8 Year Old Rica Rountree murdered by fatherâs girlfriend
More than 50 injuries and marks â thatâs what a doctor says he found on the body of 8-year-old Rica Rountree.
Cynthia Baker is in on trial in McLean County for the childâs murder. On the fourth day of the trial, the jury saw dozens of photos of Rountreeâs body, revealing both internal and external injuries.
Baker, 42, of Normal, was arrested in April. She is accused of fatally kicking Rountree in the stomach, which led to massive internal injuries that eventually killed her.
Texts between the childâs father, Richard Rountree, and Baker were read in court Friday afternoon.
RR: âWe going to treat her the way she treat us like we donât exist.â Cynthia Baker: âI think it is time for her to leave.â
Cynthia Baker to Richard Rountree: âIâm not talking to that little girl. She donât tell the truth unless you have a belt to her ass. Iâm seriously tired of getting bruised up fighting with her.â
Richard Rountree: Would life be better without Rica? ⊠before her you was happy and now youâre not really happy.â Baker: âI could just continue to just beat her ass daily and go about my day, but I try to involve you.â
CB: âI told her to say she was playing in the dark and hit her eye that way she didnât sound like a psycho.â RR: âSounds good to me.â
Prosecutors also showed iCloud videos from Bakerâs phone. In one, Rountree is seen crying and walking around a home. Baker tells her to go to her room, and when she does not, the camera gets closer to Rountree and audible slaps are heard as Rountree cries more. The video then ends.
In another video, Baker instructs Rountree to hold two cans straight out, and tells her not to test her. Baker leaves the room, while the camera rolls on the girl alone in the room holding the cans. She is seen struggling to keep the cans above her head, and Baker and Rountreeâs father can be heard having a conversation and laughing in a different room.
Baker returns to the room and strikes Rica on the backside for not holding the cans up the way Baker wants. Baker wants the child to hold the cans out (like airplane wings), Rica was holding cans straight up (like reaching for sky). Baker leaves room again.
Another video depicted the 8-year-old again holding out cans, this time in a hallway. The camera was set up to monitor her. Baker can be seen walking into the frame and telling Rountree to keep her arms straight out. Meanwhile, Richard and other kids can be seen walking by Rountree in the hallway, while holding other conversations.
Normal Police Detective Joe Gossmeyer said investigators combed through âseveral thousand texts.â
Bakerâs defense, however, said there were about four months in-between Rountreeâs death and the last of the texts that were deemed ârelevantâ in the investigation.
Earlier in the day, McLean County chief forensic pathologist John Denton, who performed an autopsy, showed bruises and marks all over the childâs body, including her head, thighs, and backside. However, the doctor testified, that damaged intestines from blunt trauma to her lower abdomen killed the child.
Denton said it was no accident.
Additionally, one of Rountreeâs classmates says the 8-year-old told her she was being abused before her death. The young child testified, telling jurors Rountree âhatedâ living with her dad because she always got injured.
When asked, ââWho did Rica say hurt her?â, she would respond âHer dadâs girlfriend.â
This is sad bc shit like this happens everyday and when kids say something about it to other ppl they act like it a normal thing.
And be like yea parents should spank there kids if there bad, like no bitch spanking isnât what Iâm talking about but u keep acting like thatâs all thatâs happening. Tbh this makes me hella said bc this couldâve been me if I didnât just leave my household





























