Tierra Morgan-Glover, age 2, did not deserve to die by her father’s hand that cold night on Nov. 22, 2011. But her father, Arthur Morgan III, decided that since her mother was seeing another man, his daughter would drown that night. Now the state of New Jersey has sentenced Morgan to life in prison with no possibility of parole.
Morgan garnered national attention for his heinous act and courtroom antics during his murder trial. His total disrespect for life and judicial process was evident when he winked at people in the courtroom and smiled for cameras. But the facts of his crime are chilling. Instead of taking his little girl to see Happy Feet 2, the homeless and unemployed father drove around until he came to Shark River Park near the New Jersey shore. It was there that he tied a car jack to his daughter’s car seat and threw her off a bridge into the dark icy water. Her tiny body was found with one purple sneaker sticking out of the water. Her father went to a nearby liquor store and drank rum and Coke all night with a friend before fleeing to San Diego, California, where he was eventually caught.
New Jersey abolished the death penalty in 2007, but because of this case there has been an outcry for its return. In fact, Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mellaci, who sentenced Morgan to life in prison stated “if New Jersey still had the death penalty, you would be candidate number one.”
Tierra’s mother Imani Benton paints a picture of a man who enjoyed his new found fame. During courtroom testimony Benton revealed letters that Morgan had written to her from jail. In the letters, Morgan suggests that his crime and her dead daughter’s story be made into a television movie. In the letter he requests “Don’t just let anyone play me in the TV movie.”
Per New Jersey law, if there is a movie, Morgan will see it behind bars where he will be for the rest of his life.
