BRENDAN YANG - 8 yo - Quincy - MA

QUINCY -- A Quincy mother was charged with murder today for allegedly
using a makeshift charcoal stove to fill her bedroom with the toxic
fumes that claimed the life of her 8-year-old son Thursday afternoon.

The child has been identified as Brendan Yang, a third-grader at Snug Harbor Community School.

The mother was identified by law enforcement authorities as LiRong
Zhang, 39. She was arraigned in her room at a Boston hospital today
where she pleaded not guilty to a murder charge and was ordered held
without bail.

At an afternoon press conference, Norfolk District Attorney Michael
Morrissey and Quincy Police Chief John Keenan said a motive for the
disturbing act of domestic violence remains under investigation.Before
Thursday, Quincy police had responded just once to the family home and
that took place in 2005 when Zhang and her husband, whose name was not
immediately available got into a verbal argument, authorities said this
afternoon. No one was arrested in the 2005 incident, officials said.

Authorities said the tragedy was discovered Thursday afternoon when
16-year-old brother returned to the home on Yardarm Lane and discovered
all exterior doors were locked.

The teen broke in, but did not find anyone on the first floor. The
teen went upstairs and discovered that the door to the master bedroom
was locked. He also smelled smoke, and called 911, officials said.

Quincy firefighters, summoned by Yang's 16-year-old brother,
discovered that the door was barricaded as well as locked. They forced
their way inside and found the boy on the bed, unresponsive. His mother
was lying on the floor, officials said.

Morrissey told reporters that a common means of committing suicide
among Mandarin-speaking Chinese is to light charcoal briquets in a wok
or a pan and allow the smoke to reach toxic, and usually, fatal levels.http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/quincy/2011/01/quincy_mother_charged_with_mur_1.html?rss_id=Top+Stories

The mother of a boy, 8, found dead after being locked in a room with a lit hibachi-style grill was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
In a jury-waived trial, Norfolk County, Massachusetts Judge Robert C. Cosgrove found that Li Rong Zhang lacked criminal responsibility for son Brandon Yang’s 2011 death.
Authorities say the 42-year-old Quincy, Massachusetts woman intended to kill herself and her son.
 
Not guilty: Li Rong Zhang was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2011 hibachi grill death of her 8-year-old son
 
Investigators into the boy’s death found that Zhang had placed a large bureau in front of a bedroom door where Brandon was found dead, face-down on a bed January 13, 2011.
It was Zhang’s other son, then 16-year-old Deming Yang, who first spotted trouble and called authorities.
He told police he arrived home from school that day to find all the doors to his house locked
 
Suicidal: Brandon Yang was found dead near his unconscious mother, of carbon monoxide poisoning after his 16-year-old brother called firefighters in January 2011
 
He was unable to get inside his mother’s room. Firefighters arrived and broke open the door, finding Zhang on the floor of the room, as well.
They also found a grill, lighter, and charcoal briquettes.
Yang was pronounced dead from carbon monoxide poisoning at 4:50pm at Quincy Medical Center.
The following afternoon, Zhang would be arraigned at another area hospital where she was being treated.
Multiple medical experts testified during the trial to Zhang’s mental state at the time of her son’s death.
The judge agreed that Zhang exhibited psychotic depression with paranoid delusions and was suicidal at time of the incident.
According to the Patriot Ledger, the judge also heard testimony that
 
Too late: Authorities broke into Zhang's bedroom at the Quincy, Massachusetts home, which investigators say she barricaded with a dresser, and found a grill, charcoal, and lighter. Brandon was dead when they arrived
 
Zhang was taken to Worcester State Hospital following the verdict for treatment and evaluation.
However, that doesn’t mean she will spend the rest of her life in a mental hospital.
 
According to the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance, Massachusetts law says that offenders found not guilty by reason of mental illness can be released once they are deemed no longer a danger to themselves or others.
 
Expert opinion: Several experts testified to Zhang's mental state at the time of Brandon's death. The judge agreed that she exhibited psychotic depression with paranoid delusions and was suicidal at time of the incident
 
Treatment: Zhang was taken to a state hospital for evaluation and treatment following the verdict
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2359488/Mother-boy-8-killed-hibachi-grill-guilty-reason-insanity.html

Insane or not I hope she never gets out. William