GUILTY TN - Lindsey Lowe charged in deaths of newborn twins, Hendersonville, 2011 *guilty*

[UdbCrzy2]

I wonder if the 250k bond conditions were cash or 10%? Her parents if they have any money or have any equity in their home, they may use that for an attorney. I'm sure they are going to come up with some sort of creative defense for her. I know her family supports her, but I cannot imagine the shame they must feel as they go about their daily lives.

 

[PeteJ]

JeannieC, thanks for your post. My comment wasn't about your comment,lol, but some locals who read here and are worried about LL's safety.

The family does not have the nicest house in town, of course, but this is a wealthy area and the nicest house in town is multimillions. People who live in other areas of the country may not know this. An average home (to me) if it is on or near the lake is a half million. Or was before the bust in real estate.

 

[not_my_kids]

Most people don't off their children, whatever impulses they might have. And if someone seriously believed he or she might actually kill their child based on these impulses, then clearly that person would need some serious help. In fact I am pretty sure if such a person went to a shrink and told shrink about wanting to kill their child, shrink would have to report that to authorities.

There's a big difference between wanting to kill your child on a fully conscious level, and the realization that you are no better than anyone else and that your own capacity for causing harm is just as high as anyone else's.

 

[Soulmagent]

I've very happy to hear that things worked out for your wife, and then you, with the marriage and the adoption. I think both of you are very special people, epitomizing perhaps the way Christianity teaches things should be.

However, I also think that for every one happy ending there may be two don't turn out quite that well. I believe this woman was afraid, very afraid, irrational actually. I am not/was not inside her head, but as a mother I know it must have taken a LOT for her to kill her babies. I do not see her as evil - I see her as a weak, frightened human being more to be pitied then villified, even mentally ill. I don't believe anyone in their right mind would commit a crime like this, not in today's world. The Elizabeth Emerson case I posted on page 2 had a much darker, totally different context, and yet, maybe some of our Puritan heritage, especially in relligious ideals, carries over to this day.

I admire your open mindedness.I cant do it with this woman. I cant compare her to a mother. I am comparing her to susan smith, Scott peterson, and alot of other vile people. No matter what support her friends and family are offering.


I just believe her to be selfish,worried about herself and what she wants and needs and feels. I dont believe she give a second thought to anyone except herself and the attitude is becoming more prevalent in society. I really dont think it took lot for her to do this or she wouldnt have done it twice.

I might even question if she had done it before as other cases where women who where not teens have been found to have done it more the once. Her actions of not removing the baby scream to me that she felt she had sometime and seems ok with leaving a few dead infants arround.MOO.

This woman has me P'Oed.

 

[southern_scout]

I wonder if the 250k bond conditions were cash or 10%? Her parents if they have any money or have any equity in their home, they may use that for an attorney. I'm sure they are going to come up with some sort of creative defense for her. I know her family supports her, but I cannot imagine the shame they must feel as they go about their daily lives.

The bond was a property bond, so I am guessing it was their house and they had to put the entire amount up.

 

[annmarie62]

I'll give you this, Trident, you can see what so many others easily overlook or simply avoid acknowledging: At one time or another, many, many, many parents have been on that line between motherhood and murder, be it due to mental illness, stress, exhaustion, or any one of a million different reasons.

I know we don't agree on this woman's potential motivations, but on the point above, we do agree. To be perfectly honest, there are times that my children have been left for a few minutes at a time to cry it out, simply because I knew myself well enough to know that if I didn't walk away, I was going to be in an orange jumpsuit on the evening news. Personally, I think that there are a great many children that end up dead (both newborns and older kids) because parents today aren't allowed to say that they are at the end of their ropes. To say that we are capable of harming our children, whether we ever have or not, is to admit that we aren't perfect, and in today's world, that just isn't acceptable. I don't know when parenting became synonymous with perfection, but somewhere along the line, it did.

Nothing can excuse what this woman did, but I for one do want to know why she did it, because none of the "usual" reasons seem to fit in this case. Either it was fear that drove her to it, long term and well hidden mental illness or she really is evil. At this point, we don't know, and you're right, we might never know for sure.

THANK YOU for your honest and courageous post. I think those labelling this woman as "evil" are taking the easy way out. I understand the outrage, because I feel it too, but hair-trigger emotions won't do anything but get away from the real issue: WHY she did this, and what we, as a society, can do to prevent other women from going to such horrendous extremes in order to look "perfect" for society. <modsnip>

 

[jjenny]

There's a big difference between wanting to kill your child on a fully conscious level, and the realization that you are no better than anyone else and that your own capacity for causing harm is just as high as anyone else's.

I couldn't disagree more. Not everybody has the same capacity to cause harm.

 

[stg]

Your wife sounds like an amazingly strong woman. And you must be an amazing husband!

