The Huntsville Times. Can College Sports Get More Absurd Than SMU Joining the Pac-12? Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. An Unforgettable Texas Tale of Envy, Embezzlement, and Fruitcake, How the Texas Rangers Became One of the Most Powerful Forces in the State. I was shocked and saddened to hear of Dabney's premature death last week. But was this churchgoing young woman a vicious child killer? CORPUS CHRISTI - Early on Oct. 3, 2006, the morning after her neighbor Hannah Overton had rushed a dying 4-year-old boy to a nearby urgent care clinic, Kathi Haller got a visit from police. Does anybody remember that? Guest Book Not sure what to say? Larry taught Sunday school, Hannah led a Bible study, and their children, whom Hannah homeschooled, attended youth group and socialized with other members kids. He was a great classmate and teamate at St Christopher's. Left: Andrew and Isabel playing together. The defense presented the jury with a medical mystery. New medical evidence shows that Hannah Overton did not force her 4-year-old foster son Andrew Burd to ingest large amounts of salt, causing his death in 2006 and her to serve a life sentence. That was the most uncomfortable service I have ever done. How had Hannah, who was six months pregnant and recovering from whiplash, managed to overpower Andrew? After a week-long trial, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to 23 years in prison. Hannah, who was left with whiplash and a severely swollen jaw, spent the next several weeks immobilized by a neck brace, mostly confined to bed. Larry called out that dinner was ready, and we gathered inside around a rough-hewn oak table he had made years ago. I wish you and your family peace in this difficult time. Larry left for work the following morning, and Hannah, who was still in considerable pain from the car accident, gave Andrew and Sebastian breakfast before bringing them into bed with her to watch cartoons. My infrequent visits to my home of Richmond were always highlighted when I ran into Dabney and spend some time to catch up with one another. Not long after his arrest, a grand jury upgraded the charges against him to capital murder, and he feared that he too might face life in prison. (CPS had not yet sent them his Social Security card, which they needed to get him insured.) After he completed his probation, the charges were dismissed. The children liked to hang out in her room and talk to her, particularly Andrew, who always visited her for an extra hug before bedtime. There was no evidence of external bleeding or injuries to Andrews head, however, and at a pre-trial hearing, Fernandez conceded that the hemorrhaging could have been related to elevated sodium in the blood. . The boys symptoms that afternoonvomiting, chills, and lethargyinitially suggested to the Overtons that he had a routine ailment, like a stomach bug. Andrews preoccupation with eating intensified, and he began getting out of bed at night to forage for food in the kitchen. Mr. Overton was also very active in the local chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous. Overton had to have a blood transfusion and her new. As you know, Dabney and I had a lot of good times and he was a dear friend and fraternity brother. And thanks for the movie, even though it was kind of weird. All those that I know who knew Dabney will miss him greatly. I am a better person for knowing him. They chattered about an upcoming birthday party and discussed the merits of their favorite colors, finishing each others sentences between slurps of soup. According to the ministry's website, Syndeo Ministries helps provide women in prison support including Bible studies, visitation and aftercare. Published in Legacy from Nov. 11 to Nov. 12, 2009. Dabney and I had spirited conversations about baseball. She would later admit, according to one report, to using alcohol, methamphetamines, cocaine and crack cocaine, LSD, marijuana, cigarettes, and taking prescription Xanax. His father was seventeen and worked for a traveling carnival. I am sad that I won't see my friend Dabney again in this life here on Earth. I wouldnt give up that time we had with him and that he had with us., As we sat across from each other in the dayroom, Hannah and I discussed her case and the anguish that had consumed her following Andrews death. Hannah did describe how she and Larry had at first tried to treat the boys symptoms themselves, often volunteering more information than the detective had asked for. . Both Larry and Hannah had done missionary work, and as a teenager, Hannah had spent holidays volunteering at an orphanage across the border, in Reynosa, where she had fed, bathed, and ministered to kids who had been living on the streets. But after the girls, the Overtons conceived their fourth child, Sebastian. I am truly saddened to hear of Dabney's sudden passing. He was a good friend and a great dancer!! And anyone who loves dogs as much as Dabney did is a special soul indeed. Then he asked for more. If convicted, Hannah would receive an automatic life sentence. Support The National Registry of Exonerations , The Contribution of Forensic and Expert Evidence to DNA Exoneration Cases, Race and Wrongful Convictions in the United States, 2022, Government Misconduct and Convicting the Innocent, Witness Recantations: Preliminary Findings, May 2013, Exonerations in the United States: 1989 - 2012, Tell us about an Exoneration that we missed. Not the brightest thing to do, Larry conceded. After he completed his probation, the charges were dismissed. Had Andrew sat among them, I realized, he would