Webb for the Feb. 14 death of their 4-month-old daughter, Piper Molinski, and the alleged neglect of her twin sister, Ella.

Brewbaker certified one count each of first-degree murder and felony child neglect against Molinski to the Isle of Wight Circuit Court. He also certified one count of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of felony child neglect against Webb. A Circuit Court grand jury will take up the charges in January.

Piper and Ella were rushed to the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters Feb. 12 after responding to a 911 call that an infant had stopped breathing at the family's Stallings Creek Lane house. Piper died on Feb. 14 after being taken off life support. An autopsy showed her cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.

Babatunde Stokes, who performed Piper's autopsy at the Norfolk medical examiner's office, testified that he found evidence that Piper had suffered six skull fractures, multiple bruises, a black eye and several fractured ribs during her life. Some of the fractures were older and in various stages of healing, while others were new, he said.

Norrell Atkinson, a peditirician and child abuse specialist at Children's Hospital of the Kings Daughters, said both girls had abrasions between their upper lips and g u m line, and each was missing a fingernail. Ella also had bruises, a black eye and several broken ribs and blows to her head, Atkinson said.

"They had a lot of similar injuries … and they were both malnourished," Atkinson said. Piper weighed 8.6 pounds and Ella, 10 pounds.

Molenski's suggestion that the twins' injuries were caused by their tussling in their shared bed or at the hand of their 4-year-old sister aren't plausible, said Atkinson.

"It's not possible for 4-month-old to ram an elbow into another 4-month-old," Atkinson said.

Molinski was the primary caregiver for the children while Webb worked, said prosecutor Steve Edwards. He pointed out that Molinski admitted to using Spice, a synthetic version of marijuana, most days and Edwards called it absurd to think that Webb was unaware of danger her daughters were exposed to with their father.

"She knew," Edwards said. "She could not have fed her babies in the morning and not noticed the bruises and that their gums were messed up."

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Updated: Wednesday, 20 Feb 2013, 5:16 PM EST
Published : Wednesday, 20 Feb 2013, 5:00 PM EST

SMITHFIELD, Va. (WAVY) - An Isle of Wight couple pleaded guilty in court Wednesday for the abuse of their two baby daughters, one of whom died from her injuries.

Mary Leann Webb and Robery Molinski were arrested last year for the abuse of their four-month-old twin girls. One of the girls, Piper, passed away at Norfolk's Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters less than a week after her parents were arrested.

Webb pleaded guilty to one count of child abuse resulting in serious injury and one count of reckless disregard of human life. Her involuntary manslaughter charge was ruled nolle prosequi. Webb could face up to 15 years in prison when sentenced.

Molinski pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse resulting in serious injury, one charge of second-degree murder and malicious wounding. The murder charge was initially a murder in the first degree charge. Molinski could face up to 80 years in prison.

Molinski contacted police when Piper wasn't breathing on the evening of Feb. 12, 2012. Piper was reportedly short of breath, appeared malnourished and had bruising on her body.

Piper and her twin sister Ella suffered skull fractures, fractured ribs and bruising. Piper also suffered burns on the soles of her feet, according to investigators. Both girls were transported to CHKD where Piper passed away six days later.

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