Campaigners start White House petition calling for man who raped his girlfriend's baby to death to face public hanging for his crimes

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Emmaleigh Barringer (pictured) was brutally raped and murdered in the basement of her home in West Virginia

A new petition is now calling for the hanging death of the West Virginia man who allegedly raped and beat to death his girlfriend's 10-month-old baby girl. 

Benjamin R. Taylor, 32 of Cottageville, faces life in prison on charges of murder and sexual assault of 10-month-old Emmaleigh Barringer.

But while West Virginia abolished the death penalty more than 50 years ago, thousands of Americans are calling on the White House to help make an exception for Taylor.  

'Prison is too good for child rapists and their ilk,' says the petition on We The People, which will result in a official response from the Obama Administration if it gets 100,000 signatures in 30 days.

The girl's mother, Amanda Leigh Adkins, who has four children, reportedly woke up about 5am Monday and found her baby girl naked and bleeding on her basement floor.  

Emmaleigh suffered extensive bleeding indicating a brutal sexual assault, according to a criminal complaint. She also showed signs of having been shaken and struck in the face.

The little girl was later declared brain dead at the hospital. Adkins held Emmaleigh tightly as the infant took her last breath Wednesday.

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Benjamin R. Taylor, 32 of Cottageville, faces life in prison on charges of murder and sexual assault of 10-month-old Emmaleigh Barringer

He was arraigned Thursday via a video conference and is being held without bond at South Central Regional jail

Emmaleigh suffered extensive bleeding indicating a brutal sexual assault, also showing signs of having been shaken and struck in the face

The petition, which had nearly 32,000 signatures as or Friday morning, asks the White House to enact to Congress to do something about Taylor.

'When it's an open and shut case such as this, let us hang these creatures publicly,' wrote J.R., who started the petition on Wednesday.

'Let us make examples of them, and allow the American people to attend these hangings so that the accused may be ridiculed, as they should be.'  

Emmaleigh, above in her hospital bed after the attack, was 10 months old when she was found beaten and bloodied in the basement of her home, say police

Amanda Leigh Adkins is seen kissing Taylor in a Facebook photo. Taylor had captioned it 'I'm so happy I met this girl!'

Emmaleigh's grief-stricken relatives say Taylor appeared a 'Prince Charming' who swept the baby's mom off her feet.

'She was so lit up inside — he wanted to do things with her, he hung out with the kids,' said Danielle Adkins, a cousin to Emmaleigh's mother, to WSAZ.

Relatives are holding a candlelight vigil in Emmaleigh's memory Friday as they prepare for her funeral this weekend.

Relatives are holding a candlelight vigil in Emmaleigh's memory Friday as they prepare for her funeral this weekend

Neighbors have put up a picture of Emmaleigh at her home's front steps with a number of candles and notes of support for her mother

Neighbors have put up a picture of Emmaleigh at her home's front steps with a number of candles and notes of support for her mother. 

'She's never going to go home with her brothers and sister again,' Danielle Adkins told WSAZ.

'She's never going to be in a family event. We're never going to know what her kids would look like or get to see her graduate high school — any of these normal life things because of this monster.'

Emmaleigh's grief-stricken relatives say Taylor appeared a 'Prince Charming' who swept the baby's mom off her feet. Danielle Adkins, a cousin to the mother, now calls him a monster

Police said that when they arrived at the house In Ripley, they found Taylor trying to 'wipe something' off his groin area, which police later determined to be the baby's blood, according to WSAZ.  

Blankets and clothes covered with blood were near where police said Taylor had been with the baby in the basement.

Benjamin Taylor is being held without bond on charges of first-degree murder and sexual assault in the death of 10-month-old Emmaleigh

Adkins was holding the baby and had blood on her. She told cops she'd found the baby naked on the basement floor.

Police said Taylor originally told them he did not know how the baby was injured, but later said he 'blacked out' while doing laundry with the baby. Taylor is not the girl's father. 

Even the most hardened police were horrified by what they found in the house.

'I've not encountered anything of this nature as long as I've been here,' Jackson County Sheriff Tony Boggs said. 

Emmaleigh later died in the intensive care unit of Charleston Area Medical Center.

Three other children were in the house at the time, according to police. 

Rick Grunes, who appears to be Emmaleigh's grandfather, shared the Go Fund Me link on Facebook on Thursday and wrote: 'At this time, we regret to say that the injuries sustained from the attack on our child, Emmaleigh Elizabeth Barringer, have resulted in her death.

Taylor, above, had a criminal record, and was once convicted for burglary and twice violated his probation, according to WSAZ. His Facebook cover photo, seen right, bears the words 'I will never apologize for being a sex freak'

Amanda Leigh Adkins is seen above with Emmaleigh and her other three children in this Facebook photo

Amanda Leigh Adkins shared a sweet snap of her with her daughter of Facebook with Snapchat filters

'First, we would like to thank the Jackson County police for their thorough investigation. We believe that it points directly to Benjamin Taylor as the person responsible for this heinous act.

'Second, we want to thank the hospital and staff at CAMC for their efforts in attempting to save and sustain the life of our child. 

'Finally, we would like to assure anyone with any doubt that this crime against an innocent child was solely perpetrated by a monster who had disguised himself as a caring and supporting friend. 

Taylor is seen above in some shirtless selfies on Facebook. Baby Emmaleigh was reportedly violently shaken and suffered head trauma as well as being sexually assaulted

'Emmaleigh's mother and surviving siblings were victims in this and are guilty only of placing trust in the hands of a 'wolf in sheep's clothing'.'

He later wrote a post '#Childlivesmatter #JusticeforEmmaleigh'.

Emmaleigh was reportedly violently shaken and suffered head trauma as well as being sexually assaulted.

According to the Charleston Gazette-Mail, Danielle Adkins, Amanda Leigh Adkins' cousin, said that Amanda had to sign the papers to take Emmaleigh off life support.

Adkins, seen above, was holding the baby and had blood on her. She told police she'd found the baby naked on the basement floor

Adkins is seen above in a Facebook photo with her three older children. Emma was her youngest

Speaking before Emmaleigh died, Danielle said: 'Amanda's main concern was that there was going to be some miraculous event and that [the baby] is going to open her eyes.

'I just think reality just hasn't hit her yet.'

She said that Taylor had been dating her cousin for a short time and that most of the family had not met him.

Amanda had met him when she moved to West Virginia from Maryland with her four children over the summer.

'She went down there to start over,' Danielle said.

In a Facebook photo posted on August 25, Amanda Leigh Adkins is seen kissing Taylor. He had captioned it 'I'm so happy I met this girl!' 

The baby girl was found beaten and blooded inside the basement of their home in Ripley (above)

Emmaleigh is seen above in a Facebook photo shortly after she was born. As of Thursday a Go Fund Me page has raised $20,000 for her funeral and medical expenses

Emmaleigh was reportedly violently shaken and suffered head trauma as well as being sexually assaulted. Facebook photos of the little girl are seen above

Family posted heartbreaking photos of the little girl online. A GoFundMe page to help with medical and funeral expenses has raised nearly $27,000 by Friday morning.

According to WSAZ, Taylor's Facebook account once had a banner photo announcing, 'I will never apologize for being a sex freak.'

Taylor is being held without bond at South Central Regional jail.

Emmaleigh's mom Amanda Leigh Adkins, seen above in Facebook photos, reportedly woke up between 4.30am and 5am and found her baby girl naked and bleeding on her basement floor