Hannahs conviction was upheld in 2009 by the Thirteenth Court of Appeals. Its about trusting God and seeing how he is a god of redemption and restoration, she said. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. According to Overtons attorney, Cynthia Orr, the Texas comptroller told Overton on Tuesday that she would receive a check for $573,333.33 as compensation her for her wrongful incarceration. She was born April 24, 1945 to Dabney Overton Sr. and Henrietta Mallory Overton and grew up in Warsaw, VA. She was graduated from St. Margaret's School in 1963 where she was awarded the Bishop's Prize all four years. I look forward to them reclaiming their childhoods unburdened by involvement in such serious adult matters.. Her husband, Larry, took aplea deal for a lesser charge in the case and was given probation. Nueces County jurors found she'dfailed to seek timely medical care for the boy. The Overtons are nurturing, loving, patient, and very family-oriented, an adoption supervisor noted in her paperwork. Jonah Lee Overton Obituary It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of Jonah Lee Overton (Charlotte, North Carolina), who passed away on January 21, 2023, at the age of 92, leaving to mourn family and friends. The particulars of her crime, as sketched out by the prosecution, were vague; assistant district attorney Sandra Eastwood, a passionate child advocate, conceded in opening arguments that she was not sure how Hannah had made Andrew eat so much salt. Lane and her children moved to the East Texas town of Lindale, where a missionary organization, the Calvary Commission, allowed them to live in a modest apartment on its grounds free of charge. Any God, Christian or not, would have wanted a better mother for Andrew.. In 2011, Overtons appellate attorney, Cynthia Orr, filed a state petition for a writ of habeas corpus seeking a new trial. After dinner the kids settled down in front of the TV to watch a movie that was Isabels pick: a Japanese animated film that her brothers and sisters showed less enthusiasm for, fidgeting as they lay next to each other on the carpet. Orr forwarded the paperwork to a leading expert on salt poisoning, Michael Moritz, and asked him to explain its significance. Hannah, we are all so sorry for the loss of your brother. Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Todd Yates/AP Photo, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. On several occasions his fits had grown so extreme that she had resorted to asking a male parishioner to physically remove him from the classroom until he could regain self-control. In 2005 the Overtons began to pursue the idea seriously. It did not matter that Haller, who had seen Andrew in the days leading up to his hospitalization and who was frequently in the Overton home, had never observed any suspicious bruises or indications of abuse. Before they headed to bed, Larry turned up the lights for their nightly devotions. At the time of his retirement, he was one of the three oldest practicing attorneys in the Commonwealth. At 13, he served as a page for the General Assembly of Virginia. Larry called out that dinner was ready, and we gathered inside around a rough-hewn oak table he had made years ago. To the Overton Family and friends of Dabney: I first met Dabney in the fall of 1972 when he was in fourth grade at Aylett Country Day School. (Andrew was told that he could not have any food at McDonalds, since he had already eaten.) Because he was vomiting? She was unflappable and unfailingly patient with children. A family birthday celebration in the summer of 2006. While behind bars,Overton relied on her faith, family and supporters and led Bible studies. The case boils down to a woman who basically tortured a child, Eastwood continued. But Rotta was alarmed by his overall appearance. Mr. Overton continued in private practice until the age of 80. Andrew flew into a rage. Hannah was always drawn to stray people.. Finally he agreed to plead no contest to criminally negligent homicide. For the most accurate data, please search on the Detailed View page. This was not a child that came into the office looking well, with a story of, you know, Hes just a tomboy, and he falls and hits himself, Rotta would later testify. Channel Three, Channel Six, Channel Ten, the Caller-Timesthey all knew ahead of time, Gilmore said. Menu. Anita and John Brother Paul Campbell will officiate the service. By that point, they had already been shown numerous photos of Andrews small, bruised body postmortem. He was a good friend and a great dancer!! That official statement granted her access to state funds that are provided to the wrongfully convicted and also prevented her from being tried for the crime again. Created by: Red; Added: 9 Apr 2016 . He was born on April 2, 1940 in Little Rock, Arkansas to the late Lewis Franklin and Dwight Katherine Overton. The jury was not just going to let her walk.. I have shared a memorial tribute I wrote about Dabney with all who've