Woman Convicted In Son’s Drowning Death Sentenced To Life In Prison

By Harold Hayes - CBSlocal.com

December 9, 2013

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The woman who drowned her son in a local hotel bathtub has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Sharon Flanagan had been found guilty of first-degree murder in September.

Prosecutors said Flanagan killed the 2-year-old boy because she was upset her ex-husband had been granted 70 percent custody.

Steven Flanagan, the father of the victim and husband of Sharon Flanagan, spoke extensively after today’s sentencing.

He brought a picture of the boy to court as he delivered a victim impact statement.

“It’s one of the most important pictures. It’s a picture that the church folks put together and brought to Steven’s funeral and it’s a picture of him at one of his first Halloweens and we dressed him up in a little doggie suit because he loved to crawl and he loved to climb. We got him right at the perfect moment when he was smiling and his little blue eyes open so it’s very priceless. It’s always on display in the living room. It’s on display under the Christmas tree now. The whole house is like a baby Steven shrine for sure,” he said.

When asked about the ordeal he’s been through, Flanagan said words can’t express it all.

“I could stand here all day and I could never tell you just how tough everything’s been. It’s absolutely monstrous. If it wasn’t for the Lord above and fine people to help me, I don’t think I ever would have made it. But as far as today, it was very difficult but I’m here in the first place to speak for my son because that’s my privilege. He was my dream since I was a boy, and we did everything together. We were pretty much inseparable. And he would ride on my shoulders, work with me in the wood shop. I hated going to work and couldn’t wait to come home. Not because I had bad jobs, but because I wanted to be with him and momma,” he said.

KDKA-TV’s Harold Hayes asked him what he would say to Sharon Flanagan if he had the chance.

“I’m not going to be ugly or nasty even though I’d have every right to do so. I’d just say, ‘Why?’ Because she had everything in the world. I mean we’re talking about an excellent marriage, beautiful child. She had everything and she had talents and abilities and I’d just say, ‘Why?’ That’s all I could think about saying because there was just no cause. There was no cause to run off and leave me and no cause for any of it from start to finish,” he said.

Months before the murder, he recalled a conversation in their West Virginia home.

“She had come up to our bedroom talking about killing herself and killing him, which is when I phoned the police and tried to get her committed for the second time and what I meant when I said nobody would listen is that finally, I got her to the point where the sheriff’s department took her in. There was an attorney, there was a mental health agency that reviewed her and they didn’t even bring her in before the judge. I mean they just let her go and that’s what broke my heart. Two weeks later, the court had given her partial custody and no matter what I did, after all she did, I had less custody of him than she did. Then, three-and-a-half months later she came up here and killed him,” he said.

West Virginia mother gets life term for drowning son

By Paula Reed Ward / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

December 9, 2013

Dominic Netti had no relationship to 2-year-old Steven Flanagan. The California man just happened to be staying down the hall in the same Green Tree hotel as the little boy and his mom from West Virginia in early July 2012.

But, Mr. Netti was also the first man who finally entered the room registered to Sharon Flanagan after the woman had run crazily through the hotel shouting about her baby and that she needed help. He was the man who lifted the lifeless body of the boy out of the bathtub and attempted to save him by performing CPR.

"The terror and shear confusion that Sharon created in the hotel hallway, and the absolutely nightmarish scene of that little boy, laying facedown alone in that bathtub ... the look of disbelief that was frozen on his little face, with his eyes wide open and glazed over ..." Mr. Netti wrote in his victim impact statement. "Had his mother said that the boy was in trouble, we would have broken the door down. I could have smashed down 10 doors with the adrenaline I had surging through my body at the time, but, astonishingly, she didn't give us the chance.

"It is something we all still struggle with and will carry with us the rest of our lives."

His was one of three statements read Monday to Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning at Flanagan's sentencing.

Flanagan was found guilty in September of first-degree murder for the drowning death of her son and was sentenced to a mandatory prison term of life with no chance for parole.

Flanagan, who appeared to be gaunt and was dressed in a royal blue sweater, said nothing.

When asked if she would like to speak or understood her appeal rights, she only shook her head "no" and nodded "yes," even when it was clear verbal answers were necessary for the court record.

Finally she said to Judge Manning "If you need me to say the word 'no,' no."

Steven Flanagan, who was 2 years and 3 months old, died five days after his mother drowned him at the former Best Western Parkway Center Inn in Green Tree the evening of July 1, 2012, according to police.