have been nine years old. Andrews foster mother, who had provided refuge to roughly three hundred children over three decades, was also supportive. According to Haller, he told her, Look, shes pregnant and she has all these kids, but it was just too much for her. She is amazing!". lakers celebrity seating chart 2019 bottle caps candy root beer only bottle caps candy root beer only OBITUARY - HANNAH OVERTON (HUNTINGDONSHIRE) Bowls England regrets to inform you that former Women's Junior International captain Hannah Overton passed away on 23rd December at the age of 28, after. He died at 9:30 p.m. As a frequent witness for the state in child abuse cases, Cortes was not in the habit of reaching out to defense attorneys, but he was so angered by the verdict that he picked up the phone. I feel sad. He seemed a peaceful man. In his role as single dad, he is aided by his extended family and his many friends from Calvary Chapel, who pitch in to do cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, and babysitting. He was a very sweet and kind person. Sending hope that your healing is swift. After her shift ends in the late morning, there are letters to write home, in which she tries to stay present in her childrens lives by choreographing what she can from a distance. A unique and lasting tribute for a loved one. He is survived by : his children, Valerie Overton Castano (John), Glenn Overton (Donna) and Allen Overton (Amy); his grandchildren, Morgan Castano Petty (Kyle), Jordan Castano, Zack Castano (Andie), Julia Overton Kahsar (Alex), Alyssa Overton McSteen (Dylan) and Drake Overton; his great grandchildren, Overton Petty, Cotten Petty, Davant Petty, Preston McSteen and Layton Kahsar; his brothers-in-law, Bruce Preston Cotten and Grant Cotten; his friends, Jimmy, Sarah Trado, Joyce, Jerry Dellinger, Betty Jo Mullis and Bob Butler; and also, Scott and Tana Lloyd. He was a Southern Gentleman and true Virginian who touched the hearts of many. See our Cookie Policy. That official statement granted her access to state funds that are provided to the wrongfully convicted and also prevented her from being tried for the crime again. He displayed hyperactive behavior and possibly had some cognitive delays as well. The doctors assessment of Andrew as developmentally delayed was significant because it dovetailed with Hannahs testimony. On October 3, while Andrew was still hospitalized, the agency removed Isaac, Isabel, Ally, and Sebastian from their parents custody, placing them in two separate foster homes in Beeville, sixty miles away. Today I will thank God that I knew Dabney, if only a little. ), As the Overtons wait on the appellate courts, Larry goes about the task of raising their five children, while also trying to rebuild his business. For us to go to [the clinic] was a lot faster than it would have been had we called, at that point., As we talked about Andrew, she had to stop several times to compose herself. The intentional poisoning of a child is usually perpetrated with sedatives, anticonvulsants, or medications like injectable insulin, not food, he told me. Ive seen doctors and nurses freeze up when a patient comes in convulsing or in extremis, he said. According to Hannah, Andrew once again asked for an early lunch, and once again, when she told him that he would have to wait, he defecated and smeared feces across the floor. In 2007, Hannah Overton was sentenced to life in prison for the death of her 4-year-old foster son. He visited us in the country and brought his serinity along. She is also pregnant with her sixth child. He had a speech disorder called echolalia, which is one of the things we see typically in children who have autism spectrum disorders. While Larry tried to scrub down the bedroom, Andrew pulled his sheets out of the trash several times, despite repeated warnings not to do so. ABC News has followed Overton and her husband's story since her original trial. Knowing Hannah, it was inconceivable that she would ever hurt a child, said Noreen. Despite all the pain, she told me that if she could do it over again, she would not change their decision to bring Andrew into their home. I was just trying to fix itto do anything I could to fix my baby, she said. But at a hearing on the defenses motion for a new trial, Eastwood stated under oath that Cortes had always been a passionate advocate for the prosecution; he had even remarked to her that he thought Hannah should fry. Cortes does not dispute that story. OVERTON, Dabney III, died peacefully on Monday, November 9, 2009 surrounded by family and friends. An attorney-client relationship will arise between you and our firm only if we specifically agree to act for you. Then, abruptly, Andrew grew quiet and stumbled to the floor. She found him standing on a stool in the pantry, near the baking ingredients, having pulled something off the shelf. memorial page for Hannah Ester Hall Overton (1660-1732), Find a Grave Memorial ID 160804572; Burial Details Unknown; . Isaac read John 9 aloud while Larry helped him sound out the difficult words (synagogue, Pharisees). Leave them blank to get signed up. I will always remember Dabney's love of animals, nature and good music. He was such a kind person and always had a smile on his face. Overtons current defense attorney, Cynthia Orr, told ABC News she was thrilled to get the call from Skurka announcing his motion to dismiss had been granted by the judge. His mothers and fathers parental rights were terminated soon after he turned three. I dont see what caused the trauma to the brain, he said. Right, a photo of Andrew Burd held by Larry Overton. A comment someone made was that it appeared that this child had been in a fight with a porcupine, the physician stated. My husband enjoyed sailing with him at FBYC and running into him during a few running events in Richmond. The Overtons live in East Texas and told ABC News they have housed and supported prisoners after their release through their non-profit organization, Syndeo Ministries. Dabney was one of those people that are angels without wings. . Throughout the trial, Eastwood had suggested that the Overtons had withheld food as part of a larger pattern of abuse, and as she addressed the jury, she insisted that Andrew had scavenged for food because he was hungry. I shall miss him greatly. Updated: June 20, 2015 . Channel Three, Channel Six, Channel Ten, the Caller-Timesthey all knew ahead of time, Gilmore said. