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« Fire in Federal Hill building displaces residents | Today | Six state departments without power, phones » July 9, 2007Trial delayed for woman accused of killing toddlerPROVIDENCE – The trial of a Woonsocket woman charged, along with her boyfriend, with killing 3-year-old foster child Thomas J. “T.J.” Wright has been rescheduled for Dec. 3. The trial for Katherine S. Bunnell had been scheduled to start today, after a couple past delays. The Attorney General’s Office has been prepared for the trial for close to a year, but the defense has asked for postponements on several occasions, according to Michael J. Healey, spokesman for the AG’s office. Bunnell and her boyfriend, Gilbert Delestre, are charged with beating Wright in their home on Oct. 30, 2004. Prosecutors say the couple, who returned home from a nightclub to find that the boy had made a mess, beat him so severely that they broke his skull and leg. A recounting of Wright’s brutal killing begins the lawsuit filed late last month against Governor Carcieri and other state officials in U.S. District court by State Child Advocate Jametta O. Alston. Alston is pursuing class-action status on behalf of the 3,000 children now in state custody. Hear Alston speak with Journal staff writer Steve Peoples about the lawsuit. Bunnell's defense team is trying to find expert witnesses to bolster their case, Healey said today. The Attorney General’s Office did not object to the defense lawyer’s request for a continuance, Healey said. In talking about the lawsuit filed by Alston, the executive director of the Rhode Island Foster Parents Association said she cried when reading about the foster children in the lawsuit. “The summaries of the named plaintiffs and the types of failures they document are, to me, indicative of a systemic breakdown,” Lisa Guillette said. “While we don't usually see cases that horrible, we have seen a breakdown in staffing and oversight that could lead to those conditions." About Wright’s case, Guillette said, "I don't want to see another T.J. Wright. I don't want to see another child die, and we are in danger of that." Posted by Kate Bramson CommentsPost a commentPlease be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006