June 6, 2018 - On Wednesday, June 6, 2018 in the 273rd Judicial District Court of Shelby County with Judge Charles Mitchell presiding, it took a jury less than an hour to return a verdict terminating the parental rights of the Shelbyville Couple who was previously accused of placing a 4-year-old child in a dog crate along with other abuse allegations. The jury's verdict in the interest of the now 5-year-old child was unanimous.
The jury selected in the best interest of the child to terminate the parent-child relationship of both Matthew McMahon and Randa McMahon after six days of trial testimony by family, friends, and expert witnesses. All the attorneys in the case gave their closing statements Wednesday morning and the jury went into deliberations just before 11am. At 11:42am a knock was heard on the door of the jury room to signal to the court they had come to an unanimous decision.
Lori Oliver, District Court Clerk, then read to the audience the outcome of 'yes' to terminating parent-child rights and that the jury had selected to give Managing Conservator-ship to Margaret Regina Raymond, the maternal grandparent of the child. The majority of those in attendance expressed outward emotions of joy and cried with relief with the outcome of the verdict.
The McMahons were accused of abusing their then 4-year-old child and were arrested by the Somervell County Sheriff’s Department on two felony warrants on behalf of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, June 2, 2017. Matthew McMahon and Randa Askew Faust McMahon, both of Shelbyville, were charged for Injury to a Child (F-1). The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office sought the warrants after investigating allegations of child abuse. The abuse allegations included the child being forced to sleep in a large dog crate, the child being left in urine and defecation, and he child being locked in an enclosed cargo trailer. Allegations also included withholding of food or water and was once forced to drink his own urine as punishment.
They were each individually indicted on September 7, 2017 for injury to a child, first degree felony by a grand jury. The indictments allege on June 1, 2017 the McMahons recklessly by omission caused serious bodily injury to a child by causing or allowing the child's potassium, protein and albumin levels to fall to very low levels. The potassium level is alleged to have fallen to a dangerously low, life-threatening level - all due to chronic nutritional deficiency.
Related Articles:
