Father charged with murder after leaving kid in car all day

[Road Guy]

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/breaking-news/child-believed-left-in-car-in-cobb-has-died/ngNdR/?icmp=ajc_internallink_textlink_homepage

I can see where this guy needs to serve some time, but I dont think Murder is really the right thing to do here..

This is my former hometown, new DA, apparantly either they know something they are not saying but I dont see how you can charge a horrible accident with mrurder? Isnt that why they created manslaughter chargers to being with?

Something just doesnt seem right....

Sad story, sad that these keep happening, this was the 13th child to die due to being left in a car this year I read somewhere...

Do you have to get a Grand Jury to sign off on a murder charge before the arrest? or Can that be done after?

 

[NJmike PE]

Wow, just wow. Being a parent, I'm not sure that I could understand leaving my child in the car, but that's me. I know who have done it, my mother specific having left my youngest sister in the car during summer but luckily nothing bad came of it. Only for 10-15 minutes. That said, what a tragic accident. I could not begin to understand the feelings of this guy having found his son in the car like that.

I agree, the fact they stated the investigation is ongoing and far from over was a little open ended.

 

[Ble_PE]

Reading about this literally makes me sick. I can't fathom leaving one of my kids in the car by accident. To charge him with murder must mean that they have a bit more info than they are sharing, because you typically have to have intent for that charge. Also, a 22 month old would probably be very vocal if you were to park somewhere and then just leave them in the car, so I'm not sure I could see how you wouldn't know your kid was in the back.

 

[NJmike PE]

Also, a 22 month old would probably be very vocal if you were to park somewhere and then just leave them in the car, so I'm not sure I could see how you wouldn't know your kid was in the back.

I wondered the same thing, Ble. Yet you read the article and the interview from the neighbors saying how they were a wonderful family and looking to buy a house with a yard for the child to play in. Doesn't add up

 

[JMT]

"The toddler was supposed to have been dropped off at daycare Wednesday morning, sometime between 8:30 and 9, according to Sgt. Dana Pierce with Cobb police. Instead, the child was left in the backseat of a Hyundai Tucson, and the father went to work, Pierce said. The father told police he somehow forgot his child was in the backseat of the four-door SUV, but police released no explanation for how the toddler was overlooked."

My guess is that the child was dead prior to driving to work and dad tried to cover it up. Either that or the father has mental or drug issues. I am a parent and there is nothing in the world that could happen which would make me forgot to drop off my kids at daycare and then drive to work and forget they were in the car. How do you not know your child is in your car?

 

[csb]

A co-worker tells a story of another worker who indeed left his kid in the car. The co-worker noticed it when he parked next to him in the morning and went in and said, "Did you forget something this morning?" Luckily it was only a few minutes. The kid had fallen asleep and the dad wasn't the one who normally dropped off.

I never forgot my kid in the car. Is this a case of being really distracted?

 

[NJmike PE]

Is it possible that the kid feel asleep in the car: yes. Is it possible that this parent didn't normally do drop off: yes. Still, tough to forget that you little one wasn't there. That's just me, esp since I am always looking back at them every couple of minutes while I am driving.

EDIT: like I said earlier, my mother did it once with my youngest sister so I can see distractions being what they are, and this was before cell phones. She had the three of us screaming, annoying, snotty kids in the car and it was only months after my sister was born.

 

[matt267 PE]

... esp since I am always looking back at them every couple of minutes while I am driving.

I used to do the same thing when my daughter was younger. It was one of my OCD things. I made sure she was in the car while I backed out of the driveway. I checked again at the stop sign at the top of the street. And I checked again to make sure I didn't forget her once at work.

 

[Krakosky]

Wouldn't the daycare call when the kid never showed up?

