WYATT FESLER - 2 yo (2009) Accused: Katherin Stanfield - Boise ID

BOISE -- A jury is deciding whether or not to find a local daycare provider guilty of murdering a two-year-old boy in 2009.

Prosecutors say Katherine Stanfield was watching young Wyatt Fesler
in December of 2009 when she critically injured the young boy.
Prosecutors and police say those injuries eventually killed Wyatt.
Stanfield's defense team says she's innocent.

Wyatt was the son of her daughter's boyfriend. Despite not being related, family members told KTVB he called her 'grandma.'

Ada County deputy prosecuting attorney Daniel Dinger made the state's
closing arguments in the case Thursday morning. "Number one: was a
crime committed? Was Wyatt murdered? And number two: did this defendant
commit that crime? Is she the person who killed Wyatt?" Dinger asked.
"The answer to both of those questions, is 'Yes.'"

Dinger claims Stanfield assaulted 2-year-old Wyatt, who she was
watching at the time, and caused blunt force trauma to his head. For
that alleged crime, Stanfield is charged with first-degree murder.

"This incident that caused Wyatt's injury was very physically violent," said Dinger.

Dinger also asserted that the boy's injuries would not have occurred
with a simple fall, and that Stanfield has made inconsistent and untrue
statements about the injry throughout the investigation.

"That tells you that this child was a victim of physical abuse,"
Dinger said. "There's no question on that. The injuries also tell you
that Wyatt died from abusive head trauma. This was not an accident;
this was not a child falling back; this was an intentional act of
violence, abusive head trauma that caused his death," Dinger said.

However, Stanfield and her family say a medical condition caused
Wyatt to constantly lose his balance, and that a fall caused the
traumatic brain injury that took the young boy's life.

"Kathy loved Wyatt. Wyatt loved her," said Stanfield's attorney Ed
Odessey. "It's a sad, tragic thing. But because it's a sad, tragic
thing, does not mean that the last adult present with him has criminal
responsibility."

Prosecutors dispute the claim that Wyatt had a medical condition, and say he was a healthy little boy.

Odessey says Stanfield is a loving caretaker who happened to be there when Wyatt took a surprisingly fatal fall.

"Kathy suffered a loss here," said Odessey. "She's the one who lost her grandchild but it was not at her hand."

Stanfield is currently free on bond. KTVB asked her and her husband
Bob Stanfield if they wanted to comment on this case, but they declined.

The jury adjourned Thursday without reaching a verdict. They will resume deliberations at 9 a.m. Friday.
http://www.ktvb.com/home/Jury-deciding-if-woman-killed-2-year-old-156043375.html

Defiant Stanfield gets life sentence in toddler's death
The ex-Boise day-care operator, found guilty in a child’s death, can seek parole after 10 years.

By KATY MOELLER — kmoeller@idahostatesman.com
Published: August 22, 2012

Katherine Stanfield led an “exemplary life” for more than 50 years, until one day when she lost her temper over a stubborn child’s unwillingness to take off his coat, a judge said Tuesday as he handed down his sentence for first-degree murder.

“It’s quite obvious this was an explosive moment,” 4th District Court Judge Ronald Wilper said.

Prosecutors say Stanfield violently slammed the boy’s head into a hard object at least three times.

Stanfield, however, has maintained her innocence since her arrest — and did so again.

“I would never cause harm on anyone or anything, as that is not who I am,” she said in a statement read by public defender Ed Odessey.

Wyatt Fesler, 2, was so severely injured that he was comatose when paramedics arrived at Stanfield’s home in December 2009. He died two days later.

Paramedics noted handprints on the boy’s shoulders when they treated him at the scene, Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Dan Dinger said in court Tuesday. The boy suffered injuries to his spinal cord and brain, as well as massive internal bleeding.

“It was an act of violence — an act of significant violence on a helpless little child,” Dinger said, noting that Wyatt weighed 25 pounds and was 34.5 inches tall.

Stanfield was a day-care provider for 28 years. She offered sympathy — but no apology — regarding Wyatt’s death.

“I would like you to know that losing a child is one of the worst kind of heartaches to ever go through. The pain never goes away, remaining in your heart like that of a revolving door that never closes,” she said in the statement. “I and my husband are very aware of this, as we lost two of our own children — a son, then our daughter, three years apart. My heart feels so bad for anyone having to go through this kind of loss for their loved one.”

Stanfield’s defense was that the boy had medical issues, including equilibrium problems, that caused him to fall and injure himself.

LACK OF REMORSE

“She was desperate to try to place the blame elsewhere, and she tried to place it on Wyatt,” said Dinger, who recommended a life sentence with no chance of parole for 30 years.

The prosecutor said a severe penalty was warranted because of her lack of remorse; her delay in calling 911 to aid the boy (she called her daughter first); an attempt to manipulate testimony of a young witness; and a lack of “rehabilitative potential.”

After a monthlong trial, a jury determined on June 4 that Stanfield was guilty of murder.

Wilper said he has no doubt that Stanfield is guilty of killing Wyatt — but he said there was no indication that it was premeditated or intentional. He also noted she had no prior criminal record.

The judge said a sentence involving 30 years before parole can be sought should be reserved for the “worst kind of premeditated murder.” He talked about Stanfield being a day-care operator who ran “a pretty tight ship,” kept a clean house and fed the children nutritious food.

Wilper said she just lost her temper, and then lashed out at the boy.

He imposed a life sentence, but with parole eligibility after just a decade. He gave Stanfield credit for the 93 days served in jail and also ordered her to pay restitution of $19,000.

FEAR AT THE END

Wyatt’s grandmother and great-grandmother both testified Tuesday. They were not permitted to provide victim impact statements because they are not considered “immediate family” under state law, even though both provided round-the-clock care for the boy at times.

“He took his first steps into my arms,” said Barbara Elam Stearns, the boy’s 79-year-old great-grandmother. He slept in a crib at the foot of her bed until he was 13 months old.

“My losing Wyatt was just like losing my own child,” said Stearns through tears. “Every night I have trouble sleeping.”

She said what wakes her up at night is the thought that he was afraid during the last moments of his life.

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/08/22/2240323/defiant-stanfield-gets-life-sentence.html#storylink=cpy