Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 24 augusT 2017
California: Texas couple to

Father gets 25 to life in son’s smothering death get $3M on false
claims of abuse

that could result in the AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas
death penalty, his attorney will pay $3.4 million to a
has said. couple who were wrong-
Authorities have said An- fully imprisoned for more
dressian killed his son in a than two decades on pros-
plot to get back at his wife. ecutors’ claims that they
Sheriff’s investigators be- sexually abused children
lieve the boy was killed as part of satanic rituals at
on April 21. His father was a day care they operated.
found passed out in a park Dan and Fran Keller
the next morning, sparking learned Tuesday that
an intensive search for the they’ll receive the pay-
boy. Andressian had taken ment from a state fund for
prescription pills and was the wrongly convicted, the
found in a car doused in Austin American-States-
gasoline in an apparent man reported .
suicide attempt, sheriff’s A judge in June approved
officials have said. a request from Travis Coun-
Investigators searched for ty District Attorney Marga-
more than two months be- ret Moore for a declara-
fore they found the boy’s tion of innocence for the
body on June 30 near Lake Kellers.
Cachuma outside Santa The couple was convicted
In this Aug. 1, 2017 photo, Aramazd Andressian Sr., appears in Los Angeles County Superior Court Barbara — about 145 miles in 1992 of sexually assault-
in Alhambra, Calif. Andressian, who admitted killing his 5-year-old son amid a bitter custody bat- (233 kilometers) away from ing a 3-year-old after chil-
tle was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years to life in prison during a hearing where his estranged
wife wished him an eternity in hell. Anaheim, where Disney- dren at the day care the
(Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool) land is located. Kellers operated out of their
Andressian’s attorney, Am- Austin home told investi-
By MICHAEL BALSAMO a family trip to Disneyland. cant life,” the boy’s moth- brosio Rodriguez, has re- gators of dismembered
Associated Press Andressian smothered his er, Ana Estevez, told An- peatedly declined to com- babies, tortured pets and
ALHAMBRA, Calif. (AP) — son, Aramazd Andressian dressian just before he was ment when asked why An- other fantastic tales. They
A California father who Jr., with a child’s jacket in sentenced. dressian killed his son but were each sentenced to
admitted killing his 5-year- his car, sheriff’s Detective “May your dark soul burn in has said the killing was “not 48 years in prison.
old son amid a bitter cus- Louie Aguilera said after eternal hell,” she said. planned.” Rodriguez has The Kellers were freed in
tody battle was sentenced the hearing Wednesday, Estevez also called her hus- said his client told inves- 2013 after the Texas Court
Wednesday to 25 years to the first time investigators band a failure as a father, tigators where to find his of Criminal Appeals found
life in prison during a hear- divulged how the boy died. a man and a human being. son’s remains and regrets a doctor was mistaken
ing where his estranged Aguilera said the boy was “There is no real pain, killing the boy. in determining there was
wife wished him an eternity killed about an hour after just an incomprehensible A report by the county physical evidence of as-
in hell. he and his father arrived deadness. Like my son, I, Department of Children sault. The appeals court
Aramazd Andressian Sr., in Santa Barbara, and his too, have died,” she said. and Family Services ob- ruled deemed the doctor’s
35, pleaded guilty earlier body was left in a wooded Andressian did not speak tained by The Associated testimony to be false, and
this month in Los Angeles area near Vista Point. during the hearing. He Press said the boy’s skel- the doctor himself also re-
County Superior Court to “I hope you relive the im- pleaded guilty partly to etal remains were found canted it.
first-degree murder in the age of murdering my baby avoid the possibility of pros- in a wooded area in Santa Further bolstering the
April death of his son after every day of your insignifi- ecutors adding a charge Ynez.q Kellers’ case was an inter-
Cops: view the alleged victim
provided in 2013 in which
Boy suffocated by mattress on crib to stop escapes she acknowledged hav-
ing no memory of being
abused, Moore said in
By MARK SCOLFORO bags of ice melt in an effort family home in Myerstown, Stash and Dwyer had been June.
Associated Press to keep Eoin from getting summoned after Stash had placing a blue mattress The determination of out-
LEBANON, Pa. (AP) — A out of his crib, but neither found Eoin unresponsive over the top of the crib to right innocence made Dan
Pennsylvania couple was Dwyer nor Stash mentioned and not breathing in his keep Eoin from crawling Keller, 75, and Fran Keller,
jailed Wednesday on the ice melt or straps during crib, located in the master out, police said. The 8-year- 67, each eligible for $80,000
charges they strapped a initial interviews. bedroom. Myerstown is an old also said that more re- in compensation for every
mattress to the top of their It was a few days after agricultural area about 83 cently they had begun to year they were wrongfully
2-year-old son’s crib to Eoin’s death that Stash’s miles (133 kilometers) north- place what he called “ice imprisoned. They’ll also re-
prevent him from crawling 8-year-old son told detec- west of Philadelphia. bags” on top of that mat- ceive a matching annuity
out, causing his suffocation tives of the alleged prac- Stash told investigators she tress, along with a red cord that provides annual pay-
death four months ago. tice, police said. found her son that morn- with hooks on the ends. ments of 5 percent interest
Justin J. Dwyer, 29, and The couple’s lawyers did ing “standing/leaning and The 8-year-old said Eoin for as long as they’re alive,
Courtney Stash, 28, were not return messages seek- slumped over a top railing,” “was eventually able to according to the States-
arraigned on charges that ing comment. and took him to the living push the mattress with the man.
include involuntary man- A district judge in Leba- room where she performed ‘ice bags’ up, so they start- “This means we don’t have
slaughter and aggravat- non set bail Wednesday at CPR, according to the ar- ed using the rope/bungee to worry about pinching
ed assault for the April 25 $250,000 each. rest affidavit. cord to secure the mattress pennies on Social Security,
death of their son Eoin. Police said the Eoin was Three days later, Stash’s to the crib,” wrote Lebanon and late bills. It means we
Police allege the two used dead by the time emer- 8-year-old told a detective County Detective Todd will actually be free.q
bungee cords and heavy gency crews arrived at that for about three weeks Hirsch.q