The medical examiner for the state of Florida described to a court in brutal detail the injuries he said were found on Joy King-Castro that led to charges of first-degree murder against her foster mom.
Dr. Sajid Qaiser said he counted at least 11 isolated contusions on Joy's head, seven on her face, three on her torso and at least six on other parts of her body. Qaiser said that the mark around her neck was consistent with strangulation made by either a belt or a piece of cloth or a rope.
A 4-year-old foster child died after bouncing from 5 different homes.
Mitchell is accused of first degree murder in the death of Joy who was in her care from June 7 to August 23. Mitchell has denied the charges. Mitchell told police that Joy had self- harm.
The second part of Mitchell's bond hearing was held at the Moore Justice Center in Viera.
Dr. Sajid Qaiser is the medical examiner for the county. The second part of Lakeisha Mitchell's bond hearing was held in the courtroom of Judge Samuel Bookhardt.
Mitchell's attorney questioned whether Joy's health issues could have contributed to her death or if they were indicative of a health issue that contributed to or led to her death.
Qaiser said that her injuries were recent.
He said it was a very recent event.
The person asked if Joy's injuries could have been caused by hitting her head against a wall. Even if Joy self-injured, Qaiser said it wouldn't matter. He said the injury would be very small.
Why it took Qaiser more than three months to prepare an autopsy report and why there wasn't a single cause of death was questioned by Wandner. It takes longer in complicated cases. Qaiser said that he didn't anticipate anything that would rule out his core findings in the draft report.
Qaiser said that the injuries to Joy, which included a mark that made a "dent" into her neck, appeared to have been made in the hours after Mitchell picked her up.
Julia Lynch asked if it was possible that a belt found on Mitchell's kitchen floor was used on Joy. Qaisar said yes.
Lynch said the child died from strangulation. The child is being argued by the defense that they are self-destructive. A 4 year old girl couldn't get her shoes on fast enough.
Lynch said that having a meltdown doesn't equate to the injuries found on the child.
Mitchell's lawyer asked if there was any evidence that Joy had been killed. The man said no.
Joy had only been in Mitchell's care for 11 weeks, but she had been placed in at least five other homes since January when she was removed from her mother's care.
Two other foster children were removed from Mitchell's home after allegations of abuse, but Joy came to live with him in June. The children were returned to their mother. Mitchell was not charged. The way Joy's case was handled caused her case manager to resign and send a letter to the state agency.
The second part of Lakeisha Mitchell's bond hearing was held in the courtroom of Judge Samuel Bookhardt.
Mitchell's exasperation with Joy became apparent in reports by a behavior analyst who held sessions with Joy and talked to Mitchell. The analyst's interview with police was made public.
A video of Mitchell telling Joy to die was shown to Mitchell and her mother by the prosecutor at Monday's hearing.
Mitchell told Joy to die because she was going to put her face into a fan. Mitchell told her mom that she cried like a baby after that.
The phone call was evidence of Joy's self-injurious behavior.
She may have gotten upset in that situation because of this evidence.
The child had been bounced out of four different homes, which is what her mom said. No one could handle her.
Mitchell called the police after she returned to find Joy submerged in the bathtub. Mitchell told police that Joy had been having a lot of trouble, pretending she couldn't walk and throwing herself on the ground. Mitchell tried to get her out of the water by putting her in a few inches of it. Mitchell said she had been told to do it by Potucek. Potucek denied ever instructing Mitchell to do this during an interview with a detective.
The child was found unconscious in the bathtub.
There was no evidence of a person being drowned.
Qaiser said the cause of death was strangulation. He said there were hemorrhages everywhere.
Judge Bookhardt listens to the attortney and prosecutor. Lakeisha Mitchell, facing multiple charges, including first-degree murder in the death of Joy King Castro, was in a courtroom for the second part of her bond hearing.
Lynch read a statement from Joy's mom, who said she was working to reconcile with her other children.
King said that Mitchell knew what she was doing. This was not a mistake.
Mitchell's lawyer asked for aGPS monitor, a reasonable bond, and other steps, like requiring Mitchell to live with her mother.
The judge said he would make a decision later this week.
FLORIDA TODAY has a reporter named Finch Walker. Walker can be reached at elwalker@floridatoday.com. finchwalker has a verified account
The article was originally on Florida Today.
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