Found Deceased TX - Sherin Mathews, 3, Richardson, 7 Oct 2017 #1

[Gigglingtoes]

Moms attorney Kent Starr's page on what he "specializes" in:
About me
I practice primarily in criminal law cases and I have tried cases for manslaughter, for which I obtained a NOT GUILTY verdict, all the way to Class C possession cases

https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/75074-tx-kent-starr-44538/aboutme.html

 

[tlcya]

WHERE DO THINGS STAND HERE, TODAY, IN THIS MOMENT:

Mom has not been named suspect or POI by LE nor has she been charged with any crime. Parents have retained counsel and parents are said to be no longer speaking with police:

Sherin’s parents are no longer speaking with police and have retained attorneys, Perlich said. Sherin’s mother was asleep when Mathews told Sherin to go stand outside and wasn’t aware that he’d given her daughter those instructions, Perlich said. [Sgt. Kevin Perlich, a spokesman for the Richardson Police Department.]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-then-she-disappeared/?utm_term=.f421b032c631

You MAY discuss anything in MSM about mother, her public statements or public statements made on her behalf.

You MAY NOT sleuth her, accuse her of harming her child(ren), covering for someone else, etc.

You WILL treat her as a victim as required by TOS.

You may NOT make this discussion about religion or patriarchal cultures. Period.

If you chose to post in a manner outside the rules you face losing posting privileges.

 

[katydid23]

If a person confessed to harming or killing their child to their attorney, is that attorney obligated to call CPS or LE asa mandated reporter?

An attorney has attorney/client privilege and they do not have to report a confession. But there are rules about a threat of future violence, so it is a grey area. If they know a parent killed one daughter, can they ignore the safety and future welfare of the other child?

 

[blue22]

His job is to represent the Mom's interests. And at this point she is neither charged with anything, nor apparently under suspicion. Nor is there any official recognition of anything other than that the child is missing. Lawyers don't just represent people they believe to be innocent, nor is it really their purpose to determine innocence (or not). At present the only issue about which he can really do anything is trying to protect Mom's rights vis a vis the child known to be living and in foster care. I would imagine that his purpose in even holding the presser was to tone down the public speculation about her role in Sherin's disappearance. Down the road, should Sherin be found and additional charges levied against Dad, I would imagine his first concern will be to separate Mom's interests from Dad's.

I know what a lawyer does, but thanks. What I was saying, is that he blew it. The public thinks she knows, and he did not improve that. He seemed skeptical about the information he presented, which is not a good thing for his client. (And does not bode well for her, or his position representing her IMO.) If his goal was to tone down speculation, he did the opposite. His wordage was poor, his body language poor. I doubt he has a clue what, if any role she plays in this. It's not his job to determine guilt, I realize this. But he did nothing to make his client seem innocent to the speculative public. He seemed unsure if he even believed any of it. I'm simply saying it's not a confident look publicly. (And the "mourning" Sherin comment was a HUGE mistake. It was disgusting and I'm sure he regrets his wording.) He is known to be a very good lawyer here, so the whole thing was surprising from a local perspective. When people are left thinking, "Does he even believe his own client," after a very short presser...the mark was missed. He's a lawyer doing his job, I get it. I really do. But it was not convincing enough to change local opinions.

I have no idea if the mom will be implicated, I will leave that to LE. They have not implicated her that I know of, so I trust their current judgement on that. I do think she is key. The information that can hopefully be shared from her eventually will be very important. The local public has not been so...trustful of her. He should have done a better job for his client. He did not leave that presser with her looking better to the public. LE did not arrest her, but it's like it doesn't matter. People made up their mind and he didn't help her. He should have.

All JMO.


ETA: I want to be clear that I am not implying the mother hurt her child. I'm only speaking abut what the public is perceiving and how I don't' believe she was helped today the presser. I hope she has family she can perhaps stay with, so she is protected from public questioning.

 

[ATX2017]

“The couple’s other 4-year-old daughter is in the custody of a family friend. Child Protectives Services said it has dealt with the family before but would not elaborate.”
The other child is with a family friend? How is that protective custody? This whole thing stinks.

 

[georgiajean]

Almost seems lawyer was stating mom was cooperating with police in order to get her biological daughter back. Any chance both lawyers will try and have their defendants turn on one another or do they work together? This just all seems so strange to me.

When I heard the lawyer speak, it seemed like he was saying that she had cooperated fully, and then CPS took her 4 year old daughter, so she stopped cooperating.

