Tot-beater could face death penalty

MESA — A jury will decide whether a Mesa man will spend life in prison or face the death penalty for beating his friend’s baby to death.

The case stems from a February 2005 incident in which Christohper Langin, 33, was left to babysit the daughter of his neighbor, Michael Plummer, 34. The two men were friends from high school, and Langin lived in a trailer behind Plummer’s east Mesa home at the time.

The 3-year-old girl, Angeline, was developmentally delayed and could barely speak. She was found 24 hours later inside Langin’s fetid trailer beaten and bruised head to toe, according to court records.

Plummer knew Langin had a history of substance abuse and violent tendencies, said Maricopa County prosecutor Patricia Stevens, but he still allowed Langin to care for his daughter.

Records say that the actual cause of death was due to “blunt force trauma to her head.”

In September, a jury in Maricopa County Superior Court found Langin guilty of first-degree murder, child abuse and aggravated assault, according to court documents. Now its members must decide if Langin should face the death penalty.

Joey Hamby, a defense lawyer for Langin, told jurors last week that they should spare Langin from the death penalty because his client suffered from “potential methamphetamine induced psychosis” at the time of Angeline’s death.

Hamby also stated that they planned to bring in expert witnesses to testify Langin’s history of family tragedy, significant brain impairment, and long-standing substance abuse and childhood domestic abuse.

“We will not deny the fact that Chris did abuse meth and alcohol, he has suffered through multiple relapses and has about 11 teeth left, which indicates harsh drug use,” Hamby said.

Growing up, Langin was a special education student who did not graduate from high school or receive a GED, Hamby added. He has no arrest record in Arizona, so the death penalty is too harsh, he said.

“So is life in prison the right sentence, or is death? I believe life in prison is the right decision for Chris Langin,” Hamby told the jury.

Stevens, however, said a sad “life story” should not be a mitigating factor to justify Langin’s actions.

The jury is set to decide Langin’s fate by Nov. 20.

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