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Friday, June 8, 2001
Girl's foster mother faces murder charge
Copyright © 2001 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||
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AUGUSTA — A former state caseworker originally charged with manslaughter in the death of her 5-year-old foster daughter was indicted Thursday on a murder charge. Sally Ann Schofield, 39, of Chelsea now faces charges of depraved-indifference murder and of manslaughter in the Jan. 31 suffocation of Logan Marr. Police allege Schofield bound the girl to a chair and covered her mouth and part of her face with duct tape, leaving her in an unfinished part of the basement of Schofield's state-approved foster home. Schofield was a state child-protective caseworker at the time Marr and her younger sister were placed in her care, a violation of the Department of Human Service's regulations. If convicted of murder, Schofield faces a minimum of 25 years in prison and the possibility of life in prison. For a manslaughter conviction, she would face up to 40 years behind bars. William Stokes, chief of the attorney general's criminal division, said the more serious charge resulted from information developed during the investigation since the arrest. Stokes said prosecutors are considering a request to change Schofield's bail status. Judges routinely deny bail in murder cases, but Stokes said the legal standard is somewhat more generous to a defendant when depraved-indifference murder is the charge. Schofield will be arraigned in Superior Court soon, but no date has been set, Stokes said. Depraved-indifference murder is an alternative to the standard charge of murder. The charge against Schofield alleges that she placed the girl in a situation she should have known would result in death. The charge of manslaughter, Stokes said, ensures an alternative is available to the court. Logan Marr's mother, Christy M. Baker, said after the indictments were announced Thursday that police and prosecutors have not laid out for her their case. "I know it's not over yet. It's not over by a long shot," Baker said. "I really want to see the evidence. I want to know what they know. I guess I'm playing the waiting game, just as the press does." Schofield's lawyer, Jed Davis, declined to comment. Schofield first told investigators that the girl struck her head after falling off a high chair during a ''timeout'' in the basement, according to a state police affidavit. Schofield said there was no evidence of a head injury. Investigators became suspicious because of inconsistencies in Schofield's story and because the girl's eyes showed signs of hemorrhaging consistent with suffocation, according to the affidavit. Schofield told investigators that the child got tangled in duct tape during the timeout, but it was not until later that Schofield admitted to restraining the girl with duct tape. The case has generated criticism of the state's child-protective services. The Department of Human Services admitted after the girl's death that her caseworker failed to make a quarterly visit to Schofield's home. Maine has about 3,000 foster children in 1,400 homes. Meanwhile, Baker has threatened to sue the state in federal court for negligence and violating her daughter's civil rights unless it settles her claim for $5 million. Since the girl's death, the state Human Services Department says it has increased efforts to inspect foster homes. Marr's sister has been placed in another foster home and Schofield's own children have been living with relatives. The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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