Mother who threw children off pier acquitted of murder

**THL** · 10 Jan 07,, 02:58

Two words:

Firing...Squad

I am fully sickened. Her picture here looks like she just got away with something and knows it.

Mother who threw children off pier acquitted of murder

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- A woman who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity after throwing her three children into San Francisco Bay was acquitted Tuesday of first-degree murder but convicted of assault.

The jury continued deliberating the possibility of convicting LaShuan Harris, 24, of second-degree murder or manslaughter. Jurors must also decide whether Harris was legally sane when she killed her children.

The assault charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Harris has been accused of killing 6-year-old Trayshawn Harris, 2-year-old Taronta Greely Jr. and 16-month-old Joshua Greely. She threw the boys into the chilly bay October 19, 2005. Prosecutors have said they won't seek the death penalty.

In her videotaped confession, Harris described how she struggled with two of her boys as she stripped them and plunged them from Pier 7, where tourists stroll along the waterfront. Her youngest boy laughed, thinking it was a game.

One of the bodies was recovered, but the others were never found.

Her lawyer said Harris had schizophrenia, was borderline mentally retarded and was convinced she was sending her children to heaven.

But prosecutors said Harris claimed God told her to make a human sacrifice. And because she chose to kill her children instead of herself, she should be found guilty of murder, they said.

Prosecutor Linda Allen said jurors would probably feel sorry for Harris but urged them to use their heads, not their hearts.

"I don't expect you to have a cold heart, but to have a rational mind," Allen said.

According to her lawyer, Harris was placed in a psychiatric hospital six times between February 2004 and August 2005, and her mother warned a social worker that she would hurt her children. But the social worker didn't believe her, Caffese said.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/01/09/ch....ap/index.html

**ArmchairGeneral** · 10 Jan 07,, 03:01

I don't know. Sounds like a pure dee nutcase to me.

**gunnut** · 10 Jan 07,, 19:13

Of course she's in San Francisco. 'Nuff said.

**Dreadnought** · 10 Jan 07,, 19:18

Tie her arms behind her back and weight her feet enough said.

**bonehead** · 11 Jan 07,, 06:44

Just sickening. There are a lot of efft up people in California and I pray every day they stay there.

**Brian Douglas** · 13 Jan 07,, 14:00

This case highlights the serious problems that many US states have in the field of child protection, which in this case was NON existant. As a direct result children loose their lives. I get many reports from around the globe of child care disasters and many US social service departments have up to 3 month backlogs on cases reported. In this time children suffer further abuse and as in this case loose their life.
The Mother gets what she deserves life in prison, but it wont bring the children back.
Brian..

**Asim Aquil** · 13 Jan 07,, 20:48

You can't charge a nut case like that with first degree murder.

As Brian points out this was a child protection disaster. A mentally ill mother should not have been kept responsible for the children. They need to be prosecuted too.

**~~Salma_007~~** · 14 Jan 07,, 11:24

crazy

**Brian Douglas** · 14 Jan 07,, 11:35

Originally Posted by Salma_007

crazy

Well said Salma. I agree!
Brian..

**tankie** · 14 Jan 07,, 12:44

If she was mentally ill ????, why was she allowed to have children in the first place ?

oops silly me , its a human right , just like the ones her kids used to have, this sort of thing makes me so

its a shame passers by didnt send her to rescue them .