- Jul 12, 2003
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Jury pins suicide on a sloppy mom
By TRACY CONNOR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
A Connecticut mom who kept her home like a pigsty was convicted yesterday of contributing to the suicide of her 12-year-old son - who was bullied at school for poor hygiene.
In a landmark verdict, Judith Scruggs, 52, was found guilty of putting her child, Daniel, at risk but cleared of a cruelty charge and a medical neglect charge.
Scruggs faces up to 10 years in prison when she's sentenced in Superior Court next month. She refused to comment but her attorney was outraged.
"I hope the public will have an outcry that someone could be convicted of any charge in association with the suicide of her child," defense lawyer Reese Norris said.
During a week-long trial, prosecutors charged that after Daniel hanged himself in his closet with a necktie in January 2002, authorities found a scene of squalor.
The Meriden home was cluttered with boxes, dirty clothes and debris. The bathroom was filthy, the sink piled with dirty dishes and there was a rank smell.
Daniel had body odor and bad breath and was mercilessly picked on at school, yet his mother failed to get medical help or counseling for him, they charged.
The boy was so tortured he often slept in his closet with knives and a homemade spear for protection - an image that resonated with the jury.
"I definitely didn't think she did enough," juror Vinny Giardina said of Scruggs after the verdict. "You just don't let things go."
Friends of Scruggs who testified in her defense said prosecutors exaggerated the messiness of the home - and questioned why they would try to jail a grieving mother.
"I think there's been a terrible injustice here - to tell somebody they're guilty because their house is dirty," Kevin Murphy, 47, told the Daily News. "She's suffered so much, and now to have this branded on is terrible."
But William Durrin, 32, who is married to Daniel's half-sister, said he believes the jury let Scruggs off too easy.
"It's the sympathy factor. Everybody is feeling sorry for her, and figures since she lost her son why should she be put through more torture?" he said.
Durrin said he has no doubt that Scruggs' neglect of her son sent him into a suicidal tailspin, and he fears the judge will give her a no-jail sentence.
"I think about Daniel every day," he said.
"Fishing was my passion but since he's passed away, I've only gone fishing three times because I know when I go, all I'll think about is Daniel."
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/story/124392p-111658c.html
By TRACY CONNOR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
A Connecticut mom who kept her home like a pigsty was convicted yesterday of contributing to the suicide of her 12-year-old son - who was bullied at school for poor hygiene.
In a landmark verdict, Judith Scruggs, 52, was found guilty of putting her child, Daniel, at risk but cleared of a cruelty charge and a medical neglect charge.
Scruggs faces up to 10 years in prison when she's sentenced in Superior Court next month. She refused to comment but her attorney was outraged.
"I hope the public will have an outcry that someone could be convicted of any charge in association with the suicide of her child," defense lawyer Reese Norris said.
During a week-long trial, prosecutors charged that after Daniel hanged himself in his closet with a necktie in January 2002, authorities found a scene of squalor.
The Meriden home was cluttered with boxes, dirty clothes and debris. The bathroom was filthy, the sink piled with dirty dishes and there was a rank smell.
Daniel had body odor and bad breath and was mercilessly picked on at school, yet his mother failed to get medical help or counseling for him, they charged.
The boy was so tortured he often slept in his closet with knives and a homemade spear for protection - an image that resonated with the jury.
"I definitely didn't think she did enough," juror Vinny Giardina said of Scruggs after the verdict. "You just don't let things go."
Friends of Scruggs who testified in her defense said prosecutors exaggerated the messiness of the home - and questioned why they would try to jail a grieving mother.
"I think there's been a terrible injustice here - to tell somebody they're guilty because their house is dirty," Kevin Murphy, 47, told the Daily News. "She's suffered so much, and now to have this branded on is terrible."
But William Durrin, 32, who is married to Daniel's half-sister, said he believes the jury let Scruggs off too easy.
"It's the sympathy factor. Everybody is feeling sorry for her, and figures since she lost her son why should she be put through more torture?" he said.
Durrin said he has no doubt that Scruggs' neglect of her son sent him into a suicidal tailspin, and he fears the judge will give her a no-jail sentence.
"I think about Daniel every day," he said.
"Fishing was my passion but since he's passed away, I've only gone fishing three times because I know when I go, all I'll think about is Daniel."
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/story/124392p-111658c.html