After a week-long trial, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to 23 years in prison. Knew him well growing up. Dabney will be missed by so many. During the consultation the attorney can discuss whether our firm can assist you. More:Hannah Overton, family celebrate her pregnancy months after she's declared innocent in boy's death. I wouldnt give up that time we had with him and that he had with us., As we sat across from each other in the dayroom, Hannah and I discussed her case and the anguish that had consumed her following Andrews death. He defecated on the floor of his bedroom, then smeared feces on the bed, the dresser, and the walls. And anyone who loves dogs as much as Dabney did is a special soul indeed. Overton cites a Bible verse from Hebrews 13:3 on the ministry website to explain its mission: "Remember those in prisonas if you were bound with them! Its daily. "I could never thank my attorneys enough for fighting endlessly to prove my innocence and bring me home," she said. Hess was allowed to return to the force and is now a patrol sergeant. Overtons current defense attorney, Cynthia Orr, told ABC News she was thrilled to get the call from Skurka announcing his motion to dismiss had been granted by the judge. Overton's original trial attorneys admitted at an appeals hearing that they had made errors. Veteran defense attorney John Gilmore, whom the Overtons had retained using funds raised by their church, was stunned to learn of the arrests from reporters, who called asking for comment. Dabney will be missed by a wide range of supportive friends and family. He will be missed by his many friends. Sifting through it one afternoon, Orr came across documents she had never seen before, which showed that Andrews stomach contents did not have an elevated amount of salt when he arrived at the urgent care clinic. She had studied years earlier to be an EMT, she explained, and although she had never worked as a paramedic, she had felt confident in her training. There was a time when I questioned how God could allow this to happen, she said. Its free. And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. He moved unsteadily, and he was so clumsy that Hannah had him wear a life jacket whenever he splashed around in their inflatable kiddie pool. Box 70, Millers Tavern, Va.; St. Christopher's School, 711 St. Christopher's Road, Richmond, Va. 23226; or the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 1108 E. Main St. Suite 1600, Richmond, Va. 23219. It was like they were arresting Bonnie and Clyde, Gilmore said. Its not even a consideration, she said. Because we were not thinking we were in a life-or-death situation, she insisted. They wed a year later and moved to Corpus Christi. Plant a tree to honor the memory of your loved one. I feel happy. For us to go to [the clinic] was a lot faster than it would have been had we called, at that point., As we talked about Andrew, she had to stop several times to compose herself. My two boys will remember him always as "that tall man with the super cool motorcycle". During closing arguments, Gilmore emphasized that Hannah had no motive to kill Andrew and that the state had failed to prove that she had intentionally caused the boys death. Hannahs father was the Reverend Bennie Saenz, an evangelical preacher in Corpus Christi whose fall from grace profoundly altered the course of her childhood. Hannah must sit on the opposite side of a metal divider, behind Plexiglas. Death, Burial, Cemetery & Obituaries Search; Sponsored by Ancestry. The way it was explained to me, thats how I would be charged if I accidentally ran a stoplight and hit somebody, he said. Hess remained skeptical of Hannahs account. Larry hurried home to help, but Andrew, who had been vomiting, only grew worse. The daughter of a pastor and a homemaker, she had grown up longing for the companionship and boisterous energy of the big, churchgoing families she saw around her. A block away from the clinic, as they waited at a red light, Andrew stopped breathing. ), As the Overtons wait on the appellate courts, Larry goes about the task of raising their five children, while also trying to rebuild his business. After nearly eleven hours of deliberationduring which jurors sent out thirteen notes to the judge, primarily seeking to clarify medical testimonythe jury found her guilty of capital murder. After examining Andrews medical records, he had determined that the boys death was likely accidental. Always with a Northern Neck Gingerale for me--I still can't buy a 12 pack without thinking of him. He enjoyed everything he did, was always friendly and supportive. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, Hannah would remind him, quoting Philippians. The obituary was featured in Peterborough Telegraph on January 3, 2019. Please call me at your earliest convenience.. To find Hannah guilty, jurors had to believe either of two scenarios: that Hannah Overton force-fed Andrew salt knowing it would kill him or that she neglected to get medical help fast enough knowing that it would kill him. Hannah would never harm a child. Even setting aside her loyalty to her friend, the detectives theory made no sense to her. That Andrew had sustained a head injury was based on the presence of a half-inch area of hemorrhaging under the scalp. He would have been witness number one for the defense, Gilmore told me. But he was adamant that the boys death had not been accidental. Funeral service for Wendell Leon Overton, 81, of Cullman, will be 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 24, 2021 in the Cullman Funeral Home Chapel. Dabney was one of those people that are angels without wings. A Texas mother who spent years in prison before she was exonerated for capital murder has welcomed a new child. 1 x 120' / Produced for Discovery Networks. He was such a kind person and always had a smile on his face. In the eyes of law enforcement, Hannah and Larry were not grieving parents but perpetrators of an appalling crime. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. If not for a Corpus Christi couple named Larry and Hannah Overton, Andrew might have lingered in state custody, shuffled from one foster home to another. Sadly she lost her . The Overtons have said they believed he instead had a rare medical conditioncalled hypernatremia that caused the fatal sodium levels. EMTs and hospital staff had vigorously poked and prodded the boy as they attempted to revive him, first at the clinic, then in an ambulance, then at Christus Spohn Hospital, where he was initially taken, and finally at Driscoll, where he was transferred to the intensive care unit. The court ruledher trial lawyers were ineffective, and sent her case back to be retried. Overton, who has long maintained her innocence, spent seven years in prison for the young childs death. Yet the image they conjuredof a woman grinning at the sight of a comatose four-year-oldwas devastating. The onus for the boys death fell on Hannah, who was charged with capital murder. On October 2, 2006, 29-year-old Hannah Overton and her husband, Larry brought Andrew Burd, their four-year-old foster son whom they were in the process of adopting, to a hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas after the boy stopped breathing. (You can just tell by looking at her how evil she is, one wrote.) But just as the prosecution could not show exactly how Hannah had forced Andrew to ingest a lethal dose of salt, neither could the defense give precise details for how the four-year-old had come to have so much sodium in his body. According to juror number three, a high school English teacher named Margaret Warfield, that was not the case. How do you poison someone with a substance you dont know the contents of? That Hannah had not sought immediate medical attention did not change his view. Dear Overton Family and Friends of Dabney. Home; Memorials; Cemeteries; Famous; Contribute; Register; Sign In; Register; Sign In; Memorial updated successfully. He displayed hyperactive behavior and possibly had some cognitive delays as well. The doctors assessment of Andrew as developmentally delayed was significant because it dovetailed with Hannahs testimony. Elaine and I are deeply saddened by his sudden passing. Hannah Overton, far right, sits next to her attorney, Cynthia Orr, center, and prosecutor, Doug Norman, April 26, 2012 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Then he asked for more. (Haller, their next-door neighbor, has since moved to Houston.) We dont know precisely how she got it down Andrew, but we know that he was very, very obedient, Eastwood told the jury, standing before the TV news cameras that Judge Longoria had allowed inside the courtroom. Two years later, the Overtons learned that their adoption application had been approved and that Andrew would be joining their family. The Overtons are nurturing, loving, patient, and very family-oriented, an adoption supervisor noted in her paperwork. The states case would be predicated in part on the findings of Ray Fernandez, the Nueces County medical examiner, who ruled Andrews death to be a homicide. Hannahs mother and stepfather, Hannah, Larry, and the kids on Mothers Day 2006. At 4 a.m., she reports to the laundry, where she folds shirts and hands out clean clothes to inmates. I wouldnt give up that time we had with him and that he had with us.. I am truly saddened to hear of Dabney's sudden passing. He struck up a correspondence with