CO - Rylan Rochester, 6 mos, suffocated, Superior, 1 June 2010 *Insanity*

[spamelope]

Thank you for posting her MS!
When I enlarged her wedding picture, is it just me who thinks her eyes are rather dilated?

VB

Yeah, they are a bit. But the whites look clear, so I don't think she was smoking the weed that day.

 

[blue_the_puppy]

not sure if i'm allowed to post this, please remove if i'm not, here's the couple's home page from their wedding:

http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/view/co_main.aspx?legacct=1&coupleid=4107068727907897&guestpassword=

 

[spamelope]

By Vanessa Miller, Camera staff writer
Posted: 06/10/2010 10:01:45 AM MDT

Stephanie Rochester, arrested on suspicion of killing her 6-month-old son, waits her turn in court on June 3. Photo by Marty Caivano/Camera/June 3, 2010 ( MARTY CAIVANO )
Related


The husband of a Superior woman suspected of smothering their 6-month-old son to death early June 1 filed for divorce on Wednesday, according to court documents.

In the petition for the split, Lloyd Rochester, 29, states that the “marriage is irretrievably broken.”

Stephanie Rochester, 34, was arrested June 1 after police said she told them that she smothered their infant son, Rylan Rochester, first with a plastic bag and then with blankets over a 11-hour period, according to an arrest affidavit. The couple rushed the baby to Avista Hospital in Louisville when he was found unresponsive in the morning, according to investigators. Rylan was pronounced dead after efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful, investigators said.

Read more: Husband of Superior mother charged with killing infant files for divorce - Boulder Daily Camera
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_15268198#ixzz0qTTfOjod
DailyCamera.com

 

[tlcya]

whoa. For some reason, that surprises me. I don't know why. Maybe I thought they would try to present a united front. It will be interesting to see where this one goes in light of this new info.

 

[Belinda]

I took it the exact opposite way. I'm wondering why is he worried about getting a divorce in the middle of all this and his son just dying? It seems a too obvious attempt at distancing himself from his wife.

 

[LadyL]

I wonder if his lawyer suggested the divorce. It seems so soon.

 

[2goldfish]

I dont find it weird. I am pretty sure...I cant even type it, let's see how to phrase: if that situation happened to me I am pretty sure divorce would be one of the first things on my list of things to do. I would want nothing whatever to do with a monster that killed my child aside from telling the court at trial exactly how my life was ruined by the inmate.

 

[tlcya]

Given that I suspect he was relieved that the baby was dead (afterall, he never knew "it" (fatherhood) would be this way)

I just find it interesting. We shall see if it is a strategic move or one motivated by shock anger and revulsion at the mother's actions. Personally, I don't think he was unaware of what was taking place that evening so I suspect the former rather than the latter motivates this divorce filing.

Belinda, ITA Distancing from the wife, erego the act is what's happening here.

 

[2goldfish]

Given that I suspect he was relieved that the baby was dead (afterall, he never knew "it" (fatherhood) would be this way)

I just find it interesting. We shall see if it is a strategic move or one motivated by shock anger and revulsion at the mother's actions. Personally, I don't think he was unaware of what was taking place that evening so I suspect the former rather than the latter motivates this divorce filing.

Belinda, ITA Distancing from the wife, erego the act is what's happening here.

I truly hope that when he "didnt think it would be this way" he meant something other than that way.

I mean when I had my babies I fell so madly in love and I never thought it would be that way...etc. I had more examples then started crying so...scuse me

but that was how I took what he meant (that having a child is an intense, powerful, wild ride), and assumed that the woman had gotten it wrong...

I just dont feel most people would take a sick baby to the ER and think of it THAT way. like she did.


I just hope you're wrong because I cant stand many more people being so horrible. just her is enough!

 

[tlcya]

I agree, I cannot stand the thought that they may have been in collusion together. I hope and pray my suspicions are wrong.

 

[RoughlyCollie]

Given that I suspect he was relieved that the baby was dead (afterall, he never knew "it" (fatherhood) would be this way)

I remember what it was like before DH and I had kids. We took care of our best friends' 4 month old baby at our house for 24 hours.