asked. Dabney was born on July 31, 1963 and grew up in Essex County, Va. I remember many lively discussions with Cabell and Dabney about the history of Virginia and North Carolina. Zion Church of the Brethren. The sheets were filthy, and he was getting poop everywhere. But as the afternoon wore on, his symptoms grew troubling; his breathing became congested, and he became less and less responsive. Larry with (from left) his children Ally, Isaac, Sebastian, Emma, and Isabel. H-E-Bs True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping, West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country. How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians, The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition. The following week, Hannahwho had no history with CPS and no previous arrests, and had never had so much as a parking ticketwas charged with capital murder. Her bedroom was just a few feet away from the childrens rooms, which were always open; their doors had been removed so that the kids could easily come and go as they pleased. Relatives, neighbors, and members of the Overtons church pitched in to look after the kids during Hannahs recovery, but the revolving door of caregivers proved to be difficult for Andrew, who began acting out on a scale they had not seen before. Dabney was born on July 31, 1963 and grew up in Essex County, Va. Thank you Dabney for blessing my life with your presence. (Larrys parents, who were friends of the Saenzes, were parishioners.) I spent many nights beating myself up over Could I have done this or could I have done that? Hannah told me, staring at her hands. I pray that you will bring Mom home soon.. It was Emma whom Hannah was pregnant with when Andrew died, and she is the child Hannah knows least. The defense presented the jury with a medical mystery. But Hannah, who was bewildered by Andrews condition, had no ready answers. Hey dear, so sorry to hear this newstake care of yourself and your familythinking of you!! . That was the most uncomfortable service I have ever done. But as devoted Christians, their desire to adopt a foster child was rooted in faith more than in practicality. One attorney was even moved to tears explaining how sorry he was for the mistakes he had made in Overton's case. I feel so fortunate to have spent time with him. "I'm very thankful that this compensation is finally coming through," Overton told ABC News. Hess suspicions had developed the previous evening during an interview with Hannah, who had consented to talk to him without an attorney present. 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. Despite appearances, however, he was hardly a reprobate. His foster mother, Hannah Overton, was charged with capital murder, vilified from all quarters, and sent to prison for life. The ministry's name Syndeo is taken from a Greek word meaning "to connect" or "be connected." . Round-trip, the journey is 632 miles. A colleague of mine who attended the trial told me that the prosecution described Andrew again and again as a normal child, and that is a great distortion of the truth. I wasnt thinking, obviously, or I would have just taken him to the hospital, Hannah told the detective. Andrew had never been diagnosed with pica, Rotta reminded jurors. I am glad to have had the chance to know him and will pray for your family during this difficult time. Submit an Obituary . "We are over the top in love with our new blessing! Moritz, in fact, had been asked to testify as an expert witness for Hannahs defense at her trial. In 2007, Hannah Overton was sentenced to life in prison for the death of her 4-year-old foster son. 1 x 120' / Produced for Discovery Networks. A short discussion followed about the passage, in which Jesus heals a blind man, and then Larry closed his Bible and said, Okay, guys, lets pray. One by one, the kids spoke their prayers, each of which ended with the same wish. Our condolences to his family and friends. Copyright 2023 GRB Studio | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions He was a great classmate and teamate at St Christopher's. The doctor had been the on-call emergency medicine physician at Driscoll the day that Andrew arrived, and he had resuscitated the boy as he was transported to the intensive care unit. His foster mother, Hannah Overton, was charged with capital murder, vilified from all quarters, and sent to prison for life. Andrews behavior worsened that September, after the family was involved in a car accident. Taken together, the disparate details formed a disturbing picture. But after Hannahs conviction, the DAs office offered him several plea deals, each of which required him to acknowledge that he had intentionally caused Andrews death. He was the first one to introduce me to kayaking from Aylett to Walkerton on the Mattaponi. The Overtons daughters, four-year-old Isabel and three-year-old Ally, reported back to their parents that the new boy in their class needed a family. Can Andrew be our