Nadine Lockwood (September 1991 – August 31, 1996) was an American 4-year-old girl from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

who was

murdered Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excu ...

in August 1996. Nadine was starved to death by her parents, Carla Lockwood and Leroy Dickerson, at Lockwood's apartment in Washington Heights, and both were

convicted In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a trial by jud ...

second degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, ...

. Nadine's death was a significant contributing factor to the overhaul of the child protective services system in New York City.

Murder

Nadine Lockwood lived with her mother, Carla Lockwood, in an apartment in the Washington Heights neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, along with her six siblings. Lockwood was a

drug addict Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

and was known by child protective services, but no serious action had been brought against her. Nadine was systematically starved by her mother, who admitted to police that she had hated the little girl and specifically singled her out for

abuse Abuse is the act of improper usage or treatment of a person or thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, ...

. Lockwood kept Nadine, whom she referred to as "it", in squalid conditions, locked in a room in a covered crib. When Nadine was found dead on August 31, 1996, less than a month before her fifth birthday, she was

emaciated Emaciation is defined as the state of extreme thinness from absence of body fat and muscle wasting usually resulting from malnutrition. It is often seen as the opposite of obesity. Characteristics Emaciation manifests physically as thin limbs, pr ...

and weighed only 15 and a half pounds. Lockwood eventually pleaded guilty to

second-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excus ...

and was sentenced to 15 years to

life in prison Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life imprisonment are co ...

. Nadine's father, Leroy Dickerson, lived separately and was frequently an absentee father. Two of Dickerson's other children with Lockwood, both in their early teens, testified against him in court stating that he had been equally complicit in the abuse of Nadine. They also stated that they were encouraged to not tell anyone about the abuse, and were instructed to say Nadine was visiting a relative in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

. Dickerson was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life for "depraved indifference" towards Nadine's life.

Media coverage

Nadine became known in New York-based tabloids such as the ''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

'' and ''

The New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'' due to the circumstances surrounding her death. The press called her "the girl who was never loved" and followed the trials of both of her parents closely. Her story was also publicized because it greatly paralleled that of Elisa Izquierdo, who had been murdered by her mother nine months earlier; both girls had been singled out among their numerous siblings for abuse. Later, the case would also be compared to that of

Nixzmary Brown Nixzmary Brown (July 18, 1998 – January 11, 2006) was a seven-year-old American girl from BROOKLYN, New York, Brooklyn, New York, whose physical Child abuse, abuse, Child neglect, parental neglect and murder led to reforms in New York City ...

, another child that was specifically targeted for abuse by a parent. As in the Izquierdo case, investigation into Nadine's death revealed that many potential opportunities to intervene had been missed. The family had been known to city agencies since 1989, when neglect proceedings were initiated because one of Carla Lockwood's other children tested positive for

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

at birth. The matter was dropped when Lockwood entered a drug treatment program. Nadine herself had tested positive for cocaine at birth, but again, a case against Lockwood was dismissed within six months. Neighbors allegedly called the Child Welfare Administration several times in regards to the abuse Nadine suffered at her mother's hands, but little was done to investigate. The mishandling of Nadine's case was one of the factors that prompted a major overhaul of New York City's child protective services and protocols for investigating abuse allegations.

References

External links

* , Special Commissioner of Investigation for NYC School District, February 1997 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lockwood, Nadine 1991 births 1996 deaths 1996 murders in the United States Child abuse resulting in death Murdered African-American people Filicides in New York (state) Incidents of violence against girls Washington Heights, Manhattan August 1996 crimes in the United States Child filicides in the United States

Murder

Media coverage

See also

References

External links