Those were great times. It was like they were arresting Bonnie and Clyde, Gilmore said. Nevertheless, the idea that Andrew had sustained a head injury propelled the case forward, further casting Hannah as an abuser. Because the court has not been inclined to intercede so far, members of Calvary Chapel have begun a letter-writing campaign to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles in hopes of securing a pardon or a commutation. Judge rejects claims in salt-poisoning case - MySA Theres An App for That. (You can just tell by looking at her how evil she is, one wrote.) The boy was diagnosed with a toxic salt overdose and died the following day. According to juror number three, a high school English teacher named Margaret Warfield, that was not the case. Loose teeth, first day of kindergarten, last day of kindergarten. Write your message of sympathy today. So I got to see that.. "I'm very thankful that this compensation is finally coming through," Overton told ABC News. But law enforcement and emergency medical personnel who treated Andrew thought otherwise. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. 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. Larry outside his family's home, in Corpus Christi, on November 22. He was preceded in death by his mother, Hannah Spencer Haile Overton and infant brother, Charles. (After his arrest, he lost most of his clients. On October 2, 2006, 29-year-old Hannah Overton and her husband, Larry brought Andrew Burd, their four-year-old foster son whom they were in the process of adopting, to a hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas after the boy stopped breathing. . 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. 'We all miss her' - tributes to Peterborough teacher and bowls player Then, as always, Hannah had been composed, despite the strain she was under. He felt at ease around her; his favorite thing to do was sit on her lap and rest his mouth on her cheek, and she gladly obliged. Hannahwho had already lost a child and was now living apart from her four older oneswas in a fragile state of mind. Before she was led away in handcuffs, the couple embraced for several minutes, overcome with emotion. But there were many other things she had missed from behind bars. Hannah Overton, a south Texas mother of five whose wrongful conviction for the 2006 death of her foster son was overturned last year, is expected to receive over $500,000 in compensation from the state for the years she spent in jail. If anything had been wrong, I would have known it, she insisted. By that point, they had already been shown numerous photos of Andrews small, bruised body postmortem. A more thorough investigation would have uncovered ample evidence to suggest that Andrew had an undiagnosed eating disorder, raising the possibility that he had unintentionally consumed too much salt on his own. Perplexed, Larry installed a baby monitor equipped with a video camera in the boys room so that he and Hannah could observe if Andrew was wandering into the kitchen at night. Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. Witnesses outside the home said they had seen Andrew's bizarre habits, too. 3 Memories Hannah Overton Overton Hannah Jayne Passed away peacefully at Thorpe Hall on the 23rd December 2018 aged 28 years. I am truly shocked and saddened to hear of Dabney's passing. Sitting in the courtroom, she tried to explain how she had failed to recognize that Andrews condition was life-threatening. As I read the comments of so many I realize he touched everyone's lives just the same. Financially, the accident had come at a precarious time; Larry had recently purchased his bosss landscape lighting business, and he needed to put in long hours just to make ends meet. a few minutes before we actually took him in, she testified. There was a time when I questioned how God could allow this to happen, she said. The family will receive friends Tuesday, November 23, 2021 from 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Cullman Funeral Home. Their arrests came so quickly after Andrew died, they said, that they had no time to grieve for the boy they hoped to permanently make a part of their family. Ive seen doctors and nurses freeze up when a patient comes in convulsing or in extremis, he said. Larry called out that dinner was ready, and we gathered inside around a rough-hewn oak table he had made years ago. I was convinced that we were in the presence of a crime.. Copyright 2023 GRB Studio | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions The daughter of a pastor and a homemaker, she had grown up longing for the companionship and boisterous energy of the big, churchgoing families she saw around her. I see Dabney very clearly at the dog park with Moose and Betsy, gliding along with that long stride of his and his big smile for everyone. I am sad that I won't see my friend Dabney again in this life here on Earth. Overton had to have a blood transfusion and her new. Hannah Overton and her family spend Christmas together for the first time in seven years. Now, she is 8 years old. Larry and Hannah were granted supervised visits. She and her Menu. H-E-Bs True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping, West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country. He touched my heart and those of my dear friends. Although Cortes had been scheduled to testify for the prosecution, he was never put on the witness stand. 