Skeleton Girl Tortured With Shock Device
not much is known about Angelina Costello as her birthday and her birthplace are a mystery she was born premature and medically fragile to her parents Miller Costello and Brenda O’Neill she had an older brother and a younger sister very early on Miller was warned against marrying Brenda according to him his parents told him she was evil and warned him that her family was very bad but of course he did not listen and did it anyway even though the couple later went on to have another daughter Brenda didn’t want to keep Angelina because she
was a girl allegedly Brenda’s parents wanted her to terminate her pregnancy when Angelina went on to be born premature the family claimed that she was cursed and her perceived disability meant she brought bad luck to the family but the Emil family didn’t just direct their ill will at Little Angelina but also at Miller allegedly Brenda’s father beat him up regularly and locked him in a room for a week after one particularly nasty beating according to Miller there was no more skin on his face because of these beatings the family had
self-proclaimed ties to the Roma Community with family members in California and Montana as well as ties to Wyoming Colorado Arizona Utah and Romania at the time of our story the family had left Billings Montana and had settled into a home in Ogden Utah a home that the couple lied in order to get approved for Brenda claimed she was a single mother of two and Miller was just visiting her afternoon on July 6 2017 Mr Sitka harabel and Chris Bishop with the Ogden Police Department dispatch Ed to a home located on the 2800 block of
Grant Avenue due to a report of a child that was unconscious and not breathing that child was three-year-old Angelina Costello the little girl’s tiny body was wrapped tightly in a pink blanket lying on the floor in a completely empty room Not only was she unresponsive but she was dead officers immediately recognized that the little girl had bruising contusions lacerations Burns and open sores all over her body she also appeared to be very malnourished Brenda told officers that she found her daughter Dead about
the same time that police were contacted Angelina was cold to the touch and stiff with the apparent onset of rigor mortis Angelina’s clothing was removed during the on-scene cursory examination with the medical examiner a large burn on her chest was observed along with small circular burns on her back legs and feet which were also covered in bruises and lacerations Angelina’s stomach was sunken in and all of her ribs were visible her atrophied legs and arms appeared thin with no visible muscle or fat her face looked
much the same almost skeletal devoid at the chubby cheeks normally seen in girls of her age some of Angelina’s injuries appeared to be recent and acute While others appeared to be in various stages of healing but what the medical examiner found next proved to be even more bizarre Angelina was also covered in a thin layer of what appeared to be foundation in an attempt to conceal her injuries according to officer Bishop Angelina’s was the worst case of CA that he had ever seen in subsequent interviews with Brenda Emil and Miller Costello both
parents indicated that they were the sole primary caregiver of Angelina Brenda admitted to covering her daughter in makeup to conceal some of her injuries so that way they didn’t look so bad Brenda indicated that she was a stay-at-home mom and Miller indicated he was the primary Breadwinner a search of the couple’s cell phones revealed several pictures and videos which illustrate a progressive timeline of Angelina’s deteriorating health between January 2016 and June of 2017 videos show Miller and Brenda mistreating the little girl in one video
dated July 9 2016 Brenda eats a plate of scrambled eggs holding out Fork foals before her little girl’s mouth Angelina sits quietly with a visible bruise on her cheek as her mother repeatedly asks her do you want to eat and then pulls the food away from her laughing yelling I lied it’s mine while giggling and she further taunts her little girl saying how good the food is in another video taken in August of 2016 Miller quizzes his daughter about who she likes and who she doesn’t he asks Angelina do you wish I was dead and are
you evil and when the toddler answers back with a gleeful yeah Miller mutters back evil and calls the Girl by an expletive in another video Miller used the feet of his other infant to kick Angelina in the face the photos and videos taken in the following months show increasing bruising on Angelina’s face and arms her frame becomes skinnier and her hair thins her eyes become sunken a trunk is missing from the tip of her misshapen nose on April 15th Miller and Brenda took a video of Angelina sitting on the floor in pink sweats her legs tucked
into her chest as she sucks on a slice of onion the girl’s nose is bleeding as her father quizzes her about what she’s eating and whether she likes it over time Angelina is seen wearing only long sleeves long pants and knit caps even on an 82 degree day during a family trip to Disneyland in May of 2017.
