Ryan M. Burge, 37, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Clark County Superior Court to killing his girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter.
Burge was charged in November with first- and second-degree murder in the death of Hartley Anderson, who suffered severe head trauma and died at a Portland hospital.
Court records show Burge appeared via video for his arraignment hearing. Numerous family members of Hartley have packed the courthouse for all three of Burge’s hearings. At Burge’s first appearance, the girl’s father lunged at him and was escorted out of the courtroom. Court officials have since opted for video conferences.
The next hearing in Burge’s case was scheduled for March 12. His trial is currently set for June 3, but Burge’s defense attorney Renee Alsept gave notice that she’d likely be asking for more time, as well as co-counsel. The state has two attorneys trying the case, court records show.
Vancouver police responded at 5 p.m. Nov. 2 to the Madison Park Apartments, 12901 N.E. 28th St., where emergency responders were treating Hartley’s injuries.
The girl’s mother, Nataasha Luchau, called 911 and reported that Hartley “reportedly threw herself into a wall and was unresponsive,” and she “was bleeding badly and had shallow breathing,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
The child was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center then, because of the severity of her injuries, transferred to Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland, where she died, police said.
Burge, Luchau’s live-in boyfriend, had been baby-sitting Hartley all day while Luchau worked and her sons were at school, according to the affidavit.
In an interview with detectives, Burge said Hartley “threw a temper tantrum” when they left a grocery store because he refused to let her go back inside to buy candy, the affidavit states.
When they got home, Burge said he sent Hartley to her room, where she banged her head against a wall repeatedly.
A neurosurgeon at the children’s hospital told a detective that the girl suffered a stroke and massive brain swelling. The doctor said the injuries to her head “could not be self-inflicted,” the affidavit says.