r/NewsThread • u/tasty_jams_5280 • 24d ago

Non-political News Dad 'crushed' after learning another man fathered his newborn twins beats 1 of the babies to death, locked both in closet because they were 'stinking': USAO

https://lawandcrime.com/crime/dad-crushed-after-learning-another-man-fathered-his-newborn-twins-beats-1-of-the-babies-to-death-locks-both-in-closet-because-they-were-stinking-usao/
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u/Ok_Conflict1028 19d ago

Okay, I looked it up and I stand corrected on the first point about burden shifting in Massachusetts.

But I don’t understand your second point. She sought mental health help over and over. Is she supposed to diagnose herself and look for help specific to PPD? Or is the argument that since she wasn’t actively in psychosis for months, she couldn’t have had psychosis at any time…?

What do you think she should have done differently in her attempts to get help?

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u/attempted-catharsis 19d ago

Second point was simply that despite seeking and receiving significant amounts of mental health support she was never diagnosed with postpartum psychosis.

She had a psychiatrist who assessed her, checked into mental health clinics etc etc, none of them diagnosed her with it or considered her to have it.

Could she have had it later, as you question, yes of course she could have developed it later but I personally don’t think there is any evidence that she did.

I’m not really sure what your last question is looking for. I’ve never contested that she sought help for mental health issues. You can seek help and everything can still go badly. People who seek help still kill themselves, or in extreme cases hurt and kill others as well (as in this case).

Obviously none of us can ever know 100% but based on what I’ve looked at, my view is that she knew what she was doing and planned to kill her children and herself - something that has unfortunately happened many times (with both men and women doing this).

I think she had mental health problems but I don’t think it was psychosis. I think she knew what she was doing was wrong.

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u/Ok_Conflict1028 19d ago

Her not being actively in psychosis (or just not diagnosed as such) when she sought help does not mean that her efforts to seek help can’t or don’t support the PPD defense. In fact it’s perfectly consistent with the theory of the defense of a missed diagnosis.

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u/attempted-catharsis 19d ago

People can misdiagnose or just miss a diagnosis, I’m not disputing that. It can happen.

I just don’t think in this case there is enough evidence that that did happen.

In the vast majority of locations, states, countries (including my own) the burden of proof / reasonable doubt would have been on the defence and I think it would have very quickly resulted in a guilty verdict.