Prosecutors ponder dealth penalty for mom in 7-year-old son’s death

Prosecutors successful Las Vegas program to determine soon whether to question the decease punishment for the pistillate accused of strangling her 7-year-old son.

Samantha Moreno Rodriguez, 35, appeared successful tribunal concisely via video league Wednesday, during which Deputy District Attorney John Giordani said his bureau would determine wrong the adjacent period whether to question the decease punishment against her.

Rodriguez told investigators that she became frustrated with her son, Liam Husted, portion they were hiking disconnected the road betwixt Las Vegas and Pahrump, according to recently released expansive assemblage transcripts.

His assemblage was aboriginal recovered May 28 adjacent the Mountain Springs Trailhead.

During the hike, Liam, who had autism spectrum upset and minimal verbal skills, was moving and not listening, Metropolitan Police Department homicide Detective Robert Ochsenhirt told a expansive assemblage past week.

Rodriguez shoved him, and helium fell and deed his head, earlier helium started screaming “louder than she had ever heard him shriek before,” Ochsenhirt said.

“She wasn’t truthful definite however to halt him from crying. The things she had tried successful the past to calm him down weren’t working.”

She past strangled him for 10 to 15 minutes, the detective testified.

Rodriguez was indicted past week connected a execution charge.

Days earlier Liam’s death, Rodriguez had gathered up some of their belongings and near their flat successful San Jose, California.

She drove “somewhat aimlessly” to Southern California successful hunt of much affordable housing, the detective said. She had not worked successful a mates of years.

She ended up successful Las Vegas connected May 26.

The boy’s father, Nicholas Husted, was astatine their location successful California. He testified that helium was preparing for an overdue breakup and a custody conflict and notified authorities that Rodriguez near with the boy.

Investigators initially referred to Liam arsenic John “Little Zion” Doe arsenic they worked to place him, fielding hundreds of tips from crossed the country.

Homicide detectives traced Rodriguez to a edifice successful Denver, wherever she was arrested.

She is scheduled to instrumentality to tribunal Aug. 20.

Contact Briana Erickson astatine berickson@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-5244. Follow @ByBrianaE connected Twitter.