I was totally surprised by what it was like to take care of a baby. It was nothing like I had imagined. Of course I realized that when one is responsible for a baby, the baby has to come first.

What I didn't realize was that the baby coming first interfered with everything I had to do. I either had to give up doing something or stop what I was doing to take care of the baby. During that 24 hours, nothing was done completely, except for caring for the baby. I didn't even sleep well or enough that night -- the baby did -- but I was worried that he would stop breathing or something on my watch, so I glued my ear to the monitor, and heaved myself out of bed every 30 minutes or so to check on him.

When I had my own kids, that was frustrating at first, until I got used to it. Mind you, my "first baby" was triplets, so I was a bit busier than most new mothers are, but I think the transition would have been a bit frustrating even if I'd had only one baby at a time.

So, I don't think that just because a new father says he didn't know having a baby would be like it is means that he didn't want and love the baby. It just means that he is still getting used to this major change in his life. I'd wager that a lot of people, if not most, are centered on themselves until they have a child. It can be difficult to adjust to putting a child first, and it can be wearisome at times, even for those who have done it for years.

Also, since he is the father, he was probably having to get used to changes in his wife, too. I am sorry for him that the changes in his wife turned out to be such horrific ones. Nobody would expect that, I think.

I am not saying the husband is innocent -- I am saying that he may very well be.

 

[cluehunter]

I surprised to read such harsh comments directed toward her husband. I think anyone new to parenting can make a comment about it not being what they thought and still be horrified at the thought of something happening to their child.

We don't know Stephanie's mental health history, but she sounds completely psychotic. She was clearly obsessed with autism to the point where she remained totally unconvinced that her child was normal despite evidence to the contrary. She also asked for help from both her mother (who stayed with her while her husband was out of town) and her midwife. Suidical thoughts are more "acceptable" to admit to than homicidal thoughts, so perhaps that's al she could bring herself to tell them.

I was stunned when I read about her repeated trips (I can barely type this) to suffocate her baby over and over, and yes, surprised that her husband never checked on him, particularly when he was "sleeping" with his eyes open. But, I don't see this as a killing of convenience. The point is, this is a tragedy for all the parties involved. I think she is just coming to realize what she has done and is devastated. And can you imagine what Lloyd is feeling knowing his comment was a catalyst to her acting a homicidal impulse? Sad, sad,sad. I have wondered much whether or not anything could have prevented this.

 

[southcitymom]

I surprised to read such harsh comments directed toward her husband. I think anyone new to parenting can make a comment about it not being what they thought and still be horrified at the thought of something happening to their child.

We don't know Stephanie's mental health history, but she sounds completely psychotic. She was clearly obsessed with autism to the point where she remained totally unconvinced that her child was normal despite evidence to the contrary. She also asked for help from both her mother (who stayed with her while her husband was out of town) and her midwife. Suidical thoughts are more "acceptable" to admit to than homicidal thoughts, so perhaps that's al she could bring herself to tell them.

I was stunned when I read about her repeated trips (I can barely type this) to suffocate her baby over and over, and yes, surprised that her husband never checked on him, particularly when he was "sleeping" with his eyes open. But, I don't see this as a killing of convenience. The point is, this is a tragedy for all the parties involved. I think she is just coming to realize what she has done and is devastated. And can you imagine what Lloyd is feeling knowing his comment was a catalyst to her acting a homicidal impulse? Sad, sad,sad. I have wondered much whether or not anything could have prevented this.

BBM

Me too, clue. I'm so glad that I had a bunch of friends that I could be honest with after my kids were born. Having a kid was nothing like I expected and I surely made even stronger statements to my intimates.

I feel like mental illness is definitely a factor in this case!

 

[tlcya]

I respect all your thoughts and as I said, I sincerely hope I am wrong.

