Hannah and Andrew
In October 2006 a four-year-old from Corpus Christi named Andrew Burd died mysteriously of salt poisoning. His foster mother, Hannah Overton, was charged with capital murder, vilified from all quarters, and sent to prison for life. But was this churchgoing young woman a vicious child killer? Or had the tragedy claimed its second victim?
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25 comments
Thursday, May 10th, 2012, 3:39 pm
TexanMom says:
Thank you, Pam Colloff, for bringing this story to light! What a tragic injustice. I pray for the Texas Appellate Court’s wisdom and swift action in this case.
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012, 10:05 am
Justme says:
This sounds like a fairytale. Well it did not have a fairytale ending young Andrew Burd lost his life in the hands of the evangelistic family. Not once does this story unfold the torture this child received on this horrid day. How he was forced to sleep on plywood and had a camera fixed on his room to keep watch over him. How when hungry she fed him slop! Where do you suppose the blunt force trauma to his head occured? If you see pictures before the Overton’s adopted him and once they had him in their care you would see the difference. A once happy and healthy child to a thinly withdrawn child. The only injustice here is that this woman is free to publicize idiotic articles such as this for the ignorant mass’s to believe that she is some saint! Ridiculous!
Monday, February 20th, 2012, 9:36 am
Glenn Eboy says:
If Mrs. Overton cared for her child she would have called 911 straight away rather than waiting around for him to suffer and die. Maybe calling 911 would have made no difference, perhaps he was too far gone, but her indifference is galling. Having been a "good Christian" doesn’t give her a pass on murder. - What I’d really like to know is if she is supposed to be in PRISON why she is allowed to let her children see her when she facilitated the death of one. - Thanks to weepy stories like this she’ll most likely be set free. Unfortunately the little boy she caused to die will remain DEAD.
Friday, February 17th, 2012, 9:44 am
Jenny says:
Great article, thanks to Texas Monthly for doing the research the courts should have done. I am a born and raised Texan, a mommy and most of all a follower of JESUS CHRIST, I am praying that Hannah will be returned to her family quickly. I’m also praying that GOD would give Hannah and her husband HIS strength to endure and to keep their eyes on HIM in this storm. If you want to do something to help then send letters to Gov. Perry asking him for a pardon. I’ve already sent him one. GOD bless you Hannah and Pamela Colloff for writting this article and bringing attention to Hannah’s fight.
Sunday, February 12th, 2012, 2:12 pm
Judy says:
This article is such an encouragement. My niece, Hannah, has been portrayed so wrongly in the past, specifically in her home town. She is a wonderful young woman who has always looked out for others, helped all she can, and has loved children above all. This long 4 year journey she has been serving has just brought out that fact multifold in the way she has risen to the occasion, doing good in the midst of this terrible injustice. Looking forward to what comes - and I know, in His strength, she will continue to be a testimony to hope, and all that is good, in how this plays out.
Sunday, January 15th, 2012, 10:24 pm
Misti M says:
This is horrible. I cannot fathom what Hannah Overton has been through. She has endured so much and her faith in God is still strong. I have no doubt that she was targeted because of her faith and the fact that she is still in prison is appaulling. As soon as the new evidence was found and all of those who opposed her were terminated from their jobs she should have been released. She is an amazing woman and I pray that she is pardoned soon. God is with her.
Friday, January 13th, 2012, 3:19 pm
Kristin says:
Let me get this straight, Hannah Overton gets life without parole, and Julianne McCrery who has admitted to the premeditated murder of her 6 year old son Camden gets 45 years? Hannah took Andrew to urgent care. Julianne dumped her son on the side of the road in N.H. What kind of judicial system is this? McCrery has an arrest record that includes prostitution and yet her children were still living with her. Talk about an unfit mother. I will be praying for justice for Hannah Overton.
Friday, January 6th, 2012, 11:08 am
Esther Confino says:
Was it made clear to the jury that this was amazing mother and family that took on the overwhelming task of caring for this special child and that they had devoted their efforts to making him well? Where is the jury’s perspective on the entire situation? Beyond that I would say if you tested a great many people on the sodium content of the many processed foods that are sold to unsuspecting shoppers.most of them would not realize how much sodium is consumed by the average person daily! Education on this subject is seriously necessary. I would guess than many children and adults do not know what the processed food industry is foisting on them. Because of this our palates are becoming so used to all that salt that nothing tastes good enough without it. EVERYBODY, READ THE LABELS, DO THE MATH AND CHECK ON THE DAILY DESIRED LIMIT OF SODIUM INTAKE. This mother did not intend any harm, and I am sure most loving mothers do not know what their children are doing to their health.
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012, 11:03 pm
Stacy says:
As a Texan mother of three young boys, I am horrified and heartbroken by this case. I could easily see making her same decisions at each step of the story, minus the part about having the courage to adopt an abused foster child or the heart to spend my summers volunteering at orphanages. Do we reward convictions over justice as a society at this point? Covet negative-spin over truth? Ketzer, you’ll find from the article that even a member of the convicting jury went on affidavit saying she did not believe Hannah knew Andrew would die if she did not get him immediate medical attention. She fully admits she misunderstood what they were finding her guilty of! I respectfully beg those in power in our great state to review the facts of the case, and either grant a full pardon, reduce her charge to manslaughter and time-served, or (at minimum) grant a new trial.
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012, 2:06 pm
Ketzer says:
Clearly the author of this piece is convinced of Hannah’s innocence. Everything is explained away nice and neat. The jury was convinced of something else, apparently. The wikipedia article on Hannah Overton disappeared. It seems lots of people have strong opinions on the matter. Some find it hard to believe her actions were without guilt. Others find it hard to believe someone from their community, from their church, could have done such a thing. This article is not in the same class as other Texas Monthly articles it is being compared to. At least the Bum Steers portion of this issue was up to the usual standards.
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012, 1:02 pm
John Wilson says:
How in the world did this person ever become accused of salt poisoning homicide. First degree murder requires intent to kill which is not apparent in this case. Given the new evidence showing the low amount of sodium in the child’s stomach the verdict of guilt should be over-turned immediately. Hannah appears to have always been a wonderful mother to her children and adopted Andrew to provide him with a loving home. Andrew’s behavior, including banging his head when he had tantrums is frequent behavior with ADHD kids especially when coupled with severe eating disorders. The doctors jumped to conclusions with saying the marks of Andrew’s arms appeared to have been caused by cigarette burns discounted the constant scratching by Andrew of his mosquito bites. The remarks by the clinic nurses who said Hannah was smiling or smirking were totally irrelevant - anyone who killed her child would have feigned tears or sorrow. Her trial appeared to have been quickly put together. Her questioning by the police without her having an attorney leans towards her innocence - if she actually planned and carried out intentional murder she would have probably requested an attorney during questioning. Her sentence of life without parole is the same given for the most horrid of serial killers in most parts of this country. This for not bringing in Andrew to the clinic in a timely manner is a total miscarriage of justice. If Perry indeed has a ’heart’ he should issue Hannah a pardon immediately.
Monday, December 26th, 2011, 8:48 pm
Ronda S. says:
Working in the Court system I am really outraged by the "injustice" of our system. How can these so called leaders (Prosecutors, Police, etc) sleep at night with what they have done. I have no pity for child killers, don’t get me wrong but this is not a case of child killing, this is a case of a good hearted family who thought that with enough love could change a childs bad situation to good. Not many people will do this, as loving as I am of my kids and grandkids I don’t feel that I could take on a normal child much less one with physical and mental problems and I only had two kids to raise. What was the Corpus Christi district attorneys office thinking of accepting these charges without full investigation of the circumstances. Don’t they have investigators like all other counties in Texas do. I can tell by the article that they are paying the price themselves for with knowledge of wrong doing comes the consiquences. You reap what you sew. Our God knows the truth and the truth will set you free!
Saturday, December 24th, 2011, 9:52 am
gail says:
From the article, this woman is NOT guilty! What a shame that our justice system works so slow that when she is released she will have missed the critical part of her new baby’s life and lost so much time with her other children. I will pray for her release. It is a waste of taxpayers money and a waste of a socially productive woman’s contributions.
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011, 5:20 pm
Laura Spector Heinzel says:
Thank you for a very good job in investigative journaling that sheds true light on the Overtons. I am disgusted with justice in Corpus Christi and doubt it exits here in Nueces county at all. Hannnah should never have been arrested in the first place. It’s like the police and CPS in Corpus Christi have nothing better to do, so they invented a crime. The hateful Judge Longoria backed the DA’s office 100% I have read every word of her trial. It truly is unbelievable to me. If theis was probed further, you would find jury misdconduct and the works. Also every one of the "medical professionals" that said something for the prosecution were not stating scientific facts but giving personal opinions. That Judge Longoria allowed all this garbage to be evidence in a capital case that should never have come to trial in the first place. Every person from all the police officers onward are crooked in Corpus Christi. Only prayers will help you here. The first thing I learned as I unraveled this case was, I will never innocently talk to any police officer again unless I have an attorney with me. The Overtons neighbors HAD to move away. Are other parts of Texas this sick & crooked?
