Massachusetts v. Woodward
"The Nanny Murder Trial"
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld Louise Woodward's reduced conviction of involuntary manslaughter on June 16, 1998. The former au pair, who had been living in the United States pending the appeal decision, returned home to England.
She defaulted in the wrongful death suit brought against her by the Eappens, citing the inability to pay the legal costs required for a civil trial but maintaining her innocence.
Full text of Massachusetts Supreme Court decision
Full text of Judge Hiller Zobel's decision.
Full text of prosecution's petition to Supreme Judicial Court.
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Woodward defaults in wrongful death suit (July 9) |
Woodward goes home; Eappens sue her for wrongful death (June 17) |
Massachusetts high court upholds Zobel decision (June 16) | Police Report on Woodward Lawyer Elaine Whitfield Sharp (May 27) |
March 9 (Appeal Coverage) |
March 5 (Pre-Appeal Analysis) |
December 3 (Petition Hearing) | November 25 (Appeal Petition) | November 11 (Louise Woodward's Statement) | November 10 (Judge's Zobel's Decision) | November 10 (Martha Coakley interview) | November 6 (Barry Scheck interview) | November 5 | November 4 | October 31 Sentencing | October 30 Verdict | October 28 | October 27 | October 23 | October 22 | October 21 | October 20 | October 17 (Including O.J. Simpson Comments) | October 16 | October 15 | October 14 | October 10 | October 9 | October 8 | October 7
BACKGROUND
A teen-age British nanny was accused of first degree murder for allegedly shaking to death the infant she was babysitting. Prosecutors said that Louise Woodward, 19, became so impatient with eight-month-old Matthew Eappen's crying that she shook him violenty--too violently--to quiet him. Woodward also allegedly slammed the infant against a hard surface (prosecutors alleged the floor) to silence him. Eappen suffered a fractured skull and died from his injury.
Woodward's defense claimed that the nanny did not cause Eappen's death and that a prior incident must have caused the baby's skull fracture. The defense also had two other theories: (1) that Matthew Eappen may have had a genetic defect that contributed to his skull fracture and (2) the parents' two-year-old son, Brendan, was the only other person at home at the time of Matthew's injury and that he could have caused the fatal injury.
Shaken Baby Syndrome?
On Feb. 4, 1997, Louise Woodward called the police and said that Matthew Eappen was having difficulty breathing. Woodward had been hired by Sunil and Deborah Eappen to babysit their sons in November 1996. When paramedics arrived at the Eappen household, they found that the baby had a two-and-a-half-inch skull fracture. Matthew's eyes were also bulging, a possible sign of "shaken baby syndrome." The baby spent four days on life support before dying on Feb. 9. The autopsy revealed that in addition to his fractured skull, young Matthew was also suffering from a month-old wrist fracture.
Prosecutors said that Woodward admitted to shaking Matthew and to dropping him on the floor and tossing him on a bed. They alleged that Woodward became so frustrated with Matthew's uncontrollable crying that she began shaking him violently to stop the crying. In addition, state medical examiners said Matthew hit the floor with the "force equivalent to a fall from a second-story window." The injuries from the fall and the shaking allegedly caused Matthew Eappen's death.
Woodward was imprisoned without bond after the incident, and that caused controversy. Supporters of Woodward in both Massachusetts and her homeland of Britain had argued that Woodward should not be kept in a state women's prison with hardened criminals because she is only a teenager and was foreign to this country. Woodward supporters claimed she does not understand the U.S. justice system and should have been given the opportunity to be released on bail from prison. Prosecutors countered by saying that Woodward would likely flee from Massachusetts if freed on bail.
A Genetic Disorder?
The defense had recruited Barry Scheck, the forensics expert who helped O.J. Simpson's defense team during his trial, to help Louise Woodward's defense arguments. Woodward's defense claimed Woodward's alleged mishandling of the baby did not cause Matthew Eappen's death; instead, a pre-existing medical condition may have killed Matthew. Reportedly, the defense asked for DNA tests on Matthew in an apparent attempt to find genetic disorders that could have affected his bone strength and development or could have caused brain hemorrhages.
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Oct. 7: During
the first day of testimony, Barry Scheck, defense attorney
for Louise Woodward, cross examines Kenneth Mandl, the doctor who treated
the infant. |
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