Jada Justice, 2 Abducted From Parked Car, Gary Indiana 6/16/09 (Body found)

[Tina Bee]

After reading those two articles I think I'm going to be sick.

Poor Justice! She truly did suffer.

[Deenie]

After reading those two articles I think I'm going to be sick.

Poor Justice! She truly did suffer.

Tina  I don't understand it, and it makes my heart break ~ Jada was murdered, her body found tortured and disgraced, and they have the two people in custody who took her life .. and yet they cannot over a year later .. make a conviction. Sentence nor prosecute .....
Makes no sense to me what so ever.   

[Nut44x4]

Coroner's pathologist: Dozen injuries covered Jada's body
Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 12:00 am

CROWN POINT | Two hours of emotionally grueling testimony Tuesday depicted 2-year-old Jada Justice with injuries from the top of her head to the top of her feet.

"There were about a dozen injuries over most of the body surface," said John Cavanaugh, forensic pathologist with the Lake County coroner's office.

In attempting to describe the injuries for the jury, Cavanaugh said, "The problem is many of these are overlapping each other."

He determined the toddler's cause of death as blunt force injuries to the head, primarily a depressed fracture of the skull over the right eyebrow.

The skull fractures were consistent with blunt force trauma while the girl's fractured ribs could be consistent with the pressure of CPR, Cavanaugh said.

Autopsy findings indicated an impact to the top right side of the child's head that radiated to the left lower side of the skull.

Bruises covered the child's body to the tops of her feet, including an area on a thigh where she appeared to have been struck by a round object.

Cavanaugh initially led the jury through a series of photographs beginning with the block of concrete in which the child was found encased in a LaPorte County swamp in June 2009. More photographs depicted the removal of the body from the concrete.

The emotional impact of the graphic scenes prompted Lake Criminal Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. to remove the jury from the courtroom for a time prior to the viewing of equally disturbing autopsy photographs.

Defense attorneys today are expected to present their own medical experts who reportedly dispute Cavanaugh's findings regarding the cause of death.

Earlier in the day, the prosecution played about 2 1/2 hours of jailhouse audiotapes of defendant Engelica Castillo.

Castillo, 20, is charged with murder, neglect, battery and false informing in connection with the death of Jada, the daughter of her cousin, Melissa Swiontek, of Portage.

Authorities taped Castillo and co-defendant Timothy Tkachik, 25, while detained in the Hobart city jail. The couple were kept in adjacent cells where they could communicate with each other.

Castillo is heard attempting to persuade Tkachik to tell authorities the child's death was an accident.

Alternately crying and insisting they love each other, Castillo said to Tkachik, "We won't turn on each other, right?"
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hobart/article_320c7e8a-0287-5bba-b38c-cda2733d9f7c.html?print=1

[cookie]

that poor baby suffered terribly at the hands of these 2 idiots....chubby little feets and toes of toddlers are for kissing and tickling..not for bruises that are from being beaten! 
this is haunting what this little one went through..
I say, an eye for an eye..I would love to beat the chit outta these 2 myself..

[Tina Bee]

After reading those two articles I think I'm going to be sick.

Poor Justice! She truly did suffer.

Tina  I don't understand it, and it makes my heart break ~ Jada was murdered, her body found tortured and disgraced, and they have the two people in custody who took her life .. and yet they cannot over a year later .. make a conviction. Sentence nor prosecute .....
Makes no sense to me what so ever.   

This case is absolutely tragic because it's so senseless.

[Nut44x4]

August 13th, 2010

Jada Justice case: Cousin guilty in beating death of 2-year-old Jada, face life sentence

An Indiana woman has been convicted on all counts in the murder of 2-year-old Jada Justice, whose disappearance touched off a massive search last summer.

Engelica Castillo, 20, was Jada's cousin and was babysitting the girl when prosecutors say she and her boyfriend beat the child to death.

Castillo told authorities she had left Jada in the backseat of her car  on June 16, 2009 when she went into a gas station store in Gary to buy milk. She told police that when she came out, Jada was gone.

Jada's body was found ten days later in a swampy area of LaPorte County. Castillo and her boyfriend, Timothy Tkachik, 25, had tried to  burned Jada's body. That failed and they then encased her remains in concrete and buried her.

Tkachik struck a plea deal with prosecutors and testified against Castillo during the trial, according to NWI.Com He faces up to 50 years in prison when he is sentenced next month.

Castillo now faces life in prison and the jury is hearing arguments today on whether she should be sentenced to life without the chance of parole.
http://www.examiner.com/crime-in-chicago/jada-justice-case-cousin-guilty-beating-death-of-2-year-old-jada-face-life-sentence-1

[Deenie]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/f_-siNEh3YQ?fs=1&amp;amp;hl=en_US" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/f_-siNEh3YQ?fs=1&amp;amp;hl=en_US</a>

 

[Gizzie]

http://www.examiner.com/crime-in-chicago/jada-justice-case-jury-gives-life-sentence-to-woman-who-killed-jada-2

Jada Justice case: jury gives life sentence to woman who killed Jada

August 13th, 2010 11:32 pm

The Hobart, Indiana woman convicted of beating  2-year-old Jada Justice to death is sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison with no chance of parole. 

