Toddler Abused to Death By Mother’s Boyfriend/James Reeder is even more pathetic than he looks. Prosecutor: Centralia toddler was tortured before she died. Reeder has plead Guilty/Sentenced to 37 years to life in prison.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Wash. toddler died of trauma, drowning. Toddler ‘Systematically Tortured”; Mother’s Boyfriend Being Investigated for Rape, Murder

Girl, two, ‘systematically tortured and raped by mother’s boyfriend’ before drowning in bathtub

It breaks my heart and disgusts me to have to write-up one of the most horrible cases of a child being abused to death that I have ever come across, but little 2-year-old victim, Koralynn Fister deserves to have her story heard. It’s the least we can do since not even her own mother could keep her safe and basically handed her over to the wolf in sheep’s clothing that would torture, rape and eventually murder an absolutely defenseless toddler. 25-year-old James Maurice Reeder, the mother’s di*k of the month, had been living with Koralynn, her older sibling and her mother for about 10 weeks and about a month ago made the suggestion that he and the mother should split parenting duties. Reeder practically begged to babysit Koralynn while sparing the older child the horrific and vile abuse he inflicted upon Koralyn.

Victim, 2-Year-Old Koralynn Fister
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Reeder’s version of what happened the day Koralynn died is that he was giving her a bath and briefly left the room to get a towel and when he came back, Korlynn was floating face down in the tub full of water. That didn’t explain why this innocent baby’s death was ruled not only as being due to drowning, but also blunt force trauma to the head and deemed a homicide. Predictably, Reeder’s statements as to what had happened to Koralynn proved inconsistent with her injuries and Koralynn’s death kicked off an investigation that led detectives right back to Reeder. The investigation revealed that Reeder had tortured and repeatedly raped Koralynn. Patches of her skin were missing from her bottom and her toes. The autopsy found that Koralynn had new and healed injuries, leading investigators to the conclusion that the abuse she suffered had been ongoing. Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer didn’t want to go into graphic detail, but said Koralynn’s case was “the worst case of child abuse and neglect” he had seen.

James Reeder was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and I truly believe this is a case where the mother deserves some charges of her own. She has yet to be named, but she lived with this monster and her two children, I find it hard to believe she didn’t see her daughter was missing skin. Or that she didn’t notice any other injuries Koralynn had sustained. I also don’t understand how Reeder’s overenthusiastic reaction to caring for a 2-year-old little girl didn’t raise any suspicions. Oh, and you also have neighbors coming forward after the fact to say that they heard this child’s crying and screaming at all hours and how they wanted to call police, but never did. Those people may be bystanders and uninvolved, but their hesitation left this poor innocent baby at the mercy of a subhuman piece of shit and it resulted in her death. Children depend on us adults to help them and this little girl was massively failed by everyone around her. I hope that fact haunts everyone who let Koralynn Fister down and that James Reeder pays dearly for putting his hands on her.


[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

CENTRALIA, Wash. -- Just-released 911 calls reveal the agonizing moments as neighbors tried to save a dying Centralia toddler.

Koralynn Fister was in the care of her mother's boyfriend when she drowned in a bathtub in what police are calling a torture case. That man, 25-year-old James Reeder, has been charged with homicide by abuse in the 2-year-old girl's death.

But Reeder's attorneys point out it was he who called for help and began performing CPR on the girl when she stopped breathing.

Koralynn died last Thursday despite Reeder's and neighbors' attempts to save her. When Reeder came knocking for help with the lifeless child in his arms, neighbor Mary Stiltner called 911.

"Hurry, hurry. 201 W. Oakview Ave. A baby has fallen in the bathtub and is not breathing. Our number is 104. Hurry!" she told the 911 dispatcher.

Reeder can be heard in the background during the 911 call.

"She tripped in the bathtub and hit her freaking head on the way down," he said.

"Hurry, she's not breathing," said Stiltner.

The Stiltners say Reeder originally tried CPR, but Ray Stiltner, a retired cop, eventually took over efforts.

"Oh, he's crying and crying, the dad. And the baby is gone," Mary Stiltner told the 911 dispatcher.

Reeder can be heard howling in despair: No!"

"No, she's not breathing. Hasn't been," said Mary Stiltner. "Oh, he's beside himself."

But police don't believe Reeder was grief-stricken. They claim Reeder tortured the little girl the last few weeks of her life.

In court on Tuesday, Koralynn's father, David Fister, appeared dazed after the heinous charges were read.

Detectives said Reed asked the girl's mother for permission to babysit the girl all day and every day. He repeatedly raped the child and hurt her so badly that patches of skin were missing from her body and her toes, according to court documents.

