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Emilliano died of skull fracture; mom Camilia Terry held on $2 million bond on aggravated murder charge
By Donna J. Miller, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The 20-year-old mother of slain 3-year-old Emilliano Terry was arraigned this morning on an aggravated murder charge and held in lieu of a $2 million bond. Prosecutor Brian Murphy told the judge that Emilliano died of blunt force trauma to the head. His skull was fractured, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office, Murphy said.
After the hearing, Camilia Terry's attorney, John Powers, said, "You should not rush to judgment. She is devastated and heartbroken." Her grandfather, Lonnie Terry, said he hadn't seen Camilia for the last four years, but, "I'm pretty sure she is not capable of murder."
The case against Terry will now move from Cleveland Municipal Court to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, where a grand jury will consider additional charges, like abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and obstructing justice. It is too soon to say whether the death penalty will be sought in the case, prosecutor's spokeswoman Maria Russo said.
Investigators are awaiting DNA test results to confirm the identity of the disfigured body found in compacted trash. The boy's body was also decomposed. Witnesses last saw Emilliano alive Wednesday, Nov. 21. Investigators are trying to determine when and where the slaying occurred.
Commander Ed Tomba said Terry's multiple posts on social media are also being investigated. Someone using her name posted a desperate comment Nov. 21 in a blog about adoption. "We are well aware of all them," Tomba said.
The search for Terry's son began Sunday at 5:15 p.m. and ended Monday afternoon, when FBI agents found a boy's body at a trash transfer station in Oakwood. The body was in a trash bag inside two other bags that had been picked up Monday from a Dumpster near Terry's apartment on Buckeye Road near East 130th Street, about a half-mile from Kossuth Park.
Police initially searched the apartment and found nothing suspicious, according to the police report. They then obtained a search warrant and removed some items as possible evidence.
Terry, a Tri-C student, initially told police that Emilliano had vanished from the park at East 121st Street and Williams Avenue, but her story changed Monday, Fourth District Commander Deon McCaulley said. She is no longer speaking with investigators.
Community activists held a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening at the park. At least 100 people attended, including the grandmother of Emilliano's older brother. She is trying to gain custody of the 5-year-old. What, if anything, he saw the day his brother was killed is not yet known.
The Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services has emergency custody of the 5-year-old and Terry's 5-month-old.
Terry, who has no adult criminal history, was in foster care from 2007 through February, agency spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan said. Three months later after she left foster care, Terry called the agency asking for help with the children.
At the age of 14, Terry gave birth to her first son in 2007 while in foster care.
With Plain Dealer reporter Michael Sangiacomo.
By Donna J. Miller, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The 20-year-old mother of slain 3-year-old Emilliano Terry was arraigned this morning on an aggravated murder charge and held in lieu of a $2 million bond. Prosecutor Brian Murphy told the judge that Emilliano died of blunt force trauma to the head. His skull was fractured, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office, Murphy said.
After the hearing, Camilia Terry's attorney, John Powers, said, "You should not rush to judgment. She is devastated and heartbroken." Her grandfather, Lonnie Terry, said he hadn't seen Camilia for the last four years, but, "I'm pretty sure she is not capable of murder."
The case against Terry will now move from Cleveland Municipal Court to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, where a grand jury will consider additional charges, like abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and obstructing justice. It is too soon to say whether the death penalty will be sought in the case, prosecutor's spokeswoman Maria Russo said.
Investigators are awaiting DNA test results to confirm the identity of the disfigured body found in compacted trash. The boy's body was also decomposed. Witnesses last saw Emilliano alive Wednesday, Nov. 21. Investigators are trying to determine when and where the slaying occurred.
Commander Ed Tomba said Terry's multiple posts on social media are also being investigated. Someone using her name posted a desperate comment Nov. 21 in a blog about adoption. "We are well aware of all them," Tomba said.
The search for Terry's son began Sunday at 5:15 p.m. and ended Monday afternoon, when FBI agents found a boy's body at a trash transfer station in Oakwood. The body was in a trash bag inside two other bags that had been picked up Monday from a Dumpster near Terry's apartment on Buckeye Road near East 130th Street, about a half-mile from Kossuth Park.
Police initially searched the apartment and found nothing suspicious, according to the police report. They then obtained a search warrant and removed some items as possible evidence.
Terry, a Tri-C student, initially told police that Emilliano had vanished from the park at East 121st Street and Williams Avenue, but her story changed Monday, Fourth District Commander Deon McCaulley said. She is no longer speaking with investigators.
Community activists held a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening at the park. At least 100 people attended, including the grandmother of Emilliano's older brother. She is trying to gain custody of the 5-year-old. What, if anything, he saw the day his brother was killed is not yet known.
The Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services has emergency custody of the 5-year-old and Terry's 5-month-old.
Terry, who has no adult criminal history, was in foster care from 2007 through February, agency spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan said. Three months later after she left foster care, Terry called the agency asking for help with the children.
At the age of 14, Terry gave birth to her first son in 2007 while in foster care.
With Plain Dealer reporter Michael Sangiacomo.
