Mother speaks out as man convicted of killing her baby is up for parole

By Rachel Hirschheimer

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    CINCINNATI (WLWT) — A man convicted of killing a 3-month-old girl is up for parole nearly 15 years later. The child’s mother is speaking out, hoping to keep her daughter’s killer in prison.

On May 30, 2010, Chania Binford says her daughter was home on Sarvis Court in Westwood. Chania’s boyfriend at the time, Lionell Dangerfield, was with the little girl. When Chania went to check on her daughter, Zhi’Merah, who was lying next to her twin sister, she was lifeless.

An autopsy showed injuries to Zhi’Merah’s ribs and skull fractures.

“He used my daughter as his personal basketball on the tile floor,” Chania said.

A jury convicted Dangerfield of murder and felony assault, avoiding the death penalty. He was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

“She was 3 months old. She was innocent. She couldn’t fight back. She couldn’t protect herself. She couldn’t pick up the phone and say, ‘Mom he’s mistreating me,'” Chania said.

Next month, Dangerfield has a parole hearing. Chania says he could be released.

“I don’t want him to keep serving serve 15 years. I want him to get life. You take a life, you get life,” Chania said.

Zhi’Merah’s uncle still struggles with the day his niece was murdered.

“It was an innocent child. She couldn’t do nothing, but cry,” said Zhi’Merah’s uncle, William Larkins. “I can’t imagine what pain she was going through in her body when this was going on.”

The pain never goes away, but Chania is determined to keep her daughter’s name out there even when it feels too hard.

“When I want to say something to my baby I talk to an urn. I can’t hug her. She can’t hug me back. You can still physically touch and call your mom. My daughter can’t do that,” Chania said.

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