BALTIMORE, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- A 2-year-old boy starved to death because his mother and father failed to feed him and routinely abused him, prosecutors in Baltimore County, Md., allege.
Prosecutors began accusing the boy's mother, Susan J. Griffin, and her husband, John, this week as the couple's Baltimore County Circuit Court trial on first-degree murder charges began, The Sun newspaper in Baltimore said Wednesday.
Prosecutors pointed out Tuesday that at the time of Andrew Patrick Griffin's death on Dec. 26, 2007, the 2-year-old boy weighed nearly 13 pounds.
Both Griffin and her husband were arrested following their son's death and a police officer testified at their trial that Griffin allegedly admitted to neglecting Andrew.
"I neglected him but I never hurt him." Officer Conrad J. Butler quoted Griffin as allegedly saying after her arrest. "It's not my fault he's skinny."
Defense lawyer Michelle Moodispaw, who is representing the Griffins, said that to convict the couple, who have five other children, prosecutors must prove the couple conducted the apparent starvation intentionally, The Sun report said.
