Police Say Two Children Died When Mother Left Them in Hot Car for Three Hours

The Associated Press ^ | Published: Jun 29, 2002

[mafree]

Three hours getting your hair done? Must have been about a hundred french braids.

Braids can take up to eight hours depending on how many and how long they are. Last time I got 'em it was six hours.

[Bonaparte]

Fascinating, mafree. How long would it take to undo those french braids you got?

[helpisontheway]

I'm with LWalk18 on this one. Evil comes in all shades, shapes, sizes and gender. Color is irrelevant, it's what she did that is unspeakable.

[democratsstealvotes]

Welcome to the new world where everything is becoming more topsy-turvy by the minute as the 60s group continue to take control of government and business! And irresponsibility is the mot du jour.

[First_Salute]

might

could

if

But according to the information in the story, there is not sufficient evidence for murder; the deaths, if proven well enough to have at least been caused by negligence, by state law, probably affects a charge of manslaughter.

[DB]

I was replying to someone who said, "at worst it was accidental manslaughter".

At worst it was intentional murder. At best it was accidental manslaughter. The article does not provide enough information to strongly suggest it was one way or the other. The person I was responding to was clearly is in error. That is the point.

[glory]

And that's the normal reaction Guennie is for a mother first of all to sense danger in something and secondly to risk bodily injury to herself to save her children. There have been times I THOUGHT I locked the keys in with the kids in the car and I felt my heart pound until I realized a door was unlocked. When we lived in Arizona, in the summer time when temps get well into the triple digits, I would make sure that I left at least one door ajar while putting the kids in so this would not ever happen accidentally because death could come in minutes there in that kind of heat--I can even remember thinking the same as you, that if I ever forgot and they got locked in, the window is going with the power of my fists only if need be.

[Bad~Rodeo]

tears

[glory]

Three hours getting your hair done? >>


It can take this long. All depends what you are getting done, but imo reinforces the notion that this is a black female since black hairstyles are usually quite elaborate and involve weaving which takes a while. My best friend is a colorist and stylist and the only thing I can see taking the same amount of time on a white female based on her experience is a headful of highlights on very long hair or someone getting hair extensions that have to be glued in. So if the perpetrator is a white female and you don't see some long luxurious locks, you can be pretty sure that part of the 3 hours were spent wasting time while the kids cooked, but 3 hours is reasonable for a black woman's hair appt in my view.

[smithson]

I'm surprised her husband or ex-husband hasn't been blamed yet.

[glory]

"these kids are a bother" issue

Yes, I think this figures a lot into these types of events.

[rstevens]

Yeah me too. When I have my dog in the car with me on hot days, if I have to leave him even for a few minutes, I will leave the car running with the a/c on. Since I have an outside door control its no problem.

How anyone could leave a pet, to say nothing about a child, is just beyond me.

Since it can never be proven as premed murder, negligent homicide will probably be the charge, however second degree murder could fit.

[lsee]

I'm surprised her husband or ex-husband hasn't been blamed yet.

Or boyfriend or ex-boyfriend.

[glory]

slavery in the US and if she had received the Reparations that she deserves that she could have afford a baby sitter>>

This would be laughable if they did, because a 3 hour 'do' likely cost at least 100.00! You could easily have come back with, why didn't she buy all the products herself for half the price, ask her stylist to do it off hours for a lowered fee(which many will do--my friend in point), and still probably have money to pocket if the kids play around you while your stylist is doing your hair? Particularly in the black community, I know it is quite commen for stylists to do off the clock jobs for patrons. Anyway you look at it this mother just did not care no matter what her race since there were alternatives to getting her hair done.

[NMFXSTC]

Dunno...takes a bit of time to get all those rows and beads done, ya know? (Also gotta wonder who foots the bill for this...the taxpayer...meaning that welfare check has to be hefty, eh?) I honestly stood in line behind some babe that had to be maybe 18, three kids, no riing, welfare vouchers (she had her groceries seperated by voucher and no allowable stuff), then, ended up following her out the door. She had a fancy nail job, and...hopped into a brand new, paper taggged, Mustang!

And this is taxpayer money well spent? Yup...Amerika...land of the irresponsible and unaccountable, but the free ride is there for the taking (just make sure you can claim "minority" status!)

[smithson]

"Or their boyfriend or ex-boyfriend."

That will work. When it comes to breaking the law, all the sudden, it's "I'm just a woman", as the song goes.

[glory]

Yes...I can remember a mother in Arizona who left her child(ren?) in the car while she worked out in the gym and I think the gym had a daycare, she just didn't want to wake the sleeping child! Fortunately, other club patrons saw the child, notified the police, and a crying, hot child was removed safely from the vehicle.

[glory]

Well, I think how that happens is there are women living with boyfriends who are employed and since they claim they aren't married with children they claim benefits. Seen this type of crap many a time in the lower class white communities. It's a rip off to be sure.

I can't help thinking everytime I see one of those discreet credit card looking things they give now that "Oh, I guess I'm paying for that load of groceries too" while I price match and use coupons and scan for sales--grrr!

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I'll bet the mother's excuse will be "Let's see you take two sqwawling brats into the beauty shop."

My wife used to swap baby-sitting with neighbors who had kids the same age. 'Course she hardly ever went to the beauty shop, but always looked fine to me.

[First_Salute]

'Twas I.

Again, the worst that can be made of it, as we are given to understand from the story, is accidental manslaughter, which means that somebody died by accident.

The story does not provide any evidence of malice, that is, that the perp intended to affect the result.

A state's attorney ought not to abuse the power of their office by trying to "over-"charge a perp. Charge the perp with what you have.

For bystanders and family members, the worst is the seemingly careless death of the children, but are we to have the prosecutor tack on charge after charge for the sensationalism?

Why not charge the perp with "hate crimes?" That might have happened.

But we do not know enough to support that.

Offices of law enforcement have only the authority to charge somebody with a crime for which there is sufficient evidence to support; all else beyond that, is an abuse of power.

I stop you for speeding; you're 20 over the limit. Should I also charge you with reckless endangerment, grossly negligent operation, drunk driving, etc.?

No, I should not; because you were given to understand from the story I set as an example, only that you had been speeding, 20 over the limit.

We do not have evidence that the mother intended that her children fry; we only know that she was negligent and contributed to their accidental deaths; that's all that the story relates and it is the worst for which charges can be made.