Kentucky mother gets 20 years to life for salt-poisoning of son

[Miles Archer]

Apologies in advance for the Fox link, but I'm too lazy this afternoon to search for an alternate.

Kentucky mother gets 20 years to life for salt-poisoning of son

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/04/08/da-seeking-life-sentence-in-new-york-mother-salt-poisoning-son/?intcmp=latestnews



A Kentucky woman convicted of murdering her son by putting salt in his hospital feeding tube was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years to life in prison.

Lacey Spears, 27, was found guilty last month of second-degree murder in the 2014 death of her 5-year-old son, Garnett-Paul Spears, at a suburban New York hospital.

Acting state Supreme Court Justice Robert Neary said Spears' crime was "unfathomable in its cruelty" and brought her son "five years of torment and pain." But he said he was not imposing the maximum 25 years to life because "one does not have to be a psychiatrist to realize you suffer from Munchausen by proxy."

He said he was offering "something you did not exhibit toward your son — mercy."

[samsingh]

1. another murderering piece of shit. there should be no mercy for her

[morningfog]

3. That sounds tough, but what do you mean by "no mercy?"

[samsingh]

4. no parole

[brer cat]

8. Munchausen Syndrome

is a recognized mental illness. Would you deny mercy to anyone with a mental illness who commits murder or just this woman? This case is so horrid that I certainly have trouble finding even an ounce of compassion, but if she is mentally ill she deserves treatment imho.

[alphafemale]

9. Treatment but still full penalties that the law allows.

Mental illness should not be a "Get Out of Jail Free" card.

[brer cat]

12. It's a tough call to me.

If her illness is so severe that she could not determine right from wrong or understand that what she was doing could result in severe harm, even death, then maybe confinement with treatment is appropriate, with the possibility of being released if she is cured. That said, I have a hard time with this particular diagnosis. Part of it is the horror of a parent harming a child just to get attention...that is just way beyond my ability to emphasize. Further, this just feels like more of an excuse than a "real" illness. That is just ignorance or bias on my part, I guess. I am generally a compassionate person, but this is a situation where I seem to have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. I am glad I wasn't the judge.

[Nevernose]

16. Devil's Advocate: What about sociopaths?

Or whatever they're calling soiciopathy these days? That's a recognized, treatable (though probably incurable) mental illness. So does a sociopath who rapes and murders a stranger deserve treatment, or jail.

(Personally, I think the answer should be both, but not because of mental illness, but because prisons need to focus more on reform than punishment, IMO)

[brer cat]

17. Confinement and treatment

although I don't know how many treatment facilities are able to safely handle really dangerous people, and I don't see evidence that prisons are capable of providing the treatment needed for severe mental illness. If it is incurable, then obviously release shouldn't be considered. I agree with the problem with prisons. There are surely some incorrigible people, but I think probably a good portion of the prison population could be returned to society as productive citizens if they were appropriately treated.

[LisaL]

22. She wasn't diagnosed with it and it wasn't brought up as a defense.

Mentally ill go to prison day in and day out. She clearly knew right from wrong, which is presumably why her defense hasn't brought it up.

[ScreamingMeemie]

23. This woman has Munchausen by proxy

Munchausen is one feigns illness for attention. Munchausen by proxy is when one causes illness in another (typically his/her child) for attention.

[KamaAina]

2. Is her husband's name Lot?

[cali]

5. why do you think this is just a subject for jokes. I've seen 2 comments from you on this tragedy-

both sicko jokes.

[KamaAina]

6. A) They're the same sicko joke.

B) Words utterly fail me.

[johnnysad]

7. She is going to endure a living hell in general population in a female prison

They do not like mothers who kill children

She has no idea what she's in for......................

[aikoaiko]

10. Should be longer

[951-Riverside]

13. This is not JUSTICE! There is no need to keep a mentally ill woman locked up like this.

Keeping her locked up behind bars helps who exactly?

Just a waste of money

[Hekate]

15. What would you have the law do with her? She is very much a danger to others

The way I look at it, by the time she's out she'll be too old to have any more babies.

Our mental health system is inadequate, to say the least. Just about the only place for the criminally insane is prison, which is a shame and a disgrace, but there it is.

[951-Riverside]

18. Anything but punish her

This was not an incident that requires her to be locked away from society. It is wrong, it is immoral to cage a woman who clearly has little to no concept of right and wrong behind bars for 20 years.

That is cruel and unusual punishment, a waste of money and serves no purpose.

As for her having children in the future, you place her in a facility that can closely monitor her then give her the option of having an abortion or having it full term then adopting it out. Voluntary sterilization is another option but given her mental state, its probably not a feasible one.

[alphafemale]

24. You forgot the sarcasm lines

Or maybe you are a troll sent here to make liberals look ridiculous.

[bettyellen]

29. Guessing you're right- suggested forcing abortion or adoption in her is humane?

What the fucking fuck!

[951-Riverside]

31. Lets get this straight, I did not say anything about FORCING ABORTION

I said it should be an option for her and clearly someone who does this to a child is mentally ill. I still maintain that caging mentally ill people is cruel and usual punishment.

[bettyellen]

32. You suggested forcing abortion OR adopting out. Which is disgusting.

[tabasco]

28. Gotta be flame bait!

Gettin' above the radar there, pallie.

[LisaL]

19. You don't have any idea as to what you are talking about.

This woman very clearly knows right from wrong.

[wickerwoman]

25. She has a mental illness recognised by the DSM.

Kleptomaniacs know that stealing is wrong. That doesn't mean locking them in prison indefinitely is an effective way to treat their compulsions or a cost-effective way to deal with the threat they pose to society.

[LisaL]

27. What difference does it make whether her supposed mental illenss is recognized by the DSM?

She is clearly not legally insane.
Her defense didn't even bring up the supposed mental illness.

[geek tragedy]

20. "keeping her locked up behind bars helps who exactly?"

the next kid she'd try to kill

"mentally ill" and "evil" are not mutually exclusive.

she tortured her own child to death. she knew she shouldn't torture her own child to death.

Imprisoning someone for torturing a child to death to satisfy their own sick need for attention is justice.

[BlueJazz]

14. If she is mentally ill, I'd send her somewhere to get help, not punishment.

[LisaL]

21. 20 years in prison should help immensely.

Hopefully when she gets out she won't be fertile anymore.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

26. There is definitely something wrong with her

I would suggest psychiatric treatment

[Lancero]

30. Considering the immense controversy surronding this mental illness...

Much of it questioning if such a condition even exists, I think it's pretty hard to use it as justification for murdering a defenseless child. Though I suppose that it's a interesting change that this condition is now being used to grant 'mercy' rather then being used as reason for conviction.

Some people, some actions, are irredeemable no matter the 'justification'. Murdering children, and the people who do such acts, top that list.