Douglas woman gets 14-23 years in prison for…

A 55-year-old woman from Douglas, Wyoming, was sentenced Wednesday to between 14 and 23 years in prison for abusing her elderly mother and fatally injuring her.

Converse County District Court Judge F. Scott Peasley handed down the sentence to Edwina Leman after reviewing about an hour of videos her son recorded at their home, which showed Leman berating, taunting and taunting her mother, Mary Davis. was rough.

The videos were difficult to watch, both the prosecutor and defense attorney agreed.

In one, Leman complained that her mother didn’t want to interfere with the family and tried to “stay out of the way,” but it would still take hours to get a meal.

“Thank you for staying out of the way,” Leman said in a sarcastic and strident tone in one of several videos that the prosecutor, Converse County Deputy Attorney Nathan Shumway, played in Converse County District Court on Wednesday. “Don’t share, don’t care, don’t interact – have nothing to share. Just 81 years of fucking waste. Big fucking zero.”

Leman continued to rant in the video.

“If you die, I’m going to invite (people)… and they’ll say this is the reason. That’s why your grandma didn’t want to share it. Because she was a whore. Right, Maria? That’s why you don’t want to share it,” she said in the video.

Other videos showed Davis screaming in pain or begging for help, while Leman gave indifferent responses, such as.

“I need help, can you please call me for help?” Davis pleaded in one of the videos.

“No,” Leman replied.

“I’ll pay for it,” Davis protested.

‘Worse than an animal’

On top of all the emotional abuse, Leman broke Davis’ femur on December 28, 2023, when she removed her clothing too roughly. The break led to complications that left Davis dead.

“She treated her worse than an animal,” Shumway told the court. He said elder abuse is especially egregious because old age can rob people of many of the vestiges of their identity, leaving them with nothing but the choice to die with dignity.

Leman robbed Davis of that, Shumway argued.

Leman’s attorney Denny Harts responded, noting that the death investigator’s report ultimately called Davis’ manner of death an “accident.”

“And honestly, no one saw what happened,” Harts said.

Peasley warned Harts not to make an argument for Leman’s innocence when she has already admitted to abusing her mother and agreed to be sentenced in her death. But the judge said Harts could argue “mitigating factors” on behalf of Leman.

Those mitigating factors, Peasley later said, include Leman’s lack of criminal history; its productivity in society; her homeschooling her two boys and her willingness to take Davis in at all.

Harts indicated that Leman suffered from caregiver burnout and did not have time for basic self-care.

The defense attorney argued for probation, while Shumway argued for between 20.5 and 35 years in prison on both counts combined.

So I’m sorry

Leman made a somber, barely audible statement in defense of herself, asking the judge to determine an appropriate sentence.

“Those were the worst days of my life. If I could change it, I would,” she said between sobs. “And I’m so sorry for my family. And for my community. I should have gotten help for myself. I was more focused on helping mom. I couldn’t see myself.”

Leman’s husband, John, who filed for divorce, testified on behalf of the victim. He said he has forgiven Leman, but will not tolerate what she did.

Complications of a broken femur

Converse County Sheriff’s Lt. Ben Peech began investigating the case after learning on Jan. 2 that Mary Davis had only days to live after suffering a fracture to her femur five days earlier, the affidavit said.

Davis lived with Leman. Family members told him Leman was frustrated with Davis and yelled at her and berated her. She sometimes hit Davis in the head and pushed her when she walked with her walker, family members told the investigator.

Leman admitted to pushing her mother down. She admitted that she was frustrated with Davis and called her “Mary-gina.”

While Davis was in the bathroom on the day of the femur fracture, Dec. 28, 2023, Leman removed her clothing with more force than necessary, the affidavit said.

The son walked into the bathroom and saw Leman pulling her mother’s leg as Davis screamed in pain.

Leman said she occasionally hit her mother in the head. She admitted to police that she was in a bad mood.

Davis died of complications from a compound femur fracture.

Leman ultimately pleaded no contest to manslaughter and pleaded guilty to elder abuse on July 8.

Leman hesitated during her hearing when it came time for her to plead guilty to the elder abuse charge.

She also showed a lack of remorse when discussing her life with an officer who prepared a pre-sentence investigative report, Peasley noted in court Wednesday.

Clair McFarland can be reached at [email protected].