Author Topic: Mother kills baby with methadone, gets 1 year (Read 10824 times)

Monkeyleg · « **on:** September 21, 2009, 12:33:16 AM »

You really can't make up the stuff that's in the news. Here in Milwaukee recently, a mother gave her three month-old baby methadone to try to calm the baby. The baby didn't get calm, but did get dead.

An obviously sympathetic judge gave the woman one year in jail. That's it. If she behaves well, she'll be out in eight months.

The story is here.

MechAg94 · « **Reply #1 on:** September 21, 2009, 01:09:23 AM »

Not much to say. Drug addict births drug addicted baby and then kills the baby trying to give it methadone. I agree the judge was very lenient. Tragedy all around.

taurusowner · « **Reply #2 on:** September 21, 2009, 01:12:49 AM »

Three months ago it wouldn't have even been a crime.

PTK · « **Reply #3 on:** September 21, 2009, 06:43:04 AM »

Quote from: Ragnar Danneskjold on September 21, 2009, 01:12:49 AM

Three months ago it wouldn't have even been a crime.

Ding ding ding....

vaskidmark · « **Reply #4 on:** September 21, 2009, 08:13:15 AM »

and yet had mommy brought the infant to the authorities for assistance, guess what their treatment of choice, other than foster care, would have been..

stay safe.

skidmark

PTK · « **Reply #5 on:** September 21, 2009, 08:46:36 AM »

A proper dose, maybe?

The dose makes the poison...

Monkeyleg · « **Reply #6 on:** September 21, 2009, 09:20:32 AM »

Quote

Three months ago it wouldn't have even been a crime.

A conservative talk show host was talking about this story the other day, and it's his opinion that our society is more tolerant of women killing their babies because of abortion. He made a very salient point when he said that a woman who kills a ten year-old child would not get such lenient treatment.

I just can't imagine being so stupid or reckless or whatever this woman is to give a baby methadone.

grampster · « **Reply #7 on:** September 21, 2009, 09:36:43 AM »

A society that constantly only demands shallow apology for behavior that has been considered to be abhorent, especially when the "apology" is framed with the words "I made a mistake", at some point will begin to accept most any kind of behavior with a shrug of the shoulder or worse.

MechAg94 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 21, 2009, 10:08:24 AM »

Quote from: grampster on September 21, 2009, 09:36:43 AM

A society that constantly only demands shallow apology for behavior that has been considered to be abhorent, especially when the "apology" is framed with the words "I made a mistake", at some point will begin to accept most any kind of behavior with a shrug of the shoulder or worse.

I agree. I sometimes see a lot of rational people who seem to want to forgive a lot of stuff if the guy only apologizes. IMO, apologies are great, but they shouldn't stand in place of justice.

Brad Johnson · « **Reply #9 on:** September 21, 2009, 01:02:21 PM »

Quote from: Monkeyleg on September 21, 2009, 09:20:32 AM

He made a very salient point when he said that a woman who kills a ten year-old child would not get such lenient treatment.

Had it been an animal, especially a cute-and-cuddly one, and the sentence setencing period would have been plural rather than singular. A protected species? We won't even go there...

Brad

MicroBalrog · « **Reply #10 on:** September 21, 2009, 01:48:27 PM »

Guys, I don't wish to interrupt the string of 'harsher punishment please' posts, but remember that the woman wasn't convicted of murdering the child. There's no evidence she deliberately wished to kill the child.

Gewehr98 · « **Reply #11 on:** September 21, 2009, 01:48:56 PM »

Negligent Homicide?

mellestad · « **Reply #12 on:** September 21, 2009, 02:12:00 PM »

Quote from: MicroBalrog on September 21, 2009, 01:48:27 PM

Guys, I don't wish to interrupt the string of 'harsher punishment please' posts, but remember that the woman wasn't convicted of murdering the child. There's no evidence she deliberately wished to kill the child.

This is what I would have thought too. Honestly, a year for manslaughter or unintentional infanticide is pretty harsh, not lenient. I imagine she was pretty screwed up to get that kind of punishment. If I had accidentally OD'd my kid on pain medication when she was an infant I doubt I would have even seen the inside of a cell.

Now, if she was trying to murder the kid that obviously makes it worse.

lupinus · « **Reply #13 on:** September 21, 2009, 02:34:36 PM »

Quote from: mellestad on September 21, 2009, 02:12:00 PM

This is what I would have thought too. Honestly, a year for manslaughter or unintentional infanticide is pretty harsh, not lenient. I imagine she was pretty screwed up to get that kind of punishment. If I had accidentally OD'd my kid on pain medication when she was an infant I doubt I would have even seen the inside of a cell.

Now, if she was trying to murder the kid that obviously makes it worse.

There's a difference between a well meaning parent over dosing their child on an approved OTC medication and giving the baby freakin methadone.

Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas · « **Reply #14 on:** September 21, 2009, 02:42:32 PM »

Quote from: lupinus on September 21, 2009, 02:34:36 PM

There's a difference between a well meaning parent over dosing their child on an approved OTC medication and giving the baby freakin methadone.

