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Thread: Landen Lavarnia, 9, Died After Being Shot. His Parents Blamed Their Toddler But Police Say They Delayed Calling 911 To Clean Up A Crime Scene

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    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    Landen Lavarnia, 9, Died After Being Shot. His Parents Blamed Their Toddler But Police Say They Delayed Calling 911 To Clean Up A Crime Scene

    This sounds really dodgy, the dad seems to have been shot through the arm during the same incident??

    Wendy And Kansas Lavarnia Delayed Calling 911 For Injured Son To Scrub Evidence, Say Police
    CP | By Jacques Billeaud And Paul Davenport, The Associated Press
    Posted: 03/23/2017 12:03 pm EDT Updated: 03/23/2017 12:49 pm EDT


    PHOENIX ? The parents of a nine-year-old boy who was shot in the head in their Phoenix home put off calling 911 as they cleaned up evidence in multiple rooms of the house, police said, calling it a case that "shocks your conscience.''

    Wendy Lavarnia told police that her two-year-old son found a gun left on a bed and accidentally shot his older brother Monday. Police cast doubt on her story as they launched a murder investigation involving the 28-year-old woman and her ex-convict husband, Kansas Lavarnia.

    Police began to become suspicious of the mother's story when they found inconsistencies in her account and when the boy's father showed up at the home with a crudely bandaged gunshot wound on his upper arm.

    The wound looked to have been punctured multiple times, possibly with a screwdriver, to camouflage the injury, authorities said.


    Nine-year-old Landen Lavarnia died Tuesday after he was shot in the head Monday. (Photo: Wochit/Screenshot)

    Police declined Wednesday to specify the mother's inconsistencies or say who they think shot the boy and his father. It's unclear whether the couple is represented by lawyers who can speak on their behalf.

    Authorities said the parents delayed medical care for their son to clean up evidence in the house. Police declined to say whether they believe the boy would be alive had authorities been alerted sooner.

    A probable-cause statement filed by police says the lack of visible blood and the extent of blood residue implied that a significant amount of time passed before authorities were called.

    "We have a nine-year-old critically wounded, shot in the head, in dire need of lifesaving efforts and care, which was delayed and not provided to this young man,'' police Sgt. Vince Lewis said. "It definitely shocks your conscience.''

    "It definitely shocks your conscience.''
    Lewis declined to specify the efforts taken to clean up evidence in several rooms at the house.

    The father's appearance at the home three hours after officers started investigating was suspicious because he was injured, Lewis said. Police say they found evidence of blood in the trunk of the vehicle that Kansas Lavarnia drove to the house.

    He was booked on suspicion of first-degree murder, child abuse and hindering prosecution, while Wendy Lavarnia was booked on suspicion of first-degree murder, court documents said. Prosecutors have not yet filed charges.

    In a court appearance before her son died, the mother asked a judge whether she could go to the hospital to see the boy, but the judge said she could not leave jail without posting bond. Kansas Lavarnia's only statements in court were responses to questions about his name and date of birth.

    They are now being held in lieu of US$1 million bond each.



    wendy lavarnia has been booked on suspicion of first-degree murder and is being held on US$1 million bond. (Photo: Wochit/Screenshot)

    Kansas Lavarnia had originally been booked on weapons misconduct. He was barred from having a gun in the home because of three 2009 convictions for theft and possession of burglary tools. He completed a three-year prison sentence in 2012.

    He blamed his convictions on a longstanding addiction to pain medications, saying he started taking the drugs after he broke his back in an ATV accident when he was 15, according to court records.

    He said he was sober from 18 to 21 but later resumed using pain medications. Once such drugs got too expensive, he turned to cheaper illegal drugs, using cocaine and heroin for a few years, records say.

    Neighbours of the couple said the children could sometimes be seen outside wearing only a diaper.


    Kansas and Wendy Lavarnia's three surviving children are in the care of Arizona's child-welfare agency.(Photo: Wochit/Screenshot)

    "Their kids were always running in the front with their diapers on,'' said Marie Mosley, who lives next door. "They always yelled and cussed at them, which I didn't think was right, to cuss at little babies like that.''

