Every now and then you read something that brings the rest of your plans to the day grinding to a halt, particularly in the blogging world. While I was going to take the time today to announce I'd be taking a hiatus, today, I changed my mind after having read about Alexandria V. Tobias.
The 22-year-old mother is awaiting trial in Florida after having shaken her baby to death. Shaken baby syndrome is nothing new and neither is infanticide. What makes this story truly bizarre is her self-admitted motive, the factor that pushed her over the edge and caused her to kill her 3-year-old son in what was essentially cold blood.
He interrupted her regular daily playing of Farmville, one of many facebook games.
Now, and I think wisely, the Jacksonville prosecutor is going for the throat and charging Tobias with second-degree murder, which carries a life sentence for a penalty, in the appropriate jurisdiction. The justification always given for Infanticide having a penalty lower than other forms of homicide has always been that some women experience such severe post-partum mental imbalances that it essentially can't be helped. It was their fault, sure, and they should pay for it, but let's let them off early because they aren't entirely to blame.
If anyone else wanted to use the mental imbalance excuse, they'd usually be taken to a mental hospital instead of a prison, and held for the full time of their imprisonment.
Good for you, Florida. Never thought I'd see something so satisfying come out of a Red State.
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