Mom Held in Son's Cancer Death

Mass. Woman Accused of Withholding Meds Pleads Not Guilty to Attempted Murder Charge

(AP)  A woman accused of withholding cancer treatment from her autistic son by canceling appointments and not filling prescriptions pleaded not guilty Monday to an attempted murder charge in the boy's death.

Kristen LaBrie was ordered held on $15,000 cash bail during her arraignment Monday in Salem Superior Court. She did not speak during the brief hearing, except to enter the pleas to attempted murder, child endangerment and other charges.

LaBrie's son, Jeremy, had been diagnosed with leukemia in 2006. He was 9 when he died in March.

Prosecutors say LaBrie, 37, canceled appointments for chemotherapy treatment, did not fill at least half her son's prescriptions and tried to deceive doctors into believing she was giving the boy the proper care.

Her attorney, Kevin James, said Monday that LaBrie was a victim, had financial trouble and took care of the boy on her own.

The boy's father, Eric Fraser, was divorced from LaBrie. He said he and LaBrie shared custody of the boy until about a year ago, when she signed over her parental rights and he was given full custody.

Fraser, 38, of Saugus, said Jeremy was a happy kid who enjoyed riding dirt bikes and swimming at a family cottage in Tamworth, New Hampshire.

Before the arraignment, he declined to speak specifically about the case against LaBrie, other than to say, "I am relieved that it is moving forward."

"In due time I'll be able to speak my piece but for now I'll keep my mouth shut," he said.

[aChangeOfIdeas]

This AP story is leaving out a lot of info if you check other sources... almost like its trying to push a "we need universal healthcare" message. By the time the dad was able to get the full custody, the boy was already too sick. Universal healthcare won't make someone follow through on medical treatment and she consistently lied to doctors. Something was definitely very wrong with her, I'm sure there were ways to make payments or apply for aid, all things she apparently neglected to do (I say apparently b/c I was not there, obviously, but this is why she was arrested, for not trying to get her son help) no one is going to arrest her for not being able to afford medical treatment.

[Stormy500]

Maybe the first thing the father, Eric Fraser, will tell us when he begins to speak his piece will be why, if he was granted full custody a year or so ago, why was the mother solely in charge of the child's cancer treatments as it states in this article?

[cs4466]

Kristen LaBitch needs to suffer for a very, very long time. And, being agnostic, I don't trust anyone in the "afterlife" to do it, so give her a 6 inch mallet, a canyon full of rocks and give her instructions to construct a sandy beach.

[geewheeez]

Another perfect example why we need health care reform. Too expensive to be sick in the USA, and we call ourselves the wealthiest country in the world. I guess we should just kill ourselves if we get sick here in the USA, unless of course you work for the govt, they have great health care.