SKOWHEGAN, Maine — The 11-year-old girl accused of killing a 3-month-old baby in July will be evaluated for competency to stand trial, among other conditions, after her attorney John Martin pleaded “no answer” on her behalf Monday morning in Skowhegan District Court.
The girl from Fairfield, who the Bangor Daily News is not naming because she’s a juvenile, is charged with reckless or criminally negligent manslaughter in the death of Brooklyn Foss-Greenaway.
A “no answer” plea in juvenile court is “neither an admission nor denial. A ‘no answer’ comes into play when there are questions about skills associated with competence” by the defendant, said Brenda Kielty, spokeswoman for the attorney general on Monday.
Chief Maine District Court Judge Charles LaVerdiere also instructed the girl to not have contact with the baby’s mother, Nicole Greenaway, or her family; abide as directed by the juvenile case worker from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services; and cooperate with the competency evaluation.
Brooklyn was in the care of the girl’s mother in Fairfield on the night of July 8. According Greenaway of Clinton, her infant was subsequently left alone with the then-10-year-old girl.
Greenaway said in August that a toxicology report revealed that medicine for attention deficit disorder was found in Brooklyn’s system. She said it’s the same medication prescribed to the 11-year-old daughter of the baby sitter. There also were bruises on the baby’s face from when she was suffocated, allegedly by the 11-year-old.
“It looks like someone had beat her up,” said Greenaway in August. “Fingerprint bruises all over her face. A black eye. Bruises across the bridge of her nose.”
Assistant Attorney General Andrew Benson, who is prosecuting the case for the state, declined to give an official cause of death on Monday.
Greenaway, 36, who was in court with family and friends, declined to comment after the hearing but gave a few subdued comments during a telephone interview early Monday afternoon.
“I’m still trying to process it. I’m kind of overwhelmed,” said Greenaway of the hearing.
She said friends and family have been very helpful in helping her deal with her emotions surrounding her daughter’s death. However, she said it was difficult to see the defendant and her mother, who she said she also holds responsible for the loss of her infant.
“I just kept looking over [at them]. It was really hard,” Greenaway said.
The 11-year-old girl’s mother, who the BDN is also not naming in order to protect the identity of the child, is a former co-worker of Greenaway at Elmwood Primary Care in Waterville. Greenaway said on Monday that the girl’s mother no longer works in the same office.
In the courtroom, the girl sat with her head down for most of the 10-minute hearing without saying anything.
Defense attorney Martin of Skowhegan requested a competency hearing for the juvenile, which was granted.
A competency hearing is “to see if she … understands what lawyers do, what judges do, what court proceedings are for and so forth,” said Benson outside the court building. Because of the request, Benson said he wasn’t surprised by the no answer plea.
The girl was whisked away through a back door to the courthouse to the adjacent building, which is Martin’s office. A red umbrella was used to conceal the juvenile from cameras, which had been barred from the courtroom. A sketch artist was allowed.
Martin declined to speak to the media outside the courtroom and did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on Monday afternoon.
Benson said the girl has been in the custody of DHHS since she was charged with manslaughter.
Benson said the state forensic service will perform the competence evaluation, which is expected to be completed in time for the girl’s next court appearance. A status conference is scheduled for Feb. 28.
LaVerdiere asked the girl if she understood the conditions, to which she nodded in affirmation.
If convicted, the 11-year-old would be in state custody until she’s 21 years old.
“If she were to be adjudicated of having committed the offense and committed to the custody of the Department of Corrections, she would be released at the age of 21,” said Benson outside the courtroom.
He said that there is still the possibility of trying her as an adult.
“At this point, it’s far, far too premature to discuss whether or not she’d be an appropriate candidate for a bindover [to be treated as an adult],” said Benson, adding that it’s also too soon to discuss whether the case will go to trial or not.
Twice he was asked if any charges are likely against the girl’s mother for the baby’s death.
“I’m not going to discuss the extent to which the investigation is ongoing or whether other charges may be filed,” he said.
Greenaway previously said she feels the girl’s mother also needs to be held responsible for her daughter’s death.
“Her daughter did the physical act, however, I feel that [the mother] also needs to be equally charged,” Greenaway told the Bangor Daily News last month. “I feel she is the most responsible person, as far as the care of my daughter.”
Weeks before Brooklyn’s death, another baby overdosed on medication in the same home as the baby sitter.
Ashley Tenney, mother of the 8-month-old baby who survived, told the Bangor Daily News last month that doctors told her they had found amphetamines in her daughter’s system that matched medication prescribed to the 11-year-old for attention deficit disorder.
Brooklyn’s death was declared a homicide on Aug. 29, and the then-10-year-old juvenile was charged with manslaughter the following day. On Sept. 19, the Maine attorney general’s office filed a juvenile petition formally charging the girl with manslaughter.
Benson said the 11-year-old is the youngest charged with manslaughter “over the last 20 or 30 years.”
“It’s obviously an unusual situation and it’s an unpleasant situation for everyone involved,” said Benson.
This case could very well garner as much National attention-if not more- than the Kennebunk Prostitution story. The difference in these two cases is that wrong person(s) is being charged. An 11 year with an obvious mental problem being charged with homicide couldn’t be more ridiculous.
Correction: This case *should* garner as much attention as the prostitution case, if not more. It could serve as a revealing case study for mental illness and the juvenile justice system. But it won’t. It’s telling what stories hold the nation’s gaze.
I agree with charging the girl, however the Mom should be charged as well.
Clearly she is not competent – she’s11 and homicidal. The mother should be charged with negligent homicide.
I doubt it was the 11 year old fault. The should be the one punished
When this tragic story broke to the public, wasn’t there some mention about the infant’s mother having some misgivings about the 10 year old having a role in caring for her baby?Later on it came out that another infant nearly died in the care of the 10 year old and her mother. At some point the infant’s mother may very well pull state authorities into this whole equation. There will be a lot of finger pointing as to what could have done differently and who should be held responsible.
The other infant did not die. It was thought at the time the baby had somehow come upon a pill on the floor and accidentally ingested it. That baby is fine. But the incident, I’m sure, will now come into play in this case. And yes Brooklyn’s mother had misgivings and explicitly told the babysitter not to leave the baby alone with this girl.
nearly
My bad, Westshores. Missed “nearly.”
No problem. I agree with you. I think this previous incident could come into play if the baby’s mother thinks that an insufficient investigation was conducted. Had the real facts been detected then the 10 year old girl would not been in the house or more than likely the overnight stay would have never happened.
At some point the infant’s mother may very well pull state authorities into this whole equation. (quote)
Blame the State, ….Blame the state for everything!!! I am so sick of hearing that statement….. next thing you know, people will want to blame the State because the child with a mental illness was born!!! Maybe all you naysayers should go live in a 3rd world cpountry!! where NO one is involved in the care of many unfortunate children!!! People should be counting their blessings and not always quick to condemn the State, and No I do not work for the State.
She is 11. They need to see how much of all of this she can comprehend.
I think to say she is homicidal may be a bit of a stretch. I am not defending what she did and certainly not condoning her or her mother’s actions that night. It is possible this infant died as a result of a ten year old’s faulty logic in trying to calm a screaming baby.
There has been nothing from law enforcement or the ME on intent in this infant’s tragic death. That is what really counts here. Did she even know that what she was doing could cause the baby’s death?
I agree completly. This was not the first time this child had shown violent behavior towards an infant. Why was the baby in this girls room at all. Her mother and the mother of the Greenaway child are both responsible.
If
you knew how often parents were responsible for the death of their
child and not charged it would scare you. I know for a fact that more
than one infant in Bangor has died this year and it was completely the
fault of the parents. Was it intent? Probably not. Was it complete
ignorance and drug related, yes. I think there is an unwritten rule out
there that once a parent loses their kid that is penalty enough.
