Jumper trial on to a 2nd day

LEWISTOWN - The trial for a Belleville woman charged with endangering the welfare of a child will continue into a second day after initial arguments and testimony were heard Monday in the Mifflin County Court of Common Pleas.

Ashleigh Jumper, 24, is charged with endangering the welfare of her daughter, 2-year-old Gianna Page, who died on Jan. 24, 2008, due to blunt force trauma to the head, according to court documents.

Jumper's husband, James Jumper, 25, of Belleville, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder on Dec. 10, 2008, and is serving a sentence of 15 to 40 years in a state correctional facility. James Jumper testified that he had pushed the girl down, which eventually caused her death, documents indicate.

Mifflin County District Attorney Steven Snook maintains that Ashleigh Jumper was aware her husband had been abusing her daughter and should be held accountable for her death as well.

"It is clear that this child was murdered. Our case is that the defendant, the mother of this little girl, failed to protect her. She gave Mr. Jumper the opportunity to murder her child," Snook said to the jury during his opening statement.

Defense attorney Bruce Manchester's offered a rebuttal to Snook's position during his own opening statement.

"There is no question this child was murdered ... but he (Snook) goes on to say that Mr. Jumper was given the opportunity to murder Gianna Page by my client. This completely rails against what you brought into the jury box with you and that is your common sense," Manchester said.

The prosecution called five witnesses to testify during the trial: the physician who examined Page at Geisinger Medical Center, the administrator of Children and Youth Services who interviewed Ashleigh Jumper regarding alleged child abuse, the Mifflin County Regional Police detective who investigated the allegations and two of Ashleigh Jumper's relatives.

The prosecutions first witness, Dr. Paul J. Bellino, a pediatrician at Geisinger Medical Center who specializes in child abuse cases, said he examined Page at Geisinger Medical Center.

Bellino testified that Page had been resuscitated by staff at the Lewistown Hospital's emergency room on Jan. 22, 2008, and was later flown to Geisinger for additional treatment. Bellino said the girl's body was "riddled with bruises from her head down" and had a bloody discharge from her rectum, which indicated intestinal failure.

Bellino said he found 50 separate bruises on Page's body, and during his testimony he showed the jury numerous pictures he had taken of the girl's injuries.

"Children are what we call forward explorers - they explore by moving into things or falling forward. So bruises over the back side are very concerning ... the sheer number of bruises is also worrisome," Bellino testified.

Bellino said determining the age of a bruise is not an exact science, but experts agree this process takes a minimum of 18 hours. He said he could then tell that the bruises on Page's body were at least 18 hours old.

Mackenzie Seiler, administrator of Children and Youth Services in Mifflin County, interviewed Ashleigh Jumper on Jan. 31, 2008, after the death of her daughter.

"She admitted Gianna lived with her grandmother for three to four months. I then asked her when Gianna came to live with her and her husband," Seiler testified. "I asked her if it was Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas and she stated that it was around Halloween."

Seiler said Ashleigh Jumper admitted that she and her husband took turns bathing the children in the household and that the last time she had bathed Page was on Monday, Jan. 21 - several days before her death.

"She said she didn't notice any bruises because the bathtub was so full of bubbles," Seiler stated.

Seiler testified that Ashleigh Jumper admitted knowledge of three bruises on the girl's body: one each to the child's head, right arm and torso. Ashleigh Jumper explained that a sibling had fallen on the girl, causing one bruise; an ironing board with objects on the top of it had fallen on her, causing a second bruise; and the third bruise was caused by the family pet, Seiler said.

Seiler also said Ashleigh Jumper stated she thought the bruises on Page's body were normal because she did not see any "punch or slap marks."

During Manchester's cross-examination of Seiler, she was asked whether she thinks Ashleigh Jumper, who was being questioned soon after the death of her child, would naturally be upset during the interview.

"She actually didn't appear to be upset at all," Seiler answered. Seiler did agree with Manchester that people grieve in different ways and that she could not have any way of knowing what Ashleigh Jumper was thinking.

Seiler also stated Ashleigh Jumper admitted during their interview that she no longer believed her husband's original story that Page had fallen down the stairs, sustaining fatal injuries. Seiler said during the investigation it was discovered that Ashleigh Jumper had stayed with her husband for three days after her child's death, which Seiler said was a concern.

"You just didn't like that she supported Mr. Jumper ... what significance does that have to you?" Manchester asked.

Seiler stated that Ashleigh Jumper had admitted she had stopped believing her husband's claim and was calm, poised and emotionless during the interview.

Mifflin County Regional Police Detective Jessica Aurand, who was involved in the investigation of the alleged child abuse, said Ashleigh Jumper showed no emotion when she was interviewed at Geisinger Medical Center on Jan. 23, 2008. Aurand said Ashleigh Jumper became angry when told she was not showing normal emotions under the circumstances, and then left the room.

Jumper's mother, Patty Orr, testified that she noticed a bruise on Page's forehead and was told by Ashleigh Jumper that an ironing board had fallen on her, causing the bruise. Orr said she was concerned about Page's accident and was in contact with "someone" about her concerns. Jumper's grandmother, Ruth Ellen Bohn, testified Page had lived with her for more than a year and was returned to the Jumper home the day before Christmas 2007. Bohn stated she also noticed the bruise on Page's forehead and was told the same story about an ironing board falling on Page.

The defense called Ashleigh Jumper to testify, and she recounted the course of events leading up to Page's death.

"I got there (the hospital) first, that is when I walked outside and saw Gianna in the car ... you (could) tell something wasn't right because she was (a) different color," she said.

"They said I could go see her and I tried, but I couldn't look at her," she continued, with tears in her eyes.

Manchester asked Ashleigh Jumper if she was "calm and collected" as earlier witnesses testified.

"No, I wasn't. I just assumed that nothing like this could ever happen to me. I love my kids, they act like I don't care ... the detectives, the nurses and Dr. Bellino," she replied.

Manchester also asked Ashleigh Jumper about her experience of being interviewed by Aurand at Geisinger .

"I had gotten mad. She basically told me I didn't show emotion, and I got mad and walked out of the room. I really wasn't in the mood to talk to them, I didn't care for anything but Gianna at that time," Ashleigh Jumper said.

"She acted like I was a cold-hearted person, like I'd wake up the next morning and forget all about it," she continued.

Ashleigh Jumper testified that due to the nature of Page's death, the funeral was postponed for more than a week. She said this was hard for her to handle and she needed to leave Mifflin County.

"I went to Lewisburg because I couldn't be in Mifflin County," Ashleigh Jumper said, further stating she had stayed with the father of her daughter, Chad Page, while in Lewisburg.

During his cross examination, Snook asked the defendant if she went to Lewisburg because she thought it would help her get her other children back from protective custody, where they were taken after it was suspected that Page had been abused. Ashleigh Jumper denied that she stayed with Chad Page for that reason.

Snook also asked Ashleigh Jumper why she told Children and Youth Services her daughter was with her grandmother for only three to four months, when the girl actually had been living with the grandmother for more than a year. Ashleigh Jumper replied that her "head wasn't right," at the time of the interview. Jumper also said she did not recall telling Children and Youth Services that she and her husband took turns bathing the children.

Snook questioned Jumper about her actions following Page's admission to the hospital.

"Your grandmother stayed and your mother made arrangements to stay at the hospital, but you went home. And then the next day you went looking for lawyers," Snook stated.

Jumper responded that she was advised by a family friend that she needed to retain a lawyer and she did go to see Page at the hospital later on Jan. 23, 2008.

The trial will resume at 8 a.m. today with President Judge Timothy S. Searer presiding in the Mifflin County Court of Common Pleas.