"I won't go into graphic detail, but suffice it to say that in my entire legal career, this is the worst case of child abuse and neglect I have seen," said Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer.

Detectives say Reeder apparently managed to hide the girl's injuries from her mother, Becky Huepel. Huepel learned on Tuesday her 4-year-old daughter will be kept in protective custody, at least for now.

On Monday night, several hundred people gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor the memory of little Koralynn. Those who accompanied Huepel to court on Tuesday expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support.

Reeder remains held on $5 million bail.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Reeder Charged With Homicide by Abuse, Rape of a Child, Assault, Meth Possession

Posted: May 30, 2012 in Uncategorized

James Maurice Reeder, the man arrested on Thursday in connection with the death of a 2-year-old Centralia girl, has been charged with homicide by abuse, two counts of first-degree rape of a child, two counts of first-degree assault and possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine).
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
David Fister, left, the biological father of 2-year-old Koralynn Fister, is helped by friends and family out of a courtroom at the Lewis County Law and Justice Center in Chehalis Tuesday where James Maurice Reeder was charged with Koralynn’s rape and murder.

The toddler, Koralynn Fister, was living with her mother, sibling and Reeder, who was her mother’s boyfriend at the time of her death. She was pronounced dead Thursday after Reeder brought her body to a neighbor’s home, claiming she had drowned in a bathtub.

The autopsy of Koralynn, however, revealed extensive injuries to the girl that indicated prolonged abuse, according to the Lewis County Coroner’s Office. Koralynn’s mother, Becky Heupel, was not home at the time of her death.

During Reeder’s court appearance, family and friends of David Fister, the biological father of Koralynn, filled two rows of the courtroom. Many had blue ribbons pinned on their chest representing their support for the protection of children.

Reeder’s attorney, David Arcuri, said Reeder is a lifetime Lewis County resident and Reeder has no prior felony convictions.

The day before the toddler’s death, one of Koralynn’s maternal aunts noticed an injury on the child’s bottom and told Koralynn’s mother about it, according to court documents. Koralynn’s mother discussed the injury with Reeder, who convinced her that the toddler did not need medical care and that the injuries were “simple, childhood injuries,” according to court documents.

Police are still investigating the case, and an arrest of Koralynn’s mother is not imminent, said Detective Sgt. Pat Fitzgerald.

A search warrant of the home revealed marijuana and what police believe to be methamphetamine, Fitzgerald said. A warrant was issued for a blood drug test for Reeder; however, police do not know when the results will come back.

Reeder’s bail is set at $5 million. He is scheduled to reappear in court on June 7.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Prosecutor: Death Penalty Not an Option for Man Accused of Killing Toddler

Posted: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 11:41 am | Updated: 8:59 am, Fri Jun 1, 2012.
By The Chronicle

James Maurice Reeder, the man arrested on Thursday in connection with the death of a 2-year-old Centralia girl, is not eligible for the death sentence, Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer has told The Chronicle.
Reeder, 25, was charged Tuesday afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court with homicide by abuse, a felony crime that does not include premeditation. WHAT? He HAD to know when he raped her which WAS premeditated, she could easily bleed to death!! He’s also facing two counts of first-degree rape of a child, two counts of first-degree assault and possession of methamphetamine.
Premeditation is a necessary factor for the death penalty, Meyer said.

If convicted on all charges, Reeder could face life in prison.

He was arrested late last week after initially reporting that Koralynn Fister, the daughter of his girlfriend, had drowned while taking a bath.

snipped:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Arraignment in Centralia toddler death put on hold

Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 2:53 pm
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The Centralia man accused of torture and rape in the death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter was scheduled to make his plea in court today, but at the last minute his lawyer asked for a postponement.

Centralia attorney David Arcuri did not say why, when he and his client James M. Reeder appeared in Lewis County Superior Court this morning.

Arcuri told the judge that based on his interaction with Reeder “just now”, he wanted to request the hearing be set over one week.

“And because the defense may have other requests,” Arcuri said.

Reeder, 25, is charged with homicide by abuse and related charges, including possession of methamphetamine, following the May 24 death in Centralia of Koralynn Fister.

The toddler was pronounced dead at the hospital after he carried her to a home across the street, saying he stepped out from her bath briefly and returned to find her face down in the tub. Authorities said they found numerous injuries, including signs of rape.

Reeder remains held in the Lewis County Jail on $5 million bail.

Elected Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer, who is handling the case for his office, asked the judge to sign an order allowing the child’s body to be released from the coroner.

Arcuri would only say after the brief hearing there are some important tasks an attorney needs to do before an arraignment can place.

