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StumbleFather arrested for child abuse, second-degree homicide
2-year-old boy had been shaken earlier
Published Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009 | 1:24 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009 | 5:32 p.m.
Mario Genejerome "Gene" Hill
When 2-year-old Nithaniel Hill was brought in by his father for a scan to check a shunt placed in his head after a shaken baby incident, medical staff noted how agitated Mario Gene-Jerome Hill appeared with his son.
After administering drugs to the boy, staff placed him on the lap of his father, who rocked Nithaniel to sleep, according to the medical report. But the tot kept waking up and crying that afternoon of Oct. 22, 2007. A nurse described the father as "angry."
Less than 24 hours later, Nithaniel Hill was dead in Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center's pediatric intensive care unit.
Metro Police arrested 31-year-old Mario Hill on Tuesday, charging him with felony murder in the second degree, child abuse with substantial bodily harm and a probation violation.
Hill had been convicted in 2005 for felony child abuse. When Nithaniel was 2 months old, he had had brain damage from being shaken twice. Mario Hill told police that he had jostled the infant twice in June 2005. The shunt was inserted to drain fluids from Nithaniel's brain.
The Hill family had been in contact with Child Protective Services over the years and Mario Hill had been convicted in 2007 of child abuse in the case of another son, the police report says.
In 2006 police found one of the Hill's children wandering on a Las Vegas street. Nithaniel had developmental delays, "a little bit of a gait when he walked" and "his little head had a little deformity," according to the arrest report.
Mario Hill said that Nithaniel had eaten a ham and cheese sandwich, crackers and drank a glass of juice after arriving home the day of the brain scan. He said that the tot had fallen into a coffee table and hit his chin, but got up and kept on playing until he was put to bed about 8:30 or 9 p.m. Oct. 22.
When Nithaniel's mother arrived home later that same night, she told police that the boy was crying in a strange way. "I can't even explain it," she told police. Mario Hill had gone to work.
The boy went limp and the mother called Mario, who dialed 911 and an ambulance took the boy to Sunrise Hospital.
A Lodi, Calif., brain specialist and pathologist, Dr. Bennet Omalu, examined Nithaniel's brain and found damages from both the shaking he had received as a baby and evidence of a "very hard impact" described as a "non-accidental injury." When questioned by law enforcement, Omalu said the brain injury might contribute to death from a more recent blow to the head. The later injury equaled the force from a "severe vehicle collision," Omalu said.
The doctor also said that once a brain is injured, it doesn't recover.
In January 2009 Child Protective Services began proceedings to remove another child from the Hill home and terminate parental rights, the arrest report said.
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I went to high school with that guy. Cheyenne 1997, Chey Town!!!! What an inhumane jackass...if he did what he is alleged of doing. Even so he was convicted before of child abuse.
Truthfully, I never saw that coming from him. He was always a happy young man at school. Some people just make really bad choices.
Child abuse should not be tolerated. There should be a "one strike and you are out" law. He was convicted in 2005 for child abuse? Felony child abuse and he is still allowed around children? Please! Let's shake him around...so his brain is moving around inside his skull and see how well he reacts. But he doesn't get the shunt. What he did to his child is unthinkable. Lock him up and let his fellow prisoners at him.
hey forget the two of you, they arent telling the whole story. the dam hospital overdosed the son and it killed him. so shut up if you dont know the real facts. i worked with the man for the last year and a half. he is a kind caring person. his wife is very nice too. The charleston and lamb Home Depot stands behind mario hill!!! FREE MARIO!!!!
ok i was there i no wat happened the other two talking stuff just need to stop and get there facts straight. you dont know what really happened so shut ur mouth mario DID NOT KILL HIS SON. Free Mario!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i wrote what i wrote for myself not officially for home depot it was a opinion of my own.
