Elizabeth Whittle Nearly Shook Her Quads To Death In 1999 Released From Prison On Saturday

[cubby]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...y-to-death-and-she-s-already-out-of-jail.html

An Arizona woman who abused her quadruplets to within an inch of death in a much-covered case was released from prison Saturday. Elizabeth Shannon Whittle was 23 years old when she was accused of shaking the so-called Avondale Quads so badly she caused retinal bleeding, brain hemorrhages, and skull fractures, leaving one of the kids blind and deaf for life.

The quads weighed only about three pounds each when they were born in December of 1998. They were an object of local fascination before their birth because they had been conceived without fertility drugs, but onlookers blasted the parents for choosing to have more children when they could barely support the one they already had, the Phoenix New Times wrote that September. While people donated to help the kids out, their father, Anthony Perez, lost his $200-a-week job soon after they were born. Yet there was no indication that anything in the children’s lives had gone horribly awry until a good samaritan tipped off a nurse at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital that April.

The woman overheard Whittle tell a man, “I think I shook him too hard this time. I may have broken his back.”

Whittle and Perez were at the hospital after bringing one of their three-month-old infants in the night before. His head was badly swollen, the New Timesreported, and doctors found a fractured skull, broken ribs, and other injuries, including retinal hemorrhage and a bleeding brain. They were consistent with Shaken Baby Syndrome.

His three other siblings were found to have rib fractures, broken limbs, and permanent brain damage. At least one broken bone had been missed by doctors during an earlier visit, according to the paper.

The children “were the victims of severe physical abuse resulting in life-threatening injuries which most likely will result in multiple, lifelong disabilities,” a case worker wrote in her report.

Perez was found guilty of failing to get the infants medical care. He was released from prison in 2004. The Daily Beast’s attempts to locate him were unsuccessful.

Whittle was found guilty of 13 counts of child abuse in 1999. She was sentenced to 172 years in prison.

“They convicted me on lies,” she shouted in the courtroom, according to The Daily Record.


But a potential conflict of interest involving her law firm—one that could’ve seen her sentence overturned on appeal—resulted in a plea deal to just one count of child abuse in 2005. She was sentenced to 17 years, with credit for time served, the AP reported.

Paul McMarnie, the original prosecutor, did not return a request for comment.

Families who adopted the three boys were in favor of the plea because it spared the children a new trial, along with the difficulties of added publicity.

“The county attorney really had his hands tied,” Becky Rowin, who with her husband adopted the quadruplet with the most serious injuries, told The Arizona Republic at the time. “In this case, we had to think about what’s best for the children.”

All of the siblings, now 18 years old, were renamed by their adoptive families and still keep in close contact. Michael and Matthew went home with the Reed family, while Hannah was adopted by the Nelsons.

Brandon, adopted by the Rowins, suffered the most serious injuries of the quadruplets. He remains in a wheelchair and cannot speak. Becky Rowin passed away four years ago, but her husband Kenneth told The Republic that their son still needs full time care.

Sandy Reed, who adopted Michael and Matthew, told The Republic that she didn’t know Whittle’s release date, though she saw it was coming up on the prison’s website. Her sons are “doing good,” she said, though they “have some struggles.”

 

[LissaLou]

The woman overheard Whittle tell a man, “I think I shook him too hard this time. I may have broken his back.”

Just wow. And she's out. I don't get how a conflict of interest in her lawyers' office could have changed her sentencing. Anyone know?

 

[sarahdownunder]

Hold the fort. So she got a mega sentence for a tonne of child abuse charges, that got pled down drastically - because of a red tape problem?

What about the fact that she's guilty as sin of doing horrific things to her babies? I guess that means jack shit, huh.

I feel bad for Mr Rowin. He and his wife took on a child with some pretty extreme special needs - their son needs lifelong full time care and his wife passed. This is one of the reasons why I don't like the idea of karma. It doesn't apply in this situation.

Sure, kick the Rowin family in the balls, kick that poor little innocent baby in the balls - and give him a life sentence from his injuries. But the freak who birthed them gets to sail free and clear. How's all that for karma?

I hope someone recognizes her on the street and mows her down. I'd cook them a fucking sheet cake to say thanks for their public service.

 

[amac]

It made me cringe to read, "I think I shook him too hard this time." I wonder what underlying/healed injuries they had all sustained before she was caught.

It's especially sad to know that one was left blind and deaf. I don't know if there is any possible way to communicate with someone who lost their senses at such a young age, before language set in. Not to mention that sign language would also be out of the question. 18 years old and he has never uttered a word... I wonder what his life would have been like had this woman not treated them like her own pint sized punching bags.

