Foster Mother Gets Maximum Sentence in Case of Isaac Lethbridge

Detroit, MI - Charlise "Paris" Adams-Rogers, the foster mother for Isaac Lethbridge when he was murdered on August 16^th, 2006, received the maximum sentence today for Involuntary Manslaughter in connection with his death.

Charlise shed no tears as sentencing was passed down by Judge Vera Massey Jones, who stated that Isaac "screamed bloody murder" and she didn't come to his aid and refused to accept that she was a foster parent to help children, citing testimony that she admitted she became a foster parent for the money.

Adams-Rogers' defense had been that her 12-year-old adopted daughter had accidentally murdered Isaac, and that she couldn't have known this would happen. However, the prosecution proved through testimony and documentation from her mental health professionals that Adams-Rogers knew that the child was violent when not on her medication, and yet she was unmedicated at the time of Isaac's murder.

The judge also stated, regarding the 12-year-old, that "Everybody wants to blame everything on her."

Ms. Adams-Rogers was found guilty under the premise that she had a legal obligation to safeguard the children in her home, and yet she did not. Testimony from a neighbor during the trial was instrumental during the sentencing. According to testimony, Isaac screamed for 2-3 hours before he went quiet, and then the ambulance arrived. The judge stated that "Isaac screamed and he screamed and he screamed, and Mrs. Rogers was there and did absolutely nothing."

She also stated that she could clearly see that a burn on Isaac's lower abdomen had been caused by a clothing iron.

Warren Harris, defense attorney for Ms. Adams-Rogers, pleaded for the court to show mercy to his client, stating that she had been a foster parent and had taken on difficult children for years. The judge responded to his plea by stating that all children who come into care don't do so because they came from perfect situations, and that children in care can be expected to have problems.

In late June, it took a jury less than 4 hours to find her guilty of involuntary manslaughter and 2^nd-degree child abuse as it relates to Isaac. They found her not guilty of 4^th-degree child abuse in relation to his sister, who was in the home at the time of his death.

Adams-Rogers was sentenced up to 15 years, though she is eligible for parole in 5 ½. She was also sentenced for her other charge, 2^nd-degree child abuse, to time served.

Isaac's sister is still in foster care at this time. A petition to terminate the parental rights of her parents, Matthew and Jennifer Lethbridge, was filed last year by the Department of Human Services, but the judge dismissed the petition, stating that termination was not in the sister's best interests. The sister still has weekly visitation with her family, and according to the LGAL assigned to her, she is doing well in spite of grieving for her brother. She is in therapy to help her understand what happened and cope with the loss.

The Lethbridges were at the hearing, but not available for comment.