It sounds as though your wife has the truly remarkable gift of utter and total forgiveness. To forgive the man who raped her, and to bear his child? And to LOVE love love! that child? 100%? That's a GIFT and I hope you and she both appreciate that.

Unfortunately not everyone is blessed with those attributes. While I certainly admire you both greatly, I also have compassion for those who are not as strong and resolved as you two.

Warmest wishes to you and your family. And I really do think what you are doing is a wonderful thing!

Thank you! I tried to feel compassion for the "mother" in this case. When I saw her bawling in court on TV, I imagined what she must be feeling, and it was sad to think about. I wanted to think if she had that day over again, she would have made a very different choice. But I just can't bring myself to feel compassion for someone who consciously placed her bare hand over not one, but two infants' mouths and held it there as they struggled to breathe, then breathed no more. Sorry, but I just can't do it.

 

[PeteyGirl]

I couldn't disagree more. Not everybody has the same capacity to cause harm.

Thank you, thank you! This is something everyone should think deeply about. NO, not everyone is remotely CAPABLE of holding their hands over a living, newborn infant's mouth and nose until they are dead. Oh my god. Please, no sympathy for this woman, except to assign her CHOSEN role as so impossibly sick that she would stoop to such cruelty.

I remember reaching out my arms for both of my infants after they were delivered. Yes, I wanted them. Yes, I had mixed feelings. I was 18 (just barely) when my daughter was born, and 21 when my son was born four months after I left their father. I had lots of fears, lots of regrets. But they were babies, they were my babies. Good god.

 

[JeannieC]

Not all, on either account. Not all parents reach that point, and therefore, not all kids are are in danger. And if you actually read my post, what should become apparent is that I am not saying all children are in danger. I am not even saying that most children are danger. And I am not saying that any children are in danger from parents that realize when they are approaching that line. Because those of us that are not mentally ill, terrified, or evil know when we are getting close, and we either walk away for the moment, or seek help for the long term. Children aren't killed by parents that walk away. They are however, killed over and over again, by parents that can not or will not acknowledge that they need help.

In this case, this woman needed help, probably for a long time before this happened. Yes, I think there is some genuine evil here, and I won't hesitate to say that I hope she pays dearly for what she did, but if people, both parents and non-parents were allowed to reach out for help in a way that wouldn't get them stigmatized, there would be a lot fewer cases like this. You can be evil enough to smother two of your own children with your own hands, but if you aren't together enough to hide the bodies anyplace better than a laundry basket in your bedroom, there's a pretty good bet that you aren't quite sane, either.

I absolutely agree with what you are saying. I was dating a man whose daughter-in-law had a premature baby. The baby required breathing treatments round the clock. Her husband was in the military and her parents were older and unable to help. She called me one morning around 4 am crying and begging me to come. The baby had cried for 5 days and she had taken her to the dr and he said she was just constipated and that was normal for a premature baby.......

She said she was afraid of what she would do if someone didn't come. I jumped in the car and kept her on the phone while I drove to her house. Even made her go outside and talk to me while the baby cried inside.

I brought the baby home with me for a week. I had to be sure she could handle her. She told me that was the most afraid she had ever been in her life.

I got her counseling and that helped too. So I totally agree we need some way for a woman or man to get help when they have really reached the end of their ropes so to speak.

I thank God she had the sense to call me.

 

[JeannieC]

Thank you! I tried to feel compassion for the "mother" in this case. When I saw her bawling in court on TV, I imagined what she must be feeling, and it was sad to think about. I wanted to think if she had that day over again, she would have made a very different choice. But I just can't bring myself to feel compassion for someone who consciously placed her bare hand over not one, but two infants' mouths and held it there as they struggled to breathe, then breathed no more. Sorry, but I just can't do it.

I can't either. She could have taken those babies to someone. Help was available to her and she had 9 months to seek help. That was a cold thing to do. They were newborns. So many people would have taken them. She has some serious problems with bonding. I can't imagine it.

 

[BrownRice]

Thank you, thank you! This is something everyone should think deeply about. NO, not everyone is remotely CAPABLE of holding their hands over a living, newborn infant's mouth and nose until they are dead. Oh my god. Please, no sympathy for this woman, except to assign her CHOSEN role as so impossibly sick that she would stoop to such cruelty.

I remember reaching out my arms for both of my infants after they were delivered. Yes, I wanted them. Yes, I had mixed feelings. I was 18 (just barely) when my daughter was born, and 21 when my son was born four months after I left their father. I had lots of fears, lots of regrets. But they were babies, they were my babies. Good god.

