The woman grinning her way through a 20/20 interview in the still above is Hannah Overton, who murdered her four-year-old foster child with a massive dose of salt. She was convicted of capital murder in Texas for the crime, and is rotting in prison where she belongs. But thanks to the efforts of her church full of depraved murder apologists and the Internet based campaign of disinformation they run she may escape justice and walk free.
The “Free Hannah” movement, largely made up of people from her church it seems, want you to believe her victim was a mentally unstable child with an eating disorder that led him to overdosing on salt himself.They claim he was unmanageable, that he was injuring himself, and that ultimately he was responsible for his own death.
That victim was a four-year-old child. A four-year-old who these sanctimonious supposed followers of Christ to this day claim was a uncontrollable hellion who ate himself to death. Despite the obvious evidence to the contrary. From the Caller-Times:
Authorities issued arrest warrants for the foster parents of a 4-year-old boy who died last week after investigators say he was fed a mixture of water and Cajun seasonings by his foster mother.
Hannah Overton, 29, was charged with capital murder and her husband, 30-year-old Larry Overton, was charged with injury to a child. Officers arrested the couple late Friday afternoon a short time after District Attorney Carlos Valdez and investigators met to discuss the case. The Overtons’ bonds have been set at $250,000 each.
John Gilmore, the attorney for the couple, said they are innocent.
“It was done accidentally and I don’t see any criminal activity done here at all. They’re both going to plead not guilty,” Gilmore said.
Police said the Overtons waited nearly three hours on Oct. 2 before taking Andrew Burd to a medical clinic after he drank the mixture, vomited and drifted in and out of consciousness. He was not breathing when he arrived about 5:20 p.m. and medical staff immediately contacted police.
The boy was taken to Christus Spohn Hospital South but died the following day.
According to arrest affidavits, one of the Overtons’ biological children told investigators Hannah Overton watched Andrew on a security camera in a bedroom and used food and pepper as a form of punishment. A neighbor, who lives in the 5900 block of Parkview Drive, told investigators Hannah Overton called her about 2:52 p.m. that day and asked her to watch one of her children because Andrew was intentionally vomiting and defecating and “smearing it everywhere.”
“He is not sick, he is doing it to get to me,” Hannah told the neighbor, adding he had defecated eight times, the affidavits said.
Kids act out to “get” parents don’t you know. And we all know how easy it is for a child to vomit and defecate at will when they’re angry. But Overton supporters claim that nothing in the above report sounds like intentional murder to them. I guess giving a child a fatal dose of sodium and waiting until he’s comatose to take him to the hospital is just good parenting to the Corpus Christi Christian Fellowship members that cheerlead for this murderess.
But all their theories are verifiably false, as during the trial the child’s former foster parent testified that Andrew was not a difficult child and certainly didn’t have a eating disorder:
During the trial, Overton, a former licensed vocational nurse, admitted she gave Andrew a cup of water mixed with spices but said it wasn’t to punish or harm him.
Her attorneys also argued Andrew had behavioral problems and an eating disorder and ingested something on his own to cause the toxic sodium levels.
Sharon Hamil, Andrew’s foster mother for the 18 months before he lived with the Overtons, said she remembered a much different boy.
“When I had Andrew I didn’t have any problems,” Hamil said. “To me he was a happy, typical child.”
The Overtons were in the process of adopting Andrew, who had lived with them since June 2006.
The “Free Hannah” group’s entire argument is based on explaining away Hannah Overton’s abuse of the boy by claiming he was so difficult that the extremely bizarre things investigators discovered Hannah was doing to this defenseless child were logical in context. What sorts of bizarre things? from Parents Behaving Badly:
When the autopsy was performed the cause of death was ruled as sodioum poisoning with a secondary factor of blunt force trauma. Hospiatl workrers also noticed bruising in his body and an untreated wound on his arm that was consistent with a burn. The Overtons were arrested for Andrew’s death.
During the investigation one of the Overtons biological children told police that Hannah Overton would use pepper as a form of punishment and that Hannah would watch over Andrew with a security cam. One might assume that since she was using a security cam they she may have been locking Andrew in the room, the same room where it was alleged that Andrew was forced to sleep on a piece of plywood.