 

[Road Guy]

[SIZE=medium]I don’t think I could ever say I understand how it happens, cause they are your responsibility, I just remember some very rough days dealing with a newborn and trying to work, especially once we had the 3rd one.. I literally remember getting to work and then falling asleep as soon as I sat down at my desk sometimes, I recall parking in the parking garage at work and not waking up until my co workers beat on my car window when they were going to lunch.. it’s a rough time, still no excuse but I think there is a couple of weeks where you are basically a zombie going through the motions, especially if you’re going from 1 kid to 2, and then 2 to 3, probably after that you’re a pro.. but I think most of us with kids know that stage is not a very fun time, so I could see how it can happen, (not excusing it) just sucks that it does..[/SIZE]

 

[Dark Knight]

It can happen to anyone. Only takes a stressful moment, being in a hurry, doing something you are not used to normally do, a night without any sleep, or simply thinking that you are too smart for something like that to happen to you.

I recently heard of a case of an OB Gyn. She was pregnant and already had a 1+ y/o. Her husband usually was the one leaving the kid in day care. That day he had to leave early so she was the one leaving the kid. On her way to the day care the hospital (or someone from her office call with some kind of extraordinary situation), she got distracted, passed the exit to the daycare and went straight to her office (or was it the hospital???).

Daycare called the dad asking if there was something wrong with the kid. He called her...too late. She was charged with a crime and I believe is in jail right now. It raised some kind of debate. Some were critical of the way she was treated and others thought she deserves to rot in jail, depending on what side of the social division they were.

 

[Road Guy]

odd for day care to call, usually you pay by the week and if your kid doesnt show you normally still have to pay, one less kid for them to feed that day + kids at that age are always sick..

we did years of day care and they never called if we didnt show (for the amount of money we were paying they should though)

I will admit to one or two times driving past the day care and getting home, wife and I staring at each other and say "I thought you were picking up the kid"? But usually you have until 6:00 PM before they start charging you $50/hour or something..

 

[solomonb]

I am NOT a parent, nor will never become one. That being said, I find it unfathomable to understand how an individual who has the responsibility for another human life can forget that he/she has a baby in the vehicle with him/her???????

This whole topic is tragic-- however, no matter how far "in the zone" this guy or any other individual was/is, how can he forget that he has responsibility for the baby?

I understand lack of sleep, new baby, up late nights, stressful day at office-- I get it. I don't get how you can go someplace, stop, park and walk out and not check or know that the baby is in the car, either sleeping, crying or just riding along.

Yes, this is MURDER. Yes, there are emotions involved and I am sure that this guy did not want this to turn out as it did. However, I do not understand how he could not remember or recall that he was responsible for another human life.

 

[YMZ PE]

Like DK said, it can happen to anyone. A break in routine, a stressful schedule filled with to-do items, and a sleeping/quietly distracted child can all combine to lead to unintended tragedy.

For those who aren't parents, have you ever experienced "auto-driving"? For example, when you're driving to a meeting or some place in the same direction as your route home, and before you know it you're parked in your driveway with no idea how you missed the exit you were supposed to take? It's kind of like that. Granted the consequences are much, much worse, but we all get comfortable in our routines. Stories like these are a reminder that we can't allow ourselves to become complacent.

 

[Master slacker]

This story always sucks. A friend of mine from high school and college lost his infant this way. He wasn't the one who ever brought the kid to daycare, but this day was different. Long story short, he met the police in the parking lot after he was told something about his car. He was devastated. There are no words that can truly put how crushed he was. His child was gone, he had to defend himself against his wife, the public, and his patients, and he was only in his young 30's. Truly sad.

 

[Lumber Jim]

I am NOT a parent, nor will never become one. That being said, I find it unfathomable to understand how an individual who has the responsibility for another human life can forget that he/she has a baby in the vehicle with him/her???????

This whole topic is tragic-- however, no matter how far "in the zone" this guy or any other individual was/is, how can he forget that he has responsibility for the baby?

I understand lack of sleep, new baby, up late nights, stressful day at office-- I get it. I don't get how you can go someplace, stop, park and walk out and not check or know that the baby is in the car, either sleeping, crying or just riding along.

