A New Jersey couple has been accused of the unthinkable: causing harm to a defenseless child. The child in question is a 2-year-old girl, and is the daughter of a 25-year-old man whom police believe hurt her during a recent visit at his home. The second individual charged is the man's 24-year-old girlfriend, who also resides in the home. Both will need to devise a criminal defense strategy to address the charges of endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated assault.
The criminal charges were filed after the child's mother sought medical treatment for the toddler. The little girl had been with her father for a 3-day visit. Medical workers determined that the child suffered an injury that led to retinal hemorrhaging and bleeding within her brain. She remains hospitalized as of the time of this report, and there is no word on her prognosis for recovery.
It is unclear why police believe that these injuries were sustained during the child's visit with her father and not once she arrived back home. It is also not known whether the child may have suffered injuries during an accident while in the care of her father. In making the case against the couple, prosecutors will undoubtedly rely heavily on statements made by the child's mother.
As this case moves forward, additional details may become available. As for the two individuals charged with assault and endangering the welfare of a child, both will construct individual criminal defense strategies to present to the New Jersey court, should the charges stand. If the child was in fact harmed while visiting the couple's home, it is possible that only one individual acted in a way that led to the injuries described above. It is also possible that the toddler was injured through an accident, and that no one is to blame for her injuries.
Source: CBS Philly, "Gloucester County Couple Charged After Man's Young Daughter Seriously Injured", John McDevitt, May 9, 2015