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U.S. NEWSThursday 20 August 2015
Prosecutor: Mom, not legal system, to blame in sons’ deaths
ANDREW HUGGINS
Associated Press
BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio (AP)
— A mother accused of
killing her three sons was
dominated and isolated
by her husband, a man
nearly twice her age who
had been her own moth-
er’s live-in boyfriend before
they married, authorities
said Wednesday.
Investigators believe Brit-
tany Pilkington used each
boy’s comfort blanket to
suffocate them in their
crib or bed over the last
13 months, because she
wanted her husband to
pay more attention to her-
self and their 3-year-old
daughter, Prosecutor Wil-
liam Goslee said.
Pilkington, 23, is jailed
on murder charges in all
three deaths, including
her 3-month-old son Noah,
who died Tuesday, less
than a week after he was
returned from protective
custody on a judge’s or-
der.
Goslee said he won’t likely
seek the death penalty be-
cause of the background
of Brittany Pilkington, in-
cluding the fact she had
been dominated by her
husband Joseph Pilking-
ton, 43, who had been her
“semi-stepfather” at one
point. Goslee said she ap-
US: Man arrested for hoax bomb threat at Statue of Liberty
JAKE PEARSON
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A man
who used the name of a
1993 World Trade Center
bombing conspirator and
threatened to “blow up”
the Statue of Liberty in April, tified himself as the only
forcing the evacuation of
Liberty Island, has been ar-
rested, federal authorities
announced Wednesday.
Jason Paul Smith, who said
in an emergency call he
was Abdul Yasin, was ar-

This photo provided by the Logan County Jail shows Brittany But Goslee said Wednes- newborn boy, Noah, were
day they didn’t have any taken into custody with
Pilkington, who calmly called 911 to report her baby son wasn’t evidence of a crime in Logan County Children’s
the earlier deaths, and no Services pending an inves-
breathing on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, and then hours later one could have predicted tigation.
Pilkington would kill her re- Then on Tuesday, Noah
confessed to killing him and her two other young sons over the maining son. was dead as well.
“Everybody that is involved Joseph Pilkington, now 43,
past several months, police said. Pilkington was charged with in this is truly emotionally is not a suspect in the mur-
distraught — including my- ders, Police Chief Brandon
three counts of murder and was jailed Tuesday, said police in self, quite honestly — and Standley said.
it isn’t because the system He came home from his
Bellefontaine, Ohio. (Logan County Jail via AP) failed,” Goslee said. “It’s job on a night shift Tuesday
because this child is dead. and tried in vain to revive
parently feared how the was furious that a judge This was not a foreseeable Noah as Brittany Pilkington
boys would grow up, and ordered the surviving chil- event.” called emergency services
described her daughter dren returned to the cou- The Associated Press left yet again from their home
Hailey as her only friend. ple last week. messages seeking com- in Bellefontaine.
“It was her plan to elimi- “Why would you give them ment from the attorneys “He’s not breathing,” Brit-
nate male children in order back after a little boy just who represented the Pilk- tany Pilkington was record-
that this father would have died and when you’re in ingtons in the protective ed saying each time in a
more attention available the middle of an investiga- custody case as well as Lo- childlike voice.
for her and for Hailey the tion?” Skaggs, standing in gan County Family Court “Gavin, wake up!” her
daughter,” Goslee said. front of his niece’s apart- Judge Dan Bratka, whose husband shouted in April.
“That’s a fact.” ment, told The Columbus ruling sent Noah and Hai- Their daughter could be
Her uncle, Joe Skaggs, Dispatch on Tuesday. ley home. heard, too, repeating that
The Pilkingtons were mar- her brother had become
ried in March 2010, when “white.”
she was 18 and he was 38, On Tuesday, a sleep ap-
and Gavin was born that nea monitor pinged re-
June. Their other three chil- peatedly as Joseph Pilking-
dren were born in quick ton shouted “Noah, what’s
succession. going on?” and Brittany
Authorities had not been quietly responded to the
sure what caused the dispatcher’s questions. “I
death of 3-month-old Niall imagine he’s probably blu-
Pilkington in July 2014, ish right now,” she said.
which was attributed to The prosecutor said in-
Sudden Infant Death Syn- vestigators obtained her
drome. After 4-year-old confession after noticing
Gavin died in April, their her “flat” reaction to the
daughter Hailey and the deaths.q

rested in Texas, where he’s Liberty,” FBI special agent sweep of the island before Hirst said.
charged with conveying Alexander Hirst wrote in a officials determined there On May 18, two other
false and misleading infor- complaint filed in federal were no explosives. The emergency calls made via
mation and hoaxes, au- court in New York. statue, one of the nation’s the calling service for the
thorities said. Smith, 42, could face up to most visited landmarks, re- hearing impaired — one
Smith, of West Virginia, who five years in prison if con- opened the next day. threatening to “blow up
is not actually Yasin, iden- victed. A federal public Smith, who attended a a bridge at Times Square”
defender hasn’t returned school for the deaf and and another threatening
conspirator not to be cap- a message seeking com- the blind, used a service to kill officers at the Brook-
tured in the 1993 bombing, ment on the case. for the hearing impaired lyn Bridge — were made
and said he was an “ISI More than 3,200 people to place the emergency from an iPad at Smith’s
terrorist” when he called were removed by boats call, Hirst wrote. Another West Virginia address by a
police from his iPad to say following the April 24 call, 18 emergency calls were user who identified himself
“that ‘we’ were preparing and bomb-sniffing dogs made Jan. 29-31 from an as an “Isis allah Bomb mak-
to ‘blow up’ the Statue of were brought in to make a email address on his iPad, er,” Hirst wrote.q