TX - Sybil Berndt, 88, left to die, decompose after fall, Houston, 10 Jan 2011

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peeples said:
How do we explain the 1 twin being gifted then???
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As far as I can tell, they aren't married, didn't have jobs, and were living with mama. That doesn't strike me as being gifted whatsoever. If, when they were young, they were able to finish high school or attend a "gifted" program, it is possible their mental condition deteriorated with age. I don't know what if any conditions they might have, but certainly there are known diseases that lead to brain deterioration at a later age.
 
This 'cousin' that was interviewed did not keep in touch with the mother? I wonder if the mother had any siblings that kept in touch with her? I suppose not.

Well, a defense attorney is involved now. Let me guess how much this defense will charge - $700,000.

This is so sad. I am so sorry she was just left there on that floor to die. I may be one of the few who do not give these twins a pass. They can understand and enjoy a football game but cannot help their dying mother? GMAB!

MOO
 
LaLaw2000 said:
This 'cousin' that was interviewed did not keep in touch with the mother? I wonder if the mother had any siblings that kept in touch with her? I suppose not.

Well, a defense attorney is involved now. Let me guess how much this defense will charge - $700,000.

This is so sad. I am so sorry she was just left there on that floor to die. I may be one of the few who do not give these twins a pass. They can understand and enjoy a football game but cannot help their dying mother? GMAB!

MOO
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They also lived there for 3 months with a corpse, did not go to the store, did not try to bury the corpse, and the air conditioning was off. And why did they think they had no money for either medical treatment, or funeral when their mother supposedly had lots of money?
What could possibly be a reason for persons in control of their mental facilities doing that? They said they never helped their mother because she didn't ask them to-it sounds to me like they were truly waiting for directions from her which never came. And once she couldn't give them directions it appears they couldn't even go to the store to buy food, shave themselves or comb their hair.
 
wfgodot said:
I agree wholeheartedly. When the food ran out, though, at least one of the twins can drive:
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Yeah maybe one could drive, and I am sure he could have dialed the phone when his mother fell, or called shortly after the death to report the body.

Obviously something was very very wrong with their mental state. They had to realize they couldn't live with a bloated corpse in the kitchen forever, and they had to realize someone would take note of the situation; yet they didn't act on any of it.
 
Sonya610 said:
Yeah maybe one could drive, and I am sure he could have dialed the phone when his mother fell, or called shortly after the death to report the body.

Obviously something was very very wrong with their mental state. They had to realize they couldn't live with a bloated corpse in the kitchen forever, and they had to realize someone would take note of the situation; yet they didn't act on any of it.
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The first thing I would do if I were their defense lawyer is to have them mentally evaluated and brain scanned to see what is going up in their heads.
 
peeples said:
How do we explain the 1 twin being gifted then???
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The term "gifted" might mean that one of them was a savant. A savant can certainly appear to be gifted, but not intellectually and what I've observed of savants, they don't seem to have much common sense either. JMO.
 
Attorney: Twins accused in elderly mother's death are out on bond
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A judge initially set the Berndts’ bonds at $500,000 each, but defense attorney Robert Scardino said the bonds were reduced to $30,000 each on Friday.

They bonded out that same day and were taken to a "safe place" for evaluation, where they remained Monday, Scardino said.

"We want to make sure of the extent of their disability and how much care they need. They obviously need a lot because they can’t take care of themselves," said Scardino.
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More at KHOU link above.
 
I have a feeling the deceased mother, may she rest in peace, would be be quite upset that this is happening to her children. She obviously had to direct them in everything they did. They have severe mental impairment, that's obvious. :( I can't believe they were charged with felony murder. It sounds as though they don't have a huge support system. I hope someone will advocate for them. If there really is $700,000 to take care of them, I fear it will be gone with all this going on. There's no way this will/or should ever go to trial.
 
shgrbkr said:
The term "gifted" might mean that one of them was a savant. A savant can certainly appear to be gifted, but not intellectually and what I've observed of savants, they don't seem to have much common sense either. JMO.
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My first thought too shgrbkr.

just a reference link for anyone who wants it:

[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savant_syndrome[/ame]

A popular cultural reference would be the character of Raymond in the movie Rain Man.

