Yet another murder...
This one was about 30 minutes from where I used to live. Here's one of the news stories: Morton Mother Charged in Daughter's Death. I think I'm going to be sick. I always am when this stuff happens.
The kid was 3. She was smothered with a bag over her head (I know people in Morton still, one gave me more chilling details than the news will). Her mother will probably get away with it. Why? Because the child was autistic. She was "saving her pain" or some such nonsense.
As much as Autism Speaks and their ghastly new video-yes, talking about killing yourself and your child in front of your child is BRILLIANT, woman-makes it out to be a horror movie, autism isn't that bad. Not being autistic. Not working with autistic kids. Even if they're being difficult because of frustration/overload/not understanding/just being in a bad mood. And at THREE there is no way of knowing what independance skills she would have had, had she been allowed to grow up. According to so many organizations, though, the tragedy of autism is that we have a normal life span. Thanks for the vote of confidence...
This isn't the first time. Joel has a whole page of autistic murders and the nonexistant sentences their killers got. This won't be the last time either.
And the news media, they just blithely report yet another killing, then go on to play another disgusting PSA about what a horror we are. Then they wonder why they have so much death and abuse to report. Look within thyselves. Showing the positive, not just the negative, just may save a life. Or 100 lives. But even that one is worth it.
So I am angry. I am angry at the society that thinks killing people who don't fit the mold is OK. I am angry at the people who actually do it. I am REALLY pissed that it happened in Morton, where the last murder was something like 50 years ago. I'm livid at the media outlets that report these true tragedies, then go on to spew the garbage from Autism Speaks, CAN, et cetera. And I am most pissed off with selfishautiemommies who will do anything to have the "burden" of THEIR CHILD, THEIR FLESH AND BLOOD, and the autism that comes with, be out of their lives.
Were it my choice, she'd fry. And I'm usually anti death penalty.
The kid was 3. She was smothered with a bag over her head (I know people in Morton still, one gave me more chilling details than the news will). Her mother will probably get away with it. Why? Because the child was autistic. She was "saving her pain" or some such nonsense.
As much as Autism Speaks and their ghastly new video-yes, talking about killing yourself and your child in front of your child is BRILLIANT, woman-makes it out to be a horror movie, autism isn't that bad. Not being autistic. Not working with autistic kids. Even if they're being difficult because of frustration/overload/not understanding/just being in a bad mood. And at THREE there is no way of knowing what independance skills she would have had, had she been allowed to grow up. According to so many organizations, though, the tragedy of autism is that we have a normal life span. Thanks for the vote of confidence...
This isn't the first time. Joel has a whole page of autistic murders and the nonexistant sentences their killers got. This won't be the last time either.
And the news media, they just blithely report yet another killing, then go on to play another disgusting PSA about what a horror we are. Then they wonder why they have so much death and abuse to report. Look within thyselves. Showing the positive, not just the negative, just may save a life. Or 100 lives. But even that one is worth it.
So I am angry. I am angry at the society that thinks killing people who don't fit the mold is OK. I am angry at the people who actually do it. I am REALLY pissed that it happened in Morton, where the last murder was something like 50 years ago. I'm livid at the media outlets that report these true tragedies, then go on to spew the garbage from Autism Speaks, CAN, et cetera. And I am most pissed off with selfishautiemommies who will do anything to have the "burden" of THEIR CHILD, THEIR FLESH AND BLOOD, and the autism that comes with, be out of their lives.
Were it my choice, she'd fry. And I'm usually anti death penalty.
posted by Kassiane at 11:36 AM
9 Comments:
I just posted about this and mentioned "the video," too.
Speechless here.
As I said in my post, What's so bad about it?, I wouldn't be devastated if I had an autistic child. Different is very cool, even if it's difficult at times (a lot of the time).
And I say that after having had a difficult day of attempting to communicate with my autistic boyfriend about something I have difficulty communicating to *anyone*.
I'd like to know if the mom who suffocated her child has seen the National Autism Society death butterfly PSA.
What if this woman thought, "I'm running out of time. I needed to get my baby to see Dr. Buttar (Bradstreet, Kartzinel, Wakefield...MIND Institute you name it) a year ago. I have failed as a mother. I don't have the money to get her cured, no money for endless Doctor's Data lab tests and a hyperbaric oxygen tank and sauna for my home, so I'm a failure, might as well put her out of her misery..."
Ugh.
How long do you figure it will be until that video becomes some mother's "inspiration" to kill herself and her child?
Next week maybe? Next month?
On EoHarm Lenny posted a letter or something that said the mom is an MD and she's married. I don't think money was an issue here.
Was she mad that the child was going to make her give up her career? That's one of the messages on the ASA video, "This child ruuuuuuuinnd my career (sniff, wipes away tear)."
More info, thanks to a source about 3 blocks away from the crime scene who's as outraged as I am:
The mother first said she found Katherine in bed, dead.
Then she said she "went into her own little world" and she put the garbage bag over her head to "bring her out".
Finally she confessed to intentionally suffocating Katherine.
This isn't a mother. This is a monster.
The DA isn't going for the death penalty. If it was a typical child, he would be. He's getting a long distance phone call and a local phone call from another possibly, pointing out the hypocricy and brutality.
I'm afraid that video WILL be inspiration for more mothers to kill their kids (fathers too, mothers just do it more). Because, you know, autistic people don't learn and grow and develop and stuff. So it's better to just kill us or something *crosses eyes*.
And it's only going to get worse with the PSAs only being negative. Autism Speaks my ass...
Can you give the DA's contact information? My brain isn't working right to put all the information together to find it, but I've meant to find it (and urge others to use it) for a few days now.
The contact information for the state's attorney's office:
Tazewell County Courthouse
342 Court Street, Suite 6
Pekin, Illinois 61554-3298
(309) 477-2205
At least that's what's on one page. Another page indicates this:
Main Office
Courthouse, Rm. 110
342 Court St.
Pekin, IL 61554
Phone: 309-477-2205
Fax: 309-477-2241
As the main place for things to go.
There's an email for the state's attorney: sa@tazewell.com
and for investigations: sainv@tazewell.com
and for victim/witness services: vservices@tazewell.com
The state's attorney's name is Stewart J. Umholtz. I just emailed and used the first address (wish I knew how to make those hotlinks).
I wrote a letter to Phil Luciano, the columnist who reported on the crime, asking him to please follow up on a story about autism. I am sick to death of autism's bad rep. My son is a beautiful addition to our family and an individual in his own right. I don't know what I'd do without him.
I live close to Morton, and this really hits close to home for us, literally.
I will also help with your "campaign" on the DA's office.
Just give me a few minutes to compose myself....arrrgh.
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