The last 3 comments make sense. We do NOT know what really happened, only what the hospital, CPS and the paper want us to know. I am an avid parental rights advocate and I need hard evidence proving to me that this man did anything wrong to this child. If he did, then CPS is at fault for failure to protect. I do not advocate abuse but I'm not going to take some cowardly, incompetent social worker or policeman's word for it either. We weren't there. Hospitals screw up all the time and then CYA all the way (cover your a$$). I also find it very hard to believe that he would have abused his son in the hospital while he was being watched. If his crying got to be too much, he could have given the child back to the nurses for them to take care of. I think he's being railroaded here. I'm not buying this story for a lot of reasons. I don't know him, never heard of him before reading this article, but I KNOW how CPS works. They're never responsible. It's always the biological parents' faults. This is America, guys. We are innocent until proven guilty. However, if he is found to be guilty then somebody needs to fail CPS's sorry a$$ for failure to protect this child.
Sorry, I meant to say "sue CPS's sorry a$$ for failure to protect this child." After all, supposedly they've been involved in this family's life for over 4 years now. I personally think the hospital is covering something up. It just smells fishy to me.
The article does not state everything.. they falied to mention that steinburg gave the boy an overdose of the drug to calm him for the cat scan. I know mario and his family very well. his wife was the step mom, and i was like an auntie to him. we all loved him very much and very deeply hurt by the whole tragedy and miss him so much. I was there all day and night the day of the incident with my 19 yr old daughter and as well as at the hospital until he passed. He was drugged up and drunk-like all day after his appt and in to the night before bed and that is NOT normal, the medicine should have wore off. He went to sleep and went in to a drug induced coma. Steinburg killed his son by giving him an overdose of drugs!! they also didnt mention in the first 2 autopsy reports that was no evidence and of a injury and cause of death was not a homicide but all of sudden there is 3rd report ordered and they send out to cali... how could something like that be missed.. wouldnt there have been a bruise or dent or something for a blow that bad.. well there wasnt and but they do state the medicine was over the legal amount for a 2 yr old.. it doesnt all add up and they dont have all the facts right.. i stand be hind mario and his family 100% he did not kill his son The doctors at steinburg killed him!!
I HOPE MY SWEET CUTE LIL ANGEL IS RESTING IN PEACE IN HEAVEN... NOT A DAY GOES BY THAT WE DON'T THINK ABOUT HIM. WE LOVE YOU NITHANIEL AND MISS YOU SO MUCH. LOVE AUNTIE
I can not for the life of me understand this situation! First off I have known Mario since he was in High School at Cheyenne. My son and Mario were best friends. That's some 10 plus years. He even lived for a time with my family in San Leandro, CA. He helped me watch my grandkids all the time. He lived with my son and his wife and my grandkids. He was always always calm and patient with my grandkids! Never once did I he raise a hand or even his voice with the kids. I would trust him with my grandkids any time. Mario did not kill his son. I agree I think the DA is just trying to build a repuation for him or herself. Guilty until proven innocent. Why isnt Steinburg Diagnostics being checked out? I think the investigators need to take a closer look at this organization.
Please note that all of the supportive comments are being made by friends and relatives of the defendant.
This monster was CONVICTED of felony child abuse (of which he openly admits). That conviction (from 2005) isn't enough for you people to call this man guilty?
Any neurologist will tell you that if brain damage occurs from shaking a baby, eventually, the child will die as a result.
Sunrise has meticulous records of dosages given, and have been investigated for the last year-and-a-half. Apparently, the District Attorney believes he has a SOLID case against Mr. Hill, or he wouldn't pursue it.
I hope this monster gets what he deserves. (and you know what they do to people who harm children in prison). Mr. Hill is a loose cannon (I know) and belongs behind bars.
Innocent until proven guilty. Let's try and remember that.
That's how you would like your malpractice suits handled I assume Dr. Dyer?
There is nothing innocent about a man who admitted to shaking his child for 10 seconds out of frustration. Nothing innocent about a man who was convicted of felony child abuse in 2005 and permanently damaging this child. If I were in similar circumstances in a malpractice suit, I would accept what was coming to me.
How in the world can this happen?? The nurse saw that he was "angry" and did nothing?? This guy has been convicted before of felony child abuse in 2005, yet he was back with these children?? What kind of woman allows such a thing?? What kind of system allows this?? We can only hope that when this guy is locked up again, his friends inside learn of his deeds and make him pay...the system sure didn't.
