Oceanside Mom Denies Causing Tot’s Death

Oceanside Mom Denies Causing Tot’s Death

By Timothy Bolger on April 16th, 2010

An Oceanside mother pleaded not guilty in Nassau County court on Wednesday to charges that she shook her young son to death last summer.

Lois Saitta, 50, was indicted by a grand jury on April 8 on charges of manslaughter, reckless assault of a child and criminally negligent homicide.

Officers responded to Saitta’s Soper Avenue home for a 911 call after her 2-year-old son, Christopher, fell out of his high chair and struck his head on the tile floor on July 20, Nassau County prosecutors said. Emergency responders found the child lethargic and unresponsive.

The child suffered severe brain swelling and required surgery to remove a piece of his skull to relieve pressure. Doctors determined the child’s symptoms to be indicative of having been violently shaken, according to investigators. The child died less than three weeks later.

“An innocent life has been violently taken, and I will do everything in my power to see that justice is served in this case,” Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said.

“The medical opinion upon which the DA has based the case is flawed,” said Kevin Keating, the attorney who represents Saitta. “Lois Saitta is completely innocent and she’s lived her life as a caring, nurturing, patient woman who greatly loved her son.”

Saitta, who is currently free on $100,000 bail, is due back in court on May 11. She faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.