The Murder in a Child's Mind

By Rita Marcoli

Guilty was the cry of the gavel in the courtroom that April day of 1995. A  slender  redheaded girl  hung  her head  and was  escorted  out of  the courtroom in    handcuffs.

Still, it was hard to see from my side, as an investigative  repo

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rita Marcoli Publishing
• Release date: Dec 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781959173793

Rita Marcoli

Writing true crime stories requires a great deal of research. " You have to dig into public records from the Albuquerque courts, which is about two hours from my home. You have to request police reports on the case as well as researching newspapers and media feed for everything you can find to help you write the story, making sure everything is correct ".    This is The Murder in a Childs Mind, 2nd publication and now on my 5th book ���� 

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

G

uilty was the cry of the gavel in the court room that April day. A slender red headed girl hung her head and was escorted out of the court room in handcuffs. With all the testimony and so called experts it still was hard to understand from my side as an investigative reporter . How could a court judge give a sixteen year old girl 74 years of prison time . They over road juvenile proceedings all together.

The next few months I wanted to uncover more of what really happened to Ms. Lucas . I wanted to see what Ms. Lucas could do at this point in her case .

Was justice given or was bind justice really bind and was this young girl a pawn in someone elses game.

* To protect the inocent and the not so inocent the names have been changed . This is a TRUE story of MURDER and Our Judisical System. Can you imagine how many people out there who have been dealt a sentence out of convience or lack of thought. This is one of them. Where does the crime stop and the punishment begin?

Chapter 1

The History of a Murderer

A

nna Lucas was born to an alcoholic mother and detached uninvolved father. As a child Anna suffered the affects of fetal alcoholic syndrome which led to life long learning disabilities difficulty reading and a series of mental health and behavioral problems. tragically Anna chronic health and emotional problems ultimately led her act under the substantial domination of her friends when she was coerced into participating in the tragic murder of Fred and Wilma Burns the 80 year old grandparents of her friend Lory Sanchez.

Anna was diagnosed with learning disabilities from a young age . The earliest educational records which are available document that as a young girl Anna suffered from hyperactivity impulsive behavior and signs of emotional disturbance which were consistent with the characteristics of the young children of alcoholics who live in a poor childhood environment. As a child Anna also exhibited signs and symptoms which were consistent with fetal alchohol syndrome, including attention deficit disorder and severe academic problems.

Finally, Anna was diagnosed with a cumulative series of learning disabilities which included a diagnosis that she was marginally mentally retarded.

Anna began to be formally assessed for psychological problems beginning at the age of four . Exacerbating the organic disabilities created at birth, Anna also suffered from a chaotic home environment : her father abandoned the family when she was sexually molested by a family member and later by a babysitter and by the time she was nine years old Anna was diagnosed as suffering from post traumatic stress disorder caused by a severely disruptive social environment.

Anna first came to the attention of juvenile justice authorities at the age of eleven . By that time Anna had been drinking and smoking marijuana for almost a year. When she was eleven juvenile authorities noted that Anna suffered from profound sense of abandonment and lacked any significant parental figure in her life other than her grandmother. Anna then began a series of ineffective court - ordered placements in various foster care homes and other therapeutic group homes. At the age of thirteen Anna was admitted into the Upper heights Psychiatic Hospital where she exhibited signs of depression, oppositional behavior, conduct disorders, and a tendency to be explosive, impulsive, volatile and sexually provocative. A multitude of medical professionals concluded that all of these mental health problems were consistent for a child who had been sexually abused and experienced other childhood traumas.

A few months before the slaying of the Burns Anna was released from a residential Treatment Center. Even though her