Krisla Rezireksyon Kris is accused of starving her 8-year-old daughter to death in 2011 Watch video
NEWARK — Inside an Irvington apartment in 2011, authorities say 8-year-old Christiana Glenn and her two younger siblings were beaten, starved and did not receive medical attention for their injuries, ultimately leading to Christiana's death.
In assessing blame Thursday during closing statements at the murder trial of their mother, Krisla Rezireksyon Kris, on charges of killing Christiana and abusing the other children, the defense and the state relied on different sets of photos.
Defense attorney Aarin Williams displayed photos of Rezireksyon Kris's former roommate, Myriam Janvier, and the women's former pastor, Emanyel Rezireksyon Kris, and she claimed they were ultimately responsible for the mistreatment of the children.
Williams said the pastor placed Janvier in the family's home. Janvier started hitting the children and the pastor influenced the women to follow a strict diet with the children and use natural remedies to treat their injuries. The pastor "manipulated" Rezireksyon Kris and took advantage of her vulnerable nature, and she mistakenly followed his lead, Williams said.
"This was not a murder," Williams told the jury. "It was a mistake."
But Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Dawn Simonetti emphasized photos of the children and said Rezireksyon Kris was responsible for their "systematic abuse."
Holding up the pictures before the jury, Simonetti noted the children's emaciated bodies, their broken bones, and Christiana's charred leg that Rezireksyon Kris covered with gasoline and cornmeal to treat the girl's broken femur.
"It was not the pastor's hand that lashed these children. There is no evidence in this case that he did," said Simonetti, later adding Rezireksyon Kris was not less culpable because Janvier moved into the home.
"She consciously choose to contribute and to do these things with her own hand to her children," Simonetti said. "She was their mother."
The jury is expected to begin deliberations on Tuesday after receiving legal instructions from Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin.
The long-running case began on May 22, 2011, when Christiana was found dead in the family's Chancellor Avenue apartment. A medical examiner has determined the girl died from severe malnutrition and an untreated broken femur.
Her siblings — then-7-year-old Christina and then-6-year-old Solomon — were starved and sustained fractures that went untreated, authorities said. The three children also were tied to a radiator, authorities said. When they could no longer walk, the children were dragged, authorities said.
Rezireksyon Kris, 34, is facing murder, child endangerment and related charges. Janvier, 28, also has been charged in the case and she is expected to be tried separately at a later date. The pastor has not been charged.
At the center of Rezireksyon Kris's trial has been the issue of her state of mind at the time of the alleged offenses. In order for her to be convicted of murder, prosecutors must prove she acted knowingly.
The defense has claimed that based on an examination of her by Joel Morgan, a clinical neuropsychologist, she suffered from "diminished capacity," meaning she had a mental defect that prevented her forming a knowing mental state.
After conducting tests of Rezireksyon Kris, Morgan said he determined she had mental disorders and that, given her overall IQ score of 67, she suffered from "mild mental retardation." Morgan said she had a mental defect that "impairs her capacity to form normal, appropriate judgments."
Rezireksyon Kris's attorneys have argued her mental conditions made her more susceptible to the pastor's influence as a member of his Christian ministry. Williams told the jury on Thursday that Morgan said people with conditions like Rezireksyon Kris's are vulnerable.
"They're easily manipulated," Williams said. "They're easily controlled. They have poor judgment."
Saying Rezireksyon Kris did not have a "culpable mind," Williams also stressed how Rezireksyon Kris called 911 after finding that Christiana was not breathing, ultimately leading authorities to the apartment.
"A murderer does not call 911," Williams said. "When you want medical assistance, that's when you call 911."
But Simonetti pointed to the same 911 call as part of her argument that Rezireksyon Kris acted knowingly and repeatedly lied to the police.
Simonetti argued Rezireksyon Kris lied in her video-taped statement to the police when she claimed she had told the 911 dispatcher to "hurry up." Simonetti played the 911 call for the jury and indicated that Rezireksyon Kris did not say those words.
Simonetti noted how Rezireksyon Kris lied to the police at the apartment when she said her two younger children were at a friend's house in Elizabeth. The children were soon found in another room at the apartment.
According to Simonetti, Rezireksyon Kris's claim in her statement that Christiana broke her femur by falling in the bathroom two days before her death was a lie, because medical experts have indicated the fracture was more than two days old.
"Deception, lies and cover-up," Simonetti said.
Simonetti also turned to those photos of the children to challenge the defense's argument about Rezireksyon Kris's mental state and the claim that she couldn't appreciate that she was causing serious bodily injuries to the children.
Holding up one picture of Christiana's body, Simonetti asked the jurors: "She couldn't appreciate that this child was extremely malnourished?"
"They could not walk anymore," Simonetti said. "She couldn't appreciate that they couldn't walk?"
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.