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Father Suspected in Murder of Baby

Peg Rusconi
WKRC 12 News
04/13/2006



A couple of days after this picture was taken, jordan pendang's mother says she noticed something was wrong.

Tanya Carpenter says she had spent most of the day at school, while her boyfriend, David Pendang, looked after their five month old son. When she arrived home, Tanya says jordan was sick-- she thought with a stomach virus. Then she says he became extremely weak.

Tanya Carpenter/Jordan's mother: I took him out to the car, and when I uncovered him he just stopped breathing. We took him back in the house, tried to start CPR and called 911.

Dispatcher: 911 emergency.

Caller: Yeah, we have a baby that's stopped breathing.

The 9-1-1 tape documents frantic efforts to resuscitate Jordan.

Dispatcher: Ma'am? You have got to stay calm for me, okay? Listen very carefully and I'm going to tell you what to do. Lie the baby flat on its back.

Carpenter: I remember waiting in the conference room and i just knew in my heart something terrible had happened to him. But I didn't know what. I was confused. Then they told me he had died.

The Butler County coroner ruled jordan's death was a homicide-- caused by a blow to the stomach that perforated his bowel.

David pendang now faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, child endangering and felonious assault in connection with his son's death.

Tanya Carpenter says she never saw pendang strike their son.

She says she still has questions about jordan's death. but unable to see her son, she hopes to see justice for the man accused of killing him.

Carpenter: I have mixed feelings because i was with him for a long time, but I just want to see justice done if he did it.

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Father faces involuntary manslaughter charge in murder of son

WKRC 12
4/14/1996

David Pendang faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter.

Investigators believe he hit his infant son in the stomach at their Colerain Township home.

5-month old Jordan Pendang died of internal injuries.

This morning, there is evidence that children's services investigated the possible abuse of the baby when he was less than a month old.

The agency took charge of the baby to examine an injury to his arm.
The child's mother said she didn't know if her son was being abused.

Tanya carpenter/mother: I told them that I didn't do it. I had no part of it, whatever happened and I tried to come up with reasons for his arm to that, ya know, to break, and I couldn't think of anything. They never talked to Dave.

Children’s services returned Jordan to his mother after investigators were convinced the child wasn't being abused.

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Convicted Child Killer Up for Parole

Rich Jaffe
WKRC 12
05/20/2008

A convicted child killer from Reading could be getting out of prison as early as tomorrow. In 1996, 19 year old David Pendang was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of his 5 month old son, Jordan. Doctors said the baby was hit so hard his stomach ruptured and he died from internal bleeding.

Pendang was given an 8 to 25 year sentence, but the Ohio Parole Board will hear his case tomorrow, and could release him after serving half the maximum.

Local 12 Reporter Rich Jaffe is speaking with Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters about the case. Deters is writing a letter asking the Parole Board to reconsider their decision.

CLICK HERE to watch this story

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Baby-killer's parole hearing today

Kimball Perry
The Cincinnati Enquirer
05/21/2008

If David Pendang had waited two years to beat his 5-month-old son to death, he'd be on Death Row.

Pendang could walk out of prison as early as today because he beat his son to death in 1996.

Pendang, 32, has been in prison since his August 1996 conviction for child endangering and involuntary manslaughter for beating his son, Jordan, to death. He has a parole hearing today

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters is doing what he can to make sure Pendang remains Inmate A336014 at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution.

"There are certain crimes where the offender should never leave prison. Beating a 5-month-old to death is one of them," Deters said Tuesday. "I urge the public to contact the Parole Board and voice their objections to any release."

Pendang already received a break, Deters said, when a 1998 Ohio law change was made.

That change allowed Ohio prosecutors to press murder charges against those accused of killing a child while committing a violent felony.

Prior to that law change, prosecutors had to prove that someone charged with murder of a child intended to kill the child.

The new law changed that, allowing prosecutors to seek murder charges against those who are accused of killing a child, even if that person didn't intend to kill the child. As long as the death of the child occurred, after the law change, while the accused committed a violent major felony - like child endangering or felonious assault - a murder charge was allowed.

"It's still such a serious situation to do that to a baby, it should be murder. The Legislature agreed," assistant prosecutor Mark Piepmeier said.

That change in the law allowed Deters' office to seek murder charges against Liz and David Carroll in the death of Marcus Fiesel, their 3-month-old foster child.

Fiesel died when he was left bound with a blanket and tape inside a closet of their Union Township home for days in 2006 as the Carrolls left the state to attend a family reunion.

Both Carrolls were convicted of murder.

In Pendang's case, he was left home alone with his son in their Colerain Township home.

When the mother returned home and tried to check on her child, Pendang kicked her to try to keep her away from the boy. She noticed the child had bruising of the stomach, scratches and was breathing oddly.

Jordan Pendang died from blunt trauma to his abdomen, the coroner ruled, noting the injury was as severe as if the child had fallen several stories from a building.

Pendang was sentenced in 1996 to eight to 25 years in prison.

If Pendang serves the maximum sentence, he will be released July 13, 2021.

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Parole hearing delayed

The Cincinnati Enquirer
05/22/2008

A parole hearing for convicted baby-killer David Pendang didn't happen Wednesday because Hamilton County prosecutors want all nine Ohio Parole Board members to hear the case.

Pendang, convicted in 1996 of child endangering and involuntary manslaughter after beating his 5-month-old son to death, was set for a hearing that could have resulted in his being released to a halfway house.

That hearing typically involves one parole board member and a hearing officer.

Prosecutors asked for a hearing before the full board so they could present evidence why Pendang, 32, of Colerain Township, should serve the maximum of his sentence of 8-25 years for killing Jordan Pendang.

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Mother of Murdered Infant Trying to Forgive

Rich Jaffee
WKRC
08/22/08

12 years ago, David Pendang killed his five month old son Jordan. He was sentenced to 25 years is prison but will be released on parole a few months.

Jordan's mother is balancing anger over his release with her desire to forgive. Had the case occurred a few years later, he might have ended up on death row due to changes in the law. Jordan's mother told Local 12 Reporter Rich Jaffe why she's learned to forgive.

If you had to put a face on forgiveness, it just might be this one... "Death really slapped me in the face, came out of no where."

In 1996, 18 year old Tanya Noah came home from school and found her baby, Jordan seriously ill, boyfriend David Penddang kicked her and made her leave.

Convicted of involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors say Pendang had hit the baby so hard he fatally ruptured his tiny stomach.

"This should be a death penalty case, he should never get out for what he did to this child, five months old, he hits the baby so hard his fist probably compressed into the spinal column."

But now after 12 years in prison, Pendang will be getting out thanks to the Ohio Parole Board. Tanya Noah was there yesterday for the shocking news.

Past the anger now, Tanya has found something else... forgiveness. "In order to be forgiven for my mistakes, I have to forgive and it helps us move on...if we keep reliving it in the past we never move forward and we don't get the closure that we need... Jordan will always be a part of me, always be with me in spirit everyday, just because he's physically not here he is with us."

And from her tragedy this woman also hopes others will learn some lessons. "I've been blessed, I have two great children and I think this experience has taught me and hopefully others a valuable lesson that you can't take anything for granted, we need to protect our kids, we need to know where they are at all times...we need to check the back seat we need to call the baby sitter we need to know where they are. I'm not saying it's right it's never going to be ok."

State prison officials say David Pendang has been a model prisoner. He earned a college degree while behind bars. He's been ordered not to have any contact with the baby's family.

Pendang will be released after January 2, 2009.