Woman may go to jail for sons suicide

model722 · 10-07-2003, 06:35 AM

A young man killed himself because his fellow school mates picked on him. The family is poor the mother could not afford nice cloths, and the boy could have used toothpaste. The law is going after this woman basiclly because she is poor. Junior was picked on at school because he had bad breathe and old cloths so now the law is going after mom because she didn' t do a better job with her child. Now mom doesn' t only have bad news about her sons death, she also has to go through a bunch of B.S. because she wasn' t made of money. What the he** is this country comming too, is greed taking over?

burniegoeasily · 10-07-2003, 08:11 AM

Hmmmmm. There has to be a little more to this story than what is posted. I work with poor kids everyday, I mean some of these kids live with just mom, have no dad, and live completely on welfare. Yet some how they have name brand cloths, or at least decent clothes and personal hygen products. Im just curious as to why this kid was in such poor shape. But if this is all of the story, I think the idea of going after a poor mother is a little over the edge.

Vapodog · 10-07-2003, 08:38 AM

I' d like to hear the rest of the story.

Jorgy · 10-07-2003, 09:01 AM

I' m with you Paul Harvey, I mean Vapodog

stuckinthereeds · 10-07-2003, 09:34 AM

I have to agree with Burnie. There has to be more to this story. However, if there isn' t, what the heck is going on here? Your not allowed to be poor? and if you are, you can possilby go to jail fo it. I guess lets lock up 3/4 of this county...including me.

Model, where did you get this story from?

Jorgy · 10-07-2003, 09:34 AM

Juror: Conn. Mom Didn' t Help Suicidal Son
1 hour, 42 minutes ago Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!

By DIANE SCARPONI, Associated Press Writer

MERIDEN, Conn. - The mother of a 12-year-old boy who had been bullied at school was convicted of contributing to his suicide in their filthy home because jurors agreed she didn' t do enough to help him, a juror said.

Judith Scruggs, 52, was found guilty Monday of one count of risk of injury to a minor for creating a home that prosecutors said prevented her son, J. Daniel Scruggs, from improving his poor hygiene. Testimony indicated he slept in his closet with knives and a homemade spear because he was afraid.

She faces up to 10 years in prison when she is sentenced next month.

The six-member jury, which began deliberating last Wednesday, cleared Scruggs of a charge that accused her of failing to provide her son with proper medical and psychological care and a cruelty charge.

Daniel hanged himself in his closet with a necktie in January 2002. Legal experts say the case may mark the first time a parent has been convicted of contributing to a child' s suicide. The case also spawned a Connecticut law requiring schools to report bullies to authorities.

Scruggs refused to comment as she left the courthouse but her lawyer, Reese Norris, called the verdict an injustice.

" I hope the public will have an outcry that someone could be convicted of any charge ... in association with the suicide of her child," he said.

Judith Scruggs acknowledged Daniel would sometimes have body odor or bad breath and would soil himself to get out of going to school. She said she frequently told Daniel to take showers, but insisted she could not force him to do so.

Scruggs told police Daniel was afraid of bullies who had kicked and punched him, and he kept knives in his closet out of fear.

" These were not just pocket knives they were talking about. They were pretty big blades," said Thomas Diaz, the jury' s foreman.

Jurors exchanged stories about things that happened to them or their children at school.

" I definitely didn' t think she did enough. You just don' t let things go," juror Vinny Giardina said.

Prosecutors said they took no joy in charging a grieving mother, but felt a jury should decide whether Scruggs' actions contributed to the boy' s death. They presented evidence that there was barely room to move around the home because of clutter, the kitchen was full of dirty dishes and the toilet, bathroom sink and tub were soiled.

" Parents are responsible for the care and welfare of their children and must ensure their basic medical, emotional and psychological needs are satisfied," prosecutor James Dinnan said.

Norris, who had called the boy' s death a case of " Bullycide," said prosecutors never provided evidence linking the condition of the home to the suicide. He portrayed Judith Scruggs as a loving single mother who worked two jobs "” full-time as a teacher' s aide in Daniel' s school and part-time at a discount store.

Charlie P · 10-07-2003, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Judith Scruggs acknowledged Daniel would sometimes have body odor or bad breath and would soil himself to get out of going to school. She said she frequently told Daniel to take showers, but insisted she could not force him to do so.

Your 12 yr old soils him self to get out of school? Can anyone say warning sign.

My son just turned 13 my wife is only about 96 lbs, I guarentee you that he wouldn' t get out of the house with out showering.

Quote:

Testimony indicated he slept in his closet with knives and a homemade spear because he was afraid.

Hello !!!!

Plenty of guilt to go around with this one.

I hate bullies. Last year I recieved a diciplinary report on my son, he slammed a kid into a mud puddle. I asked him why he did it when he got home. He tells me the kid he slammed was bullying a weak kid on the bus. When they got off the bus my son comfronted him(Bully) as he kept saying stuff to the kid when he was trying to get into school, so jr. slammed him. I called the principal and he told me the same story. Then he asked how what punishment I was going to give my son. Told him I was going to take him out for pizza. If he hadn' t of come to the aid of the weaker kid I would have punished him.

hntngirl · 10-07-2003, 12:11 PM

Not much I can add to your post, Charlie. I' ve never heard of this type of a charge before. Is it right? I don' t know. But it is painfully obvious that way too many parents aren' t paying attention, and some aren' t even providing the basics. There is absolutely no excuse for allowing your child to be filthy, no matter how poor you are. And this boy was obviously disturbed to a point that he needed to talk to someone. The one person who should have been most responsible for seeing to his needs, didn' t.
Any idiot can have a baby. That' s not what makes a parent. How sad that we need laws to get that point across.[:' (]

frizzellr · 10-07-2003, 01:51 PM

Just natural selection at work.

burniegoeasily · 10-07-2003, 01:57 PM

Charlie
you hit the nail on the head. I also question the school. I have been
teaching in the public schools for over 10 years, and I have had many
students like the one mentioned in the article. Every one of them are
tested for E.D. (emotionally disturbed) where we as a school provide
councilors/psychiatric help. The parents are involved in every step. I just
dont see how this could slip through the system. I still hold judgment on the
parent until I here ever detail. As of now, the parent sounds inept at the
least, but not any more than the thousands that get turned in by the schools
for neglect every year. The only difference is the ones we turn in usually
fall on a def ear.