Murderer takes the stand: Efaw claims he was 'in a daze' during stabbing of foster daughter

HEATHER CHAPIN-FOWLER

Attorney James Martin asked $300,000 for the pain and suffering Connre Dixon experienced as she bled to death in Paul Efaw's barn and another $700,000 to compensate her family for the loss of her life.

"There's no way to bring her back," said Martin, who represents the Connre's estate. "She deserves to be compensated for the way she died. Her family deserves to be compensated because they'll never see her again."

Connre was fatally stabbed to death on Oct. 18, 2004, during an altercation with Efaw, her foster father.

The 11-year-old girl was stabbed five times in the chest. Efaw was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to three years in prison.

Efaw was brought back from prison to testify yesterday by the county's attorneys and testified that he didn't remember how the knife ended up in Connre's body.

Efaw claims he was "in a daze" during the altercation.

Testimony continued from employees from the Department of Job and Family Services who certified Efaw as a foster parent in 2003 and placed Dixon in his care.

Several allegations of child abuse against Efaw were in the Job and Family Services file but weren't taken into account when the certification and placement, according to the department employees' testimony.

Lindsey Wheeler, the social worker who was in charge of supervising Connre Dixon's placement in the Efaw home, testified that he was always a "pleasant person who always had good things to say about the children."

Wheeler graduated from Ashland University in June 2004 and was assigned Connre's case immediately after being hired by the Department of Job and Family Services, she said.

Connre was consistently in counseling after being taken out of her parents' abusive home, according to Wheeler's testimony.

The girl suffered from depression and anger issues stemming from her unhappiness with her mother, past sexual abuse and sudden placement into foster care, Wheeler said. "She wanted to be home," Wheeler said.

About three weeks prior to her death, Connre's father, Ronald Dixon Jr., told his daughter he would attempt to get custody of her again and they would live in Georgia with his mother, Wheeler said.

Connre was a challenge to counsel because when difficult issues were broached she "would just put her head down and shut down," Wheeler said.

At some point, the Department of Job and Family Services contracted with a psychiatrist to treat Connre, but she wasn't prescribed any medication to deal with her emotional problems, Wheeler testified.

"It was believed that these were normal feelings of a child who was in foster care, and it was the feeling that she shouldn't be medicated," Wheeler testified.

Throughout the trial, which began Tuesday, Martin questioned the department personnel about the investigation into Efaw's past and why it didn't include inquiry about his past employment, civil court records, interviews with all of the children he was accused of abusing and other avenues.

The attorneys for the estate criticized the department's investigation for not doing a more thorough investigation of the complaints that were filed against Efaw and were included in the department's files.

"You want the workers to know whether that's a safe home to place the child in, correct?" attorney Ken Myers asked Job and Family Services supervisor Susan Komosinski.

"It doesn't matter if they're true or they're not true," Komosinski said in reference to the complaints that were filed.

After Myers repeated his question, Komosinski, who issued final approval of the Efaw's certification, told him he was taking her answer "out of context."

"They did a terrible job of investigating that," Martin said. "This is certainly no way to run a Department of Job and Family Services. I say they didn't even exercise common sense. This is a travesty that never should have happened."

Paul Efaw Jr., another witness for the county, denied his father abused him and said he maintains a good relationship with both of his parents.

"I had a good childhood. My father wasn't a violent person," Efaw Jr. said.

Complaints filed by the children included allegations of beatings with objects such as belts, boards, keys, brooms and mops. The complaints also alleged Efaw instructed his biological and stepchildren to fondle him, which his son vehemently denied.

"Never in my entire life have I heard anything sexual come out of my father's mouth to me or anyone else," Efaw Jr. said.

"There was nothing to suggest Connre was in any danger whatsoever. October 18, 2004, was just a terribly bizarre incident. Connre was obviously a disturbed young girl, tragically," said Jim Jeffery, an attorney from Toledo who represents the county.

"Give them an endorsement," Jeffery said. "They deserve it. They didn't cause this death."

"They don't deserve an endorsement. They deserve an indictment," Martin countered.