Dr Dyer you are right on one thing. There is nothing innocent about anybody shaking or otherwise harming a child. I will not argue that point at all. He admitted what he did, he was convicted and judged accordingly for his actions. The problem I have with this is that the Police and certain commentors are connecting the death to something that happened years ago, whereas friends and family are connecting it to something that happened within 24 hours of his death.
If my son fractured his skull while riding a bicycle and died 10 years later would I too be charged with murder in the second degree?
If the Dr's knew his son was in a position where another head trauma would end his life why did the doctors not have him wear a helmet? No Dr ever thought of that?
Why did it take 3 autopsies to FIND something wrong?
As for the child "roaming the streets". Have any of you people lived in an apartment complex recently? How many kids are outside without parental supervision? Do all of their parents need to be arrested as well?
Theone1, you have never been angry? Now, I was NOT at the appointment in question so I am giving my 2 cents just as you are since YOU were not at the appointment either. My wife had an appointment recently in which we waited 3 hours to see a doctor (not at Steinberg). We were angry! Does that mean someone needs to call the state and have them pick up the kids?
I read somewhere that the nurse heard a spanking noise. Was he wearing a diaper? I don't know. I wasn't there. I have had 3 sons however and when I rocked them to sleep I patted them on the butt while rocking. Gee, could that be a possibility?
Theone1, where will you go shopping for building supplies? If you have not noticed Builder's Square is long gone. Payless Cashways? Yup, they are gone as well. I guess you can still go to the one 84 lumber store in town though. Here's the address.
4330 S DECATUR
LAS VEGAS, NV 89103
Wally,
Thank you for your response.
I'd like to address a couple of your points.
"...the Police and certain commentors are connecting the death to something that happened years ago.."-ItsWally
"...evidence of a 'very hard impact'...a more recent blow to the head...described as a "non-accidental injury...later injury equaled the force from a 'severe vehicle collision'...happened 'no more than 24 hours prior to death.' The Clark County coroner's office said Nithaniel died of blunt-force trauma to the head. "-LVRJ
Myself and the District Attorney would see this as a mountain of evidence that the child suffered a later "non-accidental" blow to the head. The child was in Mr. Hill's custody at the time (within 24 hours of the death). We'll let the judge and jury do the math after assessing these facts.
So what about the previous injury? Why do I find guilt in Mr. Hill based on the previous incident?
"The victim 'may not have died if he hadn't had the previous injury,' said Dr. Bennet Omalu"-LVRJ
Once that degree of damage has been done, the child will never recover. Mr. Hill's first assault on his child had a great deal to do with his later death.
Your bicycle/skull fracture scenario leaves out one critical factor: an intentional injury caused by the parent. If you threw your child off the bike resulting in a fractured skull, then we have a comparison.
"Why did it take 3 autopsies to FIND something wrong?"-ItsWally
If you could source this information, perhaps we could address it. Here is the only information the public has been privy to:
"'At the time of the fatality, there was no evidence of abuse or neglect contributing to his death,' Skorupski said. 'However, upon further evidence of injury from the coroner's office, an investigation was conducted and the death by abuse was found to be substantiated.'-LVRJ
Then, I suspect forensic pathologists were put on the case who later substantiated the cause of death being from a non-accidental" blunt trauma to the head.
On a final note, I find it distasteful and potentially libelous for work associates and others to mention Mr. Hill's place of work as if it were relevant to the case and/or discussion. I have suggested removal of said comments.
Sincerely,
Dr. Dyer
I will openly admit that most of the stuff I'm just repeating from other posts. Obviously unlike yourself, I am not a doctor. As a biased friend I will keep arguing until I'm blue in the face, and then some :)
I'm also one of the few that does not work at *** **** *****.
"Your bicycle/skull fracture scenario leaves out one critical factor: an intentional injury caused by the parent. If you threw your child off the bike resulting in a fractured skull, then we have a comparison." Yeah, this was an apples to oranges comparison. If someone reported something like this in the ER wouldn't you look at the parents strangely though? Wouldn't you be required to call CPS?
If the Public Defender can get a hold of the same information that the above people have referenced I think this hearing will get a little more complicated.