That was the sentence a Lake County Superior Court jury handed down tonight against Engelica Castillo, convicted yesterday in the murder of Jada Justice last year.

NWI.Com report Castillo sank to her knees and cried after the sentence was read out loud shortly after 7 p.m. following 90 minutes of deliberation.

The jury gave her the maximum penalty. The minimum sentence would have been 42 years in prison.

 

[MuffyBee]

 Thank you for the update, Gizzie.

Rest in peace Jada.  

[cookie]

http://www.examiner.com/crime-in-chicago/jada-justice-case-jury-gives-life-sentence-to-woman-who-killed-jada-2

Jada Justice case: jury gives life sentence to woman who killed Jada

August 13th, 2010 11:32 pm

The Hobart, Indiana woman convicted of beating  2-year-old Jada Justice to death is sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison with no chance of parole. 

That was the sentence a Lake County Superior Court jury handed down tonight against Engelica Castillo, convicted yesterday in the murder of Jada Justice last year.

NWI.Com report Castillo sank to her knees and cried after the sentence was read out loud shortly after 7 p.m. following 90 minutes of deliberation.

The jury gave her the maximum penalty. The minimum sentence would have been 42 years in prison.

 

thank God! justice for Jada!
I hope that Castillo has a horrible miserable time in prison..

[Nut44x4]

FINAL JUSTICE

Posted: 4:45 PM Sep 9, 2010

Life sentence given in NW Ind. toddler's death

A judge has formally sentenced a 20-year-old northwestern Indiana woman to life in prison without parole for killing her 2-year-old cousin.

Lake County Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. sentenced Engelica Castillo of Hobart on Thursday. He followed the recommendation of a jury that last month convicted Castillo of murder charges in the June 2009 beating death of Jada Justice.
http://www.wndu.com/indiana/headlines/102568469.html

[cookie]

FINAL JUSTICE

Posted: 4:45 PM Sep 9, 2010

Life sentence given in NW Ind. toddler's death

A judge has formally sentenced a 20-year-old northwestern Indiana woman to life in prison without parole for killing her 2-year-old cousin.

Lake County Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. sentenced Engelica Castillo of Hobart on Thursday. He followed the recommendation of a jury that last month convicted Castillo of murder charges in the June 2009 beating death of Jada Justice.
http://www.wndu.com/indiana/headlines/102568469.html

Justice for Jada!

[Sister]

I am glad Jada received Justice, but the POS boyfriend got off lucky as far as I am concerned.  I do understand his testimony was needed, but still, may his every day in prison be a living and tortured hell.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.post-trib.com/news/lake/2668884,lake-blotter0903.article
Law and Order
September 3, 2010

MERRILLVILLE

Merrillville police arrested Melissa Swiontek on Wednesday for invasion of privacy.

Swiontek allegedly violated the terms of a protective order by going to the home of her boyfriend Willie D. Barnes, Merrillville police spokesman D. Lance Huish said Thursday. She faces a misdemeanor charge.

Swiontek is the mother of Jada Justice, 2, who was killed by her cousin and babysitter Engelica Castillo. Castillo faces a sentence of life in prison after being convicted of murdering her cousin.

Swiontek has a hearing on the protective order Sept. 23 before Lake Superior Court Judge John Pera.Griffith

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wgntv.com/wgntv-jada-justice-tkachik-sentencing-sept10,0,7829088.story
(video)
2nd sentencing in Jada Justice murder today
Timothy Tkachik finds out today if he'll spend the next decades of his life in prison
September 10, 2010

Lake County, Ind. —
A man charged in connection with the death of 2-year-old Jada Justice finds out today if he will spend the next few decades in prison.

In June of 2009, the Portage girl was beaten to death in Lake County, Indiana. Her body was burned, encased in concrete and dumped in a swamp in LaPorte County.

Prosecutors say 25-year old Tim Tkachik of Hobart and his former girlfriend, 20-year old Engelica Castillo were responsible for Jada's murder. Castillo was the child's cousin. Castillo and Tkachik had been babysitting the girl and originally claimed she had been kidnapped. Later, Tkachik admitted the two beat the girl to death over spilled food. He then led investigators to the site south of Michigan city where the child's body was dumped.

On Aug. 12, Castillo was convicted of murder, neglect of a dependent, battery and false informing in connection with the death of Jada, according to the Lake County Prosecutor's office. The next day, the jury handed down a recommendation that she get life in prison without parole.Yesterday, Lake County Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. followed that recommendation and Castillo was formally sentenced to life in prison without parole plus five years, a release from the prosecutor's office said.

