30 August, 2010
A Pinellas County jury found former Clearwater foster mother Tenesia Brown not guilty this week of first-degree murder charges. Brown was accused of killing 3-year-old Lazon Gully, who died in 2008 after being in a vegetative state for over than two years. Prosecutors argued that Lazon died of shaken-baby syndrome.
Brown and her husband Marcus fostered Lazon and his older brother back in 2005 and 2006. They had custody of the boys for about four months while their mother completed drug treatment. On the afternoon of March 3, 2006, Tenesia Brown picked up 14-month-old Lazon from day care, after workers called to tell her that he was vomiting and had diarrhea. When Brown got him home, he stopped breathing.
Brown was initially charged with assault but the charges were upgraded after Lazon died in 2008.
There were no witnesses to any physical abuse but prosecutors argued that circumstantial and medical evidence showed Brown had caused catastrophic brain injuries to Lazon. They said Lazon suffered all the classic symptoms of shaken baby syndrome. (more…)


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