Caution: Disturbing
 

Mom gets 11 years for letting teen starve

September 3, 2005

BY DAN ROZEK Staff Reporter
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Brusquely rejecting Katherine Leonard's claims that she never realized her disabled 15-year-old son was dying, a McHenry County judge Friday sentenced the Crystal Lake mother to 11 years in prison.

"How could you not notice what he looked like?'' Judge Joseph Condon asked her as he held up a color photo showing a painfully emaciated Seamus Leonard, who weighed only 23 pounds when he died in March 2004. "I will not permit you to overlook your son starving in your house.''

Katherine Leonard, 46, sat stoically at first as Condon brandished the picture taken just after her son's death, then later began sobbing softly.

Seamus, who was born with cerebral palsy that left him a quadriplegic, was found dead on the floor of the family's filthy home, his body riddled with pressure sores and wearing only a soiled diaper.

An autopsy concluded Seamus died of pneumonia, although malnutrition and dehydration were listed as contributing causes. He weighed only about 2 pounds more at his death than he did when he was 3 years old, prosecutors said.

Leonard pleaded guilty earlier this year to criminal neglect of a disabled person as part of a plea bargain with prosecutors.

Despite the plea, she contended at her sentencing hearing that depression over her failed marriage, the stress of caring for Seamus and six siblings, and her own heavy drinking prevented her from grasping how dire his condition had become in the months before his death.

'Why should he not eat?'

"I was overwhelmed,'' Leonard said, insisting that she had tried her best to care for Seamus, who needed constant attention and monitoring.

"I loved my son from the moment I knew I was pregnant with him,'' she said. "I always loved Seamus.''

Condon, though, questioned why in the final two years before his death, she withdrew him from special education classes and quit taking him to doctors. In his final months, she fed Seamus only sporadically, according to testimony.

"You ate. You fed your other children,'' Condon said, noting that Leonard took two of her children out to dinner the night before Seamus died. "Why should he not eat?''

Leonard faced a 3- to 14-year prison term as a result of her guilty plea, although she also was eligible for probation. The sentence imposed by Condon means Leonard -- who already has spent a year in custody -- likely will spend about four more years behind bars.

McHenry County prosecutors had sought an 11-year prison term, saying it was clear Leonard ignored her son's deteriorating health.

Noting that Leonard admitted drinking heavily at times following the 2003 collapse of her marriage, Assistant State's Attorney Robert Beaderstadt said she had "given up on Seamus, and she had crawled into a vodka bottle.''

Before Leonard was taken out of the courtroom, she turned and tearfully hugged her former husband, Stephen, Seamus' father.

"My babies,'' she murmured, apparently referring to her other six children, who have been in foster care since Seamus' death.

Defense attorney Henry Sugden blasted the prison term imposed by Condon, calling it a "horrendous sentence.''

"We're very disappointed in it,'' said Sugden, who argued for probation.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/...-badmom03.html

Here's another good article about it: http://www.belleville.com/mld/bellev...l/12553919.htm

Wow...you're right - VERY disturbing.

wow, thats just wrong!

Wow that incredibly sad. Can you imagine an 11 year old that 23 pounds? :eek:

SORRY? That bi*** deserves to be starved to death!!!!! :mad: :thumbdown

That's very tragic. The Mom must have some serious issues to do this to their child.

I couldn't agree with you more.

thats so sad

The B^&*% should be starved!!!!!! Just makes me sick to my stomach!!

That's horrible and the fact that the other children were fed and taken care of shows that she was "awake" enough to take care of this one. Can you imagine choosing which one of your children you are going to kill, that's pretty much what she did.

You guys should read the book "A child called it" if you haven't already. The story is very similar to this except the child has no disabilities. Its so sad I cried the whole way through it. Its by Dave Pelzer, if anyone is interested.

this breaks my heart and pisses me off at the same time :mad: . how dare she make excuses for her lact of maternal skills. i remember being a foster kid and watching some of the kids who got to go home on the weekends to visit their family. it hurt so bad :( ....i didnt even believe in god til i was grown. couldnt believe if he was real why he would allow me to suffer this way....ironically now im grown and in a good place now and both my parents call on me all the time to fix their problems even has the nerve to want to cry on my shoulders. cant you believe this????????? :eek: they actually want to tell me thier problems...well i taught my kids to forgive but i will dam sure never forget....and i will never take money or food from my kids to help either one of them at all........... :mad:

i have a teenager and at one point i wanted to kill him for everything. but instead i took a deep breath and bought a child called it. made him read it and write a report on what it meant to him...really made him appreciate me... when he handed me his report he looked at me and said " i love you mom"..

Someody hold me back....a 3 -14 prison term? Let's see...that translates to about five years with good behavior, for murdering her own son.

Let's lift our glasses to the American Justice System....


Francie

She got eleven years w/ no chance for parole I believe.

i haven't read that yet, but last year someone in my class did a report on it, i've been looking for it. thats so sweet what your son did!