For example, making sure the client understands the charges and is competent to stand trial, Arcuri said, noting those were only generic examples.

Arcuri is a court appointed attorney; he said Reeder has been unemployed for the past year.

Judge James Lawler agreed they would return to the courtroom next Thursday morning for arraignment and setting a trial date.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 4:41 pm
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
David Fister holds a photo taken on his daughter Koralynn's first birthday.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CENTRALIA – In the weeks before 2-year-old Koralynn Fister died, her father wasn’t able to see her except for once, when he said he practically “kidnapped” his child from her mother.

David Fister and Becky Heupel lived together for about three years in Centralia, but separated around the time their little girl turned two, in early March, Fister said.

“I lost my job about nine months ago,” the 29-year-old said. “Before that, we were as happy as can be.”

The Iowa native who moved west to be with the woman he met online worked as the night closer at Subway in Centralia. Heupel stayed home and took care of Koralynn and her older sister, he said.

“She was always a loving mom, would jump through hoops to do anything for the girls,” he said. “She never laid a finger on them.”

After the breakup up, the parents had a verbal agreement that Fister would take Koralynn every Wednesday and Thursday.

And then Heupel stopped answering his texts, he said. She had been saying Koralynn was sick, he said.

In mid-April, Fister said, he went to the home they had shared off West Oakview Street and demanded to have his daughter, he said.

At first, her mother said no, and “Kora wailed like I’d never heard,” he said. “She’d never done that before.”

Then she gave in and Fister took the toddler to his aunt and uncle’s Centralia home where he now lives to stay the night, he said.

“She was so happy to see me that day,” he said. “I just hung out and watched cartoons with her.”

He cooked her Spaghetti-O’s for dinner.

Fister never saw his only child alive again, he said.

Last week, police were called to the West Oakview Street neighborhood, where Heupel’s new boyfriend said he found Koralynn face down in the bathtub when he stepped out to grab a towel. He said her mother and older sister had left a couple hours earlier.

He had carried the unclothed child to a front porch across the street and asked neighbors for help. Koralynn was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later.

That was a week ago Thursday.

The boyfriend, 25-year-old James M. Reeder, was arrested that night after the Centralia Police Department interviewed him and Heupel. Police said she was not a suspect, although they asked Child Protective Services to take her 4-year-old into temporary custody.

Reeder was charged on Tuesday. Authorities say they found numerous injuries on the little girl, including signs of torture and rape. The coroner said she died from drowning and blunt head trauma.

As a storm of fury in the community has unleashed over the death, calling for the harshest punishment for the alleged perpetrator and even for the child’s mother to burn in hell for not protecting her young, Fister isn’t badmouthing the woman he loved.

“I will say, Becky is one of the best moms I’ve ever known,” he said.

It doesn’t add up, that she would have allowed a new boyfriend to stick around if she knew he was hurting her child, according to Fister.

“I don’t feel Becky had anything to do with anything,” he said. “I have to believe that.”

Fister called the mother of his child both naive and sharp, and a strong person. He’s only seen her a couple of times since it happened, he said.

“She came by my uncle’s house to give me a hug and tell me she’s sorry,” he said. “She said she was sorry about 10 times.”

Sorry for keeping Koralynn away from him, sorry for everything that happened, he said.

Fister said he didn’t know Heupel had a new boyfriend, except that Reeder was at the house the day he picked his daughter up.

Reeder is a friend of the father of Heupel’s 4-year-old daughter, from “back in the day,” he said.

Earlier this week, Reeder was charged not with murder, as prosecutors had initially indicated they were pursuing, but homicide by abuse.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer described the crime as repeated assaults or torture that ends in the death of a child.

It has the same maximum penalty - life in prison – and the same standard sentencing range as first-degree murder, according to Meyer.

Reeder was also charged with two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of first-degree child rape and possession of methamphetamine.

When police searched the house they found methamphetamine in the suspect’s dresser drawer, according to charging documents.

According to his defense attorney David Arcuri, Reeder is a lifetime Lewis County resident, who attended W.F. West High School through the 11th grade and has been unemployed for the past year.

He is being held on $5 million bail. His arraignment is set for this coming Thursday in Lewis County Superior Court.

Fister was joined this week by his mother, aunt, sister and cousin who flew out from Iowa.

While the first few days he said he drank rum like water, hoping for an ounce of sleep, by the end of this week, he “just broke,” he said; throwing up from exhaustion and nerves.

Still, he took some time to share about his daughter, who he said he named in part as a play on words from a movie called Coraline.

Fister is unconventional, he likes darker things, being “Goth” and stuff, he said.

