West Virginia toddler was so badly starved by parents he ate lint from his blanket before dying
A mother and father who were found guilty of starving their little baby boy to death allegedly left him so hungry that the child ate lint from his blankets before dying.
Corey Moore, 29, and Christy Moore, 27, from Princeton, West Virginia, have now requested a retrial after the two were convicted in November 2019 of the murder of a child by parent, custodian or guardian and with child neglect resulting in death.
The guilty verdict arrived just within a year of their 20-month-old son, Jeremiah, being pronounced dead at Princeton Community Hospital. According to the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, the medical examiner found baby Jeremiah severely malnourished; he weighed just 11 pounds at the time of his death, which is 14 pounds below the average weight of a baby his age. The autopsy further revealed lint in his stomach which the baby was believed to be eating to help with the desperate hunger he was being forced to undergo.
As the Moores await sentencing, it is to be noted that the charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in West Virginia. The latest reports reveal that a lawyer representing the couple has argued there's no legal bias for the murder charge as the parents' intent could not be proven. Judge George Sitler - the one to prosecute the Moores - however, has slammed the request on Friday saying Jeremiah's absolute dependence on his parents meant their neglect did indeed constitute an intent to murder.
“A small child is utterly at the mercy of their parents,” Judge Sitler said. “They have no means to obtain their own food, they have no means to go to the emergency room because they are gravely ill because they have no food.” Circuit Court Judge Mark Wills will be considering the request for a retrial; the decision is expected to be handed down in April this year.