Vt. mom, boyfriend accused of killing disabled teen son

HARDWICK, Vt. - A mother and her boyfriend in northern Vermont are accused of killing the woman's disabled son by putting alcohol in the boy's IV, reports CBS affiliate WCAX.

Police say on Aug. 22 they were called to the Hardwick home of Melissa Robitille and Walter Richter and found 13-year-old Isaac Robitille dead inside, according to the station. The child's autopsy revealed he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.146, almost twice the legal limit for an adult to drive.

Isaac reportedly had significant medical conditions, including multiple physical handicaps that required the assistance of caretakers, feeding tubes and IVs to keep him alive.

The station reports that investigators say Melissa Robitille and Walter Richter intentionally added alcohol to their son's IV bag. The medical examiner's office ruled the death a homicide and said the contributing cause was alcohol.

Robitille and Richter, both 38, are both charged with second-degree murder.

Prosecutor Maria Byford says, "There's great evidence of guilt."

In December of 2005, Robitille, spoke with WCAX after then-5-year-old Isaac was getting a puppy named "Tickle" from the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Melissa Robitille said at the time, "Isaac's going to meet so many therapy goals just chasing Tickle around and reaching out, because he needs to learn how to reach out and feel the world, because he's afraid of things that could hurt him, because he can't see them. And then later on, Tickle will learn to be an assistance dog."