I believe the comments previously about every parent having the capacity to harm a child wasn't in the context of smothering a newborn. It was any parent, at their wits' end with their kids, can have "that" moment where they know if they do not walk away right then, they may lose their temper. And it's probably at that point that they are SO angry, they may use physical force. And at that anger moment, the force they would use would most likely be too much and could cause harm.

Before I had kids, I didn't really "get" that. I was judgmental and knew I'd never be in that situation (because my kids would be perfect, never misbehave, AND I'd be the perfect parent). Now I get it. And i have had those thoughts too - I need to walk away and I do walk away. I do not spank, so when I get so frustrated that I think for a second about it, I know it's time to leave the room. That was my interpretation of the previous comments.

 

[ziggy]

I don't really care if she's evil, spoiled, a sociopath - She is 25 years old and knows the difference between right and wrong. She killed two babies. She should be treated as a murder suspect, get a fair trial and do time just as if she'd killed two toddlers, teens or adults. The point is that an educated 25 year old knows better - why she made that decision matters not to me. All that matters now is that she face the consequences.

 

[Peepers]

So is she back at home with her parents and in the house/bedroom where she hid her dead babies? oh boy...wheres Leonard P.?

 

[Silkprint]

She is 25 years old and knows the difference between right and wrong. She killed two babies.

No kidding right!!!
I had 3 kids by the age of 25 ..she knew better and made a choice . Now she can live with that choice and the consequences it brings

 

[PeteJ]

I do have empathy for this young womans parents. At least they did call LE and are not (as far as I know) hitting every news and talk show out there trying to make excuses for their daughter. Moo

 

[PeteyGirl]

I believe the comments previously about every parent having the capacity to harm a child wasn't in the context of smothering a newborn. It was any parent, at their wits' end with their kids, can have "that" moment where they know if they do not walk away right then, they may lose their temper. And it's probably at that point that they are SO angry, they may use physical force. And at that anger moment, the force they would use would most likely be too much and could cause harm.

Before I had kids, I didn't really "get" that. I was judgmental and knew I'd never be in that situation (because my kids would be perfect, never misbehave, AND I'd be the perfect parent). Now I get it. And i have had those thoughts too - I need to walk away and I do walk away. I do not spank, so when I get so frustrated that I think for a second about it, I know it's time to leave the room. That was my interpretation of the previous comments.

Understood. But STILL. I have had plenty of very hostile thoughts, brought on by sleep deprivation, relentless whining and demanding, oppositional behavior.

There is, in reality, a huge GULF, a literal CHASM, between having a very hostile thought and ACTING on it. Making one move, then the next and the next and the next and the next! To smother a baby with your hand takes MINUTES, in which you give yourself permission to continue to smother.

We aren't talking about impulses, which might take over very briefly when a person is in extremis. What this person did was take multiple sequential actions to cause death in one newborn and then do it again to the other.

 

[BrownRice]

Understood. But STILL. I have had plenty of very hostile thoughts, brought on by sleep deprivation, relentless whining and demanding, oppositional behavior.

There is, in reality, a huge GULF, a literal CHASM, between having a very hostile thought and ACTING on it. Making one move, then the next and the next and the next and the next! To smother a baby with your hand takes MINUTES, in which you give yourself permission to continue to smother.

We aren't talking about impulses, which might take over very briefly when a person is in extremis. What this person did was take multiple sequential actions to cause death in one newborn and then do it again to the other.

Hey, I agree with you 100%. I can't imagine smothering a baby - and then doing it again! Never. And, I got pregnant as a teenager, had an extremely disciplined family, and got in pretty hot water. I was very concerned about getting "in trouble" with my parents, but never considered murdering my baby.

I was just clarifying what not my kids had said earlier - which was taken out of context. She never said she could see herself (or any other mother for that fact) smothering an infant. She was talking about reaching "that" point in parenting - and then walking away. 2 separate issues.

 

[not_my_kids]

Understood. But STILL. I have had plenty of very hostile thoughts, brought on by sleep deprivation, relentless whining and demanding, oppositional behavior.

There is, in reality, a huge GULF, a literal CHASM, between having a very hostile thought and ACTING on it. Making one move, then the next and the next and the next and the next! To smother a baby with your hand takes MINUTES, in which you give yourself permission to continue to smother.

We aren't talking about impulses, which might take over very briefly when a person is in extremis. What this person did was take multiple sequential actions to cause death in one newborn and then do it again to the other.

That is exactly why I agree that there is some level of evil present with this woman. The fact that she did it twice. But I still think there's more to it. It's like she wanted to get caught by leaving them in her bedroom. She was able to go to work, so it's not like she was too weak to hide the bodies if she had really wanted to.

 

[mrsb2001]

This story is so sad! I can't help but think there is more to the story...there has to be some reason that she didn't want her parents to know about the babies. Is it because of her mother's illness? Was she raped? I just feel like there is something missing...