Thursday, 4:30 PM
Hull parents charged with murder seek bail
By John R. Ellement, Globe staff
Defense attorneys argued today in court that a Hull couple charged with murdering their 4-year-old should be granted bail because they merely followed a doctor’s advice when they gave their daughter medication.
The attorneys, Michael Bourbeau and John Darrell, blamed Dr. Kayoko Kifuji, the psychiatrist who diagnosed Rebecca Riley and prescribed her drugs for attention deficit and bipolar disorders. The attorneys rejected the accusations of prosecutors in Hingham District Court that Carolyn and Michael Riley intentionally poisoned their daughter by overmedicating her with clonadine, a blood pressure medication sometimes prescribed to hyperactive children.
"The error here is by Dr. Kifuji and not the Rileys," said Darrell, who represents Michael Riley.
Judge Patrick Hurley did not immediately issue a ruling, and both parents will continue to be held without bail. Today's proceeding did not resolve any legal issues, but it offered a glimpse into the complexities of the case. The Rileys have been charged with first-degree murder.
Frank Middleton, a Plymouth County assistant district attorney, said Rebecca's parents obtained 200 more tablets than prescribed and used the excess medication to poison the girl. In addition, Middleton argued, it was criminal that the parents did not get medical help for their daughter the last few days before she died.
Rebecca's death was "painful, elongated, and obvious," Middleton said.
Bourbeau, who is defending Carolyn Riley, disputed the prosecution's claims. He said Rebecca's parents were following the doctor's orders when they gave her roughly four pills a day. Carolyn Riley requested additional medication after pills were lost when the family moved from Weymouth to Hull, but it was not 200, Bourbeau said.
"The family did everything possible for their children," Bourbeau said. "This is the kind of toxic medicine that should not be prescribed to children."
