Sherin Mathews’ father charged with murder, could get death penalty
Sunday, 14/01/2018
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
WASHINGTON: The Indian-American foster father of Sherin Mathews, a three-year-old Indian girl whose body was found in a culvert near their suburban Dallas home in mysterious circumstances last October, was on Friday indicted for capital murder by a grand jury.
Wesley Mathews, if convicted, faces the death penalty.
Mathews has also been charged with endangering the life of a child, abandoning a child and tampering with evidence. His wife Sini Mathews, who has been charged with abandoning a child, faces up to 20 years in prison.
The couple and their biological child, a four-year-old daughter, had gone for dinner leaving Sherin home alone the night before the child died on October 7, 2017. “We can’t go into details, but based on that autopsy report, we were able to determine that we can seek capital murder for this case,” Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said at a news conference announcing the indictment.
“We do want to make certain that justice is done on the behalf of this little three-year-old. We are going to be the voice for her,” Johnson said.
The medical examiner’s office ruled last week the toddler died of “homicidal violence”.
“The evidence is still unfolding in this case. We don’t want anything to jeopardise this case. We think that we have a great case, we plan to pursue this case vigorously, and we don’t want anything to hamper it in any kind of way,” Johnson said.
Indian consul general Anupam Ray, who was present at the conference, was confident that justice would be delivered.
“Wesley and Sini will face trial. The prosecutors have and will pursue this case zealously so that justice is done. India has not forgotten this little child. May she rest in peace,” Ray said. “We were not going to forget Sherin.”
The Mathews adopted Sherin from an orphanage in Bihar in 2016. The girl was found dead by a search dog near the family’s home in Richardson, Texas, on Oct 22, two weeks after she was reported missing by her family.
Wesley Mathews first told the police that she had gone missing from outside the house where he had made her stand as punishment for not finishing her milk. She wasn’t there when he went back for her, he had added.
