Dad sentenced to prison time for child's death
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on December 1, 2005 1:49 PM
A 37-year-old man from Dudley was sentenced Wednesday to about 10 to 12 years in prison for the beating death of his 5-month-old daughter.
Timothy R. Carmon of Outlaw Road pleaded guilty in Wayne County Superior Court to second-degree murder.
Carmon was charged Feb. 15, 2004, with inflicting a fatal wound to the baby's head. The child, Kalandra Rene Carmon, had been taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital two days earlier and then airlifted to Pitt County Memorial Hospital in Greenville, where she died.
Carmon was arrested by Sheriff's Detective Sgts. Tammy Odom and Tony Morris, who is no longer with the department.
The baby's death was attributed to abusive head trauma, according to the autopsy report from the state medical examiner's office.
A remorseful Carmon cried when he was allowed to address the court. Half of the courtroom was filled with his relatives and members from his church.
Carmon and his wife, Sandra, now have a 2-week-old child. His wife did not speak during the sentencing hearing.
Carmon also has several children from a previous relationship in Pitt County. One of the children also was the victim of abuse in 1995 when he was 9 months old, Mrs. Odom said. The child suffered four fractures and a large bruise. The abuse was substantiated by the Pitt County Department of Social Services.
Carmon was never charged in the case, Mrs. Odom said, because so many different caregivers had taken care of the baby and the investigation did not pinpoint Carmon as the suspect.
But Mrs. Odom said that if the current case had gone to trial, witnesses with knowledge of the Pitt County incident would have been subpoenaed to testify to show a pattern of abuse.
The state's case was presented in court by Assistant District Attorney Paige Rouse. Lawyer Allen Foster of Kinston represented Carmon.
Carmon was sentenced by Judge Jerry Braswell to 114 to 146 months in prison. He was credited with serving 57 days in jail while awaiting his sentencing hearing.
When the defendant completes 24 months in prison, Braswell recommended that Carmon be granted work release with 85 percent of his earnings being turned over to his dependents. Braswell also ordered Carmon to complete a parenting skills class.