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‘It Was What She Wanted’ Says Man Who Killed 6-Year-Old Daughter Over Bitter Custody Battle

By Tito Ojo-Medubi
Published on: 03:55 PST, Sep 14, 2016

The FBI has thrown more light on the tragic death of Lila Pickering, a 6-year old girl killed by her father, Seth Pickering. According to WLOS News, Lila was stabbed in the heart and a lung by her father, as park rangers approached him.

The Department of Justice on Tuesday, released a detailed document lodged against Pickering. The document revealed that the 36-year-old was only allowed supervised visits with his daughter who was under the short-term custody of the Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services in North Carolina. Officials had removed Lila Pickering from his care for unidentified reasons.

According to the document, the North Carolina man had allegedly abducted his daughter from her custodian’s residence without permission. The custodian had told the 36-year-old “please don’t do this, they will put you in jail,” Seth Pickering just shook his head, put Lila Pickering in his Dodge Avenger and drove off.

National Parks Service rangers came across Pickering’s vehicle before 6 p.m. with father and daughter spotted near the Blue Ridge Parkway. According to the rangers, Pickering was carrying bags and a large cooler. He was also trying to start a small fire which was prohibited in the area.

The rangers not aware that Lila had been declared missing and that her father was wanted by authorities, approached Seth to tell him to put out the fire. The North Carolina man had yelled “Police!” and grabbed his daughter when he sighted them approaching.

One of the rangers revealed that he heard a deep thud and a piercing scream before seeing the 6-year-old girl crumble to the ground with a knife sticking out of her chest. According to the court documents, Pickering then raised his hands above his head and surrendered.

The shocked rangers had pulled out their guns. One of them stunned by what he had just seen had asked “Did you just stab her”? The rangers had tried to save the little girl’s life as soon as they handcuffed Seth Pickering, but the little girl was pronounced dead at the scene.

Pickering later told the park rangers that his 6-year-old daughter made him promise not to allow anyone take her away from him.

“Now they will never be able to take her away from me. She’s happier now…it’s what she wanted.”

Speaking to detectives later, Seth Pickering said he killed his daughter because it was the only way to make her sleep and not cry for her father.

“I reacted the only way I knew that she could go to sleep without having to cry daddy I want to come home … I knew as soon as they showed up they would take her away from me and never let me see her again.”

A search warrant revealed that the murder weapon was taken from Pickering’s home; a knife block in the kitchen was missing a knife. The 36-year-old man was denied bond and charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors say it is difficult to say what kind of sentencing they would pursue, but the death penalty and lifetime in prison are possibilities.

Lila Pickering was a student of Johnson Elementary in Buncombe County, North Carolina. The principal of the school described the last days of the first-grader as “bubbly and happy.”

“She’s in a good place. She was a very happy-go-lucky little girl, despite the circumstances of her life. It didn’t seem to ever get her down.”

Lila was in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her parents. Ashley Pickering had fled her abusive relationship with Seth to stay with family in Florida. Seth Pickering had filed a protective order against his wife, alleging that she had been violent towards him as well. A neighbor said the couple were abusive towards one another and had frequent visits from the police.

Ashley Pickering later learned that Lila had been taken from her husband and put in a foster home by concerned officials. According to her, she was never notified by authorities. Ashley Pickering said she filed for emergency custody of the child and was less than a week from gaining custody when the tragedy happened. Lila’s grandmother said her daughter’s abusive husband had been in a psychiatric home, just days before he killed his daughter.

She said he should never have been released.

Seth Pickering appeared before a judge on Monday and asked for a public defender to represent him. The presiding judge said the lawyer would have to be one with experience in capital cases.

Seth Pickering next court date is set for October 3, 2016.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Lila Pickering to assist with funeral arrangements.

[Photo by iStock]

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