The End of the Story

Case BackgroundPre-TrialTrial Trial Update: 03.08.10SentenceView Sources

This is going to be an interesting case to follow once it gets started. William Page is accused of sexually assaulting and then taking his 18-month-old daughter out into the freezing cold, leaving her there to die. He then called police and claimed Nyia was kidnapped from his home.

The twist to this case is during the investigation into Nyia’s disappearance it was determined that a 6-year-old male child living in the home had allegedly been sexually assaulted by William Page a few hours prior to Nyia’s reported disappearance.

The judge on the case has ruled at this point that both cases can be tried simultaneously. William Page faces the death penalty if convicted of the murder of his daughter.

Page’s trial was set to start May 5, 2008. However, on the morning of the trial date Page was granted a continuance until January 2009. His attorney claims he needs more time to work on his client’s defense.

Pre-Trial 

Latest Pre-Trial Update

May 27, 2009: Page to get two trials

William Page is charged with crimes against two separate children. He is charged with the murder and sexual assault of his daughter, Nyia. He is also charged with the sexual assault of a six-year-old boy who lived in his home. That alleged sexual assault is supposed to have taken place the day before Nyia’s murder.

Last year, Judge Cashman had ruled all charges would be heard during one trial. Now Judge Cashman has reversed his decision and there will be two trials – the Nyia Page trial will begin with jury selection on October 13. It is not clear when the trial for the sexual assault against the unnamed male child will be held.

The defense basically argued the charges against Page for the sexual assault and murder are bad enough without adding another sexual assault victim to the murder trial as it would surely prejudice the jury. The defense lost in it’s bid to have Page’s confession thrown out, so it will be presented at trial.

I had been under the impression that William Page had decided to have his case decided by a judge instead of a jury but that is not the case – he will have a jury trial for the Nyia Page murder. The prosecution dropped the charge of aggravated assault for kicking Nyia in the groin. He mentioned kicking Nyia in the groin during his confession. The charge was dropped because on autopsy there was no evidence found regarding the kick to the groin.

Continuance

William Page’s non-jury trial has been continued one more time. His new trial date, October 13, 2009, is set to be heard by Judge David R. Cashman in Courtroom 310 at 9 a.m.

October 10, 2009

I checked this evening to see if Willam Page’s murder trial was going to start as scheduled. I don’t know why I was surprised to see according to court documents that Page’s trial date has been pushed back to February 8, 2010. First Page asked for a non-jury trial and he was granted that request. After that there was a series of continuances resulting in a request for a jury trial. Now, with that trial date set to begin, along comes another continuance. I don’t know why the accused should have so many rights.

February 8, 2010

Jury selection is set to begin today in the freezing death of Nyia Page. The defense attorney, Richard Narvin, has asked the judge to remove the death penalty option because his client is autistic. He wants his client to be barred from execution for the same reasons that juveniles and the mentally retarded are exempt.

I couldn’t agree less with Mr. Narvin. I wonder just how much Page’s autism clouds his judgment and in this case it would come down to his ability to know right from wrong. I would suppose it would be up to the prosecution to prove that a reasonably thinking person would understand that placing a partially clad child outside in the snow could possibly result in death. Mr. Page knew what he did was wrong because when it was discovered that Nyia was not inside the warmth of the home, instead of telling his then pregnant wife what he had done, well, he just let it be assumed that someone had come into the home and snatched her away in the middle of the night.

Page has already told investigators that he put Nyia outside in the snow because she had torn off her diaper and would not go back to bed. He also told investigators he had considered throwing Nyia into a sewer, but instead, opted for the playground. There has also been mention in the media that Nyia had trauma to her genital area. Also mentioned is that while police were investigating Nyia’s disappearance, the little boy living in the home told them that Page had molested him that night. All of these actions on the part of Page do not, in my opinion, come close to someone suffering from autism. It just sounds like someone who is a common child molester and murderer and tried to hide his actions and now does not want to pay for his crime with the ultimate penalty. It is too bad Nyia did not have the chance to decide her fate. Although, it was evident from investigators that little Nyia tried to get back to her home and save her own life, her little footprints were seen in the snow near her body.

