A Massachusetts woman accused in a “house of horrors” case was acquitted on June 20 of murder charges.
Judge Janet Kenton-Walker said that Murray’s mental impairment kept her from understanding how bad things had become inside her Boston-area home.
“Cognitive deficits, personality disorder and victimization ... produced extremely primitive coping mechanisms,” Judge Kenton-Walker was quoted by the station as saying. “She was not conscious or aware of how bad everything had become.”
“This case involves a senseless, tragic story about a dysfunctional parent and her family. Regardless of how disturbing the facts of this case are to the community at large and to me as a parent, I cannot take into account those feelings,” said Walker in the CBS affiliate report.
Murray will be sentenced on July 11.
Walker said that she suffered from a combination of personality disorder and abuse by her boyfriend.
Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early issued a statement after her verdict was handed down.
“This was a very hard case with a very difficult set of facts as it always is when dealing with children who are victims. It has emotionally affected many people throughout Worcester County. We appreciate all the time and effort the judge put into her decision in this case. The court has spoken. I would like to thank the Blackstone Police Department, the State police detectives and all of the state police employees who worked so hard on this case. And also, I’d like to thank our prosecutor Chris Hodgens for all his hard work,” Early stated.
Prosecutors, however, had argued that Murray knew what she was doing and lived a life of relative secrecy to cover up her misdeeds.
The babies’ bodies were discovered in September 2014 while officials performed a wellness check, saying that the house was filled with trash and was infested with insects and rodents, the CBS affiliate reported.
Meanwhile, Murray’s lawyer had argued that she is mentally ill, arguing there were no evidence she caused the baby’s death. Walker also said that there was no evidence that the other child was born alive.
“For a lawyer, given my role, it’s a victory of sorts, but she lost her kids,” said defense attorney Keith Halpern. “I mean so for her, this tragedy is forever.”
Murray was arrested in 2014 after three babies’ bodies were discovered inside closets of her filthy home in Blackstone, about 50 miles southwest of Boston along the Rhode Island border. Four living children were also removed from the home, according to The Associated Press.
The children first came to the attention of police when a 10-year-old boy who lived in the house went to a neighbor and asked for her help to get a baby to stop crying. The neighbor went into the house and found a crying baby on a bed, covered in feces, and no adults around.
Police were called and officials removed four living children—the 10-year-old boy as well as 13-year-old, 3-year-old, and 6-month-old girls—from the home.
