She “wanted a life without autism”: Karen McCarron’s Confession Can Be Shown
August 4, 2007 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
The confession that Dr. Karen McCarron made in a Peoria hospital in May of 2006 has been ruled admissable to use during her trial, the Peoria-Journal Star reports today. In the videotaped confession, McCarron is alleged to have said that she was overwhelmed, that she “wanted a life without autism,” and “wanted to take the autism out” of her three-year-old daughter, Katherine McCarron.
Karen McCarron’s attorney, Marc Wolfe, had previously argued that the videotape, made while she was on suicide watch after overdosing on Tylenol, should not be shown because of her “questionable emotional state”; in May of this year, doctors ruled that she seemed “lucid.” Wolfe has also argued that showing McCarron’s taped confession would be a violation of physician/patient privilege. Prosecutors counter that this privilege “does not apply in homicide or child abuse cases.”
McCarron, who is free on a $1 million bond and is to return to court Sept. 7, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of obstructing justice and one count of concealment of a homicidal death.
Did she not have any support sytem in place or therapy for her daughter? I guess I am assuming that since she is a doctor she would have a little more insight into what needs to be done and where to go.
I don’t understand why she thought she had to end her daughter’s life…how about some sort of safe haven or a relative or even an institution for a while just to get her thoughts together and get some help for the both of them.
Where is the dad in this story? or any other family?
This is such a sad story, stuff like this shouldn’t happen in this day and age…there should be more resources available to prevent this and counseling for parents as well.
Katie McCarron LIVED with her father, and as I understand it from her family, had excellent services.
The services in the Peoria area are pretty good too, if you ignore that the “support group” is all about whining about how your kid ruined your life.
Karen McCarron has no room to be a martyr on this one. None at all. She barely even SAW Katie.
From what I have read Kassiane describes the situation correctly.
I hope that the people out there who are promoting the idea of autism as some kind of “other,” some kind of monster that has stolen the “real” children and must be eliminated, reflect on what they have wrought.
Katie McCarron lived in North Carolina with her father and paternal grandmother and grandfather, in order that she might attend an autism school, the Mariposa School. Karen McCarron was in Peoria during this time. Katie’s grandparents brought her back to Illinois. Michael McCarron, Katie’s paternal grandfather, describes some of her favorite things to do in this post.
So, after reading from these posts that she lived w/ her father and all the other info….what in the world was this mother thinking??? I hope they throw the book at her, amongst other things! Sorry to be so blunt, but I don’t get it….I can barely rely on my husband to follow through and be consistent w/ our son….I know I could never leave him soley in the care of his father, let alone let him live only with him.
This mother definitely has no place in playing the martyr and will get no sympathy, empathy or understanding from this mother.
Sorry for the repeat, my fault!
landonsmom, I removed the repeat comment, no problem—-There were plenty of resources and information available to Katie’s family, including very supportive family members.
I can’t imagine what she was thinking…..
It sounds to me as if she already had “a life without autism” since the child was already living w/ her father and grandparents, how much more out of her life did she want the child to be???? I just can’t imagine doing this….or what could ever bring me to this kind of decision…I don’t get how a mother could even think in that way, let alone act on her thoughts.
When I first heard about this case, I felt bad enough as it was; learning of the details made it all worse. I’ve been fortunate to have met Katie’s grandfather (at the conference last October on autism and advocacy in NYC) and it’s clear that she was a much-loved and well-cared for little girl.
This is so horrible – I just cannot get my mind around it… I have four kids – all special needs – one little girl with autism, add, NVLD, and heart problems, a teen with Aspergers and two adhd kids – I am a single mom all but 8 weeks a year (hubby is a merchant mariner) – I have NO services… So, how is it that I haven’t killed my kids? Because it wasn’t the autism she was killing – it was simply her own sickness….
Jen