“I killed my baby”
The trial of Raelyn Balfour, 36, for the death of her nine-month-old son, Bryce, began today in Charlottesville Circuit Court. Balfour, pictured left, escorted out of the courthouse by her husband, Jarrett Balfour, is charged with involuntary manslaughter for forgetting to drop her baby off at the sitter’s and leaving him in her car all day at the Judge Advocate General’s School at UVA March 30, 2006.
“No one is claiming anyone did anything intentionally,” Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Elizabeth Killeen told prospective jurors, checking to see whether sorrow would affect their impartiality and to make sure they understood that the prosecution represents the community and is not “some sort of mindless bureaucracy.”
In her opening statement, Killeen told jurors that Balfour had been on a 29-minute phone call involving a family argument as she drove to work that morning. “She inexplicably left Bryce in the car for over seven-and-a-half hours, even though she has pictures of him in her office,” said Killeen.
By 4pm, Balfour had talked to the babysitter and realized she hadn’t dropped him off. “Bryce died in the first four hours,” said Killeen, who described how the baby “literally baked” in a car that became like an oven. “That is criminally negligent,” she said.
While defendant Balfour, who is pregnant, sobbed, defense attorney Dana Slater played the 911 call in which Balfour could be heard screaming, “Please, no, no, please, please.”
“Does the evidence show a callous disregard for human life?” Slater asked the jurors.
Prosecution witness Jason Jenkins, an officer with the University Police Department, testified that when he arrived at the JAG School, Balfour was leaning over the baby on the asphalt of the parking lot, screaming and asking that he please save her son. Bryce’s clothes were soaked, he had no pulse, his body was warm and his eyes were fixed, according to Jenkins.
One of the first people to reach Balfour at the JAG School was her colleague Sergeant Billie Jo Suttles, who saw the frantic mother performing CPR on her son in the parking lot. Both Balfour and Suttles cried as Suttles described the scene:
“Lyn was very distraught, saying ‘Oh my God, I killed my son. Oh my god, I dropped him off. I remember doing it. I put him on the counter. Oh my god, I killed Bryce. Jarrett’s going to kill me.’”
Added Suttles, “Bryce looked like a porcelain doll.”
The prosecution called nine witnesses, including Bryce’s father, Jarrett Balfour, who testified that he’d dressed Bryce warmly that morning. The case continues tomorrow, and is expected to last at least two more days.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you! We love you! Your family in Michigan
God Bless you and your family. My heart breaks for you. I will pray for all of you. You are not alone.
So you find your dead baby in your car and you say, “Jarrett’s [my husband] is going to kill me.”
Sounds fishy.
Sounds fishy? WTF? Sounds like a perfectly normal statement to me. And it’s just an expression anyway.
probably about 6 trillion thoughts went through her head all at the same time. There were other things said as well. She was obviously completely distraught.
Somebody’s having a replacement baby!
sometimes when things go wrong you have to do what you can to rectify the situation, for all you know, she had already planned to have another child, she isn’t exactly young you know. life comes at you fast and sometimes it sucks, but you have to go on. she is a decorated war veteran who has never been in trouble before and she is obviously sorry for her actions, i think people should give her a break, she’s paid enough and will continue to pay for the rest of her life.
way to go concerned, at least someone is paying attention to the facts!
May those who do not know Mrs. Balfour remember that we, as individuals, are imperfect. The culpability of March 30th may fall upon her, however, the loss of a child is one that she truly will never forget. Those who do know know her must understand that forgiveness is something that she must find in her own heart not through the judging eyes of her neighbors.
Involuntary manslaughter involves an unintentional killing due to recklessness or criminal negligence. Recklessness involves the individual being aware of the risk of injury to others and willfully disregard it. Were you ever late picking up your child? Have you ever sped to work or home? Now ask yourself, did Mrs. Balfour willfully disregard the well being of her child?
‘didn’t wait long” needed to be in the court room and know the facts before assuming “somebody’s having a replacement baby”.