If indeed one or both of these twins suffered from savantism then it is possible that they might fall on the Autism spectrum somewhere. Just a possibility, because about half of those diagnosed with savantism are autistic.

I do appreciate and respect other POV's that do not consider mental illness' or cognitive disabilities a mitigating factor when looking at culpability for crimes--- but I do. (with mental illness the diagnosis has to be an Axis 1 diagnosis for me to take it as a mitigating factor and it has to have been diagnosed prior to the alleged crime or there is evidence of psychosis during the crime) Again, just me and how I process things and view the world.

They could have had any of the above in conjunction with a mental illness because they aren't exclusive to one another.

The circumstances of Mom being in the home after dying and left to lie where she died don't shock me at all. We have numerous threads started about that and just from face value these men seem to be disabled in some way or another. But that is just my first impression. It could change if conflicting info comes out about what has been reported so far.


JMHO.
 
jjenny said:
They also lived there for 3 months with a corpse, did not go to the store, did not try to bury the corpse, and the air conditioning was off. And why did they think they had no money for either medical treatment, or funeral when their mother supposedly had lots of money?
What could possibly be a reason for persons in control of their mental facilities doing that? They said they never helped their mother because she didn't ask them to-it sounds to me like they were truly waiting for directions from her which never came. And once she couldn't give them directions it appears they couldn't even go to the store to buy food, shave themselves or comb their hair.
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What is so hard to understand here, ladies?

It was Texas and THERE WAS A FOOTBALL GAME ON TV!
 
All kidding aside, "just evil" doesn't begin to explain living with a corpse and flies in the heat for weeks on end. There are serious mental deficiencies going on here. The $700K probably needs to go toward a nice, long stay in a mental institution.
 
I have read that they did not in fact know how to look after themselves and their mother did everything for them in as much as actually controlling them...ie they did not turn on the tv etc until she said so. The neighbours said they were always clean shaven and were shocked when they saw the pictures of them with the big beards etc. A relative said that would be because they did not normally care for themselves.

One thing tho, how would they understand a football game and all its rules?
 
I have 2 adult mentally challenged foster sons. My 48 yr old foster son will not shower, shave, brush teeth, deodorant..etc. unless directed to do so daily. But he knows his football games. I don't understand the game but he sure does.

revampz said:
I have read that they did not in fact know how to look after themselves and their mother did everything for them in as much as actually controlling them...ie they did not turn on the tv etc until she said so. The neighbours said they were always clean shaven and were shocked when they saw the pictures of them with the big beards etc. A relative said that would be because they did not normally care for themselves.

One thing tho, how would they understand a football game and all its rules?
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Twins charged in death of mom given legal guardians
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A probate court judge has ruled that Edward and Edwin Berndt, both 48, don't have the mental capacity to care for themselves, said Ali Fazel, of Scardino & Fazel.
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No determination has been made on whether the twins have the mental capacity to stand trial for their crimes.
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"That's a separate matter," Fazel said. "The issues are going to be the same, but the standard is different."
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more, with a picture, at link above
 
I cannot believe that they haven't dropped these charges yet. WTH?
 
alsmom said:
I cannot believe that they haven't dropped these charges yet. WTH?
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The two of them have to be evaluated first to see if they are mentally capable of being put on trial.
 
Berndt twins attorney describes 'shocking' condition of house (KHOU)
[Attorney] Robert Scardino says the home didn’t appear as if humans lived there.

"I think rational minds cannot conceive of what they were thinking about and what was going on that would allow them to live under those circumstances," said Robert Scardino. "The condition of the house is shocking. Frankly, I’ve been practicing law for 40 years, I’ve seen a lot of crime scenes, photographs, circumstances that were difficult to watch, but I’ve never seen anything like that."
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Scardino says doctors believe they may have some form of autism.

"The boys were born mentally disabled. They were born oxygen-deprived and I think that was the source of their problem with being able to make decisions and live in society, live a life with other people," Scardino said.
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much more, with video, at link above
 
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