The News Sun. To view our latest e-Edition click the image on the left. The Herald Republican. The Star. Online Poll. In recent years has Facebook had a positive or negative impact on our nation? You voted:. Very positive. Slightly positive. Slightly negative. Very negative. Special Sections. Readers Choice NS. Spring Home and Garden. Healthy Living Winter. Bridal Guide Spring Dekalb County Community Guide Noble County Community Guide Get The Job Winter Steuben County Community Guide LaGrange Community Guide She's baby Alissa's cousin and was caring for her when she died.
But Christy was never charged with killing baby Alissa. Instead, she was charged and pled guilty to a far lesser crime: neglect of a dependant. But his leniency was far from over. In a shocking twist, Judge Vanderbeck reduced Christy Shaffer's sentence from four years to a grand total of just 77 days!
So why on earth would the judge reduce her sentence from 10 years to just 77 days? And the judge admits knowing him well. While that might not seem like a big deal in a small town like this, some critics say that's a clear conflict of interest that could have made the judge more sympathetic to Christy. More from this section. Recommended for you. KPC News. Latest e-Edition. The News Sun. To view our latest e-Edition click the image on the left. The Herald Republican.
The Star. Online Poll. In recent years has Facebook had a positive or negative impact on our nation? You voted:. Very positive. Slightly positive. Slightly negative. Very negative. Special Sections. Readers Choice NS. Spring Home and Garden. Healthy Living Winter. Bridal Guide Spring Dekalb County Community Guide Noble County Community Guide Egli once again saw Alissa, whose left hand was now swollen, and she was still unable to use her left arm, which had been injured eight days before. When children become fully grown, the cartilage hardens into bone.
It is important to treat these types of fractures as soon as possible to avoid impeding normal bone growth. When he received the results of the MRI, Dr. Egli was informed that this type of injury is concerning for inflicted trauma, but he still did not report these findings to DCS.
Egli prescribed 20 mg of hydrocodone, more commonly known as Vicodin, which he said should last Alissa more than three days even if she was given the maximum dose every four hours. Funny, that, because on March 26, Christy called the doctor for more hydrocodone, saying they were nearly out already.
Egli prescribed more, although it is not documented how much he ordered. Alissa was strapped into her car seat behind Christy. Kelli later reported that Lilli was sitting next to Alissa when her fatal injuries were administered. According to Kelli, Christy, crying, stopped the car several times on the way back to Topeka to check on Alissa, which Christy had told investigators she had not done.
Christy later told investigators that near the end of the ride home, she heard Alissa making snoring or grunting noises from the back seat. The answer is… of course not! Nate, who lived close by, rushed to the Shaffer home and noted that Alissa, who was already cold to the touch, was unresponsive with no pulse.
Despite the heroic efforts of the hospital staff, Alissa was beyond help, and eventually, their life-saving efforts had to cease. Scott A. Alissa was missing patches of hair, which was determined to have been torn out rather than falling out on its own. The pathologist found Alissa had suffered bilateral subdural hematoma, which is blood collecting between the brain and the skull on both sides of her head.
Alissa had two gruesome lacerations inside her mouth in the areas where her gums met the inside of her lips, one fresh, one in the beginning stages of healing. She also had a broken left elbow and a growth plate displacement as well as internal injuries.
Where did the hydrocodone, which is an opiate, go? Chances are very good that Christy herself used it, although she later denied this. Lawyer: As you sit here today, can you explain to me how the child got all those bruises on its face? Coroner Bruce Coney brought in Dr. It is concerning for inflicted trauma. The cause of death was ruled to be blunt force trauma of the head, and the manner was determined to be homicide.
Rather than deciding himself if charges should be filed like most prosecutors would, LaGrange County Prosecutor Jeff Wible, for the first time in his ten years as a prosecutor, convened a grand jury in the case and let them come to a conclusion about whether or not to charge Christy Shaffer.
The grand jury indicted Christy on a charge of Neglect of a Dependent, a Class B felony neglect resulting in serious injury. No murder. No manslaughter. No abuse. Not even neglect resulting in death.
Grand juries, according to Professor Schumm, are not usually called in Indiana unless the case is politically sensitive, and not usually for cases in which the prosecutor is unsure of which charges to file. That includes what evidence was presented to — or withheld from — the grand jury, which is why it is impossible to determine why Christy was not indicted on murder or even manslaughter charges, let alone why she was indicted on the Neglect of a Dependent as a mere Class B felony, neglect resulting in serious injury, as opposed to Class A, which indicates neglect resulting in death.
Class A felonies in Indiana can incur a sentence of 20 to 50 years in prison, while Class B felonies can only bring a sentence of six years to 20 years. Well, in that case, Christy made out like a bandit.
Even though I am not personally responsible for nor did I participate in causing any injuries to Alissa Guernsey, I realize that I am legally responsible for providing timely medical treatment while she was in my care and custody.
Some of the same family and friends attended her sentencing hearing on May 25, , making tearful statements for Judge Vanderbeck to be lenient on her.
Only seven pages of letters pleading for justice were sent to the court from the other side of the family. I have little fondness for most defense attorneys, particularly the ones who opt to defend the obviously guilty, but my God, what a bottom-feeding POS this attorney must be to try to pin this on Kelli, who only agreed to place her kids with the Shaffers in the first place because she was trying to get her life together for her children.
Christy herself begged the judge for leniency, telling the judge the same old BS about unexplained bruising, clumsiness, blah, blah, blah. They are my whole world, and they need me as much as I need them. Then, Judge Vanderbeck proceeded to sentence Christy to ten years… with six years suspended.
Professor Schumm weighed in on this, too. Very rarely does a judge encourage a defense lawyer to file a motion and ask for a modification. Most defendants never get that. Well, Christy and her lawyer did return to court on August 11, , and guess what happened? I was against the modification. I did not think it was warranted. Her hair, it was ripped out of her head. That comes from killing a child. I love Christy, but what she did was wrong. The defendant in this case was never tried for murder, was basically given a slap on the wrist.
The links and the connections are there. He is now listed as a member of their Board of Directors. Kerry has long been a prominent business leader in the area. He denied any conflict of interest. Jeff Wible admitted knowing Kerry, as well, but he, too, denied there was any conflict of interest in the case.
What is your response? Kerry Sprunger was a regular member of the Foundation, donating undisclosed amounts of money and other assets. The process [in this case] is, from the beginning to the end, a very unusual case.
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