Hannah, but she did not warm to him until their paths crossed again at a year-long missionary training school outside Tyler, when she was nineteen and he was a more clean-cut twenty. Haller was stunned by the accusation. Overwhelmed, the Overtons sought guidance in prayer. Four subsequent investigations were triggered by reports of abuse or neglect, including one allegation that both his mother and maternal grandmother were incapable of properly caring for him because they used methamphetamines. She was even slighter in person than I had expected, and as she related the events of the past five years in her soft voice, she looked hopelessly out of place in her white prison jumpsuit. The medical staff at Driscoll Childrens Hospital had determined that Andrew had nearly twice the normal level of sodium in his blooda highly abnormal findingas well as bleeding in the brain, and as Hess questioned her, he tried to ascertain what had happened. Knowing Hannah, it was inconceivable that she would ever hurt a child, said Noreen. Larry Overton was also charged with murder, but after his wife's conviction, he was offered a plea deal and was given probation. His foster mother, Hannah Overton, was charged with capital murder, vilified from all quarters, and sent to prison for life. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Alton Lewis Overton, age 66, of Bryant; passed away Wednesday March 7, 2007. He introduced me to Bandy Field and our Labs also became friends. A family birthday celebration in the summer of 2006. Your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. I figured, Well, weve got to start with one, so lets see how far we get. Isabel, and then Ally, followed. By that point, Hannah had completely broken down emotionally.. Hannah Overton recently reunited with her husband, Larry Overton, since being released on bond last week. Hannah Overton and her family spend Christmas together for the first time in seven years. Would I really have stayed with a family that would abuse a child?, The most unsettling aspect of The State of Texas v. Hannah Ruth Overton, which got under way in August 2007, was how effectively a woman who had spent most of her life as a do-gooder could be recast as a monster. Thats what Im trying to get you to tell me. With no obvious explanations to consider, he focused his attention on Hannah. Both sides worked hard independently to determine the truth and achieve justice for the Overton family, the entire family. He is survived by : his children, Valerie Overton Castano (John), Glenn Overton (Donna) and Allen Overton (Amy); his grandchildren, Morgan Castano Petty (Kyle), Jordan Castano, Zack Castano (Andie), Julia Overton Kahsar (Alex), Alyssa Overton McSteen (Dylan) and Drake Overton; his great grandchildren, Overton Petty, Cotten Petty, Davant Petty, Preston McSteen and Layton Kahsar; his brothers-in-law, Bruce Preston Cotten and Grant Cotten; his friends, Jimmy, Sarah Trado, Joyce, Jerry Dellinger, Betty Jo Mullis and Bob Butler; and also, Scott and Tana Lloyd. Hannah Overton spent seven years in prison until her conviction was overturned. Overton, 38, was convicted in 2007 after being accused of force-feeding young Andrew Burd enough salt to kill him, even though she had no previous problems with the law and was raising four children and was pregnant with a fifth. Larry Overton was also charged with murder, but after his wife's conviction, he was offered a plea deal and was given probation. The detective had been alerted to Andrews grave condition when the boy was transported to a nearby hospital the previous afternoon and, as was protocol, had begun looking into the circumstances surrounding the boys unusual and rapid decline. Dabney was born on July 31, 1963 and grew up in Essex County, Va. Brother Paul Campbell will officiate the service. His foster mother had taken him to a pediatrician for an adoption screening shortly before he had come to live with them, and the checkup had raised no red flags. Obituary - Middle Island, L.I., December 5 - Mrs. Hannah M. Overton died yesterday morning after a short illness. He acted more like a toddler than a preschooler, they noted; if he wanted an object, he pointed to it and grunted. Other couples they knew who had adopted foster children assured them that their kids had outgrown similar eating issues, and the Overtons assumed that, with time, Andrew would outgrow his as well. Overton was released on bond in December 2014 after a Texas appellate court overturned her conviction and life sentence. In October 2006 a four-year-old from Corpus Christi named Andrew Burd died mysteriously of salt poisoning. Dabney was loved and treasured for his gentle nature, ready smile, and intelligent wit.
hannah overton obituary