brother? the girls pleaded. "Wow, we don't even know where to begin," Hannah Overton told ABC News exclusively after she heard that her case had been dismissed and she would not have to endure another trial. He will be missed by his many friends. When people are under severe stress, their judgment becomes poor., Cortess perspective was revelatory. Meanwhile, those who once pursued Hannah with such certainty have undergone their own trials. There are really no words. Search by Name. After a week-long trial, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to 23 years in prison. He soon lapsed into a coma. He struck up a correspondence with Hannah, but she did not warm to him until their paths crossed again at a year-long missionary training school outside Tyler, when she was nineteen and he was a more clean-cut twenty. By clicking or navigating the site, you agree to allow our collection of information through cookies. Hannah Overton and her husband hold up one of their Christmas presents. Making him sleep on plywood burning sheets, becoming so enraged she forced him to have 23 teaspoons of hot pepper, and then watched him die in agony.. Financially, the accident had come at a precarious time; Larry had recently purchased his bosss landscape lighting business, and he needed to put in long hours just to make ends meet. But was this churchgoing young woman a vicious child killer? Michael, who had been born prematurely, was severely impaired; he had cerebral palsy, was blind, and could not walk or talk. He had the heart of a lion and graciously allowed me into his circle of friends. God bless you Dabney, we'll miss you. His other passion was his beloved dogs. I am so sorry to hear the news. The writ is the final opportunity a defendant has to introduce new evidence into the record. — -- Murder charges against Hannah Overton, a south Texas mother of five who had been convicted in the 2007 salt poisoning trial in the death of her foster son, have been dismissed by the district attorney. After he completed his probation, the charges were dismissed. We lived in the same neighborhood a few years back and after meeting at the Dog Park, spent some great time together running, kayaking and meeting for a few cold ones at Melitos. The entire Davila family sends our heart felt condolences to Dabney's family. He moved unsteadily, and he was so clumsy that Hannah had him wear a life jacket whenever he splashed around in their inflatable kiddie pool. We will always remember him fondly as a fellow Friend of Bandy Field. Then he asked for more. People who knew the Overtons were certain that Andrews bewildering death was accidental. Dabney is a graduate of Aylett Country Day School, St. Christopher's School, and Washington and Lee University. He embodied the characteristics of a Saint and we will miss him very much. The Huntsville Times. But Saenzs account of his whereabouts on the evening of the murder did not jibe with the evidence, and blood that matched the victims type was discovered inside his van. Other couples they knew who had adopted foster children assured them that their kids had outgrown similar eating issues, and the Overtons assumed that, with time, Andrew would outgrow his as well. There was a time when I questioned how God could allow this to happen, she said. Much loved daughter of Andrew and Susan, dearly loved sister of. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. Although he hung back when his siblings embraced their parents in group hugs, Larry and Hannah learned that if they asked Andrew to join in, he would do so enthusiastically, throwing his arms around them. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. Take it one day at a time. He was a supportive friend to so many people, including me. Reaching for his shoes, he announced, I can do all things. Larry remembered, We felt like we were really making headway with him.. They get to see her for two hours, once a monthtwenty-four hours in a year, Larry said. Short on time as the trial drew to a close, the defense had asked Moritzwho needed to return to Pittsburghto sit for a videotaped deposition; when the deposition ran long and could not be completed, the defense was unable to enter it as testimony. Hannah, who was left with whiplash and a severely swollen jaw, spent the next several weeks immobilized by a neck brace, mostly confined to bed. He felt at ease around her; his favorite thing to do was sit on her lap and rest his mouth on her cheek, and she gladly obliged. As a former private-duty nurse, Hannah felt equipped to handle the challenges of a foster child; she had spent several years caring for special-needs children, some of whom were profoundly disabled. That Sunday, October 1, Larry took the other kids to church while Hannah devoted some extra attention to Andrew. Regardless of how much food he consumed, he complained that he was hungry. 