On Nov. 2, 1987, Hedda Nussbaum and Joel Steinberg ere arrested
after Lisa was beaten into a coma.
Joel Steinberg
Joel Steinberg mugshot
Joel Steinberg in a New York City courtroom in this November 1988
file photo.
(Richard Drew/AP file)
Joel Steinberg conferring with his attorneys. Steinberg was
convicted of murdering 6-year-oid
Lisa Steinberg whom he had
illegally adopted
(AP/Wide World Photos)
Joel Steinberg after his release from prison.
Joel Steinberg
In 1981, before Steinberg's abuse had became apparent,
a beaming Nussbaum showed off 6-monyh-old Lisa.
With lawyer Barry Scheck, Hedda Nussbaum arrives at court in
October 1988,
just before charges against her were dropped.
Hedda Nussbaum
Supporters characterized Nussbaum as a victim of horrific domestic
abuse at the hands of her
common-law husband, Joel Steinberg.
Critics suggested she was a consensual partner in
a sado-masochistic
relationship and an unprosecuted conspirator in her daughter's death.
In her 2005 book Surviving
Intimate Terrorism, Nussbaum's argued that her denial of the
danger
she and her children lived in was typical of some chronically
maltreated persons.
The victim, 6-year-old Lisa
According to initial police reports, on November 1, 1987 around 7:00
p.m.,
Steinberg rendered Lisa unconscious with a severe blow to the
head.
Nussbaum remained alone with the dying child for roughly ten
hours, failing to notify police or
medical personnel. Steinberg
departed and returned several times, sometimes freebasing cocaine.
According to initial police reports, Nussbaum didn't notify
authorities because she believed Steinberg
had supernatural healing
powers. At roughly 6.00 a.m. the next morning, Lisa stopped
breathing. Shortly thereafter, Steinberg telephoned 911 at
Nussbaum's urging.
Joel Steinberg biography
