exposing the dark side of adoption
Register Log in

Bond set at $1M in death of infant

public

ZACHARY JANOWSKI

The Willimantic Chronicle

ROCKVILLE - A judge set bail Thursday for a Mansfield foster mother accused in the death of a child in her care at $1 million.

Suzanne Listro, 42, of 260 Stearns Road, was charged Wednesday with first- degree manslaughter and risk of injury to a minor.

Listro worked for the state Department of Children and Families for 12 years and spent the past year as a "children's servicesconsultant." Separate from her employment, she is also a foster-care provider licensed by the department.

According to the warrant for her arrest, Listro called DCF May 12 to ask about a baby the department wanted to place in her care.

However, DCF staff told her that particular child was no longer available, but another child was.

According to court documents, a DCF employee brought the child, Michael Brown Jr., to Listro's home at 5:30 p.m.

According to DCF, Brown was the first foster child placed in Listro's care.

One week later, the Brown baby was dead.

In addition to a criminal investigation, the child's death has prompted a review of department treatment of its own employees.

The bail commissioner requested the judge lower Listro's bond to $200,000, while state's attorney Matthew Gedansky recommended it remain at $1 million.

Rockville Superior Court Judge Patricia Harleston said she accepted Gedansky's recommendation based on the circumstances of the case.

Harleston also ordered Listro, based on recommendations from the bail commissioner and Gedansky, to have no custody of children while the case is pending and to continue with counseling and medication begun since the incident.

Court documents tell two stories: Listro's account of events May 19 and the medical evidence that says her story isn't possible.

According to court documents, Listro told police Brown slept in the room of her 3-year-old son, Zachary, for the first two nights and then she moved him to a crib in her bedroom.

Listro also told police Brown attended day care at Mansfield Discovery Depot May 19 after she stayed home with him for the first week.

After picking the two boys up from day care, Listro took them to Super Stop & Shop in Willimantic and then home where they ate dinner, according to the warrant.

After the boys played together, Zachary went to change into his pajamas and Listro changed Brown's diaper and he played with a mobile while she did so, according to her statement to police.

" The baby was lying on his back on the bottom left corner of the bed. Zachary was sitting in the middle of the bed. Ms. Listro got up from the bed and ejected the tape from the VCR in her bedroom," according to the police report. "As she was turning off the TV, she heard a bang and the baby crying. Ms. Listro turned around and saw Zachary still sitting in the middle of the bed."

However, Listro told policeBrown was lying on his back on the floor in front of the bed.

"The baby's eyes were closed. He looked like he was wincing in pain," Listro told police.

According to court documents, Listro told police the baby cried and screamed, but then stopped and went limp while she picked him up.

She told police she put the baby back on the bed and his eyes started to close. Listro said she "called his name and tried to wake him up."

When Listro tried to pick the baby up a second time, she said he was "even limper," according to court documents.

Listro told police she took the baby downstairs and called 911.

While Listro was on the phone with the dispatcher, she told police, the baby began to spit up formula and continued to do so as she breathed into the baby's mouth.

After paramedics arrived, Listro told police, she called her sister to come take care of Zachary.

According to the documents, state police detectives "explained to Ms. Listro the importance of her telling the truth about how the baby was injured."

Police said Listro replied she was "not lying."

Police also interviewed Listro's sister, Donna Freeland, about her conversations with Listro after the incident, according to court documents.

According to court documents, Freeland said her sister told her on the night of the incident that "something bad happened. I can't tell you."

Freeland also told police Listro had checked herself into a hospital after the death of the baby.

Police later met with Listro and her attorney at Manchester Memorial Hospital, where she was receiving treatment.

In an interview with a detective, 3-year-old Zachary Listro said he did not see the baby get hurt.

According to court documents, Dr. Ronald Gross of Hartford Hospital told police "the victim's injury did not appear consistent with the reported fall."

Court documents describe the injury as "a red area on top of the victim's head above the forehead and a red area on the back of the victim's head."

According to court documents, one of Listro's attorneys told police May 27 he would no longer allow them to interview his client because of conflicts between the medical examiner's preliminary findings.

The medical examiner's report issued Wednesday identified the cause of death as " blunt traumatic head injury" and declared Brown's death a homicide.

The medical examiner told police the baby's injuries "were inconsistent with the injury history provided by Suzanne Listro,who stated the child had fallen off the bed."

After Judge Harleston set bail, Listro's attorney, David Kritzman of Beck & Eldergill in Manchester, asked how many properties Listro could use to post bond.

Harleston said two, but Kritzman argued for her to use four properties to meet the $1 million bond because there was "no way" that as an employee of DCF for 12 years she could make bond otherwise.

After some discussion, Harleston agreed to allow Listro to post bond with up to four properties.

Listro is scheduled to appear in court again July 25.

She had not posted bond as of this morning.

2008 Jul 18