A Wichita father accused of killing his 8-year-old daughter has a history of charges involving domestic violence. According to court records, has one Oklahoma conviction for child abuse. He was also looked at for the Minneapolis death of a kid, but was never prosecuted.
Father charged with first-degree murder in domestic violence
In connection with the death of his daughter Jeanetta Y. Gatewood on May 8, 51-year-old Thomas Ross Gatewood has been charged with 11 charges, including first-degree murder. The Wichita Eagle stated that according to court documents, several of the counts concern a 9-year-old victim.
According to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, Gatewood and his wife were also under investigation in connection with the death of a newborn in Minneapolis in June 2006; however, no charges were brought. According to court documents, Gatewood allegedly hit, kicked, and abused the child.
In addition to four charges of aggravated kidnapping, three counts of child abuse, two counts of aggravated endangerment of a child, and one act of aggravated intimidation of a witness or victim, he is accused of first-degree murder in the commission of a felony.
Gatewood’s involvement in multiple domestic violence incidents
A Minneapolis investigator looked into the Gatewoods in 2006. According to a court complaint, a kid who passed away from meningitis was discovered to have rib injuries, skull fractures, and bruises. Additionally, no one took that youngster to the hospital.
The lack of conclusive medical evidence that can be used to demonstrate what the defendant knew about the child’s condition and when he knew it prevented the office from filing charges, according to Nicholas Kimball, a spokesman for the office, in an email to The Associated Press on Friday.
A court statement states that in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, in 2009, authorities removed a 19-month-old girl and a newborn infant from the Gatewoods’ house after discovering the elder daughter was unable to walk or communicate and had bruises all over her body.
According to court documents, Gatewood was sentenced in the Bartlesville case to a year in prison, probation, and court fees. His wife was also found guilty of facilitating child abuse by harm and given a 180-day prison term.
Additionally, according to court records, Gatewood was involved in seven felony cases in the 1990s. Involving aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and battery in the counties of Riley or Wichita.
In Wichita city courts, he has a number of other instances including domestic violence, battery, sexual battery, and unwanted touching. Now he was held responsible for two instances of domestic violence assault.