Outrageous. The Hannah Overton supporters see these same facts and in their depravity attempt to justify the monstrous behavior of Hannah. They have run a campaign that has caught the attention of the always credulous 20/20 (which you can see in three parts, I, II, III) and other media outlets that are glad to air the Hannah supporters’ smears of this little dead boy, and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars so this monster can afford high-priced lawyers to get her out, and it might work.
Lost in Lima, Ohio sums up this case this way:
Dozens of news media organizations have picked up Hannah’s story- from 20/20 to Christian News Sources. They’ve picked up Hannah’s story, her version of how a child declared “healthy and fit for adoption” one month, could end up dead less than six months later. But it’s Hannah’s story they have picked up- not Andrew’s.
No one wants to talk about Andrew’s story, about the suffering he endured, the incredible pain he would have been in the last day of his life. They don’t mention that the 23 teaspoons of Zatarain’s he would have had to have ingested was almost 100 times the recommended serving size (1/4 teaspoon), which introduced almost 24000mg of salt into his body at 240mg per serving. How, in making Hannah some sort of saint, they’ve made Andrew a child that was wild, and flawed. They’ve went as far as to claim that perhaps Andrew- suffering from his never mentioned before eating disorder- might have found a moment alone in which he on his own consumed so much salt that it caused the fatal toxic levels in his blood. The bruising on his head that was listed as a secondary cause of death? Well, that wasn’t really what it seemed. Perhaps someone rubbing his head, and the onset of his death caused it. Really, it could have been anything.
There is more to Andrew’s story, but sadly, it may be washed away by a flood of support for the woman who was responsible for providing him with care, love, and protection- the woman who didn’t fulfill that responsibility.
Indeed. Andrew Burd’s story must not be forgotten in the mad rush to free a child killer. He deserves justice, and that justice would be Hannah Overton dying in prison, caged like the animal she is. But the lawyers paid for by this insidious smear campaign against a four-year-old are appealing the case and may well get her conviction overturned. Andrew needs your support now more than ever.
Send letters, call and fax your support to:
13th Court of Appeals: Corpus Christi Site Nueces County Courthouse 901 Leopard, 10th Floor, Corpus Christi, Texas 78401 – Telephone: (361) 888-0416 Fax: (361) 888-0794
Don’t let Hannah Overton get away with murder.
Update: Now this is just weird. Hannah’s Father beat a teenage girl to death with a crowbar and her maternal Grandfather was Marshall Applewhite, the man who led the Heaven’s Gate cult. There are Internet rumors that Pastor Rod Carver, one of Hannah’s most ardent supporter, was superficially involved with one of Applewhite’s pre-Heaven’s Gates groups. The group Carver heads now is a fundamentalist sect (an “intensive” religion rejecting outside influences on the key mythology) while Heaven’s Gate was a syncretistic cult (an “expansive” religion accepting outside ideas as complimentary of the central mythology) so the groups have little in common, aside from the unconditional support of murderers.
Thank you, LeeAnn! What do you think of the images I made? Are they okay? I couldn’t use Andrew’s picture because that would be illegal, so I did what I could. Yeah, Facebook is kind of … well, it takes some getting used to, that’s for sure! It has taken me a couple of weeks and I still miss things. It is definitely not a user-friendly site, but I started a PACA there for us and then had to post something for Andrew when I saw those Free Hannah groups. If you need help, please let me know!
Aaargh! SORRY! American Viking is me. I was just using that one to comment on Rob’s political blogs and didn’t switch over for this one. It’s late. That’s my excuse LOL!
“Small amount of salt” ?!?! Once again, Stevie proves (s)he is a dumbass.
2 tablespoons of salt. That is how much sodium Andrew apparently consumed.
Most nurses & even the doctor I talked with guessed, (without research) that it would take at least twice as much to be fatal.
We hear so much about “23 teaspoons” but that is based on the assumption that all the sodim came from the Zatarains. But I am guessing some came from plain old table salt.
