In Corpus Christi, Texas, Hannah Overton has been sent to prison for the death of her foster son, Andrew. She is accused of killing Andrew by administering a mixture of spices which proved fatal to him.We frequently hear tales of woe in the media of how some foster parent(s) has/have abused their foster children. We've heard of children being stuck in cages, gone unfed, had to lay on hard boards as punishment. The media has been giving us the impression that life as a foster parent or a foster child is not easy. I am frequently amazed by the fact that there are still people out there that are willing to sacrifice in order to take in wounded and neglected children and continue to care for them. The goverment and Child Protective Services can be big bullies at times and I think they have scared many Christians away from volunteering to provide for orphans. It's a sad situation, given that that was one of God's commands to Christians -- to care for widows and orphans.
Larry and Hannah Overton chose to enter into The System and offer their home to a needy chid. Enter: Andrew. Andrew was a troubled child who came from a mother that abused him both in and out of the womb. The Overtons definitely had a little challenge on their hands, but they stepped up to the plate bravely and committed to both loving and raising him.
Unfortunately the story doesn't have a happy ending for either Andrew or Larry and Hannah.
The media seems to be the main persecuting force in Hannah's case. Blind to some of the facts involved, they portrayed Hannah has been a fierce, wicked and mean mother. However, this was hardly the case. Facts were ignored and dismissed in this case, presented by prosecuting attorney, Sandra Eastwood of the Nueces County District Attorney's office. I'm not going to go into the facts of the case on this blog post. I am merely going to state, having worked in the legal profession myself, and speficially in a district attorney's office, the law was incorrectly applied to Hannah in a way that cased her to be unjustly convicted of the crime of "killing" Andrew.
I would encourage you, before you decide to leave a comment, to visit the Free Hannah website. Before you read anything else on the website, please peruse the Facts vs Fiction section to hear Hannah's side of the story. The Corpus Christi Caller Times, Corpus' main newspaper, will give you the opposing view. You can also videos related to the trial portion of Hannah's story by searching on KRIS TV's website.
I do not want to spell out the facts here because I would prefer you "go to the source" to get them. Read. Think. Process. Pray. It is my opinion that there is only one conclusion that you can come to.
Without mincing words, I believe Hannah is innocent of the crime she is accused of committing. I believe she has been treated both unjustly and unfairly. I believe she needs the prayer support of Christians in this country as she faces life in prison during a long appeals process. She is a mother of five young children who need her but are being denied access to her. She is a loving mother and a dedicated Christian that is being persecuted by people and systems who have an agenda that is opperating without truth.
Yes, some foster parents are bad and ought to have the children in their care removed. Some ought to be prosecuted for their offenses. Bad things do happen when children go unprotected. Neither Andrew or Hannah (or Larry) fall into this catagory though. I think if you carefully read, sort and shift through the facts, you will agree that what has happened to Hannah is a travesty and an injustice.
Please pray for Hannah as you pray for persecuted Christians. She deserves our support as well.
Thank you.
12 comments:
Thank you for your request for prayers! I am Hannah's aunt. I just found your blog post doing a search. Her family and many friends are committed to her exoneration.
The more people that know about this case, and raise their voices in concern, the better for Hannah and for all future adoptive/foster/bioligical parents and caregivers. Hannah & Larry did not know what was wrong with Andrew as his initial symptoms -- vomiting and chills -- did not appear life-threatening. He had been a very active 4 year old just moments before he threw up. They treated him at home until, as his symptoms worsened, they drove him to the nearest Urgent Care Clinic. Hypernatremia - "salt poisoning" -- takes about an hour and a half before the symptoms manifest. This is the amount of time it was before they rushed him to medical care.
For this, Hannah has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Larry pled no contest to a lesser charge, and the charge will be erased from his record after 2 years of successful probation.
Neither has any prior criminal record.
The ruling places all of us in jeopardy. If you are the caregiver or responsible for a child, an elderly or disabled person, and you do not call 911 because you fail to recognize symptoms as being life-threatenting, you can be convicted of murder.
If you are reading this, and you have any questions or want more information, go to www.freehannah.com. Sign up, send an email. Please pray.
There is an excellent, in-depth article about Hannah in the San Antonio Express News - http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Murder_by_omission_or_conviction_by_design.html.
Also, 20/20 will do a story on her, expected to air Oct 10.
Tonite -- Fri, Oct 24 -- ABC's 20 / 20 will air a story about Hannah.
Please watch & spread the word.
I believe you. I watched the story on 20/20. Without doubt, she is guilty. This reminds me of the DUKE / Lacrosse case where there is a crazy prosecutor who is a child rights advocate...nothing wrong with that but she has her own agenda and purposely becuase of this agenda, left out facts in the case which would have obviously changed the outcome. I believe this case will be overturned. Keep fighting. I would like information on contacting this prosecutor and it should be posted so that all that watched 20/20 can call in to express their outrage.
