While behind bars,Overton relied on her faith, family and supporters and led Bible studies. Emma, the youngest, trailed behind them with a doll, occasionally running inside to bang on the piano. Box 70, Millers Tavern, Va.; St. Christopher's School, 711 St. Christopher's Road, Richmond, Va. 23226; or the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 1108 E. Main St. Suite 1600, Richmond, Va. 23219. According to the ministry's website, Syndeo Ministries helps provide women in prison support including Bible studies, visitation and aftercare. Brother Paul Campbell will officiate the service. If you would like a copy via email, please let me know. I have shared a memorial tribute I wrote about Dabney with all who've asked. Echovita offers a solidarity program that gives back the funds generated to families. I first met him shortly after the death of my husband 4 years ago and his kind, gentle spirit and wonderful sense of humor made such a difference at that time and ever since. Or had the tragedy claimed its second victim? In anticipation of his arrival, Larry built a three-tiered bunk bed for Andrew and the two Overton boys: Isaac, who was seven years old, and Sebastian, who was two. Published in Legacy from Nov. 11 to Nov. 12, 2009. It is a small thing for one who has suffered so greatly.". Overton spent seven years in prison before the Texas Court of Appeals overturned her capital murder charges on September 17, 2014. Those charges were not considered double jeopardy because Overtons conviction was overturned by the higher court on the basis of ineffective counsel, which granted her a new trial. Sometimes he cried inconsolably for hours. And we do have some evidence of bruising to his nose [which could indicate] his nostrils were squeezed and he was made to drink it.. His foster mother, Hannah Overton, was charged with capital murder, vilified from all quarters, and sent to prison for life. . I enjoyed each conversation we had about fishing, sailing and other things we both were interest in. He was a nice guy. Both Larry and Hannah had done missionary work, and as a teenager, Hannah had spent holidays volunteering at an orphanage across the border, in Reynosa, where she had fed, bathed, and ministered to kids who had been living on the streets. "I could never thank my attorneys enough for fighting endlessly to prove my innocence and bring me home," she said. In October 2006 a four-year-old from Corpus Christi named Andrew Burd died mysteriously of salt poisoning. . Overtons current defense attorney, Cynthia Orr, told ABC News she was thrilled to get the call from Skurka announcing his motion to dismiss had been granted by the judge. Love Carl Robertson, My thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. CPS launched its initial investigation into Andrews well-being shortly after his first birthday, when his mother took him to a local hospital with a broken arm. Cynthia Hujar-Orr, Gerry Goldstein and John Raley were apart of Overton's appellate team that helped overturn the . Larry taught Sunday school, Hannah led a Bible study, and their children, whom Hannah homeschooled, attended youth group and socialized with other members kids. As I read the comments of so many I realize he touched everyone's lives just the same. (CPS had not yet sent them his Social Security card, which they needed to get him insured.) I wish you and your family peace in this difficult time. That was the most uncomfortable service I have ever done. I am so sorry to hear of Dabney's sudden passing. May God wrap his loving arms around you until we meet again. He was a supportive friend to so many people, including me. . Larry, who was sitting behind her, broke down. Anne Turner Overton Haile died peacefully at home in Portland, Oregon on December 7, 2021. She would later admit, according to one report, to using alcohol, methamphetamines, cocaine and crack cocaine, LSD, marijuana, cigarettes, and taking prescription Xanax. His father was seventeen and worked for a traveling carnival. He has carried us through.". Patricia Gonzalez, a nurse at the urgent care clinic, told the jury that Hannah had not behaved like a panic-stricken parent and had had a smile on her face as she performed CPR on the boy. Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. Then, as always, Hannah had been composed, despite the strain she was under. But law enforcement officials are accustomed to handling child abuse cases, not medical mysteries, and salt poisoning is rare enough that most emergency room doctors will never encounter a case during their careers. By that point, they had already been shown numerous photos of Andrews small, bruised body postmortem. We met when he was helping her move. Hannah Overton, family celebrate her pregnancy months after she's declared innocent in boy's death, Hannah Overton, supporters chant 'Actually innocent' after capital murder dismissal, Nueces County DA to dismiss Overton case, declare woman innocent, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. If not for a Corpus Christi couple named Larry and Hannah Overton, Andrew might have lingered in state custody, shuffled from one foster home to another. Despite appearances, however, he was hardly a reprobate. Please enable scripts and reload this page. And a succession of witnesses, nearly all of them members of Calvary Chapel, recounted Andrews unusual eating habits and Hannahs attentive parenting. We were having a hard time, but we knew it was going to pass. She hugged them and let them climb onto her lap, often returning to Lindale with head lice. The media coverage of the case stirred widespread outrage. Impatient to return to the boys bedside, she gave a hurried, disjointed account of the day that omitted critical details, such as how she had found Andrew in the pantry unattended, and she made only fleeting mention of his unusual eating habits. When they took him along on errands, they had to keep him from eating the old gum and cigarette butts he found on the ground. If Hannah had been looking for a way out, she would have called the adoption agency and told them that she and Larry couldnt go through with it. Hess was unmoved. We had known each other for ten years, and I dont think Id ever seen her mad, Haller told me. The defendant has portrayed herself as a nurturing Christian woman, Eastwood proclaimed. Fleeing for Your Life? Even more devastating to Hannah were the actions that CPS took that January. Not the brightest thing to do, Larry conceded. He will be remembered fondly. I fear she may have purposely withheld evidence that may have been favorable to Hannah Overtons defense, Jimenez wrote in her letter, which Orr would include in the writ. We dont know precisely how she got it down Andrew, but we know that he was very, very obedient, Eastwood told the