The client was accused of trying to murder her 1-year-old while he was at CMC hospital in 2017. The State had surveillance video that they claimed showed her trying to smother the child with a pillow multiple times.
Tony Scheer and the RSCM team spent months dissecting the video and investigating the facts claimed in the police reports. We built the case that the videos actually showed she had no intent to harm her child. We also uncovered evidence that our client had been in an altered mental state on the day of the incident. With the help of forensic experts and subpoenas to all of the drug stores in her home town, we established that her doctors had mistakenly prescribed 3 drugs which were known to interact badly and cause severe sedation. Nonetheless, the State insisted on the client pleading guilty and serving several years in prison.
On Mr. Scheer’s advice, she rejected the plea offers and the case was docketed for trial. Several months later and two years after she was first charged, the State reversed. They agreed that they did not have the evidence to prove she intended to harm the child. She accepted a plea to a misdemeanor for putting the child at risk and was sentenced to “time served” and cost of court – no probation. Our client is now working on rebuilding her life.
As one reader comments (Secondary article link above):
Sounds like a case of prosecutorial overreach to me. Mental illness and postpartum depression can be terrible things. Sounds like this was a case of that. Hope the mother has her life together now. ~