Testimony describes neglect

Prosecutors say Chelsea Crossland knowingly killed her son.

Her attorneys argue it was neglect resulting in death, not murder.

Crossland’s murder trial in Jay Circuit Court started with opening arguments Tuesday morning and a portion of the prosecution’s case, which included several witness testimonies, pictures, a call made to 911 and body camera footage. 

The Portland woman is charged with murder and a Level 1 felony for neglect of a dependent resulting in death. She’s accused of killing her 5-year-old son, Christian Crossland, in March 2022.

Zechariah Landers, Jay County’s chief deputy prosecutor, told the jury the evidence will show Crossland made the “conscious decision to kill her son” over the course of the last few months of his life by slowly starving him and beating him.

He explained the jury would be shown evidence displaying how Christian was malnourished and dehydrated and had bruises all over his body. He pointed to Crossland’s calm demeanor throughout the 911 call and visit from police after Christian’s death, including a response he said she made when officers were on scene: “So I’m guessing this is going to take a while?”

Brandon Murphy, Jay County chief public defender, agreed Christian was neglected, but he argued Chelsea did not murder him.

“The evidence in this case will show Christian had a short and tragic life,” said Murphy. “In the final days of his life, he desperately needed medical care.”

He said Christian had been sick, but Crossland was a “non-vaccination mother” and did not believe in utilizing doctors. Murphy added Crossland wasn’t the only person in contact with her son and told the jury she attempted to feed him before his death.

“The worst part about this case is about how preventable this all was,” he said.

Prosecutors shared photos taken by James Stevens, a crime scene investigator with Indiana State Police. Stevens had snapped pictures of the refrigerator, freezer and pantry, which were all full of food. They also shared photos of Christian, including one of his body, which lay flat against the ground, covered by nothing but a diaper.

The prosecution flipped to a picture of Christian’s face, which was pale white, with a skeletal outline of his nose, dark eyes and hair stringing out from his head in all directions. There was also a mark on the side of his head.

Upon seeing the picture of Christian’s face, two women in the courtroom covered their mouths and began sobbing.

“This scene was in Jay County, Indiana?” asked prosecutors, with Stevens confirming.

Murphy asked Stevens if he recalled seeing a spoon next to Christian, and Stevens said he did not remember.

Eric Fields and Brandon Wright, both of Portland Police Department, took the stand Tuesday. Both officers responded to the Crossland home, 689 S. Western Ave., around 11 p.m. March 24. They recalled Christian’s body laying in the upstairs bathroom. Fields described him as “very skinny” with multiple bruises on his body.

In the recording of the 911 call, Crossland told the emergency responder she tried to bathe her son and he got out of the tub and fell. It sounded as if her voice broke a few times in the recording as she repeatedly said, “I tried everything I could.” She estimated at the time she placed the call it had been an hour and a half since he last took a breath.

Fields and Wright both testified that Crossland did not cry when they appeared on scene. Wright said she appeared to have a calm demeanor. 

Crossland could be heard in the body camera footage trying to explain the situation to officers, including the words, “it was out of nowhere,” shortly before officers taped off the front entrance to the house. A crying child could be heard somewhere off screen.

During Tuesday morning’s proceedings, Crossland kept her head down most of the time, appearing to be scribbling on a piece of paper.

Kyle Gerlach, now a director at Jay Emergency Medical Service, also responded to the scene. In a video deposition — he was not available for the trial this week — he described how he found Christian, “a very emaciated child,” on the bathroom floor dead. He noted blood around Christian’s face and that his face was blue from a lack of oxygen. He pointed out that he could also see the outline of his bones through his skin, having “very little meat on his bones.” Gerlach also testified Crossland appeared calm and detached from the situation.

Crossland told Gerlach she attempted CPR about half an hour before she placed the 911 call.

When Gerlach asked Crossland to sign a form for EMS, “she signed it with her first name and a smiley face.”

Rhonda Ballenger and Brittany Easton, both of New Castle, also testified Tuesday morning. Christian had stayed with them for a few years starting in 2018, when he was 2 years old. He moved back in with Crossland on Jan. 8, 2022.

Ballenger confirmed during his time with them that Christian never seemed sick and had an appetite.

“He liked food,” she said.

She and Easton visited Crossland’s home for a birthday party about a week before Christian’s death. When asked where Christian was at the party, Crossland told Ballenger he was being bad, according to her testimony.

Easton, who identified herself as a friend of Crossland’s, recalled a time Crossland had scolded her son for getting food out of the fridge. She said he had to ask permission. She also remembered when Christian had soiled his clothing and Crossland punished him by bathing him in a cold shower.

When asked how Easton knew it was cold, she said, “Because I could hear him crying. She (said) that, ‘You gotta learn.’”

She also said Crossland at one point called Ballenger, who put the phone on speaker, and she heard Crossland say, “Please pray for me. I did something bad. Don’t tell the police.”

 Murphy suggested Easton’s partner, Trevor, had been in a relationship at one point with Crossland. Ballenger said she’d heard gossip, but that she’d never witnessed a relationship.

In Indiana, murder carries a sentence of 45 to 65 years with an advisory sentence of 55 years. A Level 1 felony for neglect of a dependent resulting in death carries a sentence of 20 to 40 years with an advisory sentence of 30 years.