Naman Shrestha
In January 2009, when a toddler named Benjamin Kingan was killed at a daycare center, shockwaves were sent across the community while grief took over his family and loved ones. As the case unraveled over the next couple of days, the daycare worker, Melissa Calusinski, was accused of murdering the toddler by throwing him on the floor with violent force. The entire case is explored in detail in the episode titled ‘Unraveling the Case Against Melissa’ of CBS’ ’48 Hours.’ It also features an exclusive and in-depth interview with the convict herself, allowing the audience to look at things from both sides of the coin.
Melissa Calusinski Managed to Bag Her Dream Job at a Daycare Center
The youngest of Paul and Cheryl Calusinski’s five children, Melissa Calusinski grew up in a loving and supportive household located in a neighborhood just outside Chicago. Her loved ones described her as a compassionate individual who went out of her way to help others. Although she reportedly never got into any trouble while growing up, her sister, Crystal, claimed that she had a tough time at school as her peers used to tease her on a regular basis.
As she grew into an adult, she knew what she wanted to do — take care of children. At the age of 22, she finally got a chance to work as a teacher’s assistant at the Minee Subee daycare center in Lincolnshire with her sister, Crystal. At the daycare center, Melissa handled and took care of several children, one of whom was a toddler named Benjamin “Ben” Kingan. His twin sister and a couple of his older siblings were also under the care of Melissa there.
Melissa Calusinski Admitted to Killing Benjamin Kingan After Hours of Interrogation
What seemed like an ordinary day on January 14, 2009, turned into a life-changing one for Melissa and Ben and his family. As per the daycare worker’s claims, it was around 3:30 pm when she noticed that Ben was unresponsive, a while after she put him down on the carpet. She claimed that she saw orange foam coming out of his nose, after which she immediately called for help. Her sister tried resuscitating the toddler through CPR. Soon, Ben was rushed to the hospital, and tragically, he was declared dead within an hour. With a veil of mystery surrounding his sudden death, the autopsy provided the cause of his death — blunt force trauma of the head. The medical examiner concluded that he had suffered a massive brain hemorrhaging and a skull fracture that particular day.
Since Melissa was one of the last persons who was with the victim, she was brought in for questioning by the investigators a couple of days after the crime. Initially, she denied having anything to do with his death, but after several hours of interrogation, she broke down and confessed to throwing Ben on the floor after he made her mad, demonstrating how hard the impact was by throwing a doll in front of the detectives. Consequently, she was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for killing Benjamin Kingan. Almost immediately after she was charged, the 22-year-old woman recanted her confession and claimed that she was innocent.
Melissa Calusinski is Currently Behind Bars But is Hoping For Clemency
Almost a couple of years later, in November 2011, Melissa Calunsinski stood trial for killing Benjamin Kingan in January 2009. During the two-week trial, the prosecution focused on her two video-recorded confessions in which she claimed that she became overwhelmed with the commotion at the daycare center and threw the toddler to the floor with force. Meanwhile, her defense attorneys argued that her confession was coerced and Ben already had a head injury. The defendant also told the court that the X-ray evidence showcasing his head injury displayed signs of a previous injury that might be the reason for his unfortunate demise.
However, on November 30, 2011, after deliberating for less than seven hours, the jury found Melissa guilty of first-degree murder. Later, she was sentenced to 31 years in prison for her crimes. Still maintaining her innocence, the convict and her defense attorneys appealed for a new trial in the following years. Her lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, filed a motion in April 2018 that stated: “Calusinski, who has no history of violence and had absolutely no motive to harm Ben, was convicted based on irrefutably false medical evidence offered by the state’s testifying experts.” After appealing for a new trial for more than a decade, the defense filed a 337-page clemency petition on May 1, 2024.
A couple of months later, on July 9, an argument for her release was presented, as the defense requested her release from prison. Hoping to be released early, the convict is otherwise ineligible for parole until 2039. Kathleen told the Review Board, “The post-conviction team has uncovered evidence that (it) was manipulated to mislead the defense team. At this hearing was Andrew Garrett, of Garret Discovery … his conclusion is that the skull X-rays were intentionally darkened to conceal that there was no skull fracture.” With no updates on the clemency request, Melissa Calusinski remains incarcerated at the Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln, Illinois. While her parole eligibility date is scheduled for 2039, her projected discharge date is set for December 2042.
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