My wife and I adopted two little boys whom we fostered for a short while before hand. In earlier times
I believed that all behaviors can be corrected if taught the right way. My wife and I are a Christian couple who decided after being married for 16 years would open our home to a 6 year old and 3 year old. As said earlier, I always felt that no matter the behavior if we teach faith and give love you can change a child's life. However, our oldest is now 12 years and the youngest is 10. We have tried our hardest to teach the oldest a positive lifestyle but no matter what we do our oldest continues to have problems almost to the point that my wife and I have almost separated. The oldest is currently in play therapy, individual counseling and see's a psychiatrist but we just can't seem to help him or provide him with what he needs and I am about to the point of giving up on everything because he is tearing our lives apart. I totaly understand Hannah and Larry and will do my best to pray for them.
My nephew and the child's mother had simlair problems with CPS in Brunswick Ohio, when the child was 2 months old, they CPS told them(my nephew and the mother) to give the child a home with other children where he could react with and little did the mother knew that she was giving up her own child and made the mother sign a paper and convinced the my nephew and the mother were not happy but they were and very good parents but it wasn't like that and CPS took the child away from the parents that he only knew and living with another family and my nephew nor the mother knew what was going on. And why the child was taken from their custody and they didn't do anything wrong and never abused the child in any way. Because my nephew and the mother lived with us until he was taken and this is from Brunswick Ohio CPS, when I started investigating what was going on, I have a LAWE degree and Investigating degree, but never went into Lawe. Anyways, after I started investigating what was happening and my nephew in a personal interview I did also did it on the mother seperate times and I found nothing wrong. CPS in Brunswick Ohio said they found child abuse and I asked for the accusations that the child was going through and I showed the papers that CPS gave me and let my nephew and the mother read these also. My nephew said nothing like this was what they were accused of and my parents also read the accusations, so they took CPS in Ohio to court and finally did get Dylan back and what pisses me off is CPS had other accusations against them with simlair accussations simlair to the child. The child stayed with another family for 4 months until the courts also did not find any child abuse that CPS in Brunswick Ohio said that was going on. They released the child to my nephew and the mother with CPS still involved and watching them several months after the child came home with LAWE officer watching with the visits and now the child is 11 yrs old and without CPS in their lives and why didn't the cops read and see the video of what this child was doing. I think this is totally wrong what CPS did and Hannah should be released now. This is very wrong and I support Hannah please re do the trial people! And this time watch the video, see for yourselves that he wasn't abused or what CPS and the hospital did WAS WRONG!! Hannah's Aunt I hope you guys get to bring Hannah home soon. God Bless you and I will be praying for you guys including Larry and the children. And I also want to say CPS prompt her children into saying those things. That's my theory on what happened. Get another lawyer and WATCH that video. That video is what tells the truth on what happened. This pisses me off on how the hospital and CPS caused. Hannah, I will be praying for you to return back home soon. Love you bunches here in Medina, Ohio
God Bless you Hannah. I will pray for your freedom,you and for your family.
Having just watched 20/20 which would seemingly try and portray a miscarriage of justice (hence their decision to put this case under the spotlight), I'm astonished at the support and blind defence this woman receives.
Do alarm bells not go off in your mind when you consider the facts? The burning of the bedsheets (the smearing of 'poo' was probably the last straw), the levels of sodium which could never be individually ingested, the fear (for that's what it was) of seeking immediate medical aid.
This couple have five children and sought a sixth, which in itself is not normal. They treat children as hobbies, as playthings. This boy didn't fit the mould and when she reached the end of her tether she enacted a punishment that proved fatal.
Guilty of his death....most certainly. Deliberate ('mens rea') I doubt, so I'm somewhat surprised at a murder charge. But manslaughter yes, and the manner in which she acted should warrant the heaviest sentence on that charge.
I hope she has plenty of time to reflect on her actions, just because their adopted son did not fit the bill the way their five very disciplined children do.
It's also a sad indictment on the adoption system.
It's interesting that no one seems to wonder how a child could ingest that much salt. Not willingly, in my opinion.