Stevie, you do not know the facts of the case and you do not know the law. This isn’t an innocent parent. This isn’t something that could happen to any unsuspecting parent. The Free Hannah Overton supporters, fueled by the defense attorneys, argue that how could any parent know he had sodium poisoning and that the symptoms were just flu-like. They then suggest a lesser-included in order to get the case thrown out and to allow Hannah another bite at the apple. She will never plead guilty to anything and will force another trial and hope for a not guilty. This is misleading to kind-hearted Christians and disillusions the public. In arriving at the capital murder charge and verdict, the judge and jury took into consideration the totality of the circumstances. There was a quote I liked earlier and I’ll repeat it here: It should address the issue of whether or not it was capital murder: Hannah Overton knew it would hurt Andrew to make him sleep on exterior plywood, but she made him sleep on it anyway. Hannah Overton knew that dousing Andrew’s festering sore with bleach would hurt, but she did it anyway. Hannah Overton knew that his festering sore needed medical care, but she failed to take Andrew to a Doctor. Hannah Overton knew that burning Andrew would hurt, but she did it anyway. Hannah Overton knew that setting his beloved Spiderman sheets on fire would hurt Andrew terribly, but she did it anyway. Hannah Overton knew that not feeding Andrew 3 meals a day would cause hunger pangs, but she underfed Andrew anyway. Hannah Overton knew that cajun seasoning mixed with water would burn, but she made him drink it anyway. Hannah Overton knew that Andrew falling unconscious from his head wound and the sodium poisoning was a major medical emergency, Hannah Overton knew that he needed immediate paramedic care, but she did not call 911. Hannah Overton knew when she pulled out her CPR equipment, “just in case,” that Andrew was in shock, unconscious, struggling to breathe and was dying without medical care. Hannah Overton knew that if she called 911, they would see the bruises and abrasions and scratches covering Andrew’s body. These actions combined, taken together, led to her conviction for capital murder- it arose to the threshhold of capital murder when, after abusing Andrew in so many different ways, she knowingly caused Andrew’s death by failing to call 911. And, perhaps the last straw, as Hannah Overton’s mother pointed out at trial, Hannah served as a pediatric nurse for two years
How do we know it was spicy seasoning? Dr Rotta asked Hannah Overton how Andrew got such toxic levels of salt at the Hospital the night of Andrew’s death. Pediatric Nurse Hannah Overton told Dr. Rotta she put a spicy chili seasoning mixed only with water in a tumbler and mixed it and then poured it into a sippy cup and gave it to Andrew and he “wanted more.” I don’t believe she gave it to Andrew in a sippy cup or that he wanted more. You’ll find that criminals confess only to part of a crime and minimize the rest. Hannah said that after drinking it, he collapsed. From what I have heard and read, this was acute sodium poisoning (not over time) and symptoms would have begun manifesting immediately. Later that evening, Hannah spoke with a Detective (it’s on video) and said that the spicy substance she used was zatarains. Further, I’ve been told from a reliable source, that Larry Overton also spoke with a Detective on the same evening (on video) and said that the substance Hannah gave Andrew was zatarains. I think everyone on these sites is getting mighty tired of repeating the same answers to Stevie. But, that’s part of the psychological aspects of the Free Hannah Overton supporters and defense. Psychologically, it can be effective to pretend you really haven’t made up your mind and you are open to facts, just please educate me type thing, and then when the commenter educates you, to always say, “No, that just doesn’t convince me.” Stevie will never be convinced because that is not her/his job. Her job is to shake up any supporters of Andrew Burd by always casting doubt, and hoping Andrew’s supporters will eventually just give up or become so demoralized by the continued doubts that they fade away. After all, there’s a lot at stake here for the Free Hannah-ites- freeing Hannah and coming up with thousands of dollars to keep paying the high-priced defense attorneys. This criminal defense Appellate attorney is very high-priced. I’ve heard they actively engage internet PR firms, media relations and psychologists (I kid you not) to break down the other side.
Stevie: READ what anonymous just posted: “she put a spicy chili seasoning mixed only with water in a tumbler and mixed it and then poured it into a sippy cup and gave it to Andrew and he ‘wanted more.'”
Okay, let’s run this by you slooooooowwwlllyyyyyy. Read this AGAIN and remember, this is PROVED TESTIMONY:
“she put a spicy chili seasoning mixed only with water in a tumbler and mixed it and then poured it into a sippy cup and gave it to Andrew and he ‘wanted more.'”