Although I thank God everyday that I have never lost a child, there are
some parents out there that should be held accountable in a court of law
for the death of their children.
Methadone clinics are not going to help the fight to protect children
either. Many of these junkies that frequent methadone clinics drive
like crazy to get there to get their fix and then after they get it,
they float around high all day driving and “supervising” their children.
Then they get to get up and fly to Bangor again, with or without child,
to do it all over again, for years. What a life for a kid huh? I know
of more than one occasion where minor children have been removed from
the care of their mother because the child was left alone sleeping while
the mother just “ran out real quick to dose”. It isn’t going to get any
better until we do away with the methadone clinics.
PLEASE DON’T START BLAMING METHADONE CLINICS FOR THE OH SO COMMON NEGLECT OF CHILDREN!!!!!!!! OBVIOUSLY IF PEOPLE LEAV THEIR SMALL CHILDREN ALONE FOR ANY REASON, THEY SHOULD’VE NEVER HAD THEM TO BEGIN WITH!!! I PERSONALLY KNOW OF MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE GONE TO METHADONE AND TURNED THEIR LIFE COMPLETELY AROUND(FOR THE BETTER). WHY DID YOU EVEN BRING METHADONE INTO THIS, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS CASE!
She needs to spend until she is 21 in jail!!
Good idea have an innocent 11 year old holding up a jail cell for 21 years. That sounds like a smart idea
Innocent is a pretty strong word to use. It must be determined
in a court if she understood if what she was doing was wrong and what the consequences
could be. The mother on the other hand should be held accountable for what
happened as she knew that this child had these tendencies as a similar incident
had already taken place. I would also like to know if the mother of the infant
that died had any idea of the behavioral issues this little girl had.
both mothers are accountable, as is the 11 year old.
You mean 10 years… ?
” innocent 11 year old”
??
she killed a baby, and had poisoned another one before that.
hardly innocent.
innocent? You and I have different meanings for that word.
I guess you have never had the pleasure of visiting a juvenile facility. They certainly don’t have “cells”, they have rooms. They do whatever they want there, play games, watch movies, go horseback riding, hiking, they have a wii, big screen tv, and all the other things a normal family’s income could not afford. They can be disrespectful, spit on staff, get into fights, demand things, be taught that at any cost, they should have just what they want and nothing less. Perfect for the family and us taxpayers…..Free medical, dental, food, shelter, schooling, nurturing, free therapy, all the luxury’s of home. The staff is a lot better at parenting than the kids mother. You just have to keep telling yourself, its not her fault…..she is just misunderstood. This kid needs to be taught at an early age that what she did is wrong! Maine needs a boot camp for these kids! (and their parents!)
Many of these kids have a brain chemistry issue or issues. That is why giving a kid an amphetamine works, because it causes the brain to boost the output of the chemical that they are missing. Some kids outgrow it at puberty and as I am sadly finding out, some grow into at puberty. I am willing to bet she knows that what she did was wrong, that would have a criteria, I would think, for charging her in the first place.
It is my understanding that this particular child has more than one diagnosis and this is young age to have such diagnoses. Someone has been looking out for this little girl, to the point where she has gotten the care to be on meds in the first place. Yes, her mother was too complacent with the meds, they help, they don’t cure. I don’t know the circumstances of the girl’s mother, is she a single mom trying to cope with a child with many learning challenges?
I am neither condoning or defending the mother of this girl, but we are all passing judgement on someone we don’t know, on circumstances we know little about. Let’s just hope that this little kid gets the help she so clearly needs.
If you read the comments for all the stories, a grandmother, whose grandchild has some of the same disorders explained how difficult it was to get help for that child. At least, if this girl is convicted, the state will have some power in terms of getting her help. It is a shame that it takes something like this to help a child.
