Adoptive Mom Charged In Girl's Death

By Tresa Baldas

Two days after a woman brought her bludgeoned, 4-year-old adopted daughter to the hospital with bite marks and broken bones, she was charged in the child's death.

Mary Perkins, 30, of 1365 N. Hudson Ave., Chicago, was charged with first-degree murder Saturday, accused of beating Angel Martin to death with her hands and a belt, according to Patti Simone, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state's attorney's office. Perkins, who is eight months pregnant, has been held without bond and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Monday in Violence Court, Simone said.

Angel was pronounced dead Thursday at Cook County Hospital and had bite marks on her face, head and body and broken teeth and ribs, Simone said.

Perkins and her boyfriend, whose name was not released, brought the child to the hospital. The boyfriend was not charged.

Autopsy results showed that Angel died of blunt trauma and head injuries, a representative of the Cook County medical examiner's office said.

According to neighbors at the Marshall Field Gardens apartment complex, Perkins also has a daughter who is 8 or 9 years old. They said the child recently left Perkins to live with her father.

Residents said Angel had been seen with black eyes.

One neighbor, Sarah Goodlow, 41, said that at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, while walking past Perkins' fourth-floor apartment, she heard Perkins yelling and cursing.

"I stood at the door and heard her," Goodlow said, expressing regret that she did not call police then. ". . .I heard her screaming, `Angel, don't do that!' "

The Department of Children and Family Services also is investigating the death.

According to DCFS spokesman Maudlyne Ihejirika, the agency took Angel into custody after she was born because she had been abused by her biological parents. Angel lived with foster parents until July, when she was adopted by Perkins, who passed an extensive screening, Ihejirika said.