Mother takes stand, says she never thought son could die

Closing arguments to come Friday in Clackamas County courtroom

By Matthew Graham

The Oregon City News, Jan 28, 2010, Updated Jan 28, 2010 (5 Reader comments)

Both sides in the trial of the faith-healing death of Neil Beagley rested Thursday after Neil’s mother took the stand and told jurors about her last months and days with her son.

Marci Beagley told the court that Neil had never complained of trouble urinating or of pain urinating, contrary to the testimony of a witness last week who recalled a conversation from 10 years ago in which Marci Beagley supposedly said Neil had pain when he urinated.

She also said she never thought Neil was going to die.

“At some point in the afternoon we laid hands on him again and I thought he seemed better,” she told the court. “He just seemed to be acting calm and he said he was tired, just wanted to rest and asked me to please let him sleep, ‘don’t wake me up to feed me.’

“I went in to lay down and when I got up and went back in there he had stopped breathing.”

Jeff and Marci Beagley face criminally negligent homicide charges in the faith-healing death of their teenage son, who died June 17, 2008, from complications due to an inflammation in his urinary tract, according to the county medical examiner’s office.

On cross-examination, Deputy District Attorney Steve Mygrant pressed Marci Beagley, saying that she knew her son was in a dire condition and it was her responsibility to take care of him.

“You could have taken him to a doctor, you could have told him this is not negotiable,” he said. “You knew – your child is eating bites and sips and vomiting day in and day out; at what point do you tell your child this is not negotiable,” we’re going to a doctor.

After talking about the “dramatic change” she saw in Neil the night before he died, Mygrant continued.

“You were prepared to take him to the physician,” he asked.

“If he felt he needed it,” she said.

“You felt he needed it, didn’t you?” he pressed.

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