SON GETS THREE YEARS FOR ABUSING FATHER, 89.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer LANCASTER - A 51-year-old Quartz Hill man was sentenced to three years in prison for abusing his 89-year-old father, who died less than three weeks after being beaten. Richard McDonald was sentenced Friday on the no-contest plea he entered last December, eight days before his father died in a hospital. Prosecutors on Friday had asked that the sentencing be delayed for the third time since January so they could review the autopsy report before deciding whether to file a murder charge, but Lancaster Superior Court Judge Steve Ogden Steve Ogden (born 21 September 1950)[1] is a Republican member of the Texas Senate representing the 5th District. Ogden was elected to the Texas Senate in January 1997, and chairs the Texas Senate Finance Committee. denied the request. ``The judge said it's been dragging on too long,'' said Richard McDonald's attorney, James Bates Bates , Katherine Lee 1859-1929. American educator and writer best known for her poem "America the Beautiful," written in 1893 and revised in 1904 and 1911. . Joseph Nelson McDonald was hospitalized Dec. 15, when he was taken to Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Hospital suffering from injuries to the head. Richard McDonald was arrested that day on suspicion of assault with great bodily injury. Richard McDonald pleaded no contest Dec. 26 to elder abuse Elder Abuse Definition Elder abuse is a general term used to describe harmful acts toward an elderly adult, such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, financial exploitation, and neglect, including self-neglect. . Joseph McDonald died at the hospital Jan. 3. Deputy District Attorney Alisanne Scolnik said the autopsy report is done but still needs to be signed off by the county coroner coroner (kôr`ənər), judicial officer responsible for investigating deaths occurring through violence or under suspicious circumstances. The office has been traced to the late 12th cent. . ``The people had requested one more week because we are waiting for the autopsy report, which we wanted to review in depth prior to filing murder charges. We want to make sure we have sufficient medical evidence to prove causation causation Relation that holds between two temporally simultaneous or successive events when the first event (the cause) brings about the other (the effect). According to David Hume, when we say of two types of object or event that “X causes Y” (e.g. beyond a reasonable doubt,'' Scolnik said. Richard McDonald's original sentencing date was set for Jan. 16, but was postponed to March 18 and then once more to Friday, Bates said. Bates said he was anxious that his client start his sentence because he gets less credit in county jail than he would in state prison for the time he has served. As to the possible murder charge, Bates cited the victim's advanced age. ``The decedent An individual who has died. The term literally means "one who is dying," but it is commonly used in the law to denote one who has died, particularly someone who has recently passed away. was so old he could have died from almost anything. They are going to have to prove some kind of causation to get a murder charge filed,'' Bates said. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion