ALEX MAXON - 1 yo (2006) - Fort Worth TX

FORT WORTH -- A Mansfield man was convicted Friday of leaving his
1-year-old son alone with his psychotic wife, who drowned the boy
because she believed that she was possessed by Satan and her son was
the anti-Christ who would be tortured before bringing about the
Apocalypse.A
Tarrant County jury deliberated just 32 minutes before convicting
Michael Maxon of intentionally abandoning his son on June 30, 2006,
placing him in imminent danger of death or injury by leaving him with
his wife, Valeria.The jury will resume Friday afternoon with the
punishment phase of the 4-day trial in Criminal District Court No. 2.
Maxon, 56, could receive from two to 20 years in prison for the second
degree felony. He also is eligible for probation.According to
Maxon’s own testimony Thursday, his wife’s mental problems began in
March 2006 when a pediatrician told them that their 9-month-old son,
Alex, was developmentally delayed because he could not sit up, hold his
head up or crawl. At the doctor’s recommendation, the Maxons took the
boy to another pediatrician and a neurologist.They sought help
from a Florida child therapy center, Maxon said. That’s when Valeria
began exhibiting signs of mental illness, saying that the baby was
dying and that it was her fault, he said.Valeria continued to
cite those beliefs as her husband took her to several doctors and
mental hospitals, Maxon said. But her delusions expanded to include her
beliefs that her son was the anti-Christ and her husband, sister and
herself were possessed, he said.Despite warnings from relatives
and doctors that Valeria should not be left alone with Alex, Maxon said
he left to run some errands on June 30. When he returned an hour and a
half later, he was met by his wife who told him she had drowned her
baby, he said.Valeria Maxon, then 33, was arrested and charged
with capital murder. However, she was acquitted by reason of insanity
in 2008 by Judge Wayne Salvant, who ordered her sent to a state mental
hospital.About the same time Michael Maxon was charged with abandoning his son.Defense
attorney Jack Strickland argued that Michael Maxon was tried because
prosecutors could not convict the woman who actually drowned the baby.
He agreed that Maxon made a poor decision by leaving his son with his
wife that day. But he said the hospitals who discharged Valeria Maxon
after a few days bear some of of the responsibility for the baby’s
death.“This man has suffered enough,” Strickland said. “He’s lost his child, his wife and everything he has.”But
prosecutors Alana Minton and Alan Levy argued that any reasonable
person should have known not to leave the baby with Valeria Maxon,
especially someone who had been repeatedly warned not to do so by
doctors and relatives.“His decision not to take Alex with him that day cost him his life,” Minton said.

FORT WORTH — For more than three months, Michael Maxon shuttled his
mentally ill wife to hospitals in three states while her delusions
about their 1-year-old son progressed from fears that he was dying to
the certainty that he was the Antichrist.Despite
warnings that Valeria Maxon was psychotic and should not be left alone
with the child, Maxon did just that for about 1  1/2 hours on June 30,
2006.When he returned home, Valeria Maxon calmly informed him
that she had drowned Alex in the backyard hot tub, saying that the
child was going to die anyway.In 2008, Valeria Maxon was found
not guilty of capital murder by reason of insanity. She remains in a
state mental institution. The same week that verdict was returned,
Michael Maxon was charged with abandoning his son, placing him in
imminent danger of death or injury After a four-day trial this
week in Criminal District Court No. 2, jurors deliberated just 32
minutes on Friday before finding Maxon guilty.Clearly taken
aback by the speed with which the jury returned its verdict, defense
attorney Jack Strickland asked state District Judge Wayne Salvant to
assess punishment. Originally, the nine-man, three-woman jury was to
recommend punishment. The requested change was an unusual move that
required the agreement of prosecutors.They and Salvant agreed,
and he ordered a pre-sentence investigation. Maxon, 56, was taken into
custody until the judge gets that report and sets a sentencing date. The
maximum sentence on the second-degree felony is 20 years in prison.
Maxon is eligible for probation. He was in the Tarrant County Jail on
Friday night.Valeria Maxon’s sister, Natalia Arsenieva, said she was
pleased that the jury found Maxon responsible for the baby’s death."He
brought her over here from a strange country," she said. "He was
responsible for her, especially when she got pregnant and especially
with her first baby."
Signs of mental illness
Valeria Maxon, a native of Moldova in Eastern Europe, met Michael Maxon
through a dating service. They lived on River Crest Court in Mansfield,
a cul-de-sac near U.S. 287 and Walnut Creek Drive.Arsenieva visited
for a few weeks after Alex was born in June 2005 to help her sister.Arsenieva
testified this week that her sister received no prenatal care and that
the baby was delivered at home. Alex apparently got little medical care
either.According to Michael Maxon’s own testimony, Valeria
Maxon’s mental problems began in March 2006 when a pediatrician told
them that Alex, who could not sit up, hold his head up or crawl, was
developmentally delayed. The couple took Alex to a Florida
child therapy center, where Valeria first began exhibiting signs of
mental illness, Maxon testified. She insisted that the baby was dying
and that it was her fault, Maxon said. She was hospitalized in Florida
for a day or two but was released at her husband’s request to return to
Texas.Maxon said Valeria chanted during the entire flight to
Dallas to "keep the plane from crashing," she told him. And her
delusions continued, he said. She repeatedly blamed herself for being a
bad mother whose son was dying because her breast milk was drying up.
But the delusions got more disturbing. She told her husband that
she was possessed by Satan and needed an exorcist, he said. She also
said that Alex was the Antichrist who would bring about the apocalypse.Each
time his wife was hospitalized, Maxon checked her out after a few days
and took her to another program. In California, she tried to kill
herself by overdosing on her psychiatric medicines, he said. Her
final hospitalization was in Dallas. Maxon checked her out after six
days, telling the staff that he intended to take her back to Moldova to
be with her family.
'Fathers are responsible’
By then, Arsenieva had gone home. But, she testified, before leaving for
Moldova she told Maxon to hire a nanny for Alex. Both she and the
Dallas doctor warned him not to leave Valeria Maxon alone with the baby.On
June 30, however, Maxon left the house to run errands. He testified
that he was gone for about 1  1/2 hours and that when he returned, he
was met by his wife, who told him she had drowned Alex, he said.Valeria
Maxon, then 32, was arrested and charged with capital murder. At her
2008 trial, prosecutors did not dispute that she was legally insane
when she drowned her child, and after hearing testimony from
psychologists Salvant found her not guilty by reason of insanity. He
ordered her sent to a maximum-security state mental hospital in Vernon.
She is now at Kerrville State Hospital, where patients are transferred
if they are not manifestly dangerous but require a long hospital stay.During
Michael Maxon’s trial, Strickland argued that Maxon was on trial
because prosecutors could not convict the woman who actually drowned
the baby.Strickland said Maxon made a poor decision that day but
contended that the medical professionals who kept Valeria Maxon
hospitalized for only a few days at a time bear some responsibility.
"This man has suffered enough," Strickland said. "He’s lost his child,
his wife and everything he has."After the trial, Strickland said he was
offended — not by the verdict, but the speed with which jurors reached it."It
was a bizarre case. We knew we had a lot of hurdles to overcome," he
said. "But there were a lot of issues and evidence. Everyone expected
more."But prosecutors Alana Minton and Alan Levy argued that any
reasonable person would know not to leave the baby with Valeria Maxon,
especially someone who had been repeatedly warned by doctors and
relatives."His decision not to take Alex with him that day cost him his life,"
Minton said.She said the quick verdict indicated that the jury believed that
"fathers are responsible for their children’s safety." "If the defendant had done his job,
Alex would be alive. It is just that simple," Minton said.

