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Archive for Thursday, August 11, 2005

Police say suspect admitted hitting girl

Defendant allegedly beat, shook 3-year-old for not helping with laundry

By Eric Weslander

August 11, 2005

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On a Saturday when he was baby-sitting his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter, Jason Dillon was tired and hung over.

He drank about 16 beers the night before, he told police, and had been out until 6 a.m.

It wasn't clear from testimony in court Wednesday exactly what caused him to turn violent.

But as the day went on, Dillon admitted to police, he subjected the girl to repeated physical attacks - at one point picking her up and shaking her when she refused to help him pick up laundry, Lawrence Police Detective John Hanson testified.

Hanson testified that Dillon also admitted striking the girl in the back of her head more than a dozen times after she told him she didn't want him to be her daddy anymore.

The preliminary hearing Wednesday in District Court was the first public release of details of the events that led to 3-year-old Sydni Perkins' death June 19. At the end of the hearing, Judge Michael Malone ordered the 22-year-old Dillon to stand trial Nov. 14 for first-degree murder, and Dillon entered a not-guilty plea.

Dillon is charged with killing the girl during the commission of a dangerous felony - in this case, child abuse.

The first witness at the hearing was Sydni's mother, 22-year-old Rachel Perkins of Lawrence, who fought back tears as she described the events leading to the death.

Perkins said that when she moved to Lawrence in March from Colby, she began living with Dillon in a townhome at 1105 George Court. She said Sydni considered Dillon to be her dad, and that she had never seen Dillon be violent - except for a couple times when he spanked the girl.

Sydni C. Perkins

Related content about the Sydni C. Perkins case

When that happened, Perkins said, she told him she didn't approve of it.

Perkins said she was working at Pearson Government Solutions from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 18, and that Dillon came home at about 6 a.m. after being at a party in Kansas City. She said she left the two at the townhome, called home several times to check in with Dillon and never got an indication that something was wrong.

Sydni was excited that day, Perkins said, "because we were going to go swimming."

But when Perkins arrived home shortly after 5 p.m., she said, Sydni was lying in bed unresponsive. Dillon told her, "We have a problem," and told her Sydni had fallen and hit her head in the bathroom.

Perkins said that when she was unable to wake Sydni, they took her to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, and she was later flown to a hospital in Kansas City, where she died the next day.

Perkins said Dillon never changed his story. She said she didn't know he was suspected of a crime until he was arrested several days later.

Hanson testified that he met Dillon at the hospital late Saturday and asked him to come back to Lawrence for an interview so it could be recorded on video and audio.

"We knew the injuries were not consistent with the story he had given," Hanson said.

Hanson said detectives appealed to Dillon by telling him the girl was still under medical care and that they needed to know exactly what happened to her.

Hanson said Dillon admitted that about 9:30 a.m., he struck Sydni with the back of his hand and knocked her to the ground, causing her to fall backward and strike her head. He said Dillon also admitted shaking the girl later when she didn't want to help pick up laundry.

Hanson said Dillon told him Sydni then took a nap in the late morning, woke up at about 1 p.m. and told him she didn't love him anymore and "didn't want him to be her daddy."

At first, Hanson said, Dillon admitted striking the girl with his lower palm in the back of her head three times. In a second interview before his arrest, Hanson said, Dillon admitted he really had struck her 13 or 14 times.

The coroner, Erik Mitchell, testified Sydni died of blunt force to her head, possibly compounded by shaking.

Dillon, a former foster child and Lawrence High School track standout, sat with his head bowed throughout the hearing. He remains in the Douglas County Jail.

Perkins declined comment after the hearing.

6News reporter/anchor Janet Reid contributed information to this article.

Comments

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  1. craigers (anonymous) says…

    I completely agree with you Brian.

  2. hottruckinmama (anonymous) says…

    not only a special place in jail brain but also a special place reserved in hell for him too.

  3. cristBwithU (anonymous) says…

    I personally hope he is beaten violently every time something touches the floor.

  4. kansas (anonymous) says…

    Yeah, he'll be in hell someday, alright!---Sitting right next to your "sex with teens" grandfather, momma!

    BTW.....it's "Brian"....not "Brain".

  5. megorama (anonymous) says…

    This story just brings me to tears.

    I think the mother should take some accountability here as well. Who would leave someone with a child, whom you already had disapproval of discipline issues, i.e., spanking AND they were possibly STILL drunk or worse, fighting a mean hangover!

    I am sure she is devastated, I could NOT imagine losing a child to someone I loved and trusted...but at the same token, let this be a lesson to us all on who we leave our children with.

  6. chrisl (anonymous) says…

    To Brian Peppers, there is a special place already reserved for these guy's, But he won't last long.........