You are absolutely right. Very well said. The only problem with the child getting help, is, its probably not going to happen. It is an extremely sad thing to see little kids go to jail but they always say, “there is no rooms available in the mental hospitals” leaving the dept. of corrections to try and help her. They are not therapist’s, they are security and are trained to put safety and security above all else. They need to break down and spend the money on the hospitals to help these kids while they are young. If this one goes to jail, she will just master the art of crime before she gets out. It is sad and frustrating.
Then what? She’s not likely to get any real help for her disordered mind in jail. We’ll have a 21-yr old who doesn’t have needed life skills in the general population. There are enough ill-prepared youngsters as it is….
and honestly, it is entirely possible that there is no helping this child. It is possible that she is a sociopath in the making……no feeling, no conscience (not saying that is the case here, but sadly, it could be).
maybe it was learned behavior!!!
You got that right! Corrections Officers are by NO means therapists.
No the mother needs to be charged,not the CHILD!
I am speechless, lock up a 10 year old mental girl !!!
that will really teach her !!! the child needs TLC!! in a new environment supervised by caring loving people
….. NOT jail, for God”s sake!!
Then YOU need to adopt her! Let her stay with YOUR children. She needs her butt whooped!
guess you don”t understand, for every action there is a reaction, and you want to enforce that hurting someone is….. by whooping her? Your action to disciplining a mentally challenged child is of a deranged way of thinking!!!!
I understand perfectly well. Like I said, just bring her home with you and the problem will be solved.
I cannot believe the mother of this 10 year old has not been charged with “something”!!
I agree. I do not understand why the mother hasn’t been brought up on charges. DHHS has already stated that the child’s death was clearly her fault! It seems to me there’s already enough evidence to charge her. I really don’t know what else would be needed to bring charges against the mother.
what about going after the drug company for the prescription she was on
Kinda stretching it a bit aren’t we.
It could be argued that such an outcry to charge the mother of the 11 year old is stretching it, as well. As far as people informed by the media go, the more people we can put in jail the better. They’ll probably scream about stringing up Mr. Martin if he gets the kid anything shorter than life in prison. Fact is, people get hysterical about these things. Lets throw everyone in jail. Its nutty. I don’t know who’s truly responsible for what. I don’t know whether it was the kid, or the mother, or both. I dont know how good of a parent the mother is. Kids do stuff. Even the best parents can’t watch everything their kids do. Maybe she was fixing dinner right quick? Maybe she is responsible and just complacently watched it happen. Maybe the drug companies did something to manipulate this family into such acts. Its really, really, really hard to say. So, because we can’t really know, lets just throw as many people in jail as we can. Guess that’ll make us feel better.
As far as davida goes, i believe I have seen rhetoric about drugs and schools and things before, so while she is probably serious an I do agree her statement has a point, I dont agree with the point she intends to make. It eludes to the fact that as a society we are addicted to crime and punishment. Like that family recently who’s kid got injured in a baseball game. A ball that was hit hit him in the chest and he suffered permanent, serious injury. His parents sued the bat manufacturer for like 15 million dollars. Probably one of the silliest things I have heard. Why not sue the kid who hit the ball? If I choked on an ice cube, who should I sue? The person who put the water in the tray? the company who made the tray? the company who provides my water or drilled my well? the company who made the cup I was using? the freezer company? Get the point?
People here are blaming the state, the mother, the girl, the infants mother, etc etc. Its just crazy. Lets sue and throw everyone in jail. And then, go live on the moon.
Or, we could just calm down a tad and use our brains to figure out who actually did what and make sure the guilty parties involved receive a just and rational punishment.
tl;dr
Anyone can be blamed.
You make a valid point, but this media that we play in is just that a playground for opinions. And as humans go they are ripe with excessive point of views. Which in its self is ok, but a lot of them are so rigid that they can only see their side of the story. In my life I’ve seen many crimes go through the court system and many of them are wrongly decided. The tragedy in this story will be channeled through the same path and be judged by their peers. The out come will never make everyone happy. And the bloggers will move on to the next issue at hand.
are you being serious?
