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Woman gets plea deal in death of ailing son
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Lena Marie Anderson
Son Patrick Atkins, 15, was denied proper care for his kidney disorder
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
A Las Vegas woman accused of killing her 15-year-old chronically ill son by not providing him with proper medical care has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
Prosecutors had sought a murder count against Lena Anderson when the case entered the court system in 2009.
But on Tuesday, negotiations -- which had been ongoing since June, according to court records ---- were finalized and Anderson pleaded guilty to child abuse and neglect with substantial bodily harm.
Anderson faces a sentence ranging from probation to 20 years in prison. The murder charge carried a potential life sentence.
Anderson's son, Patrick Atkins, died in April 2009. He had suffered from a chronic kidney disorder since he was 4 years old.
Deputy public defender Dan Silverstein said the teen, who attended Western High School, stopped taking his medications because he wanted to live as a normal boy and the medications were making him sick.
Prosecutors said Anderson was criminally liable for her son's death because she willfully withheld medical treatment. Authorities said Anderson was repeatedly warned that not caring for Patrick would result in his death.
Prosecutors have retained the right to argue at a sentencing hearing scheduled for Nov. 30 before Judge James Bixler.
Silverstein said Anderson "has already been punished enough by the loss of her son."
The plea fit what Anderson was criminally liable for, Silverstein said. She had failed to fill certain medical prescriptions for her son and didn't disclose his conditions to doctors, Silverstein said.
During the final weeks of Patrick's life, he was vomiting, fatigued and missing school, authorities said. When Anderson sought medical treatment for her son, she didn't tell doctors about his chronic kidney disease, police said.
According to her arrest report, Anderson told Las Vegas police that Patrick didn't like taking the medication, so she stopped giving it to him.
Long before his death, authorities had concerns about Patrick's well-being. Child Protective Services was called five times over 10 years to investigate claims that Patrick wasn't being cared for properly.
Anderson, who remains free on $50,000 bail, was never charged with any crime before Patrick's death.
Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@review journal.com or 702-380-1039.
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