A Florida stepfather allegedly offered a story in which a 5-year-old girl had fallen fatally unconscious while holding her breath, but investigators claim to have discovered security cameras that caught him in the act physically abusing the child.
Daniel Spencer, 35, was caught on video abusing Melissa Mogle, 5, by “violently pulling her arms, shoving her face into a bed, binding her feet and hands together, and covering her with pillows and comforters,” according to Tallahassee police. Police found Melissa’s blood on her pillows and comforter.
Investigators claim to have discovered photos of Melissa’s mother, Chloe Spencer, standing over her and holding an object up as if to strike her. Chloe Spencer allegedly told investigators that she hit her child with a shoe.
Prosecutors have charged Daniel Spencer and Chloe Spencer, both 23, with second-degree murder, upgrading the case from child abuse.
Daniel Spencer’s previous conviction on April 15 for traveling to meet a minor looms over the proceedings. He spent hours talking with a Leon County sheriff’s investigator who pretended to be a 15-year-old, according to The Tallahassee Democrat. The judge released him pending sentencing.
The Florida Department of Children and Families and the Tallahassee Police Department had also investigated him for allegedly molesting the child, but he was not arrested.
“These agencies failed a five-year-old child and allowed her to be murdered by those who were supposed to protect her,” Jasmine Hartsfield, one of Melissa’s godmothers, told The Tallahassee Democrat. “They were supposed to protect her from these monsters, and they did nothing but let it happen.”
According to WCTV, officers responded shortly before 7:45 p.m. on May 10 to a report of an unresponsive child in the 4100 block of Kipling Street. They arrived and discovered Melissa’s grandfather performing CPR.
Meanwhile, the parents allegedly claimed that Melissa, who they described as having “behavioral issues,” would hold her breath during tantrums, and that she had one of them that morning while arguing with her stepfather.
According to police, Daniel Spencer claimed to have left her standing in her bedroom and closed the door behind him. Minutes later, he yelled out that Melissa was not breathing, police said. She died in the hospital.
The story allegedly started to unravel. Police said the child’s bruising and other injuries were suspicious and suggested abuse. The autopsy revealed she was malnourished.
