New Jersey
DYFS Faulted in 5-year-old Tierra Morgan’s Case Says Report
According to the APP.COM, a report showed that the New Jersey child protection services could have done a better job in connecting the dots of violence within Tierra Morgan‘s family structure.
According to the APP.COM, a report showed that the New Jersey child protection services could have done a better job in connecting the dots of violence within Tierra Morgan’s family structure.
Tierra Morgan was found dead in the Shark River in Wall Township, NJ after she was allegedly dumped there by her father. Arthur Morgan III has been charged with her murder.
While the report issued by the Department of Children and Families noted prompt follow-up and investigation of several complaints of domestic violence filed by both the 2-year-old’s mother and father, the “combination of ‘red-flag’ concerns of child abuse, substance abuse, and violence in the home were not considered as a whole when assessing the safety of this child,” wrote department Commissioner Alison Blake.
Tierra was reported missing by her mother, Imani Benton of Lakehurst, after a daddy-daughter visitation date Nov. 21 with her father, Arthur Morgan III, 27, lasted longer than expected. Her body was discovered the next day in a stream in Shark River Park in Wall.
Tierra was “awake, alert, and helpless” when she was tossed into the stream from an overpass on Schoolhouse Lane in the park, strapped in a car seat authorities allege her father weighted down with a carjack to ensure she would not survive, Deputy First Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Richard E. Incremona explained in court after Morgan was captured following a nationwide manhunt and charged with murder.
Between October 2010 and Tierra’s death, the Division of Youth and Family Services responded to numerous contacts initiated by both Benton and Morgan as the couple traded accusations of child abuse and violence that led to several temporary restraining orders and included a determination rendered by state child advocates that the girl was safe just 12 days before the toddler was found dead.
Blake conceded that the “provision of services to this family could have been improved” by better coordination between the units responsible for investigating complaints and caseworkers.
“We are deeply saddened by the circumstances of this case and remain committed to working collaboratively with our system partners to improve our practice on cases where domestic violence and child abuse co-exist,” Blake wrote.
Morgan, formerly of Eatontown, is accused of murdering Tierra during their daddy-daughter date arranged with Benton, who met him at the Dollar General store in Lakehurst, where she bought the little girl snacks, put gas in Morgan’s car and gave him money to buy movie tickets so he and his daughter could see “Happy Feet Two.”
Morgan told Benton he would have their daughter home by 6 p.m., but by 6 he and Tierra hadn’t showed, explained Benton’s mother, Michelle Simmons, just days after her granddaughter was found dead.
Technically, Morgan’s visitation extended to 9 p.m., and throughout the night until 9 Morgan sent text messages to Benton, who pleaded that he bring Tierra home.
Morgan texted and called Benton 59 times that night. Some messages asked Benton to join them, but the last told her that Tierra was “resting,” Simmons explained at the time. When 9 p.m. came and went, the family called police.
“He told her Tierra is OK … and that he’s gonna find a way to make sure that his daughter is in his life,” Simmons said in describing the events that night. The following afternoon the family would learn that Tierra was dead.
A nationwide manhunt for Morgan ended a week later, after Morgan was tracked down and arrested at a home in San Diego.
Benton said a family member has advised the rest of the family not to comment on the report.
New Jersey
New Jersey man filmed shouting racial slurs at Black neighbors in viral video sentenced to 8 years in prison
In October, Mathews, 47, pled guilty to four counts of bias intimidation and possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute.
Edward C Mathews, the New Jersey man who was captured in a viral video in 2021 harassing his Black neighbors and hurling racial epithets, has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
Sentenced
In October, Mathews, 47, pled guilty to four counts of bias intimidation and possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute.
The charges stem from a July 2021 incident in which viral video showed him repeatedly calling his Black neighbors the N-word and another offensive slur outside a home in Mount Laurel, N.J.
“Our office is committed to combatting bias crimes and sending a clear message that such actions will not be tolerated in our community,” Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said in a statement. “Nobody should have to endure what these victims experienced.”