  7. nlf78 (anonymous) says…

    He will be punished for eternity in hell. How could you EVER hurt a child? They are innocent and trusting. I can't wait to hear about the beatings he will suffer in prison every day. I also agree that the mother should have some accountability. A child is a responsibility that you don't leave with someone who is intoxicated or has a temper. I personally can't believe that she didn't think he could be at fault until he was arrested. I don't care whose fault it is...if I walked in on my daughter unresponsive like that, whoever the caregiver was, would also be in a hospital because of damage I inflicted.

  8. OldEnuf2BYurDad (anonymous) says…

    Too many single mom's are in this situation. My mother used to leave us alone when we were 10-12 years old so she could finish college at night. This woman is holding down a job, and had to decide if this guy who had partied all night was going to be OK to watch her child, or if she should miss a day of work and maybe lose her job. Single mothers trying to stay off welfare are forced to make these decisions every day. If you haven't been there, you wouldn't understand.

    Most of these posts are about how horrible he is as a man. My first thought was about what kinds of chemicals were in his head when he started doing this to the child. This story is not just about child abuse, it looks to me to be about drug/alcohol abuse as well. The child didn't die only because he's a devil of a man, but because he made some bad decisions while under the influence. His mood was altered and his decision making impaired. When the news of this crime was first reported, all his old high school buddies were posting posts about how nice he was and how he seemed so gentle. Well, many of US who are normally nice and gentle might change for the worst if we allowed mind and mood altering substances to influence our behavior.

    I think what he did was wrong and that he should pay, but I find it disturbing when someone with the handle "cristBwithU" wishes him to suffer so much. I feel sorry for him. His life is over, and it may be due (in part) to something as simple a single hit of acid.

  9. nlf78 (anonymous) says…

    I also had a single mother who worked hard to provide me with the basics, food, clothing and a roof over my head. She and I disagreed on alot of things and she had boyfriends who weren't nice. But I was old enough to see the cycle and to break it. I personally don't believe that drugs and alcohol should be allowed as excuses. You have to take responsibility for your behavior. Too many people say that so-and-so was so nice but get them drunk and it's a different story. Well, do something about it! Change the story. Take responsibility for your addiction and your problems. If you see a family member with those problems, confront them. Quit hiding behind them. Don't expose more people/children than necessary to the addiction.

  10. trueninetiesgirl (anonymous) says…

    the true victim is the little girl, yes both mother and boyfriend are to blame. the mother will always second guess from here on out. and for him he will have to always remember that little girls face ever day for as long as he has left in life. the little girl may she rest in peace.

  11. megorama (anonymous) says…

    I have compassion for single mothers. I know how hard it is...however, it doesn't excuse making poor care-provider decisions!!! If children can't depend on their guardians to make the best decisions for their well-being, imagine the loss of security they feel!!!!

    I would QUIT my job before I let someone unqualified watch my children...money isn't that serious. Its better to be broke than DEAD!

  12. raine (anonymous) says…

    i'm glad that it is God who seeks for vengenance and not man.. may the mother be comforted with the grace of God and the killer seek His mercy... we all make mistakes every day and but for the grace of God we could be in the same situation..

  13. hurlehey (anonymous) says…

    "we could be in the same situation"??!! are you nuts? I guess if you beat your kids by the grace of God, you could be. What this guy has coming to him he may get in the state pen, and I for one give a hearty thanks for whatever terrible things happen to him. Let God forgive the child beaters, man's law isn't harsh enough.

  14. milesmama (anonymous) says…

    doomcity- you are being sarcastic, right? RIGHT? Please tell me you are...

    I have been shedding tears over this news story (and many other such ones in the past) and am so anguished for that poor innocent child (and her mother, despite the previous spanking incidents). All parents deserve good child care and, as a state and nation, our spending priorities need to be on services for childen. Period.

    I can't help thinking if the result would have been different if the defendant had someone official to call for help when he was he getting frustrated, angry, mean and unable to cope. Such a service would be like a suicide hotline. All adults must be responsible for their actions towards children (and if convicted, he will likely be treated very poorly in jail by the other inmates), but all parents and caregivers need more resources. Any ideas of who could provide such a service in our community? prevention is the key.

  15. nikkigrl (anonymous) says…

    all of you who say you feel "sorry" or "bad" for this guy (past and present posts') are such idiots. i hope that none of you ever have kids b/c if this were to happen to your child you'd probably feel sorry the guy beat your kid to death. and to those of you who think rach has a part in the blame are also stupid. you don't know her, and just so you can't say i don't either, i do. i went to school with her most of my life and graduated with her. sydni was her life, i KNOW for a fact she would've never put sydni's life in ANY kind of danger if she would've known that he was capable of doing that to her. sure he spanked her, but do you know how many parents do??? i'm pretty sure a hell of a lot do, but that does not mean they go further than that by any means. i can't imagine life without my daughter and nothing pisses me off more than sitting here and reading posts about people trying to make excuses for such a low life. oh, and to everyone who says they know dillon and can't believe he would ever do such a thing, you obviously didn't know him and obviously rach didn't either.

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