In a South Carolina courtroom on a Thursday morning, a magistrate in Lexington County declined to release a 25-year-old father, Michael Comer, who is accused of burying his 11-month-old son in a dog crate in a stand of scrubby pines. The child, Koah Sharp, was found alive after roughly a day underground, a survival the sheriff attributes to cool air and a pocket of breathable space left by a towel wrapped around the crate. Comer, who has been held since the boy was reported missing, now faces the slow machinery of the courts, with a hearing set for December 10 and the presumption of innocence
Bond denied for South Carolina man accused of burying his 11-month-old son alive
The father of an 11-month-old boy who survived being buried alive in a dog crate for a day has been charged with attempted murder in South Carolina. Twenty-fiv…
Koah was found by rescuers after about 24 hours underground.
Mark
Why does this case stand out beyond the obvious horror?
Mimi
Because the child lived. Koah was underground for about 24 hours and is expected to fully recover, which is what turns this from a death investigation into an attempted murder case.
Mark
What kept him alive?
Mimi
The sheriff pointed to cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel wrapped around the crate.
Luke
That's the sheriff's explanation, though. It's a reasonable account, but I'd note it's an official's assessment of why he survived, not a medical finding in what we've been given.
Mark
What did the investigator tell the court?
Mimi
Tyler Douglas said Comer showed no remorse and tried to flee the state. The magistrate denied bond, approved a public defender and set a hearing for Dec. 10.
Luke
Again, those are claims made by the investigator at a bond hearing. Comer's side hasn't been heard in what we have, and he's charged, not convicted.
Mark
Is there more to the story?
Mimi
Probably, yes. Part of the source text is scrambled, so details about the search and the people involved aren't readable.
Luke
Which means we shouldn't fill that gap. Motive, the burglary details and how Koah was found are unknown from this material.
Le Pouls
- A father is held without bond after an infant was found alive, buried in a dog crate for about a day.
- Investigators told the court the accused showed no remorse and had tried to leave the state, sharpening the case against him.
- A public defender has been appointed, and the legal process moves toward a December 10 hearing.
- The boy is expected to recover fully, while the charges of attempted murder, burglary and endangering a child remain unproven allegations.
In a South Carolina courtroom on a Thursday morning, a magistrate in Lexington County declined to release a 25-year-old father, Michael Comer, who is accused of burying his 11-month-old son in a dog crate in a stand of scrubby pines. The child, Koah Sharp, was found alive after roughly a day underground, a survival the sheriff attributes to cool air and a pocket of breathable space left by a towel wrapped around the crate. Comer, who has been held since the boy was reported missing, now faces the slow machinery of the courts, with a hearing set for December 10 and the presumption of innocence still intact.
On Thursday morning, a magistrate in Lexington County, South Carolina, denied bond to Michael Comer, a 25-year-old man accused of burying his 11-month-old son alive in a dog crate. The boy, Koah Sharp, survived and is expected to make a full recovery, a fact that has made the case as much about how close the child came to death as about the charges themselves.
Comer faces charges of attempted murder, burglary and unlawfully placing a child at risk. He has been in custody since Monday, the day Koah was reported missing. The crate had been placed in a clump of scrubby pines, and rescuers found the boy after about 24 hours underground. The sheriff said cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel wrapped around the crate likely helped him survive.
At the hearing, lead investigator Tyler Douglas told the magistrate that Comer showed no remorse and had tried to flee the state. Comer will be represented by a public defender, and his next hearing is set for December 10. Every charge is an allegation, and he has not been convicted of anything.
A magistrate in Lexington County, South Carolina, denied bond on Thursday morning for Michael Comer, a 25-year-old man accused of burying his 11-month-old son alive in a dog crate. The boy, Koah Sharp, survived and is expected to make a full recovery.
Comer is charged with attempted murder, burglary and unlawfully placing a child at risk. He has been in custody since Monday, the day Koah was reported missing.
At the hearing, Tyler Douglas, the lead investigator for the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, told Magistrate Gary W. Reinhart that Comer showed no remorse for trying to kill his son. Douglas also said Comer tried to flee the state. Reinhart approved a public defender for Comer and set a hearing for Dec. 10.
According to the account of the case, the crate was buried in a clump of scrubby pines. Koah was found by rescuers after about 24 hours underground. The sheriff said the boy likely survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel that had been wrapped around the crate.
The source text for the later parts of the story is badly garbled, and much of what appears to be additional detail, including accounts of the search and the reactions of responders and others, cannot be reliably read. What can be said with confidence is limited to the charges, the bond decision, the investigator's statements in court, the sheriff's explanation for the child's survival, and the boy's expected recovery.
The next scheduled step is the Dec. 10 hearing, where Comer will be represented by a public defender. The charges are allegations, and Comer has not been convicted of anything.
Citations marquantes
Comer showed no remorse for attempting to kill his son and tried to flee the state.— Tyler Douglas, lead investigator, Lexington County Sheriff's Department (paraphrased)
Cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel likely helped Koah survive.— Lexington County sheriff (paraphrased)
Envie de l'histoire complète ?
Lire l'original sur The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ↗