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| From the killers Facebook page |
Who rolled out the red carpet for this monster? 9-year-old Aliahna Lemmon is dead. Her babysitter, 39-year-old Michael Plumadore, has been arrested for murdering her.
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| From the killers MySpace page |
But, it gets worse: much worse. Despite having three felony convictions for battery, auto theft and forgery, Plumadore was deemed fit to not only care for, but have unsupervised access to three defenseless young girls. According to Aliahna’s grandmother Aliahna and her two six-year-old sisters were staying with Plumadore for about a week because Aliahna’s stepfather works at night and sleeps during the day and her mother was recovering from the flu. Plumadore was the last person to see Aliahna, who suffered from both physical and emotional problems, alive.
Aliahna was reported missing on 12/23, and on 12/26 Plumadore admitted that he killed her by “striking her in the head multiple times with a brick while she was standing on the front steps of his residence.” He subsequently dismembered her body by cutting it up with a hacksaw and placed small pieces of her body in freezer bags and disposed of them in a dumpster located nearby. Finally, he kept her head, feet and hands in the freezer at home.
Defense attorneys love to point out that our prisons are filled with individuals who have been caught in indiscretions. That hard luck men and women have been driven by circumstance to commit crimes. However, as this and so many other cases point out, the truth is much harsher and more difficult to accept: evil exists! There are certain individuals with a propensity to victimize others. Many of these individuals go through their lives committing crime after crime after crime with no consequence for their actions. Occasionally, they will get caught breaking the law. Then the criminal justice system will work with them to mitigate the nature of the crime, allow them to plea down to a lesser offense, and oftentimes escape prison altogether. This is why individuals with horrific criminal pasts are walking free to commit these horrific atrocities.
I know all too well the horror of losing a child to violence, but what was Aliahana’s mother thinking when she allowed her three daughter to stay with Plumadore for a week? Did she know that he was a three time loser? Surely, she knew that their trailer park was a haven for registered sex offenders. I understand that she was getting over the flu, but that does not justify shirking her parental responsibility. At best it provides a pitiful excuse.
It is our responsibility as adults to ensure the safety and well being of children. In cases where families fail government agencies are supposed to step in and fill the gap. Her mother sent her to sleep with the devil and government failed to protect her from a three time loser. In Aliahna’s case both family and government failed and the result is a horror beyond imagination.
As government budgets are cut dramatically the release of vicious criminals is easily justified. We must be vigilant to ensure that the safety of children is not compromised by bottom line politicians who use budget shortfalls to justify the release of violent criminals.
Aliahna was molested by her grandfather at a younger age.Knowing there are sex offenders in that park why would you trust anyone other than you the parent to protect her and her siblings!You dont keep goldfish in a tank with piranhas. And childrens services knew too. He may have not been on the registry but he has a record.And it wasnt for a parking ticket!Her parents and children's services failed her! I am sure the parents guilt will be with them forever but children's services will go on letting our precious kids down!
It feels as though no one listens. These predators continue to be allowed to be free among our children. They look just like any other neighbor. But they are sinister. Planning their moves that may take years to enact.
The laws must change. No child should suffer like Aliahna did. Children are defenseless and rely on adults for discernment and ultimately, their safety. Not to mention that this child was disadvantaged by physical health issues that this predator took advantage of. These monsters walk amongst them, looking for the opportunity to befriend and then take what they believe will fulfill their predatory needs. It has been proven over and over again that they cannot help but reoffend. So why is it that we set them free? Why do we value their rights over our children? This is simply wrong. And it must stop. Until we are able to force change, there will be more and more children preyed upon by these creatures. More and more dead children. More and more dismembered and sexually assaulted children. These people are very sick and depraved with brains that are simply impossible to fix or reprogram. I believe they are born with broken brains that are further damaged by the environments they live in. I don't understand how their behavior goes unnoticed. But once they prove who they are, they must be institutionalized for the remainder of their natural lives or be given the option to self-euthanize. Who would ever want to live this way?
We must all rally together. I can't imagine anyone who would stop any sort of action to ultimately protect our most defenseless. If anyone ever did this to my child, it would take every ounce of strength I had to not completely destroy them. Rest in peace sweet child. What happened to you was preventable. You had a future you should have been able to look forward to. And I feel we are all responsible for what has happened to you until something changes in this broken system.
As for her mother, I can't imagine anyone not knowing where every sexual predator lives in direct radius to their homes. I do. I am protective. I would never leave my daughter with a grown man let alone one with a criminal record. The flu? When I have the flu my daughter lays in bed with me and watches movies. It is rare but it is safe. I don't understand abdicating one's responsibilities when they are a parent. I do not know all of the circumstances so I don't want to pass judgment. But my daughter is the most important person in my life. And it that, I am afforded no mistakes in judgment when it comes to the people I allow in my and/or her life. So I take that role very seriously.
Thank you for all you do Marc. You are an amazing advocate for our children.