Tkachik pleaded guilty to two counts of neglect of a dependent. He will be sentenced today. Tkachik faces up to 50 years in prison.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.post-trib.com/news/2692298,new-castillo0910.article
Murderess Castillo gets life plus 5 years
Engelica Castillo sentenced for involvement in death of 2-year-old Jada Justice
September 10, 2010

Engelica Elisa Castillo, convicted of murder, neglect of a dependent, battery and false informing in the beating death of 2-year-old Jada Justice of Portage, was unapologetic as she was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus five years.

Castillo, 20, of Hobart, showed no remorse for her role in the death of her second cousin.

"I want to apologize for any grief, hurt, pain I caused to my family," she said, and asked that people not take her actions out on her mother, sister and brother.

"I did lie to the cops, which was wrong. I take responsibility for that," she said.

Trial supervisor David Urbanski argued that Lake Superior Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. should impose a sentence of life in prison because the case warrants it.

"Ms. Castillo is the one who delivered the blow that caused the depressed skull fracture, which caused the death of Jada Justice," Urbanski said of the jury finding.

Castillo interrupted Urbanski, and Stefaniak threatened to duct-tape her mouth if she spoke out of turn again.

Urbanski said he didn't know if Castillo was the "worst of the worst," a phrase used during sentencing hearings where the particularly heinous crimes warrant the harshest sentences.

What happened to Jada -- being beaten to death, her body burned, encased in cement and dumped in a rural LaPorte County swamp -- qualified Castillo as the "lowest of the low," Urbanski said.

"She offers nothing to society, contributes nothing to society, and deserves to die in prison."

Defense attorney Lemuel Stigler said during the trial, a defense expert forensic pathologist challenged evidence that Jada died of a depressed skull fracture.
Stigler argued that the mitigating circumstances the jury found -- her childhood experiences, including being molested and physically abused, lack of family support and her drug abuse -- warranted the minimum 45-year sentence.

"She should have been a CHINS (Child in Need of Services) child and stayed in the system. She did fall through the cracks," Stigler said of Castillo's time in the juvenile court system.

At the conclusion of the two-week trial, jurors convicted Castillo of all counts and returned a verdict of life without parole.

Prospective jurors were told that they, not the judge, would decide the sentence.

In court Thursday, however, Stefaniak said the law, which requires him to sentence "accordingly" to the jury verdict, could be interpreted to mean he had discretion to impose a term of years if he wanted.

As a result, the judge weighed aggravating and mitigating factors during the 21/2-hour hearing.

Stefaniak pointed out that Castillo and her then-boyfriend, Timothy Tkachik, 25, of Hobart, had Jada in the car with them to buy heroin in Chicago on June 13, 2009.

Jada stopped breathing while Castillo was driving. Instead of getting her to a hospital, Castillo and Tkachik said they performed CPR, then returned to their home, switched cars and went to Chicago for the drug deal.

After they'd disposed of the body, Castillo claimed the toddler had been abducted from a Gary gas station, setting in motion an exhaustive nine-day search by local, state and federal authorities.

"The sense of right and wrong should come swelling to the top," Stefaniak said in questioning Castillo about why she didn't try to get help or tell someone what had happened to the child.

Castillo maintained she was under the control of Tkachik, who she said changed her story many times.

She also complained about newspaper coverage of the case.

She said Tkachik led authorities to the body because he was afraid he'd be arrested on a Porter County warrant.

Jada's mother, Melissa Swiontek, commented on Castillo's lack of remorse.

"I was hoping for answers," Swiontek said. "I don't hear an 'I'm sorry.' All I heard was you."

Swiontek said if Castillo didn't want to take care of Jada, all she had to do was call her.

"We celebrate her birthday with pictures, a cake and balloon release," Swiontek said of her daughter, who was looking forward to preschool and riding the bus.

Swiontek said it wasn't a warrant that made Tkachik confess to his role in the murder. "Tim had a conscience," she said.

Tkachik pleaded guilty to two counts of neglect of a dependent and faces a maximum 50-year sentence.

His sentencing hearing, scheduled for today, will most likely be postponed.

Castillo said she plans to appeal.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.post-trib.com/news/porter/2695710,pbrief0911.article
Tkachik sentencing delayed
September 11, 2010

Post-Tribune staff report

Sentencing of Timothy Tkachik, former boyfriend of a Hobart woman sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Jada Justice, has been postponed.

No reason was given Friday for delaying the sentencing of Tkachik, 25, of Hobart, who pleaded guilty to two counts of neglect of a dependent in Jada's death.

Tkachik, who testified against co-defendant Engelica Castillo, faces a maximum 50-year prison sentence.

Lake Superior Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. rescheduled the sentencing to 10:30 a.m. Dec. 3.

[AmandaReckonwith]

Case archive album

http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm166/crankycrankerson/Jada%20Justice%20%20-IN-/