White man Charged In 8-Year-Old's Death

[M. McGill]

Man, Guardian Charged In 8-Year-Old's Death

Pair Will Appear In Court Tuesday Morning

MINNEAPOLIS, Updated 10:39 p.m. CST November 8, 1999
-- The man arrested in the beating death of 8-year-old Brenda Swearingen
in north Minneapolis last week was charged with her murder Monday.

The Hennepin County Attorney said Kevin Andrew Lange, 33, was charged with
one count of second-degree felony murder and one count of malicious
punishment of a child.

WCCO-TV reported that he is one of the child's distant relatives.

The child's legal guardian, 37-year-old Terri Lynn Allen, was charged with
one count each of aiding an offender, child endangerment and child
neglect.

WCCO-TV reported that Allen is Lange's half-sister and is also related to
the child.

At 2 a.m. Nov. 3, paramedics and police responded to a call at a house in
the 2900 block of Bryant Avenue North. Police said they found Swearingen
unconscious and unresponsive.

At the hospital, doctors determined the child was
brain dead. She was removed from life support
that evening and died.

According to county attorney's reports, medical
personnel found bruising on the girl's head, face,
back, buttocks and arms.

WCCO-TV reported Lange allegedly called for an
ambulance, saying that Swearingen had fallen
down the stairs and wouldn't wake up after taking
a nap.

The county attorney said the Swearingen's injuries
were not consistent with the pair's explanations.

An autopsy found that the girl's death was caused by "multiple blunt force
trauma" to her head. Pathologists found seven different blows to her
scalp. She also had extensive bruising and abrasions over much of her
body.

"This was an 8-year-old girl who started her day doing multiplication
tables and ended her day murdered," Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar
said.

She said Lange beat the girl on the morning of Nov. 2 and Allen did not
seek any assistance for many hours, even though it was clear she had been
severely injured.

According to the complaint, Lange admitted to police that he hit Brenda on
the morning of Nov. 2 and she became unconscious immediately. WCCO-TV
reported that Lange said he slapped her across the forehead which caused
the girl to hit her head on a doorknob and metal chair.

He said he and Allen tried to rouse her several times during the day.

Allen also had custody of Brenda's three younger siblings. One of the
siblings told police she saw Lange throw Brenda against the wall
repeatedly on the morning of Nov. 2. She also said Allen ordered Brenda to
do the "motorcycle," a squat position Allen forced the children to
maintain as a form of discipline.

Police records describe Brenda's childhood as marred by assaults, filth
and desertion. The girl and her siblings have stayed in at least four
foster homes, shelters and crisis centers.

In terms of Swearigen's three siblings, a judge removed Terri Allen as
their legal guardian earlier on Monday and placed the children in
temporary foster care. There will be a follow-up hearing Dec.8.

Robert Desjarlait, the children's former foster father, told WCCO-TV that
child protection officials knew about the abuse months ago.

Desjarlait said despite his objections, the children were taken away from
him and placed with Lange and Allen under the Indian Child Welfare Act.

In custody cases, it gives preference to Native American relatives.

Desjarlait said he knew the children were going back into a "horror house."

Further complicating matters, Lange and Allen have told police they are
brother and sister. The complaint says there is significant evidence the
two are sexually involved, Klobuchar said. Police said they found a
videotape of the couple having sex.

Lange is currently being held on $500,000 bail while Allen is being held
on $250,000 bail. They are both being held at the Hennepin County jail.
Both will make their first court appearance on Tuesday morning.

From our archives:

November 8, 1999: Police Might Charge Pair In Girl's Death November 3,
1999: Girl Found Brain Dead In Minneapolis

Copyright 1999 by Channel 4000.

For story source and photos of the white man charged with child murder go to:
http://www.wcco.com/news/stories/news-19991108-205139.html

[desert...@webtv.net]

Good luck, because as long as Blacks want to come here they can, and
there is not a damned thing you can do about it. LMAO!