Father claims he threw baby from bridge

[Robinrs]

A couple of years ago there was a sicko who threw his 4 children off a bridge in Alabama. As much as I want to have faith in a higher power I just don't understand when tragic things happen to children.

It's not the higher power but the stupid people with free will who do these things.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

...Could this have been prevented if the authorities had responded sooner?

A question that cannot be answered with any certainty. Me - I'll leave 100% of the blame on the man who committed the crime instead of asking unanswerable questions which aren't going to help anyone.

 

[JessicaR]

Apparently he was in court this morning. The baby's mother was there and they interviewed her, she totally lacked any expression or emotion. I'm not sure and I am trying to find the interview online but it seems she doesn't believe he did this and that they should be looking elsewhere or the baby.

I caught the end of it but she seemed so nonchalant. I was surprised when they said it was the mother.

 

[cheermom1]

Apparently he was in court this morning. The baby's mother was there and they interviewed her, she totally lacked any expression or emotion. I'm not sure and I am trying to find the interview online but it seems she doesn't believe he did this and that they should be looking elsewhere or the baby.

I caught the end of it but she seemed so nonchalant. I was surprised when they said it was the mother.

She might be in shock and not wanting to believe it ..

 

[FireDancer]

Our traffic cameras run 24/7.

I'm sure they run 24/7 but they are most likely not recorded 24/7, if at all.

 

[JessicaR]

She might be in shock and not wanting to believe it ..

Yes, shock, sedated, could be any of those. It just struck me as odd.

 

[jacksonsmom]

we had a similar story happen a few years back.
A mother threw her twin babies off the highest bridge in the state.
Many people witness it, one baby was pulled from the river and survived, the other died

I will understand why some people do things like this to innocent babies. breaks my heart every time

 

[cheermom1]

Yes, shock, sedated, could be any of those. It just struck me as odd.

I'd probably look the same though as I'm not an emotional person and I would rather believe that my child was still alive especially since they haven't found the baby...

 

[DizBelle]

A couple of years ago there was a sicko who threw his 4 children off a bridge in Alabama. As much as I want to have faith in a higher power I just don't understand when tragic things happen to children.

I just don't understand when tragic things happen to anybody regardless of age. Adults don't "deserve tragedy" more than children.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I just don't understand when tragic things happen to anybody regardless of age. Adults don't "deserve tragedy" more than children.

Agreed, but I am touched by children more than adults - so their tragedies seem so much more powerful. I can't even watch movies in which bad things happen to children...

 

[JessicaR]

Agreed, but I am touched by children more than adults - so their tragedies seem so much more powerful. I can't even watch movies in which bad things happen to children...

Same here.

It isn't like one is more horrendous than the other its just that children are so dependant on others keeping them safe, adults aren't. They are more vulnerable. Their age also comes into play with my emotions, a young child hasn't had any chance at life yet.

I feel great emotion for anyone that encounters tragedy.

 

[stashbin]

A couple of years ago there was a sicko who threw his 4 children off a bridge in Alabama. As much as I want to have faith in a higher power I just don't understand when tragic things happen to children.

Yes he did. I live about 30 minutes from the bridge. He was mad at the mother for not giving him any money for drugs, so he picked up the children (ages 9 months to 3 years old), drove them to the top of the bridge (10 story building high) and threw them from the bridge one by one. The sad thing about it is, that a couple of cars drove by and saw his car parked on top of the bridge but didn't stop. I often wonder if just one car had stopped, what could have been different.
It took our flotillas 2 weeks to recover all 4 bodies...this event caused a lot of pain for our community. Any MONSTER who would do something so vile needs to be destroyed. I really wanted them to drop him off of the bridge 5 times...one for each child and one for the mother!

 

[CapeMayMommy]

Apparently he was in court this morning. The baby's mother was there and they interviewed her, she totally lacked any expression or emotion. I'm not sure and I am trying to find the interview online but it seems she doesn't believe he did this and that they should be looking elsewhere or the baby.

I caught the end of it but she seemed so nonchalant. I was surprised when they said it was the mother.

denial.