    Mosley also was surprised when she saw the mother emerge from the house showing little emotion, considering her child had just been shot in the head and taken away by paramedics.

    The couple's three surviving children are in the care of the state's child-welfare agency.

    Victim remembered as kind, creative boy

    The district where the shooting victim attended school said in a statement released to parents Wednesday that he was a kind, smart and creative boy who was friends with all. Landen Lavarnia was a second-grader at Sahuaro Elementary School.

    The school said Landen Lavarnia always helped his classmates when working on group projects and that he was a clever boy.

    "Our hearts are absolutely broken,'' principal Deb Menendez said in the statement.

    Kansas Lavarnia's first conviction stemmed from a January 2009 arrest when he was seen crouched down in a car outside a home where $480 in property had been stolen. The victim recognized the driver as Lavarnia, who used to clean fish tanks for the victim, authorities said.

    "Our hearts are absolutely broken."
    Seven months later, police say Lavarnia tried to steal a sports car in his apartment complex and used tools in a bid to tamper with the vehicle's ignition.

    A month later, Lavarnia used a friend's stolen driver's license to withdraw $4,500 out of his bank account, investigators said. Lavarnia told authorities he was abusing drugs at the time and wasn't thinking clearly, court records said.

    The Arizona Department of Child Safety says the family was investigated twice and that Landen Lavarnia and his siblings were removed from their parents' care in August 2014 after Wendy Lavarnia tested positive for illegal drugs.

    The family was eventually reunited.

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    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/...gned/99991810/

    A Phoenix couple will be arraigned Thursday in connection with the March 20 shooting death of their 9-year-old son, Landen Lavarnia.

    Kansas and Wendy Lavarnia have been charged with first-degree murder, two counts of child abuse and hindering prosecution, according to the grand jury indictment filed March 28 in Maricopa County Superior Court




    Phoenix police found Landen shot once in the head after being called at about 3 p.m. to the family's home near 35th and Rosewood avenues. Wendy Lavarnia, 28, told police she placed a 9mm handgun on the master bed, next to her 2- and 4-year-old sons. She said the 2-year-old, who was previously allowed to "practice" firing the gun when unloaded, picked up the loaded weapon and fired it.

    Landen was taken to the hospital and remained on life support until he died the following day, court records show.

    The latest indictment does not state who pulled the trigger, only that the shooter was either Kansas or Wendy Lavarnia or "another person."


    People have left candles, stuffed animals and messages at the Phoenix home of Landen Lavarnia, Tom Tingle/The Republic

    According to the indictment, Kansas and Wendy Lavarnia, "acting either alone or with one or more other persons, committed or attempted to commit child abuse ... and in the course of and in furtherance of such offense, or immediate flight from such offense, Kansas Eric Lavarnia and Wendy Viviana Lavarnia or another person did cause the death of (Landen)."

    As for the two child abuse counts, the indictment said the parents intentionally or knowingly caused or permitted Landen's "person or health to be injured ... or endangered" by "having a gun near a minor" and "failing to seek immediately medical care" after he was shot in the head.

    The indictment also charges that the Lavarnias tried to keep each other from getting prosecuted by "knowingly suppressing physical evidence that might have aided in (their) discovery, apprehension, prosecution or conviction."

    According to police reports, the parents cleaned up blood and postponed calling for medical assistance while their son lay critically wounded. Wendy Lavarnia told police her husband wasn't home when the shot rang out; police say evidence shows otherwise and that Kansas had been shot in the arm.

    The couple was originally scheduled to enter their pleas Tuesday morning but their arraignments were continued to April 6.

    Originally Published 3:42 p.m. MT April 3, 2017
    http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/...nia/100660454/

    Police release 911 call mom made after 9-year-old Landen Lavarnia was shot

    Garrett Mitchell | The Republic | azcentral.com
    Updated 7:07 p.m. MT April 19, 2017

    "My son, he is 9 years old. He is shot in the head ... by his baby brother," Wendy Lavarnia told the 911 dispatcher. "I got my gun down and I put it on the bed, like an idiot."

    The Phoenix mother sounded frantic as she explained to the dispatcher how her 9-year-old son, Landen Lavarnia, was shot March 20 inside their home. But police say the 911 call was a farce, that she waited to seek help while one or more people cleaned up the scene.