The 2009 film by the directors of “The nightmare before Christmas” is about a little girl who gets trapped in a nightmare world, he said.

The “Lynn” part of his daughter’s name is for his sister. The middle name Marie is his mother’s middle name, he said.

Koralynn was a child who was cranky when tired and loved dinosaur chicken nuggets, he said.

His daughter was a climber who get up or down from anything, he said.

“She was not afraid of heights. We called her ‘Monkey’,” he said.

A candlelight vigil held for his daughter in Washington Park last week was amazing, he said. A gathering today where a group that came together on Facebook planned to lay flowers in Heupel’s front yard wasn’t something he wanted to attend.

“I have my own grieving,” he said.

“Sometimes I can’t even find peace in my day to mourn,” he said. “It’s so overwhelming, the responsibility of it all.”

He said Heupel is having an emotional breakdown, but they have a funeral to plan, together.

For Reeder, he says: “I want him to have life. I want him to never see the light of day and hurt anybody else.”

As for the mother of his child: “I have a lot of anger towards her, but I don’t say anything bad about her.”

Fister said he has no money in his wallet right now. He opened an account at West Coast Bank, if anyone want to donate to help pay for funeral expenses, he said.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

What a horrible case. I hope LE can find enough charges to put that POS in prison for life!

Defense Files Motion to Suppress Evidence in Toddler Murder Trial, Alleges Police Obtained it Illegally
Prosecutor Unphased: Defense Says Centralia Police Gathered Evidence From House Prior to Obtaining Warrant; Prosecutor Says it is Only One Piece of the Case

Posted: Friday, November 30, 2012 10:31 am | Updated: 9:10 pm, Fri Nov 30, 2012.
By Stephanie Schendel [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The defense attorney for the 26-year-old Centralia man accused of raping and murdering a toddler last May filed a motion Thursday to suppress evidence in relation to the case, alleging that Centralia police obtained it illegally by entering the house without a search warrant.

Centralia police initially responded with paramedics to 201 W. Oakview St. shortly before 3:30 p.m. May 24 to a report of a toddler who drowned in the bathtub.

When officers first arrived on scene, they checked the residence to make sure no one else was inside, according to the motion.

James M. Reeder told police he was bathing the child and left the room briefly to retrieve a towel and returned to find her facedown in the bathtub, according to court documents. Reeder then carried the body of the child over to an elderly neighbor’s house and told them to call 911 while he attempted to do CPR.
The motion alleges that when Centralia Detective Pat Beall first arrived on scene, he was briefed by the two other officers about the case. The detective, who had contacted Reeder about a month prior, knew that another child lived at the house and went inside to check for her, even after the initial responding officer told the detective a search had already been done.
While inside, Beall smelled marijuana, and went into the bathroom and put his hand inside the bathtub, which was full of water “cold to the touch.”

Beall then notified the hospital and was told that the child’s temperature, taken 30 minutes after she arrived at the ER, was 84 degrees, well below the average body temperature of 98.6 degrees, according to court documents.

That information, in addition to other things, was later used to obtain a search warrant of the residence.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer said while the evidence is a part of the prosecutor's case against Reeder, it will not be detrimental if it gets thrown out by the judge during the evidence suppression hearing set for Dec. 13.

“It’s a piece of the puzzle,” Meyer said. “Is it going to be fatal to our case if we lose? No. Is it going to be the reason why we win? No.”

Reeder’s is currently being held in the Lewis County Jail on $5 million bail awaiting his January trial. Meyer would not comment on whether he was considering a plea bargain with Reeder.

Reeder was the live-in boyfriend of the child’s mother, and had been staying at the house for about 10 weeks prior to the child’s death, which was also the time that the couple had started dating.

About one month prior to the toddler’s death, Reeder suggested that he and the girl’s mother split parenting duties, according to count documents. When the mother would leave, she would often take the older child and leave the younger one alone with Reeder.
The injuries on the child indicated evidence of prolonged physical and sexual abuse, including palm-sized pieces of skin missing from the child’s buttocks as well as other bruising and abrasions.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Posted: Thursday, December 13, 2012 1:53 pm
By Stephanie Schendel [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The murder case against the 26-year-old Centralia man accused of raping and murdering a toddler last May moves toward its January trial date as the suspect’s defense attorney continues to maintain that Centralia police obtained some of the evidence illegally.

The motion to suppress evidence, filed two weeks ago, argues that a Centralia detective entered the residence without a warrant, stuck his hand in the bathtub to check the temperature of the bathwater, then later used that information, in addition to other observations, to obtain a warrant to legally search the residence.

