Opinion ID: 4241419
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Fero's Evidence at Trial

Text: Fero testified that she noticed early that evening that Brynn was not walking around the house like she normally would, but Fero did not think much of it at the time. 5A VRP (Mar. 17, 2003) at 75. Fero explained that she watched Brynn occasionally while her parents were at work, id. at 69-70, so Brynn had bonded with her and would follow her around the house, id. at 75. But on that day, Brynn stayed mostly wherever Fero placed her. Id. Fero dismissed Brynn's unusual behavior, however, believing Brynn was acting distant because she had not seen Fero for three
weeks. See id. at 73, 75. Fero also testified that she saw an enormous bruise on Brynn's pelvic area early that evening. Fero testified that she first noticed that large bruise below Brynn's belly button, near her pelvis, while she was bathing Brynn. Id. at 76. Although the bruise disturbed [her] and made her feel sick when she saw it, she ultimately dismissed it since Brynn often had bruises on her body. Id. at 76-77. Brynn's father confirmed that Brynn often had bruises because she was a pretty In re Pers. Restraint ofFero (Heidi Charlene), No. 92975-1 (Gordon McCloud, J., dissenting) clumsy toddler and her older brother, Kaed, had a tendency to pinch and play too roughly with her. See 1 VRP(Mar. 11, 2003) at 142, 127-30. This is why Fero did not call Brynn's father right away. Fero testified that after she finished bathing Brynn, she dressed her, brought her downstairs, and placed her in her playpen. 5A VRP(Mar. 17, 2003) at 77. Fero then proceeded to bathe her son. Derrick. Id. at 78. While Fero was upstairs bathing Derrick, her five-year-old daughter, Rachel, came in and reported that Kaed was hurting Brynn. Id. at 80. Fero immediately stopped bathing Derrick, placed him in his crib, and went downstairs to investigate. Id. at 80-81. She found Kaed on the couch and Brynn in her playpen. Id. at 81. Fero checked on Brynn; she looked fine so Fero went back upstairs to finish drying and dressing Derrick. Id. While Fero was upstairs, Rachel appeared a second time. Id. This time, Fero recalled Rachel specifically saying that Kaed was banging his sister's head against the wall. Id. Rachel mostly confirmed Fero's recollection but said she saw Kaed pushing rather than banging Brynn against the wall. Id. at 43-44. Rachel added that she also saw Kaed hitting Brynn with a toy hammer and toy wooden cane and lifting Brynn's leg to her chin. Id. at 43, 49. In re Pers. Restraint ofFero (Heidi Charlene), No. 92975-1 (Gordon McCloud, J., dissenting) When Fero went downstairs this second time to investigate, she caught Kaed climbing out of Brynn's playpen. Id. at 82. Although Fero did not catch Kaed in the act, Fero believed Kaed probably hurt his sister because Bryrm was crying. Id. at 82-83. Brynn's cries, however, seemed unusual and silent, and she was shaking and trembling more than [Fero had] seen a child do before. Id. at 82. Fero picked Brynn up and noticed a small amount of blood in Brynn's mouth. Id. Fero asked Kaed to explain what he had done to his little sister, but Kaed responded only that he was a Power Ranger action hero. Id. at 83. Although Kaed never described what he did to Brynn, he later admitted to the responding police officers that he caused his sister to stop breathing, though he also believed there was blood in Brynn's mouth because the temperature just push[ed] it out or her [djreams push[ed] it out. 2 VRP(Mar. 12, 2003) at 212-13. Fero testified that she knew at that time that Brynn was hurt, but believed Brynn would be okay, 5A VRP (Mar. 17, 2003) at 87, because Bryrm had only a few red marks forming on her face, 5B VRP (Mar. 17, 2003) at 122. Fero therefore focused on soothing Bryrm by rocking her until her eyes closed and her body just kind of relaxed all of a sudden. 