NOW, let’s revisit a comment I posted waaay above:
“SMP said,
on January 25th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
I’m not sure if there are some who have never had Zatarains, but I’m from Louisiana. Zatarains is sometimes the closest thing to the spiciness we are used to when we are living away from home (I’m a Navy wife always on the move). Zatarains, honestly, isn’t the best stuff or even the closest to real Louisiana cooking, but it is available practically all over the country so it works if absolutely necessary. If you’ve not had any of the Zatarains boxed meals or seasonings, I invite you do try some. Put some of the seasonings on a spoon and taste it. Then see if you can, in good conscience, believe any 4 year old would purposefully digest the quantity it took to kill him. No adult I know would even do it unless they were a contestant on Fear Factor and would receive money for it. It’s not just that some of it is “hotâ€. Cajun cooking has nothing to do with “hotâ€. That’s Texas. It’s the seasonings that are very strong and in a certain combination will make your throat burn and your eyes water if not digested properly. Also, water does NOT make the burning go away, as seen on silly TV shows. Only milk. Water, actually, makes it worse. Therefore, any one who would believe this little boy ate this quantity of seasonings in conjunction with water on his own is a complete dipshit.'”
NOW let’s re-read what YOU posted:
“#
Stevie said,
on January 29th, 2009 at 2:34 am
2 tablespoons of salt. That is how much sodium Andrew apparently consumed.
Most nurses & even the doctor I talked with guessed, (without research) that it would take at least twice as much to be fatal.
We hear so much about “23 teaspoons†but that is based on the assumption that all the sodim came from the Zatarains. But I am guessing some came from plain old table salt.”
Why do you INSIST on ignoring the EVIDENCE??
1. THE SALT WAS FROM ZATARAINS.
2. HANNAH MIXED THE SPICY ZATARAINS WITH WATER (hey, gee, I thought she also said she had no idea he consumed any until it was too late, that he snuck out of bed to get some … which is it, Stevie?!)
3. ZATARAINS IN ANY QUANTITY FEELS HOT GOING DOWN THE THROAT.
4. ZATARAINS MIXED WITH WATER SPREADS THE SPICES AND BURNS THE THROAT GOING DOWN.
5. NO ADULT WOULD CONSUME ZATARAINS EVEN WITHOUT WATER JUST FOR THE HELL OF IT AND WANT MORE, YET WE ARE EXPECTED TO BELIEVE A 4 YEAR OLD IS GOING TO WANT TO KEEP INGESTING SOMETHING THAT BURNS HIS THROAT LIKE HOT COALS.
I’ll say it again, Stevie. You’re a dumbass. Give it up!
Anyone have a way of contacting Lilo from Lost in Lima Ohio? Lilo said “bruises” instead of “burns” in her 2nd article. I think it was a typo.
great, now the Free Hannahites are going to say…see, it wasn’t a burn, it was a bruise. Shoot me now.
SMP, you are right!
Lost in Lima Ohio and Red Alerts are both so amazing- they have broken apart a propaganda machine with insightful articles. Thank you!
Thanks to Red Alerts and Lost in Lima Ohio, the truth about Hannah Overton is coming out.
Guys, I’ve been on a letter writing campaign sending out e-mails with links to this blog, Lost in Lima Ohio, and the others posting of this. The truth will REMAIN out, LeeAnn! 😉
First off, my theory that some of the sodium came from salt in no way could in no way serve as a defense for Hannah if the horrible symptoms take place immediately after the massive dose, as seems to be the case.
In fact, the theory that some of the sodium came from salt only makes it harder to Hannah to know what he was sufffering from.
1. The evidenence proves he drank water with Zatarains. The idea that Hannah did not ALSO put salt in the drink is taken from Hannah’s testimony. And I wouldn’t think we would assume Hannah’s testimony to be the truth.
2. Hannah admitted to mixing Zatarains with the water. “maybe a teaspoon.” Her story is that he might have eaten some salt on his own as well.
You jumped to the conclusion that I was being defensive of Hannah. But I was not.
Stevie: With every word you type, you let it be known you’re an even bigger idiot than before. You just don’t know when to quit. Bad for you, good for us!