    How much time lapsed between the shooting and the call remains unknown.

    MORE:Landen Lavarnia shooting: What we know, what we don't

    "'Landen, come on, baby,'" Wendy Lavarnia said. "He is almost turning a little blue. His eyes are a little open. He's not responding, though."

    Kansas Lavarnia
    Kansas Lavarnia (Photo: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)
    She and the boy's father, Kansas Lavarnia, are being held in county jails, both charged with several felonies, including first-degree murder.

    The Phoenix Police Department released the 4 minute and 48 second audio recording on Wednesday, nearly a month after the boy's death.

    Wendy Lavarnia made the 911 call at about 3 p.m. March 20. Fire officials who arrived at the home on 35th and Rosewood avenues remarked about the lack of blood at the scene, according to police.

    Landen had been shot once in the head. As Lavarnia tells it, her 2-year-old son shot Landen in the head after she placed a loaded 9mm handgun on the master bed, next to the toddler and a 4-year-old.

    She said the 2-year-old, who previously was allowed to "practice" pulling the trigger of the gun when it was unloaded, picked up the weapon and fired it. Landen had been playing video games a few feet away, she told police.

    The cries of children can be heard in the background as a dispatcher tried to get Lavarnia to speak clearly into the phone, the audio of which sounded garbled at times. A dispatcher instructed her to help control the bleeding by using a dry, clean cloth to apply pressure to the wound.

    She described Landen as being unresponsive to the dispatcher who asked her to put her ear to the boy's mouth to listen and feel for his breath. When Lavarnia said she didn't think the boy was breathing, the dispatcher directed her to push both of her hands into the center of Landen's chest as he lay on his back.

    Emergency crews took Landen to a hospital in critical condition. He died the following day.

    Lavarnia, 28, said her husband, 31, was out shopping at the time of the shooting. He returned to the home nearly three hours after authorities arrived with a wound on his arm that was wrapped in a crude makeshift bandage of tissue paper and clear packing tape. Police said it appeared as if he took a screwdriver to his arm to try to disguise a through-and-through gunshot wound.

    Wendy Lavarnia was initially booked into jail on suspicion of four counts of child abuse in connection with endangering her children, according to police. Kansas Lavarnia also was taken into custody on suspicion of illegally possessing a weapon, which he was prohibited from having because of a prior felony conviction.

    Conflicting evidence

    Police later announced there appeared to be a substantial amount of effort that went into cleaning up blood from inside the home prior to the arrival of emergency services.

    Investigators discovered cleaned blood residue in multiple rooms of the house, including sinks in the bathroom and kitchen. Wipes or towels used to clean up the blood were not discovered, though additional traces of blood were discovered in the family vehicle along with two empty cans of stain remover, police said.

    "What we've learned through this investigation is that significant efforts were made to scrub the house clean and remove evidence while this young boy lay shot and dying," said Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams. "This investigation will continue until justice is ultimately brought about. But, until then, our hearts go out to the remaining family members, to the officers and firefighters and emergency personnel impacted by this, and to all of those folks who loved Landen."

    The Lavarnias were subsequently charged with first-degree murder in the death of their oldest son. They pleaded not guilty in the Maricopa County Superior Court and remain in the custody of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

    The other children who were inside the house at the time of the shooting ? boys ages 4 and 2 and a baby girl ? were taken into the custody of the Arizona Department of Child Safety following Landen's death.

    The family had prior experience with the agency after Wendy Lavarnia had given birth to two substance-exposed newborns in 2014 and 2015. The children were initially taken into state custody but returned after the couple had engaged in services to address domestic violence and substance-abuse issues.

    The dependency case was closed in June 2016 after the Lavarnias successfully completed services through the department, the DCS said.

  3. #3
    Certified Grumple Bottoms Ron_NYC's Avatar
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    Can anyone help me out here? What's the background on the name Lavarnia? Cause I always say if a kid gets shot accidentally in the home, if it's a stock photo it's a white familt, but if it's a family of color it's a mugshot.

    If these guys are white, I'm about to be shocked and ready to eat crow. Name sounds Spanish though.
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    Ron was the best part, hands down.