5A VRP (Mar. 17, 2003) at 84. Believing Bryrm had fallen asleep, Fero laid her down carefully against the back dip of her futon so In re Pers. Restraint ofFero (Heidi Charlene), No. 92975-1 (Gordon McCloud, J., dissenting) Brynn would not accidentally roll off and then called Brynn's and Kaed's father. Id. at 84-85. That call occurred around 7:45 p.m. Id. at 86. The father, Ackley, confirmed that Fero called him that evening while he was at work and told him that Rachel saw Kaed push Brynn's head against a wall. 1 VRP (Mar. 11, 2003) at 118-19. Ackley also confirmed that Fero told him that Brynn was unable to walk on one leg. Id. In contrast to Fero's testimony, however, Ackley did not recall Fero mentioning blood in Brynn's mouth or bruises on her pelvis. Id. at 119-20. Ackley acknowledged the focus of his conversation with Fero was on disciplining Kaed for hurting his sister, id. at 120, rather than on identifying Brynn's precise injuries. The call ended with Ackley suggesting that Fero lock Kaed in a closet or bedroom. 5A VRP (Mar. 17, 2003) at 86. It is unclear whether Fero disciplined Kaed that night as Ackley suggested. Sometime after the call ended, Fero turned on a movie to occupy Kaed and Rachel while she cleaned her house. Id. at 87-88. Fero testified that she checked on the children every few minutes while she was cleaning. Id. at 88, 93. But a couple of hours later, around 9:45 p.m., when Fero was swapping in a new movie for the children, Fero noticed that Brynn's eyes were partially open and something didn't look right. Id. at 88. Fero tried to wake Brynn by wiggling her In re Pers. Restraint ofFero (Heidi Charlene), No. 92975-1 (Gordon McCloud, J., dissenting) chest and saying her name and then splashing water on her face, but Brynn did not respond. Id. at 89. It was at this moment that Fero noticed dark bruises had formed on Brynn's face. SB VRP (Mar. 17, 2003) at 118. Fero immediately called her mother, who had some medical training, for advice. Her mother told her to call 911. Cell phone records show that Fero called her mother at 9:52 p.m. and called 911 two minutes later. 5A VRP (Mar. 17, 2003) at 90.^ Fero explained to the paramedics and responding officers that Kaed might have been responsible for Brynn's injuries. Excerpted VRP (Mar. 10, 2003) at 41 ^ Fere's statements to the responding officers and emergency personnel conflicted with her trial testimony in four ways. First, Fero told the 911 operator that Kaed was 'chasing' his sister that night, 5A VRP (Mar. 17, 2003) at 98, which implied Brynn had been running even though Fero testified that Brynn was mostly sedentary that evening, id. at 75. Second, Fero told responding officers that she did not bathe Brynn that day, 2 VRP (Mar. 12, 2003) at 193, even though she testified that she first noticed the bruise on Brynn's pelvic area while she was bathing Brynn,5A VRP(Mar. 17,2003)at 76-77. Third, Fero told the detectives that Brynn's playpen was originally located against the wall but had been recently moved even though there were no carpet indentations showing the playpen had been moved. 1 VRP (Mar. 11, 2003) at 66. Fourth, Fero signed a statement stating only a few minutes had elapsed between her seeing Kaed climb out of Brynn's playpen and her finding Brynn unconscious on the futon, 5A VRP(Mar. 17, 2003) at 10203, even though she testified at trial that approximately two hours had elapsed in between, id. at 88, 93. But Fero contested the accuracy of the signed statement. According to Fero, she told the officers that she was checking on the children every five minutes during the two hours she was cleaning. Id. at 92-93. Notably, Captain Mitch Nelson of the fire department was present during the police interview and confirmed Fero's story. According to Captain Nelson, Fero reported that night—consistent with her trial testimony—that Brynn was sleeping for hours. 1 VRP(Mar. 11, 2003) at 101-02. In re Pers. Restraint ofFero (Heidi Charlene), No,92975-1 (Gordon McCloud, J., dissenting) (Dohman); 1 VRP (Mar. 11, 2003) at 20 (same), 40 (Tone), 62 (Smith), 84-88 (Telford), 101-02 (Nelson); 2 VRP (Mar. 11, 2003) at 190-91 (Dr. Lukschu), 19597(Norton). Even Kaed's mother, Franck, believed Kaed was likely responsible for Brynn's injuries. 1 VRP (Mar 11, 2003) at 164. According to Franck, Kaed was mean to his baby sister. Id. at 154-56. Franck had seen Kaed kicking Brynn and once even saw him land on top of her while trying to jump over her. Id. at 161-63. Brynn's father, Ackley, confirmed that Kaed had problems with anger and violence, id. at 28, and believed Kaed may have been jealous of the attention his little sister received, id. at 130. Ackley himself had seen Kaed pushing and pinching Brynn and once even saw Kaed pull Brynn's legs out from under her. Id. at 128. This aggression, Ackley explained, had worsened in the months preceding the night at Fero's home. Id. at 130.