Mrs. Balfour planned on having another child anyway and had a miscarriage in December. She loved Byrce more than anything in the world!
“Didn’t wait Long” never has lost a child in any circumstance, because if you would have, you would know that no matter what you can’t replace a lost child with another.Nor do you ever even want to. Raelyn is a very loving mother, wife and friend to all. She is a very giving person and deserves to be given the understanding that accidents do happen. If you actually listen to all the facts and know the whole story you would know that she would never do anything to hurt anyone or any living thing.
God Bless You and your family and remember who is in charge of your Life.
Sure, I get it. You’re entitled to have babies. And when you roast one, you’re entitled to have another one. Why change your plans? For that matter, you’re entitled to be a bad parent, however loving. No one’s stopping you. For the Religious Right, quantity of life is far more important than quality of life.
to didn’t wait long….BE NICE. :(
[…] jury has found Raelyn Balfour not guilty of involuntary manslaughter for her nine-month-old son Bryce’s death, the result of Balfour forgetting to drop him off at a baby sitter’s house and leaving him in […]
If you leave your dog in a hot car, however much you love it and however much you care for it, you are guilty of animal cruelty. People are brought up on animal cruelty charges and convicted of this. Why are people arguing that a similar crime against a CHILD is less necessary of punishment than a DOG?
I saw this story on the news this morning & was taken by it, why would you put your baby seat in the rear of your s.u.v. and have an empty carseat in your vehicle closest to you…dumb idea. It’s silly to blame baby Bryce’s death to this chick talking on her cellphone, don’t blame the cellphone you can’t tell me the cellphone conversation was that intriguing that you would forget to drop off your only child at the sitters and then all day it not even cross your mind. Sorry but I dont think so. Im a new mother and I know that I don’t know everything but the motherly instincts just kick in & to forget your child of only nine-months in your vehicle is unexcusable.
GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY GUILTY
‘SHOULD BE GUILTY’ is so right with the animal cruelty thing cause they are so quick to hit you up w some animal cruelty charges and serve prison time but they are letting this chick go free. …hmmm…
i’d hate to be the person on the phone that morning with this chick…
unexusable it is exactly parents like you who this can happen too…pray it doesn’t
I simply do not agree that anything about this situation is “excusable”. Do we have anything resembling a moral set of priorities in this world? I am the mother of five and now am the grandmother to 14 and I have done a great deal of child-tending, both those of my own, my kids’, and those of others. I also, simultaneous to all that, held down 2 jobs as a single mom, and now run 2 home-based businesses. And in all that…forty years of it…I cannot comprehend FORGETTING WHAT I DID WITH THE BABY!!!!!
Any job that needs so much concentration that you forget normal human instincts and/or the most important “job” in a mother’s life, the welfare of her child, isn’t a job, it’s a toxic addiction. Ms. Balfour is most assuredly GUILTY of, if nothing else, CRIMINAL negligence, in every sense of the word.
People that have known her over the years would not be suprised at her forgetfulness.
i say people quit ASSUMING things…. ur not god to judge people on there future.. yes we dont know what is the truth. yes, we all think id never done that or would never do that to my child but yes there are far more worst thing out there that parents do my life hasnt been a peach and neither has urs…ive come close to dying too and she was five feet awayand i was drowning at age five but is there anyone to blame no . but does not make my mother a killer..im not saying this out come is right but dont go throwing stones at someone who you heard info from someone else that ur not directly informed. not everyones brain work at the same beat…idk im very sorry this has happend but if there was intent then she will have to deal with these nights to come. if not she will deal with them anyway…..JOE G.
Obviously people are so full of judgment because they have never made a huge mistake in their lives, how self-righteous can you get. Lyn is the
kindest, sweetest and most giving person I know. A few years ago when
I was called to Iraq on very short notice, she was the only one who
volunteered to take both my dogs for a year and a half, no was not an
option with her. I love her like a sister and she doesnt have to go
to prision, she lives in her own personal hell for the rest of her days
on this earth. So the next time you make a mistake, be just as hard
on your self ok?