Post by LadyBlue on Oct 18, 2012 13:49:50 GMT -5
'Meat fed to the wildlife': Fury of Zahra's real mother as she sees 10-year-old disabled girl's evil stepmother jailed for murder
The biological mother of a disabled 10-year-old girl who was murdered and dismembered by her stepmother says her daughter was treated like a piece of meat and 'fed to the wildlife'.
Zahra Baker's remains were found scattered across her home state, and her stepmother Elisa Baker, 42, has pleaded guilty to the horrific murder and dismemberment of the child.
Baker was sentenced to 15 to 18 years in jail after admitting second-degree murder in the death of Zahra as part of a plea deal.
Emily Dietrich, her biological mother, said her daughter's death 'traumatised my family to the point of ripping it apart' and the girl was treated like a piece of meat and 'fed to the wildlife'.
Baker also pleaded guilty to attempting to thwart investigators by planting a fake ransom note at the family home.
Baker’s plea has angered many in North Carolina who believed she should have faced death penalty charges.
In striking her bargain, she has avoided a first degree murder conviction. She has not told authorities how Zahra died, or why.
What is known is that Elisa Baker sawed up the child's body and dispersed the parts across rugged terrain and in the woods, among the carcasses of dead animals.
The deal comes nearly a year after the Australian girl was reported missing from her home in the western North Carolina town of Hickory.
The disappearance of the freckle-faced girl captivated communities both in the U.S. and in Australia. Zahra's father had moved from Australia to the United States to marry Elisa after the two met online.
The little girl's murder remains a source of anger in North Carolina, especially because the child was so vulnerable.
Zahra had a prosthetic leg after losing her limb aged five, and wore two hearing aids after an early battle with bone cancer.
The child's head, hands and parts of her arms and legs have never been found, the court heard on Thursday.
Her prosthetic leg was discovered during a mammoth search for her remains that spanned three counties.
Officers described finding other parts of Zahra's body, including a vertebrae section which showed her spine had been sawed off just below the head.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1359272/Zahra-Baker-case-Stepmother-Elisa-jailed-murder-real-mother-reveals-fury.html
The biological mother of a disabled 10-year-old girl who was murdered and dismembered by her stepmother says her daughter was treated like a piece of meat and 'fed to the wildlife'.
Zahra Baker's remains were found scattered across her home state, and her stepmother Elisa Baker, 42, has pleaded guilty to the horrific murder and dismemberment of the child.
Baker was sentenced to 15 to 18 years in jail after admitting second-degree murder in the death of Zahra as part of a plea deal.
Emily Dietrich, her biological mother, said her daughter's death 'traumatised my family to the point of ripping it apart' and the girl was treated like a piece of meat and 'fed to the wildlife'.
Baker also pleaded guilty to attempting to thwart investigators by planting a fake ransom note at the family home.
Baker’s plea has angered many in North Carolina who believed she should have faced death penalty charges.
In striking her bargain, she has avoided a first degree murder conviction. She has not told authorities how Zahra died, or why.
What is known is that Elisa Baker sawed up the child's body and dispersed the parts across rugged terrain and in the woods, among the carcasses of dead animals.
The deal comes nearly a year after the Australian girl was reported missing from her home in the western North Carolina town of Hickory.
The disappearance of the freckle-faced girl captivated communities both in the U.S. and in Australia. Zahra's father had moved from Australia to the United States to marry Elisa after the two met online.
The little girl's murder remains a source of anger in North Carolina, especially because the child was so vulnerable.
Zahra had a prosthetic leg after losing her limb aged five, and wore two hearing aids after an early battle with bone cancer.
The child's head, hands and parts of her arms and legs have never been found, the court heard on Thursday.
Her prosthetic leg was discovered during a mammoth search for her remains that spanned three counties.
Officers described finding other parts of Zahra's body, including a vertebrae section which showed her spine had been sawed off just below the head.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1359272/Zahra-Baker-case-Stepmother-Elisa-jailed-murder-real-mother-reveals-fury.html