Woman gets 34 years for letting her sons starve to death
SEATTLE -- A woman who prosecutors say let her two sons starve to death while she drank herself into a stupor in their Kent apartment was sentenced Friday to 34 years in prison, more than twice the standard sentencing range.
Marie Genevieve Robinson was passed out drunk, lying in bed with the covers over her head, when police entered her apartment on Nov. 14, 2004, prosecutors said.
Her two youngest sons, 16-month-old Justice and 7-week-old Raiden, were found dead. Her other son, 2-year-old Phoenix, survived by foraging in the kitchen helped police get the door open.
In court on Friday, Robinson shook steadily throughout the hearing and said she was sorry and remorseful for the pain she'd caused.
"I have shattered the lives of those I loved and hold most dear, and I will forever condemn myself to that," she said. "My children were a blessing beyond measure."
The deaths were discovered after Christopher Bone, Robinson's boyfriend and the boys' father, was released from the Kitsap County Jail in Port Orchard, where he had been held for missing court dates.
When he knocked on the door of the Kent apartment and got no response, he called police, telling them he had been trying to contact Robinson by telephone for 10 days.
Inside the apartment, police said they found hundreds of empty beer cans lined up on the dresser, and the floor was covered with dirty clothing, garbage and empty beer cans.
Robinson's case has been in and out of court since her arrest. In January a judge dismissed the original charges against the 36-year-old woman after she was found mentally incompetent and unable to stand trial, and in March a judge ordered another mental health evaluation.
Court documents said Robinson apparently believed her sons aren't really dead but were kidnapped by a secret police agency. Her attorney said that Robinson didn't really understand the charges against her.
Robinson was referred for civil commitment at Western State Hospital where doctors said her condition was not serious enough to keep her there or have her civilly committed.
When that decision was made in early May, prosecutors re-filed murder charges against her, and a subsequent mental evaluation found her competent to stand trial. She pleaded guilty last month to two counts of first-degree manslaughter and one count of reckless endangerment.
The boys' uncle, Ed Dwyer, said he was disappointed that Robinson was allowed to plead only to manslaughter, and urged the court to impose the maximum allowable penalty.
"In the eyes of my family and myself, she is in no sense of the word, a mother," he said while standing before the courtroom on Friday. "In my heart of hearts, I believe she deserves the death penalty."
"A mother is supposed to be the one person in the world that is charged with the ultimate and most sacred job in the world. To love, nurture and protect her children, no matter what."
Before sentencing Robinson to prison, King County Superior Court Judge Michael C. Hayden told her he wanted her to understand that she would be spending most if not all of the rest of her life in prison.
"There's no sentence that I can impose that will do anything to repair what's happened," he said.
Choking back tears, the boys' grandmother told the court she hoped that Robinson would never be allowed to endanger anyone again.
"This tragedy has caused so much sorrow and grief in this family," said Sherril Bone. "I have seen her violent and manipulative ways and I know that she is still a danger to society."
Robinson is never allowed to have contact with her surviving son, Phoenix, who now lives out of state with a relative.
"He's in preschool, I believe and is doing karate and soccer and just doing everything a normal five year old is doing," Dwyer said.
An independent investigation into the deaths found state child protection workers ignored or mishandled complaints about Robinson.
Protection workers investigated only two of six complaints they received about Robinson in the two years before the boys' deaths, and the ombudsman's report said they failed to investigate those complaints thoroughly enough.
As a result of the Robinson case review, the state Department of Social and Health Services made several changes, including:
- An additional checklist (Reunification Assessment) is required by workers before they can return children home. It captures "looking forward" risks and impacts on the family if a child is returned home.
- Workers are now required to complete a Transition and Safety Plan for the child that involves their parent.
- Chemical dependency counselors are now out-stationed in most offices statewide. They assist Child Protective Services workers in making referrals for assessment, treatment, and case management.
- Substance abuse training for social workers now includes a piece on binge drinking.
- Workers are required to make monthly visits once a child is returned home (not to exceed 40 days between visits).
- Neglect legislation (Justice and Raiden Act) passed in 2005 session, with implementation date of 1-1-07. RCW 26.44.020 definition broadened to give substance abuse "great weight" as a contributing factor when considering whether clear and present danger to children exists.
- The department implemented a tool to screen parents/caretakers for substance abuse and/or mental health issues.
- A workload study of case-carrying social workers has been completed and is due to be released this month.
