"Brumfield claims Olivia fell from her playpen and had a small cut on her lip. But about two hours later, Olivia appeared lifeless. It was only then that 911 was called, by Brumfield's husband.........
The playpen became Exhibit A as experts testified that it is impossible for a one-year-old to fall from a playpen and sustain a massive head injury.
The judge prevented Brumfield's defense team from playing the jury YouTube videos showing it is possible for toddlers to fall out of their playpens.
Prosecutors claimed Brumfield killed Olivia by slamming her against a wall in a moment of fury."
INSIDE EDITION;
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"Handcuffed and shackled, Amanda Brumfield says she's being unfairly targeted because she's from a family of movie stars," the Inside Edition story published on September 16, 2011 under the heading, "Billy Bob Thornton's Incarcerated Daughter Asserts Innocence," begins.
""Which has caused nothing but headaches, my entire life," says Brumfield, the daughter of Oscar®-winner Billy Bob Thornton and former stepdaughter of Angelina Jolie," the story continues.
"Convicted of manslaughter and facing 33 years behind bars, she is speaking exclusively to INSIDE EDITION from jail in Orlando.
"I'm innocent. I know I'm innocent, and so does all of my family and everybody around me," she tells INSIDE EDITION.
Tragedy struck when she was caring for a close friend's daughter, one-year-old Olivia.
"Of course I loved her. I can still those big beautiful brown eyes," Brumfield says.
Brumfield claims Olivia fell from her playpen and had a small cut on her lip. But about two hours later, Olivia appeared lifeless. It was only then that 911 was called, by Brumfield's husband.
Husband: "I have a baby over here, and the baby is just not moving, not reacting to anything."
In the background, you can hear frenzied efforts to revive the child with CPR.
911 Operator: "You're going pump the chest thirty times. Let me hear you count.
Brumfield: "27, 28, 29, 30! There's nothing!"
When police arrived, things looked grim. An officer called 911:
Police Officer: "We have a child down, not breathing."
911 Operator: "Is the baby OK?"
Police Officer: "No."
911 Operator: "No?"
Olivia died at the hospital.
After an intensive eight-month investigation, Brumfield was charged with murder.
"They tried to make me out to be some type of monster and I'm not," she says.
In an odd twist, Brumfield's trial took place in the same Orlando courthouse as the Casey Anthony trial. In fact, the two women were held in the same cellblock.
The playpen became Exhibit A as experts testified that it is impossible for a one-year-old to fall from a playpen and sustain a massive head injury.
The judge prevented Brumfield's defense team from playing the jury YouTube videos showing it is possible for toddlers to fall out of their playpens.
Prosecutors claimed Brumfield killed Olivia by slamming her against a wall in a moment of fury.
Brumfield's mother Melissa, Thornton's first wife, is looking after Brumfield's two children. They speak to their mom in jail by phone.
Melissa says it's inconceivable that her daughter would hurt a child.
"I've never even seen her slam her fist on a table, much less slam a person," she says.
The jury may have found Casey Anthony not guilty, but 10 floors below, Brumfield was convicted of manslaughter.
"I'll never ever give up. I have a family that needs me and I will be there for them. Period," Brumfield says."The story can be found at:
http://www.insideedition.com/news/6894/billy-bob-thorntons-incarcerated-daughter-asserts-innocence.aspx
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;