jury, standing before the TV news cameras that Judge Longoria had allowed inside the courtroom. He and Noreen had recently lost their own son, who had been stillborn, making his grief particularly acute. He had so many interests and was loyal to those he knew and was involved with, especially those he sailed with as that is where I knew him. A church member who homeschools her daughters educates the Overton children, using lesson plans Hannah sends her. Or had the tragedy claimed its second victim? In 2011, Overtons appellate attorney, Cynthia Orr, filed a state petition for a writ of habeas corpus seeking a new trial. He enjoyed everything he did, was always friendly and supportive. Hannah, we met a couple of times, and Dabney and I visited your grandparents several times in Tappahannock. God bless you Dabney, we'll miss you. Shortly after noon, Larry picked her and the boys up and took them to a McDonalds drive-through, and then the chiropractor, before returning to work. Dabney will be missed by many. Andrew had an enraged mother who didnt, I dont think loved him the way that she loved her own biological children, former Nueces County prosecutor Sandra Eastwood said at trial. Channel Three, Channel Six, Channel Ten, the Caller-Timesthey all knew ahead of time, Gilmore said. I am sad that I won't see my friend Dabney again in this life here on Earth. Afterward, she instinctively looked back to check on the children, not realizing that her face was covered in blood. Andrew accompanied his foster mother to services every Sunday, and with his thatch of blond hair and beaming grin, he was hard to miss. He found that they fit a narrow profile: they were between the ages of one and six, they had been in the foster system or were from abusive homes, and they had pica. She was unflappable and unfailingly patient with children. -- Sarah Albiston, I enjoyed working with Dabney from time to time. She and her family do so much good with nothing. At four, he spent most of his time playing with Sebastian, who was two, rather than Ally, who was his own age, and his motor skills lagged far behind those of his peers. Leave your condolences to the family on this memorial page or send flowers to show you care. But I was frustrated. He was preceded in. It was, Hannah and Larry would later remember, one of the happiest times in their lives. He and the kids return home the same day so that he can teach Sunday school the next morning. There have been a few tear-filled nights because one of the kids misses Andrew, Larry told me later. Overton was convicted of capital murder after being accused of force-feeding Burd enough sodium to kill him. Dabney Overton III Birth 30 Jul 1963 Death 9 Nov 2009 (aged 46) . Until his arrest, Saenz had led a seemingly normal life: in addition to leading his nondenominational congregation, he worked as an office-machine mechanic while his wife, Lane, stayed home with their two children. I worked with him at Branch, Cabell many years ago. His foster mother had taken him to a pediatrician for an adoption screening shortly before he had come to live with them, and the checkup had raised no red flags. Yet if anyone was up to the task, most everyone agreed, it was the Overtons, and Hannah in particular. For the most accurate data, please search on the Detailed View page. In 2007 he published a seminal paper on salt poisoning, in which he examined, among other things, documented cases of children who had accidentally ingested excessive quantities of salt. Im very thankful that this compensation is finally coming through, Overton told ABC News. Hess remained skeptical of Hannahs account. I could never thank my attorneys enough for fighting endlessly to prove my innocence and bring me home.. After years of appeals and hearings the state'shighest criminal court overturned her conviction in 2014. The court, which could rule imminently or years from now, could send the case back to Judge Longoria for a hearing orfar less likelyoverturn her conviction. At Andrews request, he made a plate of sausage and more than a dozen eggs, all of which the boy eagerly devoured. Prosecutors exploited that uncertainty in final arguments, asserting that Andrew did not have pica. Sue and I were certainly saddened to learn of the death of Dabney. However, Judge Longoria could allow the jury to consider a lesser charge if he felt that the evidence did not support capital murder, and after hearing the states case, he did so, telling both the prosecution and the defense that he was willing to let the jury consider manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide. The cause of death was determined to be salt poisoning, an extremely rare occurrence that, in children, results from either a child inadvertently ingesting too much salt or a caretaker deliberately forcing the child to do so. Fueling the publics antipathy was an affidavit written by a CPS child abuse investigator named Jesse Garcia, who claimed that Hannah had admitted to forcing Andrew to drink two cupfuls of chili with water and quoted her as saying that she then beat the shit out of him. Garcia never produced any documentation or witnesses to corroborate his claim, and internal police memos show that law enforcement officials doubted the veracity of his story. Gilmore urged Hannah more than once to agree to have the jury consider a lesser charge, but she was uneasy with what she perceived as an underlying suggestion of wrongdoing. I was so shocked and saddened to learn today of Dabney's sudden and all too premature death. Our thoughts, hugs and prayers are with you. We shared wonderful times together as we mused over Rumi and different flavor ice creams. CPR had also been performed for an extended period by Hannah and later by medical personnel, who had squeezed the boys nose and administered chest compressions for 35 minutes. She and her husband Larry lived in Corpus Christi, Texas, and served faithfully in their church. Overton had to have a blood transfusion and her new. His foster mother, Hannah Overton, was charged with capital murder, vilified from all quarters, and sent to prison for life. Alton Lewis Overton, age 66, of Bryant; passed away Wednesday March 7, 2007. He is in my thoughts and his family in my prayers. Dear Overton Family and Friends of Dabney. Our paths crossed later in life and we renewed our friendship. Its about trusting God and seeing how he is a god of redemption and restoration, she said. The kids now range in age from four to twelve, and when I visited them late one afternoon, not long after I had seen Hannah, they seemed unencumbered by the tragedy that had engulfed their family. It was a catastrophic decision. Until then, she said, Andrew was doing nothing that my other kids hadnt done with the flu.
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