I also can't help but wonder if he has any clue his own mother did that to him.

 

[Abroad]

This is one of the reasons why I don't like the idea of karma. It doesn't apply in this situation.

Sure, kick the Rowin family in the balls, kick that poor little innocent baby in the balls - and give him a life sentence from his injuries. But the freak who birthed them gets to sail free and clear. How's all that for karma?

We in the West have a slightly skewed idea of what karma is. We like to think of it as divine retribution and want to see it following transgression swiftly, when in fact karma is something long-term that often only takes effect in the next reincarnation.

 

[Victoria]

Helen Keller's story is an amazing one as is her family history. She was however a year and half when she developed an illness, often suggested to have been scarlet fever or meningitis, that left her blind and deaf. A bright child who reportedly walked by the age of one as well as having a developing vocabulary before her illness struck. Unfortunately the young man most impacted by the monster responsible for leaving him so damaged at three months denied him of developing even these fundamental skills for his brain to reference.

Helen's father was a confederate Captain in the civil war, the Captains mother being a second cousin of Robert E. Lee. Her mothers father was a Brigadier General for the confederacy.
Helen's younger sister and brother with their nurse. Helen at a young age was sent north to school and was so repulsed by her families stance on slavery that she proclaimed herself to be a citizen of the world rather than identify as a daughter of the south. Remarkably, it was the daughter of the Keller's cook that Helen developed approximately 60 hand signs to indicate her wants and needs prior to her teacher, Ann Sullivan's arrival.

Helen and baby sister, Mildred.

What an extraordinary journey her life was that so touched a nation to awareness of disabilities.

 

[JackBurton]

Damn, the worse thing i ever did to my quads was not stretching/warming up properly before a workout and pulling a muscle.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

The mother convicted of abusing her quadruplets in 1999 was released from prison Thursday after serving 17 years, and two of her sons are reacting to the news.
Two of her biological kids, who are now 18, said even though they have no relationship with her, her release has brought up a lot of emotions that they are still sorting through.

"Confused, a little worried," Matthew Reed said when asked how he felt about her release.

Matthew and his brother Michael and their other brother and sister were removed from Whittle's custody in the late 90s when they were just babies.

Whittle was accused of shaking them so violently it caused broken bones and skull fractures.

Matthew and Michael were adopted by a family in Queen Creek when they were toddlers.

They said they grew up loved, happy and were exactly where God meant for them to be. They regularly keep in touch with their other two siblings who were adopted by two other families.

When it comes to Whittle, they said she is nothing to them and neither have any plans to talk to her anytime soon.

As for this next chapter of her life, they had some advice for other people.

"Don’t be angry at her, she served her time, that’s up to God," Matthew said. "That was the past. Yes, it sucks what happened to us, but it's up to God on what she does with her life, nothing to do with us anymore."

"We’re not angry. We gave it up to God," Michael added.

https://www.azfamily.com/avondale-q...cle_5359039b-6299-59ce-a7af-604f5dcc07f7.html

Hannah was adopted by one family; brothers Michael and Matthew were adopted by another; and brother Brandon was adopted by a third. The siblings kept in touch throughout their childhoods, always gathering to celebrate their birthday together, and the realization of the full tragedy of their early days dawned on them slowly, at different times.

All four have defied the odds—even the most severely injured, Brandon, is a "miracle," says his dad, considering doctors didn't think he'd live past 10 years old. He can't talk or walk and will always need full-time care. His three siblings also had to overcome their fair share of difficulties related to their past abuse, both physical and emotional. Today, Hannah is a freshman at Grand Canyon University aiming to be a nurse in a neonatal intensive-care unit;

Matthew is at a yearlong Christian discipleship program in California aiming to become a pastor; and Michael is living in an apartment in Mesa, Arizona.

http://www.newser.com/story/235234/...ow-the-avondale-quads-are-18-years-later.html

 

[Fellofftheporch]

Michael is living in an apartment in Mesa, Arizona.

Well, at least he has an apartment... considering the others and all.

 

[araisner]

More photos here: https://www.azcentral.com/story/new...eth-shannon-whittle-released-prison/90375542/

 

[Sugar Cookie]

The real parents of these children (the ones chosen) have done an amazing job raising them and ensuring that they have a bond with one another.

The brothers are a true testament to forgiveness and not letting hate eat away at you.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Elizabeth Shannon Whittle -Sept. 15, 2016

She should have done every minute of the sentence she was given.