Son of Mo. woman fused to chair pleads to abuse

Thursday, September 20, 2012

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City man pleaded guilty pleaded guilty to elder abuse after his 74-year-old mother was left sitting in a vinyl recliner for so long that her skin fused to the chair, forcing her to be pried out to be taken to a hospital after an apparent stroke.

James Owens, 53, of Independence, was sentenced to a year in jail Wednesday after pleading guilty in Jackson County Circuit Court. Owen, who was caring for his mother, also admitted to forging his mother’s signature on her Social Security check and cashing it four days after her death.

Police were called after Owens’ mother, Carol Brown, was taken to a hospital last October and found to have a maggot infestation inside an open wound around her ankle, according to a court document.

Owens told a state official he had left his mother in the chair for five days without helping her get up to use the bathroom or bathe because he was honoring her wishes to die in her Independence home. Owens said he did give the woman tomato and chicken noodle soup, the court document said.

The court document also described Brown as a “rotting corpse that was still breathing” and said her home was “filthy with a heavy smell of bodily fluids and feces.”

Owens initially was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker issued a statement Wednesday saying that the state was required to reduce the charge after learning the victim had told other family members just days before her death that she refused medical care.

“This testimony prevented the state from proving that the defendant was responsible for her death by failing to provide adequate medical care,” Baker said. “This testimony was only recently discovered by prosecutors.”

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eileen10 8 months, 1 week ago

5 days? Skin fused to the chair? Maggot infestation? Pardon me while I puke. That poor woman went through hell and the son gets a slap on the wrist. Bah.

Paroquet 8 months, 1 week ago

In all reality, the maggots probably saved her leg, if not her life. Maggot therapy is common in the UK for patients with putrefying leg sores and bed sores, common to sedentary diabetics. Maggots only eat dead flesh and won't attack live tissues.

However, their presence was definite evidence she wasn't being properly cared for.

As to it being a slap on the wrist, consider the following: The dfdt. claimed he was honoring his mother's dying wish. His testimony was corroborated by relatives.

Do I think she died under care becoming a death with dignity? No. But I'd be hard pressed to call it abuse. Neglect, maybe. I've been around elderly folks who were quite violent in resisting even basic attempts at maintaining a reasonable level of hygiene once they've made up their mind about crossing-over. In this instance, there aren't enough details of the case contained in the article to make an informed judgment. I can believe, however, that prosecution and defense took their sweet time getting to information pertinent to the case. Especially the pros. filing the wrong charge initially. Tsk-tsk boy. Your oath says you'll prosecute zealously, not blindly. The dfdt. made testimony you should have investigated in the interest of prosecuting the truth as it was, not as you wished it to be. Shame.

John 8 months, 1 week ago

There is a vast difference between medical maggots and maggots occurring in a filth infested environment.

JMO 8 months, 1 week ago

I'm not a doctor, but I'm darn sure it takes more than five days for your skin to fuse to vinyl! Vinyl isn't even porous. I have no problem with the concept that she wished to deny medical attention and die at home. But, to leave her in her own excrement and without care? That's denying her the most basic dignity. It's inhuman.

eileen10 8 months, 1 week ago

There is a bit more info from the Kansas City Star. The house had to be bull dozed because it was uninhabitable. The crew who were at the house had to wear gas masks. What I'm wondering is if there were any family members or neighbors or someone who visited this woman. Leg fusion to chair would take longer than 5 days and when she was pulled from the chair her skin was left behind. There are few things that put me over the edge. This is one of them. I just wish there was more info. I guess it wouldn't really matter because the woman is dead but the son cashed her check after she died so that leads me to believe he sure wasn't caring for her out of love. Not to mention she was a rotting corpse that was still breathing and when the body is in that condition it means she lacked food which means she was probably confused, to weak to move and I question if she was even able to talk. If thats the case how could she tell her relatives what she wanted? I worked as a nurse and ran across one case of severe elder abuse. That woman was also a rotting piece of flesh and she wasn't lucid due to starvation and lack of care. Yes I get upset. Very, very, very upset.

Paroquet 8 months, 1 week ago

You are right and proper in your assessment. I wouldn't deny that. The black and white of it is callous, and unfortunately there's no denying that either. As to the forging of a signature on a federally issued check...nail 'em. Hard. Make up for what you cannot, like hitting Capone on tax evasion rather than everything else where your ground is dicey.

And yeah. I'm always for better journalism. Sensationalism and playing to a "base" might be good marketing, but it's not good reporting. I feel sorry for the journalists who must swallow having their integrity stymied.

eileen10 8 months ago

Paroquet, you are one in a million and I respect you and everything you say. I'll never fully understand how some people can be so cruel and uncaring. It includes human beings of all ages and animals that are abused and/or killed. Their monsters. Evil monsters.

eileen10 8 months ago

That doesn't make sense but I think you know what I mean.I just got home after spending the evening with a sick friend and I'm tired.

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