September 13, 2018
Two Lake Havasu City residents await trial on charges of first degree murder in the January death of their 2-year-old daughter. As their respective trials loom, each awaits the release of autopsy results from the Clark County Medical Coroner’s Office.
Those autopsy results will answer a question at the heart of the case against Andrew Lamorie and Brittany Rodriquez: Either severe physical abuse Lamorie allegedly committed against the girl was the cause of her death, or the cause was starvation, as Mohave County prosecutors have alleged in court records.
Police and Paramedics were called Jan. 11 to Lamorie’s residence after receiving a report that the victim, Gabriella Lamorie, was found not moving on the floor of their closet. She was flown to Las Vegas for emergency medical treatment, where physicians later determined Gabriella had sustained multiple brain contusions, bruises on her face and head, signs of intestinal trauma and bleeding in her brain, according to police reports. She also appeared to have been severely malnourished, and appeared to be half the size of an average 2-year-old child, officials said. Medical staff told Lake Havasu City Police detectives that even if she survived, Gabriella would never lead a normal life.
Lamorie was initially arrested Jan. 11 on felony charges of child abuse, child neglect, aggravated assault against a minor and possession of marijuana. He was later cited on charges of animal cruelty in reference to an injured dog that was allegedly located in Lamorie’s home. Both Lamorie and Rodriquez were charged with first degree murder when their child was removed from life support three days later.
Rodriquez and Lamorie shared the residence with their two children, Lamorie’s two sisters and his mother, who made the report.
Lamorie initially denied injuring his daughter, according to the police report. He allegedly told detectives Gabriella had been climbing on a small desk in the closet and had possibly fallen.
Rodriquez told detectives that there was physical abuse in their home by Lamorie, both against her daughter and herself. According to statements Rodriquez allegedly gave to police, Lamorie would often “punish” Gabriella by “spanking” her on her head with his open hand. She allegedly told detectives she should have done more to protect the victim from Lamorie.
Both defendants told detectives in January that Gabriella was a finicky eater, and would sometimes refuse to eat at all, the report said. The couple dined at a Lake Havasu City Mexican restaurant on the night of Lamorie’s arrest, while Gabriella remained at home.
Lamorie and Rodriquez have both been offered plea agreements by the Mohave County Attorney’s Office, under which they would each plead guilty to charges of second degree murder and accept a 25-year sentence without the possibility of early release. Neither has accepted the agreement.
“We’re waiting for the autopsy results to be disclosed,” said Rodriquez’s attorney, Mohave County Legal Defender Ron Gilleo. “It’s one of the most important pieces of evidence in this case. The Las Vegas medical examiner has been delayed … we hope to have those results disclosed to us within the next 30 to 60 days.”
Rodriquez is scheduled to appear in Mohave County Superior Court Oct. 15 for a change of plea hearing, where she will be given the option of changing her plea to guilty. Lamorie is scheduled to appear in Mohave County Superior Court Oct. 22 for a pre-trial conference.
Rodriquez was pregnant with her third child at the time of her arrest.