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BRIGHAM CITY, Utah (AP) -- Three children who lived in the home where a 10-year-old girl was fatally beaten will be staying with a relative temporarily, a juvenile court judge has decided.
Shelby Andrews' father and stepmother -- Ryan William Andrews, 38, and Angela Ray Andrews, 35 -- have been charged in 2nd District Court in Farmington with first-degree felony murder and first-degree aggravated sexual abuse in her death.
An emergency custody hearing for Shelby's two biological siblings and a stepbrother was held Wednesday in 1st District Juvenile Court. Those children are Shelby's 13-year-old brother and 8 year-old sister from a previous marriage of Ryan Andrews' and Angela Andrew's 16-year-old son from a previous marriage. Investigators have said there is no evidence the other children were abused.
Police found Shelby dead in her Syracuse home on Aug. 1 following a 911 call made by her brother. Her injuries included bruises and bite marks, officers said. The cause of death was head trauma.
Police said she had been beaten severely by hand and with a belt and her head slammed into a wall with enough force to break a hole in the wallboard.
Angela Andrews' attorney, John Caine, has said his client didn't inflict the fatal injuries.
Judge Larry Jones ordered that a mediation hearing to discuss permanent custody of the three children be held the morning of Aug. 25. Another court hearing will be held that afternoon to determine if trial dates need to be set.
Jones ordered the state Division of Child and Family Services to provide services, such as counseling, for the children for the time being.
Investigators have said that the abuse appeared to be ongoing for as long as a year and the girl had likely been beaten daily for about a week.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
