Sept 1 2009

9:30 AM

BOISE - A grand jury indictment paints a graphic picture of the death of 8-year-old Robert Manwill and the alleged roles his mother, Melissa Scott Jenkins, and her boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick, played.

Fourth District Judge Deborah Bail read aloud the grand jury indictment this morning in Ada County court. The document states Ehrlick brutally beat Manwill using his hands, feet, knees or fists over a prolonged period of time. The beating caused abdominal injuries and head injuries, including brain swelling and internal bleeding from which Manwill died.

The indictment also states that Ehrlick intended either to commit aggravated battery or intended to torture and kill Manwill.

The indictment states Jenkins aided and abetted in the beating.

Jenkins "actively and repeatedly" hid Manwill from government authorities and others who may have observed his injuries and suffering, did not seek treatment for the injuries and did not remove him from Ehrlick's custody despite her knowledge of the beatings, the document states.

In addition to the first degree murder charges, Ehrlick and Jenkins also face charges for failing to report Manwill's death to police.

The couple did not enter a plea on the charges. They are expected to enter a plea at their next court appearance at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 1.


The couple did not enter a plea on the charges. They are expected to enter a plea at their next court appearance at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 1.

http://www.justiceforrobert.com/index.php?action=post;msg=57;topic=52.0;bcee08a7ffe=612c437b5dcea43c1e06b28189055c46

Boise, Idaho -- It was the first day in court for the people accused of killing 8-year-old Robert Manwill.

It seemed accusatory fingers were pointing the direction of Manwill's mother, Melissa Jenkins, and her boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick, the moment Manwill went missing, but most of that was based on speculation, and now what police have uncovered is beginning to come to light.

Jenkins and Ehrlick entered the courtroom with little emotion on their faces, and that's how they remained through most of the arraignment as they answered general questions concerning things like the spelling of their names.

And that's likely how the arraignment would have ended, had it not been for an unusual announcement from Jenkins' attorney.

"Judge," asked her attorney, "Miss Jenkins is illiterate, so we would ask for a formal reading."

Often, lawyers will forgo a public reading of their client's indictment, but since Jenkins is unable to read it became necessary to go word for word through the indictment, which spells out just how Manwill died.

"Non-accidental abusive head trauma and or abdominal injures from which the child died or on around July 24, 2009," read Ada County judge Deborah Bail.

Jenkins and Ehrlick are both charged with first degree murder in this case for an alleged brutal beating that eventually ended in Manwill's death. But even more disturbing, the charges indicate the beating may have lasted for sometime -- beginning in June and ending July 24.

Incidentally, those charges also include a potential for torture.

"By intentionally inflicting upon Robert G. Manwill extreme or prolonged pain with the intent to cause suffering to execute vengeance or to satisfy some sadistic inclination," read Bail.

The details are sure to come out during the trial, if there is one, since there's no word yet as to how the two will plead. Nor do we know just yet whether or not prosecutors will seek the death penalty.

"Under the law we have 60 days to make a determination on whether or not we intend to sign a notice of intent to seek the death penalty," said Greg Bower, Ada County Prosecuting Attorney.

On top of first degree murder, Ehrlick is also charged with failing to report a death, which has a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Jenkins is also charged as an accessory to the same crime. That penalty is up to five years in prison.

Boise, Idaho -- It was the first day in court for the people accused of killing 8-year-old Robert Manwill.

It seemed accusatory fingers were pointing the direction of Manwill's mother, Melissa Jenkins, and her boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick, the moment Manwill went missing, but most of that was based on speculation, and now what police have uncovered is beginning to come to light.

Jenkins and Ehrlick entered the courtroom with little emotion on their faces, and that's how they remained through most of the arraignment as they answered general questions concerning things like the spelling of their names.

And that's likely how the arraignment would have ended, had it not been for an unusual announcement from Jenkins' attorney.

"Judge," asked her attorney, "Miss Jenkins is illiterate, so we would ask for a formal reading."

Often, lawyers will forgo a public reading of their client's indictment, but since Jenkins is unable to read it became necessary to go word for word through the indictment, which spells out just how Manwill died.

"Non-accidental abusive head trauma and or abdominal injures from which the child died or on around July 24, 2009," read Ada County judge Deborah Bail.

Jenkins and Ehrlick are both charged with first degree murder in this case for an alleged brutal beating that eventually ended in Manwill's death. But even more disturbing, the charges indicate the beating may have lasted for sometime -- beginning in June and ending July 24.

Incidentally, those charges also include a potential for torture.

"By intentionally inflicting upon Robert G. Manwill extreme or prolonged pain with the intent to cause suffering to execute vengeance or to satisfy some sadistic inclination," read Bail.

The details are sure to come out during the trial, if there is one, since there's no word yet as to how the two will plead. Nor do we know just yet whether or not prosecutors will seek the death penalty.

"Under the law we have 60 days to make a determination on whether or not we intend to sign a notice of intent to seek the death penalty," said Greg Bower, Ada County Prosecuting Attorney.

On top of first degree murder, Ehrlick is also charged with failing to report a death, which has a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Jenkins is also charged as an accessory to the same crime. That penalty is up to five years in prison.

Boise, Idaho -- It was the first day in court for the people accused of killing 8-year-old Robert Manwill.

It seemed accusatory fingers were pointing the direction of Manwill's mother, Melissa Jenkins, and her boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick, the moment Manwill went missing, but most of that was based on speculation, and now what police have uncovered is beginning to come to light.

Jenkins and Ehrlick entered the courtroom with little emotion on their faces, and that's how they remained through most of the arraignment as they answered general questions concerning things like the spelling of their names.

And that's likely how the arraignment would have ended, had it not been for an unusual announcement from Jenkins' attorney.

"Judge," asked her attorney, "Miss Jenkins is illiterate, so we would ask for a formal reading."

Often, lawyers will forgo a public reading of their client's indictment, but since Jenkins is unable to read it became necessary to go word for word through the indictment, which spells out just how Manwill died.

"Non-accidental abusive head trauma and or abdominal injures from which the child died or on around July 24, 2009," read Ada County judge Deborah Bail.

Jenkins and Ehrlick are both charged with first degree murder in this case for an alleged brutal beating that eventually ended in Manwill's death. But even more disturbing, the charges indicate the beating may have lasted for sometime -- beginning in June and ending July 24.

Incidentally, those charges also include a potential for torture.

"By intentionally inflicting upon Robert G. Manwill extreme or prolonged pain with the intent to cause suffering to execute vengeance or to satisfy some sadistic inclination," read Bail.

The details are sure to come out during the trial, if there is one, since there's no word yet as to how the two will plead. Nor do we know just yet whether or not prosecutors will seek the death penalty.

"Under the law we have 60 days to make a determination on whether or not we intend to sign a notice of intent to seek the death penalty," said Greg Bower, Ada County Prosecuting Attorney.

On top of first degree murder, Ehrlick is also charged with failing to report a death, which has a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Jenkins is also charged as an accessory to the same crime. That penalty is up to five years in prison.

http://www.fox12idaho.com/Global/story.asp?S=10959877&nav=menu439_2

Eight-year-old Robert Manwill was beaten over weeks of "escalating physical violence" that finally climaxed in his death, according to details released Wednesday in the indictments of his mom and her boyfriend.

Ada County Coroner Erwin Sonnenberg said the boy died from blunt force trauma "on or about" the July 24 night he was reported missing.

State officials won't say how Robert and his 16-month-old half brother Aidan were allowed back in the home with their mother, Melissa Jenkins, who just months earlier had pleaded guilty to fracturing Aidan's skull.

Health and Welfare officials won't release details on any child protection cases in the home. Custody documents for Robert show that Melissa Jenkins had the right to see her son seven weeks each summer.

Two short but shocking indictments filed against Jenkins and her boyfriend, Daniel Ehrlick Jr., offer the most detailed glimpse of what police and prosecutors say happened. A grand jury contends that violence against the boy started as early as June.

It's unclear whether Robert was staying the whole time in the Oak Park Village apartment his mother and her boyfriend shared; neither police nor family members are saying.

But the indictments indicate that state officials may have been monitoring the family. According to the grand jury, Jenkins "did actively and repeatedly hide (Robert) from government authorities" and kept "other persons from observing the ongoing harm."

The indictments - charging both Jenkins and Ehrlick with first-degree murder and failure to report a death - were graphic.

The grand jury said Ehrlick repeatedly abused Robert and eventually killed the boy by the "intentional application of torture ... by inflicting extreme or prolonged pain with the intent to cause suffering, to execute vengeance, or to satisfy some sadistic inclination, by inflicting repeated acts of blunt force trauma to the abdomen and/or head of Robert Manwill."

Many of the terms used in the indictment were taken directly from Idaho's law on first-degree murder. Officials haven't released any specific details of how the abuse played out.

The indictment against Robert's mother, though, said she "had active knowledge of Robert's bodily injuries, visible bruises and other physical and emotional harm." The indictment says she not only failed to protect or seek medical attention for Robert, but she kept his abuse from others.

It says she continued to leave Robert with Ehrlick despite the knowledge that he was "inflicting repeated acts of physical violence" on the boy; and that she lied to police about Robert's whereabouts after she knew he was dead.

Now, the community is clamoring for answers about how this could have happened.

Health and Welfare Director Richard Armstrong said Wednesday that the law prohibits his department from releasing information on Robert's case - even now that the boy is dead.

The department has performed an internal review and is satisfied, Armstrong said. Any further information will come from the Ada County Prosecutors' Office during court proceedings, he said.


http://www.idahostatesman.com/robertmanwill/story/871177.html

08/19/09

1992

Daniel Ehrlick Jr. spends the first of several stints in prison. He has been convicted of burglary, battery and possession of drug paraphernalia.

JUNE 2001

Melissa Jenkins' first son, Robert, is born. A month later, Jenkins marries his dad, Charles Lee Manwill. They divorce about a year later.

MAY 2003

Jenkins is married again, this time to Frank Seiber. They divorce in 2006.

NOVEMBER 2006

Jenkins' second child, RayLynn Scott Ames, is born. The girl's father, Russell Ames, and Jenkins never marry.

2007

Jenkins meets Ehrlick Jr. at a poker game, according to family and friends.

JANUARY 2008

Jenkins ends up in a hospital with pregnancy complications and asks Charles Manwill to take custody of Robert.

FEBRUARY 2008

Jenkins has another son, Aidan.

OCTOBER 2008

Aidan's skull is fractured. He is put into the custody of Idaho Health and Welfare. Five months later, Jenkins pleads guilty to a misdemeanor charge of injury to a child and is sentenced to 29 days of work release, fined $75.50 and put on probation through March 2011. According to court records, she "did willfully inflict" the wound by "striking the child's head on a surface." By summer 2009, Aidan is back with Jenkins and Ehrlick. He has since been put back into state custody, according to family and friends.

JULY 24, 2009

10:11 p.m. Robert is reported missing from the Oak Park Village apartment complex near Vista Avenue, launching a massive search.

JULY 27, 2009

Robert's family - including Jenkins and her boyfriend, Ehrlick Jr. - attend a press conference calling for help.

JULY 30, 2009

A forensics team searches the apartment where Robert was staying with his mother and Ehrlick Jr. They remove items and tow a vehicle.

JULY 31, 2009

An organized search brings out an estimated 2,300 volunteers.

Police report that they have evidence indicating Robert may have been injured or could be a "victim of a tragic event."

Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center confirms that Ehrlick Jr. had been admitted and released from the hospital. He was treated for mental issues, according to a family member.

That night, investigators search a house and dig up its backyard on the 6600 block of Southdale Avenue. Resident Evan Wallis said he knows Robert's family but doesn't know why police are searching. He tells police someone stole his Chevy Suburban on July 22.

AUG. 3, 2009

A boy's body is found in the New York Canal near Cloverdale Road in southern Ada County. In contrast with previous press updates, Robert's family does not attend this news conference.

