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Louise Woodward (born 28 February 1978, Cheshire, England) is a British former au pair convicted, at the age of 19, of the involuntary manslaughter of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen in Newton, Massachusetts. February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...
For other uses, see Cheshire (disambiguation). ...
For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...
Au pair is an anglicization of the French term au pair, which means on par or equal to and describes a young person living on an equal basis with a host family in a foreign country. ...
Murder is both a legal and a moral term, that are not always coincident. ...
Nickname: Location in Middlesex County in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country State County Middlesex County Settled 1630 Incorporated 1688 Government - Type Mayor-council city - Mayor David B. Cohen (Dem) Area - City 18. ...
Background Matthew Eappen died on February 10, 1997, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from a fractured skull and subdural hematoma, six days after being admitted to hospital and falling into a coma. The boy, eight months old, was also found to have a fractured wrist, an unnoticed and unexplained injury from a month earlier. Dr. Lois Smith, an ophthalmologist, observed retinal hemorrhages judged characteristic of shaken baby syndrome. is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
For the band, see 1997 (band). ...
Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1630 Incorporated 1636 Government - Type Mayor-council city - Mayor Kenneth Reeves (D) Area - City 7. ...
A subdural hematoma (SDH) is a form of traumatic brain injury in which blood collects between the dura (the outer protective covering of the brain) and the arachnoid (the middle layer of the meninges). ...
For other uses, see Coma (disambiguation). ...
Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) is a form of child abuse affecting between 1,200 and 1,600 children every year in the USA.[1] SBS encompasses a variety of outcomes that are attributed to shaking an infant or small child. ...
In a statement to the police Woodward said she "popped the baby on the bed." There was a dispute in her case over the use of the word "popped." In British English, this phrase means "put" or "placed," and Woodward claimed she was trying to say she "placed the baby on the bed." In American English the term 'popped' carries connotations of violence, ie 'popping someone'. Her defense lawyers argued to the jury that the word "popped" doesn't carry the same meaning in American English. However, in addition to "popping" Matthew on the bed, Woodward also told the police that she had dropped him on the floor at one point, and that she had been "a little rough" with him. The police officer who interviewed her immediately after the incident adamantly insists that she never used the word "popped", but in fact said that she "dropped" the baby on the bed.When she more than likely threw him on. British English (BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere in the Anglophone world. ...
For other uses, see American English (disambiguation). ...
Media coverage of the case was intense. Prior to trial, the defense attempted to move the trial to another city, arguing that a local jury would be too biased to render a fair verdict. The judge disagreed and denied the defense motion.
Polygraph testing Before the trial on May 7, 1997, Woodward decided to undergo a polygraph examination conducted by Dr. David C. Raskin, a polygraph examiner hired by her own lawyers. During the course of this examination Woodward was asked relevant questions about whether she caused injury to Matthew Eappen while he was in her care on February 4, 1997. Woodward denied having caused any injuries to Matthew Eappen, and Dr. Raskin concluded that her answers to these questions were truthful to a confidence level of 95 percent. Dr. Raskin's results were evaluated by Dr. Charles Honts, another polygrapher hired by Woodward's defense lawyers, who also claimed that Woodward had answered truthfully when responding to relevant questions about whether she had injured Matthew. None of the results of these examinations by Woodward's experts was admissible in court. is the 127th day of the year (128th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
For the band, see 1997 (band). ...
Polygraph results are sometimes recorded on a chart recorder A polygraph (commonly yet incorrectly referred to as a lie detector) is a device that measures and records several physiological variables such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions. ...
is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
For the band, see 1997 (band). ...
The trial The evidence presented in the televised trial was as follows. The presiding judge was Hiller B. Zobel. The prosecution, led by Martha Coakley, presented eight physicians involved in Matthew Eappen's care, including a neurosurgeon, an ophthalmologist, a radiologist, two pathologists and an expert in child abuse, who testified to their belief that his injuries had occurred as a result of violent shaking and from his head impacting with a hard surface. The defense challenged this, among other things, on the grounds that there were no neck injuries to Matthew Eappen - injuries that would have been expected had he been violently shaken. The prosecution had also claimed initially that Matthew Eappen's impact injuries were the equivalent of having been thrown from a two story building. But they equivocated over this claim as the trial progressed. The defense presented expert medical testimony that the infant's injury may have occurred three weeks before the date of death, implying that the parents, Sunil Eappen and Deborah Eappen, were as fully implicated by circumstances as Ms. Woodward. There were old wrist injuries to the infant that may have been incurred before Woodward even arrived at the house. Woodward, however, admitted under cross-examination on the stand that she never noticed any slight bumps, marks or any unusual behaviour by the baby at any time prior to the night he was taken to hospital. Hiller B. Zobel (born 1932) is an Associate Justice (retired) of the Superior Court of Massachusetts and author or coauthor of several books on various legal topics including the Boston Massacre and John Adams. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Neurosurgery is the surgical discipline focused on treating the central and peripheral nervous system. ...