 

[cluehunter]

There have been a few updates on this case.

http://www.coloradodaily.com/cu-boulder/ci_15730445

http://www.coloradodaily.com/ci_15621348?source=most_emailed#axzz0wv4w4nam

The mention of the financial trouble doesn't surprise me, but I don't think it was necessarily a motive, but rather a trigger to disrupt her already challenged mental health.

This case weighs heavily on my heart. I hate to see it lost in the shuffle of all the other many terrible things that happen out there. I just don't want this baby forgotten.

 

[spamelope]

Superior woman charged with murder in death of 6-month-old Rylan
By Erica Meltzer, Camera Staff Writer
Posted: 07/14/2011 08:59:35 AM MDT

Stephanie Rochester during a hearing in Boulder District Court last November. (Camera file photo / Mark Leffingwell)

A psychiatrist at the state Mental Health Hospital in Pueblo has found Stephanie Rochester, the Superior woman accused of killing her 6-month-old baby boy, to be legally insane.
http://www.dailycamera.com/superior-news/ci_18475904

 

[2goldfish]

Superior woman charged with murder in death of 6-month-old Rylan
By Erica Meltzer, Camera Staff Writer
Posted: 07/14/2011 08:59:35 AM MDT

Stephanie Rochester during a hearing in Boulder District Court last November. (Camera file photo / Mark Leffingwell)

A psychiatrist at the state Mental Health Hospital in Pueblo has found Stephanie Rochester, the Superior woman accused of killing her 6-month-old baby boy, to be legally insane.
http://www.dailycamera.com/superior-news/ci_18475904

pardon me while I disagree. :sick:

she KNEW it was wrong. that by definition makes her legally sane.

 

[pinkfly]

This is so sad. But if she said that having an autistic child would ruin her life and she thought her son was autistic.....1+1=2 and it sure sounds like she knew right from wrong.

 

[MsFacetious]

So she worked with children with autism.

She had a baby.

She feared that baby had autism.

So she killed that baby.


So basically, those children that she worked with... were so repulsive to her, that she killed her own child... because she feared it would become like them?

I wonder how the parents of the children she worked with feel about the situation?


There is another somewhat similar case. Probably a bit more PPD and little less premeditation than in this case. We don't know if this woman would have been found sane to stand trial or not. She killed herself within a month of killing her daughter.

This one was hard on me. Raya and my daughter were born 4 days apart and Raya was killed 4 days before my birthday. While she was killing her 6 month old daughter (with Down syndrome), I was with my 6 month old daughter (with Down syndrome) getting ear tubes put in. This one gave me nightmares... for months.

It is however another baby killed by it's mother due to a perceived or actual disability.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-08-05-professor_x.htm

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?action=printpage;topic=14001.0

 

[not_my_kids]

As for the husband, I just have to say this, because it bugged me as I read the entire thread. Rylan's father said, "He didn't know it would be like this" in respect to parenting. On whose word are they assuming that he meant parenting? They had just left a hospital because of an extremely long wait...how do we know that he didn't mean the hospital trip, and the "mother" used this statement as further justification for what she already planned to do? And even if he did mean parenting, I think a lot of first time parents make that type of statement, because, well, we didn't know it would be like this, did we? After a long day with a fussy infant, and a long wait at a crowded ER, it's the kind of thing I likely would have said myself with my first child. I never would have thought, as most people wouldn't, that our severely twisted spouse would use that statement as part of their mental framework for killing the child in question.

I also don't feel it's odd that he filed for divorce. I darn sure would have. Even if he doesn't visit her, speak to her, or send her letters, every single piece of paperwork he filled ot would require him to identify himself as married, and therefore force him to think of who and what he married and what she took away. I would have filed for divorce ASAP. If it were a father that had killed the child and the mother had quickly filed for divorce, I don't think there would be quite the same comments about that decision.

As to the mother, I hope they fry her. My oldest son is autistic, and to think or feel or say that you can't have fun with an autistic child, especially after she had spent so much time with autistic children, is just deplorable to me. If I were a parent of a child she had counseled, I would be demanding immediate and intensive testing for physical and psychological abuse at the hands of this woman.