GUILTY GUILTY OF ABUSE OF A CORPSE ONLY OH - Annabelle Richardson, newborn, found in grave 7 May 2017 #3

[Peppery]

Chanley Shá Painter‏ @ChanleyCourtTV 4m4 minutes ago
JURY QUESTION:
Can we please have simplified definition of abuse of a corpse?
Is it against the law to bury a body in your backyard without knowledge?
ANSWER: The court can not provide other definitions.

Why not? Why can’t the jury know if something is legal or not?

 

[proctorelites]

What do you suppose they've been doing in there for the last 3 hours if they're just moving up from lowest to the highest charge? Still stuck on abuse of a corpse? I dont think so, just my opinion though.

 

[Weki]

I wonder if the "knowledge" part of their question is whether Skylar knew what she did was illegal? Did she have knowledge that burying her baby in the backyard was illegal? The fact that they're asking that makes me think they're being lenient on her. Because if they believed she was concealing the evidence after killing her baby they wouldn't even be asking this question. Just a thought....of course this is all purely speculative and it's possible they're just working backwards.

 

[Cindizzi]

That's of course quite possible, going for the low hanging fruit first! Then again, if the jury spend the past few hours discussing the gross abuse of a corpse charge, it's going to be a loooong day!

Fingers crossed that they aren’t done with the other charges yet. Also, I would hope they would eat lunch first and then give the deliberations their full attention so we can knock off 45 mins-hour for that? I just remember the judge telling Mr. Mullins to get in there early today to get their food orders. Just a thought lol.

 

[Kadoober]

To clarify I meant the only one who sees her as ghoulish looking. As in her face is scary to me!!

(I know many believe she's guilty!)

I know what you meant, and I stand by my post that you aren't alone.
<3

 

[Hope4More]

Ohio statute, abuse of a corpse:

" No person except as authorized by law shall treat a human corpse in a way that the person knows would outrage family (or) community sensibilities."

So, no, it's not against this particular law (the only related charge against her) to bury her baby in the backyard.

That Skylar didn't wrap up her baby versus the fact she buried her baby rather than throwing her in the trash, and that she put flowers on the grave. Outraged sensibilities are rather subjective.

 

[MsArk]

I don't know, I think if they are asking that question, they may be wanting to do guilty on that specific charge of abusing a corpse.

I think what they are asking is, does the baby have to be alive to be an abuse of a corpse? Could that be what they are wanting to know as the law is I am reading it is pretty clear.

But by definition, a corpse isn’t alive.

 

[Boodles]

What do you suppose they've been doing in there for the last 3 hours if they're just moving up from lowest to the highest charge? Still stuck on abuse of a corpse? I dont think so, just my opinion though.

Of course, none of us knows, but I assumed they’d start with the 1st charge and work their way down the list.

I don’t even understand the “without knowledge” part of Q2.

 

[proctorelites]

In my experience as a juror we went with the easiest thing we could all agree on first and moved that way regardless of severity of the crime and saved the debating and locked jury for last. We were called back in, to state we couldn't agree and judge asked us to go back and return w/ a verdict, he stated we weren't holding it over to the next day. I dont think a judge should be allowed to do that, it causes manipulation of the minority IMOO. Not happening here for sure.

 

[proctorelites]

They dont think skyker buried her baby? Could that be what that means? Or, buried without knowledge of law enforcement?

 

[Tillicum]

They dont think skyker buried her baby? Could that be what that means? Or, buried without knowledge of law enforcement?

Just a guess but maybe they think Skylar didn't know it was illegal.

 

[rescuemom]

another thing I wondered about is that she put a flower pot on the grave-- if it is in a tree row wouldn't the flower pot raise suspicion??

 

[Hope4More]

Why not? Why can’t the jury know if something is legal or not?

The judge instructed them on the law before they began deliberating. Jury instructions aren't cookie cutter, one size fits all explanations of the law. Typically both the State & defense are involved with what gets included.

It's up to the jury after that. The concern is that any additional instructions by the judge might influence the jury's deliberations.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Oh no! I wish the jurors were familiar with this 2015 case. I'm afraid they don't understand the "committed the acts knowingly" part -- a legal sticking point.

Teen pleads no contest to abuse of corpse, tampering

Per state law, abuse of a corpse is described only as treatment that would "outrage" reasonable family and community sensibilities. It does not mention whether the person committed the acts knowingly, a legal sticking point in the case.

I think they have that information, and I think somebody in the jury would speak up and say her father was outraged at least!

 

[Winterhike]

They dont think skyker buried her baby? Could that be what that means? Or, buried without knowledge of law enforcement?

Speculating, but I think this means they are trying to figure out if Skyler putting the baby in the backyard grave fits the legal definition of abuse of a corpse (whether she did in fact bury the baby has not been disputed). I think this means they don't believe she burned or "tried to cremate" the baby, which MAY also reflect that they are considering whether what she said in the police interrogations (the second one, in particular) was believable--because I think most reasonable people/jurors would agree that burning a baby's body with a lighter is abuse of a corpse.

 

[Seattle1]

They will most likely only charge her with abuse of corpse

Perhaps not even guilty of abuse of corpse.

I learned this charge is tricky after another Ohio teen plead no contest to abuse of corpse, and tampering with evidence in 2015.

The charge has a legal sticking point having to do with law not mentioning whether the person commits the act knowingly.

Teen pleads no contest to abuse of corpse, tampering

 

[dixiegirl1035]

I wonder if the "knowledge" part of their question is whether Skylar knew what she did was illegal? Did she have knowledge that burying her baby in the backyard was illegal? The fact that they're asking that makes me think they're being lenient on her. Because if they believed she was concealing the evidence after killing her baby they wouldn't even be asking this question. Just a thought....of course this is all purely speculative and it's possible they're just working backwards.

I'm still looking for the legal definition that the judge gave that might have been printed out by the media, or was posted earlier by somebody in the thread for this charge. Did I miss it?

 

[lonetraveler]

another thing I wondered about is that she put a flower pot on the grave-- if it is in a tree row wouldn't the flower pot raise suspicion??

The flower pot might have kept the dogs from digging the body up.

 

[fred&edna]

I get something different (than what your discussing) when I click the link.

Perhaps not even guilty of abuse of corpse.

I learned this charge is tricky after another Ohio teen plead no contest to abuse of corpse, and tampering with evidence in 2015.

The charge has a legal sticking point having to do with law not mentioning whether the person commits the act knowingly.

Teen pleads no contest to abuse of corpse, tampering

 

[Tillicum]

another thing I wondered about is that she put a flower pot on the grave-- if it is in a tree row wouldn't the flower pot raise suspicion??

It was slightly in front of the trees with other flowers IIRC.

Can't find an image now but video showed them sifting through the dirt and there was ground cover around it.