01 October 2008 12:35
A 400kg obese woman, set to stand trial for crushing her toddler nephew to death, is too big to fit in the court room that will try her, her lawyer says.
Mayra Rosales, 27, suffers from a rare thyroid condition and is bedridden. She claims she accidentally fell on Eliseo Gonzalez, 18 months, at her Texas home and crushed his skull. The boy's mother, Jamie (Rosales sister) had left Eliseo and his two younger siblings under Mayra's care. Two hours later Mayra called Jamie and told her Eliseo was "stuck under her bed and his head was swollen." Jamie believes Mayra rolled on Eliseo and killed him, but her lawyer says Mayra's arms are too big “she is not physically capable of having committed those acts”. Mayra told authorities she attempted to pick Eliseo up after he fell off a chair but she slipped and landed with her right hand on the boy's head.
The law states a suspect must stand trial in their own county, but Mayra's weight may hinder this.
"Can it logistically be tried here? No. Can she be brought to courthouse and tried in one of our courtrooms? No. Because of her condition and the amount that she weighs," said her lawyer. He suggested Rosales make her trial appearances from a building adjacent to the courthouse.
Source: theaustralian.news.com.au