Woman set to go on trial in 4-year-old daughter’s fatal prescription drug overdose
By Denise Lavoie, APTuesday, January 19, 2010
Trial set to begin in Mass. girl’s fatal overdose
BROCKTON, Mass. — A Massachusetts mother accused of killing her 4-year-old daughter by overmedicating her with powerful prescription drugs is to go on trial on a murder charge.
Testimony in Carolyn Riley’s trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Brockton. But first, two replacement jurors will be selected to stand in for jurors who were excused because of personal hardships.
Riley and her husband, Michael, are accused of overusing drugs Rebecca Riley had been prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder.
The Rileys deny the charges and say they were following the a doctor’s advice. They say their girl died of pneumonia, not an overdose.
The husband and wife will have separate trials. No date has been set yet for Michael Riley’s trial.