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    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ron_NYC View Post
    Can anyone help me out here? What's the background on the name Lavarnia? Cause I always say if a kid gets shot accidentally in the home, if it's a stock photo it's a white familt, but if it's a family of color it's a mugshot.

    If these guys are white, I'm about to be shocked and ready to eat crow. Name sounds Spanish though.

    I failed at finding out where the name comes from but I found a missing person called Cody Lavarnia from Phoenix & I'm wondering now if he's related to the dad


    https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/29240/762

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    Senior Member PeaceBeWithMe's Avatar
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    Shoot them both.

    There. Done. Next.


    Quote Originally Posted by marshmallow View Post
    did you make her into a wallet Bill? cuz if you did I'm off team Bill.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Ron_NYC View Post
    Can anyone help me out here?
    What's the background on the name Lavarnia? Cause I always say if a kid gets shot accidentally in the home, if it's a stock photo it's a white familt, but if it's a family of color it's
    If these guys are white, I'm about to be shocked and ready to eat crow.
    Name sounds Spanish though.
    OK, I've been trying to figure out his nationality (obviously, this is way better than doing housework).
    Hi Ron! Nice to meet you! Lol

    His Dad: Ronny Lee LaVarnia (12/15/60 - 7/6/14), born in Terre Haute, IN. Was a USMC vet.

    His Mom: Kippy Leigh LaVarnia (3/21/67 - 4/14/14), born to Raymond & Delores Jones (it didn't say where she was born.

    Kansas had 1 sister - Kelly, and 3 brothers - Kristian, Israel, and Sterling. I haven't found info (yet) on Kansas' grandparents.

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    Quote Originally Posted by blighted star View Post
    I failed at finding out where the name comes from but I found a missing person called Cody Lavarnia from Phoenix & I'm wondering now if he's related to the dad


    https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/29240/762
    My searches seem to point to a relation between KAnsas and Cody. The genes don't look too great.

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    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ron_NYC View Post
    Can anyone help me out here? What's the background on the name Lavarnia? Cause I always say if a kid gets shot accidentally in the home, if it's a stock photo it's a white familt, but if it's a family of color it's a mugshot.

    If these guys are white, I'm about to be shocked and ready to eat crow. Name sounds Spanish though.
    Italian.

    From ancestry:
    Pasquale Lavarnia
    Birth: 25 Dec 1886 - Naples, Italy
    Residence: 1942 - Vigo, Indiana, USA

    And of course Ron. White people have guns for protection. Italians are mobbed up. People of color have guns so they can rob liquor stores.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
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    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

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    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    I guess that since dad was shot too, it's possible there was a 3rd adult involved that the parents are scared shitless of, but the effort they put into cleaning up the scene makes me think it was one of them.


    I just can't picture how this went down? Were there 2 seperate shots, a ricochet or was it a horrible accident with a through & through shot that hit 2 family members. Brainless stupidity or family violence?

    If it wasn't for the 2nd gunshot wound to the dad I probably wouldn't be wondering at all, but I can't think of another child shooting death that was presented as accidental but involved a second person with injuries (poorly disguised by gouging with a screwdriver or not)

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    Senior Member animosity's Avatar
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    My guess is it went through and hit the kid.
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    Quote Originally Posted by animosity View Post
    My guess is it went through and hit the kid.
    That's what I was thinking. Mom and dad fighting, mom goes to shoot dad but hits his arm. It goes through his arm and hits the kid. They try to clean up cause they know they both are fucked (her cause she killed her kid and him cause he was a felon and wasn't supposed to have a gun). He takes the cleaning stuff to dispose of it and to also make it look like he wasn't there when a gun was around.

    Sad that they were more worried about themselves than their dying kid or any of the other kids in the house.
    I can be your *ADDICTION* if you wanna get hooked on something!!

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    http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/11/29...ons-death.html

    Murder charge dismissed against Phoenix man in son's death
    Last edited by raisedbywolves; 11-30-2022 at 04:01 PM.

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    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/11/29...ons-death.html

    Murder charge dismissed against Phoenix man in son's death
    Motherfucker got away with it

    I suppose the other kid is still in their custody too.
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