Dad forced naked son, 9, into oven at family home

[MuffyBee]

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Dad-Accused-of-Forcing-Naked-9-Year-Old-Into-Oven-Report-93767454.html
Dad Accused of Forcing Naked 9-Year-Old Into Oven: Report
May 14, 2010

A Staten Island father stands accused of forcing his naked 9-year-old son into an oven because he believed the boy stole from his wallet, according to a report.

"I'm going to burn you alive!" 52-year-old James Moss, of Graniteville, allegedly shrieked at his son before shoving him into the oven and slamming the door, according to court papers obtained by The Staten Island Advance.

Authorities told the paper the enraged father didn't turn the oven on with the terrified child inside, but he did allegedly turn on the stove burner and hold the boy's hands over it for at least 120 seconds, inflicting second- and third-degree burns on the child. 

The victim was taken to Staten Island University Hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

The horrific fracas apparently began at around 9 p.m. Wednesday when the 6"3' Moss accused the cowering child of rummaging through his wallet. Moss told cops he believed tossing the boy in the oven was just punishment for the alleged crime; he also allegedly told police he whacked the boy in the back with a spatula and slapped his face.

“My son stole some money from my wallet and I burnt him and burnt his hand on the stove,” Moss told cops, according to court papers obtained by the Advance.

Moss was charged with second-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child. He didn't make bail and is in custody at Rikers Island. The name of his attorney wasn't immediately available.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/local_news/staten_island/report-dad-puts-boy-in-oven-staten-island-20100514-kc
Man Put Son In Oven For Punishment, D.A. Says
9-Year-Old Suffered Burns
May 14, 2010

MYFOXNY.COM - A man on Staten Island threatened to "burn" his nine-year-old son "alive" after the child went through his parents' wallet, according to the district attorney.

The incident happened in the Graniteville neighborhood at about 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan.  The home is in the gated community called Regal Walk.

James Moss, 52, allegedly placed the boy's hand over an open flame on a gas stove, causing second- and third-degree burns. He then struck the boy in the back with a spatula, slapped him in the face and dragged him across the floor, police said.

He then allegedly stuffed the naked boy into the oven and snarled, "I'm going to burn you alive," but didn't light the oven, according to the NYPost.com .

Moss is described as an imposing figure at 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 270 pounds. Christopher Moss, 9, was treated at Staten Island University Hospital for second and third-degree burns to his hands.

Moss was jailed and faces several charges including endangering the welfare of a child and assault.  He has posted bail from Rikers Island according to the Department of Corrections Web site

[MuffyBee]

http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2010/05/cops_staten_island_dad_puts_bo.html
Cops say Staten Island dad put boy, 9, in the oven after he goes through his wallet
May 14, 2010


The alleged crime happened in this townhouse development on Regal Walk in Graniteville, authorities said.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 9-year-old boy was forced naked into the oven of his Graniteville home by his enraged father, police said.

The boy’s crime? He apparently foraged in his parent’s wallet.

"I’m going to burn you alive!” James Moss, 52, yelled at young Christopher before closing the oven door, according to court papers.

Investigators say the hulking Moss— he stands 6 feet, 3 inches and weighs 270 pounds — did not light the oven with Christopher inside, but the boy suffered second- and third-degree burns of his hands when his father held them over the burner’s open flame for two minutes, court documents state.

Christopher was taken to Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, for treatment of his injuries.

The boy’s hellish ordeal began Wednesday at about 9 p.m. inside the family's townhouse apartment at 40 Regal Walk, according  to a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan.

Moss accused his son — a fraction of the size of his imposing father — of stealing from him, and claimed that burning his son’s hand and tossing him into the oven was a justified course of discipline, authorities said.

“My son stole some money from my wallet and I burnt him and burnt his hand on the stove,” Moss told police, according to court papers.

Moss also hit his son in the back with a spatula, smacked his face and dragged him across the floor, scratching the boy’s knees, police said.

Prosecutors charged Moss with second-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
Moss didn’t post his $15,000 bail or bond and was remanded to Rikers Island, according to the city Department of Correction Web site.

Reached on the telephone, Moss’ wife declined comment on her husband’s arrest.

The case is being investigated by the Staten Island Special Victims Squad.

The accusations put Moss in some pretty poor company: Island parents who have tortured their children, oftentimes resulting in death.

On May 18, 2007, Joseph Wallace of Port Richmond sodomized and fatally beat his 2-month-old son in a beer-fueled rage.

Wallace, 24, was sentenced to a minimum 15 years to life behind bars after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.

On Aug. 7 that same year, 20-month-old Hailey Gonzalez of New Brighton was viciously beaten and violently thrown into her crib by her mother’s boyfriend, Edwin Garcia.

The toddler’s mother, Marlene Medina, waited more than five hours to seek medical attention for Hailey.

Garcia, 32, was sent to prison for 25 years while Ms. Medina, 27, was given two to six years behind bars for manslaughter.

And in April, Melissa Sekulski of Mariners Harbor was sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing her son, Jaquan Porter, on Dec. 26, 2008. She had pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.

Ms. Sekulski, 31, restrained her 10-year-old son’s hands with duct tape as she beat him to death in their apartment. Ms. Sekulski pummeled the boy, who weighed more than 260 pounds at the time of his death, for being obese, investigators said.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/118710/burned-s-i--boy-released-from-hospital
(video)
Burned S.I. Boy Released From Hospital
May 15, 2010

A Staten Island boy who was burned when his father allegedly held his hands over an oven burner for two minutes has been released from Staten Island University Hospital.

The boy was released to his mother's care, according to the Staten Island district attorney.

Burned S.I. Boy Released From Hospital
Court papers say James Moss, 52, seen right, also put his nine-year-old son Christopher inside an oven in their Graniteville home for stealing money from his wallet. Authorities say Moss claimed the punishment fit the crime.

Christopher was not hurt in the oven because it was not on, but he suffered second and third-degree burns on his hands from the burner. Court papers say his father also slapped him in the face, hit him with a spatula and dragged him across the floor.

Prosecutors have charged Moss with second-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child, and the district attorney's office said there is an order of protection against him.

The case is being investigated by the Staten Island Special Victims Squad and the Administration for Children's Services.

Moss posted $15,000 in bail and is due back in court on Tuesday.

[Sister]

released to his mother's care . . . what does that mean?