AUG. 5, 2009

Dental records confirm that the body is Robert's. Boise police say the autopsy showed Robert's death was "not an accident" and say they are beginning a homicide investigation.

AUG. 18, 2009

Jenkins and Ehrlick Jr. are indicted by a grand jury on a charge of first-degree murder in connection with Robert's death.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/102/story/869931.html?storylink=omni_popular

Eight-year-old Robert Manwill was killed by Daniel Erhlick Jr., who tortured and beat him to death while Manwill's mother, Melissa Jenkins, hid her son from government authorities who might have helped him.

So says an Ada County grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday morning in 4th District Court.

Ehrlick Jr., 36, inflicted repeated acts of blunt-force trauma to the abdomen and/or the head of Manwill with his hands, knees, fists and/or feet and/or by other means of physical force, physical abuse or emotional abuse, according to the indictment. The beatings caused bruises, abdominal bleeding and injuries and head injuries that prompted Manwill's death on or about July 24.

The indictment alleges that Ehrlick Jr. intentionally tortured Manwill "with the intent to cause suffering, to execute vengeance or to satisfy some sadistic inclination by inflicting on Robert G. Manwill extreme or prolonged acts of brutality with the intent to cause suffering."

Jenkins, 30, a mother of three, had knowledge of the beatings and repeatedly hid her son from authorities and others who might have intervened. She also failed in her duty to seek medical attention for her son's injuries, despite knowing Manwill "was being subjected to escalating physical violence” by Erhlick, according to the indictment.

Neither entered a plea and are expected to do so on Sept. 1.

Eight-year-old Robert Manwill was killed by Daniel Erhlick Jr., who tortured and beat him to death while Manwill's mother, Melissa Jenkins, hid her son from government authorities who might have helped him.

So says an Ada County grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday morning in 4th District Court.

Ehrlick Jr., 36, inflicted repeated acts of blunt-force trauma to the abdomen and/or the head of Manwill with his hands, knees, fists and/or feet and/or by other means of physical force, physical abuse or emotional abuse, according to the indictment. The beatings caused bruises, abdominal bleeding and injuries and head injuries that prompted Manwill's death on or about July 24.

The indictment alleges that Ehrlick Jr. intentionally tortured Manwill "with the intent to cause suffering, to execute vengeance or to satisfy some sadistic inclination by inflicting on Robert G. Manwill extreme or prolonged acts of brutality with the intent to cause suffering."

Jenkins, 30, a mother of three, had knowledge of the beatings and repeatedly hid her son from authorities and others who might have intervened. She also failed in her duty to seek medical attention for her son's injuries, despite knowing Manwill "was being subjected to escalating physical violence” by Erhlick, according to the indictment.

Neither entered a plea and are expected to do so on Sept. 1.

Eight-year-old Robert Manwill was killed by Daniel Erhlick Jr., who tortured and beat him to death while Manwill's mother, Melissa Jenkins, hid her son from government authorities who might have helped him.

So says an Ada County grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday morning in 4th District Court.

Ehrlick Jr., 36, inflicted repeated acts of blunt-force trauma to the abdomen and/or the head of Manwill with his hands, knees, fists and/or feet and/or by other means of physical force, physical abuse or emotional abuse, according to the indictment. The beatings caused bruises, abdominal bleeding and injuries and head injuries that prompted Manwill's death on or about July 24.

The indictment alleges that Ehrlick Jr. intentionally tortured Manwill "with the intent to cause suffering, to execute vengeance or to satisfy some sadistic inclination by inflicting on Robert G. Manwill extreme or prolonged acts of brutality with the intent to cause suffering."

Jenkins, 30, a mother of three, had knowledge of the beatings and repeatedly hid her son from authorities and others who might have intervened. She also failed in her duty to seek medical attention for her son's injuries, despite knowing Manwill "was being subjected to escalating physical violence” by Erhlick, according to the indictment.

Neither entered a plea and are expected to do so on Sept. 1.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/74027.html

08/09/09

The case of 8-year-old Robert Manwill has raised two persistent questions:

® Why did his mother get 30 days in jail, a suspended fine and probation for fracturing the skull of Robert's infant half brother?