I feel for both of these families – one for the young girl accused only because she is just a child herself and second, for the infants family and for their loss. My heart breaks for all involved in this horrible case.
I can’t believe this. Where’s the proof that the 11 year caused the death of the infant? I believe the 11 year old doesn’t deserve to go to jail and the mother should be the one punished. This whole thing is suspicious, but I think the mother is just using the 11 year old to blame for her own wrong doing
Yeah, the proof does not come out until the trial. Do you you think the state would be pursuing this if they could not prove she caused the death?
Its possible. How many times have people been convicted simply because of massive public outcry and the need to silence the masses? Ever heard of the witch trials or the inquisition? Clearly someone did something, here. Someone will pay. Someone has to pay. If they cant pin it on the person who is actually guilty, it’ll be the person who seems the most likely to be guilty. Promise.
I hope they find that to be true!
I am surprised this mother hasnt had the crap beat out of her by a family member or anyone yet. I think she is more responsible for that baby’s death than the 11 year old. There was problems with the 11 year old before that baby was born and obviously nothing was done. This mother of the 11 year old deserves to be dragged by the head of her hair to prison and made to live with the general population. (Just my opinion)
What about the mother of the dead infant, Ms. Greenway?
Wasn’t she negligent to leave her infant with this incompetent mother of the 11 yr. old?
Plenty of blame to go around on this one.
She isnt to blame for the death. She was niave in thinking that maybe it was going to be the “adult” taking care of her and not the child. Since the state and or authoritys deemed her safe by living at large then why would that babys mother think her child would be killed? If there were problems before and that 11 year old was left to take care of her own “mental issues” then I blame the state for it as well for not doing anything. But I blame the mother of the 11 year old more than anyone.
(just my opinion)
I guess I do not understand why the state would be to blame. This child’s behaviors should have been controlled if she was taking the medications properly, it was up to her mother to make sure this happened and if the meds weren’t working she should have gone to get help.
From what I have read this isnt the first time this same child had problems when it comes to someones baby. If that wasnt a big red flag to the state to check on her and the state of mind her mother was in (which apparaently was a sad one to let her 11 year old alone in the room with the baby) then I dont know what was. The point of all this is what I said in my original opinion. I blame the mother of the 11 year old more than I do anyone else.
I think I remember that they were co-workers, I am sure she didn’t realize this woman was incompetent as a parent until this happened. She certainly learned this the hard way.
So? I have co-workers I wouldn’t let dog-sit for me. And Greenway made the judgement that leaving her infant with this incompetent mother/daughter team was ok.
Sorry,but she would not have left her baby with this woman,had she had knownwhat kind of a person she was!
okay. you keep telling yourself that
most people have co-workers they wouldn’t let dog -sit but that doesn’t mean ALL co-workers would make terrible babysitters. For whatever reason this mother thought she could trust this woman, obviously she didn’t know her as well as she thought she did. Horrible way to learn a lesson.
In a previous article, she stated that she strongly advised that the infant not be left alone with this 10 year old. Like I had stated in a previous comment, if I had to lay down this law to a fellow mother who was babysitting my infant, I would not leave my baby in their care, period. I would wait until I found someone that I could trust fully before I left my baby overnight.
Greenaway wanted a night out without the kid. It didn’t matter who took the baby so long as she could go party. Then it all goes awry and she wants revenge.
revenge? I havent read or seen anything where the mother of the 11 year old has had any harm done to her. I am positive if it were your child, you would want something done. You can say you wouldnt, but I wouldnt believe you anymore than I can honestly say what I would or wouldnt do unless it happened to me. And thank god it hasnt for many of us.
You are attributing to me words I did not say. If you don’t like what I said, say so, but a personal attack on me is off topic and uncalled for.
