Deliberations to continue Wednesday in Haleigh Poutre case

November 25, 2008 04:41 PM Email| Comments (3)| Text size – +

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD -- The jury in the child-abuse trial of Haleigh Poutre's stepfather recessed today at about 3:30 p.m. without reaching a verdict.

The judge received a note from the panel saying one of the jurors was "not feeling well" and wanted to stop deliberations for the day. Hampden County Superior Court Judge Judd Carhart read the note aloud in the courtroom without giving the name of the juror who felt sick.

The judge immediately excused all jurors and asked them to return Wednesday at 9 a.m. The 12-member jury has one alternate.

The panel in the trial of Jason Strickland began deliberations on Monday afternoon, when they met for about an hour before recessing at 4 p.m. Today, they discussed the case for about six hours.

A juror at the center of a controversy earlier this week asked this morning to speak to the judge. The tow truck operator had a private conversation with the judge and then joined the panel to resume deliberations.

The juror had been allegedly overheard talking about the case this weekend in a bar, saying that the panel thought the stepfather was "not guilty." Jurors are not supposed to discuss the case with anyone prior to the start of formal deliberations.

On Monday, the judge questioned the juror and he denied having had any such conversation in the bar. Despite the prosecutor's request to dismiss that juror, the judge kept him on the panel.

In the three-week trial, prosecutors depicted Strickland and his wife, Holli, as abusers who inflicted horrendous harm on Haleigh over a five-year period. The alleged abuse culminated in September 2005 with a near-fatal head injury that put her into a coma.

Holli Strickland, who was Haleigh's adoptive mother, was also charged, but she died in an apparent murder-suicide shortly after the Stricklands were arrested by police. While Haleigh was in a coma, the state sought to remove her life support and triggered a national end-of-life controversy.

The girl, now 14, has recovered to the point where she can speak simple sentences and feed herself. She attends a day school in a Brighton pediatric rehabilitation center.

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3 comments so far...

I sure do hope the "murder- suicide" of Holli and Holli's mother (Haleigh's grandmother) received proper focus by the defense during this trial. Because of the timing of this event, I have never been able to shake the feeling that therein lies the truth to the abuse.

Posted by S. C. Lewis November 25, 08 06:20 PM

It is very sad that the babysitter is not being charged. Why aren't the
teachers on trial? Or the Dr. who Haleigh went to weekly for Dr. appoitments?
And the Social worker who had made regular visits to the Stricklan home?
DSS should had taken the numerous complaints seriously. It is very sad
all the people who were supposed to be helping Haleigh failed. And her
sister who relied on memory. The Child Wefare System is very broked in many
ways. It should never come to this.

Posted by Maureen November 25, 08 09:14 PM

What was the proof that the father was directly involved in the abuse? I find it very hard to convict a person on theory and not fact. He may be stupid but that should not make him guilty. And possibly get 30 years.

Posted by Steve November 27, 08 12:09 PM