Richland County, SC (WLTX) -- A jury has found Andrea Person guilty of killing a child in her care in 1998.
It took the jury less than three hours to reach the verdict.
Person was sentenced in 22 years in prison.
Friday morning was spent with no jury in the courtroom, as the judge heard arguments about whether or not a psychologist who studies police interrogations and false confessions should be allowed to testify. Deputies say that Person confessed to suffocating one-year-old Zackery Ulengchong in her care, but her attorneys argue that it was a false confession. Related Coverage: Andrea Person Takes the Stand in Her Trial
The judge ultimately ruled that Dr. Saul Kassan was credible enough to be used as an expert witness, but Deputy Solicitor John Meadors tried to show that the methods used in his field of study were too questionable to be heard in the courtroom. "He couldn't name the technique... because of this social science or science. I'm not sure what it is. You might not ever be able to say it's reliable," Meadors told the judge.
Once the jury returned, the deputy solicitor only asked one question on cross examination. The defense for Person talked a lot with him about his experience: he's been studying interrogations and confessions for about 25 years. He talked about the different types of false confessions. "Either they are being responsive to a fear of punishment, a promise of reward, an implication of reward or they're stressed or they're tired, whatever it is. They agree to give a confession, but privately, they know they didn't do anything wrong," Kassan said on the stand. Previous Coverage: Testimony Begins in Andrea Person Child Neglect Case
Closing arguments in the case were heard Friday after the psychologist's testimony.
11/20/2009 10:03:13 PM