Anyone who became the victim of a violent act such as this and lost a loved one would of course be angry. I didn’t say I wouldn’t.
What I said was what I said. And further, the baby was 3 months old. Of course it cried. She probably wanted her mommy. Noone attended to poor little Brooklyn, and the ten year old wanted the crying to stop.
There is a sequence here of events that began with mom wanting a night off. No doubt the young baby was fussy still at night and mom was burned out. She wanted a night out. Left the baby with a co-worker. And things went wrong.
All very sad. Very sad. Two families destroyed. Hearts broken. Anger, maybe hatred. It will be a long time before recovery takes place. Saddddd.
You need to read again what I said. you have this backwards. You replied to my comment which was (just my opinion)YOU are the one that mentioned revenge and her need to party. Where am I attacking YOU?
I dont need a lecture from you.
“If you don’t like what I said, say so, but a personal attack on me is off topic and uncalled for” Practice what you preach.
Sounds like “Cave Man” justice to me.
And a derseved one at that.
(just my opinion)
fool…
No problem.
oh come on…your hurting my feelings. Not.
I agree, crazy to charge this 11 year old even if she did kill the baby-she obviously is a danger to others but needs to be sent somewhere for children with mental health issues. Her mother on the other hand–why was the girls medication left where she could get it? Why would you leave a 10 year old in charge of a baby–especially an 11 year old that had had similar incidents like this in the past? crazy!
You would be surprise how often that young people are left in charge it happens more often than you think .
I think the point of charging the child is to get her the attention she so obviously needs. Mental health in this state is scarce at best and for kids with issues, it is almost non-existent. The juvenile justice system is totally oriented to rehabilitation. The fact that she is being charged with manslaughter suggests that this was more of an accident, one that probably could have been prevented by the 11 year old’s mother.
It was clearly a bad choice to put the infant in the same room as a young child, but it probably seems even worse when we are looking at it in retrospect. My two kids, who were 2 years and 10 months apart shared a room until the youngest was a toddler. It didn’t seem like such a bad idea at the time but I suppose the older child could have inadvertently injured the younger, but that didn’t happen.
I do think the mother of the youngster being charged certainly bears some moral responsibility but that may not rise to the level of criminal. What mother believes their child is capable of killing another. Keep in mind, that the medication given to the first child was initially believed to have been accident and it wasn’t until baby Brooklyn died that it was more closely looked at.
but wouldn’t you keep a better eye on the child if you knew she had these issues, obviously the mother was aware of them? If the first incident with the medication was believed to be accident wouldn’t you as a parent make sure that medication was locked up? It’s one thing to put your own children who you know and know their behaviors in a room to sleep together but not a baby that is not even your own. This mother really failed the baby she was supposedly babysitting as well as her own child. Sad situation just hope the girl gets the help she needs but she will always have this hanging over her head.
I would like to think that I would never have put a baby in the room with that child, were I her mother. But no mother ever thinks a disaster of this magnitude is going to happen at the hands of their ten year old.
The mother was under a DHHS mandate to secure the meds after a perceived accident with a first baby. Why the ten year old still had access is a mystery to me. This strikes me as a place where the mother failed the both children
Ome word NEGLECT!
Where did the other story go? Anyone?
Hit Ctl+H in your browser to bring up the history. It is there somewhere.
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2012/10/22/news/mid-maine/10-year-old-girl-accused-of-killing-baby-to-make-first-appearance
Hey thanks.
The mother of this 11 year old should be charged. How many adults hurt babies because they wont stop crying? Maybe this 11 year old thought giving the baby her medication would calm the baby down….maybe it didnt…and so she tried another way. Much wrongdoing to go around in this case. But the mother of the 11 year old was not only responsbile for protecting her own child but also protecthing the child she was babysitting. And she failed both children.
