Man pleads guilty to death of 3-year-old
Mauldin sentenced to 50 years for homicide by child abuse
ST. GEORGE — A man about to go on trial for the killing of a 3-year-old girl in January abruptly pleaded guilty Monday and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Donald Joseph Mauldin, 26, was charged with homicide by child abuse after Alyssa Carver suffered a fractured skull on New Year's Day. She died four weeks later.
At the time, Mauldin was the live-in boyfriend of Alyssa's mother, Brandy Carver of Summerville. Mauldin either hit the girl or caused her to hit her head, police said at the outset of the case.
First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe credited Summerville police and Trident Medical Center staff for providing evidence that showed Mauldin was responsible for the girl's injuries.
Mauldin initially told officers he heard a loud thump and found the girl lying motionless on the floor, a police report stated. He told police Alyssa fell and hit her head because a cast had just been removed for a broken thigh bone and she was unsteady on her feet.
A Trident Medical Center emergency room nurse, however, told police the damage to Alyssa's brain was inconsistent with a fall.
"Mr. Mauldin claimed that Alyssa's injuries were accidental, but there is nothing accidental about child abuse," Pascoe said. "He will have a long time to think about his actions on that horrible morning."
Mauldin was sentenced by Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein.
Carver, 23, was at work Jan. 1 when Alyssa was injured, according to initial reports. After learning of the injury, police contend Carver delayed getting medical treatment for the toddler.
She is charged with two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
One of the allegations is that she ingested marijuana while pregnant with another child, Pascoe said.
Shortly after the girl died, Brandy Carver went into labor and delivered a small, but healthy, baby girl she named Lucy. Mauldin was the newborn's father. The woman's two surviving children are in the custody of the state Department of Social Services, Pascoe said.
Social Services caseworkers investigate about 18,000 reports of child abuse and neglect each year. About 6,000 of those have merit, according to agency statistics.
Contact Schuyler Kropf at 937-5551 or skropf@ postandcourier.com.
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Comments
This article has 12 comment(s)
Posted by Hey_U_Guys on December 11, 2007 at 7:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
OH MY GOSH!!!!! How horrible. This is the first time I've heard about this terrible story. Poor little girl. Someone should put him in a body cast and fracture his skull. What is wrong with the mother?! Not taking her little girl to the ER RIGHT AWAY! It seems as though this sweet little girl is in a better place. That's really sad.
ALSO: Who broke her thigh bone?? If it was found that it was caused by child abuse or neglect, why wasn't the child taken somewhere safe?!
This is why people need to make anonymous calls to DSS if they fear something is going on. You just might save an innocent little child's life.
Posted by charlene68 on December 11, 2007 at 8:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope he rots there !!
Posted by RTC on December 11, 2007 at 8:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey_U_GUYS, you are right. The thigh bone or femur is the strongest bone in the body. It does not break that easily, especially in children, who have much more softer bones than adults.These poor little girl had been through hell.
This scum needs to go there himself, and I hope he experiences way worse than she while he is in prison.
Posted by Girleygirl on December 11, 2007 at 11:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
HeyUGuys- this was in the post and courier all last year and the little girl was so pretty. If I can find the article I will paste it for you. I still can remember her picture because I can't imagine all of the pain that that beautiful little girl went through. I felt sorry for her mother too. This was so sad.
I'm surprise you don't remember because you usually post comments on cases involving children...
Posted by Hey_U_Guys on December 11, 2007 at 11:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
GirleyGirl: I really didn't start reading the paper or watching the news until about February of this year. I guess I've been out of the loop, so to speak.
Posted by walleyedwoman1215 on December 11, 2007 at 5:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I worked in the local media for 21 years. The putative mother of this Neanderthal called one day cursing me and raving about how her darling son would never hurt Alyssa and he wuz framed somehow!
Ummm... Mom? Want to tell us what changed?
And people wonder why the media is so cynical.
Posted by Skittles on December 11, 2007 at 11:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This animal should be fried!! Then they wonder why our jails are so full??? At soon as he said that he was guilty of hurting that little girl there shouldn't be anymore questions asked!!! At least give that child justice and make that animal suffer like she had to suffer.. The mother don't seem to be any better.. At least we know that her other children won't be hurt from this animal...
Posted by cubanna on December 29, 2007 at 9:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
i happen to know this mans family... although not calling for help first was not smart i know that this man is not a child abuser. his morals and ethics would not allow him to do anything to hurt a child or for that matter anyone...his family has been through so much and i cant believe that the state would give him such a rough time... DJ is a great man and he comes from a wonderfull family and from what i can tell, someone eles is at fault... if anyone is at fualt and hasnt been blamed would be the mother. by telling the man not to call the cops untill she came home was the stupidest thing i think i have ever heard of . she turned on the father of her babies. and didnt feel at all ashamed....
Posted by lovemykids on December 30, 2007 at 9:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
cubanna...you couldnt have said that any more accurate. I also believe that the mother(Brandy) is totally at fault here. Why isnt she in jail yet? She let her baby die....both her and DJ deserve to be in jail for the rest of their lives.
Posted by cubanna on December 30, 2007 at 9:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
lovemykids-
i feel like someone has actully listened for the first time. however i feel like dj doesnt deserve life in prison...he made a mistake at the hands of brandy. after talking to my family it makes sense that the girl wouldnt be taken to the hospital by an abulence because her injuries seems to be minor at first. no one could have know the extent of her injuries by just looking at her...
Posted by lovemykids on January 25, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Has anyone heard anything new on this case? Is the mother in jail yet?
Posted by JDV on September 30, 2008 at 10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I HOPE THAT F***** DIES IN PRISON.