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Tirado trial day three
October 4, 2007
By Kristin Lowman
 Day
three started with the arrival of Edwin Tirado, his family, and the
family of 13-year-old Jonathan Carey. Opening arguments were first,
the prosecution laying out what happened the night of February 15th.
Edwin Tirado, Nadeem Mall, Jonathan
Carey, and another OD Heck consumer were on an outing from the
facility to Crossgates Mall.
The prosecution says Edwin Tirado
inappropriately restrained Jonathan Carey by sitting on him when he
wouldn't calm down, ultimately causing his death. The prosecution
says the trip then continued without getting Carey medical
attention.
The defense today maintained
Tirado's innocence saying the situation was a combination of
mistakes.
One of those mistakes was when
Tirado was left in the van alone when Carey was supposed to be with
his aid, Nadeem Mall, at all times. The defense says Tirado did not
believe Jonathan was dead and had worked double shifts in February
to the point of exhaustion.
Following opening arguments a
number of witnesses took the stand. Jonathan's mother, Lisa Carey,
was the first witness for the prosecution. She spoke about
Jonathan's life and his medical history.
A number of OD Heck employees also
testified. Jonathan's psychologist, a senior nurse, and two
supervisors also took the stand.
Tedra Hamilton, a unit supervisor
at OD Heck, approved the outing on February 15th. On the stand she
stated Tirado was in charge of the outing and outlined the rules of
all outings.
David Iacovitti, an OD Heck
supervisor, testified he was the first to perform CPR on Carey when
he arrived back at the facility. He also added Tirado was well liked
by consumers and was always respectful.
Day four of the trial will be much
like day three. More witnesses will take the stand, with more
testimony and both sides trying to prove their case.
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