Mom Gets Probation in Son’s Suicide

MERIDEN, Conn. —  A mother whose 12-year-old son hanged himself in his closet was placed on probation Friday after being convicted of contributing to his suicide by keeping a filthy house.

Prosecutors said that because of the squalid conditions in Judith Scruggs’ home and her own lack of attention to her son’s hygiene, the boy had body odor and bad breath, and became miserable when his schoolmates picked on him. The mother said the bullying drove the boy, Joseph Daniel Scruggs, to take his life.

Scruggs’ conviction on a risk-of-injury charge is believed to be the first time that a parent was found guilty of contributing to a child’s suicide.

Scruggs, 53, showed no emotion as she was placed on probation for five years by Superior Court Judge Stephen F. Frazzini.

“I’ll miss him dearly every day of my life,” she said outside the courthouse.

She could have gotten 10 years in prison, but prosecutor James Dinnan asked for probation. He said Scruggs abandoned her parental responsibilities before the boy hanged himself with a necktie in 2002.

Witnesses described a home where there was barely room to move because of clothes, boxes, papers and debris covering the floor. The air was foul, and the bathroom floor and tub were covered with clothes.

Scruggs’ attorney, M. H. Reese Norris, described her as a single mother who received no child support and worked long hours at a Wal-Mart and as a teacher’s aide to support her two children.

“Judy Scruggs is never going to have a TV show on the niceties of decorating homes or a living magazine or be a sponsor of a housewares line at Kmart; she never will,” Norris said.

Scruggs’ supporters rallied outside the courthouse, with one holding a sign that read: “Punish the bullies, not the grieving mothers.”

Scruggs has sued the city and school system, claiming that teachers and others did not do enough to protect her son, who was kicked and punched by bullies and started sleeping in his closet with knives out of fear. He also would defecate on himself to get out of going to school.

His mother also must undergo counseling and perform 100 hours of community service.