Woman charged with murder of adopted daughter

Author: Conrad deFiebre; Staff Writer

The adoptive mother of a 10-month-old Lakeville girl who died of a fractured skull last August after suffering 14 other untreated broken bones has been indicted on charges of murder and manslaughter.

Julie McClure, 32, is accused of subjecting Jessica Li McClure, to an ongoing pattern of child abuse, according to the indictment issued Tuesday by the Dakota County grand jury. The indictment charges McClure with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

She appeared in Dakota County District Court Wednesday and was released after posting a $50,000 bond. She is scheduled to return to court Aug. 22.

Meanwhile, defense attorney Mark McDonough said a brittle bone condition, not infanticidal violence, was responsible for the girl's death. He also said that neighbors and day care workers considered McClure and her husband, Robert, "model parents" and that no one who regularly saw the child observed any bruises or other signs of abuse.

The couple has two other children at home, McDonough said. He said Jessica, who was born in China, was placed in the McClure home at the age of 4 months in February 1993 and that her adoption was not yet final when she died.

McDonough said that Julie McClure testified during the grand jury's weeklong investigation and "absolutely maintains her innocence."

Defense medical experts have determined that Jessica suffered from osteogenesis imperfecta, a brittle bone disease, and died accidentally, McDonough said. Her other fractures - involving the hand, wrist, leg, upper arm, collar bone and three ribs - were also a result of the disease, he said.

"They can happen spontaneously or during normal handling," he said. "This child was loved and cared for by these people. They also have none of the factors you would look for in a child abuse case - no alcoholism, drug abuse or marital discord."

Local authorities, who investigated the case for more than nine months with help from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, had no comment yesterday.

Police responding to a hang-up 911 call Aug. 15 found Jessica unconscious and without a heartbeat. She died two days later at Minneapolis Children's Medical Center after being removed from a respirator.

Julie McClure, the only adult present when police arrived, told officers that Jessica had fallen down from a standing position, then vomited and stopped breathing. She later told investigators that Jessica had earlier fallen from a kitchen counter.