Help us Pass Baby Evelynn's Law.

EVELYNNS LAW

http://www.evelynnmariebiondo.com/

                   December, 2007

Dear Friends, Family and World Wide Community Members:

On June 24, 2007, my precious 10 week old granddaughter Evelynn Marie Biondo was viciously and brutally attacked at the hands of her so called father when she began to fuss because it was time for her to be fed.  Her father, Joshua Cohen, annoyed that his sleep was disturbed, responded by elbowing Evelyn off the bed they were sleeping on.  Evelyn fell to the floor and screamed in pain after hitting her head on the bed post.   Evelyn%u2019s cries made Cohen grow angrier therefor chose to punish her with five blows to her head. He kicked her to the point of near unconsciousness.  Then he shook her for about 30 seconds which is what this animal admitted to the Suffolk County Police Detective%u2019s.  As he picked her up off the floor she began to come to and screamed in pain. Her cries for help cost her the normal life she had before her. That criminal act changed baby Evelynn forever. As he shook her, she went unconscious. Her eyes rolled behind her head and she began to have difficulty breathing.  Instead of calling 911, he dressed her and walked her in her stroller to my daughter%u2019s place of employment. When Alicia saw Evelynn she immediately called 911. On the way to the hospital our innocent angel coded 2 times.  When they arrived at the hospital, doctors placed Evelynn on life support and told us she would probably not make it.  A spinal tap showed blood in her cerebral spinal fluid. This indicated head trauma. Later that evening Joshua Cohen was placed under arrest after he confessed to the crime.  He gave a chilling and descriptive account of what happened in a cold and matter of fact fashion.

Today Evelynn has a moderate seizure disorder that so far has required two surgeries in an attempt to better control a build-up of fluid on her brain which causes the seizures. Her brain has shrunk and her eyes have developed hemorrhages behind them due to blunt force trauma, which as a result has caused severe loss of vision. At only five months old, Evelynns fight to live has only just begun.  My sweet innocent grandaughter is at risk for cerebral palsy as well as several other neurological disorders and will always have a learning disability. This once healthy, vibrant baby girl can%u2019t even support her head, roll or crawl. She has not yet reached milestones that a typical 7 week old baby would have reached. Why?  Because she was hungry and disturbed her fathers sleep.

Over the past few months I have had to watch my daughter struggle with coming to terms with what has happened with her child.  I have had to watch an innocent baby struggle just to live. I have seen pain and sadness in both there eyes. My heart bleeds for them and many days the pain I feel for them overwhelms me.

In the meantime, that animal resides in the Riverhead Correctional Facility on $500,000 bail or million dollar bond. He gets three square meals a day and recreation, too.  He gets to live, laugh, and breathe with out any problems other than being confined. He will probably get to do, realistically only about 15 years in jail, and on good behavior, less than that.  Yet, my poor sweet and innocent granddaughter has a life sentence of handicaps, surgeries, medications, doctor appointments, expenses, and is deprived of ever living a normal life. That God given right was taken away by a so called %u201Cman%u201D who deserves a more suitable punishment than only 15 years or less. It was said his lawyer recently tried to bargain with the Suffolk County District Attorney%u2019s office claiming he will plead guilty in return for a 5 year sentence!  5 YEARS!?!?! This poor innocent child has a LIFETIME sentence of handicaps, doctor%u2019s appointments and struggles. That suggestion is criminal in itself. The fact that Cohen%u2019s lawyer could sleep at night is amazing. Thankfully the D.A. quickly denied his plea bargain. Believe it or not some D.A.%u2019s would have accepted that plea bargain. Its criminal!

Unfortunately, cases such as this one are becoming more and more prevalent. Many times the results are actually worse. Sometimes a child is brutally killed. Two things that could stop these senseless crimes are education and tougher laws.  The attached petition is to ask our law makers to make it mandatory for people like Joshua Cohen to serve a mandatory 25 year sentence with no chance of bail or early parole. If you kill a child that same sentence increases to 35 years imprisonment.

PLEASE SIGN AND PRINT YOUR NAME TO HELP PASS %u201CEVELYNNS LAW.%u201D  WE HAVE THE POWER TO STOP CHILD ABUSE ONCE AND FOR ALL!

                                                                        Kindest regards,

                                                                        Anthony R. Biondo