Sad story

[Parts]

Mom confesses to killing autistic child

Fri Jan 11, 1:43 PM ET

PEKIN, Ill. - A mother distraught over dealing with her 3-year-old daughter's autism said in a videotaped confession played in court that she suffocated the child with a plastic bag, hoping to "fix her" and give her peace in heaven.

The toddler had scratch marks on the sides of her head and bite marks were found inside her mouth and on the garbage bag as she apparently attempted to free herself, according to testimony in the murder trial of Karen McCarron.

McCarron told investigators in the taped confession played Thursday that she wrapped the white plastic bag around little Katherine's head as the child played with toys on the floor at the home of McCarron's mother.

"I didn't wake up that morning thinking I was going to do this," McCarron said on the video, calling her actions a "spur of the moment" idea. "It was just so fast. Everything happened so fast."

McCarron, 39, a former pathologist, made the confession on May 15, 2006, two days after she allegedly killed Katherine, police said. The confession was taken while McCarron was a patient at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria after attempting suicide, investigators said.

Wearing a hospital gown, she appears sitting on a bed next to her husband, Paul McCarron.

"Maybe I could fix her this way, and in heaven she would be complete," she said.

Karen McCarron has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murder, obstructing justice and concealment of a homicidal death. She has been found mentally fit to stand trial, but a medical expert hired by her attorneys has said McCarron was insane at the time of the killing.

Prosecutors rested their case Thursday after testimony from forensic pathologist Violette Hnilica, who performed the autopsy on Katherine's body.

The child had teeth marks on the insides of her lips, a bite mark on her tongue and signs of pressure against her mouth, Hnilica testified. Katherine also had scratch marks on the sides of her head which were likely self-inflicted as she struggled to remove the bag from her face, Hnilica said.

Katherine died one to four minutes after her oxygen was cut off, Hnilica said.

Karen McCarron said on the videotape that she took her daughter's body back to her own house and put her in bed. She then went to the store, bought ice cream and returned to her mother's home to get the garbage bag because, "if things get bad, their house would be searched."

Interviewers asked McCarron if she knew what she did was criminally wrong.

"I have enough education to know that," she answered.

McCarron told police she felt like a failure because of the child's autism and was heartbroken when she failed at simple tasks.

She said she began having thoughts of hurting the child a year before the slaying but put them out of her mind. On the day of the killing, though, the thoughts were stronger than ever, according to the videotaped confession.

"They were so intense," she said.

McCarron said she couldn't accept her daughter's autism, felt like a failure because of it and was sad and hurt because the child couldn't interact with her very well.

"I loved Katie very much, but I hated the autism so, so much," McCarron said. "I hated what it was doing to her. ... I just wanted autism out of my life."

Sad story and this from a supposedly educated woman.  This is why I always worry about people who want to "fix" autism.  I sure she was going through a lot but haven't we all

[garmonbozia]

I think if I got a hold of that "mom", I'd use something much worse than a plastic bag on her.  A lynching, perhaps?

Also...  I'm sure you've all heard about how the men most likely to get their asses kicked in jail are cops and pedophiles.  I once heard that for women, it's child abusers, which I assume includes people who kill their kids.  What I heard was that the ass-kickings are administered by all the incarcerated prostitutes who had been whoring to support a kid.  I hope they put McCarron in general population, and that her blanket party gets caught on surveillance video, smuggled out, and posted on YouTube.

[Callaway]

 

That is really sad, Parts.

I can't imagine a mother doing that to a child.

[Parts]

I can't imagine doing that to anyone    It makes me worry and they say we are the weird ones

[Tristeza]

Also...  I'm sure you've all heard about how the men most likely to get their asses kicked in jail are cops and pedophiles.  I once heard that for women, it's child abusers, which I assume includes people who kill their kids.  What I heard was that the ass-kickings are administered by all the incarcerated prostitutes who had been whoring to support a kid. 

No fucking doubt.  She'll be in for it.

[Dexter Morgan]

Sounds like one of Dexter's potential victims.