Flanagan testified on her own behalf and told the jury she had put her son in the bathtub that evening in about a foot of water so he could play. She said she became lost in thought and didn't realize her son was in trouble in the water.

Mr. Netti and others at trial said that Flanagan fled her hotel room, and went running through the halls, clutching her abdomen and shouting, "My baby, my baby."

By the time it became clear that her son was in her hotel room, and Mr. Netti and a security guard made their way inside, it was too late.

In his letter read at the sentencing, Mr. Netti said that he has had to be treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, and his girlfriend who was with him also has undergone counseling.

For the boy's father, also Steven Flanagan, the impact of his son's death has touched every part of his life.

As he spoke to the court, Mr. Flanagan held a large portrait of his son, dressed for Halloween in a brown and white puppy costume.

He called the boy "a miracle baby," conceived after two earlier miscarriages.

"He was so precious and lovable that everyone both felt and treated him as their own."

Mr. Flanagan described Steven as vibrant and happy, very strong for his age, a great climber and "a little hugger."

He told the court he could not understand what drove his wife to kill their son.

"We were as close as close could be. Our home was a true place of happiness. There was no cursing, no hatred, no bitterness, no hitting and no mistreatment of any kind," he said.

Since his son's death, Mr. Flanagan said his mental, spiritual and physical health have suffered greatly.

Later, Mr. Flanagan said, "If it wasn't for the Lord above and for people, I don't think I would ever have made it."

He called it a "privilege" to speak for his son.

When asked his feelings toward the defendant, he said, "I'm not going to be ugly or nasty, even though I'd have every right to do so."

Instead, he continued: "All I can truly say about it is why? There was no cause for it from start to finish."

Defense attorney Blaine Jones offered no witnesses on Sharon Flanagan's behalf but said afterward, "It was an emotionally draining trial, and this was an emotionally draining event, as well. There simply are no winners in this, and it was a very difficult case."

Woman Accused Of Drowning 2-Year-Old Son Found Guilty Of 1st-Degree Murder

By Harold Hayes - KDKA-TV

September 20, 2013

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The jury has found a West Virginia woman accused in the drowning of her 2-year-old son in a hotel bathtub guilty of first-degree murder.

When Sharon Flanagan heard she would spend the rest of her life in jail she hollered out, “Please Judge Manning, please! I’ll serve any sentence, but I can’t spend time in jail.”

The judge told her to remain silent; she kept on with her outburst and was removed before the end of the proceeding.

She also mumbled something about abuse in prison, but her lawyer would not talk about that claim, only saying he has not filed any allegation of abuse with the authorities.

Earlier, he argued that there was no evidence she held her son down in the Best Western hotel bathtub. He argued sometimes accidents happen, and that the evidence did not support a first-degree conviction.

The jury disagreed.

“I think that’s the bottom line, this is not your normal case,” said defense attorney Blaine Jones. “This is a 2-year-old who was in the care of his mother, and I think that that was a lot for the jury to have to digest. I saw it, emotionally it was draining.”

But the prosecution argued that Flanagan just had too many different stories to be believed.

Closing arguments wrapped up in the trial early Friday morning.

Flanagan was facing first-degree or third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter or not guilty.

On Thursday, Flanagan testified in her own defense, admitting she lied to police when she claimed she couldn’t lift the child out of the tub.

She testified she left the bathroom and when she returned, she found the child face down in the tub and never tried to pull him out. She says she panicked and let the water out of the tub then left the room to get help.

She also testified that her marriage began to deteriorate when she one day found the child with her husband in a closet, and her husband was naked from the waist down.

During closing arguments defense attorney Jones said, “Forcibly drowning someone is an extremely violent act. There are no marks indicating he was held down. In the court of public opinion, she was guilty. But this is a court of law, sometimes accidents happen. The evidence doesn’t say there’s anything more.”

But prosecutor Lisa Pellegrini said, “This case is about maternal instincts. What would you do if you found your child face down in a tub? A small amount of water in the airways can stop the heart of a 2-year-old. He isn’t going to resist her. She is the one he believes would never hurt him.”

The jury apparently sided with the prosecution.

Defense Rests Case In Trial Of Woman Accused Of Drowning 2-Year-Old Son

By Harold Hayes - KDKA-TV

September 19, 2013

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The defense has rested their case in the trial of a woman who is accused of drowning her 2-year-old son in a hotel room bathtub.

