ACORY LAVERGNE - 4 months (2008) - St. Landry Parish LA

A St. Landry Parish woman faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of her 4-month-old baby in August of 2008.
The child died from severe trauma to the brain, according to the St. Landry Sheriff’s
Office. The mother, Latonia Lavergne, was arrested Wednesday.The
baby was taken Aug. 14 to Doctor’s Hospital in Opelousas in what the
Sheriff’s Office said was a nonresponsive state. The baby was placed on
life support and taken to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans. Two days
later, the baby was found to have no brain activity, and life-support
was withdrawn.The Sheriff’s Office said investigators
found discrepancies between the time frame provided by Lavergne and the
medical findings. The discrepancies weren’t specified.

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St. Landry Parish sheriff's deputies
have arrested a 29-year-old Opelousas woman in the August
2008 death of her 4-month-old infant.
Chief Deputy Hilman Popillion told The Advocate of Baton
Rouge Thursday that Latonia Marie Lavergne was booked on one
count of second-degree murder and has since been released
from the St. Landry Parish Jail on a $50,000 bond.
Lavergne's infant, a male twin, was brought to an
Opelousas hospital in a non-responsive state on Aug. 14,
2008 and later transferred to a New Orleans hospital. Two
days later he was removed from life support.

Latonia Marie Lavergne was arrested by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's
Office on Wednesday on a charge of second-degree murder of her
4-month-old infant.

The arrest came about as the result of an investigation that lasted more than a year.The
infant initially had been taken to Opelousas General Health System's
south campus on Aug. 14, 2008, in an unresponsive state. The child was
subsequently transferred to Children's Hospital in New Orleans and
placed on life support.Two days later, doctors concluded that the infant had no brain activity, and the child was removed from life support.An autopsy determined that severe trauma to the brain had been the cause of death.The infant's injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome, St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said."That's what we think it is," he said.Shaken
baby syndrome is the pattern of brain injury that results from a baby
or child being shaken so severely that the brain moves back and forth
inside the skull, colliding with the skull.Guidroz said it was unknown to him whether the woman has other children, nor did he know the gender of the infant.Lavergne, 29, of 1512 Hazel St., is being held in the St. Landry Parish Jail."She should have gone before a magistrate's hearing this morning," Guidroz said, who added he was unsure if a bond had been set.It took more than a year for Lavergne to be charged because of the complexity of the investigation, he said."It took this long because we were waiting on reports from the hospital and the doctors involved," Guidroz said.One
of the compelling bits of evidence was the autopsy, which revealed
discrepancies between Lavergne's statements concerning the infant's
death and medical findings, prompting the investigation, resulting in
the arrest.The Sheriff's Office has been developing its case, Guidroz said."We're prepared to go to trial, if necessary," he said.

Opelousas mom to plead not guilty in baby's death

Posted: Sep 27, 2009 3:32 PM by Jthibodeaux
Updated: Sep 30, 2009 11:58 AM
http://www.katc.com/news/opelousas-mom-to-plead-not-guilty-in-babys-death/
snipped
OPELOUSAS, La. (AP) - A defense attorney says an Opelousas woman accused in the shaking death of her infant will plead not guilty to a second-degree murder charge.
Latonia Lavergne was arrested Wednesday by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office, after an investigation that lasted more than a year.
Her 4-month-old son died in August 2008.
Her attorney, Elbert Guillory, says the case is "a double tragedy" because Lavergne lost a baby and now faces criminal charges.

No update found.

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