Gizzy Ford: Abused to Death by Grandmother Through Father's Instruction

Andre Ford, a disabled, unemployed felon, lived with a rare degenerative disorder that left him with a disfigured appearance and dependent on a wheelchair. The disorder also led to a fatal heart attack in 2014, which allowed him to escape this world far too easily before a court could sentence him to prison for the horrific child abuse murder of his daughter, Gizelle Ford.

Ford fought Gizzy’s mom for custody, falsely telling the court she was homeless. Within months, he had destroyed a once-happy, bright, and smart little girl’s world. By the eighth month, he had killed her with help from his mother, 55-year-old Helen Ford.

Andre could not hurt his daughter himself; he was far too weak and fragile. Instead, he instructed his mother to hurt Gizzy, telling her what to do to her granddaughter, a sweet and innocent little girl. He videotaped several of the incidents of abuse, and in one video, can be heard laughing as he watched Helen hurt his daughter.

In many crime cases, we can only assume what the child must have felt enduring abuse from their family, but not this time. Gizzy kept a journal until the day before she died. She began writing in the journal before moving in with her dad. Her entries reflected thoughts of a happy girl with a bright personality.

“I am going to be a beautiful smart and good young lady. I can do anything I put my ... smart mind to. People say I'm smart and courageous and beautiful.” one entry read.

Gizzy’s happy, carefree words became dark and dreary after the relocation; she reflected on her misery in her journal entries.

She wrote about how she had dreamed of starting fourth grade so she could get out of Helen’s apartment. She wanted happiness but received hate.

“I know if I be good and do everything I’m told, I won’t have to do punishments,” Gizzy wrote in one journal entry.

Another entry read: “I hope that I don’t mess up today because I really want to be able to just sit down, watch T.V., talk, and play with everybody.” Underneath it, she wrote, “Not true. I failed.”

Her final journal entry, dated July 11, 2013, read: “I hate this life because now I’m in super big trouble.” Her body was found the next day.

Other journal entries described how Andre and Helen punished her by forcing her to do squats for hours at a time and stand in place for “an hour or two.”

Gizzy’s Body Found

Paramedics found Gizzy’s lifeless body on the bed in her father’s bedroom in Helen’s trash-filled, pest-infested home. She had been tied to a bedpost with electrical wiring and had a sock stuffed into her mouth. Her body was covered in bruises and abrasions.

An autopsy determined Gizzy died from blunt force trauma and had been strangled. Police recovered a cellphone video showing Andre ordering Helen to beat Gizzy. Both were taken into custody on charges of homicide.

The autopsy also showed Gizzy had endured months of torture and abuse and would likely have died from kidney disease due to malnourishment and dehydration if Helen had not beaten her to death.

Andre Dies, Helen Convicted of Murder

Andre Ford died of a heart attack while at the Cook County Jail in 2014 while awaiting trial. Helen was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Helen claimed Gizzy caused the injuries to herself because she was unhappy and wanted to die, despite the cell phone video evidence and Gizzy’s numerous journal entries.

She was covered in bruises and abrasions from head to toe with injuries in various stages of healing. Gaping wounds on the back of her head were infested with maggots.

From Gizzy’s journal entries, police learned she had been harnessed to a bed for days at a time in positions preventing her from moving, forced to drink her own urine and drink from a toilet, deprived of food and water, and struck with random objects.

Andre Dies in Jail, Helen Ford Sentenced to Life Without Parole

Andre suffered a fatal heart attack at the Cook County Jail while awaiting trial.

Helen pleaded not guilty.

Gizzy’s brother burst into tears as he testified against Helen at her trial, telling the court he was also abused and witnessed Helen abusing his sister with a belt and a spatula. He told the court Helen forced Gizzy to do squats and eat hot peppers for punishment. When Gizzy cried, Helen stuffed a sock in her mouth.

As tears rushed down his cheeks, the boy said, “She was very nice,” he said on the stand. “She liked to make friends. She liked to play.”

Helen claimed Gizzy inflicted many of her wounds upon herself and took every opportunity to play victim before a judge hushed her nonsense and handed her a sentence of life without parole.

Prosecutors read Gizzy’s journal entries aloud in court.

Ford’s public defender, Judie Smith, argued that Gizzy inflicted many of her injuries upon herself, saying, “She was a tragically troubled young lady,” Smith said. “She coped by injuring herself.”

Smith insisted that her client was “overworked, overwhelmed, and overcome” with the responsibilities of caring for a disabled son and her grandkids.

Turns out, Andre lied in court to get custody of Gizzy.

Surprisingly, Andre and Helen took Gizzy and her brother to a doctor who noticed signs of abuse but failed to report it to the proper authorities. These factors led Gizzy’s mother to file a lawsuit, winning a $48 million judgment.

Rest in peace, sweet Gizzy.