SMP- just wait until you read Stevie’s post on the Lost in Lima site. Back to…well, ok, she burned him, but….she still needs to be released from prison because she learned her lesson after one year…. the psychological mind games. He sounds like the civil (not as in manners but as in torts) attorney who inserted himself into the Hannah Overton criminal case. Not a fair player.
“learned her lesson? ”
You make it sound like I said “Oh, just let her free. I am sure she’s sorry!”
I said there was some hope that IF she is granted a new trial (remember, there is no hope for a simple an exoneration from the appeals) she MIGHT be more willing to take a plea.
SMP – You didn’;t bother to read my post! You see my name & assume you know what I am saying! My points about the salt would work AGAINST her, not FOR her! If you read what I said, you would have seen that! But you don’t bother to read it. I don;t think exactly like you , therefore you dismiss me as a Hannahite!
Stevie: I am well known for my ability to read a person from the moment they make themselves known. Ask Rob Taylor or any of the volunteers we work with to protect children.
There are certain markers in the way a person writes, the things they say – either verbally or written – that reveals everything I need to know. I have already stated in a previous comment of mine that I took all of your comments and read through them thoroughly, dissecting them carefully, yet easily, to discern everything I need to know about you. I pegged you for a Hannahnite plant as soon as you made your first comment. Look back in case you forgot. Through your exhausting efforts to prove me and the others wrong, you exposed more of your intentions. In your attempt to prove you are genuine, you had to be careful not to betray your Free Hannah group. This came out loud and clear at times you became angry at the lashing Hannah’s reputation was taking.
I said once before that you were no match for me, that you didn’t know what you stepped into when coming here engaging in your veiled attempt at gaining sympathy for Hannah. I said to you, “Welcome to my world” and you entered like a lamb to the slaughter, offering yourself up as entertainment and example of the pathetic and easily destructible Hannahnite mentality ever since.
If you wanted delicacy, you came to the wrong place. If you wanted mercy after being discovered as the defender of a child abuser and murderer, you fucked with the wrong woman.
Great article, Lost in Lima. I found this and wanted to share: My favorite part of all this: When Dr. Moritz, the self proclaimed sodium expert who never examined Andrew, said, “Hannah Overton wouldn’t have known it was sodium poisoning- she wouldn’t have known to recognize the symptoms.” Only problem- the symptoms were drifting in and out of consciousness, struggling to breathe, shock. It came out in Hannah Overton’s trial that she was a pediatric nurse for 2 years. Let’s put it another way: if one of my children suddenly came in from playing outside and collapsed, got cold, passed out while gasping and gurgling, I wouldn’t be saying, “Hmmm. I don’t know what that is. I can’t diagnose the problem, so I’ll just hold off for over and hour and not call 911. In fact, I’ll never call 911. I’ll just drive my child to a clinic. Not the hospital but a clinic.” Incidentally, the clinic was not around the corner. A hospital was across the street. The Corpus Christi Children’s Hospital was just as close. She didn’t call 911 or go to the hosptial because Andrew had burns, sores, bruises, scratches, and she knew she’d get caught for child abuse. She let him die for 2hours so she wouldn’t get in trouble. That’s the part of the Hannah Overton case the trial showed, contrary to the farcical Hannah and Larry Overton production by 20 20. And, we know Hannah fed it to him because she admitted to feeding it to him.
Love your article, Red Alerts. And SMP. Great minds think alike! SMP, thanks for Facebook! I’m glad you’re there to protect abused kids. You and Rob are stand up people. Thanks for all you do!
You guys (except for one, you know who I mean) are just so great!!!!! Thank you all for giving someone – who wanted backed up and hard evidence and the simple truth about a case she did not know about – the truth about the whole thing. I already directed all my friends in Europe to all the blogs and told them to also read these well written comments in addition! The facebook turned out great! All of you are outstanding. No Stevie, not you. That comment with the comparison to Nazis did not make any sense and was one of the dumbest things I ever read on the internet. Makes Germans like me just roll our eyes. Let alone all the other flip flopping crap you posted.
Thanks Cat for all your support of Andrew. I’m going to check out the facebook this morning! For so long, Hannah and Larry Overton were getting away with their Free Hannah version of the case, a the expense of an innocent 4 year old.
