Woman Uses Son as a Weapon

Recently, we have spent a good deal of bandwidth here on Social Issues discussing various forms of child abuse, from sexual abuse to the senseless murders of five Amish girls in Pennsylvania.

Now, we have news of a woman who, after a night of heavy drinking, grabs her month old son and swings him at the boy's father during an argument, fracturing the child's skull. The child is said to be in a drug-induced coma.

A woman used her 4-week-old baby as a weapon in a domestic dispute, swinging the infant through the air and striking her boyfriend with the child, authorities said.

The boy was in serious but stable condition Monday at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, police said.

"Never, never, never. I can never remember anything like this," District Attorney Bradley Foulk told the Erie Times-News.

Chytoria Graham, 27, of Erie, was charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and simple assault. She was held Monday in the Erie County Jail in lieu of $75,000 bail.

seattlepi.nwsource.com...

I can't wait to hear the defense for this unfathomable act. Post-partum depression would be likely, but somehow I think that is going to sound pretty hollow. At least, I hope so.



[edit on 2006/10/10 by GradyPhilpott]

Whether or not this lady has an mental disorder or not she needs to be held accountable for her actions.
The only question should be where her cell is located will it be in a jail or an mental asylum ?
If the American legal system allows people to get off scott free due to the likes of alleged mental disorders then perhaps Americans need to take a good hard look at there legal system and the leaders that created and alow the legal system to function.

I think tying her to a swing, then slamming said swing into a cement wall a few hundred times should do the trick.

And the man she hit supports her by saying:

"People are trying to make a big deal about it, but she did not do it on purpose. ... It was just a mistake," he said.

A mistake? What? Did she 'mistake' the child for a vase? It's not like she stepped on someone's toe. That's a mistake. Picking up an infant and hurling him at another person is not something one can lightly brush off as "Oops! I made a mistake"!

I hope she is held accountable. I hope her children are removed from her. Who knows what other 'mistakes' she might make where her children are concerned?

This is so sad! Poor baby.

[edit on 10-10-2006 by Benevolent Heretic]

Sorry but this woman should be shot. What is wrong with people?

Gone are the days of Hammurabi but boy those rules would really be useful in these cases.

A northwestern Pennsylvania woman accused of using her baby to batter her child's father said she didn't realize what she was doing until it was too late.
link

I'd say she was doing more than drinking the night before, and toxicology tests need to be taken to determine what other substances were present in her system at the time of the incident.

The first story I read about this said four other children were removed from the home and placed in protective custody. Good.

Her actions are inexcusable. I don't care what the circumstances were, or what kind of danger she was in. The motherhood instinct is to protect her children, not use them as a weapon, for goodness sakes.

[edit on 10-10-2006 by Icarus Rising]

Huh...just when I thought I'd heard it all. This woman is sick...to use a child in this fashion...as a weapon against an adult.

This is a first...I'm rendered wordless...

Originally posted by DDay
Sorry but this woman should be shot. What is wrong with people?

Gone are the days of Hammurabi but boy those rules would really be useful in these cases.

I think that if this was a hamurabi thing, someone would swing her around as a weapon.

Originally posted by Icarus Rising
I'd say she was doing more than drinking the night before, and toxicology tests need to be taken to determine what other substances were present in her system at the time of the incident.

What do you mean? What makes you think anything but alcohol was involved? She was angry, and not thinking clearly. It seems like a drunk to me. Of course toxicology tests would be prudent, but why do you assume she wasn't just drinking?

Originally posted by xpert11
Whether or not this lady has an mental disorder or not she needs to be held accountable for her actions.
The only question should be where her cell is located will it be in a jail or an mental asylum ?
If the American legal system allows people to get off scott free due to the likes of alleged mental disorders then perhaps Americans need to take a good hard look at there legal system and the leaders that created and alow the legal system to function.

If you're found "not guilty by reason of insanity" you don't just get off scott free, you go to a mental institution until you are found to no longer be insane by the court.