2023 www.caller.com. I worked with Dabney at Browder Russell just after he graduated from W & L, and saw him often at FBYC. We truly thought his obsession with food was a behavioral issue, not a medical one, Larry said. That left Overton entitled to seek state compensation funds for thewrongful conviction. Overton had to have a blood transfusion and her new. Preceded in death by his mother Hannah Spencer Haile Overton and infant brother Charles. Throughout the meal, Andrew repeatedly asked, Is my mom okay? He also kept requesting more food. Kids loved her. Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Todd Yates/AP Photo, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Other couples they knew who had adopted foster children assured them that their kids had outgrown similar eating issues, and the Overtons assumed that, with time, Andrew would outgrow his as well. All he needs is lots of love and attention, she told Larry. The key issues in this case were knowledge and intent, and his opinion went directly to those issues. Hannahs attorneys would later argue on appeal that the doctors opinionthat Hannah had never intended for the boy to dieamounted to exculpatory evidence that the state had withheld from the defense. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. May God wrap his loving arms around you until we meet again. Although the adoption agency that had worked with CPS to find Andrew a home had described him as developmentally on target except for his speech delay, Larry and Hannah observed otherwise. And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. The way it was explained to me, thats how I would be charged if I accidentally ran a stoplight and hit somebody, he said. Obituary: Wendell Leon Overton (Updated) - The Cullman Tribune Created by: Red; Added: 9 Apr 2016 . Before the family returned home, Andrew asked if he could have lunch, and Hannah told him that he needed to wait; Larry was bringing them something to eat, she explained, and he would be back in a few minutes. There wasnt anything that I thought was dangerously wrong with him at that point. Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. I came in the morning, and I left in the evening. The best memory is of riding camp the following summer when Dabney and a friend opted for motorcycle helmets rather than riding hard hats. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. A more thorough investigation would have uncovered ample evidence to suggest that Andrew had an undiagnosed eating disorder, raising the possibility that he had unintentionally consumed too much salt on his own. Until we specifically agree to act for you on a matter, you should not provide us with any confidential information or material. But the damage was done: that Hannah had confessed to force-feeding Andrew and beating him was repeated, uncorrected, on the local news. We were in awe.. According to Overtons attorney, Cynthia Orr, the Texas comptroller told Overton on Tuesday that she would receive a check for $573,333.33 as compensation her for her wrongful incarceration. With her first husband, whose name was Stephens, she lived in Iowa, and had one daughter. I always knew I'd be able to catch up with him on occasion at the Village Starbucks. The absence of their mother and their late brother was quietly acknowledged. She would later admit, according to one report, to using alcohol, methamphetamines, cocaine and crack cocaine, LSD, marijuana, cigarettes, and taking prescription Xanax. His father was seventeen and worked for a traveling carnival. Veteran defense attorney John Gilmore, whom the Overtons had retained using funds raised by their church, was stunned to learn of the arrests from reporters, who called asking for comment. Our thoughts, hugs and prayers are with you. The medical staff at Driscoll Childrens Hospital had determined that Andrew had nearly twice the normal level of sodium in his blooda highly abnormal findingas well as bleeding in the brain, and as Hess questioned her, he tried to ascertain what had happened. Its not even a consideration, she said. I may harbor doubts, but a jury heard this case and made a decision, and everyone has to respect that decision, he told the Express-News. I remind them that the Lord loves him more than anyone could and we will see him again someday.. Andrews standard answer whenever he was asked to perform a simple task was Sorry, I cant, but Hannah was heartened one day that summer when he deviated from the script. Tell It is unlikely that any intervention would have made a significant difference as Andrew had already taken the most critical step to save himself [by consuming] copious amounts of fluid, he wrote. Four months later, on October 2, 2006, Andrew fell suddenly and acutely ill while he was alone with Hannah. Hess disavowed Garcias account at a court hearing regarding the Overton children, and prosecutors never entered Garcias affidavit into evidence or called him to testify at Hannahs trial. Would you like to offer Jonah Lee Overtons loved ones a condolence message? Hannah Overton and her husband hold up one of their Christmas presents. Hannah Overton, a south Texas mother of five whose wrongful conviction for the 2006 death of her foster son was overturned last year, is expected to receive over $500,000 in compensation from the state for the years she spent in jail. The case boils down to a woman who basically tortured a child, Eastwood continued. Dabney OVERTON Obituary (2009) - Legacy What little is known about Andrew Burds early life is contained in a slim Child Protective Services case file that chronicles the boys descent into