MT - James Hurley, 12, tortured to death, W. Yellowstone, Feb 2020 grandparents & uncle arrested #1

[Trudie]

Omt, sorry. @Dave F. Or @mickey2942 do we know where the youngest Sasser child is? Would MT allow the full sister in TX immediate custody, or is he in state foster care, needing to process thru the system? Tysm
I worry about him & how he was treated by his siblings. Personally, I think the S household was highly dysfunctional prior to Alex living in it. Perhaps alcoholism was a factor.
Not cutting the elder Sasser any slack, but from what I’ve read, he’s the least culpable. Only as far as physical abuse.
He certainly did nothing to help Alex. I bet he deeply regrets not getting the hell away from PB. Moo

 

[MimosaMornings]

He probably regrets it now that he’s in jail and it’s all in the news that he cut off his _ _ _ _ _ and gave them to Batts.
JMO

 

[Trudie]

He probably regrets it now that he’s in jail and it’s all in the news that he cut off his _ _ _ _ _ and gave them to Batts.
JMO

Lol! Before she had time to concoct a story Aunt MS did tell LE her dad wanted to leave/move out. He will forever regret not doing so. I think if he had, perhaps things would have not went so far, someone might have talked, ya know? He’s not gonna need his _ _ _ _ _ again, imo.
Imo, PB has sobered up & might wish to take 100% of the blame, in order to salvage her family. I doubt she wants MS in the state prison. PB might enjoy her time away from her large 14 yo. I know I would. He obviously has a host of problems. Not normal for a “boy” to be so evil.

 

[Dave F.]

Tysm @Dave F. I guess the pics of the house must be from the original listing, it looked very well maintained. Iirc, the valuation increased dramatically since JS purchased it.

The currently appears to need quite a bit of maintenance, with parts of the exterior never finished or removed and not replaced. Real estate is revalued by the state every September. Existing homes were steeply escalating in value quite rapidly all over Montana. Average home values have dropped 1% in the last two weeks, and promise to keep spiraling downward in the near future. IMO

 

[Dave F.]

she could quit at 18, right? After participating in a horrific murder in her family home, I doubt the school district wanted her to attend. Jmo. Hopefully she has plenty of time to work on her GED.....


Yes, per the first reports. She had actually texted a friend/s “I think my bro already killed him”, or similar.
I’m sure Auntie MS is terrified & spending most of her time in county lockup sobbing. You know, terrified like Alex was.
I’m concerned the time actually served in MT is very minimal compared to the imposed sentence.
The most delicious factor in this is mom & dad can really offer no help to their wayward children, without digging their own holes even deeper.
How great would it be to be in Madison’s head? Or Pat’s?
Do either realize the deep manure they are in?
Not that long ago MS was a “little girl”. Now, she’s a homicide suspect. Talk about a dysfunctional family.
Can MT even provide enough pro bono counsel for one family?

Yes........the public defender's office in Bozeman and the juvenile defenders list are both amply filled with good defenders. If they should by some totally weird circumstance need outside help, there is plenty of backup legal power in the Missoula, Kalispell, Butte, Helena, Great Falls and Billings defender's offices. IMO

 

[Dave F.]

Omt, sorry. @Dave F. Or @mickey2942 do we know where the youngest Sasser child is? Would MT allow the full sister in TX immediate custody, or is he in state foster care, needing to process thru the system? Tysm
I worry about him & how he was treated by his siblings. Personally, I think the S household was highly dysfunctional prior to Alex living in it. Perhaps alcoholism was a factor.
Not cutting the elder Sasser any slack, but from what I’ve read, he’s the least culpable. Only as far as physical abuse.
He certainly did nothing to help Alex. I bet he deeply regrets not getting the hell away from PB. Moo

It is not likely that we will ever know where the youngest child is, but I don't think Montana Child Protective Services (DPHHS) would ever allow a child to be fostered in Texas without a thorough investigation; and I would be surprised if a judge would okay it. Montana is advanced well beyond just being protective of children's privacy. I would estimate that we will probably know where the boy went when pigs fly. IMO

 

[Trudie]

thanks @Dave F.
As far as the house, perhaps a wealthy neighbor will purchase it & raze it, enjoying a double lot. I recall the driveway side had missing vinyl siding. What a shame, the realtor had very nice photos when the house was listed, it appeared in very nice shape.

 

[Trudie]

wth is wrong with her? Omg! WTH happened in the Sasser none to create such anger in young children?
Madison believed she would “talk in Alex’s funeral”? What? I’m curious what her boyfriend must be like? Was she dating a wild beast?
She needs tubal ligation if she’s ever set free, mom material she ain’t, moo.
Woman arrested in connection to death of West Yellowstone boy

Detectives later found text messages from Madison to her boyfriend that said Alex was like “a piece of (expletive) off of my (expletive) shoe” and that he “could (expletive) go and die in the woods and I wouldn’t (expletive) care.” Madison also told the boyfriend she would be the “one to talk in his funeral.”

Later in the thread of messages, Madison said, “I’m so heartless to him dude honestly. I beat the (expletive) out of him just now.” She later said she had “beat the (expletive) outta him my (expletive) hands hurt.”

 

[Trudie]

Ahh, during this covid 19 outbreak, jails, prisons & I imagine Justin ie centers are very restricted, inmates are on lockdown across the nation. I so hope the Sasser family feel miserable. Especially #3. He’s prob’ the most restricted of all of them, imo.

 

[Trudie]

Lol, auto correct. Post 808 home, not none & juvenile, not justice in 809. Sorry, didn’t catch in time to edit.

