Monster ‘mum from hell’ gets life sentence for throwing autistic son off Oregon bridge
Play of words would describe event as ‘London is falling down the bridge’
The saying that a mother’s love is limitless may, at times, be untrue. At least in the case of Oregon mum Jillian McCabe who was sentenced on Monday by a court to life imprisonment for throwing her 6-year-old autistic son down an Oregon bridge.
What happened is an apparent play on words on the childhood ditty “London Bridge is falling down,” because in reality it was the child London who was falling down a bridge.
One possible reason behind her behaviour is that she could be suffering from a mental ailment, or she is just using it as an excuse to evade criminal charges. That’s because investigators discovered that McCabe had been searching online on “hearing voices and hallucinations,” “insanity defense” and “Andrea Yates,” a mother of five who drowned all her kids in 2001 and got away by pleading insanity.
Besides those three terms, McCabe also searched “stabbing,” “drowning” and “dropping from a 133-foot fall.” The last term apparently refers to the Yaquina Bay Bridge where she pushed off in November 2014 her autistic son, London, the care of whom she finds a burden, reports The Washington Post.
Prosecutors said she parked her car near the bridge’s end in Newport, carried him and upon reaching the bridge put him down. For a moment, she appeared to have changed her mind as she turned and walked back to her vehicle. But she repeated her previous action and just pushed London off the bridge without looking back.
McCabe then called 911 and told the dispatcher what she did. Several hours after the incident, a search team made up of a chopper and two boats found London’s lifeless body floating in the bay, according to Michelle Branam, the Lincoln County district attorney.
Jillain surrendered and told investigators that what she did frees husband Matt from being responsible for her and the boy, whom he believes Matt considers an obligation and herself, a burden. Matt, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and to help take care of the two, a family member set up a crowdfunding campaign on Youcaring.com to raise $50,000.
It appears it was the 36-year-old mother and wife who was burdened by the responsibility of caring for a sick husband and child. Allwomensttalk acknowledged that coping with a sick family member – in Jillian’s case, two members – is not an easy task. At times, various factors and emotions come into play that makes the task more difficult amid life’s other daily stresses.
In March 2011, London was diagnosed with autism, while in 2013, Matt was diagnosed with a tumour and lesion on his brain stem. In 2014, Jillian tried to take her own life two times and voluntarily submitted herself to mental hospitals, but upon evaluation was sent home twice.
Branam, in a statement, says that “Everyone hopes this can be explained by way of mental illness so we don’t have to leave open the possibility that a mother could plan to so horrifically murder their child.” However, based on evidence, the prosecutor says it was exactly what took place.
Branam explains that McCabe fakes the symptoms of mental illness when it suits her, but if it would restrict her from something she may want, Jillian “turns off the symptoms.” In one letter, she discussed plans on how she would kill London. She then blames her actions on voices that dictate her what to do.
After London’s death, Matt divorced Jillian who is not eligible for pardon for 25 years.
