GUILTY MA - Rebecca Riley, 4, dies of drug OD, Hull, 13 Dec 2006

[2sisters]

i dont have any clue how a 4 year old could be bi-polar.
add or adhd yes....bi polar i find that absurd.
and what that has to do with the murder of a 4 year old anyways, i dont know.

I don't know how a 4 year old could be properly diagnosed as ADD/ADHD. It seems ANY typical 4 year old could be diagnosed with either disorder. 2-4 year olds, as a given, have short attention spans, don't listen, are obnoxious, loud, hyper, the list goes on. Personally, I find both diagnosis absurd.

 

[2goldfish]

I'm so glad at least he got a life sentence. supermom should have too IMO


this case broke my heart, that poor lil girl

 

[believe09]

OMG OMG OMG-TM thank you for the update. Precious can RIP now...oh thank you GOD.

Sorry-but this case killed me.

 

[trigger]

In sessions will have the trial shown on TV next Thursday. Just says Massachusetts VS Riley.

This poor little child, its just heartbreaking.

 

[mysterygirl]

Yeah, she went into pulmonary edema because she was so gorked out from the parents overdosing her, her little body finally shut down.

And if that's not enough, they watched her die over DAYS..........[link removed] idiots.

 

[CHICANA]

They WANT them to give the kids up for adoption!!!!! I think there is such a thing as parents like these not having a choice in giving up their kids. Why don't the courts step in and not give them a choice?

I think the doctor who prescribed the meds should lose his license and be locked up right along side the parents. I'm going to look for the link, but I recall a case where the parents were forced to give their 3 or 4 year old child several different psychotropic meds that weren't approved for children, and if they didn't they were threatened with the removal of all their children. If CPS is involved and you don't follow doctor's orders, they will take your children for medical neglect. They're also the ones who usually order the psychiatric evaluations on 2 & 3 year olds as well as the doctors.

I hope this link is ok to post. http://www.squidoo.com/drugging-foster-children

 

[SunnieRN]

Another thing that amazes me is the 'expert' witness testimony. The psychiatrist should never have been given immunity. How many other children has she diagnosed and put on huge doses of medications?

As for the testimony of the 'expert' toxicologist: (Respectfully snipped from believe09's post above:

The defense toxicologist testified that the Rebecca died of pneumonia, but also demonstrated a GLARING lack of knowledge regarding this case. SNIP:
The final defense witness was David Benjamin, a Chestnut Hill forensic toxicologist and private consultant who testified that medications played no role in Rebecca Riley’s death.

During his testimony today, Benjamin also displayed at times an incomplete understanding of the case.

For instance, Benjamin testified that vomit had been flowing from the girl’s mouth and nose when she died on Dec. 13, 2006, saying he relied on reports filed by paramedics at the scene.

“There is a mouth full of vomit,” declared Benjamin before jurors.

However, prosecutor Middleton pointed out that medical reports since then, including the autopsy report, showed that the red-pink foamy substance on her face was lung fluid from a pulmonary edema, not the contents of the girl’s stomach, as paramedics and other observers first thought when they saw the child’s body.

I hope he wasn't paid, since he obviously didn't even look at sweet Rebecca!! You know what really ticks me off? The taxpayers foot the bill to defend these pieces of poop! I am not saying that anyone should not get a fair trial, or should not be represented, but come on! At least if you are going to hire expert testimony, really get an expert.:banghead:

I am happy there is some measure of justice for Rebecca and who knows, maybe these adults will act up and have to be medicated to be controlled and quiet in prison.... nah, that would be cruel and unusual punishment. (Insert violin playing smiley here please).

 

[mikeysmommom]

That Dr should have been in jail for giving a child such high doses of medication.Frigging unbelievable that at the very least she didn't lose her license.Hopefully parents will remember her name and not let her near their children.IMO She was an accomplice in this child's death.

 

[LadyL]

yeah, the parents are in prison
the psychiatrist should be too

another thing that bothers me - someone up thread posted that the day care providers had to carry Rebeccah in her last days b/c she was weak - well, what's the story there? they didn't attempt to get her medical help?

 

[2goldfish]

this lil girl is one of my special ones. you know how we all have those cases that shatter us even worse than others and we sit up at night thinking of? this is one of em for me.

I just see the thread every time it's bumped and my eyes well up and my heart breaks all over again. poor lil angel. I truly hope all those responsible for the loss of her precious life are haunted by her as well.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

In sessions will have the trial shown on TV next Thursday. Just says Massachusetts VS Riley.

This poor little child, its just heartbreaking.

A lot of MRs trial was on In Session last week. I could not believe some of the info that came out!

Like the Christmas giftcards. The counselor at the son's middle school had given the Rileys gift cards to help with Christmas. THE DAY AFTER Rebecca's death, they showed up at the middle school around 7:00 in the morning and wanted to know if the counselor had receipts for the cards because they said someone stole them. THEN, they talked about going to another school in town to try to get a refund for tickets they had purchased for a high school reunion!!!!
Their child had been dead for a little over 24 hours and they are trying to get reimbursed for stolen gift cards and reunion tickets!!!
The staff at the middle school said the Rileys showed NO EMOTION when they were there. Everyone was telling them how sorry they were, and they acted like it was a normal day!

