CAROLYN BELLAMY; GRANDMOTHER DENIES SHAKING GRANDDAUGHTER TO DEATH; THE OREGONIAN;

"The state contends that Bellamy was annoyed with the toddler, who was getting into her purse as she prepared to call the cellphone company. Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney John Casalino argued that Bellamy shook the girl violently, causing abusive head trauma and severe swelling, according to doctors who testified at the trial.

Bellamy, Casalino said, has offered varying stories to police during the course of the investigation.

But the defense has said Bellamy, who is 4-feet-11 and 134 pounds and suffers from back and hip pain, could not have physically shaken the 30-plus-pound girl with the violence to kill her.

And Bellamy's brother and daughter -- Ariana's mother -- both testified that the toddler had sustained an earlier fall before the Oct. 12, 2009, fall, striking the front of her head on the ground when she fell from an outside deck's stairs at her grandmother's house."

REPORTER HELEN JUNG; THE OREGONIAN;

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BACKGROUND; The prosecutor says evidence from doctors will show that Magathan's injuries could not have been caused by falling 22 inches from the bed down to the carpeted floor. He adds that Bellamy, who had been on the phone to try to get a rebate from Cricket Wireless, was frustrated because the toddler was getting into her papers that were spread on the bed where she sat with the child. He also charges that Bellamy's own words at times suggest she had shaken the child. But her attorney says Bellamy, 60, has never shown signs of a temper or lashing out against her granddaughter -- or anyone else, for that matter. He says a child-abuse expert that is expected to testify for the prosecution has "an agenda" and lacks the qualifications to back up his findings. "Everything he can't explain is child abuse," the defence lawyer says, adding that the grandmother could not physically have committed the injury to the 35-pound toddler that investigators accuse her of doing. He says the girl had had numerous falls previously and had several times indicated pain in her head, which was written off by others as teething. But he says there may have been some other defect or injury that caused the bleeding and swelling in her brain." (Adapted from the Oregonian);

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"A Gresham grandmother charged with killing her 23-month-old granddaughter denied Monday that she shook or jerked around the toddler, saying the girl went limp shortly after falling from a bed onto the floor below," the Oregonian story by reporter Helen Jung published on July 25, 2011 under the heading, "Carolyn Bellamy of Gresham denies shaking granddaughter to death," begins.

"Carolyn Bellamy, 60, testified that she was on the phone with Cricket Wireless customer service when her granddaughter, Ariana Magathan, crawled off the bed. The girl had already slipped off the bed moments before, after Bellamy moved her away from a purse on the bed to stop her from pulling papers out of it, she said," the story continues.

"But this time, the toddler cried loudly after she fell. Ariana went into convulsions and then went limp in Bellamy's arms, she said. The girl died on Oct. 16, 2009, four days after the fall from the bed.

"I know what it all seems like," said Bellamy, who is charged with felony murder and first-degree manslaughter in the death. "I wish I did know what happened. But I don't know."

The state contends that Bellamy was annoyed with the toddler, who was getting into her purse as she prepared to call the cellphone company. Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney John Casalino argued that Bellamy shook the girl violently, causing abusive head trauma and severe swelling, according to doctors who testified at the trial.

Bellamy, Casalino said, has offered varying stories to police during the course of the investigation.

But the defense has said Bellamy, who is 4-feet-11 and 134 pounds and suffers from back and hip pain, could not have physically shaken the 30-plus-pound girl with the violence to kill her.

And Bellamy's brother and daughter -- Ariana's mother -- both testified that the toddler had sustained an earlier fall before the Oct. 12, 2009, fall, striking the front of her head on the ground when she fell from an outside deck's stairs at her grandmother's house.

Another witness, Bellamy's son's girlfriend, said the toddler had diarrhea at least three times, had complained of pain and seemed to be sleeping longer than normal several days after the deck fall and just before the Oct. 12 fall.

The girlfriend, Deanna Lewis, said she and her boyfriend were sharing a house with Ariana's father, and Lewis had helped watch the toddler during her visit. She also said she suggested to the girl's father that he call a doctor, but that he brushed off the advice.

The attorneys are expected to offer closing arguments Tuesday to Multnomah County Circuit Judge Janice Wilson, who will decide the case."

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The story can be found at:

http://www.oregonlive.com/gresham/index.ssf/2011/07/carolyn_bellamy_of_gresham_den.html

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:

http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog; hlevy15@gmail.com;