Dad blames cold medicine for toddler slaying

Monday, November 5th 2007, 8:34 PM

A Manhattan bookkeeper claims that over-the-counter cold medicine made him feel "strange and weird" just before he beat his 1-year-old daughter to death, a law enforcement source said today.

Peter O'Keeffe, 35, told cops he drank Robitussin cough medicine and took some type of herbal decongestant before killing daughter Jessica on Saturday in his Queens home, prosecutors said.

"He beat the baby, grabbed her by the neck...," prosecutor Mina Malik said at O'Keeffe's arraignment on a murder charge in Queens Criminal Court. "The baby was dropped face down."

O'Keeffe's wife, Louise Rojas-O'Keeffe, found Jessica when she arrived home from a shopping with friends. Jessica had bite marks on her body, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said O'Keeffe told cops he lifted Jessica out of her crib and put her back in several times to stop her from crying. When she did not stop, he began shaking her and then dropped her head first on the floor, prosecutors said.

O'Keeffe said he laid down on the floor next to the baby, who was limp, prosecutors said.

"The baby was left bleeding from the head, then he left," Malik said, adding that O'Keeffe did not try to resuscitate the child despite her "devastating injuries."

"There's a history of mental illness in the family," defense attorney Michael Cibella said. "He needs treatment."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file...oddler_sla.html

Tuesday, November 6th 2007, 4:00 AM

A Manhattan bookkeeper told cops over-the-counter cold decongestants made him feel "strange and weird" just before he beat his 1-year-old daughter to death, a law enforcement source said Monday.

Peter O'Keeffe, 35, said he drank Robitussin cough medicine and took an herbal decongestant before killing Jessica on Saturday in his South Ozone Park home, prosecutors said.

"He beat the baby, grabbed her by the neck ..." Assistant District Attorney Mina Malik said at O'Keeffe's arraignment on a murder charge in Queens Criminal Court. "The baby was dropped facedown."

O'Keeffe's wife, Louise Rojas-O'Keeffe, found Jessica when she arrived home from a shopping excursion with friends. Jessica had bite marks on her body, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said O'Keeffe told cops he lifted Jessica out of her crib and put her back down several times in trying to stop her from crying.

When she did not stop, he began shaking her and threw her to the floor, prosecutors alleged.

O'Keeffe told cops he thought he was dying and that he lay down on the floor next to the baby, who was limp, prosecutors said. The child died between noon and 4 p.m., prosecutors said.

At that point, O'Keeffe went to an ATM for cash, then to Philadelphia, prosecutors said.

"The baby was left bleeding from the head, then he left," Malik said, adding that O'Keeffe did not try to resuscitate the child despite her "devastating injuries."

O'Keeffe returned to New York on Sunday and went to his mother's Brooklyn home. When cops arrested him there, he told them, "I came back to face the music," a law enforcement source said.

Peter O'Keeffe's 70-year-old mother and sister burst into tears when they saw him ushered into the courtroom shackled and wearing a white jumper.

"There's a history of mental illness in the family," defense lawyer Michael Cibella said. "He needs treatment."

O'Keeffe, who was charged with murder and endangering the welfare of a child, was ordered held without bail and under a suicide watch. He faces up to 25 years to life in prison, if convicted.

Cibella said his client was an accountant at a Manhattan printing company.

O'Keeffe was a bookkeeper at Tana Seybert, a printing company at 525 W. 52nd St.

Seybert's chief financial officer, Christina Bosco, said she was "devastated and shocked" by the tragedy.

"He has worked closely with me since 2004," she said. "This is a complete shock. There was never an indication that anything like this could have happened."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file...by_left_-1.html

November 6, 2007
Father Accused of Killing Baby Pleads Not Guilty
A bookkeeper for a Manhattan printing company pleaded not guilty to killing his 13-month-old daughter. Peter O'Keffe was arrested on Sunday after his wife returned to their Queens home after running errands on Saturday, to find their child unresponsive on the floor and her husband missing.

Prosecutors say that O'Keeffe hit the baby in order to make her stop crying. From the Queens DA's office:

According to statements made to police following his arrest, O’Keeffe admitted to having taken cold medication after his wife left to do some errands and that when Jessica began crying he lifted her out of the playpen and shook her before throwing her face down on the floor. O’Keeffe allegedly fled after turning Jessica’s body over and seeing blood coming from her head. He allegedly admitted not trying to help the baby because he thought she was dead. He allegedly then went to an ATM for cash and fled to Philadelphia. The following day he came back to New York and was arrested at his mother’s house in Brooklyn.
O'Keeffe reportedly told police that the Robitussin and herbal decongestants made him feel "strange and weird". The autopsy revealed the baby had "a fractured skull, head trauma, human bite marks to her right arm and multiple bruises."

DA Richard Brown said, "This helpless, innocent child was relying on her father to care for Instead he allegedly beat her senseless and left her alone to die. The defendant was supposed to protect child, not harm her. This very disturbing case will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” O'Keeffe's lawyer says that there is a history of mental illness is in the family. O'Keeffe, who faces life in prison, was held without bail and put on suicide watch.

http://gothamist.com/2007/11/06/queens_father_a.php

[The JoKer]

That's no fucking excuse.

[Fair Warning]

it's fucks like that who fuck shit up for other people.

[Skape]

Originally posted by johnnyrandom@Nov 8 2007, 03:22 PM
it's fucks like that who fuck shit up for other people.

Dude he killed his child. He fucked shit up for his kid, wife, himself, and his family. This is terrible, Ive took pletty of robitussin and it has never made me angry nor have I wanted to kill anyone while on it. This guy had to be mentally ill.

[Fair Warning]

true.


he ruined peoples lives.

[liquidswords]

at least dxm actually has a use so it won't ever become illegal because of dumbasses like this guy. people who do retarded things like kill or commit suicide under the influence is why a good number of drugs became/become illegal. i know some girl commited suicide on salvia and im positive that will help it become illegal

[Subtle Desire]

Me and Darryl have done dxm and our daughter has been in bed and has woken up before and we seem to be even more amazed by her when we are tripping on dxm. Taking cough and cold meds is no excuse for what he did to his little girl...and reading that really breaks my heart my daughter is going to be one on the 16th and yeah ...this is so fucking sick and terrible and uncalled for...and he has no excuse at all what so ever. I hope they fry his ass.

[Reverend Tulasi]

Originally posted by shibby_licious@Nov 9 2007, 12:59 AM
Me and Darryl have done dxm and our daughter has been in bed and has woken up before and we seem to be even more amazed by her when we are tripping on dxm. Taking cough and cold meds is no excuse for what he did to his little girl...and reading that really breaks my heart my daughter is going to be one on the 16th and yeah ...this is so fucking sick and terrible and uncalled for...and he has no excuse at all what so ever. I hope they fry his ass.

I completely agree with you on that. My son always seemed so beautiful when on dex. Watching him whilst he slept. Amazing.