Isn’t it interesting. The Free Hannah Overton site doesn’t have a discussion board.
Wow, I checked out the facebook and it’s great! I’ll join, too! Thank you Red Alerts!
The Hannah Overton San Antonio Express story wasn’t nearly as indepth as the Lost in Lima Ohio articles, and we all know the Hannah Overton 20 20 story, with a featurette on Larry Overton, was anything but accurate. Trade-off- exclusive interview for biased journalism. The Free Hannah Overton supporters need to quit threatening, exploiting, misleading and repressing the truth. Thanks to celebgalz, Parents Behaving Badly, Stop Child Molesters, Red Alerts and Crime Shadows for posting something different from the propaganda. I really liked the new Justice for Andrew Burd site on Facebook!
Hannah Overton’s case wasn’t about intent. The prosecution never alleged intent- the prosecution always argued knowingly. There’s a big difference between forming the intent to kill someone versus knowing that you are seriously hurting someone by burning, severely hitting someone in the head, forcing someone to drink a cajun sodium slurry and then knowing, as a nurse, that the person was dying and needed 911 medical care. A sneaky, misleading thing the criminal defense attorneys and the Free Hannah Overton supporters are doing is saying she had no intent and; therefore, it’s not capital murder. That’s just not true. Knowingly is enough for capital murder.
Thank you Red Alerts, SMP, and everyone else for talking about this case. It’s a relief to find a site not martyring Hannah Overton.
I don’t speak for Lilo or Red-Alerts, but as someone who wants to see justice remain in tact for little Andrew, I would like to ask that no one post third-party information that cannot be substantiated. It puts holes in credibility when we join a bandwagon filled with rumors and break room gossip. This is precisely what has torn down the Free Hannah camp: posting and spreading “eyewitness reports” that have been found to be blatant lies.
I could just as well post here under an assumed name and say, “I was in the waiting room and heard her tell her pastor she killed Andrew on purpose!”
If it sounds convenient, it probably isn’t 100% true. Please, don’t post it here or on any other site dedicated to keeping justice for Andrew. Let’s not become like the Hannahnites.
Thank you!
SMP
I don’t want to battle you.
I just wanted to discuss the case.
You may be good at reading other people but you got me wrong!
I am someone who is in the middle on this case. I am not in any way a “hannahite!” I find it rediculous, even comical that you insist on calling me one, after I have stated
(1) she cause Andrew’s death,
(2) she might very well deserve life in jail,
(3) the freehannah people are blind lemmings,
(4) and my theory that she was slow to bring him in because she didnt’ want to get caught
I have plenty of questions but it is clear I won’t get them answered here! And I know what kind of answers I would get if I went to the Freehannah people! I don’t trust them to be realistic & certainly not biased!
Lionel –
What was Hannah’s intended result? What did she know would have happened as a result of her delay? I do not beleive she either intended to kill Andrew or knew her delay would kill him.
But I beleive she knew her delay would at least cause severe bodily harm. That is why in abuse cases like this in Texas the parent is often charged with Felony Injury to a Child. The maximum sentence is life in prison & you don’t have to prove intent (or knowledge) to kill.
Capital murder can be by intentionally or knowingly. Read the posts above. Quit playing dumb.
Lost in Lima Ohio has several new posts on Hannan Overton!
Stevie: Honestly, do you think people who come to this blog are really too stupid to scroll upward to see your other comments? Do you think people who read this blog are too lazy to go to the Lilo site to read the comments you made there almost attacking every bit of logical point we made to you in answer to your clearly Hannah-biased questions?
You asked. You were answered. You were given clear cut evidence in the form of actual court documents and photographs. Still, you claim to be “on the fence” about this whole thing. No one’s falling for it, bub.
I’d say give up but you won’t. You’ve even resorted to commenting at Lilo under other names – with the same comments you post here and on the other Andrew blogs. You won’t give up because the Hannah defense team has convinced you that you have a chance at swaying people and corrupting possible jurors. Revelation: They lied.
SMP, great comment! The defense are desperate for a New Trial. Just desperate, but the Judge was so fair with them, that I feel confident the Appeals Court will not overturn the verdict.