During a court appearance for James M. Reeder Thursday morning in Lewis County Superior Court, the date for the evidence suppression hearing was set for 1:30 p.m. Jan. 11 — two weeks before the murder trial is set to start. The hearing, which will likely last a few hours, will include testimony from at least three Centralia police officers who were first on scene that day.

Centralia police initially responded with paramedics to 201 W. Oakview St. shortly before 3:30 p.m. May 24 to a report of a toddler who drowned in the bathtub, according to the police report. When emergency personnel arrived, however, they found the body of 2-year-old Koralynn Fister cold to the touch and showing signs of severe physical and sexual trauma.

Reeder, who was the live-in boyfriend of the toddler’s mother, told police he was bathing the child and left the room briefly to retrieve a towel and returned to find her facedown in the bathtub, according to court documents. The mother was not home at the time.

The defense alleges that when Centralia detective Pat Beall arrived on scene, he was briefed by the two initial responding patrol officers about the situation. Beall had contacted Reeder about a month prior and knew a second child lived at the residence as well.

Beall entered the residence to do a welfare check on the other child, in order to ensure that she was not in the house, and while inside Beall went into the bathroom and put his hand inside the bathtub filled with cold water.

Since Centralia police did not have a warrant yet, the defense alleges the evidence of Beall sticking his hand in the bathtub water was obtained illegally. That is Ridiculous!!! This reminds me of TMLS's defense saying she did not have her Miranda Rights read to her while she was temporarily hand-cuffed. It's pathetic!

After testing the water of the bathtub, Beall then notified the hospital and was told that the child’s temperature, taken 30 minutes after she arrived at the ER, was 84 degrees, well below the average body temperature of 98.6 degrees, according to court documents.

Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer said previously he is not concerned about the motion and its potential impact on admissible evidence, adding that it is only one piece of a puzzle in the case against Reeder. If the judge does end up suppressing the evidence the action will not be detrimental to their case, Meyer said.

The prosecution plans to file a response to the defense’s motion by the end of the month. Reeder is currently being held in the Lewis County Jail with bail set at $5 million.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Posted: Friday, January 18, 2013 6:14 pm | Updated: 6:30 pm, Fri Jan 18, 2013.
By Stephanie Schendel / [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The 25-year-old man who pleaded guilty last week to rape and homicide by abuse in relation to the death of the Centralia toddler will be sentenced this March.

During James M. Reeder’s upcoming sentencing hearing, which will take place on March 6, a Lewis County Superior Court judge will decide the minimum sentence Reeder will serve in prison. Prosecutors indicated they will argue for a sentence in the higher end of the sentencing range — 37 and ½ years. Reeder’s court-appointed defense attorney will likely argue for the lower end of the sentencing range, which is 28 years.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

CHEHALIS, Wash. — A 25-year-old Centralia man was sentenced Wednesday to prison on rape and murder charges in the death of his girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter, but he claimed that he’s an innocent man.

On Wednesday, James Reeder was sentenced to a minimum 37 years to life in prison.

According to the prosecutor’s office, 2-year-old Koralynn Fister died after being hit in the head and drowned in a bathtub. Police found signs of abuse on her body.

Prosecutors said Reeder was the only person who was alone with Koralynn to inflict the injuries.

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Richard Thompson spoke with Reeder from his jail cell, and Reeder said he did not do the crime.

“It’s been a living hell for me in here. I’ve been called a rapist and a baby-killer for the last 10 months,” Reeder said.

Reeder said he tried to save Koralynn when he found her unresponsive after a bath.

“I run across the street and have the neighbors call 911 while I’m trying to give her CPR and save her life. I was terrified,” Reeder said.

Reeder never admitted guilt but entered a plea deal that resulted in a conviction because he could never get a fair trial in Lewis County.

“Everybody thinks I’m a monster and a baby-rapist and a murderer. You think I’m going to in front of a jury of 12 people and they are going to give me a fair chance at all in trial?” Reeder asked.

Thompson asked Reeder, “Why did you torture, rape and murder Koralynn?”

“I did not torture, rape and murder Koralynn,” said Reeder.

Even though Reeder claims he is innocent, as part of his plea deal, he gave up the right to appeal his conviction.
Reeder was the boyfriend of Koralynn’s mother, Becky Heupel, who will be charged with second-degree criminal mistreatment.

A Lewis County prosecutor said Heupel put her relationship with Reed ahead of her daughter’s safety.

The prosecutor’s office said Heupel has some developmental issues, but they won’t stand in the way of filing charges.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Wow!! Wonder how this 'mother' feels now. Pathetic!