A New York woman convicted ofkilling her four-year-oldduring a 2012 custody battle was found dead in prison.
Manuel Morgado, 60, was discovered dead at around 2:00am 4 March, in her cell at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in New York. The death is listed on the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervisionwebsite.
Morgado received 20 years to life in prison in 2014, after pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of her son, Jason Reish, in October 2012. Morgado smothered the boy with a pillow after giving him Benadryl, perJournal News. She then attempted to overdose on Xanax after leaving a suicide note.
Morgado later told police that she wanted her son's death to be 'quick and peaceful so we could be happy together forever.' At the time, Morgado and her ex-fiancé, Timothy Reish, were fighting for custody over Jason.
Police testified that Morgado initially intended to drug the child before suffocating him with helium, but the boy struggled. Morgado bound the victim as he turned blue and gasped, his hands and feet taped. Morgado then forced Jason's face into a pillow.
Police responded to a 911 call from Morgado's Mamaroneck residence, where she was found unconscious from a drug overdose. Assistant District Attorney Christine Hatfield said the crime was 'nothing short of intentional murder.' 'It was not out of love, not a mercy killing. [It was] premeditated, meticulously planned out,' she added.
Acting state Supreme Court Justice Richard Molea said he was well aware of the case after months of convening with lawyers and prosecutors. 'I could find no insight as to how a human being, let alone a mother like you, could literally extinguish the life of a small helpless child,' he told Morgado during sentencing.
Timothy Reish remembered Jason as a 'vibrant, sweet, innocent' boy' who planned to catch frogs with a friend before he was murdered.
'I would not trade the four years I had with my son for anything in the world,' Reish told Morgado. 'The pain you have caused is immeasurable and without end ... the only thing today does is subtract a monster from society.'
Before he met Morgado, Timothy Reish had two sons with his ex-wife, Erin. Reish and Morgado were engaged after having Jason, but that unravelled. Reish later remarried Erin.
Source: International Business Times UK