Blastus is on Lost in Lima Ohio!
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Red Alerts, please keep on writing about the Hannah Overton church and movement. It’s a refreshing read. The Corpus Christi Caller Times came out with an editorial last Sunday criticizing the Jury “education” group created by Free Hannah Overton supporters.
Anonymous, I’m not getting your post.
Liked this and wanted to share: Saw a Free Hannah Overton bumpersticker- read Lost in Lima Ohio and Red Alerts.
If you are a Larry Overton case fan- read Parents Behaving Badly
Curious about Hannah Overton’s case- read Red Alerts
Wondering if the Hannah Overton abc 20/20 special was accurate- read Red Alerts, Lost in Lima Ohio, Blonde Sagacity and Stop Child Molesters
Wondering about the Hannah Overton San Antonio Express article- read Crime Shadows, the Corpus Christi Caller Times and KRIS Channel 6 news.
Want a Hannah Overton update- read Lost in Lima Ohio and KRIS Channel 6
Wondering about Hannah Overton’s appeal- read Corpus Christi Caller Times Editorial on In the Name of Justice Group formed by the Free Hannah Overton people
Want Hannah Overton news- watch KRIS Channel 6
Want the real story on Hannah Overton and victim, Andrew Burd, read Lost in Lima Ohio and Red Alerts.
Ok, I am trying to understand this case. I guess I just don’t get it. Why would a women with five children with no history of child abuse and pregnant take on an extra child just so she can deliberately kill him in this bizarre way instead of simply returning him to CPS. It just doesn’t pass the common sense test. And with this type of punishment, why would anyone in their right mind want to take on a Foster Child that born when their Mom was on drugs. Something’s not adding up.
The part you’re missing is stupidity. It’ isn’t argued that she wanted to kill the child, only that she new her activities were A) painful and B) wrong. She, like many other people, abused the child but didn’t think she’d actually kill him until it was too late.
But so what? If a man beats his wife and she dies during the beating it doesn’t matter that he didn’t want her to die, it’s still murder. As is this.
Rob thanks for responding. Two thoughts here. Don’t people who usually abuse children do it for a long period of time before they go “over the edge.” Typically, they have a pattern that can be traced back and is very obvious once a floodlight is put on their life. Guess I am not seeing that here. It would seem more logical that a child born to a Mother on drugs would have extreme emotional problems then the former.
Also, let’s say your right. She is very stupid and cruel. So are people who drink too many beers then cross the center line and kill families of innocent people. We don’t put them in prison for the rest of their life without the opportunity for parole. Why are we doing this here. Who does it benefit? If Hannah is released, does anyone think she is going to go get the the rest of kids now? Are other Foster Parents going to see that Hannah got released after just a couple years in prison so now they can just bag on calling 911? The case is so odd and the desire for vengeance by courts so great on this poor apparently, stupid women, is what just doesn’t add up.
The pattern is that she disciplined him by feeding him a solution that, in large enough quantity, is fatal. She admitted to punishing the boy with water laced with salty seasonings, but lied about what the seasoning was.
We do have the mechanism in place for drunk drivers who kill children to spend their life in prison depending upon other charges. But this wasn’t an auto accident. This was abuse that Overton knew was abuse (as does her church) but they simply didn’t expect the child to die. If some guy beats his wife, but didn’t mean to kill her, is he not guilty of murder? If I shoot some guy in the leg to make a point thinking he’d survive it but he bleeds to death am i not a murderer?
Overton decided to poison her child as punishment thinking that hed be mildly discomforted. He died. She’s a murderer.
At the time of Andrew’s death, my wife and I attended Calvary Chapel Coastlands; however, we did not really know the Overtons. As a “parking lot attendant/greeter”, I never observed anything out of the ordinary about the Overtons when they arrived for church on Sundays. I can say the church is not a cult. The people who knew the Overtons and their children (including Andrew) believe and continue to believe that Andrew’s death was an accident and not a murder. Most of these people who believe Hannah to be innocent of murder are honest, well-educated, and hard-working members of the community who knew her well.
