Jury considering mom's role in son's murder

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Attorneys have made their final arguments in the case of a mother on trial for failing to try and stop her husband from killing their son.

Closing arguments began Monday morning in the trial of Deanna Beauchamp De Jesus at the Broward County Courthouse. The Port Orange woman is accused of failing to stop her husband from stabbing their 9-year-old son to death.

Prosecutors said, if the mother would have done something, her entire family would still be alive today. However, the defense argues, the mother was powerless to do anything.

DeJesus covered her face and cried as Prosecutor Greg Rossman showed pictures of the deceased boy's wounds. "She said, he died quickly, he didn't suffer. That's one cut on the front of his hands," Rossman said, holding up the picture. "That's the back of his hands," he said, picking up another photo, "exploded from the stab wound, while he's not suffering and while he's dying quickly."

William De Jesus randomly showed up at a Deerfield Beach trailer park back in February, which resulted in a standoff with police. He would kill his son, a tenant of the trailer park and then himself. He would wound both his younger son and his wife as well as the tenant's girlfriend during the rampage.

DeJesus decided not to testify in her defense Friday. She stands charged with aggravated manslaughter and child neglect for her alleged role in the RV park attack. "Deanna DeJesus sits here now," said Rossman. "She's still alive. Deanna fought back for herself only."

Her defense attorney, Terry Moons, in closing arguments, said his client could not do anything because she was hurt, as well. "As Samson [the surviving child] said earlier in his statement, 'I was laying down and Mom, I was trying to get Mom up, but she couldn't get up.' Was that corroborated? It absolutely is."

The judge gave instructions to the jury, noting this is a case about fact and not a case about how this tragedy could have happened.

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