A tearful Sharon Flanagan, testifying in her own defense this afternoon, admitted she lied to police when she claimed she couldn’t lift the child out of the tub.

She testified she left the bathroom and got distracted, and when she returned, she found the child face down in the tub and never tried to pull him out. She says she panicked and let the water out of the tub then left the room to get help.

She also testified that her marriage began to deteriorate when she one day found the child with her husband in a closet, and her husband was naked from the waist down.

She claims he molested the boy, but prosecutors say there was no proof of molestation.

Flanagan testified she lied to police about trying to take the child out of the tub because she couldn’t bear the thought of the child going back to the custody of a “pedophile father.”

Earlier in the day, before resting their case just after 12 p.m., the prosecution put Allegheny County Medical Examiner Dr. Karl Williams on the stand.

He testified he ruled the cause of death as drowning and the manner of death as homicide.

The defense has pointed to a lack of bruising on the body to indicate that since there was little evidence of struggle, the drowning was likely an accident.

But Williams testified he was not surprised that he saw little external trauma because the rush water into the child’s upper airways is enough to cause the heart to stop.

On Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Lisa Pellegrini said 34-year-old Flanagan, of Inwood W. Va., searched online for “leading cause of toddler death” and “why is Casey Anthony so popular?” on her computer weeks before the incident.

It was 6:18 p.m. on July 1, 2012, when Flanagan carried her 2-year-old son, Steven, into the Best Western in Green Tree.

She told police she planned to take him to Sandcastle Water Park because he loved to play in the water.

At one point, surveillance pictures show she picked him up and put him on the check-in counter.

But within a few hours she would be back in that lobby yelling that something happened to her baby as he lay face down in the bathtub in her sixth-floor room.

She claimed she didn’t have the strength to pull him out of the tub, and even put on a back brace. She told police some kind of strong force kept him in the tub.

Closing arguments will begin 9:30 a.m. Friday.

2-Year-Old’s Drowning Death In Green Tree Hotel Was Revenge

By Harold Hayes - KDKA-TV

September 18, 2013

PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) – A prosecutor claims a woman charged in the drowning death of her 2-year-old son in a Pittsburgh hotel killed the boy to get back at her husband during a bitter divorce.

Assistant District Attorney Lisa Pellegrini said Sharon Flanagan, 34, of Inwood W. Va., searched online for “leading cause of toddler death” and “why is Casey Anthony so popular?” on her computer weeks earlier.

It was 6:18 p.m. on July 1, 2012, when Sharon Flanagan carried her 2-year-old son, Steven, into the Best Western in Green Tree.

She told police she planned to take him to Sandcastle water park because he loved to play in the water.

At one point, surveillance pictures show she picked him up and put him on the check-in counter.

But within a few hours she would be back in that lobby yelling that something happened to her baby as he lay face down in the bathtub in her sixth-floor room.

She claimed she didn’t have the strength to pull him out of the tub, and even put on a back brace. She told police some kind of strong force kept him in the tub.

During the course of their investigation though, police retrieved pictures from Flanagan showing Steven’s ability to climb in and out of a tub at his West Virginia home, as well as his ability to climb in and out of a kiddie pool, and to be able to push himself up in a moderate amount of water.

The jury also saw pictures like that of a tee-shirt which read, “I love mommy and mommy loves me,” which was found in Flanagan’s car.

She admitted she did things to curry favor with the boy since she and his father were in the midst of a bitter separation. She once accused the father of sexually molesting the boy, but police say there was no merit in the accusation.

The defense though says what happened in the hotel bathtub was an accident because there was no sign of a struggle.

Late Wednesday, a detective testified about what the prosecutor claimed in her opening statement: that Flanagan researched the Casey Anthony murder case in the days prior to the child’s death.

In addition to homicide, Flanagan is also charged with wiretapping because police say she illegally recorded her interview with detectives.

Mother Of Toddler Charged With Criminal Homicide

KDKA-TV

July 23, 2012

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled the death of a toddler a homicide and now his mother is facing new charges.

Two-year-old Steven Flanagan died after police say his mother, Sharon Flanagan, tried to drown him in a bathtub at the Best Western in Green Tree earlier this month.

He spent several days at Children’s Hospital before he passed away on July 6.

Flanagan, 33, of West Virginia, is now facing charges of criminal homicide, endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated assault.

She remains behind bars at the Allegheny County Jail.