A 3-year-old girl in the Bronx whose parents are accused of starving her to death had medical issues from birth that are “central to understanding what happened,” a lawyer for her father told the Daily News on Wednesday.
Essence Gill-Harris died on March 3 from acute and chronic neglect, including malnutrition and dehydration, according to the city Medical Examiner. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Calvin Harris, 37, and Ymonzherae Gill, 35, were arrested this week for murder and manslaughter in the death of their daughter.
Both parents were also charged with assault for the neglect of their son, little Essence’s twin brother, who was hospitalized for a month due to malnourishment.
But a lawyer for Harris claims the charges don’t reflect the facts. The twins had complicated medical issues, starting with their extremely premature birth, he said.
The E. 215th St. apartment near Paulding Ave. in Williamsbridge where Essence Gill-Harris, 3, was allegedly starved to death by her parents. (Kerry Burke / New York Daily News)
The twins “had been in and out of hospitals their entire lives, including a long hospitalization when they were first born,” lawyer Javier Solano said in a statement. “This is not a case of a father who intended to harm or neglect his child. He is most certainly not a father that acted with depraved indifference to the lives of his kids.”
Harris pointed to Harris and Gill’s healthy older child, who was also living in the home, as evidence that something else was going on with the twins. “The twins’ medical circumstances were different,” Harris said.
“I have worked on ‘baby death’ cases in the past and I know that the normal gut reaction is condemnation,” Harris said. “I ask the public (and the press) to keep an open mind and allow the evidence to be presented in court before reaching judgment.”
The twins were kept constantly in a crib in the family’s second-floor apartment on E. 215th St. near Paulding Ave. in Williamsbridge and “left to fend for themselves,” a law enforcement source with knowledge of the case said.
“These precious children were found in deplorable conditions,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a statement. “Sadly, the little girl could not be saved. These defendants allegedly failed to adequately feed and care for their children. They will be held accountable for their actions.”
The E. 215th St. apartment near Paulding Ave. in Williamsbridge where Essence Gill-Harris, 3, was allegedly starved to death by her parents. (Kerry Burke / New York Daily News)
Multiple neighbors told The News that Essence and her twin brother were rarely seen outside their parents’ apartment. A stroller, a girl’s bicycle, a scooter and an oxygen tank were outside the apartment door Tuesday night.
“The little girl was always in a stroller. She never walked. She was either carried or in a stroller,” said Tommy Lowe, 29. “They carried the little boy, but he could walk.”
One neighbor said he never caught a glimpse of either child in three years. “I’d hear the children, but they never took them out,” said Robert Young.
“It’s a damn shame,” Young, 61, said. “They were only babies. They didn’t ask for this.”
Gill was arraigned in Bronx Supreme Court on Monday. A judge ordered her held on $500,000. Harris was arraigned on Tuesday and ordered held without bail. Both defendants pleaded not guilty.
Gill’s lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment.
Both Harris and Gill are due back in court Dec. 9.