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. Hannah managed to clean him up, but when she reiterated that he would have to wait until lunchtime to eat, he defecated on the floor again. A church member who homeschools her daughters educates the Overton children, using lesson plans Hannah sends her. I shall miss him greatly. The medical staff at Driscoll Childrens Hospital had determined that Andrew had nearly twice the normal level of sodium in his blooda highly abnormal findingas well as bleeding in the brain, and as Hess questioned her, he tried to ascertain what had happened. See you then, my friend. The newly discovered documents, Moritz later told me, were a monumentally important piece of evidence., The discovery soon exposed strains among the prosecution team. Detective Hess was put on administrative leave in 2008 after it came to light that he had disclosed confidential information to the suspect in an ongoing investigation for indecency with a child. I worked with him at Branch Cabell years ago and also lived down the street from him for a while. What a great sense of comfort to know that I could be greated on the other side by such a kind person. Please call me at your earliest convenience.. 1 x 120' / Produced for Discovery Networks. I wouldnt give up that time we had with him and that he had with us.. Yet the image they conjuredof a woman grinning at the sight of a comatose four-year-oldwas devastating. Andrews preoccupation with eating intensified, and he began getting out of bed at night to forage for food in the kitchen. His foster mother, Hannah Overton, was charged with capital. Sending a prayer to all his family & friends. He had a speech disorder called echolalia, which is one of the things we see typically in children who have autism spectrum disorders. "After further review of all the evidence and meeting with her defense attorneys and everyone involved, my office decided that we're going to dismiss the case and include language in there that would actually indicate that she's not guilty of the charge that we charged her with, or the previous administration," Gonzalez said at the time. In the context of a criminal investigation, the calm that she had always exhibited in the midst of crisis was suddenly a liabilityan indication, perhaps, that she was cold-blooded enough to have killed a child. The prosecutions most persuasive testimony came from Rotta, the pediatric critical care specialist who had originally expressed concern that Andrew had been mistreated. Because we were not thinking we were in a life-or-death situation, she insisted. Overton spent seven years in prison before the Texas Court of Appeals overturned her capital murder charges on September 17, 2014. My infrequent visits to my home of Richmond were always highlighted when I ran into Dabney and spend some time to catch up with one another. Emma, the youngest, trailed behind them with a doll, occasionally running inside to bang on the piano. He picked at mosquito bites on his body incessantly, prompting Larry to put socks on his hands; still, Andrew would not stop scratching and eventually developed a staph infection on his arm. celebrity wifi packages cost. She believed that Andrews eating habits were not the stuff of pathology but those of a growing boy. It is unclear, read the courts ruling, whether the state actually knew of Dr. Cortess opinion. The court also ruled that the wording of the jury charge was free from error. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals declined the opportunity to reconsider the decision. Plant a tree to honor the memory of your loved one. They considered adopting a nine-year-old girl who was deaf, but when, after much prayer and deliberation, they decided to move forward with the adoption, they learned that the girl had been placed with another family. Hannah Overton recently reunited with her husband, Larry Overton, since being released on bond last week. Not the brightest thing to do, Larry conceded. She also described her unease with Eastwoods trial strategy, claiming the prosecutor had told her that they would not be calling Cortes because a record in his file indicated that Andrew had behavioral problems. Early in the pregnancy, Hannah and Larry were informed that the boy would likely have Down syndrome. Skip to main content. But was this churchgoing young woman a vicious child killer? He hoarded food and sometimes ate from the trash, she warned, and he threw intense temper tantrums, which could be tamed only by holding and rocking him. I was privileged to know Dabney at W&L and as a fraternity brother at LXA. A more thorough investigation would have uncovered ample evidence to suggest that Andrew had an undiagnosed eating disorder, raising the possibility that he had unintentionally consumed too much salt on his own. The Overtons already had four children, and Larrys incomehe installed landscape lightingwas barely enough to make ends meet. Moritz is the clinical director of pediatric nephrology at the Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he specializes in childrens kidney diseases.