Remembering Emma

Emma Marie Baldwin was two years old, and she loved life. She was beginning to talk more and more. She loved being outdoors, and fishing was one of her favorite things to do. She loved bubbles. She loved going to the park with her daddy. Inside, Emma liked to paint and be creative. She enjoyed sitting with her big sister, Brianna, watching cartoons. And although she loved running and climbing, Emma was also described as a “girly girl.” Her favorite color was pink. She loved jewelry. And she loved cuddling with her daddy. Those details matter. Because Emma's story isn't supposed to begin with the injuries that killed her. It begins with Emma. A little girl who liked pink. A little girl delighted by bubbles. A little girl who painted, climbed, played outside and watched cartoons with her sister. A little girl who loved curling up next to her daddy. Her name was Emma Marie Baldwin. And before the world knew her because of what happened to her, she was a two year old little girl who was deeply loved.

Emma's Story

On October 19, 2012, Emma was at the Wise, Virginia, home of her mother, Brandie Baldwin, and Brandie's boyfriend, Juwan Luvies Moore. Something terrible happened inside that home. Emma was subjected to severe physical violence. According to the account preserved by the National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children, Emma was beaten and thrown into furniture. The injuries inflicted upon her were catastrophic. Emma suffered trauma to her head. There was bleeding inside her brain. Her brain began swelling. Her right arm had been broken. Bruises covered numerous areas of her tiny body, including her face, chin, arms, legs and buttocks. Emma could no longer breathe on her own. Her heart was still beating, but machines had to breathe for her. She was flown by emergency helicopter to a hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee, where doctors fought to save her. Emma's father, Benjamin Baldwin, was not with her when the injuries occurred. According to the family's account, he wasn't notified until approximately five hours after Emma was hospitalized, when Virginia State Police contacted him and told him that his daughter was on a ventilator. Benjamin went to his daughter's bedside. For the next two days, he stayed with Emma. He talked to her. He held her hand. He kissed her. He sang to her. And he told his little girl how much he loved her. But Emma's brain injuries were too severe. Doctors determined that she had no brain activity. There was nothing more medicine could do to bring Emma back. On October 22, 2012, life support was withdrawn. Her father held her in his arms. And there, in the arms of the daddy she had loved cuddling with, Emma Marie Baldwin died. She was two years old. Doctors gave Benjamin a lock of his daughter's hair. He carried it with him afterward.

Justice for Emma

A Wise County grand jury indicted both Juwan Moore and Brandie Baldwin in connection with Emma's death. The criminal cases ultimately resulted in convictions for both adults. Juwan Luvies Moore In January 2014, Moore pleaded guilty in connection with Emma's murder rather than proceeding to trial. He received a sentence of: Life in prison plus 10 years.

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Juwan Luvies Moore
Relationship to Emma: Mother's boyfriend
Outcome: Guilty plea
Sentence: Life imprisonment plus 10 years

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Brandie Baldwin Emma's mother was also prosecuted. In August 2014, Brandie entered an Alford plea to the murder charge and felony child-abuse charges. An Alford plea allowed her to maintain her claim of innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors possessed sufficient evidence that could result in her conviction. She received a 30 year sentence, with 16 years suspended, leaving 14 years to serve in prison. The sentences for the additional child-abuse convictions ran concurrently. Her sentence was also followed by years of supervised and unsupervised probation.

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Brandie Baldwin
Relationship to Emma: Mother
Convictions: Murder and felony child-abuse charges
Sentence: 30 years, with 16 years suspended; 14 years to serve

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Emma's father was present for Brandie's sentencing and delivered a victim impact statement about the loss of his daughter. The sentences couldn't return Emma to him. But both adults responsible for what happened inside that home were ultimately held criminally accountable.

Emma's Legacy

Emma's father refused to allow his daughter's story to disappear after the court cases ended. He advocated publicly in her name and pushed for greater protection of children and stronger recognition of victims' rights. Emma's community remembered her too. In 2014, the Wise County Sheriff's Office, Virginia State Police and the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office helped raise money so that Emma could finally receive a grave marker. The community responded with enough support that, after purchasing Emma's marker and addressing expenses, $6,130.67 remained. That money was donated in Emma's name to the Southwest Virginia Children's Advocacy Center. The following year, the Wise County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved placing a memorial plaque for Emma at the county Justice Center, formally remembering the two-year-old victim. Emma's name therefore remained in the community where her life ended. Not simply as the name of a victim. But as the name of a little girl whose memory helped other children.

Forever Remembered

Emma Marie Baldwin was two years old. What happened to her was brutal. She was beaten. She was thrown into furniture. Her arm was broken. Her brain was injured so severely that she could no longer breathe independently. For two days, machines kept her tiny body alive while her father sat beside her. Those facts belong in Emma's story. But they are not Emma's entire story. Emma liked pink. She loved jewelry. She loved fishing. She loved bubbles. She painted. She climbed. She watched cartoons with her big sister. She loved going to the park. And she loved cuddling with her daddy. That is Emma too. There should have been more paintings. More trips to the park. More cartoons with her sister. More fishing. More bubbles. There should have been a third birthday. And a fourth. There should have been kindergarten, school pictures, friendships and years for Emma's little personality to grow. Instead, her father was left with a lock of his daughter's hair and memories of the little girl he loved. But Emma's name did not disappear. Her father spoke it. Her community spoke it. A memorial was placed in her honor. Money raised in her memory went toward helping other children. And now Abuse Angels speaks it too. Emma Marie Baldwin. The little girl who loved pink. The little girl who loved bubbles. The little girl who loved life. Emma was here. Emma was loved.And Emma will be remembered.