Story by Ethan
On April 13th, 2026, the arrest of Hanchelove Decius, age 27, and Evenson Francois, age 28, was announced by Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly. Hanchelove Decius and Evenson Francois were charged with first-degree Assault as a B violent felony. The arrest and charges against Hanchelove Decius and Evenson Francois were a result of an investigation handled by the Nassau County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit.
According to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the physical abuse and starvation of the defendants’ three year old daughter began in October 2024 and continued over the course of several months. On June 8th, 2025, while under the care of Hanchelove Decius the victim sustained third-degree burns on her chest and lower body from a scalding hot liquid. She was initially transported to the Nassau University Medical Center before then being taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment. Hospital staff noted the victim had scarring on her forehead, nose, and face, as well as an open laceration on her right eyebrow and her chin. In addition to the unmasked injuries, hospital staff also discovered several lesions, lacerations, and bruises indicating inflicted injuries across her body. All injuries inflicted prior to the burning were in various stages of healing and none of them have been previously treated or tended to at all. It was also noted that the victim was severely malnourished and emaciated. The Nassau County Police Department’s Special Victims Squad located and arrested Evenson Francois on April 10th, 2026, and Hanchelove Decius on April 13th, 2026.
The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Hanchelove Decius and Evenson Francois are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
