Lacey Spears, the woman from Kentucky who law enforcement says force fed her son, age 5, salt through his stomach tube and rejoiced in all the response she received from having an ill child, has been found guilty of murder of the boy, who died last year at a New York hospital.
A White Plains jury passed down the murder verdict in Garnett-Paul Spears’ death on Monday after they spent three days in deliberation. During that time, jurors questioned the judge for a third time to define what depraved indifference to human life meant. The idea is an important component in the definition of second degree murder.
New York law outlines the term as being “a complete disregard for the importance of human life. It is having the willingness to act, not because a person means to cause significant harm to another individual who is injured, but for the reason that the person simply does not care whether or not significant harm will result.”
The defense attempted to portray Spears as a caring mother and her son as being very sick, but the prosecution argued that the woman loved the attention she received from Garnett’s illness. Video footage presented showed Spears taking the child into a hospital bathroom two different times, and she had a connector tube. Afterwards the boy suffered ill effects according to CBS News.
The assistant District Attorney stated in closing arguments last week that Spears wanted the attention of her family and friends, her co-workers and also medical professionals. She also declared that Spears, age 27, ultimately killed the boy due to the fact that she lived in fear he would begin to tell people she was the one making him sick. Numerous doctors said on the witness stand that there was no medical explanation for the rise in Garnett’s sodium levels that brought on his demise.
However, defense attorney Stephen Riebling stated there was no direct evidence of any crime and brought out witnesses that told of Spears seemingly being devastated by the death of her child. He exclaimed that the video from the hospital was edited to remove any loving scenes between the woman and boy, including one where Spears is seen putting socks on Garnett.
The evidence that was presented included two different feeding bags discovered in Spears’ apartment. They were both heavily contaminated with salt, including one that Spears had asked a friend to hide for her. One of the bags had the equivalent of nearly 70 fast food salt packets in it, explained a forensic toxicologist. Spears had reportedly done extensive online research about the dangers of sodium to children.
Spears was originally from Alabama, but had been living with her son in New York when he died. She had moved to Kentucky after his death and was a resident there when she was taken into custody. At the trial there was not any mention of a disorder known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy in which caretakers in secret hurt children in order to gain compassion and kindness from others. Numerous experts think that the disorder fits what Spears did. Her attorneys fought to keep any reference about the syndrome out of the trial. She will return to court for sentencing on April 8.
By Kimberly Ruble