blueclouds
Former member
It's getting harder and harder to keep posting these. Seems like one or two new every day
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040312_15.html
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040312_15.html
GUILTY IL - Seamus Leonard, 15, disabled, starved to death, Crystal Lake, 11 March 2004
- Thread starter blueclouds
- Start date
Toth
Inactive
I bet that visit was a "paper visit".
Staycee
New Member
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (AP) - A woman was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of her disabled teenage son, who weighed just 23 pounds, authorities said.
Emergency workers responding to a call for assistance Thursday morning found 15-year-old Seamus M. Leonard, who suffered from cerebral palsy, lying amid piles of trash.
Complete story here
Emergency workers responding to a call for assistance Thursday morning found 15-year-old Seamus M. Leonard, who suffered from cerebral palsy, lying amid piles of trash.
Complete story here
http://www.nwherald.com/MainSection/283911915973697.php
Leonard, 46, is charged with involuntary manslaughter, neglect of a disabled person, and child endangerment in the death of her son, 15-year-old Seamus, in March 2004. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Jury selection could start later today.
Prosecutors contend that Seamus Leonard died of complications of pneumonia, and they say an autopsy showed that he was malnourished at the time of his death. They say those conditions show that his mother neglected him and caused his death.
Leonard, 46, is charged with involuntary manslaughter, neglect of a disabled person, and child endangerment in the death of her son, 15-year-old Seamus, in March 2004. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Jury selection could start later today.
Prosecutors contend that Seamus Leonard died of complications of pneumonia, and they say an autopsy showed that he was malnourished at the time of his death. They say those conditions show that his mother neglected him and caused his death.
Jeana (DP)
Former Member
From the link:
Katherine Leonard called police the morning of March 11, 2004, after she found him unresponsive in his customary resting place on the living-room floor. She had returned home from an early-morning job, one of at least two she had to support her seven children.
The house was in disarray, strewn with garbage and clutter, and was deemed unfit for habitation by McHenry County Health Department workers that day.
Photographs of Seamus Leonard's body, which could be key emotional points for the prosecution, taken the morning of his death show his tiny body in a cleared area of the floor, surrounded by clutter.
________________________
Me now
I'm sickened beyond belief by these stories of neglect and starvation. If that mother couldn't afford or handle SEVEN children, then why on God's green earth did she have SEVEN children??????
His "customary" place was on a garbage strewn floor??????????
In order for the defense to get this jury to believe that he died of "natural causes," they're going to have to find evidence of another 15-year old with hihs condition that only weighed 23 pounds. Good luck with that impossible task.
Katherine Leonard called police the morning of March 11, 2004, after she found him unresponsive in his customary resting place on the living-room floor. She had returned home from an early-morning job, one of at least two she had to support her seven children.
The house was in disarray, strewn with garbage and clutter, and was deemed unfit for habitation by McHenry County Health Department workers that day.
Photographs of Seamus Leonard's body, which could be key emotional points for the prosecution, taken the morning of his death show his tiny body in a cleared area of the floor, surrounded by clutter.
________________________
Me now
I'm sickened beyond belief by these stories of neglect and starvation. If that mother couldn't afford or handle SEVEN children, then why on God's green earth did she have SEVEN children??????
His "customary" place was on a garbage strewn floor??????????
In order for the defense to get this jury to believe that he died of "natural causes," they're going to have to find evidence of another 15-year old with hihs condition that only weighed 23 pounds. Good luck with that impossible task.
concernedperson
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messiecake said:My oldest is a Seamus too so this hurts me ........
I am so sorry sweetheart. I know how hard it is to have a child in a hurting position. But the blessings outweigh the pain. Prayers to you.
On an aside, I had a disabled sister. She died without benefit of an autopsy because of her retardation. I know that she only ate crackers and coke for a long time and I couldn't convince my parents that this wasn't right. That she needed more nutrition. Their position was that if she didn't want anything else then they wouldn't force her.She was 27 yrs. old and weighed about 60 pounds or less.I struggle with this daily.
Wow, this happened right here in the town where I live. I read about it in the paper at the time the child died, but I didn't even realize the trial was starting! I need to start paying better attention!
OkieGranny
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