How Could You? Hall of Shame-Shelley Blair and Anthony Talley UPDATED

By on 10-12-2011 in Abuse in adoption, Abuse in foster care, Anthony Talley, How could you? Hall of Shame, Shelley Blair, Tennessee

How Could You? Hall of Shame-Shelley Blair and Anthony Talley UPDATED

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Spring Hill, Tennessee, adoptive mother Shelley Blair, 44, now has pleaded guilty on Tuesday October 11 to some of the 15 original charges against her for the 2008 abuse on her then-12-year-old adopted son and then-13-year-old adopted daughter. Shelley first pleaded not guilty in March 2009. She will be sentenced on December 7, 2011 on four charges: two counts of aggravated assault, attempted especially aggravated kidnapping and kidnapping. She pleaded guilty in 2003 to three counts of child abuse against the same daughter and yet did not lose custody.

After her October 2008 arrest, she bonded out on February 13, 2009.

According to the February 2009 News Channel 5 story, the girl’s biological mother “Evelyn Bruce gave up her 4-year-old daughter for adoption because she was serving a 10 year prison sentence for aggravated robbery.

Bruce felt she had no choice but to give up her parental rights and let Shelley Blair adopt the little girl.
“Very, very hard, I didn’t want to. I didn’t know how long [I’d] be in prison,” said Bruce. “All I could do is sit in the courtroom and cry. I didn’t have a leg to stand on. I signed over my rights.”
Bruce was angry that the woman who abused her daughter in 2003 did not lose custody.
“It traumatizes me now to know I made the wrong decision. I really made the wrong decision,” said Bruce.”
At that time, “DCS said they will look into the case, and also ask for the child’s input.”

Another arrest was made in the case in February 2009. Police “arrested Anthony Talley Wednesday morning. He’s charged with aggravated child neglect, especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, and assault.

Investigators say Talley was Shelley Blair’s accomplice.”According to the October 11, 2011 News Channel 5 story, “Anthony Talley, described as a family friend, faces eight counts of child neglect, four counts of aggravated assault, and one count of kidnapping. His trial is scheduled to start in April.”

“Blair faces 14-22 years in prison for those charges, said Spring Hill Police Detective Geoff Betts, the lead detective in the case.

On the morning of Oct. 20, 2008, Officer Jesus Lopez noticed the malnourished and poorly groomed children — a 12-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl — walking near Belshire Way on Main Street.

Lopez noticed one child was riding a bicycle without a helmet and wondered why they were not in school.

Both children were in Blair’s care and had been imprisoned in her Spring Hill Estates home where she denied them food and drink and access to a bathroom.

The children were treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and turned over to the Department of Children’s Services during the investigation.”

Spring Hill woman pleads guilty to imprisoning foster kids
[The Tennessean 10/11/11 by Jill Cecil Wiersma]

Woman Pleads Guilty To Assault, Kidnapping Of Adopted Children
[News Channel 5 10/11/11]

Woman Bothered By Accused Abuser’s Access To Children
[News Channel 5 10/27/08]

Mother Wants Custody Of Her Biological Daughter
[News Channel 5 2/17/09]

Authorities Make More Arrests in Child Abuse Case
[News Channel 5 2/18/09]

Additionally, Pound Pup Legacy has some of the background here.

Update: “ The biological mother of an alleged child abuse victim in Spring Hill is speaking out about the allegations against adoptive mother Shelley Blair.

Blair has already pleaded guilty to assault and kidnapping charges. Her sentencing hearing began on Wednesday in Williamson County.
Evelyn Bruce will be the first to admit she was far from a perfect mother. She says she gave birth to her daughter while serving time in prison for aggravated robbery charges. At the time, she thought letting her little girl go was the right decision.”Just because I gave her up for adoption, doesn’t mean I don’t care. I gave her up to better her life,” said Bruce.

Bruce says it’s clear her now 16-year-old daughter never got that chance at a better life.
The young girl testified on Wednesday in court, and told the judge that Shelley Blair seemed to take out her anger on her and her brother.
The girl also provided some graphic details of the alleged abuse, saying Blair removed all of the furniture from their rooms, and forced the two children to go to the bathroom in buckets.
Police have said Blair also duct taped the children and locked them in their rooms. On Wednesday, Blair told the judge she did so because the children were a handful, and were getting out of control.
“You don’t lock a child in a room by themselves,” said Bruce. “Look what she’s went through. It’s not fair to her, not fair at all.”
Bruce, who has been out of jail since 2001, says no child deserves to be treated that way.
She says she still thinks about her biological daughter every day, and feels the punishment Shelley Blair is now facing, just isn’t enough.
“I don’t feel like she should ever be released from prison. I feel like she should get life, because she took my daughter’s life away from her. Now my daughter is going to have to deal with this for the rest of her life,” said Bruce.
A life sentence, at this point, is not a possibility. Shelley Blair could get a sentence of 14 to 22 years in prison, but that decision will ultimately be up to the judge.
She is expected to be back on the stand Thursday morning in Williamson County.”

Biological Mother Of Alleged Abuse Victim Speaks Out
[NewsChannel 5 12/7/11 by Heather Graf]

“A Spring Hill mother who admitted to abusing her two adopted children was sentenced to 16 years in prison Thursday.

In October, Shelley Blair admitted to keeping her adopted children, ages 12 and 14, routinely bound by duct tape and locked in their rooms.

Blair faced up to 22 years in prison on assault and kidnapping charges.

In exchange for her plea, the court dropped charges of child neglect against Blair.

Several key figures from the case testified at the woman’s sentencing this week, including a detective, a child abuse expert and a judicial magistrate.

The judge also heard from one of the victims, now a 10th grader, who told the judge, “She didn’t have a right to do me and my brother like that.”

The male victim has since been adopted and chose not to testify Wednesday.

The female victim is in foster care and told the judge she is happy now that she is away from the woman she calls her former mother.

Blair took the stand Wednesday afternoon to explain herself and her actions. The defense attorney started by giving her an open microphone to explain how she adopted her daughter, who testified earlier in the day.

Shelley Blair’s attorney asked her, “Why did you plead guilty?”

“I wanted her life to be better, so I went through anything and everything that we could get a hold of and I tried everything. I tried the private schools. I tried the private facilities. I went to DCS on numerous occasions and said ‘I can’t handle this, I’ve got to have help,” said Blair in court. ”

Spring Hill mom sentenced in child abuse
[WSMV 12/8/11 by Josh DeVine]

Note that Emma Alvey , the Chinese adoptee who died of a head injury in 2005, also was from Spring Hill, Tennessee.

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