This sounds more like a tragedy than a crime to me, but what do I know?
A woman was convicted Monday of contributing to the suicide of her 12-year-old son, who hanged himself in his closet with a necktie after being picked on for months at school over his bad breath and body odor.
Judith Scruggs, 52, was found guilty of one count of risk of injury to a minor for creating a filthy home that prosecutors said prevented J. Daniel Scruggs from improving his hygiene. She faces up to 10 years in prison.
Scruggs was cleared of a second charge that accused her of failing to provide her son with proper medical and psychological care. She also was acquitted on a cruelty charge.
Experts said the case marks one of the first times in which a parent was charged with contributing to a child's suicide.
Prosecutors said they took no joy in bringing charges against a grieving mother, but felt a jury should decide whether Scrugg's actions contributed to the boy's death.
Judith Scruggs acknowledged Daniel would sometimes have body odor or bad breath and would soil himself to get out of going to school. She said she frequently told Daniel to take showers, but said she could not force him to do so. . . .
[P]rosecutors presented evidence that showed there was barely room to move around her home because of clothes, boxes, papers and other debris that littered the floor. The kitchen was full of dirty dishes and spills and stains. The bathroom floor and the bathtub were covered with clothes, and the toilet, sink and tub were soiled. . . .
[Defense attorney Reese] Norris said prosecutors never provided evidence linking the condition of the home to the suicide. He portrayed Judith Scruggs as a loving single mother who worked two jobs -- one full-time as a teacher's aide in Daniel's school and the other part-time at a Wal-Mart.
Read the full story here from the AP via CNN.