Young NJ Mother Starved Daughter, 8, To Death: Prosecutor

A young Essex County mother was convicted of aggravated manslaughter on Tuesday after starving her eight-year-old daughter to death in 2011.

Following a four-week trial, an Essex County jury convicted Krisla Rezireksyon Kris, 34, of Irvington, for contributing to the death of her daughter, Christiana Glenn, who was found dead in Kris’ Chancellor Avenue apartment in May of 2011.

According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Glenn died of starvation and an untreated, broken femur bone.

The jury also convicted Rezireksyon Kris of multiple counts of endangering the welfare of her two other children - a six-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl - who were beaten and denied food but ultimately survived, prosecutors stated.

Prosecutors allege that Rezireksyon Kris – whose birth name was Venette Ovilde - withheld food from all three children, physically assaulted them, tied them to a radiator, forced them to kneel on salt with heavy objects on their heads, withheld medical care and left them home alone for extended periods of time.

In addition to the aggravated manslaughter charge, Rezireksyon Kris was found guilty of 16 counts of endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of aggravated assault.

When Rezireksyon Kris is sentenced on May 20, she faces up to 30 years in prison on the manslaughter charge and additional time for endangering the welfare of the children, prosecutors stated.

A co-defendant in the case, Myriam Janvier, 28, of Elizabeth, who was also a resident of the apartment at the time of Glenn’s death, is still awaiting trial, according to authorities.

Detectives involved in the case have been accused of neglecting to read Janvier her Miranda rights.

Rezireksyon Kris’s attorneys had argued that their client – who allegedly suffers from “diminished capacity” and has an IQ score of 67 – was following the suggestions of a local Christian pastor who took advantage of her “vulnerable” nature, NJ.com reported.

Photo: Essex County Prosecutor’s Office