BOULDER, Colo.—A 10-week-old boy was nearly in a coma when his parents took him to a doctor’s office, a nurse testified Friday in the trial of the boy’s mother on charges of child abuse resulting in death.
Jason Midyette “laid over my arm in the most horrible way,” said Michelle Warren, a licensed practical nurse who received the boy from his father at a doctor’s office on Feb. 24, 2006.
“He was not lethargic. He was almost in a coma. He was almost dead,” Warren said under cross-examination by defense attorney Craig Truman, who represents Jason’s mother, Molly Midyette.
Midyette, of Louisville, is charged with three counts of child abuse resulting in the death of Jason Midyette on March 3, 2006. The baby died a week after doctors sent him to a hospital emergency room.
Midyette’s husband, Alex Midyette, is set to go on trial in January on four counts of child abuse resulting in death. Prosecutors claim Molly Midyette didn’t seek medical attention after her husband injured their son.
Defense attorney Phil Miller insists that Molly Midyette loved her son and relied on her doctor’s advice in caring for him. In opening statements, Miller said Midyette plans to testify in her own defense.
Jason died of blunt trauma to the head, according to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office.
Warren testified that upon seeing Jason she immediately summoned Dr. Jill Siegfried, whom she worked for. Siegfried and another doctor determined Jason needed immediate emergency treatment.
Alice Shaw, a receptionist at Siegfried’s office, testified that Molly Midyette had telephoned to speak with Siegfried, saying that Jason was “lethargic.” Siegfried recommended the boy be taken to the emergency room instead, but Midyette preferred making an appointment with Siegfried, Shaw said.
Jason’s paternal grandmother said Friday she didn’t see any problems with the baby before he was hospitalized and wasn’t worried about his health.
Kay Midyette testified that she baby-sat her grandson for three hours on Feb. 19, 2006, and that he slept throughout.
“I thought they were lucky. They had a quiet baby,” Kay Midyette said.
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Information from: Daily Times-Call,
