Krisla Rezireksyon, 34, of Irvington, is accused of killing her 8-year-old daughter, Christiana Glenn, and abusing and neglecting her two younger children Watch video
NEWARK — Standing before an Essex County jury on Tuesday, Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Dawn Simonetti offered a glimpse into the lives of 8-year-old Christiana Glenn and her younger brother and sister.
Inside the family's Irvington apartment, the children were tied to radiators, Simonetti said. They suffered broken bones and malnutrition without receiving medical attention, Simonetti said.
Those living conditions led to the death of Glenn, whose lifeless body was discovered in the Chancellor Avenue apartment on May 22, 2011 as her siblings cowered in the corner of another room, Simonetti said.
The woman allegedly responsible for killing Glenn and abusing the other children is their mother, Krisla Rezireksyon Kris, who went on trial Tuesday on murder and related charges for her treatment of the children, according to Simonetti.
"She was responsible for what they endured," Simonetti told jurors in her opening statement, referring to Rezireksyon Kris. "She was responsible for the ultimate death of her oldest child."
Simonetti said the evidence will show Rezireksyon Kris "knowingly caused the serious bodily injury that resulted in this child's death."
"That, in this state, is murder," Simonetti said.
But Rezireksyon Kris's attorney, Adrien Moncur, pointed to his client's mental health conditions and argued she "does not have the required state of mind to be guilty of these offenses."
Moncur said a defense expert, a clinical neuropsychologist who examined Rezireksyon Kris, has determined she has a personality disorder, major depression and other ailments, and that she suffers from "diminished capacity."
"The law will tell you, you can't ignore her obvious diminished capacity at the end of this case," Moncur said in his opening statement, later adding: "We're not talking about someone of sound mind. We're talking about someone of diminished capacity."
Rezireksyon Kris, 34, and her roommate, Myriam Janvier, 27, have been charged in the case, but Janvier is expected to be tried separately at a later date. Rezireksyon Kris has legally changed her name from Venette Ovilde.
In her opening statement, Simonetti said the evidence demonstrates Rezireksyon Kris starved the children and "inflicted injury that resulted in broken bones." When the children were too weak to walk and sustained injuries, Rezireksyon Kris did not seek medical attention, Simonetti said.
Copy of a 2006 photo of Christiana Glenn, looking at her reflection in a mirror before attending a family wedding as a flower girl. Eight-years-old, Christiana Glenn, (now called Kristina Kris Rezireksyon Kris.) was found dead from malnutrition and a broken leg. Her mother,Venette Ovilde (Krisla Rezireksyon Kris), has been charged with the death of her daughter. Saddle Brook, NJ 6/3/11 McCoy Family Photo The trial also will feature Rezireksyon Kris's video-taped statement to police in the hours after Glenn was found dead. In that statement, Rezireksyon Kris said Glenn had fallen while taking a bath two days beforehand, and her leg later became swollen. Rezireksyon Kris said she later applied "sea salt" and "cornmeal and salt" to the girl's leg.
When she found her daughter not breathing, Rezireksyon Kris said she, her two younger children and Janvier prayed over the girl's body for an hour to 90 minutes before she called 911.
A medical examiner later determined Glenn died from severe malnutrition and complications from a broken femur that went untreated, Simonetti said.
Simonetti also stressed how Rezireksyon Kris initially told detectives her two younger children were at a friend's house in Elizabeth, but police later found the children in the apartment. Those children — Christina and Solomon Glenn — were seven and six years old at the time, Simonetti said.
But while Simonetti did not mention Rezireksyon Kris's religious practices in her opening statement, Moncur repeatedly cited Rezireksyon Kris's Christian faith and the alleged role of her pastor.
Moncur suggested the pastor had cast a spell over Rezireksyon Kris and influenced her actions, and that he should be held responsible in the case.
Referring to the pastor, Moncur said Rezireksyon Kris's apartment — where he claimed religious services were held — had been "turned into a sanctuary operated and controlled by a prophet preaching a false message."
The defense, however, is faced with rulings issued by Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin that limited what evidence could be admitted at the trial regarding religious elements in the case.
In September, Ravin ruled the defense expert could not testify Rezireksyon Kris belonged to a religious cult and had been brainwashed by her pastor, because those findings are not supported by factual evidence.
Last month, the judge said the expert will be barred from testifying in regard to an alleged link between Rezireksyon Kris's diminished capacity" and her religious devotion, Ravin said. The judge found that such a link was speculative.
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.