Monday, January 14, 2008

Mom Pleads in Death of Two-Year-Old

At a hearing today Destiny D’Urso, 26, of Damascus, MD, pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Under terms of the plea agreement, announced in open court before Judge Timothy J. Doory, D’Urso agreed to testify truthfully and honestly against Paul Highfield. There was no sentence agreement, but the maximum prison sentence for manslaughter is 10 years. No sentencing date was scheduled.

On September 12, 2006 Anthony Joseph D’Urso, 2, lived at 1213 E. Patapsco Ave. Destiny D’Urso, the victim’s mother, left for work leaving her son in the care of Paul Highfield. The child was healthy when she left. When she returned, the child was vomiting uncontrollably, and D’Urso noticed numerous knuckle-sized bruises on the child’s abdomen. The child continued vomiting, and was put to bed by D’Urso. The child died during the night. D’Urso never sought medical attention for the child. The Medical Examiner determined that the child died of blunt force trauma.

The murder and child abuse trial of Paul Highfield, 28, of the 4000 block of Security Lane was scheduled for March 17, 2008. D’Urso remains held on $350,000 bail. Highfield is held without bail. Assistant State’s Attorneys Julie Drake, Chief of the Felony Family Violence Division and Patricia McLane will prosecute this case.

Meanwhile, Sam Chambers, the director of the Department of Social Services, has stepped down.

13 comments:

Unmolested Altar Boy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Your right she will but what this article fails to mention is the fact that there was also another child involved a little girl. I happen to know because I am her step mother and have been raising the child with her father also not the little boy (Anthony) father. This woman was also not at work when it happened she was out trying to buy drugs she was not employeed at the time. My husband and I also tried to get custody of his daughter for quite some time before this incident and they claimed she was a fit mother, yeah she seems real fit to me, our justice system sucks! The only thing I am thankful for is that the little boy is not in pain anymore and that there was not a greater tragedy it could have been both of the children.

ppatin said...

Fifty-seven percent of Marylanders say that they support the death penalty.

ppatin said...

A 14-year old boy was killed last night in Cherry Hill. The Sun also confirms that Zecariah Hallback did indeed die this past Saturday :(

Anonymous said...

I found out about all this and couldnt belive it! I lived with Destiny and her ex husband years back and I thought Destiny did a great job raising their daughter. I then heard Destiny was back on drugs and I knew then things were gonna change. When Destiny was straight, she was on the right path. When she was using, she didnt give a care in the world! I have known her for over 10 years and I would have never thought she would ever be in jail for something so cruel. Now I belive she should spend the rest of her life in prison but of coarse they will let her only spend a max of 2-5 years. Any mother who could do something like that should never be forgiven! I am actually ashamed to say I was a friend of hers. I hope nothing but the best for CUBBYS daughter! That poor little girls has to live with the fact that her real mother is worthless!
I only hope both the boyfriend and Destiny get the worst possible sentence!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

What you all fail to realize is that when all this happened, and they were given lie detector tests, she failed and Paul passed. Through this whole thing, SHE is the one who said the baby fell, then said oh maybe her little girl did it, etc. No, she was not at work, she was there, she even stated that and she was high. Now she is changing her story yet again and trying to now put the blame on Paul. What kind of mother would talk to someone who hurt their child? What kind of woman would still be saying I love you and will be with you again ONCE SHE IS CLEAN knowing that they hurt her child? Not any woman I know because he obviously had nothing to do with it. I have watched this since the beginning and hope and pray this woman never gets out.

Anonymous said...

Destiny did bad things in her life but neither her nor Anthony deserved what happened to them. Paul cannot be blamed for everything that happened to their family but obviously the prosecution believes her story that he WAS the one hurting Anthony or they would not have offered her such a small consequence. Paul is not being offered a plea by the prosecution so they obviously believe they have a strong case against him and believe that he was the person who had been harming Anthony.

As for Cheyanne's "stepmother:" you were not even around when Anthony passed away you were out of the picture at that point so please do not lie. Your husband was involved with another woman. I don't remember seeing you at the funeral.