One also needs to be reminded that the prosecution failed to call any witness who knew Hannah to substantiate their claims of child abuse. The closest was a woman (and church member) who watched Andrew before the Overtons started the adoption process, and she did not make any accusations against the Overtons. All she said was that Andrew was a voracious eater, but was otherwise a normal kid.. No one else–neighbor or otherwise–spoke ill of the Overtons. If Hannah was such a monster, one would have expected the behavior to have been manifested and noticed by those around her. Also, the folks Hannah called before taking Andrew to the emergency room were not called as witnesses either. Isn’t it strange that were not called to testify? If Hannah has said anything incriminating (such as “how do I treat salt poisoning?”) wouldn’t they have been called as witnesses? Perhaps the biggest proof that the Overtons were not child abusers was the fact that the child abuse investigation brought by CPS found no evidence of abuse, the charges were dropped and their children were returned to them.
As to the “evidence”, one only needs to be reminded that two different groups can often look at the same facts and draw different conclusions. One only needs to look at the great scientific arguments of today to see this occurring. Both parties are often convinced of the veracity of their conclusions.
I believe, based on what I know, that Hannah was incapable of murder. I also do not believe that Hannah intentionally withheld medical treatment. I believe her biggest mistake was in mis-diagnosing the symptoms and, as a result, failing to bring Andrew to an emergency room sooner. While this is a tragic event, it is not murder, and justice was not meeted out with a sentence of life imprisonment without a chance for parole.
Your entire theory of the crime rest on the fact you think Hannah was a nice person even though you didn’t know her because her friends said she was. This is asinine.
No child can eat the amount of salt required to overdose on it without help. That’s what we call a fact. “Voracious eating” and hiding food for later are signs of neglect that even we who worked with kids casually are taught to recognize and report. Hannah admitted to “spicing” his water to punish him, an act I have blogged about in other cases because it is in fact not unusually for children to die or be hospitalized when some idiot begins lacing their drinks and food with too much salt.
These honest people you talk about from your little church (which if you read the post above I make the academic distinction between cults and sects describing your church as a sect, though both words in the academic sense have no value judgment) ran a smear campaign against the prosecutor, attempted to put a company that wasn’t involved out of business and justify making the boy sleep on plywood and other things which are clearly abuse. Hannah’s own child described abuse of the boy. Your little church, a synagogue of Satan as Montague Summers would have rightly called it, promoted her deviant behavior and defends it now because no doubt you’re torturing other children in the same way.
You’re a liar, but worse you’re a defender of evil. Even if Hannah’s story was true, that she poisoned her son with a spice concoction then waited three hours to call for help even though he was drifting in and out of consciousness and vomiting, that would be murder. But the fact is the autopsy shows her story is a lie. And what about the untreated burn? What about the bruises? Why wasn’t the child’s wounds cared for if she was such a great mother?
Because Rod Carver’s Christianized Heaven’s Gate cult teaches you to embrace depravity and misanthropy. If you were not a hell-bound degenerate you’d save your sympathy for the child Overton murdered.
Anyone who has ever cared for any child for any length of time would know that if a child is has 8 bowel movements within a 3 hour period of time, they need medical attention. The Overtons had 5 other children? This makes me wonder how many times those children needed medical attention and didn’t get it.
This woman is an evil, vile, waste of oxygen. She murdered that little boy, plain and simple. His autopsy showed that he suffered abuse even before this incident. How can anyone defend her? Oh, never mind… They must also be evil, vile, wastes of oxygen. And getting 20/20 to defend the likes of Hannah Overton isn’t such a stretch, considering that they also defend pedophiles.
The worst part of the Overton story is her other children did see doctors, but Andrew Burd was singled out for abuse.
You sir should be ashamed of yourself for posting lies like this to make this women look like she murdered this boy. I knew nothing of this case when i started researching it, I am not connected to her in any way at all. This women was a missionary with 4 children, they took that child in with open arms to give him a home. If you look at the facts and the testimony from his doctor it is obvious that this boy was not murdered. I know you all will come down on me, but I spent nearly 5 months researching every detail of this and that women did not murder that child. You people need to grow up and do some real research before you jump to conclusions because you think you actually know something about this case. Ok every one go ahead and attack me now, I dont care, I know she didn’t do it.