Mother of boy who died of cancer at 9 pleads not guilty

SALEM - A Salem mother is facing up to 40 years in prison for allegedly withholding medical care that her autistic son needed to fight the cancer that took his life this year.
Kristen LaBrie ppeared in Essex Superior Court in Salem yesterday, where she pleaded not guilty to four charges, including attempted murder. Bail was set at $15,000 cash.
LaBrie, 37, of Salem, is accused of choosing not to bring her son, Jeremy, to chemotherapy sessions at Massachusetts General Hospital and of failing to obtain, or pick up, prescriptions that doctors said the boy needed.
He died at age 9.
Essex District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett's office alleged in court papers that LaBrie failed to act between October 2006, when Jeremy was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and March 2008, when MGH reported her inaction to authorities.
LaBrie said little during her arraignment, listening intently and shaking her head in disapproval when a prosecutor outlined the alleged crimes.
The indictment, by an Essex County grand jury on Friday, also includes charges of permitting serious bodily injury to a disabled person, child endangerment, and permitting substantial bodily injury to a child.
Defense attorney Kevin James said in court that his client was a victim because the boy's father, Eric J. Fraser, abandoned his son and left LaBrie to shoulder the burden of care.
"She is the victim,'' James said. "She is the mother who took care of her child.''
James and a half-dozen supporters of LaBrie left without speaking to reporters.
LaBrie was first charged in Salem District Court in 2008, with child endangerment.
In papers filed in connection with that case, James wrote that he was exploring LaBrie's mental health during the time when prosecutors allege she chose not to care for her son.
Assistant District Attorney Kate MacDougall said in court that Labrie failed for months to provide necessary medication to her son, missed doctor appointments, and never sought help from the MGH staff.
When Labrie had custody of the boy, she did not reach out to the hospital team caring for her son, which included a social worker, nurse, and oncologist, MacDougall said.
Jeremy was eventually diagnosed with leukemia.
Fraser gained custody of him and put him in hospice care, where he died in March.
Yesterday, Fraser told reporters that he supports the prosecution of LaBrie. He has said in the past that he stepped out of his son's life because of harassment by LaBrie.
"It's a battle,'' Fraser said of life without his son. "Every day is different, but I get through them. I get through the days.''
Fraser's attorney, Bradford Keene, told reporters Fraser could not discuss his former wife's actions until the criminal case ends.
Andrew Ryan of the Globe staff contributed to this report

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