Mother fatally overdosed her 4-year-old

BROCKTON - A Massachusetts woman was convicted of murder in the fatal prescription drug overdose of her 4-year-old daughter.

Carolyn Riley, 35, was accused of overmedicating her daughter Rebecca on powerful drugs prescribed by a psychiatrist who diagnosed her with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder by the time she was 3.

Prosecutors said Riley and her husband Michael concocted symptoms of mental illness in their daughter in an attempt to collect federal disability benefits, then overmedicated her for months to keep her quiet and out of their way.

Defence lawyers said Rebecca died of a severe, fast-moving pneumonia, not a drug overdose.

The case reignited debate in the psychiatric community about whether young children can accurately be diagnosed with bipolar disorder and whether they should be treated with powerful adult drugs.

Jurors reached their verdict on the third day of deliberations. Superior Court Judge Charles Hely immediately sentenced Riley to life in prison, with parole eligibility after 15 years. Michael Riley faces a separate trial.

Rebecca was found dead in her parents' bedroom in December 2006.

A state medical examiner testified that the girl died of a combination of Clonidine, a blood pressure medication the girl had been prescribed for ADHD; Depakote, an antiseizure and mood-stabilising drug prescribed for bipolar disorder; and two over-the-counter drugs, a cough suppressant and an antihistamine.

- AP