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| 42-year-old Richard Lyons charged with murdering daughter, May Lyons. |
On July 14, 2008, two and a half years ago, 9-year-old Mya Lyons was stabbed to death and left in an alley on the 8400 block of South Gilbert Court in Chicago's Auburn-Gresham neighborhood.
According to several news reports, Mya’s throat was slit and she was also sexually assaulted. The brutal circumstances surrounding the 9-year-old girl’s murder has haunted me for years.
Today, Richard Lyons, Mya's 42-year-old father, has been charged with the first-degree murder of his own daughter, and the July 2010 criminal sexual assault of a 15-year-old boy.
Unlike those of you who bought into Mr. Lyon's crocodile tears and his piss-poor portrayal of a grieving father, I never believed he was innocent. And if he is convicted in a court of law, I sincerely hope Mr. Lyons gets the stiffest penalty the law will allow.
Although most of my ire is directed at the suspect in this murder case, Richard Lyons is not the only person who let little Mya down.
Most of the time, the Chicago Police Department does a wonderful job. But the investigators handling the Mya Lyons case made a lot of crucial mistakes during the initial stages of the investigation.
The most glaring examples are the amount of time it took investigators to seize Richard Lyons' van, the several days that went by before anyone searched Mr. Lyons' home, and the destruction of the crime scene when city workers were allowed to remove the weeds where Mya‘s body was allegedly found.
It’s my opinion these mistakes delayed the justice Mya’s family so richly deserved.
Last year, when Mya Lyon's mother, Ericka Barnes, told the press Richard Lyons refused to answer any of her questions regarding their daughter's death - the hairs on my arms stood on end. When Barnes said she believed her daughter knew her killer, I knew exactly what Ms. Barnes was thinking.
I am glad this case is finally moving forward, but I am also heartbroken. It's unfathomable that a father could be capable of doing what Richard Lyons has been accused of doing. It’s unthinkable that any human being would be capable of hurting a child.
My heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved little Mya Lyons. Please believe me when I tell you that I share your grief.
This is a despicable crime and person! I remember watching this man cry those crocodile tears as well and at the time, they seemed rather phony to me. If the CPD botched this investigation back them, shame on them for letting this murderer roam free while a little child was taken off this earth and her mother has not gotten closure. What's just as tragic is that the death penalty may be struck down in this state. To me, that's the only justice for this child.
ReplyDeleteTowanda, if you thought I was obsessed with the David Blake case, you should have known me when this case made the news. I was all over this story.
ReplyDeleteThere are few stories that make me cry - this one had me sobbing like my own child had been murdered. In fact, it still makes me weep.
In my opinion, Mr. Lyons tears looked forced and his display of grief appeared disingenuous. The mere sight of him makes my stomach turn.
If one of my children was murdered/killed, I would not be able to talk to a news crew because I would be a mess and unable to speak. This man looked like this was a neighbor rather than his own daughter. I think a red flag should have gone up when HE found her and the very fact that his in laws and wife suspected him right away was another red flag. Maybe spending the rest of his life in jail and becoming someones "wife" in jail IS just punishment. We all know how prisoners feel about child rapists and murderers. To bad we have to waste taxpayer monies on this slimeball. Like I've said many many times HELL is gonna be crowded!
ReplyDeleteTowanda, most fathers are CRAZY about their daughters. A normal father would have been ripped apart by what happened to Mya.
ReplyDeleteI read in the news police arrested Lyons based on blood splatter evidence that was found in his van. I don't understand why it took two and half years.
Yeah! NO BAIL for this scumbag!
ReplyDeleteThe prosecution laid out the gruesome details describing what Richard Lyons allegedly did to his 9-year-old daughter. Reportedly, Lyons beat the girl with a metal box, strangled her, and stabbed her multiple times.
ReplyDeleteThat's a LOT of rage!
The prosecution also alleges Mya Lyons was killed somewhere else, possibly her father's van, and dumped in the alley.
towanda, the death penalty is gone in Illinois. :(
ReplyDeleteRudy,
ReplyDeleteQuinn signed the ban into law? What a bunch of crap!
Timothy, I also heard that he molested her. Have you heard that?
Towanda, 2008 news coverage suggested Mya was sexually assaulted during the attack. However, investigators said she wasn't. So, I'm not sure if the so-called sexual assault was staged by the offender.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Towanda, he was in the media spotlight a little too much for me. A grieving parent is not going to spend THAT much time in front of cameras. That was the red flag then. I had a hard time believing it at first because they said the uncle was 'working ' on Mya on the way to the hospital so maybe the splatter was from that. Check out the group for Mya on Facebook. Some family and close friends of the family have mentioned details that the media didn't.
ReplyDeleteMy Lovely One, my initial thoughts were that Mya was NOT murdered in that alley.
ReplyDeleteBlood splatter and blood smears are two different things. If blood were transferred to van during the uncle's attempt to save Mya's life, the blood patterns would look more like smears or droplets on the BOTTOM of the van's interior.
Blood splatter is created by force; typically seen in stabbings and blunt force trauma.
Which means blood evidence was probably found on the sides of the van's interior walls, and possibly the ceiling.
Those findings would suggest Mya was murdered in Mr. Lyons' van.
Richard Lyons touch me when I was 9 I never told anybody because I never knew how to tell my mother. Till this day I still never told anyone. My family might think I'm a lie and HATE me.
ReplyDeleteI have known Richard fro many many years and he has always been a child molestor. Mya's mom was even a kid when he got her pregnant. He is a heartless pervert and I hope he never gets out of jail. He even molested some of his family members male and female.
ReplyDeleteThat's true it happened to me from the time I was 7 till I was about 12. Mya yo big cousin misses and love you always and forever.
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