 

[ATX2017]

I know what a lawyer does, but thanks. What I was saying, is that he blew it. The public thinks she knows, and he did not improve that. He seemed skeptical about the information he presented, which is not a good thing for his client. (And does not bode well for her, or his position representing her IMO.) If his goal was to tone down speculation, he did the opposite. His wordage was poor, his body language poor. I doubt he has a clue what, if any role she plays in this. It's not his job to determine guilt, I realize this. But he did nothing to make his client seem innocent to the speculative public. He seemed unsure if he even believed any of it. I'm simply saying it's not a confident look publicly. (And the "mourning" Sherin comment was a HUGE mistake. It was disgusting and I'm sure he regrets his wording.) He is known to be a very good lawyer here, so the whole thing was surprising from a local perspective. When people are left thinking, "Does he even believe his own client," after a very short presser...the mark was missed. He's a lawyer doing his job, I get it. I really do. But it was not convincing enough to change local opinions.

I have no idea if the mom will be implicated, I will leave that to LE. They have not implicated her that I know of, so I trust their current judgement on that. I do think she is key. The information that can hopefully be shared from her eventually will be very important. The local public has not been so...trustful of her. He should have done a better job for his client. He did not leave that presser with her looking better to the public. LE did not arrest her, but it's like it doesn't matter. People made up their mind and he didn't help her. He should have.

All JMO.

I agree. I think he blew it for his client.

 

[Margo/Mom]

I know what a lawyer does, but thanks. What I was saying, is that he blew it. The public thinks she knows, and he did not improve that. He seemed skeptical about the information he presented, which is not a good thing for his client. (And does not bode well for her, or his position representing her IMO.) If his goal was to tone down speculation, he did the opposite. His wordage was poor, his body language poor. I doubt he has a clue what, if any role she plays in this. It's not his job to determine guilt, I realize this. But he did nothing to make his client seem innocent to the speculative public. He seemed unsure if he even believed any of it. I'm simply saying it's not a confident look publicly. (And the "mourning" Sherin comment was a HUGE mistake. It was disgusting and I'm sure he regrets his wording.) He is known to be a very good lawyer here, so the whole thing was surprising from a local perspective. When people are left thinking, "Does he even believe his own client," after a very short presser...the mark was missed. He's a lawyer doing his job, I get it. I really do. But it was not convincing enough to change local opinions.

I have no idea if the mom will be implicated, I will leave that to LE. They have not implicated her that I know of, so I trust their current judgement on that. I do think she is key. The information that can hopefully be shared from her eventually will be very important. The local public has not been so...trustful of her. He should have done a better job for his client. He did not leave that presser with her looking better to the public. LE did not arrest her, but it's like it doesn't matter. People made up their mind and he didn't help her. He should have.

All JMO.


ETA: I want to be clear that I am not implying the mother hurt her child. I'm only speaking abut what the public is perceiving and how I don't' believe she was helped today the presser. I hope she has family she can perhaps stay with, so she is protected from public questioning.

I was primarily responding to the suggestion that he might soon arrive at an opinion of his own regarding her role and then quit.

 

[blue22]

Let me guess...the other child.

I don't know, but I had considered it. People at their church seemed to imply they see the family frequently.. It could be a friend from church, or family. We just don't know. I doubt we will know any time soon.

 

[blue22]

I was primarily responding to the suggestion that he might soon arrive at an opinion of his own regarding her role and then quit.

Sorry, I was not implying that. I meant quit more from lack of information, cooperation and ability to have a strategy. He seemed to have no idea what was going on with the whole story. (At this point it's her husband's story, of course.)

 

[Margo/Mom]

“The couple’s other 4-year-old daughter is in the custody of a family friend. Child Protectives Services said it has dealt with the family before but would not elaborate.”
The other child is with a family friend? How is that protective custody? This whole thing stinks.

The father has admitted to having endangered Sherin. CPS first objective is to get the other kid into a safe situation that does not include Dad. Not at all unusual for them to seek out someone already known to the child--other family or friends--if someone suitable is available. The friend may already be a licensed foster parent--which would make many things simpler. I have known emergency kinship placements to be made fairly rapidly, IOW without the usual weeks of training and screening usually required of foster parents. We don't know what the prior CPS involvement was, but in the course of that a friend may have been identified/screened.

I would also throw out that not every contact with CPS is an indication of suspected abuse/neglect. They also handle home studies for adoptions and follow-up visits following placement.

 

[Margo/Mom]

Sorry, I was not implying that. I meant quit more from lack of information, cooperation and ability to have a strategy. He seemed to have no idea what was going on with the whole story. (At this point it's her husband's story, of course.)

I agree, he made a lot of stumbles, and then seemed to get on track with pushing the message that Mom believes Sherin to be "out there" and wants her back home and also wants the other child back home.

He did really mess up in using the words "grief" and "mourning," although I think he was on point with words like "distraught" and pointing out that not everyone reacts/displays emotions in the same way.

 

[beatrixpotter]

According to earlier reports, it is extremely RARE to adopt a girl. On top of that, this little precious child could not communicate. Why would this family, who have their own biological child, adopt a little girl with special needs (communication). Has anyone watched, "The Whipping Boy?" I find myself thinking about this type of scenario. JMO, MOO, not actually an opinion, but random thoughts when there are so many strange happenings in this particular case. I read somewhere that it is possible they may have received monthly payments for the adoption?