the child welfare system. You can ask, Why didnt she go to the hospital sooner? but in hindsight, everything is obvious. Ive seen doctors and nurses freeze up when a patient comes in convulsing or in extremis, he said. Channel Three, Channel Six, Channel Ten, the Caller-Timesthey all knew ahead of time, Gilmore said. Murder by omission or conviction by design? - San Antonio Express-News He had so many interests and was loyal to those he knew and was involved with, especially those he sailed with as that is where I knew him. Then he asked for more. If convicted, Hannah would receive an automatic life sentence. Cynthia Hujar-Orr, Gerry Goldstein and John Raley were apart of Overton's appellate team that helped overturn the . To the Overton Family and friends of Dabney: I first met Dabney in the fall of 1972 when he was in fourth grade at Aylett Country Day School. Push him? Throughout the interrogation, which spanned more than two hours, Hannah insisted that she had never harmed Andrew. Hannah was less impressed, given that Larrywho, at sixteen, was an enthusiastic fan of Christian punk rockwas sporting a nose ring and a blue mohawk. I fear she may have purposely withheld evidence that may have been favorable to Hannah Overtons defense, Jimenez wrote in her letter, which Orr would include in the writ. I could never thank my attorneys enough for fighting endlessly to prove my innocence and bring me home.. But Saenzs account of his whereabouts on the evening of the murder did not jibe with the evidence, and blood that matched the victims type was discovered inside his van. By that point, they had already been shown numerous photos of Andrews small, bruised body postmortem. The entire Davila family sends our heart felt condolences to Dabney's family. Andrew was a sweet boy who had significant neurological and developmental disorders. When Hannah was sent to prison, her daughter, Emma, was still a breast-feeding newborn. He had a speech delay and spoke haltingly, sometimes with a stutter, but every week, when his Sunday school classmates went around in a circle to say their prayer requests, he made the same wish aloud: that he would be adopted. My Mother and Father will miss his visits to the house and his heartfelt caring and concerns for all of us. Dabney OVERTON Obituary - Death Notice and Service Information During a wide-ranging interview with a social worker to determine if he had ever been abused, Isaac mentioned that he and his siblings had been given pepper, which he described as spicy stuff, as a punishment for lying. She and her husband Larry lived in Corpus Christi, Texas, and served faithfully in their church. In October 2006 a four-year-old from Corpus Christi named Andrew Burd died mysteriously of salt poisoning. Share Dabney's life story with friends and family. I am truly saddened to hear of Dabney's sudden passing. But had jurors fully understood the decision they had been asked to make? Before Hannah got married, when she was still Hannah Saenz, she knew she wanted a large familyat least six kids, she used to tell people. Larry outside his family's home, in Corpus Christi, on November 22. Dabney Overton III (1963-2009) - Find a Grave Memorial Other witnesses testified that they had detected signs of abuse. This is where Andrew used to sleep, Isaac told me softly as he led me into the boys room. All those that I know who knew Dabney will miss him greatly. Shortly afterward, at three-thirty, Hannah called Larry and asked him to come home since Andrew was vomiting and she needed his help. Every Saturday for the past several years, Larry has ridden his motorcycle from Corpus Christi to the Murray Unit, the maximum-security womens prison west of Waco where Hannah is incarcerated: a squat, concrete building walled off from the world with cyclone fencing and coils of razor wire. Overton's original trial attorneys admitted at an appeals hearing that they had made errors. They speculated Andrew might have had pica, an eating disorder characterized by an obsessive appetite and that Andrew accidentally poisoned himself by consuming a fatal amount of sodium. However, that didn't stop us from having friendly and lively conversations about the greatest game. He recalled how Michael used to chew on his fingers, a chronic problem that left his skin bloody and raw. CPS launched its initial investigation into Andrews well-being shortly after his first birthday, when his mother took him to a local hospital with a broken arm. Andrew continued eating until he threw up. We will always remember him fondly as a fellow Friend of Bandy Field. You and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers in the coming weeks. The following day, family court judge Carl Lewis awarded temporary custody to Hannahs mother and stepfather. My infrequent visits to my home of Richmond were always highlighted when I ran into Dabney and spend some time to catch up with one another. However, Judge Longoria could allow the jury to consider a lesser charge if he felt that the evidence did not support capital murder, and after hearing the states case, he did so, telling both the prosecution and the defense that he was willing to let the jury consider manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide. All rights reserved. I wish his family well. He will be dearly missed. She also described her unease with Eastwoods trial strategy, claiming the prosecutor had told her that they would not be calling Cortes because a record in his file indicated that Andrew had behavioral problems. The congregation quickly dissolved. The obituary was featured in Peterborough Telegraph on January 3, 2019.