Three-Year-Old Alexis Pounder Starved, Beaten to Death by Father and Girlfriend, Say Oregon Cops

By: Carlin DeGuerin Miller
Topics: Daily Blotter

(KOIN/ personal photo)

(Clackamus County Sheriffs)

(KOIN/ personal photo)

SANDY, Ore. (CBS/AP) In a small town outside of Portland, three-year-old Alexis Pounder was found beaten to death and severely undernourished and Oregon police say her father and his girlfriend are responsible.

Photo: Alexis Pounder, 3, was found beaten and starved to death Jan. 9.

PICTURES: Alexis Pounder: A Life Cut Short
On Jan. 9, deputies responding to a disturbance call in Sandy, Ore., found Alexis Pounder's body - along with enough indicators to call in the Violent Crimes and Child Abuse teams.

Photo: Donald Cockrell, 27, and Michelle Smith, 24.

They also found four other children living there, and removed them. The dead child's father is identified as 27-year-old Donald L. Cockrell. He was staying at the home with his girlfriend, 24-year-old Michele Nicole Smith.

Cockrell and Smith were arraigned on murder by abuse charges, but did not enter pleas during Monday's Clackamas County Circuit Court hearing. They asked Judge Robert Herndon to provide them with lawyers, and are being held without bail.

Photo: Alexis Pounder and her father Donald Cockrell.

PICTURES: Alexis Pounder: A Life Cut Short
"There's really no words to explain what it's like for me. I try to find the words and I can't - my worst nightmare," the girl's biological mother, Heather Pounder, told CBS affiliate KOIN on Monday.

Heather Pounder says Alexis and their other daughter had been staying with Cockrell and Smith since October. She says they had shared custody of Alexis but that Cockrell would rarely let her see the child.

The last time she saw Alexis was Dec. 12, she said.

"She had a weight problem, I had been taking her to the doctor," Pounder said. "As far as I know so had they and the doctor talked to us about different stuff with getting her weight up. She had a problem where she didn't want to eat and her weight was really low."

"You know we were working with her, but I guess I don't know what happened over there. I don't know if one of them just snapped or what," Pounder said.

Court documents describe little Alexis Pounder's death as being due to "blunt force trauma" and "acute starvation." The Oregon state medical examiner's office says she died of physical and nutritional child abuse.

PICTURES: Alexis Pounder: A Life Cut Short

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by carolcape January 18, 2010 9:35 PM EST

All three should be charged with child abuse and neglect and FDM. The mother knew this child was being abused and should have made steps to have her removed. She allowed her beautiful baby to be tortured and murdered by two animals. Well I say the death penalty should be the right sentence for this crime. Better then that, put the three of them in a fenced area with five pitbulls that haven't eaten for a week. That would be my sentence for them.

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by dd1317 January 24, 2010 8:19 PM EST: **** you!!! the mother had nothing to do with anything. how could the mother know you dumb *****? you dont know **** so dont talk ****!


by carolcape January 18, 2010 9:32 PM EST: They all should be charged with child negligence and murder, including the biological mother. I believe the child couldn't eat because she was scared to death. The real mother had to know what was going on here, I mean what a little angel. The death penalty has to be sought for all three of these people. This little darling, who could be mean to her. Will it ever end. Until the courts start giving the death penalty and long sentences for child abuse, nothing is going to help. How did a doctor not see what was happening here with this baby. Would you just like to put those two out in the yard with about five pitbulls that didn't eat for a week and let them go at them. I think that would be my punishment for them.; Reply to this comment

by Yan26 January 16, 2010 7:22 PM EST

Realllllllllllly! How cold can a person be! This is so ridiculous I can't even find the words to ***** at the Meth head & the Pizza face. The Bio mother is as guilty as the two child killer. well, the only thing I can say is they soon going to have to face the consequences of their acts and they will be judged, I'm sure, maybe not on this planet but they will pay for their sins...

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by dd1317 January 24, 2010 8:21 PM EST: The mother lived all the way acroos town and was not allowed to see her, the father didnt alow her to. the bio mother had nothing to do with it so shut up about somthing you know nothing about.


by rmagee3 January 14, 2010 8:07 PM EST: Why are the courts and CPS not doing more to insure these type of things don't happen. One look tells you that the people who had custody are substance abusers and no child is safe in that environment. The Biological mother most certainly should have taken her daughter and gotten a protection order to keep these idiots away from her. Where are this childs grandparents? I am a granmother and if my daughter was in this situation I would move heaven and earth to take my grandchild and secure her safety. What is wrong with people today?; Reply to this comment


by ally02 January 14, 2010 6:53 PM EST: The bio mom was a subtance abuser, and that's why she did not have primary custody. This poor little girl didn't stand a change, being born to two such total losers as parents. And the "future stepmom"? Clearly a meth-head, and had three kids under 5 by three different fathers. How is that even possible?; Reply to this comment


by diamruby January 14, 2010 2:23 PM EST: The mother is also to blame & should be charged with her death by neglecting to get her the help she needed. We are seeing far too many children abused & killed these days & more needs to be done to prevent children from living with these nuts. We need to stop people like this from having children in the first place. Alexis is in a much better place where no one can hurt her ever again, too bad no one cared enough about her, how sad that she only knew pain & suffering in her life. I hope these people suffer for the rest of their days.; Reply to this comment


by rematenaj January 14, 2010 1:15 PM EST: Biological mom absolutely should have done more! That poor little girl; so sweet looking. The girlfriend of the dad looks like a meth head... Seems there is so much violence toward children these days.; Reply to this comment