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. At the time, Overton had four children and was pregnant with a fifth, and had no prior trouble with the law. I fear she may have purposely withheld evidence that may have been favorable to Hannah Overtons defense, Jimenez wrote in her letter, which Orr would include in the writ. Both womens accounts were problematic; Gonzalez had never made a statement to police and was testifying from memory after nearly a years worth of negative media coverage, while Zapata had failed to mention anything about Hannah smirking when she wrote her initial report about the incident. Take it one day at a time. He didnt drink or smoke, and the bands he listened to sang about glorifying God. Four months later, on October 2, 2006, Andrew fell suddenly and acutely ill while he was alone with Hannah. There are two phones that the kids can speak into, and they eagerly pass the receivers back and forth, recounting the months events in stereo. The absence of their mother and their late brother was quietly acknowledged. The Corpus Christi Caller-Timess online comments section filled with the vitriol of readers, some of whom called for Hannah to receive the death penalty. The boys symptoms that afternoonvomiting, chills, and lethargyinitially suggested to the Overtons that he had a routine ailment, like a stomach bug. You can ask, Why didnt she go to the hospital sooner? but in hindsight, everything is obvious. And when he became less responsive, she had pulled out her old EMT books to assess what was wrong. Dabney was born on July 31, 1963 and grew up in Essex County, Va. Frustrated with a naughty child, prosecutors said, she tried to punish him with seasoning mixed in water. Our lives are richer having known him. Sending a prayer to all his family & friends. There wasnt anything that I thought was dangerously wrong with him at that point. Patricia Gonzalez, a nurse at the urgent care clinic, told the jury that Hannah had not behaved like a panic-stricken parent and had had a smile on her face as she performed CPR on the boy. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. But just as the prosecution could not show exactly how Hannah had forced Andrew to ingest a lethal dose of salt, neither could the defense give precise details for how the four-year-old had come to have so much sodium in his body. They also discovered that Hannah was pregnant again. It came as a shock when I got the call from Peter Detlefs letting me know that Dabney had passed away. Isaac read John 9 aloud while Larry helped him sound out the difficult words (synagogue, Pharisees). Hannah Overton, exonerated in boy's death, welcomes new baby to family After nearly eleven hours of deliberationduring which jurors sent out thirteen notes to the judge, primarily seeking to clarify medical testimonythe jury found her guilty of capital murder. He moved unsteadily, and he was so clumsy that Hannah had him wear a life jacket whenever he splashed around in their inflatable kiddie pool. Share Dabney's life story with friends and family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time., With love and warm memories of our Cousin Pete. What a shock and a life cut too short. And thanks for the movie, even though it was kind of weird. A church elder, who was himself an adoptive parent, invited the Overtons to dinner one night and encouraged them to consider bringing Andrew into their home. He was kind and gentle with me, and he made himself available no matter how busy he was. Thank you Dabney for blessing my life with your presence. Its daily. I will take that trip and take my friends spirit with me. Until Proven Innocent (2016) - IMDb See production, box office & company info. On several occasions his fits had grown so extreme that she had resorted to asking a male parishioner to physically remove him from the classroom until he could regain self-control. 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. Or had the tragedy claimed its second victim? The paperwork Orr now forwarded to him, which showed that Andrews stomach contained a great deal of water, only confirmed the clinical directors initial conclusion. I shall miss him greatly. I plan their birthday parties from here, she told me. The Overtons have said they believed he instead had a rare medical conditioncalled hypernatremia that caused the fatal sodium levels. State district judge Jose Longoria, who would oversee Hannahs trial the following fall, would later rule Fernandezs finding of blunt force trauma to be inadmissible because it was not based on sufficient data or reliable methodology. Im supposed to be done crying, she said apologetically at one point, brushing away tears. Absolutely not, Hannah shot back. Thats what Im trying to get you to tell me. With no obvious explanations to consider, he focused his attention on Hannah. 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. 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. It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of Jonah Lee Overton (Charlotte, North Carolina), who passed away on January 21, 2023, at the age of 92, leaving to mourn family and friends. ABC News has followed Overton and her husband's story since her original trial. According to her family tree, she married Larry D. Overton on August 9, 1997 in Texas . Hannah Overton announced the birth of her sixth child, Gabriela Aliana, this week in a Facebook post that described a difficult delivery. Obituaries Section. I knew Dabney years ago while living in Richmond. Obituary OVERTON, Dabney III, died peacefully on Monday, November 9, 2009 surrounded by family and friends. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? A funeral for Andrew followed at Seaside Memorial Park, alongside Corpus Christi Bay, at which Pastor Rod Carver officiated. Corpus Christis introduction to Hannah came the following week, when she and Larry were arrested and led past a bank of TV cameras outside the Nueces County jail. Left: Andrew and Isabel playing together. Mr. Overton continued in private practice until the age of 80. He always made time and never in too much of a hurry for a chat. In 2007, Hannah Overton was sentenced to life in prison for the death of her 4-year-old foster son. Larry had also tried to rouse him by giving him a warm bath. He was the first one to introduce me to kayaking from Aylett to Walkerton on the Mattaponi. My prayers and thoughts are with you all. Dear Overton Family and Friends of Dabney. He was kind, he was gentle, he had a great smile. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to his family and many friends. He reached Doug Norman, who was part of the prosecution team at Hannahs trial and who is now responsible for fighting her appeal. People who knew the Overtons were certain that Andrews bewildering death was accidental. After a week-long trial, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to 23 years in prison. Yet the jury had never heard from him. Our paths crossed later in life and we renewed our friendship. Myron attended Longfellow elementary, Panama Union and Kern Hess had given me his word that he would tell me if and when warrants were going to be issued, so that Hannah and Larry could turn themselves in. Instead, law enforcement officials had apprehended the Overtons by making a felony traffic stop, a practice usually reserved for suspects believed to be armed and dangerous. Nueces County jurors believed she failed to seek medical care for her foster son in a timely manner. (A subsequent investigation by the attorney generals office found that no crimes had been committed. He will be dearly missed. She could not consent to a lesser charge, she told her attorneys, because she felt it would mean she was admitting fault. After dinner the kids settled down in front of the TV to watch a movie that was Isabels pick: a Japanese animated film that her brothers and sisters showed less enthusiasm for, fidgeting as they lay next to each other on the carpet. Its free. Not long afterward, Larry and Hannah heard about Andrew at their church, Calvary Chapel of the Coastlands, which Andrews foster mother also attended. I figured, Well, weve got to start with one, so lets see how far we get. Isabel, and then Ally, followed. Shana Druckerman contributed to this report, 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. See you then, my friend. A pediatric critical care specialist who treated Andrew at Driscoll, Alexandre Rotta, grew equally troubled. 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. Just as she had hoped, they would have six children. She and Larry were under tremendous financial strain, she admitted, but she stressed that they had rushed for help as soon as they realized how critical Andrews condition was. While behind bars,Overton relied on her faith, family and supporters and led Bible studies. Please allow 24 hours for your entry to be reviewed for appropriate content. One of her favorite books to revisit is Ruth. The next morning, Corpus Christi police detective Michael Hess paid a visit to Kathi Haller, the Overtons next-door neighbor, who knew the family well. With her first husband, whose name was Stephens, she lived in Iowa, and had one daughter. Other couples they knew who had adopted foster children assured them that their kids had outgrown similar eating issues, and the Overtons assumed that, with time, Andrew would outgrow his as well. lakers celebrity seating chart 2019 bottle caps candy root beer only bottle caps candy root beer only I dont see what caused the trauma to the brain, he said. It seemed to me, based upon the wording of the charge, that we had no choice but to find her guilty of capital murder. But, Warfield added, I do not believe that Mrs. Overton knew that her actions (or lack thereof) would kill Andrew Byrd [sic]. His mother was just sixteen, the file shows, when she gave birth to him in Corpus Christi on July 28, 2002. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. Hannah Overton recently reunited with her husband, Larry Overton, since being released on bond last week. To Dabney and the Family: My heartfelt condolences and my thoughts and prayers go with each of you. EMS records show that the boy was admitted with no more than a bruised knee and sores on his right elbow, but during his hospitalization, other significant black-and-blue marks emergedin particular, on his trunk and nose. Michael, who had been born prematurely, was severely impaired; he had cerebral palsy, was blind, and could not walk or talk. Fueling the publics antipathy was an affidavit written by a CPS child abuse investigator named Jesse Garcia, who claimed that Hannah had admitted to forcing Andrew to drink two cupfuls of chili with water and quoted her as saying that she then beat the shit out of him. Garcia never produced any documentation or witnesses to corroborate his claim, and internal police memos show that law enforcement officials doubted the veracity of his story. Days after she gave birth to her daughter Emma, CPS took the newborn into protective custody. Dabney Overton Jr. | Obituaries | dnronline.com - Daily News-Record 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. Guest Book Not sure what to say? Cortes believed that Andrews death was accidental. We will always remember him fondly as a fellow Friend of Bandy Field. Andrew seems very happy in this home.. If not for a Corpus Christi couple named Larry and Hannah Overton, Andrew might have lingered in state custody, shuffled from one foster home to another. Nettie Overton Obituary (2003) - Huntsville, AL - The Huntsville Times Making him sleep on plywood burning sheets, becoming so enraged she forced him to have 23 teaspoons of hot pepper, and then watched him die in agony.. One attorney was even moved to tears explaining how sorry he was for the mistakes he had made in Overton's case. Overtons conviction and sentence were upheld on appeal. And Eastwood was fired from the DAs office in 2010. During the consultation the attorney can discuss whether our firm can assist you. Hannah R. (Saem) Overton (born 1977) - Texas . . His dogs and ours were "buds". Hannah Overton