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine which deals with the diseases of the eye and their treatment. ...
Radiology is the branch of medical science dealing with the medical use of x-ray machines or other such radiation devices. ...
Max Bielschowsky Paul Ehrlich - (1854 - 1915) Gustav Giemsa - (1867 - 1948) (see Giemsa stain) Ludwig Grünwald William Boog Leishman - (1865 - 1926) (see leishmaniasis) Richard May Frank Burr Mallory (1862 - 1941) (see Mallory bodies) George Nicolas Papanicolaou (1883 - 1962) (see Pap smear) Artur Pappenheim Carl von Rokitansky Dmitri Leonidovich Romanowsky - (1861...
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, or emotional maltreatment or neglect of children by parents, guardians, or others. ...
Woodward had used a fake ID to visit a nightclub because she was under 21. This was used as evidence in court against her character, implying that she was not somebody to be trusted, though in the United Kingdom the legal age to purchase alcohol (or visit nightclubs) is 18 years of age. Identity document forgery is the process by which identity documents issued by governing bodies are copied and/or modified by persons not authorized to create such documents or engage in such modifications, for the purpose of deceiving those who would view the documents about the identity or status of the...
Laser lights illuminate the dance floor at a Gatecrasher dance music event in Sheffield, England A nightclub (or night club or club) is a drinking, dancing, and entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. ...
The legal drinking age is a limit assigned by governments to restrict the access of children and youth to alcoholic beverages. ...
In addition, the prosecution presented evidence that Woodward had been an irresponsible nanny to the Eappens' children. She sometimes stayed up late to attend parties with friends, so that she had trouble getting up the next morning to get the children ready for breakfast and school. Only days before the baby was admitted to hospital, the baby's parents told Woodward that she was on the verge of being fired if she did not correct her behaviour. Despite this, Woodward claimed to the jury that she was not upset at the parents around the time the alleged injury occurred.
The prosecution also presented evidence of a witness, Kathleen Sorabella, who testified that she was once standing next to Woodward waiting in line to see the musical Rent. Woodward allegedly told Sorabella that she disliked her job as a nanny, that the baby's parents controlled what time she came home at night, and that their children were spoiled. Woodward's own best friend in Boston and a fellow English au pair, Ruhana Augustin, also testified on behalf of the prosecution, telling the jury that Woodward had complained to her about the Eappens' curfew and that she was annoyed by how much the baby cried. On the day of the alleged shaking, Augustin said that Woodward had admitted to "gently shaking" the baby. One of the "character" witnesses against Louise Woodward was shown on cross-examination to have been a welfare fraudster. Rent is a rock musical, with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson[1] based on Giacomo Puccinis opera La bohème. ...
“Boston†redirects here. ...
The architect of Louise Woodward's medical and forensic defense was attorney Elaine Whitfield Sharp of Marblehead, Massachusetts. Barry Scheck was also on the defense team. Some believe [attribution needed] that Scheck's involvement may have biased the jury against her because he had previously defended O.J. Simpson. Woodward was also defended by local counsel, Harvey Silverglate and Andrew Good of the Boston law firm of Silverglate & Good. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Barry Scheck (b. ...
Orenthal James Simpson (born July 9, 1947), commonly known as O. J. Simpson and also just by his initials O.J. and his nickname The Juice, is a retired American football player who achieved stardom at the collegiate and professional levels. ...
As part of her defense strategy, Woodward's attorneys requested that the jury not be given the option of convicting her of manslaughter, and instead either convict her of murder or find her not guilty.
On October 30, 1997, after 26 hours of deliberations, the jury returned a verdict of murder in the second degree, which carries a mandatory life sentence under Massachusetts law, of which a minimum of 15 years have to be served. A mandatory sentence is a court decision setting where judicial discretion is limited by law. ...
The appeal Woodward's legal team filed post-conviction pleadings to the trial court, and the hearing opened on November 4. In the days following the verdict it emerged that the jury had been split about the murder charge, but those who had favoured an acquittal were persuaded to accept a conviction. This fact was of no legal consequence, however. None of the jury "thought she tried to murder him," one member said.