one video from that day shows Brenda laughing and feigning herself while commenting on the heat another Miller narrates that the family is on vacation and pants to Angelina who is bundled from head to toe As She lays lethargic in a stroller with visible bruising on her face and her sunken eyes half closed Miller says quote we’re in Disneyland what’s nice girl doing nothing and quote in a series of images after that her outfit doesn’t seem to change for three days Angelina’s younger sister and other brother pure playful healthy and
energetic and well groomed throughout the videos other videos show the parents playing on a bed with Angelina’s older brother and younger sister as she stands in the corner of the room facing away from her family the footage shows bruises and scabbing on the girl’s arms and face while interviewing Miller he stated that he had knowledge Evangeline as deteriorating health and Brenda purposefully withholding food from her he knew that his child was in need of medical attention and said he knew if she didn’t get that attention that she
would die he knew that this treatment of Angelina severely impaired her ability to function and Thrive Miller stated that when he returned home from work he observed new injuries on Angelina he claimed during this time she was in the sole care of Brenda claim that according to Brenda Angelina had been struck or otherwise injured by her siblings or had fallen down he stated he did not seek medical attention and took no action to remove Angelina from the situation or make the police aware of what was going on according to Miller Brenda knew of
Angelina’s injuries and made no attempts to stop her siblings from striking her or keep her safe from falling down Brenda allegedly told Miller that she did not want to get medical attention for the little girl because she did not want a police investigation or have her children taken away from her he also claimed that his wife would get angry at him if he fed Angelina one questioned Brenda insisted that she never harmed her children and that Angelina’s bruising may have come from taking a tumble in a bounce house a few days
prior the burn mark she said were from sparklers that her children got too close to during a Fourth of July celebration she insisted that up until a few days before she died Angelina had been as healthy as her siblings with the exception of a bout of C diff on the last days of her life Brenda claimed that Angelina had been extremely tired had diarrhea and would not eat she said quote she just felt a little not herself but not to the point that we were going to take her to the emergency room end quote Miller explained that his
job of buying scrap metal at auctions Nationwide took him out of state with some frequency he stated that the month prior he made approximately a hundred and fifty thousand dollars due to the fact that he and Brenda had the means to flee the state or country and had International ties they were considered a Flight Risk Miller also had a pending warrant in Montana stemming from allegations of Fraud and witness tampering in October of 2016.
in addition a search on benverified.com revealed that the couple had many possible aliases including but not limited to Sonny Frank Robert S Emil had a meal Miller Marks Chad M Costello Priscilla puano Sunny Michael Costello Steve and Tom Marks and Londa marks all the names thought to be aliases have shared email addresses social media accounts and a laundry list of crimes committed in many states crimes following the possible aliases include various driving offenses identity theft and possession of illegal substances in
addition some possible aliases had ties to different scrap metal yards and construction companies the couple were arrested on July 10 charged with aggravated homicide and held without bail they were booked at the Weber County Jail where it was found that 25 year old Miller had approximately twelve hundred dollars in cash and had an eight thousand dollar cashier’s check in his wallet 23 year old Brenda had thirty six thousand one hundred ninety dollars in a purse purchased at Nordstrom for two thousand dollars a month prior the
couple’s two other children were placed in the care of the Utah Division of Child and Family Services it was obvious the family had all the money needed to provide for Angelina but they deliberately chose not to at her official autopsy it was found that Angelina Wade only 13.67 pounds the weight of a three-month-old infant rather than a three-year-old toddler she was in a horrible state of neglect and had poor hygiene Angelina was left in soiled diapers for long periods of time so much so that the skin touching the diaper had
begun to erode her head and face sustained several blows and were covered in injuries the skin around one of her nostrils was eroded likely from being repeatedly pinched between fingernails she had suffered abrasions in her ear canal her frenulum which is the skin flap underneath your tongue inside of your mouth was torn her baby teeth were chipped she had a subdural brain hemorrhage and sustained a hemorrhage to the muscles of her neck multiple injuries and fractures in various stages of healing were observed on her
extremities Angelina’s Limbs and torso were covered in cigarette Burns in addition to a healing burn appearing to be from a flat iron her torso was whipped so severely it was cut to the Bone she had a deep penetrating wound to her abdomen which caused a hemorrhage in her small bowel and pancreas the medical examiner could not pinpoint one specific cause of death several of her injuries could have proven fatal and her physical malnourishment weakened her tiny body significantly these injuries were not the result of one single act of
Rage of a parent losing their temper she was systematically tortured for months according to officer Sitka harabal in her words Angelina looked like a holocaust victim police detective Richard Childress who oversaw the girl’s autopsy added again in his own words the girl’s skeletal frame on the medical examiner’s table reminded him of children from concentration camps in the poorest countries of the third world it took a medical examiner four hours to document the extensive injuries including internal injuries and massive
hemorrhaging to the back of Angelina’s head the cause of death was determined to be a combination of starvation and blunt force trauma during their preliminary hearing Deputy Weber County attorney Christopher Shaw told second district judge Michael doretta that Angelina died from blunt force trauma Burns starvation and malnutrition he stated that the little girl lived a life of torture at the hands of her parents much of the evidence hearing focused on the photos and videos that we discussed prior also during the hearing and