she is GUILTY.....first of all you NEVER put seasoning in your kiddos sippy cups. I am a mother of two boys, one is 2 years old and the other is 5 months now and I AM STRESSED the heck out quite a bit but NEVER would I put seasoning in a cup for my son....and especially if I knew that he would consume ANYTHING...I mean if you know your child is sick with an over-eating disorder then the last thing you would want to give him would be a salt-flavored beverage especially with diabetes ect....look I don't think she MEANT to kill him yet she did indeed. and just because that wasn't her intention...(to kill him) it doesn't mean she is innocent of murder....at least manslaughter...anyways....I wouldn't ever ever ever even think about putting that trash in my son's cup and he eats and drinks a lot himself....he has eaten until kinda stomache achy two or three times without me noticing beforehand to take his food away.....BUT never ever would I....... A. starve my child....my son knows when he's full at age 4 sorry.....B. put seasoning of any kind for that matter directly in his sippy cup filled with water only.......not even kool-aid at age 4 cause that stuff has too much SUGAR......and finally C. allow my child to vomit and deficate repetitively over and over without seeking medical attention. SORRY those are just three things that she DID DO and makes her GUILTY in my opinion. and then to top it all off she took her other child to her neighbor's home so he/she wouldn't have to be involved I am guessing....and she went on to tell her friend/neighbor that Andrew was "pooping everywhere on purpose and rubbing it all over the walls despite her". OK...that did it for me...and that friend TESTIFIED in a court of law to that statement. I mean like I said above TRUST ME...my son cannot poop on PURPOSE I mean who can take a shit on command???? tell me who? and then to think this poor child was suffering and just feeling HORRIBLE and here she is taking time to run her other child to the neighbor and also taking the time to verbally bash the poor little fella and then she goes back to the house only to call her husband to come HELP HER. HELP HER??????????????????????HELP HER??????????HELP HER????????HELP HELP HER?????????????? What is wrong with this question? oooooh oooooh me, me,....I know the answer...she was pregnant and moody and only thought of herself in the aspect of the fact that she knew she had fed her son a lil too much salt seasoning creole....fucking WHATEVER the heck it was....then she never even thought to call the ambulance, to cover her own ass cause she knew she had given him salt/seasoning and she was already panicked/stressed enough ect....she thought it would all end over the toilet and the next day everything would be fine....BUT HE DIED. DIED. DIED. DIED. DIED. DIED. I mean what don't people understand about the fact that PEOPLE HAVE TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS? I wouldn't be able to go and knock some chic out at the club and then it kills her.....but ooooh I didn't MEAN TO KILL HER....I just punched her lights out judge judy. ha. no way jose....seriously I am all about people making mistakes but when you effect someone else's life because of it then you hafta be held responsible for it...and NO I don't think she should have gotten life, persay, although off hand I'm not sure what would have been appropriate? So whatever....GOD is in control and if she is innocent he will let her out, and I do believe in GOD ALMIGHTY and that everything happens according to his will....but RIGHT NOW this chic is RIGHT WHERE SHE BELONGS in my lil ole' opinion. I mean it's a pretty open and closed case.....she put salt/seasoning filled with salt in his sippy cup to tire him of food....those are the words outta her own mouth at the trial....and then the doctors CONCLUDE that he died of SALT POISONING right? I mean what exactly is ther not to understand? She made a decision, and in RESULT OF HER DECISION a child DIED. and his name was Andrew and brat or not he didn't deserve for this MOODY ASS BITCH to go and put fuckin' SALT up in his drink yo! that was in ebonics foolios.:) PEACE AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. Rest In Peace baby Andrew....may the truth of your death always and forever prevail under God's almighty hand of JUSTICE indeed.:) oh and just because she is a "CHRISTIAN"....she isn't a SAINT...only GOD himself is PERFECT....we all here on earth have and will continue to make mistakes everyday....and may the GOD of Peace and Justice forgive us all. AMEN:)
Hannah - I just saw your story on 20/20 and I feel you were wrongly prosecuted. My son was born with a rare genetic X-Linked genetic disorder that only presents in males. It is called Nephrogenic Diabetis Insipidus and very few doctors and professionals know about it. The receptors in the kidney do not understand the DDAVP hormone produced by the pituitary and they crave salt and crave fluids. Most kids have a very pronouced case, but other boys, like my son, have some receptors in their kidneys that do respond to the hormone and their prognosis was harder to define. We were treated at UC Davis in California, and we only knew of 4 children all of Northern California that had the condition.
When Scott was diagnosed at 13 months he had a sodium level of 47 and after he was administered the standard IV drip, it caused his sodium level to rise to 71 (which is incompatible with life). He would have died in the hospital if they did not change his IV. Today he wants to salt everything and continues to crave salty foods, Gatorade and water. They say that a child will do anything to get what they need....drink from toilets, steal, throw tantrums etc., because their drive for salt and water is greater than anything. Please have your lawyers check into this condition. I could have been you.
Today, my son is 18, and a senior in high school. He is smart, but has a slight learning disability and it seems that some of his kidney receptors work far better than when he was a child. The problems he had when he were young no longer are present. He drinks 5 Gatorade drinks a day and that seems to hold him over and his sodium stays between 41 & 43.
Best of luck. I would like to help educate your lawyers. What happened to you sounds so much like my sons condition.
Hannah abused and murdered a child. Shewas justly convicted and sentenced. Thankfully, the jury was not fooled.
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