Also, there had been no bruises on her children EVER before Paul Highfield came into the picture. And Destiny did not fail her lie detector test, the results were inconclusive.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but before you make that you should know all the facts and unfortunately you guys do not know all the facts about this family.

Destiny was ALWAYS a good mother to her children before she got involved with drug use. She is not a saint but neither is anyone I know. She does deserve a punishment but you all forget that everyday she has to deal with the fact that her drug use and infatuation with a man caused her son's death.

I am NOT ashamed to say that I know and love Destiny regardless of what has happened. I hope she receives the help that she needs and that the family is able to recover from what has happened.

Anonymous said...

What I would like to know is what happened to Destiny's other (third) child that mysteriously died of SIDs? Why was "Cubby" quoted as saying that he wanted to "get my little girl away from Destiny before something happened to her too"? Why is Destiny's own Mother, Bonnie, on record accusing her own Daughter of killing poor Anthony? Then Destiny accuses her Daughter, Cheyanne, of confessing to suffocating her brother Anthony.... When Cheyanne was questioned, by police psychologist, if anyone told her to say that she innocently stated "Mommy did"......
How can our justice system know all of this and then take a plea bargin??? The States Attorney knows all of this and still takes a plea? They are satisfied knowing that an innocent man, that YES passed his lie dector test, will go remain in jail for a murder he didn't commit simply for the sake of blaming someone with minimal cost to their budget.. What a wonderful System we have... Destiny may rot in Hell with both of these Dead children's souls haunting you forever!!

Anonymous said...

Somebody needs to get their story straight. Destiny was pregnent three times but with her first pregnency, her baby died before being born. She was a good mother until she started doing the drugs. There is no forgiving her for the fact that she not only allowed this man to beat and molest her son but also said that he didn't do the crime and allowed him to be by her side at the funeral as she held Anthony in her arms for the last time. My only concern is for Cheyanne and what she may have seen and might have also been done to her that she will have to carry with her for the rest of her life. I hope that Destiny has no chance of getting custody when she is released from prison.

Anonymous said...

Everyone needs to stop speculating anonymously on the internet. Does it make you feel better that people read what you are saying and you affect the way they think even though none of you know what you are talking about? It shouldn't. None of you are changing anything by posting all this false information, you are slandering a name that you know nothing about anymore. It is what it is and you are not going to change any of it. The plea was already taken and they are going to convict someone who is NOT innocent. There is nothing you people can do to change that.

Anonymous said...

May they both be judged before God Almighty and rot in hell where they belong!!!!!

Anonymous said...

#1 It is PREGNANT not Pregnet
#2 Destiny had a MISCARRIAGE with her FIRST child not her THIRD
#3 Her mother's name is not Bonnie it is Bunnie
and
#4 I, too was Destiny's friend. I am not ashamed to say I was her friend. But, I am very very disgusted with everything that has happened. I used to be very close with the kids and her family. Then things happened and we no longer spoke. I will not bash her parenting skills since I was around her for 4 years of Cheyanne's life and sadly only 1 year of Anthony's life. No none of you saw me at the funeral b/c I did not find out until a week later, wish I would have known. But I can't change that now. As long as I have known Destiny I do not want to believe that she could ever do anything like that, but I have to face the facts and I do know that she had something to do with it, especially knowing she had a drug habit. And it's funny how after this happened she blamed Cheyanne then claimed she couldn't remember anything because she was too focused on her drug habit but now remembers everything and knows he did it. But then again who am I to say anything about this since I was not there.

Anonymous said...

one of you dummies is gettin mad because someone said she was guilty or whatever shut the fuck up the bitch should have protected her kids period ,drugs is not a fuckin excuse my mom was once a drug addict been clean for 16 years but we never got hurt always ate was always clean so try again with that dumb shit that man should not be in jail if he didnt do it and only a coward would blame there child for doin it to so who didnt she blamed two people