 

[DeniseinNS]

any updates on this story? I was thinking about it the other day

 

[Silent1CB]

You always wonder what makes smart promising people do really evil stupid things.

 

[dislaney]

"battered the baby’s grandmother, punching her in the face and putting her in a chokehold. In a desperate attempt to stop Abdur-Raheem, police said, she chased him as he fled the apartment with Zara and blocked his car, described as a dark-colored minivan, with her body. She was then struck and knocked to the ground, suffering minor injuries."

Any updates. What kind of person would do this to a baby. I feel so sorry for the grandmother trying to stop him. This is horrible.

 

[Ember]

I am always left to wonder when they include information that someone is devout or that they prayed a lot. Regardless of religion, what does this matter? It just always seems to be included in storied like these...

Anyway, I can't think up a punishment good enough for people like this man. Taking away his freedom and sending him to prison just feels like it's not enough by a long shot. I think it's time we started looking into some cruel and unusual punishments...

 

[MM27]

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/85934342.html

This was the latest information from earlier this month.

Father pleads not guilty to throwing baby off bridge

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - An Atlantic County father pleaded not guilty yesterday to a charge that he murdered his 3-month-old daughter last month by throwing her off a Garden State Parkway bridge into the Raritan River.
Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem of Galloway Township appeared at an arraignment in New Brunswick via video link from the Essex County jail, where he was being held on $2 million bail. A public defender entered the plea on his behalf.

Authorities said Abdur-Raheem abducted Zara Malani-lin Abdur from her maternal grandmother's East Orange apartment on Feb. 16. He later parked his vehicle on the southbound shoulder of the highway over the Driscoll Bridge - which spans the Raritan between Sayreville and Woodbridge - and threw or dropped the baby from the front passenger window, state police said in a complaint that cited investigators' findings and statements from Abdur-Raheem and witnesses.

The child has not been found. The murder charge carries a possible sentence of 30 years to life in prison. - AP

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Just to update the story. They think they found the baby's body.
The article is from the nj1015.com website.

Posted: Monday, 26 April 2010 5:23AM


Body Near NJ River May Be Baby Thrown from Bridge


A body found Saturday near the Raritan River may be that of a 3-month-old girl whose father confessed to throwing her off a highway bridge earlier this year, state police said.

Clothing and wrappings in which the child were found are consistent with the descriptions of 3-month-old Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem, state police spokesman Sgt. Stephen Jones said. But he said the infant is considered unidentified until DNA testing or other means can prove her identity.

Prosecutors say the infant's father, Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem of Galloway Township, killed her several hours after abducting her from her grandmother's apartment in East Orange. He has pleaded not guilty to murder charges filed in Middlesex County, where the bridge is located, and several related charges in Essex County, where police say the kidnapping occurred.

Abdur-Raheem is being represented by the state public defender's office. Tom Rosenthal, an office spokesman, declined to comment Saturday afternoon on the discovery of a body.

The baby's mother, Venetta Benjamin, had been seeking a restraining order against Abdur-Raheem on the day the abduction occurred, he lawyer said. Jones said she has been notified of the discovery, but he declined to comment further.

A phone message left Saturday afternoon for Benjamin was not immediately returned.

Authorities have said Abdur-Raheem abducted the baby from her grandmother's apartment around 4 p.m. on Feb. 16, choking and assaulting the woman and then striking her with his van as she attempted to block his escape.

Abdur-Raheem later parked his vehicle on the southbound shoulder of the highway over the Driscoll Bridge -- which spans the Raritan River between Sayreville and Woodbridge -- and threw or dropped the baby from the front passenger window, authorities said.

Jones said the body was found just after 8:30 a.m. Saturday by people who were walking along the southern bank of the Raritan River in Sayreville. The baby was found just east of the Route 35 bridge, which is also known as the Victory Bridge, not far from where the baby is said to have been thrown.

An autopsy will be performed at the North Regional Office in Newark, Jones said, adding that DNA samples will be processed at the state police lab as soon as possible.


Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

 

[tiggger1]

poor baby