Pathologist's testimony key in Cravers' preliminary hearing
KATHY STEVENS
Whether the state seeks a death sentence for the Carroll Township couple charged in the death of their 7-year-old adopted son will be decided in coming weeks as prosecutors prepare to try the case that was bound over for trial Thursday.
Nanette L. Craver wore a pinched expression, prison jumpsuit and shackles while forensic pathologist Wayne K. Ross of the Dauphin County Coroner's Office described the extent of Nathaniel Craver's fatal injuries during a 4-hour preliminary hearing in the Carroll Township Municipal Building.
Ross' testimony indicated that Nathaniel had been beaten, starved and possibly bound in weeks prior to his death Aug. 25, 2009, at Hershey Medical Center. The cause of death was complications stemming from internal brain injury that caused his brain to bleed.
Craver, 54, and her husband, Michael J. Craver, 45, both of 36 Blair Mountain Road, are charged with homicide, child endangerment and conspiracy to commit homicide. Michael J. Craver sat beside his wife focusing mostly on the floor as Ross detailed bruises, abrasions and injuries to Nathaniel's head that caused it to swell "like a balloon."
Ross described repeated and severe blunt force trauma to the head, which contributed to the brain trauma, as well as signs of pulling or stretching near the joints of the boy's shoulders and hips. That stretching, coupled with abrasions on the wrists and ankles, raises questions that Nathaniel might have been bound, according to Ross' testimony.
Attorney Vincent Quinn represents Michael Craver, and Bloomsburg attorney Gregory Moro and David Hershey of York represent Nanette Craver.
Psychological questions: On cross-examination, defense attorneys questioned Ross about psychological issues such as self-mutilation and attachment disorder, among others. The Cravers contend that Nathaniel inflicted pain on himself and that injuries he suffered resulted from his throwing himself down stairs and falling on a pellet stove, according to testimony and police records.
The defense suggested that those psychological issues might be linked to an alcoholic birth mother and conditions at an orphanage in Russia. The Cravers adopted Nathaniel and his twin sister from an orphanage in Russia in 2003.
A brief discussion of medical reports during testimony revealed the child had some history of psychiatric problems and at one point had been prescribed Risperdal, an antipsychotic medication most often used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar mania and autism, and Concerta, used often to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Testimony also revealed that while the Cravers did attend at least one family session for psychiatric issues, the most recent session occurred during the summer of 2008, about one year prior to Nathaniel's death.
Defense attorneys for the Cravers raised behavioral issues about Nathaniel during the hearing, saying he reportedly hit his twin sister and hurt animals by pulling their hair. They also said the Cravers sought help for Nathaniel because he was pulling on his eyebrows and eyelashes.
They asked whether the brain injury that killed Nathaniel could have resulted from a fall down stairs.
No, Ross said, adding that Nathaniel's injuries were repetitive, multiple and severe and that a fall down stairs was inconsistent with the head injury along with the other 80 external bruises and cuts.
Aunt's testimony: Chief deputy prosecutor Tim Barker called Sandra Atkins as the last of three witnesses. She is Michael Craver's aunt and had visited the Cravers' home about one week before Nathaniel was hospitalized Aug. 19, 2009.
She said both of the children were affectionate. Nathaniel, however, seemed more lethargic than in previous visits. She said he didn't play as fervently and seemed more content to sit on her lap with his arms around her neck.
She testified that she asked Michael Craver about Nathaniel's eyes, which were all but swollen shut; she also asked about the swelling on the child's left cheek to which Craver told her he had fallen, and that he'd rubbed his eyes.
Atkins, who lives in Virginia, said she visited the Cravers when she is in the area and hadn't visited for several months.
"When I saw him I cried," Atkins said during the hearing. "There was a scar on the back of his head. The hair had been shaved. Michael (Craver) said he throws himself down and falls and rubs his eyes."
When asked whether Nathaniel responded to Craver's explanation, Atkins looked down, took a breath and said, "Yes, he said, 'Mommy and needles.'" At that point, the prosecution rested.
The next step is that the Cravers will be formally arraigned on homicide charges. They are scheduled to appear in court on June 4.