The website is updated daily, frequently with exonerations that occurred in the past. Other witnesses testified that they had detected signs of abuse. 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. When Andrew complained of being hungry that afternoon, Hannah gave him more of the leftover soup. Overton cites a Bible verse from Hebrews 13:3 on the ministry website to explain its mission: "Remember those in prisonas if you were bound with them! I am sorry to hear of Dabney's passing. 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. So I got to see that.. However, that didn't stop us from having friendly and lively conversations about the greatest game. Hannah and Andrew In October 2006 a four-year-old from Corpus Christi named Andrew Burd died mysteriously of salt poisoning. Mr. Overton was also very active in the local chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous. At Sunday school, he became more expressive, stringing words into sentences and holding hands with his new sister Ally. Death, Burial, Cemetery & Obituaries Search; Sponsored by Ancestry. Sorry, I he began, when she asked him to put on his shoes. In the midst of the chaos that followed, no one recognized how distressed Andrew was by the sight of Hannahs bloodied face. In the context of a criminal investigation, the calm that she had always exhibited in the midst of crisis was suddenly a liabilityan indication, perhaps, that she was cold-blooded enough to have killed a child. "We are over the top in love with our new blessing! At the clinic, she continued giving him mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions until paramedics took over, but the four-year-old lay motionless. Sending a prayer to all his family & friends. He left me with that gift. Dabney is survived by his sister, Hannah Overton; and nieces Emma and Lizzie Schmidt, all of Tappahannock; a half-sister Mallory Overton McKendry of Jacksonville, Fla.; and his father, Dabney Overton Jr. of Harrisonburg. Hannahs mother and stepfather, Hannah, Larry, and the kids on Mothers Day 2006. . Please enable scripts and reload this page. In 2007, Hannah Overton was sentenced to life in prison for the death of her 4-year-old foster son. During a wide-ranging interview with a social worker to determine if he had ever been abused, Isaac mentioned that he and his siblings had been given pepper, which he described as spicy stuff, as a punishment for lying. Katy Vine has been a staff writer since 2002. He was a Southern Gentleman and true Virginian who touched the hearts of many. She is awakened every morning at 2:45 a.m., rarely sleeping well; the overhead light above her bed never shuts off, and announcements blare throughout the night over the loudspeaker. Relatives, neighbors, and members of the Overtons church pitched in to look after the kids during Hannahs recovery, but the revolving door of caregivers proved to be difficult for Andrew, who began acting out on a scale they had not seen before. 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. There is no photo or video of Jonah Lee Overton.Be the first to share a memory to pay tribute. In the classes they had been required to take by CPS to become adoptive parents, they had been warned that foster children often hoarded food and were more likely to have eating disorders. In October 2006 a four-year-old from Corpus Christi named Andrew Burd died mysteriously of salt poisoning. 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. 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. The boy was diagnosed with a toxic salt overdose and died the following day. In 2011, Overtons appellate attorney, Cynthia Orr, filed a state petition for a writ of habeas corpus seeking a new trial. The family will receive friends Tuesday, November 23, 2021 from 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Cullman Funeral Home. Larry left for work the following morning, and Hannah, who was still in considerable pain from the car accident, gave Andrew and Sebastian breakfast before bringing them into bed with her to watch cartoons. Inside the Bro-tastic Party Mansions Upending a Historic Austin Community, The Campaign to Sabotage Texass Public Schools. Sign . Could it be that you held his nose, held his neck, and made him drink this horrible concoction? the prosecutor challenged her during a withering cross-examination. He reached Doug Norman, who was part of the prosecution team at Hannahs trial and who is now responsible for fighting her appeal. The information on this website does NOT constitute legal advice and you may not rely on it as such. But he was adamant that the boys death had not been accidental. Dabney will be missed by many. Hannahs father was the Reverend Bennie Saenz, an evangelical preacher in Corpus Christi whose fall from grace profoundly altered the course of her childhood. When Gilmore polled the jury afterward, all twelve members stated that they had found Hannah guilty of capital murder by omission for not acting quickly enough to save Andrew; none believed that she had poisoned him. 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. 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. Until we specifically agree to act for you on a matter, you should not provide us with any confidential information or material. Advertisement. I was lucky enough and feel so honored to have been loved by Dabney. 