Krisla Rezireksyon, 34, is facing murder and related charges in the May 2011 death of 8-year-old Christiana Glenn
NEWARK — In the afternoon of May 22, 2011, Irvington police received reports of a child not breathing in a township apartment.
When officers arrived at the Chancellor Avenue home, they found the lifeless body of 8-year-old Christiana Glenn. The girl was emaciated and had an untreated broken leg, authorities said.
Her two younger siblings — Solomon and Christina Glenn — were discovered inside a nearby room, also malnourished with injuries that had not been treated, authorities said.
Nearly four and a half years later, the children's mother, Krisla Rezireksyon, is prepared to go on trial on charges of killing Glenn, and abusing and neglecting the other children.
Jury selection in the trial began today.
On Monday, Rezireksyon turned down a plea offer with a recommended 24-year prison sentence. Under that agreement, Rezireksyon would have to serve more than 20 years before becoming eligible for parole.
Her roommate, Myriam Janvier, also is charged in the case, but she is expected to be tried separately at a later date. The charges against both women include murder and endangering the welfare of a child.
The trial will delve into the controversial brand of Christian faith practiced by Rezireksyon, 34, and Janvier, 27.
The two women — both of whom reported speaking with "Christ" — have indicated their faith guided how they fed and disciplined the children. As forms of discipline, Janvier has said they would tie the children to radiators, make them kneel on salt, and sometimes delay feeding them.
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But Rezireksyon's attorney, Adrien Moncur, has argued she was under "delusional spells" due to her pastor's teachings.
At the trial, Moncur is expected to present a "diminished capacity" defense, meaning she was suffering from a "mental defect or deficiency" at the time of Glenn's death.
Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin, however, ruled in September that a defense expert could testify at the trial that Rezireksyon suffered from "diminished capacity," but he could not testify she belonged to a religious cult and had been brainwashed by her pastor.
Those findings of the expert are inadmissible, because they are not supported by factual evidence, the judge ruled.
In January, Ravin ruled that a statement Rezireksyon made to police would be admissible at her trial.
Christiana Glenn (right) appears in a photo taken in 2006. Her mother, Krisla Rezireksyon, is seen in the 2001 photo to the right. In the statement, Rezireksyon said that, two days before the child's death, Glenn fell in the bath tub and injured her leg. When the girl's leg became swollen, Rezireksyon said she applied "sea salt" and "cornmeal and salt" to the leg.
After she found her daughter not breathing, Rezireksyon said she, her two younger children and Janvier prayed over the girl's body for an hour to 90 minutes before she called 911.
Rezireksyon told police her faith led her to dress in white and that she changed her name from Venette Ovilde after speaking with "Christ." But Rezireksyon denied belonging to a cult or being brainwashed.
"I follow Christ," Rezireksyon said. "I try my best to follow Christ."
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The trial comes while a lawsuit is still pending against the state over claims child welfare workers were negligent in protecting the three children.
The lawsuit is being pursued by the estate of Christiana Glenn with a family friend acting as the administrator, and Solomon and Christina Glenn, through their court-appointed representatives.
The defendants named in the lawsuit include the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency, formerly the Division of Youth and Family Services, or DYFS, and its parent state agency, the Department of Children and Families.
DYFS workers responded to four separate complaints between 2006 and 2008 that the three children had been beaten and neglected by their mother. The workers investigated the complaints, but determined the charges were unfounded.
Nine days before Christiana Glenn was found dead, the state's child abuse hotline received an anonymous call suggesting the children may have been malnourished.
But the screener took incomplete notes and decided the call didn't merit an investigation or a visit to the house. The hotline manager was ultimately fired in the wake of the scandal surrounding the girl's death.
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.