 

[mickey2942]

@Trudie well, that trial is gonna be a slam dunk. These folks...writing about their crimes, videotape, the whole thing is beyond.

They had completely normalized abusing JAH.

I think that these folks will all take plea deals.

 

[Trudie]

@Trudie well, that trial is gonna be a slam dunk. These folks...writing about their crimes, videotape, the whole thing is beyond.

They had completely normalized abusing JAH.

I think that these folks will all take plea deals.

You think MT will offer deals?
If any proceed to trial, I Hope Covid is over, Kleenex & TP will be needed for the jury, what they hear will necessitate the need for both.
I was thinking about a Madison, her FB pics, all glammed up, looking like any teen girl, USA. WTH is wrong on her inside? A girl her age should be thinking “hmmm what will I wear to s hood tomorrow”, not abusing a living thing (animal or person).

 

[MimosaMornings]

Two years.....

•Abuse by multiple members of that “family” that supposedly wanted him there to help with “the grieving process”.
•Neighbors that witnessed abuse.
•“Close friends” of Batts aware of abuse.
•Mother unable to make phone contact with her son or members of that “family” but didn’t go check on him.

Two years.....


JMO

 

[Dave F.]

Just a reminder that the Montana wheels of justice typically turn quite slowly. If any of these defendant's attorneys are working toward a plea for their client, I would expect a quick trial about mid-February 2021 and sentencing in early March 2021. Otherwise, my best guesstimate will be trials beginning about November 2021.
In Montana, a defendant can plead guilty at any time without any negotiation, but "sweetheart deal" plea bargains are rare. No plea bargain in the state is anything more than a joint offer to the judge for mercy based on cooperation or extenuating circumstances, so there is not the huge incentive to deal that is seen elsewhere.
The best hope for mercy in this instance, for any of those charged, might be to seek a thorough examination to be sure the defendant has the mental capacity to understand the gravity of the charges. Once committed, the state mental hospital the case becomes much more complex and much less predictable.
JMO, IANAL

 

[shotgun09]

I am a little biased, and obviously wish for no plea deal of any sort, and the maximum sentence for all as soon as possible. But sadly, I see Patricia and JS III going for diminished mental incapacity as you described. Regardless, no amount of justice delivered will ever be enough, IMO, for what that poor boy went through

 

[Trudie]

Just a reminder that the Montana wheels of justice typically turn quite slowly. If any of these defendant's attorneys are working toward a plea for their client, I would expect a quick trial about mid-February 2021 and sentencing in early March 2021. Otherwise, my best guesstimate will be trials beginning about November 2021.
In Montana, a defendant can plead guilty at any time without any negotiation, but "sweetheart deal" plea bargains are rare. No plea bargain in the state is anything more than a joint offer to the judge for mercy based on cooperation or extenuating circumstances, so there is not the huge incentive to deal that is seen elsewhere.
The best hope for mercy in this instance, for any of those charged, might be to seek a thorough examination to be sure the defendant has the mental capacity to understand the gravity of the charges. Once committed, the state mental hospital the case becomes much more complex and much less predictable.
JMO, IANAL

I’d love to get the scoop on Pat’s background. Did she go Pat-crap crazy over the last two years?
@Dave F. Tell me uncle can’t take the insanity route and be out 5-6 years from now. He needs more help than society or hospitalization can give him. He must forever be off the streets. Moo

 

[Trudie]

@MimosaMornings just how does one overlook a friend treating a child (or anyone, including animals) how Alex was treated, by his grandma? Omg, my grandma’s let me eat cookies, drink coffeee, wear red lipstick, stay up late, watch TV, all things I could not do or only had limited access to. I don’t ever remember any grand even scolding me. Lol

Two years.....

•Abuse by multiple members of that “family” that supposedly wanted him there to help with “the grieving process”.
•Neighbors that witnessed abuse.
•“Close friends” of Batts aware of abuse.
•Mother unable to make phone contact with her son or members of that “family” but didn’t go check on him.

Two years.....


JMO

 

[mickey2942]

All JAH was to that "family" was the $775 SSI death benefit check every month, as a dependent recipient of his Father's death benefit.

 

[mickey2942]

Montana grandmother pleads not guilty in boy's beating death

Montana grandmother pleads not guilty in boy's beating death

West Yellowstone woman pleads not guilty in death of 12-year-old grandson

Patricia Batts pled "Not Guilty" to charges against her in the death of JAH. Hearing was on March 23, 2020 in Gallatin County.

Batts was charged with deliberate homicide by association but faced additional charges in the court of kidnapping, child endangerment, and strangulation.

Batts pleaded not guilty to all four charges. Her next omnibus hearing is set for Mar. 27, 2020 and her bail remains at $750,000.

 

[Dave F.]

I’d love to get the scoop on Pat’s background. Did she go Pat-crap crazy over the last two years?
@Dave F. Tell me uncle can’t take the insanity route and be out 5-6 years from now. He needs more help than society or hospitalization can give him. He must forever be off the streets. Moo

He is being tried as an adult, so yes, his attorney could contemplate pursuing mental incompetence.
It is NOT an easy route. The last man that I remember going that route ended up being declared MORE competent than previous examinations in the Colorado legal sytem, and was sentenced 100 years without parole. In the end, all he got out of it was a stay in the state mental hospital for a few months before facing trial. JMO
https://app.mt.gov/conweb/Offender/...7837/0ae5be4a3f553daafce97ff2a918a792c26d2cb1