Sentenced: 15MO Najae Musgrave Was Returned To Her Father To Be Abused To Death

[Sugar Cookie]

A year before a 25-year-old father was charged in his infant daughter's death, he lost custody of that same child following allegations of abuse.

But state records obtained by The Times show the girl was returned to his custody, and she ended up dead following more alleged abuse.

Khabaugh Musgrave is charged with two counts of felony battery on allegations he abused 15-month-old Najae Musgrave on March 6, 2017.

Najae was declared brain dead March 8 at Comer Children's Hospital in Chicago, where the girl was treated for head and eye injuries associated with shaken baby syndrome.

Musgrave denied to authorities he intentionally hurt the child. He suggested he handled her too roughly and blamed his young son with causing the injuries.

Musgrave offered similar explanations when the girl was injured in May 2016.

On May 22 of that year, the girl's mother brought her to the hospital to be treated for blisters on her feet. Doctors were unable to explain those injuries, and a skeletal exam revealed the girl had suffered multiple bucket handle fractures — an injury caused by yanking or pulling on the bone and a red flag for physical abuse.

The Indiana Department of Child Services was alerted by hospital staff and took custody of Najae and her brother through an emergency order, according to DCS records obtained by The Times.

The case manager noted in a report the severe nature of the girl's injuries precluded anything but removal from the household.

Swift and Musgrave were granted supervised visitation with their children during the pending CHINS case. Caseworkers noted both parents were happy to see their children during the visits and sometimes brought presents of toys and outfits.

Both parents also attended therapy and parenting education classes. Musgrave was taught methods for controlling his anger in therapy sessions, DCS records state.

Less than a year later, the children were returned to Musgrave and their mother, Stephanie Swift.

Fast-forward to the morning of March 6, 2017.

Najae was transported by Gary medics that day to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus after her father found her unresponsive inside the family's residence.

The 15-month-old girl was in a coma at the hospital with no signs of brain activity. She had an old wound to her nose, an old burn mark to her knee, a new burn mark to her left foot, dry scabs around her neck and bruised lungs, authorities reported. The girl also suffered retinal hemorrhaging, a common sign of shaken baby syndrome.

Asked about Najae's injuries, Musgrave told investigators their son often “plays rough” with Najae. He said Najae had also crawled off the porch March 5, 2017, while he was securing her brother in a vehicle.

Detectives told Musgrave the toddler could not have caused such violence, and he said maybe he played with Najae too roughly.

“A lot of times I pick her up and, like, shake her, but it's not like that,” he allegedly said. “You know I'm playing with her. If I did something, you know, I'm heavy. I got heavy hands. If I did something to cause, like, that type of damage, it was not purposely.”

Records: System returned 1-year-old to alleged abuser; baby ended up dead

A year before a 25-year-old father was charged in his infant daughter's death, he lost custody of that same child following allegations of abuse.

www.nwitimes.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

I guess the parenting and anger management classes were a failure.

“A lot of times I pick her up and, like, shake her, but it's not like that,” he allegedly said. “You know I'm playing with her. If I did something, you know, I'm heavy. I got heavy hands. If I did something to cause, like, that type of damage, it was not purposely.”

Records: System returned 1-year-old to alleged abuser; baby ended up dead

A year before a 25-year-old father was charged in his infant daughter's death, he lost custody of that same child following allegations of abuse.

www.nwitimes.com

 

[Pandorama]

I guess the parenting and anger management classes were a failure.

Records: System returned 1-year-old to alleged abuser; baby ended up dead

A year before a 25-year-old father was charged in his infant daughter's death, he lost custody of that same child following allegations of abuse.

www.nwitimes.com

Because anger management is not the problem for abusive men. They like to blame 'losing their temper' but they don't lose it. They are in full control of themselves.

 

[Alf]

I guess the parenting and anger management classes were a failure.

you know, I'm heavy. I got heavy hands.

I guess they were at that.

You know, I have heavy hands too. I wear an XXL glove, which corresponds to a military 5. Big hands connected to big arms. And since the day I was born the number of kids that have died at my heavy hands is . . . lessee . . .

(Add six, carry the three, take the common logarithm of the natural log of the square root of pi, integrate the result over the domain from -pi/2 to pi/2 then take the partial derivative with respect to the Ideal Gas law, and the answer is . . .)

Zero. Zilch. Nada.

--Al

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Khabaugh Musgrave was ordered to serve 13 years in prison, two years in the Lake County Community Corrections alternative placement program and 2.5 years on probation for the death of his 15-month old daughter.

He apologized for letting everyone down.

Father sentenced to 17.5 years for causing 15-month-old daughter's death

"She was particularly defenseless, particularly helpless," the judge said. "And that makes the crime particularly heinous."

www.nwitimes.com

 

[Satanica]

He should've refused to take the girl. He knew he couldn't handle it.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

KHABAUGH A MUSGRAVE

Earliest Possible Release Date* 12/22/2026