Mentally ill mother on trial

[sweetrebel]

Trial opens for mother who tossed sons into San Francisco Bay
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A 24-year-old mother's mental illness may have led her to toss her three young boys into chilly San Francisco Bay, but lawyers disagreed Monday about whether the act was first-degree murder.

LaShuan Harris is on trial in the deaths of her three children, ages 16 months, 2 and 6, in October 2005, when prosecutors say she dropped them over a railing and into the bay. She has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to three counts of murder.

During opening statements Monday, prosecutor Linda Allen warned jurors they would likely feel sorry for Harris.

"I'm sure you will have no doubt that this woman is mentally ill," she said. "You will believe this woman had hallucinations. And you will believe that she thought God commanded her to kill her children."

While Harris' motive may have been delusional, her actions were not, she said.

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"She knew she killed them. She knew they died. And she knew that she had committed murder," Allen said, adding that Harris even asked an officer whether she would be executed for her crimes.

Defense lawyer Teresa Caffese said her schizophrenic and borderline mentally retarded client heard voices telling her to sacrifice her children to God. Caffese said Harris was put in a psychiatric hospital six times between February 2004 and August 2005.

"Yes, she knows her children are not with her," the public defender said. "She cries and she's sad because she knows her children are not with her. They are in another place."

Caffese also said that Harris' mother was worried she would hurt Treyshun Harris, 6, Taronta Greeley Jr., 2, and Joshoa Greeley, 16 months, the day they died, but that a social worker didn't believe her.

Later Monday, a San Francisco police officer who along with his partner were the first at the scene testified that Harris was "very calm."

"It seemed like nothing was bothering her," Michael White said. "She was in a different place."

If the jury finds Harris guilty, it will then have to decide whether she was legally sane at the time of the crime.

Harris appeared unemotional through much of the proceedings.

While her mother sobbed softly in the gallery, Harris smiled at a screen where her lawyer projected photographs from her childhood and of her three boys.
http://www.courttv.com/news/2006/1128/harris_ap.html
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If she is truly mentally ill and border line retarded, she had no fucking business reproducing. I don't care if it offends, but that is a clear cut case for sterilization. She will get out eventually and she is young enough to start having kids again. I think if she is released, a condition of that release would be to have her sterilized or someone will be pulling innocent children out of SF Bay again.

[Lobelia]

This woman is crazy & not responsible for her actions.

[Goose]

Did they ever find all three boys? If I remember the right story (and God help us if there are more than this one nutso that threw her kids over the SF Bridge), I thought all the bodies weren't recovered.

[sweetrebel]

This woman is crazy & not responsible for her actions.

True, but she shouldn't be out and able to have MORE children.
Her own mother thought she may harm the kids.

[crumpet]

True, but she shouldn't be out and able to have MORE children.
Her own mother thought she may harm the kids.

I agree totally with this. I know we are all (most of us, anyway) advocates for womens' rights, esp. reproductive rights, but I've always held the belief that rights and responsibilities go hand in hand. I support the assertion that she is really ill and not responsible. However, I would add that since she is not able to be responsible for her actions she should not be allowed to breed defenseless beings that have to depend upon her to survive. Unfair? Perhaps, but three dead kids in a lake is pretty unfair,too.

Likewise, I beieve all male sex offenders should be sterilized. The laws may prohibit them from going within 30 feet of a school yard or forbid them from working with children. However, there is no law that says he can't get married and have 6 kids of his own to rape and abuse.

[jenn6412]

Stories like these really make me shake my head in disgust. I only wish there were some way to prevent these things from happening in the first place, like maybe the Social Worker listening to the mother in the first place and acting on it, but then how could they possibly act on every person calling and saying this parent is unfit. It just isn't fair to those innocet children. Not fair at all!

[sweetrebel]

Stories like these really make me shake my head in disgust. I only wish there were some way to prevent these things from happening in the first place, like maybe the Social Worker listening to the mother in the first place and acting on it, but then how could they possibly act on every person calling and saying this parent is unfit. It just isn't fair to those innocet children. Not fair at all!

Well, maybe it should have started with some good choices. This woman is 24 years old and she has 3 kids under 6. I don't know when her illness started, but I doubt that it appeared out of thin air. If she is borderline retarded, she shouldn't have been having kids. Add the mental illness to that equation and it equals a sad life for 3 kids.

[B]
Likewise, I beieve all male sex offenders should be sterilized. The laws may prohibit them from going within 30 feet of a school yard or forbid them from working with children. However, there is no law that says he can't get married and have 6 kids of his own to rape and abuse.

That is a good thought, but there are many predators that never have sex with their victims. The ones who do should be burned alive..........

[jenn6412]

[quote=sweetrebel;456961]Well, maybe it should have started with some good choices. quote]

Agreed one hundred million percent!