The judge is expected to rule on the defense request this week.

February 9, 2010

Jury selection expected to begin yesterday has been delayed until Friday due to inclement weather in the region.

February 14, 2010

A hearing was held last regarding William Page’s alleged autism and whether this diagnosis should exclude him from the death penalty.

The defense psychologist said he examined Page over a two day period and determined through that evaluation and examination of past medical records that he suffers from Autism. He said records indicated that as a child Page walked on his tiptoes, separated the food on his plate, frequently washed his hands and had no friends. What struck the psychologist was Page’s lack of emotion and affect; however, his opinion is that Page is not mentally disabled.

The judge is expected to rule on the death penalty issue on Tuesday. Jury selection is expected to begin February 22.

February 16, 2010

Judge Cashman ruled today that William Page is not autistic and therefore he is still eligible to face the death penalty if he is found guilty of murdering his toddler daughter. Cashman’s ruling, in part, stated:

Cashman said Page knows the difference between right and wrong, and noted only the defense psychologist diagnosed Page with autism, “despite the fact that numerous mental health professionals have examined him over the years, including the Allegheny County Behavior Clinic.”

“If one would consider for the sake of argument that Page had demonstrated that he suffered from (autism), that personality disorder does not raise to the level of mental illness nor mental retardation so as to preclude the death penalty”¹

The only problem I have with Cashman’s ruling is him referring to autism as a personality disorder. Autism is a developmental brain disorder. It just shows that he does not understand what he is ruling on and that could leave another reason for appeal.

Trial 

Latest Trial Update

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Mark Vinson Tranquilli, Esq. District Attorney
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Jon Michael Pittman, Esq. District Attorney
Defense: Richard Narvin
Judge: David Cashman
Charges:

1. Criminal Homicide
2. Aggravated Assault
3. Corruption Of Minors
4. Kidnapping For Ransom
5. Agg. Ind. Assault of Child
6. Agg. Ind. Assault W/O Consent
7. False Report – Falsely Incriminate Another

February 18, 2010

Jury selection begins today at the Alleghany County Courthouse. Jury selection is expected to take two weeks.

February 18, 2010: 4 p.m. PST

According to a news report WTAE, jury selection is proving to be a difficult task due to emotional nature of the charges as well as many people being familiar with the case.

I was sitting here thinking about this case this morning and I can’t believe William Page did not choose to try and get a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. It will be interesting to see what facts are presented during the trial because Page’s attorney believes his client will be exonerated.

“I’m looking forward to all the facts being presented to the jury, and after that’s done and the trial is completed, I’m confident that Mr. Page will be vindicated,” defense attorney Richard Narvin said.²

Hmm, it will be interesting.

March 9, 2010

A jury has been seated for the Page trial. The jury consists of 5 women and 7 men. Opening statements being tomorrow.

Sentence 

Sources 

PA Amber Alert: Nyia Page, Missing & Murdered Children.

Comm. v. Page, William Lorenzo, Case Number: CP-02-CR-0002851-2007, Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Last Accessed: October 10, 2009.

Daniel Malloy, Braddock Man Accused of Killing Daughter to be Tried Separately in Sex Assaults, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Last Accessed: May 27, 2009.

Bobby Kerlik, Braddock Man Faces Trial in Daughter’s Freezing Death, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Last Accessed: February 8, 2010.

Bobby Kerlik, Trial for Braddock Father Accused in Daughter’s Death Delayed, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Last Accessed: February 9, 2010.

Bobby Kerlik, Autism Diagnosis may take Death off Table for Braddock Man, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Last Accessed: February 14, 2010.

Autism, Wikipedia, Last Accessed: February 16, 2010.

Jury Selection Complete in Frozen Toddler Case, The Pittsburgh Channel.com, Last Accessed: March 9, 2010.

