A judge in St. Clair County, Indiana, has sentenced a mother for her role in hiding the body of her one-year-old son in the Fort Wayne home that she shared with boyfriend.
On Dec. 18, 2007, Fort Wayne police went to a home in the 3500 block of Raymond Avenue to investigate a tip that a dead child's body was hidden inside. One of the residents of the home, Ashley Marie Snowden, 23, signed a consent-to-search form; however, when officers stepped inside, her boyfriend, John William Gonzales, 38, grabbed their 2-year-old daughter and fled into another room, telling police, "I have a knife. I have a child. Back off."
Police officers were eventually able to subdue Gonzales, and he was charged with criminal recklessness, neglect of a dependent and resisting arrest. During a subsequent search of the home, investigators made a gruesome discovery, the mummified remains of a toddler hidden inside a storage container.
The toddler's remains were taken to the Northeast Indiana Forensic Center, where Allen County Coroner Dr. Jon Brandenberger identified the toddler as 18-month-old Braylon Bishop Gonzales. Brandenberger speculated that Braylon had died approximately two years ago from blunt force trauma to the head. In addition, evidence found on Braylon's body suggested he had been encased in concrete for an unknown period of time.
The murder is believed to have taken place in Port Huron, Mich., at a home Gonzales and Snowden shared at 2533 Maple St. before moving to Fort Wayne. This move was allegedly made to escape an investigation by Child Protective Services.
On Dec. 21, 2007, Indiana police arrested Snowden and prosecutors from St. Clair County, Mich., charged her as an accessory after the fact. Prosecutors there also charged Gonzales with open murder, first-degree child abuse and being a habitual offender. In light of the Michigan charges, Allen County prosecutors decided not to pursue the original charges against him for criminal recklessness, neglect of a dependent and resisting arrest.
Gonzales has a prior criminal record: He was arrested in 1997 and later convicted on three counts of sexual misconduct for having sex with a minor and was also arrested in October 2007 for child neglect and felony battery to a juvenile. According to court records, Gonzales had kicked Snowden's 5-year-old son and pushed him into a wall, causing a laceration on the back of the boy's head from an exposed nail.
It remains unclear why Child Protective Services allowed the children to remain in the same home with Gonzales.
Snowden waived her extradition hearing on Dec. 27, 2007. The following day, Gonzales also decided not to fight the extradition and agreed to voluntarily return to Michigan.
In a December interview with Thetimesherald, Gonzales' sister, Marlo Harley, said she had spoke with Snowden prior to her arrest and that Snowden had allegedly told her that on the day her son received the injury to his head, she had performed CPR on him, but Braylon died about an hour and a half later. Afterwards, she said that she dressed the toddler in a tuxedo and slept in the same bed with him. Later, his remains were encased in cement in a plastic container, which Gonzales and Snowden allegedly used as a stand for their television set. Apparently, the fact that the child's remains were inside was of little concern to them.
In May, Snowden pled guilty to being an accessory after the fact to three felonies, including second-degree child abuse and involuntary manslaughter.
Snowden finally had her day in court last week, before St. Clair County Circuit Judge Peter E. Deegan. During the hearing, Snowden's lawyer, David Black, depicted Snowden as a young woman who was the victim of a controlling and abusive man. He also cited her background, which allegedly included a sexually abusive step-grandfather and a heroin addicted mother.
Prior to sentencing, Snowden addressed the court and expressed sorrow for her part in the horrific crime.
"I would like to do everything different." she said.
Snowden cried as she spoke but given how the events unfolded, she was most likely crying over her own situation instead of the loss of her son – something which apparently did not concern her much during the two years she was helping hide his remains.
"You were the only hope that child had," Deegan said to Snowden before handing down his sentence. "The bottom line is you forgot and didn't take care of the first responsibility in your life, and that was taking care of your child."
Deegan's words were strong but he apparently lost his vigor along the way, as moments later he sentenced Snowden to a mere 5 1/2 to 15 years in prison, on the charge of involuntary homicide. In regard to the second-degree child abuse charge, Deegan ruled that Snowden would concurrently serve a 300 day sentence, with 178 days credit for time served.
As a result of the Deegan's lenience, Snowden will be eligible for placement in a halfway house after serving a meager 18 months behind bars.
It never ceases to amaze me how a drug dealer will often wind up with a tougher sentence than murderers and child abusers.
Drugs, BAD! A conviction of child abuse and involuntary manslaughter, NOT SO BAD!
William Gonzales is scheduled to stand trial on Aug. 20, to face charges of child abuse and open murder. Let's hope they found some cannabis or cocaine on him when they arrested him. At least then justice might be served.