Mom convicted of killing son by poisoning him with salt

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Jurors on Monday convicted a mother, who chronicled her 5-year-old son's illnesses, of second-degree murder in her son's death.

Lacey Spears showed little reaction as the guilty verdict was read in the Westchester County Courthouse in White Plains, N.Y.

The second-degree murder charge was the most serious one available to the jury. They also had the option of first-degree manslaughter. Second-degree murder carries a minimum penalty of 15 years to life in prison, and a maximum of 25 years to life.

A judge set her sentencing for April 8.

Defense lawyer Stephen Riebling said Spears was shocked.

"We are disappointed with the verdict that was rendered in this case," said Riebling. "It is our client's intention to appeal the decision."

Speaking to reporters, he maintained that "it is still a mystery" as to what caused Garnett's death.

Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore said her office would ask for the maximum penalty at sentencing.

During a news conference Monday afternoon, DiFiore said Ramapo police and Westchester County police "put together a first-rate case."

If the defense appeals, "We are very confident this conviction will be upheld," DiFiore said.

Prosecutors had argued that there was no possible explanation for the high sodium levels that caused Garnett Spears' death last year other than salt deliberately introduced into his feeding tube by his mother. They said she did it for attention, and called it "nothing short of torture."

The defense had contended that Spears, 27, was a doting mother being tried on sketchy evidence. Spears' lawyers suggested it was Nyack Hospital's treatment of the boy that was to blame for his death on Jan. 23, 2014, at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital in Valhalla, N.Y.

The trial lasted for 14 days. Jurors received the case late Thursday when they began deliberations. They deliberated all day Friday and resumed Monday morning.

During closing arguments Thursday, prosecutor Patricia Murphy told jurors "Garnett was not a sickly little boy. Not now. Not at age 4. Not at age 5 — he's not a sickly little boy."

Spears' attorney, Stephen Riebling, had argued that there were no witnesses to the alleged crime and no forensic evidence taken from the hospital.

While the probe into Garnett's death focused on a rare psychological disorder, Munchausen by proxy, in which parents harm their children to win attention and sympathy, prosecutors chose not to introduce that theory at trial, suggesting they believed the evidence they had was strong enough on its own for a conviction.

Spears chronicled her sickly son's many illnesses — including his final one — on Facebook and a personal blog. In one Facebook post, she said Garnett made 23 trips to the hospital in his first year.

Spears, an Alabama native, relocated to Rockland County, N.Y., from Florida 14 months before Garnett's death, moving to the secluded Fellowship Community in Chestnut Ridge, N.Y., where a live-off-the-land philosophy is followed. She was living in Chestnut Ridge at the time of Garnett's death. After his death, she moved to Kentucky and was living there when she was arrested.

A statement released Monday by Matt Uppenbrink, the Fellowship Community's administrator said the group "is looking ahead to a time when young Garnett Spears can be remembered for his life and the joys in it rather than through the sad events that led to his passing and, ultimately, to the verdict of today." It adds that the verdict "will allow our members and families to move towards healing and comfort."

"Garnett was an amazing individual who befriended all who met him, and we believe that his indomitable spirit will live on with us through the years to come," the statement concludes.

At Green Mountain Waldorf School, which Garnett attended, spokeswoman Vicki Larson said in a statement that the boy was still being mourned.

"This has been a very sad time for our school," she wrote. "We did everything we could to cooperate with authorities in their investigation into Garnett's death. While today's verdict brings some closure to a very painful event, our thoughts remain with Garnett."

About two dozed prosecution witnesses testified in the trial. The defense did not call anyone to the stand.

Contributing: The Associated Press.