1. Bobby Kerlik, Braddock Father is not Autistic, Judge Rules, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Last Accessed: February 16, 2010. [↩]
2. Emotions Run High in Jury Pool for Frozen Toddler Death Trial, WTAE, Last Accessed: February 18, 2010. [↩]

Case BackgroundPre-TrialSentencing Latest Update: 02.14.10Sources

Alfreedia Gregg-Glover, 44, of Manassas, Virginia is charged with the January 2009 murder of her adopted daughter Alexis ‘Lexie’ Glover, 13.

On the afternoon of January 7, 2009 Gregg-Glover called police to report that her daughter Alexis had run away from her at the Manassas Public Library. A massive search was launched of the area. Two days later Alexis’ body was found face-down in a creek approximately three miles from the library. Due to some inconsistencies in televised interviews that Gregg-Glover had with the media police began to focus on her as a person of interest. She was taken into custody soon after the discovery of Alexis’ body. A grand jury handed down a murder indictment in March 2009 charging Gregg-Glover with felony murder, first-degree murder, felony child abuse and filing a false police report. Prosecutors allege that Gregg-Glover dumped Alexis’ body in the creek while she was still alive and then made up the story about Alexis running away from her. The coroner ruled Alexis died from drowning and exposure to the elements.

Pre-Trial 

Latest Pre-Trial Update

June 19, 2009

In March of this year a judge ordered that Alfreedia Gregg-Glover undergo psychological testing. The results of those tests determined that Gregg-Glover is competent to stand trial for the murder of her adopted daughter, Alexis, in January 2009. Gregg-Glover is charged with felony murder, first-degree murder, felony child abuse and filing a false police report. The judge set Gregg-Glover’s jury trial date for July 7, 2009. Her trial is expected to last two days.

The Virginia Department of Social Services and Prince William County Social Services launched an investigation into Alexis’ death. Apparently there were several calls to the department with concerns about Gregg-Glover abusing Alexis but she was never removed from the home. As a result of the investigation one senior social worker was fired and two social worker managers were suspended for five days without pay. John P. Ledden Jr., director of social services admitted that several errors were made regarding the handling of the Glover case including several employees not following proper procedures in response to the abuse and neglect reports.

Ledden indicated that changes are being implemented to improve the way cases are handled in the future. According to Ledden:

“We’re not interested in meeting standards, we want to exceed them,” Ledden said.¹

July 7, 2009

The much-anticipated trial of Alfreedia Gregg-Glover was not to be – she entered a plea of guilty to felony murder, child abuse and filing a false report in connection with her adopted daughter’s murder.

During court proceedings Gregg-Glover’s account of events that led up to Lexie’s murder were finally revealed by the Prosecutor.

Prosecutors say Lexie woke Alfreedia Glover twice the morning of Jan. 7 saying she was sick. The first time, Glover told the girl to go back to sleep. The second time, she got up and took a shower, but couldn’t find Lexie afterward.
She eventually found the girl unconscious in the back yard, according to testimony. Prosecutors said she drove Lexie to Prince William Hospital, but didn’t go in.
Instead, she drove down the Prince William Parkway to the McCoart Administration Center, where she dumped her body in a freezing creek.
She then reported the girl missing.²

Everyone’s life would have been much simpler, Lexie would still be alive, and Gregg-Glover would not be going to prison had she just taken Lexie into the hospital for treatment. Only Gregg-Glover really knows what led up to Lexie’s “not feeling well” that morning. Since Lexie’s murder it has been revealed there were numerous reports made to Social Services and to the Police about possible abuse of Lexie at the hands of Gregg-Glover. All of those warnings went unheeded and it ended with a little girl being dumped, still alive, in a creek in the dead of winter.

Prince William County Police released a statement after the plea was entered regarding steps they have taken to safeguard other children in the community. Police Chief Charlie T. Deane told the media that a three-month investigation of his department revealed deficiencies in how allegations of child abuse had been handled in the past. He said he has implemented immediate changes to how future investigations of child abuse are to be handled. Those changes involve training, communication, policy implementation, and inter agency cooperation. In addition to the changes three sworn employees of the department were reprimanded for failure to following departmental policies in relation to Lexie’s case.