On November 10, at a post-conviction relief hearing, Judge Hiller B. Zobel reduced the conviction to involuntary manslaughter, stating that "the circumstances in which the defendant acted were characterised by confusion, inexperience, frustration, immaturity and some anger, but not malice in the legal sense supporting a conviction for second-degree murder", and adding: "I am morally certain that allowing this defendant on this evidence to remain convicted of second-degree murder would be a miscarriage of justice".[1][2] is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Hiller B. Zobel (born 1932) is an Associate Justice (retired) of the Superior Court of Massachusetts and author or coauthor of several books on various legal topics including the Boston Massacre and John Adams. ...
Murder is both a legal and a moral term, that are not always coincident. ...
The judge made the historic decision to post his judgement first on the Internet; however, this decision made history for the wrong reasons after a technical problem failed to deliver his judgement over the web before he had given it in person at the courthouse.
Judge Zobel reduced Woodward's sentence to time served (279 days) and she was freed. Assistant District Attorney Gerald Leone then appealed the judge's decision to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Woodward's lawyers also asked the Court to throw out her manslaughter conviction. The Court affirmed the guilty verdict and the reduction in conviction to involuntary manslaughter by a 7-0 vote. In a close, 4-3 split decision the Court rejected the prosecution's appeal against the reduction of the conviction to involuntary manslaughter, and the sentence June 16, 1998. Woodward then returned to Great Britain. In criminal law, time served describes a sentence where the defendant is released immediately after the guilty verdict, with the time spent in remand awaiting trial effectively being the length of the sentence. ...
A district attorney is, in some U.S. jurisdictions, the title of the local public official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminals. ...
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the United States commonwealth of Massachusetts. ...
is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...
Events after the end of criminal proceedings On returning home Woodward gave a press conference. It was broadcast live in Britain and in Boston. She said that she would be giving an interview to the BBC for no money and wanted to return to her life. The interview was conducted by Martin Bashir in a special edition of the flagship BBC show, Panorama. She maintained her innocence in the interview. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...
Martin Bashir interviewing Michael Jackson Martin Bashir (born January 19, 1963 ) , in London) is a British journalist of Pakistani descent. ...
Panorama is a long-running current affairs documentary series on BBC television, launched on 11 November 1953 and focusing on investigative journalism. ...
Meanwhile in America, the parents of the late Matthew Eappen filed a civil lawsuit to prevent Woodward from earning any profits from selling her story. Woodward was unable to defend the lawsuit as her legal costs were no longer covered by the nanny agency.
In 1998, the British newspaper the Daily Mail admitted that it had paid Woodward's parents an unspecified sum of money for an exclusive interview with them. The Boston Herald reported that amount to be £40,000. The Daily Mail is a British newspaper and the oldest tabloid, first published in 1896. ...
The Boston Herald is a tabloid newspaper (not to be confused with tabloid press periodicals), the smaller of the two big dailies in Boston, Massachusetts, with a daily circulation of 230,543 in September 2005. ...
Louise Woodward attended London South Bank University, where she received a law degree, class 2:2, in July 2002. In 2004 she began a training contract (the two-year training at an accredited firm that aspiring solicitors must serve) with the law firm Ainley North Halliwell, in Oldham, Lancashire. However, she dropped out of her training contract the following year in order to pursue a career as a ballroom and latin dance teacher with her boyfriend, Richard Colley.[3] London South Bank University is one of the oldest universities in central London with over 23,000 students and 1,700 staff based in the London Borough of Southwark. ...
Also see: 2002 (number). ...
Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
For the larger local government district, see Metropolitan Borough of Oldham. ...
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ...
In 2007, Dr Patrick Barnes, the prosecution's star medical witness, reversed his opinion. He concluded that death could have been caused by an old injury, as argued by the defense. In a scientific paper he states: "The science we have today could, in fact, have exonerated Louise. There is certainly, in retrospect, reasonable doubt." [4] Dr. Barnes' new opinion, however, is not shared by a majority of his medical colleagues, including some of the country's leading medical authorities on shaken baby syndrome. One such expert, Dr. Robert Reece of Tufts University, is a pediatrician and one of the nation’s most respected authorities on shaken baby syndrome. In a 2007 interview with The Boston Globe he stated, “The information that was presented at trial on the prosecution side was correct”. This opinion is shared by the vast majority of doctors who study shaken baby syndrome. [5] Moreover, none of the prosecution's other medical experts have changed their opinions. Tufts University is a private research university in Medford/Somerville, Massachusetts, suburbs of Boston. ...
The Boston Globe (and Boston Sunday Globe) is the most widely circulated daily newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts and New England. ...
External sources - ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/louise_woodward_case/29250.stm
- ^ http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19971111/ai_n14135606
- ^ Oldham Advertiser, 30 March 2005
- ^ http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/nanny.shtml
- ^ The Boston Globe on Dr. Barnes' new opinion
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