I'll tell Mario you said hello.
Wally
This all is interesting to me. No one here have much education on Shaken Baby syndrome? Or how about blunt force trauma to an infants skull?
All Brain Damage is permanent.... That means for ever. Also his son as a result of his being Shaken by his father as an infant. It the reason he was in the Hospital getting yet another surgery to try and give him a few more years of life. Any infant who sustains injury's of this magnitude will eventually die as a result of the abuse. Weather it is with in 24 hrs of an incident or even 10 years later.
Eventually this Man would have been facing murder charges when his child eventually died, which the child would have.
The father has a history of Violence on children not only the child in question but another child whom which was removed from his care previous to the surgery. Child abuse charges are nothing new to this man. He had to know eventually he would be standing trial for this child's death at some point.
Child abuse is never acceptable and any one who turns a blind eye to it is just as guilty as the abuser. CPS makes a lot of mistakes this I completely agree with. To many times a child is abused over and over and returned to its parents only to have their precious life taken by the abuser.
Abuse is a cycle that has to be stopped. if you can not control your actions no matter how much you love those children if you are abusing them you need to ask for help. Or your children will suffer and when they grow and have children of their own your Grand children will suffer.
Break the cycle don't stand by quietly speak out against it. He should have never been given custody of his son back after the first abuse and prison sentence. He nearly killed the boy when he was an infant. That should have been enough they should have taken all his children.
Also to the Woman who later decided to marry him after he was in Prison for child abuse. What were you thinking by having a child with this man. That in its self should be a crime. Not only that but sneaking the baby on visits with Hill after CPS took his rights away! Smart move on your part!
"All brain damage is permanent."
Yup.
"Eventually this Man would have been facing murder charges when his child eventually died, which the child would have."
Wrong, I think. He was already convicted of child abuse. How can he be charged with murder after he has been convicted of abuse? Isn't that double jeopardy? According to the news available online there are beliefs that another recent trauma to the head may have occured that in combination with the prior incident caused the death. Mario suggests that it was a drug overdose. I'm sure both issues will be raised in court.
History of violence? Unless you know him on some personal level that I don't, 1 incident is not history. The first incident was abuse. The second was called neglect. Now, if you have ever let your children go outside by themselves you are just as guilty. There have been multiple calls regarding abuse or neglect but nothing ever turned up. The third is to be seen in court. That would be a history.
"Child abuse is never acceptable and any one who turns a blind eye to it is just as guilty as the abuser."
Yup.
"Abuse is a cycle that has to be stopped. if you can not control your actions no matter how much you love those children if you are abusing them you need to ask for help. Or your children will suffer and when they grow and have children of their own your Grand children will suffer."
Yes you are correct. Now, is this aimed at Mario's parents? If so do you know his parents? Most likely you do not have first hand knowledge of his parents and therefore you should not bring them up. His parents are both very respectable and down to earth. Again if there is something you know that I don't then hey, I'm wrong.
"Break the cycle don't stand by quietly speak out against it. He should have never been given custody of his son back after the first abuse and prison sentence. He nearly killed the boy when he was an infant. That should have been enough they should have taken all his children."
Yes and no. On one hand, abuse is abuse. On the other, he did follow what the courts told him to do. In case you have not realized it the ONLY reason his probation was revoked was because he was accused of abusing his child again. His probation was not revoked for any other reason. He was following the rules after his first court appearance.
"Also to the Woman who later decided to marry him after he was in Prison for child abuse. What were you thinking by having a child with this man. That in its self should be a crime. Not only that but sneaking the baby on visits with Hill after CPS took his rights away! Smart move on your part!"
Really? If that's true you should be on trial for not speaking up shouldn't you? Isn't that a contradiction of what you stated above?
Just as firm as before, with these charges he is innocent until proven guilty. Not the other way around guys.
To the person that wrote this "Not only that but sneaking the baby on visits with Hill after CPS took his rights away! Smart move on your part!"
Where is this stated, proven or written in any articles or reports?? Obviously your just spitting out assumptions and not facts and making up lies. Not very SMART are your part.