Possible Death Sentence if Convicted of First-Degree Murder

Murder
Child Abuse
Criminal defense attorney

Marianne Bordt, an elderly German woman will face the possibility of the death penalty if she is convicted on the first-degree murder charge resulting in the death of her grandson in January of 2010. Camden Hiers was five years old at the time that the alleged crime took place and was purportedly drowned in the bathtub of his grandmother’s Florida home by the beach. After her arrest, she was also charged with aggravated child abuse.

Due to her age, lack of any criminal charges previously brought against her, and other such elements, the likelihood of such a severe penalty seems unlikely. However, attention to the case has been growing in Germany, a country that does not carry the death penalty. As part of her defense, her lawyer has argued that Bordt was clinically depressed, and legally was declared insane to a certain extent, due to injuries she suffered during a bombing during a World War II raid.

A hearing in the case is scheduled Friday and one possible outcome is a settlement without trial. However, the boy’s father, David Hiers, who is also Bordt’s former son-in-law, opposes any settlement. Mr. Hiers said a trial is the only way he will learn what happened to his only child and why.

Karin Hiers, Bordt’s daughter and Camden’s father, David Hiers were divorced prior to the child’s second birthday. After their divorce, Karin Hiers had primary custody of their son while David Hiers had visitation rights. Hiers refuses to assent to the defense attorney’s description of insanity, by expressing that the grandmother never displayed any appearances of a mental illness during all the time he was acquainted with her.

According to Mrs. Bordt’s criminal defense attorneys, Mr. Heinz and the grandmother, who were both German citizens, took Camden on vacation to the beach house, which was their annual custom with their daughter Karin. It was stated that in early January, 2010 Camden’s grandfather went out to buy groceries. When he returned to their beach home he discovered Mrs. Bordt soaked with water covering her, clothed in a red jacket and wearing long underwear, authorities said. Mrs. Bordt allegedly told him that she’d killed Camden by drowning him so he wouldn’t have to "grow up in a divorced home."

The prosecution has said it would call the grandfather to testify against his wife. The state of Florida makes an exception in the allowance of marital privilege in a case where child abuse is involved.

A first-degree murder charge with death penalty implication is as serious a charge there is that can be brought by the prosecution. If you, a friend or family member is named as a defendant in such a case it is vital that you hire a knowledgeable attorney with experience in this area of the law.

Mr. Cohen is a top criminal defense attorney who has tried a large number of cases of this nature both for the prosecution early in his career, and most recently as a criminal defense attorney. He has been able to obtain the most favorable results in many difficult cases of this type no matter how bleak the circumstances may have originally appeared.

Please click here to view his credentials, discover more about him, and find out what you should do if an arrest has been made or an investigation has been initiated against you, a member of your family, or someone you know.