Had her mother done something simular to that to her? Food for thought,she learnt it some where. Give a child a teey bear and telll them to play house,bear is child and bear is the mother,WATCH WHAT YOU SEE ANS WHAT THE CHILD DOES WITH THE TEDDY BEAR. Aproven fact!!
Please don’t take this as a judgemental question, but I am curious as to why the baby’s parents needed a babysitter for their young infant? It seems unusual for a child that age to be kept overnight by non-relatives. This is one thing I’ve been curious about since the beginning, but have not seen it answered. My heart goes out to the baby’s family, as well as this 11 year old girl who was placed in a situation that she should not have been.
The baby’s mother doesn’t have to justify why she wanted a night out, regardless of the baby’s age. The baby’s father was and still is in prison. Maybe she needed a night out with her friends for some adult company. I, for one, have no idea what her family support system is like, and am not going to guess.
Say, Americans. Ever heard about Sharia laws? I think that it may interest some of the states. I mean, putting a 11 year old kid with mental issues in any kind of trial is simply not cruel enough! You can do far far worse than that can’t you oh enlightened, civilized and advanced ones!
Must be funny to be the so-called “champions of the world” that supposedly fight against terrorism yet at the same time hold traits in your own country that are on the very same level of the ones that you fight against.
Well said.
Cheers,
Someone who’s name could’ve been Logic and Apathy.
The comments section of the BDN is hands down, always more discouraging then the articles themselves. What a sorry lot.
I disagree with everyone saying the mom should be charged, as there are a lot of kids out there who do very bad things against their parents wishes–always getting into trouble, hanging out with the wrong kind of friends, etc. BUT the mom should be brought into the equation if she was aware that her daughter was incapable of watching the infant for a moment–knew the 10 yr old was violent, etc. Then I think they’d need to talk to the mom.
Mom is responsible for safely locking up medicines in her home. Mom, not the 10-year-old, was supposed to babysitting. Brooklyn’s mother specifically told Mom not to leave the baby alone with the girl. I’m not saying this girl is entirely innocent. I am saying her mother shares some of the culpability.
SHE WAS 10 YEARS OLD! M ENTEL DIS-ORDERS! Mother is to blame!
These are not mental disorders. Technically, they are neurological disorders and that is how they used to be treated. Today, neurobioscience, including psychiatrics, all fall under the mental health umbrella. My kid brother was seriously hyperactive in the 60’s and was treated at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston, in the Neurology dept. He had demonstrable areas of brain damage that occured at or during birth, their etiology technically unknown.
they both should be charged but you can also charge the drug company that made the medication. she went homicidal on it. charge the drug company as well
We don’t know the kid went “homicidal.” She may have thought “medicine” would help the baby calm down, go to sleep, stop crying, whatever. Her intent may have been benign. But a 10-year-old should not have access to medicine, even her own. Mother’s fault. The 10-year-old should not have been alone with the baby. Mother’s fault. And when the baby kept crying while the mother was in the living room (from previous article) she should have checked on the baby. Mother’s fault. As to the child’s intent, we do not yet know. We have to wait for more information to come out in the process before we form opinions on what this child needs/deserves.
She was not homicidal. The baby’s death was ruled a homicide because of the deliberate administration of an amphetamine. There was no way the baby could have ingested it on her own which rules out an accident as the coroner would define it.
No one has yet revealed whether this kid had any intent to even hurt the baby let alone kill her. Remember we are dealing with a mind that thinks like a child because it belongs to a child. They do not reason the same way adults do. It could be that she was trying to help the baby settle down, and that medication calmed the older child, so it would be reasonable for a ten year old to think the medicine might calm the baby. I have read there were bruises on the infant’s face. This could have occurred as a result of trying to make the baby stop crying. My granddaughter’s brother was very rough with his new sister when her crying annoyed him in the car. Now one of the parents sits in back with the baby when both kids are in the car. The boy is only four and he thinks and reasons like a four year old. He is not mean, he is a child.