In conclusion, it appears Chief Deane accepted full responsibility for the inaction of his department:

“Part of our responsibility is to safeguard children from harm, and it is deeply disturbing to me that we failed to do so in Lexie Glover’s case,” Deane said. “While there is only one person who caused her death, and that is her mother, Alfreedia Glover, I would be remiss in not stating that there are some things we could have, and should have, done differently in prior investigations with this family.”³

Gregg-Glover is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2009. She could face up to fifty-one years in prison.

Sentencing 

Prince William County Courthouse
9311 Lee Avenue Room 2
Manassas, VA 20110
Case Number: CR05073874-00

November 3, 2009

Alfreedia Gregg-Glover was to have been sentenced on October 30. However, her defense attorney asked for and was granted another mental health evaluation for his client. He claims his client is “too emotionally fragile” to face her fate. What is that all about! I am guessing most people being faced with the possibility of receiving a sentence behind bars of 51 years may be feeling a bit “emotionally fragile”. I am sure Lexie felt “emotionally fragile” when she was being constantly abused by Gregg-Glover. In my opinion, Gregg-Glover just needs to suck it up and take the punishment she deserves for what she did to Lexie.

Even Gregg-Glover’s family members told reporters they are surprised at the request. They have never known her to be fragile. Most likely she knew what was going to come out at the sentencing hearing and she does not want it made public what she did to Lexie. According to Paul Ebert, Prince William County’s attorney:

“We were prepared to present basically what happened, her background, the horror what happened to the victim and ask for a very harsh sentence”. ⁴

There is no information available about when another sentencing hearing will happen. I am guessing the defense is hoping for a recommendation that Gregg-Glover serve at least part of her sentence in a state mental hospital. I am surprised the judge allowed a second mental health evaluation. The first one, conducted just a few months ago determined she was fit to stand trial. That would mean she could understand the charges against her, the possible outcome if found guilty, and she was able to aid her attorney in her defense.

January 12, 2010

Alfreedia Glover’s mental health evaluation was completed and the judge determined she will be sentenced to prison on February 12. According to the court-appointed psychiatrist, Glover does have some mental health issues; however, they are not serious enough to require hospitalization. It is his opinion she can receive treatment for her mental health issues in jail or prison.

I am happy to hear Glover will not be able to take the easy way out of taking responsibility for murdering Lexie.

February 14, 2010

I guess the judge took some sort of pity on Alfreedia Gregg-Glover because although he sentenced her to 51 years, 25 of those years are suspended. I suppose there is some good about the sentencing because I don’t believe she can appeal her sentence because she entered a plea of guilty to murdering Lexie. According to news accounts Gregg-Glover offered no apology for leaving her daughter to drown in the icy creek in January 2009. I wish the judge would have sentenced her as the prosecution requested – 51 years.

What do you think? Leave a comment.

Sources 

VA Endangered Missing Teen: Alexis Glover, Missing and Murdered Children, Last Accessed: June 19, 2009.

Amanda Stewart, Gregg-Glover Competent to Stand Trial, InsideNova.com, Last Accessed: June 19, 2009.

Kipp Hanley, Social Worker Fired in Aftermath of Lexie Glover Case, InsideNova.com, Last Accessed: June 19, 2009.

Social Worker Fired After VA. Girl’s Death, Star Exponent.com, Last Accessed: June 19, 2009.

Virginia Court Case Information

Amanda Stewart, Sentencing Date Set in Lexie Case, InsideNova.com, Last Accessed: January 12, 2010.

Erin Gibson, Virginia Mother Gets 26 Years in 13-Year-Old’s Death, WJLA.com, Last Accessed: February 14, 2010.

1. Social Worker Fired in Aftermath of Lexie Glover Case, InsideNova.com, Last Accessed: June 19, 2009. [↩]
2. Gregg-Glover Guilty in Lexie’s Death, InsideNova.com, Last Accessed: July 7, 2009. [↩]
3. Ibid. [↩]
4. Glover to Undergo Mental Evaluation Before Sentencing, WJLA.com, Last Accessed: November 3, 2009. [↩]