A Texas woman was freed from jail after being convicted of killing a 4-year-old child, and sentenced to life in prison. According to Yahoo! News , Hannah Overton was freed on bond after an appeals court said that there were sufficient questions in the case that warranted a new trial. Overton had been in jail for seven years after she was found guilty of force-feeding the foster child salt. After winning the appeal, her friends came up with $50,000 to free her.
“Overton’s lawyers said she was convicted because her original defense team was unskilled and prosecutors relied on faulty science to present evidence seen as incriminating. Lawyers who appealed for Overton said the boy was a special needs child suffering from an eating disorder and other diseases. They contend he consumed the fatal dose of salt on his own and the marks on his body were consistent with a condition he suffered from called coagulopathy, a blood clotting disorder.
The Texas woman freed has been allowed to reconnect with her five children by State District Judge Mario Ramirez Jr. despite the prosecutors request to limit her contact. According to The Sacramento Bee , there are still a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to Overton’s case. For instance, a child safety specialist with Child Protective Services revealed that Overton’s past “disciplinary techniques” have been “concerning.” As a foster parent, Overton had been accused of “using seasoning” to discipline children.
Naturally, defense attorneys have a very different opinion of Overton to share.
“Defense attorneys called about a half dozen witnesses who testified to Overton’s ‘gentle,’ ‘patient,’ and ‘exemplary’ character. Attorneys also provided a letter from the warden at a Gatesville prison where Overton has been locked up, describing her as “the epitome of a model prisoner.”
The Texas woman who was freed from prison this week will be in court for a new trial presumably in 2015. An exact date has not been decided upon at this time.
As far as the child’s death, the investigation may reopen. As previously reported by the Inquisitr , ingesting too much salt can, in fact, be deadly. It can cause hypernatremia , which is “when the blood contains a high concentration of sodium.” If the child was given too much salt, and that was the ultimate cause of death, Overton could find herself back behind bars.
[Photo courtesy of Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Michael Zamora AP Photo via The Sacramento Bee ]
