Should parents with kids go to prison? A look at Todd Chrisley and SC’s ‘Baby Boy Horry’
A date has not yet been set for the sentencing of a woman who left her newborn, dubbed ‘Baby Boy Horry’ in a shopping bag off a highway in Conway in 2008.
Jennifer Sahr, of Vermont, plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter on Sept. 15, after defense and prosecutors went back and forth on the circumstances of Baby Boy Horry’s death in an emotional trial.
A presentence investigation, unusual for state cases, was ordered and conducted by the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services and turned over to the prosecution and defense teams, Judge Paul M. Burch said.
If both teams agree, a sentencing hearing date could be set for February, he said.
With the defense asking for probation, and the state asking for 20 to 30 years in prison, there’s a wide range of punishment that could be selected.
If both teams agree, a sentencing hearing date could be set for February, he said.
“I have never had a case like this,” Burch said at trial. “I am zeroing in on the most important people in this case, [Sahr’s daughters].”
Sahr’s attorney, Morgan Martin, could not be reached for comment.
Two reality stars were sentenced to several years in prison, leaving behind a family.
“Chrisley knows best” stars Todd and Julie Chrisley were convicted of several tax crimes and sentenced to 12 and 7 years in prison earlier this month, leaving behind a 10-year-old adopted daughter and a 16-year-old boy, both in the custody of the eldest daughter, Savannah Chrisley, age 25.
The couple was convicted in June of defrauding banks out of nearly $30 million, providing banks with false financial statements that made them appear wealthy. The couple’s accountant, Peter Tarentino, was convicted for his role in committing fraud in his client’s behalf as well, and sentenced to 3 years in prison.
The defense, media outlets and friends spoke out against the sentencing, saying that the children in the Chrisley’s family didn’t deserve to suffer on their parent’s behalf.
US Assistant Attorney Annalaise Peters argued that “that burden is on the defendant, and not the judge who hands down the sentence,” the Insider reported.
It’s been 14 years. What is the impact of incarceration now?
Allie Menegakis, Executive Director and Founder of the South Carolina for Criminal Justice Reform, said that for incarceration to make sense, three things must be considered.
“What is the ultimate purpose of this incarceration anymore? Is it helping anyone? Is it protecting anyone? Is it hurting anyone?” Menegakis said. “
When it comes to the case of “Baby Boy Horry,” it was a good thing for the Judge to consider the defendant’s children, she said.
“I would argue that in the overwhelming majority of cases, [incarceration] actually hurts the individual, it hurts their family, and it hurts our citizens, and our society as a whole. It’s creating more crime, it’s affecting the taxpayers, their pocketbooks and using up resources that can be used for other things that would actually prevent crime, such as education, community programs, health care, mental health care, and housing for the poor.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 5:56 AM.