Charging this child shows just how bad our system has become.
She killed a child! She deserves all that is coming to her. Hopefully the state smartens up and charges the mother as well
You do know the 11 year old had been diagnosed with some pretty serious mental health disorders, and should never have been left alone with the infant?
*oppositional difiance disorder
*attachment disorder
and the ADD
if you have never heard of these, I suggest you go look them up.
all the more reason the mother of this mental child,
( and I say that with NO disrespect) should be held accountable!!!
I am speechless, lock up a 10 year old mental girl !!!
that will really teach her !!! the child needs TLC!! in a new environment supervised by caring loving people
….. NOT jail, for God”s sake!!
t.
I hope she has a good lawyer! The 11 year old doesn’t deserve to go to jail for 10+ years
Her lawyer, Mr. Martin is a younger guy. A go-getter type. Smart. He is punctual and charismatic. Believes in his work. Rather articulate in the court room. Doesn’t really fold under pressure like some do. At least, that’s the impression I have reached after seeing him around the last few years.
he also seems like he has a good heart!!
What about the mother of this girl being evaluated for her competence to parent?
She has obvious mental problems. That being said, if she’s found guilty, I hope she’s incarcerated until age 21 so hopefully she can get the help she needs and not out injuring others.
from 11 to 21 yearsof age in prison. How will she ever be able to make it on the out side after that..
After each article that has appeared on this story, there has been at least one comment denigrating Brooklyn’s mother for wanting to go out without her baby, leaving a baby so young with a babysitter, using a babysitter who is not a family member. I don’t know the story. I do know when my first born was 4 months old, my husband’s ship was underway, and we were stationed far, far from any family, a friend of mine suggested I go to a social function being held on base and she offered to babysit overnight. Of course I was up at 4 a.m. wondering if it was too early to go pick up my baby. My point is it’s not a crime to go out when your children are babies, and not everyone has family close by or perhaps able to sit.
I agree. you said that perfectly.
Thank you for being a voice of reason.
This story is so sad!
One wonders why the adults were oblivious to this outcome? Were they so self absorbed in their lives that they could not see the help this girl needed. Why is there no mention of the girls’ (the 11 year old and the infant) fathers in any of these stories? Did the fathers have any input into these childrens’ lives; other then being sperm donors.
I would like to see a case history of why this girl, the 11 year old, is having such problems. It is only through examining and learning what went wrong can these incidents be prevented.
Call me old, but, Ward and June Cleaver were and still are excellent role models.
This 11yr old “little girl” should not be held accountable for a baby that her Mother was in charge of keeping safe. This Mother just left the baby in this childs room and never checked on her. This 11y.o. is at a time to be playing with dolls NOT being accountable for an infant. Sorry I’m quite sure people will disagree with me but I just can’t see it any other way. Mom is obviously not ok in the head and should be the one charged. My heart goes out to the Mom who lost her baby but I’m sure she didn’t think she was getting an 11y.o. babysitter.
I agree!! A 10 yr old NEEDS a babysitter herself. Especially a 10 yr old with her own medical problems. This case makes me want to self-implode! If the state of Maine doesn’t take care of this little girl and charge the mother as they should, it is just the icing on the cake of how badly maine hands out justice; not protecting the young and the innocent and allows the wrong people to get away with abusive and worse, behavior. I am not surprised because of the uninformed and uneducated AG, prosecutors, judges, organizations like the OLR, set up to protect victims, are completely clueless in this state. Just because maine is living in the dark ages, someone needs to step up!
AMEN TO THAT!!!
What a mess! I can’t think of anything else to describe this. It’s a child, for heaven’s sake. What is the matter with our legal system?
I am wondering how the (at the time) 10 year old child had access to prescribed medication…. shouldn’t the mother be responsible for that?… but then, one can not come to any conclusions without all of the facts…. all in all, this is a very sad and devastating situation…