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011, 5:03 pm
MaryAnn Lubas says:
This true story is so horribly tragic. Prosecutors do NOT care about the truth, they only care about winning. They don’t care whose lives they ruin, they don’t care about children losing their parents and visa versa. I pray for Hannah and her family, I always remember to have her poster at all of our Freedom Marches for the Wrongfully Convicted in Pennsylvania and do my best to remember her each Christmas. I’ve never met Hannah but do I need to? As one comment stated, if this reporter can see the innocence of this case, why could the jury not? It’s because the prosecution ALWAYS makes the defendant look out to be a horrible monster. Unfortunately too this is not a rare occurrence. It is estimated that 10% of all prisoners are wrongfully convicted. We see news every day of a new trial for someone that has factual claims of innocence and we have close to 300 exoneration’s in our country. We hold the National Freedom March for the Wrongfully Convicted just for that reason. To help bring awareness to the public who could be our potential jurors informing them that the scales of justice are NOT equal. They are always tilted on the side of the prosecution who has more resources at their disposal than the defense. We will forever advocate for Hannah’s release as we do for all wrongfully convicted innocent men and women in our country.
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011, 7:13 am
Preston Garrison says:
When I finished reading this story I was so angry that it is a good thing that I didn’t have any of the prosecutors accessible for the beating that I wanted to give them. If one journalist can find so much evidence that this woman simply could not have committed the crime, there is no excuse for a team of highly educated prosecutors perpetrating this atrocity. The view that prosecutors often have that they are simply advocates needs to change. I spent my career in science, and the ideal in science is that if your hypothesis is going to be overturned, you want to be the one who overturns it. When prosecutors become simply advocates for one side and not people who pursue the truth, innocent people have their lives ruined. When the malfeasance is as egregious as it was in this case, they need to face the possibility of prison themselves. If the system was changed so that was a real possibility, there would be a lot fewer innocent people sent to rot in prison.
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011, 12:34 am
Joel says:
Thank you to Texas Monthly for publishing this story. This incredible story should be on the front page of the New York Times. I am so saddened that an accident could lead to this. There are several legitimate examples of how MESSED UP the trial was. Please pardon Hannah or at least give her a re-trial. Maybe this time the case will be tried based on the evidence (which clearly reveals an accident) rather than the mob of public outcry.
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011, 9:25 pm
Michelle says:
This is one of the sadest cases of injustice I’ve ever heard of. It makes me feel physically sick. No one knows what foster parents go through or parents with children with special needs go through. This is ecactely why there is a shortage of foster adoptive parents out there for the state and always will be.So when you all see stories about the lack of foster parents out there this story is the exactly the reason why. It is very obvious that this was clearly an acciedent that’s it and that all why would these people want to kill a child that they were planning to adopt when they could have just returned him?
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011, 3:24 pm
Jay Arr says:
Could not lay down my TM without reading this tragic story by Pamela Colloff ’en todo’. I was only a quarter into it when I concluded it was a miscarriage of justice ( only too common in my Texas) and our "justice" system always is reluctant to correct their mistakes.Please include my name to any petition to the governor for a pardon for Hannah !Thank you Ms Colloff for bringing this to the attention of TM’s readers.
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011, 1:51 pm
Kristen Daniels says:
Hannah is a sweet woman with a gentle spirit. She is prayed for daily in our home by my six children. We have plead for God to bring her home to her family and will continue to do so. Rick Perry, you have 1200 letters petitioning you and the Board of Parole and Pardons to pardon Hannah. These letters are from all over the country and abroad. We are anxiously waiting and watching to see what you will do. Set this woman free!
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011, 11:01 am
Linda B says:
If Perry is such a good Christian man, why will he not pardon Hannah? Are his political ambitions more powerful than his desire to do what is right? (Romney refused to pardon anyone as governor of MA)
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011, 10:22 am
guest says:
If there is anyone out there who can do something, please do! This is injustice in its most profound form. Imagine if this was your friend, daughter, wife or mom. Her children and husband need her. Anyone with any sense knows she did not kill her child.
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011, 1:05 am
Guest says:
How terribly sad. And surely there is more than this one innocent person in prison now having their appeals perfunctorily denied, but without the benefit of an investigative reporter on their side. Those, that is, that haven’t been executed already. It does a disservice to all of us interested in justice, because these cases demean the value of the sentences handed down to the majority of prisoners who are actually guilty.
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011, 7:46 pm
Lori Marr says:
Why is this so final? Was Addison’s disease completely ruled out along with many other mental disorders from birth? Why would a caring devout family even take him in if they weren’t prepared to make a loving change in his life? Who in the world would assume there would be no obstacles or frustrations to contend with even a perfect world? Call in a psychic, dig deeper, this is wrong to Hannah and her family on so many levels.
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011, 3:15 pm
Keilah Sullinger says:
Can there be any doubt at all of this mother’s innocence?? She should be released IMMEDIATELY!! This poor wonderful family has suffered so much injustice! May the judges do what is right and do it quickly!
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