Sorry- this should have said: Let's play "Pin The Blame On The Man"

[Brent]

Oh boy, the murderer's mother is already trying to make one of the dads "responsible", saying that she believes he "brainwashed" the mother into doing it. Just goes to show, whenever something bad happens, you can always find a man to blame for it.

Grandmother of Murder Kids Offered Custody
Mother of Woman Charged With Children's Murders Says She Was Asked to Take Two of Them

The Associated Press


CLINTON, Ill. Dec. 11 — A woman accused of drowning her three young children in a car submerged in a lake had asked her mother to take custody of two of them just months before their deaths, the mother said Thursday.

Two hours after Amanda Hamm cried as a judge read the first-degree murder charges against her, her mother, Ann Danison, said she couldn't help but wonder if she could have averted the tragedy.

"She was my only child. My only grandkids. I don't have any more," Danison said, her voice breaking. "And I'll never have them."

Six-year-old Christopher Hamm, 3-year-old Austin Brown and 23-month-old Kyleigh Hamm drowned Sept. 2 when the car they were in plunged off a boat ramp into Clinton Lake. Hamm and her boyfriend, Maurice Lagrone Jr., were on the lakeshore when rescuers arrived.

Hamm, 27, and Lagrone, 28, are charged with first-degree murder and appeared in court separately Thursday. Neither entered a plea, and each remains in custody on $5 million bond.

Her knees shaking, Hamm cried and wiped her eyes as a judge read the charges against her and told her she could be eligible for the death penalty. Lagrone stood motionless with his hands behind his back.

Speaking to The Associated Press in her home, Danison said she "hurt for" Hamm when she saw her in court, "but at the same time I was mad, too."

Danison said she believes Hamm is guilty but that Lagrone somehow "brainwashed" her into believing she was doing the right thing.

"Amanda is not a violent person. What she did was wrong. I can't accept what happened," Danison said.

Danison said Hamm had asked her to care for two of her sons so she could move to St. Louis with Lagrone. But Danison told her she could take only Christopher.

Kyleigh's father also said he knew Hamm wanted to move. "She didn't think she could take all the kids with her, but I never thought anything would happen," Shane Senters told WCIA-TV of Champaign.

Authorities have refused to disclose a motive in the case, although they say they have one and that it doesn't involve life insurance money. The case is being handled by a special prosecutor because Danison is the office manager for the state's attorney.

Hamm's court-appointed attorney, Steve Skelton, said he may ask to move the trial from Clinton, a central Illinois town of about 7,500. "The massive amount of media coverage makes a fair and impartial trial in the current venue unlikely," he said.

Lagrone has not yet hired an attorney.

Danison described her daughter as a high school dropout who had been treated for alcohol abuse but who seemed to calm down after becoming a mother.

"Amanda's a very depressed person, low self-esteem, very insecure. But she'd laugh with the kids. She always had a great Christmas for them. ... She'd plan for their birthdays," Danison said.

Oh boy, here we go. Next we'll be hearing about how she's "sick" and needs our "help" and "support". (sigh)

Danison said she didn't approve of Lagrone because he couldn't hold a job and wouldn't care for the children, although he played with them.

Preliminary hearings were set for Jan. 7.

[StPaulieGirl]

Come on Brent, what do you expect Grandma to say?  She's going to beat herself up until the day she dies for not taking those kids.

I don't know what the hell either of them were thinking.  It is impossible for me to find an excuse for what they did.  

[MKx2]

"Oh boy, here we go. Next we'll be hearing about how she's "sick" and needs our "help" and "support". (sigh)"

*****

We can always HOPE that the jury will see that this woman KNEW exactly what she was doing.  Insanity ain't no issue here - particularly if it was a well-known fact (by the article it appears this is true) that she offered up two of her children to her mother, and "evil-person-called-mother" had indicated that she didn't think she could take all of her kids to move with the pile of poop she called a boyfriend who "wouldn't care for the children, although he played with them."  Whoop-de-doo!  Give the @ss a medal!  He "played with them" ....

Again, all I can think about is those poor babies.  So many want children and are unable to have their own, and this "Pig" throws hers away like yesterday's newspaper.

Digusting, horrifying, sickening ...

[Brent]

Oh boy, the murderer's mother is already trying to make one of the dads "responsible", saying that she believes he "brainwashed" the mother into doing it. Just goes to show, whenever something bad happens, you can always find a man to blame for it.

Grandmother of Murder Kids Offered Custody
Mother of Woman Charged With Children's Murders Says She Was Asked to Take Two of Them

The Associated Press


CLINTON, Ill. Dec. 11 — A woman accused of drowning her three young children in a car submerged in a lake had asked her mother to take custody of two of them just months before their deaths, the mother said Thursday.

Two hours after Amanda Hamm cried as a judge read the first-degree murder charges against her, her mother, Ann Danison, said she couldn't help but wonder if she could have averted the tragedy.

"She was my only child. My only grandkids. I don't have any more," Danison said, her voice breaking. "And I'll never have them."

Six-year-old Christopher Hamm, 3-year-old Austin Brown and 23-month-old Kyleigh Hamm drowned Sept. 2 when the car they were in plunged off a boat ramp into Clinton Lake. Hamm and her boyfriend, Maurice Lagrone Jr., were on the lakeshore when rescuers arrived.

