Lost In Lima Ohio - A true crime blog

When I first came across the murder of Andrew Burd , it seemed a simple enough case. The murderer had already been discovered, charged, tried and convicted. It was an open and shut case. Hannah Overton, Andrews foster mother, had given the small child a lethal dose of salt. The resulting death, would have been painful and slow in coming. But the case was over, and we could at least grasp an instant of relief knowing that she would be behind bars for a long time, paying for the heinous crime she had committed against Andrew. Except that Hannah and her church were bound to protest, to put the blame for Andrews death on Andrea himself- and they were taking their fight all the way to the appeals court. They enlisted the onesided, often bias help of a national TV show, started websites in support of Hannah and attempted to discredit the prosecution. I encourage you to take a moment and revisit the link above, to remind yourself of this case, if only to remember Andrew for a moment and sha...

Omission, knowingly, intentionally... to read people's comments about the capital murder charge brought against Hannah Overton over the death of Andrew Burd one would assume that the jury was handed a cryptic riddle that left them in such complete confusion they were forced to find Hannah Overton guilty. I'm not sure what is more annoying, that these people claim the instructions to the jury were faulty and confusing, or that so many of those making these claims haven't even read the actual charge to begin with. So, here it is . In full, unedited and amazingly lacking the overzealous, confusing language that so many Free Hannah minions claims it has. Intentionally or knowingly cause the death by causing him to ingest acute toxic levels of sodium, AND OR intentionally or knowingly cause the death of him by omission, failing to provide or seek medical attention. That's not word for word. That is however, the abridged version. It's pointed out time and time again that...

In the course of researching Andrew Burd 's death, and the trial of Hannah Overton that followed- it seems the biggest feat to overcoming common misunderstandings on the case is to deal with the actual charges against Hannah Overton. Most people seem to accept the fact that while in the care of the Overton's, Andrew did indeed suffer abuse. But in disagreeing with the conviction they point only to the idea that Hannah didn't abuse Andrew that day with the intention of killing him, and because they believe that- there is a leap they can not make to justify the murder charges. To best explain why the conviction is just, we really have to look closely at the capital murder charge against Hannah Overton . Capital Murder, according to the Texas penal code : Sec. 19.03. CAPITAL MURDER. (a) A person commits an offense if he commits murder as defined under Section 19.02(b)(1) and: (1) the person murders a peace officer or fireman who is acting in the lawful discharge of an offic...

When I was much younger, I found myself in a position where I wanted something from someone who wasn't very eager to cave to my request. In a moment of 18 year old brilliance, I realised all I really had to do was get them to agree to my wishes, with actually knowing they were agreeing. Armed with a list of questions I knew were likely to get me lengthy answers, and a video camera- I took it upon myself to "produce" the desired answer. Using their answers, and my editing skills- it was only a matter of minutes before they were "obliging" my requests. I suppose, looking back now- my actions were quite dishonest. But- sadly, I'm not the only one in the world who has used such antics in order to produce the results they most desire. The news media, ever interested in rating, often uses the power of editing to accomplish this same sort of trickery. We've all seen it.. an interview cut at just the right moment, a question posed at just the right time- with a ...

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and make a small confession. I have family members deeply involved in the justice system. And, even friends who have been known to juggle a case or to in court. I myself have sat in a court room a time or two. But, sadly never as a member of a jury. Not that I haven't tried- I've called and volunteered to be a juror, I've questioned a million court employees on why I've never been called. I've even winked at a judge or two in passing, just hoping that they'd see the "willing potential juror" look plastered all over my face. It's been to no avail. My summons has never arrived. I jest about jury duty, but in truth it is no joke. It's an obligation each of us has to victims, to society and even to the accused. Jury duty is a fundamental principal that is tightly bond to our justice system. The legal system is based on a belief that every defendant is entitled to a jury of their peers- an impartial selection ...

Andrew Burd , was a rambunctious happy child. He'd lived with his biological mother until chil services removed him from the home due to neglect. His mother, who is reported to have had drug problems couldn't care for Andrew, so he was placed with a foster mother- Sharon Hamil. During the capital murder trial of Hannah Overton , Mrs. Hamil was asked: How would you describe his disposition? She answered: Happy. He was always happy. He was always happy. I didn't find him to have a bad disposition. If he were corrected, he was like any other child. He didn't like it. Then she was asked about his health. Was Andrew healthy? Yes, yes, he was. And as part of your duties as a foster parent, ddo you have to take him for healthy child wellness examinations ? Yes. And also he was on WIC, where he got a check every six months, I think. So he was always healthy. Did he appear to you to have any type of mental retardation? No, no, not at all. Did he appear to you to be intellige...

Andrew Burd , a happy well adjusted four year old foster child was removed from the foster home he'd spent 18 months in, and placed with Larry and Hannah Overton . The only reason for the move was the Overton's had started proceeding to adopt Andrew, who they had learned about from their church. Andrew's adoption would never be final, and the once lively, bouncing little boy would be dead just months after his placement in the Overton home. As a result of his death, both Larry and Hannah Overton were charged in connection to his death- the state alleged that Andrew had sustained abuse at the hands of the Overtons, and on October 2, 2006 Hannah Overton gave Andrew a lethal concoction of a sodium based seasoning mixed with water. After Andrew fell ill from the extremely high levels of sodium that were forced into his body, Hannah and her husband called various people, including members of their church. They failed however, to call 911. And they failed to seek proper medical ...

Andrew Burd spent most of his short life in foster care. He lived with his biological mother for the first two years of his life, before being put into foster care and in the home of Sharon Hamil. The 18 months he spent with Sharon Hamil he was a happy, well adjusted healthy little boy. She had grown children, and her son and daughter in law spent nearly every day with Andrew, and having the benefit of being special education teachers, never saw any problems with him. His foster mother believed that Andrew needed the benefit of being raised in a family- she was widowed and couldn't provide a father figure to the small boy. And so Andrew left her home, and was placed with Larry and Hannah Overton who began the process of adopting him. The Overton's had a strong religious faith, 4 children of their own and by all appearances seemed to welcome another child into their hearts. You'll read a lot about Hannah, how she loves her children, how she's always put her children fir...