O.C. mother charged with murder

O.C. mother charged with murder
Booking photo of Paige Looney, 34, who has been charged with the murder of
her 13-month-old baby after he drowned in the family pool in Anaheim. Police
say Looney showed signs of intoxication when they arrived on the scene.
Toxicology tests confirm that the Anaheim woman was drunk when her
13-month-old son drowned in the unfenced family pool last week.
By Christine Hanley, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 28, 2008
An Anaheim woman was charged with murder Wednesday in the drowning death of
her 13-month-old son after toxicology tests confirmed she had been drunk at
the time.

Paige Elizabeth Looney also was charged with two counts of child abuse and
endangerment with a sentencing enhancement for death due to child neglect.
She faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life if convicted.

Orange County Deputy Dist. Atty. Howard Gundy declined to disclose her
blood-alcohol level, saying only that the toxicology report "wasn't good."

Gundy said the murder charge stemmed from "implied malice" on Looney's part.
She had a "conscious disregard" for Eric, the toddler who drowned Feb. 21,
and his 4-year-old brother, Tanner, the prosecutor said.

"She showed extreme indifference for the health and welfare of those
children," Gundy said.

Looney, 34, was in court Wednesday to be arraigned on the charges, but the
hearing was postponed until March 14 so she could be assigned a
court-appointed lawyer. She is being held on $1-million bond.

During the hearing, the public defender who appeared for Looney's initial
appearance, Donald T. Barkemeyer, asked the court for a bail review hearing
and for a gag order, arguing that Anaheim police should not be allowed to
provide information about the case to the public before discussing it with
the defense.

Judge Roger Robbins agreed to a bail review but denied a gag order, saying
he had no jurisdiction because Anaheim police were not present in court.

Looney's cousin and two aunts declined to comment as they left the Fullerton
courthouse.

Eric was the youngest of four children born to Looney by two men who are
brothers. Mark Looney is the father of a 12-year-old daughter. Steve Looney
is now married to Paige Looney and is the father of Eric, Tanner and another
son who died in 2005 at age 2.

Eric drowned Feb. 21 in the family's unfenced backyard pool in Anaheim. His
sister called 911 when she arrived home from school.

When police arrived, Paige Looney had pulled her son from the water and was
attempting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, according to police. The boy's
father, who lives at the residence part time, was not home when the drowning
occurred, police said.

Looney showed signs of intoxication and empty beer cans were found about the
house and backyard, according to police. It was unclear how the boy had
gotten into the pool, which did not have a fence or barricade surrounding
it. Under state law, new pools are required to be fenced.

Police are investigating whether the pool was "grandfathered" in before the
law went into effect. They also are reviewing the 2005 death of her
2-year-old son. The cause of death was listed as undetermined, police said,
but was linked to a preexisting heart condition.

According to police, the family on the fathers' side repeatedly complained
to Orange County Child Protective Services about the way Looney treated her
children. Terry Fisher, a spokeswoman for the agency, maintained Wednesday
that state confidentiality laws prevented her from confirming or denying
abuse reports.

Reached by telephone after Wednesday's hearing, Eric's paternal grandmother
said her son and other relatives on her side of the family would not be
commenting on the case until Looney was arraigned on the charges.

The Looney children are in protective custody.


http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-drown28feb28,1,3727844.story


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Relevant Pages

  • Re: O.C. mother charged with murder
    ... her 13-month-old baby after he drowned in the family pool in Anaheim. ... Police say Looney showed signs of intoxication when they arrived on the ...
    (alt.true-crime)
  • Re: O.C. mother charged with murder
    ... Booking photo of Paige Looney, 34, who has been charged with the murder of her 13-month-old baby after he drowned in the family pool in Anaheim. ... Police say Looney showed signs of intoxication when they arrived on the scene. ...
    (alt.true-crime)