- The Robinson case review has been incorporated into "Lessons Learned" training which is provided to staff several times a year across the state.
Marie Genevieve Robinson was passed out drunk, lying in bed with the covers over her head, when police entered her apartment on Nov. 14, 2004, prosecutors said.
Her two youngest sons, 16-month-old Justice and 7-week-old Raiden, were found dead. Her other son, 2-year-old Phoenix, survived by foraging in the kitchen helped police get the door open.
In court on Friday, Robinson shook steadily throughout the hearing and said she was sorry and remorseful for the pain she'd caused.
"I have shattered the lives of those I loved and hold most dear, and I will forever condemn myself to that," she said. "My children were a blessing beyond measure."
The deaths were discovered after Christopher Bone, Robinson's boyfriend and the boys' father, was released from the Kitsap County Jail in Port Orchard, where he had been held for missing court dates.
When he knocked on the door of the Kent apartment and got no response, he called police, telling them he had been trying to contact Robinson by telephone for 10 days.
Inside the apartment, police said they found hundreds of empty beer cans lined up on the dresser, and the floor was covered with dirty clothing, garbage and empty beer cans.
Robinson's case has been in and out of court since her arrest. In January a judge dismissed the original charges against the 36-year-old woman after she was found mentally incompetent and unable to stand trial, and in March a judge ordered another mental health evaluation.
Court documents said Robinson apparently believed her sons aren't really dead but were kidnapped by a secret police agency. Her attorney said that Robinson didn't really understand the charges against her.
Robinson was referred for civil commitment at Western State Hospital where doctors said her condition was not serious enough to keep her there or have her civilly committed.
When that decision was made in early May, prosecutors re-filed murder charges against her, and a subsequent mental evaluation found her competent to stand trial. She pleaded guilty last month to two counts of first-degree manslaughter and one count of reckless endangerment.
The boys' uncle, Ed Dwyer, said he was disappointed that Robinson was allowed to plead only to manslaughter, and urged the court to impose the maximum allowable penalty.
"In the eyes of my family and myself, she is in no sense of the word, a mother," he said while standing before the courtroom on Friday. "In my heart of hearts, I believe she deserves the death penalty."
"A mother is supposed to be the one person in the world that is charged with the ultimate and most sacred job in the world. To love, nurture and protect her children, no matter what."
Before sentencing Robinson to prison, King County Superior Court Judge Michael C. Hayden told her he wanted her to understand that she would be spending most if not all of the rest of her life in prison.
"There's no sentence that I can impose that will do anything to repair what's happened," he said.
Choking back tears, the boys' grandmother told the court she hoped that Robinson would never be allowed to endanger anyone again.
"This tragedy has caused so much sorrow and grief in this family," said Sherril Bone. "I have seen her violent and manipulative ways and I know that she is still a danger to society."
Robinson is never allowed to have contact with her surviving son, Phoenix, who now lives out of state with a relative.
"He's in preschool, I believe and is doing karate and soccer and just doing everything a normal five year old is doing," Dwyer said.
An independent investigation into the deaths found state child protection workers ignored or mishandled complaints about Robinson.
Protection workers investigated only two of six complaints they received about Robinson in the two years before the boys' deaths, and the ombudsman's report said they failed to investigate those complaints thoroughly enough.
As a result of the Robinson case review, the state Department of Social and Health Services made several changes, including:
- An additional checklist (Reunification Assessment) is required by workers before they can return children home. It captures "looking forward" risks and impacts on the family if a child is returned home.
- Workers are now required to complete a Transition and Safety Plan for the child that involves their parent.
- Chemical dependency counselors are now out-stationed in most offices statewide. They assist Child Protective Services workers in making referrals for assessment, treatment, and case management.
- Substance abuse training for social workers now includes a piece on binge drinking.
- Workers are required to make monthly visits once a child is returned home (not to exceed 40 days between visits).
- Neglect legislation (Justice and Raiden Act) passed in 2005 session, with implementation date of 1-1-07. RCW 26.44.020 definition broadened to give substance abuse "great weight" as a contributing factor when considering whether clear and present danger to children exists.
- The department implemented a tool to screen parents/caretakers for substance abuse and/or mental health issues.
- A workload study of case-carrying social workers has been completed and is due to be released this month.
- The Robinson case review has been incorporated into "Lessons Learned" training which is provided to staff several times a year across the state.