Hamm, 27, and Lagrone, 28, are charged with first-degree murder and appeared in court separately Thursday. Neither entered a plea, and each remains in custody on $5 million bond.

Her knees shaking, Hamm cried and wiped her eyes as a judge read the charges against her and told her she could be eligible for the death penalty. Lagrone stood motionless with his hands behind his back.

Speaking to The Associated Press in her home, Danison said she "hurt for" Hamm when she saw her in court, "but at the same time I was mad, too."

Danison said she believes Hamm is guilty but that Lagrone somehow "brainwashed" her into believing she was doing the right thing.

"Amanda is not a violent person. What she did was wrong. I can't accept what happened," Danison said.

Danison said Hamm had asked her to care for two of her sons so she could move to St. Louis with Lagrone. But Danison told her she could take only Christopher.

Kyleigh's father also said he knew Hamm wanted to move. "She didn't think she could take all the kids with her, but I never thought anything would happen," Shane Senters told WCIA-TV of Champaign.

Authorities have refused to disclose a motive in the case, although they say they have one and that it doesn't involve life insurance money. The case is being handled by a special prosecutor because Danison is the office manager for the state's attorney.

Hamm's court-appointed attorney, Steve Skelton, said he may ask to move the trial from Clinton, a central Illinois town of about 7,500. "The massive amount of media coverage makes a fair and impartial trial in the current venue unlikely," he said.

Lagrone has not yet hired an attorney.

Danison described her daughter as a high school dropout who had been treated for alcohol abuse but who seemed to calm down after becoming a mother.

"Amanda's a very depressed person, low self-esteem, very insecure. But she'd laugh with the kids. She always had a great Christmas for them. ... She'd plan for their birthdays," Danison said.

Oh boy, here we go. Next we'll be hearing about how she's "sick" and needs our "help" and "support". (sigh)

Danison said she didn't approve of Lagrone because he couldn't hold a job and wouldn't care for the children, although he played with them.

Preliminary hearings were set for Jan. 7.

[StPaulieGirl]

Come on Brent, what do you expect Grandma to say?  She's going to beat herself up until the day she dies for not taking those kids.

I don't know what the hell either of them were thinking.  It is impossible for me to find an excuse for what they did.  

[MKx2]

"Oh boy, here we go. Next we'll be hearing about how she's "sick" and needs our "help" and "support". (sigh)"

*****

We can always HOPE that the jury will see that this woman KNEW exactly what she was doing.  Insanity ain't no issue here - particularly if it was a well-known fact (by the article it appears this is true) that she offered up two of her children to her mother, and "evil-person-called-mother" had indicated that she didn't think she could take all of her kids to move with the pile of poop she called a boyfriend who "wouldn't care for the children, although he played with them."  Whoop-de-doo!  Give the @ss a medal!  He "played with them" ....

Again, all I can think about is those poor babies.  So many want children and are unable to have their own, and this "Pig" throws hers away like yesterday's newspaper.

Digusting, horrifying, sickening ...

[Indigo Mom]

Gramma here says the mother asked her to take the kids, but she could only take one?  I believe yesterday, on the today show, she said her daughter KNEW she could have taken the boys.  All of them.  

-----Danison said she believes Hamm is guilty but that Lagrone somehow "brainwashed" her into believing she was doing the right thing.-----

I DO believe a persons mind can be systematically broken down, and that person can do things they normally wouldn't.  BUT....I do NOT believe a person can be brainwashed into thinking it's the "right thing" to push their innocent children into a fricken lake and ALLOW them to drown.  eh eh...don't work like that.


-----"Amanda's a very depressed person, low self-esteem, very insecure. But she'd laugh with the kids. She always had a great Christmas for them. ... She'd plan for their birthdays," Danison said-----

Also on the Today show, when asked about her daughter, she did say her daughter has had a VERY difficult life, and had big time "problems" throughout.  

Oh, and what's this shit about great Christmases and planning birthdays?  GOSH...isn't that what ALL parents do?  My goodness...this murderer planned their birthdays...let's all whoop it up and find her not guilty!!  woohoo...not.

Oh, and this Lagrone guy isn't the father.  

Mr. B...I saw 2 of the fathers on the Today show a few minutes ago and my heart broke into a million pieces.  It was AWFUL.  Just awful.  

[Indigo Mom]

-----Come on Brent, what do you expect Grandma to say? -----

My mom would be the first one to string me up and skin me alive. The fricken DA wouldn't even have to try me for this crime, cause my mom would have killed me the moment she found out.

[Peanutsdad]

Not to go off on a tangent,


Sure would be interesting to know the background of the custody fights for those kids,, if there was one.

[joni]

"She was my only child. My only grandkids. I don't have any more," Danison said, her voice breaking. "And I'll never have them."

--Aren't women giving birth in prison from conjugal visits all of the time?  Her daughter can always have more, let gramma have custody since she'll be in prison waiting for her death penalty and have the state pay them welfare.

Hamm's court-appointed attorney, Steve Skelton, said he may ask to move the trial from Clinton, a central Illinois town of about 7,500. "The massive amount of media coverage makes a fair and impartial trial in the current venue unlikely," he said.

--I live in IL, I hope that move this case to my jurisdiction.  I'd volunteer for jury duty.

"Amanda's a very depressed person, low self-esteem, very insecure. But she'd laugh with the kids. She always had a great Christmas for them. ... She'd plan for their birthdays," Danison said.

--Yep, she gave her kids a great Christmas this year.