I think most people adopt children with special needs to give that child a loving home. I have a friend with three biological children and unable to have more. They have adopted two children with down syndrome they've been raising since infancy. I'm positive they didn't adopt just to abuse those kids. And it didn't matter that they already had biological children. It's a shame that psychopaths like this Wesley Mathews make other adoptive parents look bad.

 

[blue22]

The father has admitted to having endangered Sherin. CPS first objective is to get the other kid into a safe situation that does not include Dad. Not at all unusual for them to seek out someone already known to the child--other family or friends--if someone suitable is available. The friend may already be a licensed foster parent--which would make many things simpler. I have known emergency kinship placements to be made fairly rapidly, IOW without the usual weeks of training and screening usually required of foster parents. We don't know what the prior CPS involvement was, but in the course of that a friend may have been identified/screened.

I would also throw out that not every contact with CPS is an indication of suspected abuse/neglect. They also handle home studies for adoptions and follow-up visits following placement.

Yes, CPS gets involved in medical and special needs situations, as well. And more. While I think the father obviously cruel and abusive at best if his story is true, and he's worse if it's not...CPS might not have even known that. They could have been a practical support for having a special needs child. (I dont' think it was just that, but I can't deny the very real possibility.) Lots of families look wonderful on paper and in person. CPS could have had no idea and were there for other reasons. The reasons certainly aren't always "bad."

 

[Inthedetails]

I think most people adopt children with special needs to give that child a loving home. I have a friend with three biological children and unable to have more. They have adopted two children with down syndrome they've been raising since infancy. I'm positive they didn't adopt just to abuse those kids. And it didn't matter that they already had biological children. It's a shame that psychopaths like this Wesley Mathews make other adoptive parents look bad.

Hey everyone, we need to be clear when we're discussing how rare adoption is, that we're talking specifically about the culture of this particular family (from India). For people jumping in the conversation, that detail keeps getting lost.

It's not unusual for Americans to adopt and we find it admirable to adopt special-needs children. In the culture of this particular family, it is not usual.

(I am always learning something new on WS....never quite know what it will be, but it's always something!)

jmopinion

 

[rosesfromangels]

Hey everyone, we need to be clear when we're discussing how rare adoption is, that we're talking specifically about the culture of this particular family (from India). For people jumping in the conversation, that detail keeps getting lost.

It's not unusual for Americans to adopt and we find it admirable to adopt special-needs children. In the culture of this particular family, it is not usual.

(I am always learning something new on WS....never quite know what it will be, but it's always something!)

jmopinion

Which begs the question, what happens to children in India if they are not an "adopting" culture? Do they get raised in institutions and then dropped on the streets, or? Anyone know?

 

[keeleydoll]

Which begs the question, what happens to children in India if they are not an "adopting" culture? Do they get raised in institutions and then dropped on the streets, or? Anyone know?

From reading, I assume both institutions and the streets.

Some info
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/30/india-delhi-speed-adoption-orphans

https://www.factly.in/number-childr...-despite-simplification-adoption-process/amp/




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[kooky_nomad]

Watching that statement by the wife's attorney and there are some parts where he refers to Sherin in the past tense.. and his client seems a bit more concerned about getting her biological daughter returned to her, he seems to just add on Sherin's name almost as an afterthought.

 

[Rocco]

He decides to punish her by making her go outside at 3am and stand by a tree. Not a tree by the house, but a tree that was behind a fence, about 100 feet south of the family's home and across an alley. Did he take her that far from the house and tell her to stand there or are we to believe he pointed out the tree, in the dark, and told her to walk over there by herself? And no one heard a child crying? No one heard a man's voice when he was telling her where to go? The neighbors have stated they heard nothing. Then he doesn't call the police until 5 hrs later to report her missing. That's quite a story. But here's my question: If he did something to her (and it's hard for me to fathom that he didn't) why not call the police at 8am and say he just got up, the door was ajar and she was gone---must have wandered out of the house while they were sleeping. Why this bizarre story?

 

[Reba]

He decides to punish her by making her go outside at 3am and stand by a tree. Not a tree by the house, but a tree that was behind a fence, about 100 feet south of the family's home and across an alley. Did he take her that far from the house and tell her to stand there or are we to believe he pointed out the tree, in the dark, and told her to walk over there by herself? And no one heard a child crying? No one heard a man's voice when he was telling her where to go? The neighbors have stated they heard nothing. Then he doesn't call the police until 5 hrs later to report her missing. That's quite a story. But here's my question: If he did something to her (and it's hard for me to fathom that he didn't) why not call the police at 8am and say he just got up, the door was ajar and she was gone---must have wandered out of the house while they were sleeping. Why this bizarre story?

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