Couple Killed Disabled Child By Poisoning IV Bag With Alcohol: Police

Couple Killed Disabled Child By Poisoning IV Bag With Alcohol: Police

(Reuters) - A Vermont mother and her boyfriend were arrested and face murder charges for filling her disabled, 13-year-old son's IV bag with alcohol, police said.

Melissa Robitille and Walter Richter III, both aged 38, were arrested on Tuesday after officials found that Robitille's son Isaac died with a blood alcohol concentration of .146, almost double the legal limit for driving, Vermont State Police said.

An autopsy showed that alcohol was a contributory factor in his death.

The couple reported Isaac Robitille's death to police on Aug. 22, police said. The teen suffered from serious medical conditions and physical disabilities, requiring the help of caretakers, feeding tubes, and IVs to stay alive.

Police determined that the couple put alcohol in the teen's IV bag, and administered it to him.

Robitille and Richter, who are from Hardwick, face second degree murder charges, police said. Bail amounts, arraignment dates and other information was not immediately available.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Crispian Balmer)

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot