Trial of Karen McCarron: Day 4
January 11, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
Prosecutors rested their case in the trial of Karen McCarron on Thursday, January 10th, after forensic pathologist Violette Hnilica testified, the Times Online reports. Hnilica performed the autopsy on the body of Katherine McCarron, who Karen McCarron is charged with killing. On May 13, 2006, Karen McCarron, a former pathologist, suffocated her three-year-old daughter by wrapping a plastic bag around the child’s head as she played with toys. On May 15, 2006, she confessed to police that “”Maybe I could fix her this way, and in heaven she would be complete.’” McCarron’s videotaped confession was also played for the jury. According to today’s Peoria Journal-Star, McCarron had had thoughts of killing her daughter in the previous year, but had “put them out of her mind”: “‘I loved Katie very much, but I hated the autism so, so much…..I hated what it was doing to her,’” McCarron said.
I live in Central IL and am the parent of an autistic son. This is in my morning paper’s headlines every day now and it is really hard to read right there in black and white. This case is very disturbing and I hope people will realize the harm in promoting “curing” autism as opposed to acceptance and advocacy. I know one of the prosecuting attorneys and he is a parent of 5 children. One of them is disabled, so I know he will show no mercy for Karen McCarron.