helpers from Brenda’s mother led to the woman’s arrest 45 year old Buffy Emil was asked to leave the courtroom because she may be called as a witness at trial several minutes later she burst through the courtroom doors and screamed quote you killed my baby [ __ ] end quote as such judge Michael doretta ruled that she was in contempt of court and ordered her arrested in a bid to avoid the death penalty Miller and Brenda pled guilty to all charges on October 5th 2022 the defense tried filing multiple motions previously to
remove capital punishment from the table including suggesting that Miller had a low IQ the couple were scheduled to be sentenced the week of October 15th but right before the proceedings began Brenda left the courtroom with defense attorney Martin gravis and they returned attorney gravis said Brenda wanted to withdraw her guilty plea subsequent week s during multiple hearings Brenda changed her story numerous times in November she told judge doretta that prior to pleading guilty in August she received threats against her son during
phone calls with her family members when asked why she didn’t bring up the issue in August when she pled guilty and was asked multiple questions clean whether she was being threatened or coerced about accepting the plea deal Brenda said that her son’s life was more important than hers she said she has since received assurance that her children are safe and added that the threats would be found in her Jail phone calls but prosecutor Leticia tomb said her team had combed through her Jail phone calls and found no evidence of any threats against
Brenda or her kids at that point Brenda said she no longer wanted to withdraw her guilty plea but judge doretta said she had raised serious allegations about the safety of her children and about the circumstances under which she accepted the guilty plea he asked that the phone calls be translated as time efficient as they may be to avoid any doubt about how willingly she pled guilty the judge said the calls couldn’t be translated because the court translator was unfamiliar with the romanian’s eye elect which Brenda
and her mother sometimes spoke prosecutor tombs played a 12-minute phone call between Brenda and her mother from August 16th of 2022 in which her mother repeatedly pressured her daughter not to take the plea deal Brenda is heard saying quote I failed to protect a baby under my care that’s all the jury members are going to look at I’m pleading guilty for not doing my part as a mother end quote after playing the phone call prosecutor tomb said Brendan knew before asking to change her plea that Miller the person who she said was
threatening her was never getting out of jail further Brenda told her mother repeatedly that she wanted to take the plea deal the prosecutor said she never told the judge or her attorneys over the last year about the alleged threats adding that Brenda couldn’t or wouldn’t pinpoint an exact time that the threats were made Brenda said the threats made her so anxious that she vomited and cried herself to sleep she said I wanted to take it to trial and be a voice for my daughter but the alleged threat made her feel she couldn’t
judge doretta stated that he Prides himself on being thorough in discussing please asking additional questions not required by law he said the court had been very patient with Brenda and even bent over backwards to investigate her claims still through the months-long process attorneys had never found a phone call from the jail containing even a suggestion that she was ever threatened he said quote the court simply cannot pick and choose which statements are true and which statements are not true my view is that I simply
cannot trust Ms Emil’s Communications end quote at the couple’s sentencing hearing in January of 2023 prosecutors read a letter to the court from the adoptive mother of the couple’s oldest child a boy who was about four years old at the time of his sister’s death she said the boy had struggled with grief and guilt because his birth parents ordered him to participate in this abuse he said that he witnessed the starvation he said that one time a piece of onion was on the floor and Angelita ate it because she was so hungry
the parents the boy said used to hit them with wires but directed most of their Ira Angelina the boy now almost 10 years old hopes his biological parents never get out of prison because he fears if they do that they’ll kill him a letter from a social worker who counsel the boy said the child was the one who found Angelina dead in her bed he got her favorite blanket because she was cold after the parents realized the girl was dead they ran around getting rid of drugs and other things they used to hurt her with the boy said the parents had rigged a
shock device they would attach to Angelina’s body as a method of torture he added that he and Angelina were locked in a dark closet together for several days without food or water according to the boy Angelina started acting differently and looked like a sick doll as she started to decline the hearing ended with a contentious exchange about officer Horrible’s testimony when she was asked by prosecutor Nicholas Kane how the case had affected her officer harabel said she had investigated hundreds of cases then Angelina’s death in her words I
never saw anything like this for me this was a career Ender I’m not a cop anymore after I had to watch what she went through she went on to add that she has PTSD and underwent counseling defense attorney Randall Marshall said it was not appropriate for police officers to be allowed to offer victim testimony but judge doretta overruled the subjection saying that officer harabo’s testimony about what she went through speaks volumes about the gravity of the case however the judge did disallow the reading of letters from two other police
officers saying harabo’s testimony was sufficient after reviewing the evidence the judge sentenced the couple to life without parole he said neither Miller Costello nor Brenda Emil had shown remorse or taken responsibility for this horrific crime said quote when protectors become tormentors when nurturers become abusers it’s nearly impossible to grasp much less explain it has been said that evil imaginations have no limits in this case Bears out that principle most egregiously end quote he concluded with a message to the
couple saying that although they will spend the rest of their lives in prison they get to wake up each day make friends and have positive experiences he said quote life itself is a gift one that Angelina will never enjoy because you murdered her so in a very real sense this sentence is merciful because your lives have been spared end quote not much is known about Angelina’s final resting place other than that she was cremated she had no obituary and her funeral details are unknown apart from the fact that both Miller and Brenda
attempted to get a furlough in order to attend it what is clear is that Angelina Costello never knew love in the three years that she lived in agony wherever she is now has to be better than what she experienced here on this Earth
