Stepmother mercilessly beats 12-year-old girl regularly with coat hanger until she ran out of tears

For children not from their own womb, some depraved stepmothers have disquieting methods of 'disciplining' them.

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A 12-year-old child in Yibin Sichuan whose stepmother had allegedly cruelly beaten her with a coat hanger repeatedly was emancipated from her parents on the 25th of August after being rescued by a passerby.

Ms Zhong, the passerby who rescued the girl (Video screencap)

The woman who helped the girl, named Ms Zhong, saw her bowing her head on the street and went to ask if she was alright. Only then did the story of her abuse come into the light of public attention. Ms Zhong said: "[The girl] said she cried so much that no more tears can come out of her eyes anymore; her stepmother's beatings have become as routine as eating a meal."

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Ms Zhong took the poor girl back to her store, where she noticed the girl's scar. To take a better look at her injuries, Ms Zhong took off the girl's clothes, revealing appaling streaks of reddish purplish streaks of bloody scars on her back. Her arms and shoulders were also swollen from beating, and her face also suffered injuries.

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When the store owner asked the girl where the injuries came from, she answered, "It's my stepmother who hit me."

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When interviewed by reporters, Ms Zhong said, "After I took [the girl] into my store for refuge, I opened up her clothes, and a lot of her, including private parts, were severely damaged.

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"When the child described how she was abused to me, she was very calm throughout. She said that she had already gotten used to the beatings, and it was as commonplace as eating a meal."

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The abused girl said during an interview, "[My stepmother] sometimes hits me with a coat hanger, at times on my mouth.

The girl being interviewed, where she talks about her stepmother abusing her (Video screencap)

"One time when I forgot to bring my little brother along with me to the playground, she (the stepmother) bent me over, hung me up on the windowsill and beat me up, then left me there hanging for the entire night."

The girl's biological mother being interviewed (Video screencap)

The police were alerted of this incident by Ms Zhong. Authorities state that the girl had accused her stepmother of child abuse, therefore, the police believe the stepmother is unfit to have guardianship over the girl ever again.

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After the girl was brought to the police station, her biological mother was contacted, who rushed to the station to pick her daughter up. The case is still under investigation.

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The girl's biological mother pointed out that she had been divorced from her ex-husband for 11 years. She had always known that the girl's stepmother was 'more demanding', but she "didn't know it was so serious". She stressed, "I'll do whatever it takes to get legal custody over my daughter, never back to [her father and stepmother], it's too dangerous.

HOUSTON (AP) — A man accused of fatally shooting a 9-year-old girl when he was robbed at a Houston ATM in 2022 has been indicted on a murder charge in her death.

Tuesday’s indictment against Tony Earls comes nearly two years after another grand jury declined to indict him in the death of Arlene Alvarez.

Gwen Alvarez, the girl’s mother, said the indictment brought her family some relief, knowing it is the “first step of receiving justice for my daughter.”

“Hopefully we inspire other families to never give up on their loved ones. It’s horrible and it’s a big nightmare what we go through. … We’re living day by day,” a tearful Gwen Alvarez said during a news conference.

Authorities said Wednesday an arrest warrant has been issued for Earls, who has been a fugitive for about a year now on an unrelated assault charge. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest, said Andy Kahan, director of victim services at Crime Stoppers of Houston.

Earls’ previous attorneys had said their client was not a “monster” but a family man who was devastated by Arlene’s death. They said Earls was not reckless in his actions and was only protecting his family.

Earls and his wife were at an ATM to withdraw money on Feb. 14, 2022, when an unidentified robber pulled a gun on them and fled after taking $20, along with a check and their car keys, according to prosecutors.

Earls’ attorneys said after their client got out of his car, the robber fired and Earls fired back in self-defense. Investigators say Earls fired at a truck thinking the robbery suspect had possibly climbed into it.

But the vehicle was actually carrying Arlene and her family as they went to the ATM to make a deposit before heading to a late dinner at a pizzeria. The girl was shot in the head and later died at a hospital.

Earls was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, serious bodily injury. But a grand jury in July 2022 declined to indict him on that charge or several others, including manslaughter and murder. The man who robbed Earls has never been caught.

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said that earlier this year she assigned a special prosecutor, Warren Diepraam, to re-examine the case. Diepraam said an FBI firearms expert was brought in to review evidence.

Diepraam said he couldn't discuss the evidence presented to the grand jury. But his investigation, which was assisted by Houston police and attorneys for the Alvarez family, found that Earls had a clear view of the Alvarez family's truck and there was nothing to indicate it was connected to the robber.

"The conclusion that I reached was that if you’re going to discharge a weapon into a car ... you better make sure that you’re 100% correct because there are no second chances to bring back an innocent life," Diepraam said.

Shooting recklessly into a vehicle or a location voids any claims of self-defense or defense of property under Texas law, he said.

Ogg praised Arlene's family for their patience and efforts in the case.

“They could have been bitter. They could have done nothing. Instead, they directed all their energy toward achieving justice for Arlene. And that’s our goal. ... They will get their day in court," Ogg said.

If convicted, Earls could be sentenced to up to life in prison.

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FILE - Wendy Alvarez, mother of Arlene Alvarez, 9, who died after being shot in February of this year, listens during a press conference, Tuesday, July 19, 2022, at Crime Stoppers in Houston. Tony Earls, accused of fatally shooting a 9-year-old girl when he was robbed at a Houston ATM in 2022, has been indicted Tuesday, April 23, 2024, for murder in her death. The indictment comes nearly two years after another grand jury had declined to indict him in the death of Alvarez. (Mark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle via AP)

FILE - Tony D. Earls is escorted from the Harris County 263rd District Criminal Court Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in Houston. Earls, who is accused of fatally shooting a 9-year-old girl when he was robbed at a Houston ATM in 2022, has been indicted Tuesday, April 23, 2024, for murder in her death. The indictment comes nearly two years after another grand jury had declined to indict him in the death of Arlene Alvarez. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

FILE - Arlene Alvarez's parents, Gwen Alvarez and Armando Alvarez are seen during a news conference with their attorney, Rick Ramos, right, Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022 in Houston, Texas. Tony Earls, who is accused of fatally shooting a 9-year-old girl when he was robbed at a Houston ATM in 2022 has been indicted Tuesday, April 23, 2024, for murder in her death. The indictment against Earls comes nearly two years after another grand jury had declined to indict him in the death of Alvarez. (AP Photo/Juan A. Lozano, File)