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Prosecutor Notes ‘Bittersweet’ Court Victory; Maxwells’ Lawyer ‘Did The Best We Could’

August 9, 2009 Contributor

As Lynn and Lindsey Maxwell walked out of Palermo Town Court Saturday night to the State Police vehicles that would take them to jail, a pack of reporters moved with them while townspeople who had attended court faithfully for the last two weeks formed a gauntlet of eyes.

“What’s your reaction?” asked one reporter.Ã‚Â “How you feeling right now, Lynn?” asked another.Ã‚Â The Maxwells had spoken often with reporters on breaks in the trial. Tonight, they said nothing. […]

Maxwell’s Son: My Statement To Police Was Inaccurate

August 8, 2009 Contributor

Bryan Belrad said his statements to police about the death of stepsister Erin Maxwell and the conditions in her home were inaccurate.

Belrad’s claim is nearly identical to the claim of Lynn Maxwell.Ã‚Â Both said there were things in the statements given to police that were not true or were exaggerations. […]

Maxwell: Police Made Errors In Drafting My Statements

August 7, 2009 Contributor

Maxwell was pressed about the statements she gave to police on August 30, the day after Erin died, and on September 11.

Maxwell has said in court that Erin “could have pushed on the hinge side of the door and it would have come right off.”Ã‚Â Prosecutor Mark Moody asked her why that wasn’t in the statement she gave to police, which she reviewed and then signed. […]

Lynn Maxwell: Nothing In The House Was A Threat To Erin

August 6, 2009 Contributor

Lynn Maxwell asserted that Erin Maxwell was never endangered by the smell of the urine of more than 60 cats and by bedroom doors that locked on the outside.

“There was nothing,” she said as prosecutor Mark Moody grilled her, “that was a threat to her.” […]

Lynn Maxwell: Erin Could Get Out Of Her Locked Bedroom Anytime

August 5, 2009 Contributor

Lynn Maxwell offered at least three reasons for having locks on the outside of stepdaughter Erin Maxwell’s door.

Lynn Maxwell took the witness stand after the prosecution rested its case of more than 20 hours of testimony alleging that Lynn and husband Lindsey Maxwell endangered 11 year old Erin’s life by keeping her in a home with widespread cat feces and a thick odor of cat urine and by keeping her in a room with locks on the outside of the two doors. […]

Witnesses Describe Maxwell Home, Erin’s Last Days

August 3, 2009 Contributor

The firefighter who tried to save Erin Maxwell’s life described a home so foul that she ran outside and threw up, then went home and asked her husband to burn her clothes.

Debra Denery, president of the Palermo Fire Department, was the key witness on Saturday in the trial of Lynn and Lindsey Maxwell, Erin’s parents, who are not charged in Erin’s death but with misdemeanor counts of child endangerment for the conditions of the house Erin lived in.Ã‚Â Erin’s step-brother, Alan Jones, will be tried in September for what police say was Erin’s sexual assault and murder. […]

Courtroom Taunts and a Parking Lot Argument at Maxwells’ Trial

August 1, 2009 Contributor

Emotions boiled over Friday evening at the trial of Lynn and Lindsey Maxwell, as the defense lawyer got into a parking lot dispute with a spectator and taunted the prosecutor during court.Ã‚Â It all happened as a State Police Investigator finished 8 hours of testimony about conditions inside the Maxwells’ farmhouse in Palermo. […]

Investigator: I Couldn’t Breathe Well In Maxwells’ Bedroom

July 31, 2009 Contributor

Inv. Joseph Harriger took photos in the Maxwells’ master bedroom, showing numerous cats inside the closed room and piles of feces in several spots.Ã‚Â But he didn’t stay long.Ã‚Â “When I went in, I was taken back by the strong odor of ammonia,” he said.Ã‚Â “When I went to take a breath, I felt like I couldn’t.”Ã‚Â He stayed only 5 minutes. […]

Maxwells’ Trial Focuses On Cat Waste And A Locked Door

July 30, 2009 Contributor

The trial of Lynn and Lindsey Maxwell will turn on three things: door locks, cat poop and cat pee.Ã‚Â Those three items dominated the opening night of their trial on child endangerment charges in Palermo Wednesday.

They are the father and step-mother of Erin Maxwell, the 11 year old found dying in her bedroom last August 29.Ã‚Â They are not on trial for her death.Ã‚Â Erin’s stepbrother, Alan Jones, is accused of sexually abusing and then killing her.Ã‚Â The Maxwells are accused of having conditions in their home that were dangerous to Erin. […]

Maxwells’ Trial Begins Tonight

July 28, 2009 Contributor

Lynn and Lindsey Maxwell go on trial tonight in Palermo Town Court on charges of endangering the welfare of Erin Maxwell, the 11 year old girl who died last year in a home described by police as deplorable. […]