Dad feels bad, didn't think he hit her that hard.

This 5 yr old had been taken from her mother due to abuse and placed
with her father. Now she has no one and will be raised by the state of
Az, I suppose.

What I found interesting and appalling is that the father openly told
investigators what he and his wife had being doing, like it was
perfectly acceptable. he did admit to feeling bad and not thinking he
had hit her that hard. It happens so often with parents who have no
qualms using violence as a form of discipline.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/m...-abuse1004onli...

Father, stepmom arrested in beating of 5-year-old girl
Senta Scarborough
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 4, 2007 01:25 PM
A Mesa father repeatedly beat his 5-year-old daughter with a military
belt and computer cord while she was in a push-up position with her
pants down because she wasn't doing her homework, according to police.

The girl had nearly 100 bruises on her back, legs, arms, buttocks and
chest, and investigators called it one of the five worst cases they
have handled, Mesa police spokeswoman Diana Tapia said.

Police arrested Ezra Emanuel Hazell, 29, on Tuesday after he told
officers he regularly beat the girl with a military belt because she
is out of control about twice a week.
The girl's stepmother, Kristie Marie Hazell, 25, also was arrested on
suspicion of abusing the girl.

The probe began after the girl told her teacher and school nurse that
her father and stepmother beat her with a belt almost daily, police
records show.

In one case, they put the girl in the push-up position and place an
open book on the floor and had her read it. If she wasn't paying
attention or didn't understand a word they hit her several times with
the belt, Tapia said.

The abuse is believed to have occurred for a month in the Hazell's
home in the 1700 block of South Lemon, police said. The girl and two
other girls in the home, ages 4 and 4 months, are in Child Protective
Services custody. The younger girls were not injured.

The family moved from Austin, Texas, to Mesa in March. Kristie had
been released from jail and Ezra is being held on a $10,000 bond,
police said.

Ezra Hazell obtained custody of the victim after her biological mother
physically abused her, Tapia said.

Ezra told police they have to beat the girl because she doesn't obey,
records show. Ezra Hazell told he didn't notice any bruising until
August. When they don't spank her, they discipline her by putting her
in the push up or raised arm position for about 15 minutes, police
records show.

Ezra Hazell told officers the first beating he could recall was in
August when his daughter kicked and struck her stepmother. The most
recent abuse occurred Oct. 1, after the victim would not read a book,
police records show. Ezra Hazell detailed a series of beatings that
day, telling officers he spanked his daughter four times because she
wasn't doing her homework. He then beat her with a belt on her legs
and buttocks about three to four times.

Ezra Hazell told officers that about 15 minutes later his daughter was
"still not obeying" so he spanked her on the legs with the belt again.
Twenty minutes later, Ezra Hazell forced his daughter to get in a
"push-up" position with her pants pulled down, records show.

With a nylon belt, Ezra Hazell struck her about three times on the
legs and buttocks and struck her with a bunched up computer cord.

It wasn't until his daughter asked to go to the bathroom that he
noticed her injuries, police said.

Ezra Hazell told officers he "felt bad" because he didn't mean to hit
her that hard.

According to his MySpace web site, Ezra Hazell attended George Mason
University in Fairfax, Va., and Strayer University in Alexandria, Va.,
and has degrees in Electrical/Computer Engineering and Information
Technology.

He said he left the Army in April.

Kristie Hazell's MySpace site says she is from Nogales, Ariz., and
attended Cochise College.

Ezra Hazell faces five counts of child abuse. Kristie Hazell is facing
two.

Mara Hedblom contributed to this story.