Shouse v. Commonwealth

OPINION OF THE COURT BY

JUSTICE NOBLE

Appellant, Mollie T. Shouse, was convicted of wanton murder, second-degree criminal abuse, and first-degree wanton endangerment of her two-year-old son who died when she left him in her car overnight and into the afternoon. She' was also convicted of possession of a controlled substance; she has not appealed that conviction. While her conduct would have historically supported a conviction for wanton murder, since it evinces aggravated wantonness resulting in a death, it cannot support such a conviction now. In 2000, the General Assembly amended the homicide…