Ex-foster mom in Canton found competent for trial in girl's death

Jack Kresnak

Detroit Free Press

Apr. 4--A former foster mother charged with murder and child abuse in the September death of a 2-year-old foster child in her care is mentally competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Wednesday in Detroit.

Both Carol Poole's defense attorney, Mark Satawa, and Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Jerry Dorsey IV agreed with the assessment of a psychologist at the state Center for Forensic Psychiatry that Poole, 41, of Canton Township is competent to assist in her defense.

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Ulysses Boykin set a May 16 hearing for any pretrial motions, including an expected motion from Satawa to challenge the admissibility of statements made to police about the death of 2-year-old Allison Newman, the foster child in Poole's care.

Two other forensic center reports, regarding Poole's criminal responsibility for the crime and her mental ability to understand waiving her right to remain silent, may be under contention at the later hearing.

Poole gave conflicting statements to police before and after Allison was found unresponsive in her bedroom on Sept. 20. The girl was taken off life support two days later and her organs harvested for transplant.

One of four stories Poole gave police involved playing "whirly bird" with Allison on the second-floor balcony of her home, becoming dizzy and losing her grip on the child, who flew over the railing to the floor 12 feet below.

An autopsy done by Dr. Bader Cassin found that Allison died of skull fractures, brain swelling and bleeding consistent with "a forceful strike at the back of the head against a hard surface." But Cassin could not say whether her death was the result of homicide or an accident.

Poole remains jailed without bond.

Contact JACK KRESNAK at 313-223-4544 or jkresnak@freepress.com.