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Overton had to have a blood transfusion and her new daughter spent a few days in a neonatal intensive care unit. Now they can move forward, grieve the loss of Andrew, and heal, Orr said. In the context of a criminal investigation, the calm that she had always exhibited in the midst of crisis was suddenly a liabilityan indication, perhaps, that she was cold-blooded enough to have killed a child. Meny Lukk national monument bank uk; will arnett brothers and sisters I was truly saddened to hear of Dabney's passing. Dabney is survived by his sister, Hannah Overton; and nieces Emma and Lizzie Schmidt, all of Tappahannock; a half-sister Mallory Overton McKendry of Jacksonville, Fla.; and his father, Dabney Overton Jr. of Harrisonburg. I enjoyed each conversation we had about fishing, sailing and other things we both were interest in. After drinking a little, he threw another tantrum that continued unabated for twenty minutes. Frustrated with a naughty child, prosecutors said, she tried to punish him with seasoning mixed in water. I pray that you will bring Mom home soon.. Both sides worked hard independently to determine the truth and achieve justice for the Overton family, the entire family. There was a dead child, he observed. At the time, Overton had four children and was pregnant with a fifth, and had no prior trouble with the law. He acted more like a toddler than a preschooler, they noted; if he wanted an object, he pointed to it and grunted. Good-night kisses, bedtime stories, playing in the yard, birthdays, loose teeth, Christmas plays . Preceded in death by his mother Hannah Spencer Haile Overton and infant brother Charles. Submit an Obituary . The Overtons rushed him to a nearby urgent care clinic after his breathing became labored and he stopped responding to their questions, but by the time they arrived, he had fallen unconscious. He was such a kind person, always with a smile on his face and a warm hug. The Overtons already had four children, and Larrys incomehe installed landscape lightingwas barely enough to make ends meet. Despite all the pain, she told me that if she could do it over again, she would not change their decision to bring Andrew into their home. The passenger side of their old Ford van was not equipped with an air bag, and Hannah, who had pulled down her seat belt so she could turn to talk to the kids, was jolted forward, her face hitting the dashboard. He was a good guy and a good friend. (Andrew was told that he could not have any food at McDonalds, since he had already eaten.) All rights reserved. At Sunday school, he became more expressive, stringing words into sentences and holding hands with his new sister Ally. Reaching for his shoes, he announced, I can do all things. Larry remembered, We felt like we were really making headway with him.. And how had she forced him to choke down the lethal slurry through a sippy cupa drinking container that is, by design, able to release its contents only when sucked on? Here are the tributes to Jonah Lee Overton. The prosecutions most persuasive testimony came from Rotta, the pediatric critical care specialist who had originally expressed concern that Andrew had been mistreated. Yet according to the unusual wording of the jury charge, jurors had to believe just one of two scenarios to find Hannah guilty: that she deliberately made Andrew ingest a lethal amount of salt or that she purposely neglected to get timely medical attention, knowing that this would kill him. We had been told to expect a lot of the things we were seeing with Andrew, Larry told me. We thought that he would stop turning to food for comfort when he learned that he could trust us.. I feel happy. Diane and Peter. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. His foster mother, Hannah Overton, was charged with capital. Or had the tragedy claimed its second victim? Hannahwho had already lost a child and was now living apart from her four older oneswas in a fragile state of mind. At first, the transition with Andrew went smoothly. I remember him as a fun loving gentle person that loved life. And Eastwood was fired from the DAs office in 2010. If anything had been wrong, I would have known it, she insisted. Hannah and Larry had taken her in after her marriage ended in divorce, giving her their extra bedroom while she got back on her feet. Heritage Funeral Home 3700 Forest Lawn Dr, Matthews, NC 28104, Weddington Methodist Church 13901 Providence Rd, Weddington, NC 28104. Over the course of the three-week-long trial, Eastwood sought to convince jurors that a mother with no history of violence or mental illness had force-fed her child to deatha scenario that each prosecution witness helped, incrementally, to suggest was possible.