Mathews had been terrorizing his Black neighbors
Before the viral incident, a neighbor filed a harassment complaint against Mathews with the Mount Laurel Police Department. That same day, police received a report about a man who needed to be removed from the area.
When officers arrived to the scene, they found Mathews “using racial slurs while engaged in a verbal altercation with four residents,” prosecutors said. During a search of Mathews’ home, police found numerous psilocin mushrooms, which are known for their hallucinogenic effect, according to prosecutors.
Bradshaw said Mathews had been terrorizing his Black neighbors long before the viral moment, including a time when he allegedly left a threatening note on one of their vehicles. He was also accused of stalking, smearing feces on his neighbors’ windows and damaging their cars, NBC Philadelphia reported.
According to a report by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Mathews apologized before his sentencing.
“Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future,” he told the judge, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I want to commit to rebuild the community.”
Mathews must serve at least four years before he is eligible for parole, NBC reported.
Education
Meet 6-year-old genius Declan Lopez
Meet 6-year-old Declan Lopez who is now a member of Mensa, which includes the smartest of the smartest with an IQ of 138.
Meet 6-year-old Declan Lopez, who is now a member of Mensa, which includes the smartest of the smartest with an IQ of 138, that’s Einstein level.
Declan Lopez is a genius
To put this in perspective, the highest average score for people under 64 years of age is 109.
The gifted kindergartener reads on a third or fourth grade level.
She is interested in physics particularly “the force in motion”, Lopez told ABC7.
Lopez goes to school in Dover, New Jersey where she is a shining star.
Her parents started noticing Lopez’s intelligence when she was 18 months old.
“We were on a trip in the airport, and she just started to count in Mandarin,” Declan’s mom Meachel Lopez told ABC7.
Declan’s parents make sure she’s involved in social activities like karate, soccer and music theory. The family is also exploring coding classes.
All in the family
On top of raising an exceptional daughter, there is strong evidence showing Lopez’s little brother Maddox is following in her footsteps.
The Lopez family said they might get a DNA test to see if this level of genius runs in their family.
Crime & Justice
New Jersey High School Basketball Standout Fatally Shot
Latrell Duncan, a high school basketball standout in New Jersey, was fatally shot shortly after leaving school.
Latrell Duncan, a high school basketball standout in New Jersey, was fatally shot shortly after leaving school.
Basketball Standout Latrell Duncan killed
According to reports, Latrell – a sophomore at East Orange Campus High School – was shot four times at around 3:15 PM near his H.S. He was rushed to University Hospital in Newark where died just before 4 p.m.
No arrests have been made in connection to the fatal shooting. Investigators, however, are looking for “a group of people and a vehicle seen in the area at the time of the shooting.”
“Targeted”
In an interview with the New York Times, Latrell’s aunt Marsha Douglas, told the outlet her nephew and his friends were approached by a group of men after leaving school. The group exchanged words and then eventually dispersed.
But minutes later, two people wearing ski masks and carrying a gun confronted the teenagers on a sidewalk, said Douglas, who heard the account from her nephew’s friends.
Latrell Duncan was well on his way
Duncan, a 6’1 point guard, was one of the top 10 basketball players in New Jersey. He scored 180 points last season as a freshman at East Orange Campus, helping the team to a 15-9 record in one of the most competitive conferences in the state.
His AAU team, Garden State Bounce, had described him as a “floor general, team captain, and the best point guard our program has seen.”
“He was an excellent teammate,” the team added in a social media post mourning his loss, “a great friend, and a coach’s ideal player.”
Loved ones and the community are reeling after Latrell’s murder
On Tuesday, grief counselors were sent to the 1,660-student high school campus, said Khalifah Shabazz, the district’s lawyer.
“He was a loved student,” Douglas, Latrell’s aunt said. “We’re just really saddened….He didn’t deserve this”
A GoFundMe for Duncan’s family has been set up.
Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.
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