 

[Kimberlyd125]

yeah, the parents are in prison
the psychiatrist should be too

another thing that bothers me - someone up thread posted that the day care providers had to carry Rebeccah in her last days b/c she was weak - well, what's the story there? they didn't attempt to get her medical help?

I worked in preschool a lot of years and I can tell you that if I EVER saw a child so weak they had to be carried, SOMEONE would have been notified! That's just crazy!!!!!
Final days??? So, the day care had her there in that condition for several days??? No excuse!
Seems everybody failed this beautiful child.
A lot of heads should roll!

 

[sogren]

this lil girl is one of my special ones. you know how we all have those cases that shatter us even worse than others and we sit up at night thinking of? this is one of em for me.

I just see the thread every time it's bumped and my eyes well up and my heart breaks all over again. poor lil angel. I truly hope all those responsible for the loss of her precious life are haunted by her as well.

I wonder why certain cases affect us more, they are all equally horrific. But yeah, I have a couple that really get me down.
This is truly awful that this little girl was forced to take these pills. My mother's psychiatrist is also one who likes to prescribe high-powered meds for everything, he even prescribed pills for her back pain! And he doesn't monitor her intake either, nor has he ever diagnosed her "mental" problem.

 

[Belinda]

The doctor should have been charged too. I can't believe they offered immunity for him to testify. They must have felt they wouldn't be able to get a conviction on the parents without the doctors testimony, but it still grates. I was so very glad to see them convicted. What horrible, awful people. Children viewed as meal tickets are never going to be well cared for. They aren't children to them, they are money.

 

[Herding Cats]

I'm beginning to think that another mental illness has been discovered - Munchausen for Profit...but it's a societal ill, not a true mental illness.

How utterly disgusting. Rebecca, I'm sorry so many people failed you. As an RN (student), if I saw your meds in those doses on the pediatrics ward, I'd be in the Drs' faces and creating hell on earth. I wish you had been near me, dear one.

Best-
Herding Cats

 

[annmarie62]

I'm beginning to think that another mental illness has been discovered - Munchausen for Profit...but it's a societal ill, not a true mental illness.

How utterly disgusting. Rebecca, I'm sorry so many people failed you. As an RN (student), if I saw your meds in those doses on the pediatrics ward, I'd be in the Drs' faces and creating hell on earth. I wish you had been near me, dear one.

Best-
Herding Cats

I truly think you are on to something with your "Munchausen for Profit" theory!!
I have been watching the "father's" [that particular label was never earned by this horrible man, imo; he is more like a sperm donor, having children to make $$$- he is beyond despicable, more like sub-human...:furious trial on TruTV this week, and it has been a nauseating experience, to say the least. Of course there was NO WAY Mr. Riley would have ever even 'considered' taking poor Rebecca to the ER; he would have left in handcuffs after the doctors put two and two together. IMO, what he did is even worse than beating or starving a child to death. What he did is so calculated, so cold-hearted and disgusting it leaves me shaking with rage; it's the details that sicken me the most. This lovely little girl never had a chance- I imagine that she was often the target of his anger because he couldn't get the diagnoses he "needed" in order to get a monthly check; once he realized that different people/agencies were "onto" him, she was worth absolutely NOTHING to this monster... no check = no life. I agree with many other posters that the psychiatrist should have been prosecuted, especially in a profession whose #1 concern is "First, do no harm..." I was absolutely speechless when it was revealed that these parents drove over 200 miles to have Rebecca "evaluated" by this one particular pill-pusher. My youngest son had Medicaid and there is NO WAY South Carolina would approve of him going to a physician 200 miles away, just to get the fake diagnosis desired by the parent. WHY did the Rileys get away with their doctor-shopping for so long??? I hope some procedures/rules are DRASTICALLY reviewed and changed after this case. Just the fact that Riley asked the first-responders "How long will this take?"- as if he had a tee-time for the golf course and couldn't be bothered, Jesus Christ what's the big deal about having a dead child ON THE FLOOR?????!!!!! Poor thing, she couldn't even die in a BED!!! I wish this man a most miserable existence in prison!!:waitasec:

 

[SunnieRN]

I worked in preschool a lot of years and I can tell you that if I EVER saw a child so weak they had to be carried, SOMEONE would have been notified! That's just crazy!!!!!
Final days??? So, the day care had her there in that condition for several days??? No excuse!
Seems everybody failed this beautiful child.
A lot of heads should roll!

Child care providers, just like nurses, teachers, doctors etc. are mandated child abuse reporters. Maybe LE needs to take another look and see if further charges need to be filed.

 

[Disguiseduser0308]

I also have been watching In Session's broadcast of Michael Riley's trial. It's good to hear the jury saw it as it was and found him guilty of first degree murder.

Rebecca suffered immensely; not only from her illness but from parent's who seemingly saw dollar signs and not the beautiful creature she was. As a parent, this is heartbreaking.

I wonder if we will hear more about all these workers and friends who saw something wrong but did not involve proper authorities? If only someone had called 911. I can't hold them wholly responsible, but maybe Rebecca would still be here had someone had the guts to stand up for her.

RIP sweet Rebecca.

 

[Hopeful One]

I caught the re-running of the verdict the other day when I was home sick. I hadn't heard of this case before that. I'd like to read more about it but a lot of the links posted here are old. Does anyone know where I can get some a good run-down of the case?

TIA!

 

[Belinda]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Riley

Here is a brief synopsis of the case. There are many google links under Rebecca Riley Murder.