spent seven years in prison until her conviction was overturned. Instead we were arrested.. The court, which could rule imminently or years from now, could send the case back to Judge Longoria for a hearing orfar less likelyoverturn her conviction. Hannah - Please accept our sincere condolences on your loss. Hey dear, so sorry to hear this newstake care of yourself and your familythinking of you!! Overton was convicted of capital murder, an automatic life sentence in Texas because the child was under the age of 6. Menu. It was later believed the boy suffered a rare medical condition called hypernatremia, which can cause fatal sodium levels in the body. Although I believe that Mrs. Overton was remiss in seeking timely medical care for Andrew Byrd, I do not believe that she intended or knew that this would result in his death. The wording of the jury charge, she added, had been ambiguous and confusing. Ultimately, Warfield wrote, I do not feel that justice has been served., Two days after Hannah was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a pediatrician named Edgar Cortes took the unusual step of contacting Gilmore. We shared wonderful times together as we mused over Rumi and different flavor ice creams. The Registry provides detailed information about every known exoneration in the United States since 1989cases in which a person was wrongly convicted of a crime and later cleared of all the charges based on new evidence of innocence. He and Hannah are allotted two hours, during which they sit together in the dayroom, flanked by other inmates and their families. To find Hannah guilty, jurors had to believe either of two scenarios: that Hannah Overton force-fed Andrew salt knowing it would kill him or that she neglected to get medical help fast enough knowing that it would kill him. Right, a photo of Andrew Burd held by Larry Overton. But Saenzs account of his whereabouts on the evening of the murder did not jibe with the evidence, and blood that matched the victims type was discovered inside his van. He was good to everyone he met. Like Hannah, Haller homeschooled her children, and the two mothers split teaching duties; the Haller children went to the Overton home for instruction for part of the day and vice versa. At Sunday school, he became more expressive, stringing words into sentences and holding hands with his new sister Ally. 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. Knew him well growing up. Being in the Overtons home had afforded Werkhoven an intimate view of the family. Then he corrected himself. The burden on the state to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt was, Gilmore told me, perhaps less than it should have been. How can one person get probation and another get life without parole for the same thing? Larry said. The medical staff at Driscoll Childrens Hospital had determined that Andrew had nearly twice the normal level of sodium in his blooda highly abnormal findingas well as bleeding in the brain, and as Hess questioned her, he tried to ascertain what had happened. At the clinic, she continued giving him mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions until paramedics took over, but the four-year-old lay motionless. He was predeceased by : his parents, Theodore Roosevelt 'Jack' and Annie Overton of Washington; and his wife Claudia Cotten. Obituary | Alton Overton | Ashby Funeral 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. I knew Dabney from the Richmond Athletic Club. My job requires me to be an advocate for the state. This is a child that came in [to the emergency room] in cardiopulmonary arrest and was dying. Hess remained skeptical of Hannahs account. The families shared an unofficial open-door policy, and when Andrew had begun acting up the previous afternoon, Hannah had called Haller for help, asking if she could look after Sebastian for a little while. Im very thankful that this compensation is finally coming through, Overton told ABC News. As long as I can make a nonfrivolous argument, Ill make it, but nothing in my job prevents me from praying for a more just outcome., There have been a few tear-filled nights because one of the kids misses Andrew, Larry said. "After further review of all the evidence and meeting with her defense attorneys and everyone involved, my office decided that we're going to dismiss the case and include language in there that would actually indicate that she's not guilty of the charge that we charged her with, or the previous administration," Gonzalez said at the time. Hannah R. (Saem) Overton was born c. 1977. I never knew him but it is obvious from all the wonderful things that people are saying that he was an incredible person and friend to so many. An attorney-client relationship will arise between you and our firm only if we specifically agree to act for you. Mommy, Im cold, he said, and threw up. Hannah Ester Hall Overton (1660-1732) - Find a Grave Memorial So it is the context and the totality of the injuries that worried me. Sorry to hear of Dabney's passing. After the Overton family heard the news yesterday, they said they celebrated with a family dinner at Hannah's mother's home, "with nothing hanging over our heads.". After he completed his probation, the charges were dismissed. I spent many nights beating myself up over Could I have done this or could I have done that? Hannah told me, staring at her hands. Normans remarks were hardly the stuff of a cocksure prosecutor. 1 x 120' / Produced for Discovery Networks. I was privileged to know Dabney at W&L and as a fraternity brother at LXA. He was such a kind person and always had a smile on his face. Larry and Hannah knew that Andrew loved Spider-Man, so they made sure to have all manner of Spider-Man-themed necessities for him: sheets, pajamas, a toothbrush, a towel, a swimsuit, and even a plate embossed with the superheros image.