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. I feel at such a loss, as do all of us who were fortunate enough to have been graced with Dabney's presence. How do you poison someone with a substance you dont know the contents of? That Hannah had not sought immediate medical attention did not change his view. I figured, Well, weve got to start with one, so lets see how far we get. Isabel, and then Ally, followed. He seemed to enjoy having brothers and sisters to play with, and the Overton kidsespecially the girls, who doted on himwere enthralled by the new arrival. Push him? Throughout the interrogation, which spanned more than two hours, Hannah insisted that she had never harmed Andrew. The importance of saying "I love you" during COVID-19, Effective ways of dealing with the grieving process, Solutions to show your sympathy safely during the Covid-19 pandemic. Its about trusting God and seeing how he is a god of redemption and restoration, she said. In 2007, Hannah Overton was sentenced to life in prison for the death of her 4-year-old foster son. Andrew was a sweet boy who had significant neurological and developmental disorders. Fire Ants Have Unleashed Chaos in Texas for Decades. Its not even a consideration, she said. So it is the context and the totality of the injuries that worried me. 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. We spoke last Tuesday about a biking trip we had plan in the spring to Cherokee,N.C. Her husband, Larry, took aplea deal for a lesser charge in the case and was given probation. Sifting through it one afternoon, Orr came across documents she had never seen before, which showed that Andrews stomach contents did not have an elevated amount of salt when he arrived at the urgent care clinic. He had so many interests and was loyal to those he knew and was involved with, especially those he sailed with as that is where I knew him. I have shared a memorial tribute I wrote about Dabney with all who've asked. A memorial service will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Miller's Tavern, Va. on Sunday, November 22nd at 2 p.m. Take it one day at a time. My husband enjoyed sailing with him at FBYC and running into him during a few running events in Richmond. I would often see him riding with all the dogs in the back of the car. He and Noreen had recently lost their own son, who had been stillborn, making his grief particularly acute. . He had a speech delay and spoke haltingly, sometimes with a stutter, but every week, when his Sunday school classmates went around in a circle to say their prayer requests, he made the same wish aloud: that he would be adopted. In October 2006 a four-year-old from Corpus Christi named Andrew Burd died mysteriously of salt poisoning. Dabney will be greatly missed, but not forgotten. . Overton, 38, was convicted in 2007 after being accused of force-feeding young Andrew Burd enough salt to kill him, even though she had no previous problems with the law and was raising four children and was pregnant with a fifth. 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. The world was a better place because of him. 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. Meny Lukk national monument bank uk; will arnett brothers and sisters Finally, Jimenez stated, I do not believe that there was sufficient evidence to indicate that Hannah Overton intentionally killed Andrew Burd. In response, Eastwood penned an affidavit, asserting that she did not engage in any misconduct. A Texas mother who spent years in prison before she was exonerated for capital murder has welcomed a new child. He was a nice guy. Lane earned her college degree and became an elementary school teacher, while Hannah played with, and later babysat, the children of missionaries who used the campus as a home base between trips abroad. Overton had to have a blood transfusion and her new. Before we ever tried to adopt, we had been warned that this was going to be difficult, that this was not going to be the Little Orphan Annie story, Larry told me. Whenever he got scaredand there was a long list of things that petrified him, from swimming to large crowds to the sound of balloons poppingthe Overtons worked to help him overcome his fears, reassuring him that they loved him and that he was in safe surroundings. H-E-Bs True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping, West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country. Copyright 2023 GRB Studio | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions We dont know precisely how she got it down Andrew, but we know that he was very, very obedient, Eastwood told the jury, standing before the TV news cameras that Judge Longoria had allowed inside the courtroom. . Larry attempted to restore order upon his return, putting Andrews soiled sheets in the garbage and hosing off the boy and his foam mattress in the backyard. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, Hannah would remind him, quoting Philippians. Hey dear, so sorry to hear this newstake care of yourself and your familythinking of you!! 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. The death of a childparticularly a sudden, unexplained death in which abuse is suspectedevokes strong emotions, even among seasoned investigators, doctors, forensics experts, and prosecutors. Fellow church member Anita Miotti remembers their telling her and her husband, Rich, that they were struggling. Hannah managed to clean him up, but when she reiterated that he would have to wait until lunchtime to eat, he defecated on the floor again. Dabney was a great guy. Make sure relatives of Jonah Lee Overton know they have sympathy messages here. He will be missed by his many friends. She was unflappable and unfailingly patient with children. Larry and Hannah were granted supervised visits. They said Andrew was going through a very difficult time, she said. One of her favorite books to revisit is Ruth. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. We will always remember him fondly as a fellow Friend of Bandy Field. I am so sorry to hear of Dabney's sudden passing. Given that Hannah was suspected of poisoning Andrew with Creole seasoning, the suggestion that the Overtons had used pepper to discipline their children raised immediate concerns. But I told prosecutors five months before the trial that I believed Hannah had no intent to kill him and that this was not a capital murder case. A family birthday celebration in the summer of 2006. See you then, my friend. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. We had known each other for ten years, and I dont think Id ever seen her mad, Haller told me. Although he hung back when his siblings embraced their parents in group hugs, Larry and Hannah learned that if they asked Andrew to join in, he would do so enthusiastically, throwing his arms around them. Mommy, Im cold, he said, and threw up. The physician only said that the scratch marks he had noticed on the boys neck had been caused, he believed, by another person. Overton's case drew national attention and she was the subject of the documentary "Until Proven Innocent.". He was good to everyone he met. They speculated Andrew might have had pica, an eating disorder characterized by an obsessive appetite and that Andrew accidentally poisoned himself by consuming a fatal amount of sodium. memorial page for Hannah Ester Hall Overton (1660-1732), Find a Grave Memorial ID 160804572; Burial Details Unknown; . A unique and lasting tribute for a loved one. Andrew had an enraged mother who didnt, I dont think loved him the way that she loved her own biological children, former Nueces County prosecutor Sandra Eastwood said at trial. In 2005 the Overtons began to pursue the idea seriously. Before they headed to bed, Larry turned up the lights for their nightly devotions. I was so shocked and saddened to learn today of Dabney's sudden and all too premature death. Hess disavowed Garcias account at a court hearing regarding the Overton children, and prosecutors never entered Garcias affidavit into evidence or called him to testify at Hannahs trial. Shortly after noon, Larry picked her and the boys up and took them to a McDonalds drive-through, and then the chiropractor, before returning to work. Andrew liked to eat every day, all day, any time, she said. We were just waiting for someone to look at it and say this is just an accident, Larry Overton added. No amount of money will ever bring back the years that were taken away, and the seven years of freedom I lost. Before she was led away in handcuffs, the couple embraced for several minutes, overcome with emotion. He will be dearly missed. 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. She had studied years earlier to be an EMT, she explained, and although she had never worked as a paramedic, she had felt confident in her training. I was just trying to fix itto do anything I could to fix my baby, she said. It has been a long time since I saw Dabney last. The Carvers, like most members of Calvary Chapel, never doubted her innocence. My husband, Tom, and I were deeply saddened to hear of Dabney's sudden passing. Early in the pregnancy, Hannah and Larry were informed that the boy would likely have Down syndrome. I was shocked and saddened to hear of Dabney's premature death last week. It was a catastrophic decision. That was the most uncomfortable service I have ever done. Larry with (from left) his children Ally, Isaac, Sebastian, Emma, and Isabel. God bless you Dabney, we'll miss you. That perception would throw her other children into the investigation as well. He was simply "a wonderful person" I am so sorry for your loss. He recalled how Michael used to chew on his fingers, a chronic problem that left his skin bloody and raw. Updated: June 20, 2015 . I knew Dabney in highschool and we became reaquainted through sailing and always remarked "what a small, small world." I worked with Dabney in the mortgage industry a few years ago and he was everything you described. Throughout the meal, Andrew repeatedly asked, Is my mom okay? He also kept requesting more food. He visited us in the country and brought his serinity along. Detective Hess was put on administrative leave in 2008 after it came to light that he had disclosed confidential information to the suspect in an ongoing investigation for indecency with a child. I dont see what caused the trauma to the brain, he said. Estelle and John As the verdict was read, Hannah looked horror-struck. Zion Church of the Brethren. My job requires me to be an advocate for the state. The congregation quickly dissolved. Reaching for his shoes, he announced, I can do all things. Larry remembered, We felt like we were really making headway with him.. Echovita offers a solidarity program that gives back the funds generated to families. Hannah did describe how she and Larry had at first tried to treat the boys symptoms themselves, often volunteering more information than the detective had asked for. But was this churchgoing young woman a vicious child killer? As a former private-duty nurse, Hannah felt equipped to handle the challenges of a foster child; she had spent several years caring for special-needs children, some of whom were profoundly disabled. The Overtons had to remain at the Carvers home, where they had been staying to avoid the camera crews that were camped out on their own doorstep, and they were never to be left alone with the baby. After he completed his probation, the charges were dismissed. The children liked to hang out in her room and talk to her, particularly Andrew, who always visited her for an extra hug before bedtime. His foster mother had taken him to a pediatrician for an adoption screening shortly before he had come to live with them, and the checkup had raised no red flags. "We cannot say thank you enough for all who have helped especially the attorneys who worked endless hours