*A California father and his girlfriend have been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for torturing his 4-year-old girl to death and burying her body in the desert.
Ronald Dean Greer, and his girlfriend, Bianca Annie Mae Stanch are said to have hated his daughter Samiah so much that they brutally beat and tortured her daily over a period of time, KTLA reports. The child was 4 years old at the time of her death. The incident occurred nearly 10 years ago and the trial was delayed for almost a decade at the defense’s request.
“Unfortunately, because of the actions of her father and his girlfriend, Samiah wasn’t here to tell her own story to the jurors. Thankfully, the evidence at trial told the tragic story for her,” Justin Crocker, San Bernardino County prosecuting deputy district attorney, said in a statement on Facebook. “Samiah was betrayed by the people closest to her and they have now been held accountable for that betrayal.”
On March 12, Greer, and Stanch were sentenced to 32 years to life. The couple was found guilty of first-degree murder, torture and child abuse with a special allegation of causing death by a jury on Oct. 6, 2020, PEOPLE reports.
Bianca Stanch (Age 26) and Ronald Greer (Age 29) found guilty in the torture and killing of 4-year-old Samiah Downing. Read More: https://t.co/TV7kb08yCy #Adelanto #SanBernardinoCounty #Murder #ChildAbuse pic.twitter.com/Jkq2ZjC64g
— San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office (@sbcountyda) October 7, 2020
According to prosecutors, witnesses testified that Stanch had “extreme dislike for Samiah and treated her poorly” and she and Greer regularly deprived her of water.
“Witnesses also testified that Stanch and Greer duct-taped Samiah’s wrists and ankles together on multiple occasions and left her overnight so that she could not get out to get water,” Crocker said.
The prosecutor’s office said, “Evidence at trial showed that Samiah was beaten and forced to stand in the corner for eight hours on the day before her death. The abuse continued the next day when Stanch beat Samiah all over her body with a belt and cords. Stanch then poured a pot of boiling water on Samiah’s back and chest. Samiah was also denied water to drink during these final days of her life.”
“On the evening of her death, Samiah began acting lethargic and sleepy. She was locked inside a bedroom within the apartment and was left with Stanch’s cousin, Rayshawn Stanch, while Stanch and Greer went to dinner,” the statement continued. Samiah was dead by the time the couple returned home.
The couple and Rayshawn drove Samiah’s body to the desert and left her in a shallow grave.
“An autopsy revealed that her cause of death was dehydration,” Crocker said in the statement. “At the time of her death, Samiah’s weight placed her in the 5th percentile for her age. Samiah had been in the 50th percentile for her weight just six months before her death.”
Rayshawn reportedly pled guilty earlier this year to his role in the crime. It’s unclear if he’s been sentenced yet.
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