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Man Accused of Killing Toddler in Court
Posted Monday, December 8, 2008 ; 11:53 AM | View Comments | Post Comment
Updated Monday, December 8, 2008; 12:44 PM


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Court orders mental evaluation

By Hillary Crowder
Email | Bio | Other Stories by Hillary Crowder

BECKLEY --  A Raleigh County man charged in connection to the shooting of his 3-year old son waived his right to preliminary hearing.

Officials say Gary Garretson, 44, must under go a mental evaluation.

Garretson's son was shot and killed in his Coal City home on Nov. 29.

Police say Garretson told them he was playing a game with the boy. They say the man claims he didn't know the gun was loaded when he pulled the trigger.

Garreston is charged with death of a child by a parent.

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User Comments [ post comment ]
User Comment
ashraf
12/12/08 at 3:44 AM
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patolan yan ng kamatayan bobob...
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Concerned 101
12/9/08 at 8:14 PM
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Its a very sad situation when a little child has to die like that . i dont think that you should ever play with a gun for any reason i think that the man need a mental evaluation as a father of four i would never play like that with my kids and if it was done on purpose i belive that God will bring the truth out but if it was realy a game then he needs a lot of help and i pray that the Dr will be able to help him
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Phaellot
12/9/08 at 3:46 PM
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I will never understand why the term is "Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity" and not "Guilty, but Insane". In the overwhelming majority of cases involving an insanity claim, there is no dispute over the accused being the one who caused the harm to the victim. Why the "Not Guilty" instead of the more accurate "Guilty"? It's not like Martians landed and shot this poor little boy with his father's gun.
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Phaellot
12/9/08 at 3:43 PM
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I never will understand the twisted perspective of "Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity". In the overwhelming majority of cases involving this plea, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that the accused is the one who caused the harm to the victim. The only question is whether they were in their "right mind" at the time. Why is this not then called "Guilty, but Insane"? It's not like Martians landed and killed this poor little boy using the father's gun.
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Watchbird
12/9/08 at 2:39 PM
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Here is a case where commas make a difference. "Man, accused of killing toddler, in court" would have been a more accurate and less misleading headline than this, which suggests that the man killed the toddler in court.
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Richard Bice of Augusta, GA
12/9/08 at 10:51 AM
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Many criminals plea insanity to escape the statutes and harsh consequences that normally follow. It's estimated that nearly 36% of all pleas are "plea of insanity", but the fact of the matter is less than 1% of all insanity pleas are accepted upon review of the suspect's previous mental evaluation. He may be sent to a mental institution if the physician qualifies him. Remember, just because you have kids, doesn't mean you have common sense.
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Concerned
12/9/08 at 10:27 AM
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What type of game do you play with a gun in the first place?!?! Let alone a game with a gun with a 3-year old! That is nothing but gross negligence to the nth degree. Even if you were demented enough to try that sort of thing, you can check to see if the gun is loaded, or at the very least, you could check if the safety was engaged. Lock him up.

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