Yes, this is MURDER. Yes, there are emotions involved and I am sure that this guy did not want this to turn out as it did. However, I do not understand how he could not remember or recall that he was responsible for another human life.

Murder, at it's core, is performed with intent, hate, or even in ignorance. Terrible accidents and mistakes happen everyday. Put yourself in the mindset of having to attended a funeral that was the result of a similar tragedy. ( having to go meaning that you are close enough to feel an obligation to show support)

I'm surprised at what you wrote Solomon. You usually write with so much wisdom. I mean no disrespect. I guess I'd like to understand your point of view better.

 

[solomonb]

Lumber Jim-- I don't know the legal definition of murder or manslaughter. However, I do know the trials, tribulations and tears that many of us have had trying to become parents and nothing, I mean NOTHING working. At that time, you decide, ( we did) that being a parent was not in the cards. More tears and tribulations. Then it is time to move ahead with life!

Then, something like this happens. Many folks take human life and procreation for granted-- i.e., we can reproduce, everyone can reproduce. Well, unfortunately that does not always work out to be the case.

At church last Sunday, we had a fill in speaker. He talked about father's day and fatherhood. Then, he asked everyone to turn and hug-- well, I had no one to hug! Some guy next to me said, "I will hug you" and did!! The lady in the next pew had tears in her eyes as she squeezed my hand-- she had no one to hug either. Ackward? Well, I sure thought so. Goofy-- well, I was more offended than anything else. Sadly, one older lady looked for someone to hug, but nobody came around. Now, this mainline Protestant church is in a major downtown and is not a "Huggy" type of congregation!!! There are some churches that are, this one is not.

Not everyone can have a family-- and it HURTS to the bone when you see something like this happening. OK, it could have been a mistake. This individual will have to live with this for the rest of his natural life-- and there won't be a day that he won't forget. That is probably penalty enough for this action.

 

[Lumber Jim]

^^ I appreciate what you wrote and your perspective. Thank you for sharing. To be honest I sometimes take fatherhood for granted with how hectic life can be. I forget to remember how precious life actually is until I am reminded by accidents like this.(I truly hope that this was an accident)

I can honestly say that I often pray that my family never has to endure an accident like this. We almost did once. 25 years ago my youngest brother almost died under a truck tire. I still check every tire before leaving a place where there might be kids around. A couple of years ago we went to a funeral for a 3 year old member of our church that had a farm accident. Many tears were shed.

I agree with you that the father in the OP article will never forget.

 

[IlPadrino]

To those who can't "imagine how this could happen"... well, it did, and it does. It is no more murder than killing someone by running them over accidentally with a car. A moment of inattention, or a morning of just not thinking. The brain is a complicated thing.

In these cases, there's nothing you can do other than to hug your children tight and hope it doesn't happen to you. And don't say "it can't happen to me!" Because you never know until you know.

 

[engineergurl]

However, I do know the trials, tribulations and tears that many of us have had trying to become parents and nothing, I mean NOTHING working. At that time, you decide, ( we did) that being a parent was not in the cards. More tears and tribulations. Then it is time to move ahead with life!

Then, something like this happens. Many folks take human life and procreation for granted-- i.e., we can reproduce, everyone can reproduce. Well, unfortunately that does not always work out to be the case.

.

As being someone who can actually relate to your situation, I can understand the gut instinct of your first post. I get that feeling often, however it's usually when there is intent to harm, abuse or worse. If the intent is not there, then it's not malicious, but a mistake. Because we aren't parents we don't understand the physical or emotional toll of raising a child- regardless of if we have cared for other peoples children.

I remember years ago I was caring for my niece (about a year and a half old at the time) as a live in nanny and with out getting into details, I remember laying on the floor with her and the wiggles were on tv and we were playing with some blocks and then the next thing I knew I was waking up and she was gone. Granted she had only crawled into the next room and was fine, but my point is, everyone has things like that happen, it's just that many times people are lucky enough to not have tragic consequences.