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Au pair's hometown dismayed by trial outcome
October 31, 1997
Web posted at: 1:30 p.m. EST (1830 GMT)ELTON, England (CNN) -- Friends and supporters of British au pair Louise Woodward reacted with shock and dismay Friday after a U.S. judge sentenced her to a mandatory life sentence for the shaking death of an 8-month-old baby in her care.
Andrew Miller, the local member of Parliament in Woodward's hometown of Elton, expressed sympathy to the parents of the baby, Matthew Eappen, but said he believed Woodward had been wronged by the court.
"It's been a terrible tragedy all around ... after all, a small child has died," Miller said. "I firmly believe in Louise's innocence. I think there's been a terrible miscarriage of justice." (
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Woodward, 19, was found guilty Thursday of second-degree murder for the February death of Matthew, who died of massive brain damage. Her sentence was announced Friday.
Prosecutors said Woodward violently shook the infant and slammed his head against a hard surface at the Eappens' Newton, Massachusetts home. Woodward maintained her innocence throughout the trial, saying Matthew woke from a nap gasping for breath and that she shook him gently to revive him.
The case received extensive coverage in Britain, where trials typically are not televised.
For Linda Reynolds, a longtime friend of Woodward, the news of her sentence was disheartening.
"It must be awful to lose a child," she said, referring to Matthew's parents. "Obviously they felt they had to blame somebody. To me, they just blamed the wrong person."
(Reynolds said she and other supporters were now launching the Louise Campaign for Justice to try to free Woodward from prison and bring her home.
Woodward will be eligible for parole in 15 years.
Message Board:
Related stories:
- Au pair: 'I never hurt Matty' - Oct. 31, 1997
- Life sentence for au pair - October 31, 1997
- British au pair convicted of murder - October 31,1997
- Au pair guilty in baby-shaking death - October 30, 1997
- British au pair chooses 'all or nothing' verdict - October 27, 1997
- Cross-examination of nanny called 'minefield' for prosecution - October 26, 1997
- Nanny says she didn't harm baby - October 23, 1997
Related sites:
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- Court TV Casefiles: Massachusetts v. Woodward
- Shaken Baby Syndrome - A Problem of Growing Concern
- Information About Shaken Baby Syndrome
- Home of the International Au Pair Association
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