Watch CBS News

Mom Gets 8-To-10 Years In Prison For Withholding Son's Meds

LAWRENCE (CBS) - A Salem mother convicted of attempted murder for withholding her son's cancer medications was sentenced to 8-to-10 years in prison Friday.

Kristen LaBrie begged for mercy before the sentence was handed down in Lawrence Superior Court.

WBZ-TV's Kate Merrill reports

"I am remorseful for my actions. I wish I could have done things differently," she said, while sobbbing.

"I certainly miss my son every day. I'm really sorry for all of this."

She faced a maximum of 37-and-a-half years in prison - 20 years for attempted murder, 10 years for assault and battery on a disabled person, 5 years for assault and battery on a child causing substantial injury and 2 1/2 years on reckless endangerment of a child.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Mark Katic reports

Podcast

Lawrence Superior Court Judge Richard Welch III said the case "stirs our sympathies" but that "our society is judged by how we protect the most vulnerable members of our society."

"She had the specific intent to kill her young son," Welch said, "by not following up on her son's at-home medications."

He called LaBrie's actions "secretive and calculated" and "acts that chill one's soul."

LaBrie stopped filling her autistic son Jeremy Fraser's cancer medication prescriptions and he died in 2009.   He was just 9 years old.

WBZ-TV's Sera Congi reports

LaBrie claimed she was overwhelmed by the situation and thought the chemotherapy drugs were making her son's condition worse.

She was also sentenced to five years of probation on the lesser charges after she is released from prison.  She must also complete an anger management program.

When asked by a reporter outside court if she thought the sentence was fair, LaBrie said, "I do not.  No."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.