The trial of Karen McCarron, the former pathologist who is charged with killing her three-year-old autistic daughter, Katherine McCarron, has again been postponed, and Tazewell County judge Stephen Kouri is displeased. McCarron is accused of killing her daughter in May of 2006 by suffocating her with a plastic bag. Defense attorney Marc Wolfe asked to postpone the trial, which had been set for October 1, because (as noted in today’s Peoria Journal-Star), “he said his expert medical witness has yet to examine McCarron for a mental evaluation.” The trial has now been set for December 3—which means that Katherine’s family will have to wait even more months.
The article continues:
Kouri berated Wolfe for not having the exam done in the more than one-year time period the case has been open.
Kouri further expressed his frustrations with Wolfe after Wolfe said his medical expert has yet to even meet McCarron in person. Kouri recalled Wolfe’s comment in June that the exam and a report of its findings would be done in September. On Friday, when Wolfe said he didn’t remember making that statement, Kouri offered to bring out the court record.
“Do you want me to get the transcript?” he asked Wolfe.
Wolfe said Friday the exam will take several weeks to complete.
“I can’t for the life of me understand how it takes your expert six months to come up with a report,” Kouri said.
Kevin Johnson, chief assistant Tazewell County state’s attorney, said he would have liked to object to Wolfe’s request to postpone but couldn’t because McCarron is entitled to the exam.
Kouri said the state’s attorney’s office has been more than cooperative with Wolfe.
“I think they’re being taken advantage of here to the point it’s causing more concerns in my mind,” he said.
In a videotaped confession in a hospital shortly after Katherine was killed, McCarron is alleged to have said that she was overwhelmed, that she “wanted a life without autism,” and “wanted to take the autism out” of her daughter. She also referred to Katherine as a “‘tough nut to crack‘”:
“I didn’t know what to do . . . she was not learning at a rate I would expect . . .”
McCarron went on to tell Morton police Katherine “Katie” McCarron was “detached,” mentally disconnected and being vocal May 13, 2006, the day she allegedly killed her.
“It’s just really heartbreaking,” McCarron confessed of Katie’s disconnect.
“Autism left me hollow.”
McCarron is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of obstructing justice and one count of concealment of a homicidal death and is free on a $1 million bond.
There is often a large gap between what one dreamed of their child being and the reality of an individual child.
I wish this woman would have sought help when she first had difficulty reconciling this gap and readjusting her parental pride.
My youngest son has autism and after 20 years, I love him more each day as I discover the remarkable person I have been blessed to parent. This woman has missed the opportunity to know her wonderful daughter, because parental pride and parental expectations were put before love and acceptance. The details of this crime are heart breaking; an innocent child killed by the one whom is suppossed to love and protect. This woman has lost her life as she knew it, most of all she has lost the opportunity to know her remarkable daughter with autism.
[...] daughter Katherine on May 13, 2006, will start on December 3. McCarron’s trial has been postponed five times. As reported in today’s Daily Herald, Judge Steve Kouri ruled that McCarron not [...]
Speedy trial is a right of the accused, and is nearly always waived in order to give themselves time to build a strong defense.
This whole story just makes me sick. I keep trying to rationalize that maybe the poor child is actually better off now than she was with a mother who loathed her very existence, but of, course, there is no comfort in a rationale like this. This woman should be left in jail for the rest of her sad life, left with nothing to think about but what she did to her own child, and how free and happy she AND her daughter might be today if she hadn’t given into her unhappiness. There is no excuse for what she did. None whatsoever.
After 15 or 16 months, one has to wonder how many expert witnesses have been called upon to support an insanity plea and have said no. Which considering the amount of money experts are paid to testify is rather surprising. It looks like that most recent candidate has not even had the time to meet her.
Justice delayed is justice denied.
I think we have one of the finest legal systems in the world in the US. Unfortunately, we don’t always have one of the best justice systems.
Joe
UGH.
The poor family.
What happened to speedy trials?