Airman emotionless as baby’s injuries, death detailed in court

Bill Gang

Friday, May 30, 1997 | 11:44 a.m.

As a medical examiner detailed in court the laundry list of injuries suffered by a 20-month-old baby, her mother sobbed and shook uncontrollably and then became ill.

But the Nellis Air Force Base airman charged with being the one who beat the baby to death sat emotionless at the preliminary hearing Thursday, even glancing at some of the autopsy photos.

The hearing was scheduled to resume today in Justice of the Peace Doug Smith's courtroom to determine if there is sufficient evidence to hold Brandon Parish, 18, and the baby's mother, Dawn Mathiasen, for trial on murder charges.

Deputy Clark County Medical Examiner Robert Bucklin said the skull fractures suffered by the girl, Samantha Storm, appeared to have resulted when her head was slammed against a solid object, rather than being hit with an object.

The two skull fractures, he concluded, couldn't have been the result of an accidental fall -- even from 10 feet.

Bucklin also pointed to bruises on her arms, ribs, right cheek, both ears and several places on her head. Additionally, there were contusions on both lips.

The cause of the April 17 death actually was from the brain swelling as a result of the fractures alleged to have occurred at Nellis, the doctor said.

Airman Jeff Fisher testified Thursday that he heard sounds "like a hand hitting a diaper" followed by sounds of a baby crying from inside Parish's room, where he was baby-sitting Samantha while Mathiasen went to get some food.

Fisher said he went into the room and Parish explained that he had been tossing the baby into the air and she became scared.

The airman said he returned to the room later because of his suspicions that something wasn't right and saw the baby lying on the bed in a daze, next to where she had vomited.

He said he told the couple the baby needed to be taken to a hospital, but Mathiasen explained the vomiting as an allergic reaction that occurred "all the time."

"She seemed more concerned with drying her hair than the baby," Fisher recalled.

Mathiasen is charged with second-degree murder because she didn't follow police instructions after an earlier child abuse incident, allegedly at the hands of Parish.

Mathiasen was given back Samantha by Henderson Police after the earlier incident with the requirement that she keep the baby away from Parish.

Deputy District Attorney Doug Herndon said that instead of following the police instructions, she not only returned to Parish's dwelling at Nellis but left the baby alone with him.

Parish is charged with first-degree murder and defense attorney Ulrich Smith has said that Mathiasen is just as anxious as the state to see the airman prosecuted.

In court Thursday, they sat at opposite ends of the defense table, separated by their attorneys.