Posted on 07/31/2014 7:45:28 AM PDT by Cecily
A Kansas foster father who mistakenly left a 10-month-old baby girl to die in his hot car has been charged with first-degree murder. Seth Jackson's lawyer said that the felony charge was far too strict for his client, who only remembered the baby was inside the car two hours later when something on TV jogged his memory.
'Rather high for a mistake,' attorney John Stang told NBC of the murder charge, which carries a life sentence with a minimum of 20 years in prison.
'I'm not trying to say it's not a horrible loss. The death of a child is an awful thing. But this person is looking at 15 more years than someone who was driving drunk and ran into a car and killed someone.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
No, that one was in Atlanta, Georgia.
And the state refuses to admit the mistake. I suppose a parent could ignore the law and take a chance but so many parents are brainwashed about those stupid car seats.
Most cars have a button that turns the passenger airbag off. In my car, it’s always turned off. I have grandkids whom the state has said are old enough to ride in the front seat (it should be based on size, rather than age...none of their business) and I am short. I’d much rather miss kissing the dashboard AND the airbag.
As for people forgetting they have a kid with them, WTF??? How do you miss that?!
Of course these stupid nanny state laws - I was forced to put my nephew in the back of the car until he was what? 18?? Infantalizing teenagers, as well.
I agree. First, where’s the intent, a MAJOR element for this crime. Involuntary manslaughter. Child abuse. But not first degree murder. The pros. is starting the plea dealing a might high on this one. Were I the defendant, I’d not take any plea on this charge. Easy win.
You got that right - recently heard about an abandoned newborn who was placed with two gay guys over a married heterosexual couple in Findlay, Ohio. That’s just wrong wrong wrong. A child is entitled to a father and a mother to raise him/her.
The DA must be pushing for the max charge/sentence where the jury has the right to convict on a lesser charge.
That makes sense to me. In any event - this man should serve jail time.
Yeah, when cars were not as safe and somehow babies weren't frying in back seat car seats.
I suppose a parent could ignore the law ....
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I think the root issue with kids in car seats (or small kids) in the front passenger seat is the airbags because when they go off, they are apt to injure/kill the kids. I’m sure there are laws about kids having to be in the back seats because of this, but to change anything, I suspect you’d have to have no passenger side airbags or be able to disable them .... doubt if that will happen.
From what I remember, those laws were introduced because of front end crashes. Could be wrong, of course.
I also hate air bags. A good friend of mine - a 5’4” woman - got burned horribly when she was in an accident at the wheel of her car. No one mentions how hot those bags are.
If there is weight on my passenger seat when I start the car, I hear a ding-ding-ding to remind me a seatbelt needs to be buckled. How hard would it be to do something similar for the back seats?
How dare you say something that actually makes sense.
Before airbags, no one left their baby in their car because, distracted or not, they saw their baby as they were exiting their car.
WTF... you are talking about kids old enough to sit in the front seat. The issue is babies in baby car seats who are not able to unlock and open a door when they get hot.
I did not miss one thing.
I have a Toyota that sets up a ding-ding-ding if you breathe too loud. I actually refuse to use the seat belt to avoid the constant dinging. I strap it across the seat and sit on it! Come and get me, coppers!
I also hate air bags. A good friend of mine - a 5’4” woman - got burned horribly when she was in an accident at the wheel of her car. No one mentions how hot those bags are.
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I’ve seen where you should allow something like 11” between you & the steering wheel so when they explode out, your chance of getting hurt is less. When I’m that far back, I’m not very comfortable with reaching the accelerator/brake pedals. I know they save lives, but they’re not the “marshmallow/pillow” experience a lot of folks probably think they are. Also, you can get hurt pretty bad when you hit the seatbelt, too.
I did see another comment where you can disable the passenger side airbag, but that won’t eliminate the law(s) about kids riding in the front. We have a local DJ, just heard him this morning on the subject of kids left in cars - he calls it “Baby Baking Season” and acknowledges that many folks find that description offensive; however, he’s not buying the excuse of people “just forgetting”. I think his opinion is colored by a good snootful of having to deal with folks in his previous profession as a police officer.
In the old days, my mother’s arm was the seat belt - remember when mothers stopped short and their arms would shoot out to prevent kids from heading into the dash?!
Please ignore the obviously botched last paragraph. Arrgh.
Cops and ex-cops are completely cynical and suspicious about everything. No one can make a mistake - it’s always a crime.
I’m short so I have to be very close to the steering wheel. Driving is dangerous as is life. We can’t always be protected. Personally, I don’t like protection - I grew up with a smothering mother - give me freedom.
To the day she died, when Mom was in a car as a passenger, her arm would extend over whoever might be seated next to her - each and every time the driver would touch the brake pedal.
She had dementia, but this was one of those "it stuck" responses that never left her.
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