Sunday school teachers describe 4-year-old Andrew Burd

Sunday school teachers describe 4-year-old Andrew Burd

Sep 1, 2007

Abby Dunn

CORPUS CHRISTI - Jurors in the capital murder trial of Hannah Overton heard from members of the Overton's church. She is accused of killing 4-year-old Andrew Burd with a lethal dose of Cajun spices.

Sunday school teachers who taught Andrew described him as happy but hard to manage. The defense team for Hannah Overton called three members of the Overton's family church.

All three witnesses were Sunday school teachers for Calvary Chapel of the Coastlands. The first was Victor Castillo.

He would continually ask, even after snack time, if he could have more and generally, I would give him more," Castillo said.

Castillo taught along side his wife, Terry. Both described Andrew as a handful.

"There were times when he would take food out of the trash," Terry Castillo said. "He would immediately walk in and ask me when snack time was going to be. He would crawl underneath the tables and pick up crumbs."

Christina Velasquez, who also worked as a Sunday school teacher, said she noticed Andrew always picking at his skin.

"I had to make sure that classroom was always stocked with extra band aids, just for Andrew, because he would always pick at his scabs to the point they would be bleeding," she said.

But Velasquez also described Andrew as a sweet boy. One memory brought her to tears on the stand.

"We made a craft, and when he was finished, he said "I made it for my mommy," and his face was so happy," Velasquez said. "I had never seen Andrew, happy like that."

Testimony will continue next Tuesday morning.

Defense attorneys said they hope to rest their case before noon on Wednesday.