TomTerrific0420 wrote:FORT WORTH -- A Mansfield man was convicted Friday of leaving his
1-year-old son alone with his psychotic wife, who drowned the boy
because she believed that she was possessed by Satan and her son was
the anti-Christ who would be tortured before bringing about the
Apocalypse.A
Tarrant County jury deliberated just 32 minutes before convicting
Michael Maxon of intentionally abandoning his son on June 30, 2006,
placing him in imminent danger of death or injury by leaving him with
his wife, Valeria.The jury will resume Friday afternoon with the
punishment phase of the 4-day trial in Criminal District Court No. 2.
Maxon, 56, could receive from two to 20 years in prison for the second
degree felony. He also is eligible for probation.According to
Maxon’s own testimony Thursday, his wife’s mental problems began in
March 2006 when a pediatrician told them that their 9-month-old son,
Alex, was developmentally delayed because he could not sit up, hold his
head up or crawl. At the doctor’s recommendation, the Maxons took the
boy to another pediatrician and a neurologist.They sought help
from a Florida child therapy center, Maxon said. That’s when Valeria
began exhibiting signs of mental illness, saying that the baby was
dying and that it was her fault, he said.Valeria continued to
cite those beliefs as her husband took her to several doctors and
mental hospitals, Maxon said. But her delusions expanded to include her
beliefs that her son was the anti-Christ and her husband, sister and
herself were possessed, he said.Despite warnings from relatives
and doctors that Valeria should not be left alone with Alex, Maxon said
he left to run some errands on June 30. When he returned an hour and a
half later, he was met by his wife who told him she had drowned her
baby, he said.Valeria Maxon, then 33, was arrested and charged
with capital murder. However, she was acquitted by reason of insanity
in 2008 by Judge Wayne Salvant, who ordered her sent to a state mental
hospital.About the same time Michael Maxon was charged with abandoning his son.Defense
attorney Jack Strickland argued that Michael Maxon was tried because
prosecutors could not convict the woman who actually drowned the baby.
He agreed that Maxon made a poor decision by leaving his son with his
wife that day. But he said the hospitals who discharged Valeria Maxon
after a few days bear some of of the responsibility for the baby’s
death.“This man has suffered enough,” Strickland said. “He’s lost his child, his wife and everything he has.”But
prosecutors Alana Minton and Alan Levy argued that any reasonable
person should have known not to leave the baby with Valeria Maxon,
especially someone who had been repeatedly warned not to do so by
doctors and relatives.“His decision not to take Alex with him that day cost him his life,” Minton said.

If the father really cared he would have took his son with him... No excuses can he make for leaving that child with somebody he KNEW was unstable.... Im sure his conscience is eating him alive.... Sad story :boohoo: :boohoo:

A north Texas man is to spend ten years in prison for leaving his
baby alone with his psychotic wife, who drowned their one year old son
in a hot tub.
Michael Maxon has already been convicted once earlier this year of
abandoning his son in 2006 to run errands. According to trial testimony,
doctors and relatives had warned him not to leave the child alone with
his wife because of her condition and delusions. The judge said he was
disturbed that Maxon still didn't think he did anything wrong.
His wife, Valeria Maxon, was sent to a state mental hospital in 2008
after being found innocent by reason of insanity in the baby's death.
She believed that her child was the anti-Christ who would be tortured
before causing the Apocalypse.