Was drowning tragic climax of abusing kids?
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He told one woman he was semi-retired and that he made money day-trading. He told others he was a firefighter. He was charming and handsome and owned a home in Kent, complete with an in-ground swimming pool. One by one, the women were drawn to Joel Zellmer. And one by one, according to court documents, they came to believe Zellmer had abused their children. One infant had two broken legs. Another child had second-degree burns on his hands. A third toddler had a close call in Zellmer’s hot tub. Then came 3-year-old Ashley McLellan, who died in 2003 after falling into the pool when Zellmer was supposed to be watching her. Prosecutors say three months earlier, at Zellmer’s suggestion, he and Stacey Ferguson, the child’s mother, had taken out a $200,000 life-insurance policy on her. The child’s death had been ruled an accident by sheriff’s detectives and the King County Medical Examiner’s Office. But for more than three years, Ferguson, Zellmer’s fourth wife, kept pushing authorities to investigate further. “I cannot help but feel that Joel was either fantastically irresponsible or that he carefully planned a way to lure her to her death in order to collect the insurance proceeds,” Ferguson said in papers she filed for their divorce. King County prosecutors charged Zellmer Wednesday with first-degree murder, claiming the death of his stepdaughter was premeditated. He was also charged with second-degree murder, which does not include the allegation of premeditation, presumably to give a jury the option of finding him guilty of either charge. More : seattletimes.nwsource.com |