to prove my innocence and gain my freedom," Overton told ABC News today. But Rotta was alarmed by his overall appearance. He is survived by : his children, Valerie Overton Castano (John), Glenn Overton (Donna) and Allen Overton (Amy); his grandchildren, Morgan Castano Petty (Kyle), Jordan Castano, Zack Castano (Andie), Julia Overton Kahsar (Alex), Alyssa Overton McSteen (Dylan) and Drake Overton; his great grandchildren, Overton Petty, Cotten Petty, Davant Petty, Preston McSteen and Layton Kahsar; his brothers-in-law, Bruce Preston Cotten and Grant Cotten; his friends, Jimmy, Sarah Trado, Joyce, Jerry Dellinger, Betty Jo Mullis and Bob Butler; and also, Scott and Tana Lloyd. Because he was vomiting? Larry Overton was also charged with murder, but after his wife's conviction, he was offered a plea deal and was given probation. The following day, family court judge Carl Lewis awarded temporary custody to Hannahs mother and stepfather. The National Registry of Exonerations is a project of the Newkirk Center for Science & Society at University of California Irvine, the University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University College of Law. I knew Dabney from the Richmond Athletic Club. The Overtons daughters, four-year-old Isabel and three-year-old Ally, reported back to their parents that the new boy in their class needed a family. Dabney was born on July 31, 1963 and grew up in Essex County, Va. This is a child that came in [to the emergency room] in cardiopulmonary arrest and was dying. Overton's original trial attorneys admitted at an appeals hearing that they had made errors. (After his arrest, he lost most of his clients. Our thoughts, hugs and prayers are with you. News reports that followed, prominently featuring their grim-faced mug shots, cast the Overton home as a house of horrors. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. December 22, 1930 - Please call me at your earliest convenience.. His tantrums grew longer and more extreme, and he often banged his head against the floor. Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. Sometimes he cried inconsolably for hours. Sue and I were certainly saddened to learn of the death of Dabney. We loved him and will miss him. I wasnt thinking, obviously, or I would have just taken him to the hospital, Hannah told the detective. The onus for the boys death fell on Hannah, who was charged with capital murder. Nueces County jurors found she'dfailed to seek timely medical care for the boy. Because he felt cold? He suspected that as the boys condition worsened, Hannah had fallen victim to what he calls stress blindness, a phenomenon he had witnessed many times during his 42 years of practicing medicine. She and her Menu. The detective had been alerted to Andrews grave condition when the boy was transported to a nearby hospital the previous afternoon and, as was protocol, had begun looking into the circumstances surrounding the boys unusual and rapid decline. Dabney and I had spirited conversations about baseball. I was blessed to know him, and his family is in my prayers. . "We shall not see his like again". The boy was diagnosed with a toxic salt overdose and died the following day. Overtons current defense attorney, Cynthia Orr, told ABC News she was thrilled to get the call from Skurka announcing his motion to dismiss had been granted by the judge. I made sure that he saw that we had an identical set of Spider-Man sheets so he would calm down., That evening Larry laid a sleeping bag on top of Andrews plywood bed frame, where, he told the boy, he would have to spend the night while his mattress finished drying. There was a time when I questioned how God could allow this to happen, she said. 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. Before Hannah got married, when she was still Hannah Saenz, she knew she wanted a large familyat least six kids, she used to tell people. She's since createdSyndeo Ministries tohelp prisonerstransition back into society. And its full of great reads, yall. The court ruledher trial lawyers were ineffective, and sent her case back to be retried. Her second husband was Hampton Overton, who died about. The key issues in this case were knowledge and intent, and his opinion went directly to those issues. Hannahs attorneys would later argue on appeal that the doctors opinionthat Hannah had never intended for the boy to dieamounted to exculpatory evidence that the state had withheld from the defense. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Victory Junction, 4500 Adam's Way, Randleman, NC 27317, https://victoryjunction.org or the Charlotte Humane Society, 1348 Parker Dr., Charlotte, NC 28208, https://humanesocietyofcharlotte.org, in Pete's name. Absolutely not, Hannah shot back. Until then, she said, Andrew was doing nothing that my other kids hadnt done with the flu. As Larry stood in the kitchen and peeled potatoes, the kidsexcited to have a visitorshowed me around their house, pointing out their favorite hiding places and the plaster cast of their footprints in the hallway, which includes the letter A for Andrew. To the Overton Family and friends of Dabney: I first met Dabney in the fall of 1972 when he was in fourth grade at Aylett Country Day School. How had she known how much salt would kill him? He called Hannah and Larry Mommy and Daddy, and he followed Larry everywhere he went, often stepping on Larrys heels as he trailed after him. The Overtons moved forward with the adoption process, and in the spring of 2006, they received word that Andrew would be coming to live with them for a six-month trial period before the adoption was finalized. Hannah would never harm a child. Even setting aside her loyalty to her friend, the detectives theory made no sense to her.