A quick check on wikipedia shows methadone in the same class as morphine and fentanyl. Isn't the proper reaction to feed the baby a decent amount of benadryl?

mellestad · « **Reply #15 on:** September 21, 2009, 02:56:45 PM »

Quote from: lupinus on September 21, 2009, 02:34:36 PM

There's a difference between a well meaning parent over dosing their child on an approved OTC medication and giving the baby freakin methadone.

I imagine we would need more details.

However, I doubt this is a highly educated middle-class woman we are talking about. Of course it was stupid, and even criminally stupid (hence the jail time). But unless it turns out she was trying to kill the kid it is still manslaughter by parent without malicious intent.

Parents kill their kids on accident for lots of 'stupid' reasons...intent counts for a lot. If she had clear intent, she would be in for a lot longer than one year.

Headless Thompson Gunner · « **Reply #16 on:** September 21, 2009, 04:09:54 PM »

The mother was charged with frickin' child neglect, not manslaughter. Negligent homicide would be the correct response here, as this wasn't an honest accident. The mother gave the child methadone deliberately, not by mistake. It was an intentional act with the inevitable and foreseeable result that the baby died.

Monkeyleg · « **Reply #17 on:** September 21, 2009, 06:05:06 PM »

If she thought drain cleaner would make the baby feel better, would that excuse her behavior? After all, "drain cleaner" sounds more benign.

mellestad · « **Reply #18 on:** September 21, 2009, 06:10:41 PM »

Quote from: Monkeyleg on September 21, 2009, 06:05:06 PM

If she thought drain cleaner would make the baby feel better, would that excuse her behavior? After all, "drain cleaner" sounds more benign.

I imagine she would have a hard time proving that. If she did feel that way, I imagine she would be better off in a mental healthcare institution.

Who ever said anything about excusing her behavior? Making it sound like I said that is just hyperbole. I was simply pointing out that if she was not intentionally trying to murder her child a one year prison sentence is not lenient by any stretch.

She might be stupid and criminally negligent...but that is not the same as murder. Intent is a huge part of our legal system, and rightly so.

Headless Thompson Gunner · « **Reply #19 on:** September 21, 2009, 06:26:30 PM »

If the baby had accidentally gotten hold of the methadone, then you might have a point. But the mother deliberately gave the methadone to the child. It was her intent that the child consume methadone, and the result was obvious.

Waitone · « **Reply #20 on:** September 21, 2009, 06:26:35 PM »

Never forget the possibility the DA simply did not want to screw with substantial charges and plea bargained the charges down to a butt slap and a wet kiss. It happens.

PTK · « **Reply #21 on:** September 21, 2009, 06:27:38 PM »

Quote from: Fistful Savalas on September 21, 2009, 02:42:32 PM

A quick check on wikipedia shows methadone in the same class as morphine and fentanyl. Isn't the proper reaction to feed the baby a decent amount of benadryl?

Not really... sort of like this... aspirin/APAP/NSAIDs < codeine < hydrocodone < methadone < oxycodone < meriperidine < heroin < morphine < dilaudid < fentanyl.

It's only in the same class in that it's a painkiller more powerful than OTC stuff.

'course, I wouldn't give a child under 12 or so ANYTHING stronger than a light dose of codeine for pain. With such a small body mass, even a few mg will do the trick.

mellestad · « **Reply #22 on:** September 21, 2009, 06:30:27 PM »

Quote from: Headless Thompson Gunner on September 21, 2009, 06:26:30 PM

If the baby had accidentally gotten hold of the methadone, then you might have a point. But the mother deliberately gave the methadone to the child. It was her intent that the child consume methadone, and the result was obvious.

I think if her result was obvious to her, they would have nailed her with a homicide charge and she would be in jail for a lot longer than a year. I imagine she was trying to use it as a pain killer, or even more stupid, as a sleep aid.

As I have been saying, intent. Either she meant to kill the kid or she didn't. If she did, then nail her. If she didn't, then she is an idiot but she doesn't need the same level of punishment.

Headless Thompson Gunner · « **Reply #23 on:** September 21, 2009, 06:35:24 PM »

"Oops! That deadly substance I fed my baby killed her! How'd that happen?"

Nope, that doesn't wash for me. YMMV.

mellestad · « **Reply #24 on:** September 21, 2009, 06:51:09 PM »

Quote from: Headless Thompson Gunner on September 21, 2009, 06:35:24 PM

"Oops! That deadly substance I fed my baby killed her! How'd that happen?"

Nope, that doesn't wash for me. YMMV.

Look at it this way...acetaminophen will kill a kid just as dead as methadone. Both are pain killers, both are deadly. That is why I said I doubt she was an educated middle-class person...or possibly not sober. Granted, her use of methadone makes her more stupid, but not more 'evil' and deserving of punishment. You punish people with prison time for a reason. If her intent was not to kill I imagine a year of prison combined with the death of her child gets the message across.

I don't see any benefit for punishing someone more harshly for no benefit. YMMV.

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Author Topic: Mother kills baby with methadone, gets 1 year (Read 10824 times)

taurusowner