® Why was the baby allowed to return to his mother, who was still on probation for harming him?

Robert was found dead on Monday after being missing for more than a week. Boise police say they are investigating his death as a homicide. Robert spent most of his time living with his father in New Plymouth but was visiting his mother in Boise at the time of his disappearance on July 24.

WHY DID MELISSA JENKINS GET THE SENTENCE SHE DID?

In March, Robert's mother, Melissa Jenkins, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor injury to a child after Robert's half brother, Aidan Ehrlick, then 8 months old, suffered a fractured skull in October and was placed in foster care.

Jenkins claimed she hadaccidentally hit the baby's head on a table while burping him.

The penalty for misdemeanor injury to a child is up to $1,000 in fines and 60 days in jail. Jenkins' sentence was less than that: 30 days in jail, $75 in court costs and two years' probation.

Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Fafa Alidjani, who handled the case, said the sentence was based on an agreement with Jenkins' lawyer, public defender Ann Cosho.

Alidjani said she made the deal because she didn't have forensic evidence to disprove Jenkins' version of the story beyond a reasonable doubt, which she would have had to do in a trial.

"No one else was there to see it," Alidjani said. "My personal opinion of what happened wouldn't have mattered."

Alidjani said the sentence the lawyers negotiated was the best one for the time and circumstance, and seemed the best to get Jenkins back on track as a parent.

"Your hope is that a sentence provides that no one will be harmed in the future," Alidjani said.

WHY WAS THE BABY RETURNED TO HIS MOTHER?

Jenkins and boyfriend Daniel Ehrlick had been working to get Aidan back since Jenkins' sentencing in March.

Carol Carrillo, their friend and neighbor, said the couple was taking court-ordered parenting and anger-management classes, and that Aidan had been back in the home for about two months at the time of Robert's disappearance.

Jenkins and Ehrlick had earned custody of Aidan in stages, as is common in such cases: first with supervised visits away from their home, then supervised visits at the apartment where they lived.

Ehrlick finished his series of classes before Jenkins, so for a time the baby was able to stay overnight, but only if Jenkins stayed somewhere else, Carrillo said.

"She didn't care. Whatever it took to get the kids back. She said that whatever she and Danny had to do, they would do it."

WHAT'S THE STATE'S PROCESS FOR DECIDING CUSTODY CASES?

The Department of Health and Welfare treats every case of suspected child abuse individually, said department spokeswoman Emily Simnitt. But for any report of child abuse from any source, the state takes the same general steps.

"When we get a referral about a child being abused or neglected, we work with law enforcement to determine whether there's imminent danger to the child.

"If we, and law enforcement, come to the conclusion that child safety is at risk, we work with prosecutors and the court to make the determination of whether that child should be put into foster care," Simnitt said.

If a child is taken into state care, the department develops a case plan for that child. That plan might include living with foster parents or with relatives.

"During that time the case is reviewed by the courts. We do try to work toward reunification when it's possible," Simnitt said.

The court also may order parents to take classes, or be evaluated for drug or mental health issues as part of the case plan, said Matt Hyde, who directs the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program, a nonprofit that matches a trained volunteer with every child in foster care.

Many custody cases involving possible child abuse don't go to criminal court and never become public. Even in cases that result in criminal charges, state records involving child custody remain sealed to protect the child.

WHY WAS ROBERT ALLOWED TO VISIT HIS MOTHER'S HOME?

The presence of numerous children in a household naturally complicates custody issues.

In many cases, if one child in a family is abused, all the children in that family are brought into the foster system, Hyde said.

At other times, that doesn't happen, in particular when parents are doing everything the court has told them to do and everything appears to be going well, he added.

"In a case like Jenkins', with both the civil custody case and the criminal case occurring last year, lots of time had passed, and there had been lots of progress. Which is not to defend the actions of the parents," Hyde said.


http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/860183.html

I am very angry and hurt that this precious child had to go this way. Why!!! When will they be justice for Robert.