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Mom to Serve 50 Years to Life For Murder of Son
Aired September 03, 2003 - 15:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A horrendous crime, a mom to do maximum time. Showing no mercy, a New York judge sentencing a paranoid schizophrenic woman to 50 years to life for killing one son and trying to kill another.
Our Gary Tuchman was at today's hearing, where the boy's bitter and tearful father had to say this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thirty-nine-year-old Christine Wilhelm, convicted of drowning one of her sons and trying to drown her other son, came to this courtroom today for a sentencing hearing very quietly, wearing a green prison jacket, wearing blue jeans, wearing, holding Rosary beads. She sat down at the table behind me and listened impassively to most of the proceedings.
But after the judge gave her the maximum penalty, 50 years to life, she got very angry. As she was leaving the courthouse, a police officer was holding her arm and she yelled, "Don't take my arm! Don't take my arm!" and flung her elbow at the police officer. She then left the courtroom and shouted at everyone in the courtroom, "Liars! You all lie!"
Earlier in the proceedings her husband stood up and talked before the judge about what happened.
KEN WILHEM, FATHER OF VICTIM: He was a boy who was full of life, energy, love and a big heart for many people whom he had met only a few times. He used to run to me when I would get home from work and say, "Dad, I was worried about you." I know when it's my time to meet up with him again, he'll come running to me and say exactly that to me.
TUCHMAN: Ken Wilhelm has filed for divorce from his wife.
One of the toughest parts of this trial was hearing his surviving son, Peter, who is now 6 years old, testify as to what happened that night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mom tried to drowned me cause she had a sickness in her mind and she didn't take her whole medication, so she had that problem and she tried to drown me, but instead she drowned my brother two times. TUCHMAN: In addition to the prison sentence, the judges ordered that Christine Wilhelm have no contact with her son Peter until the year 2056. She would be 92 years old.
This is Gary Tuchman, CNN, in Troy, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 3, 2003 - 15:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A horrendous crime, a mom to do maximum time. Showing no mercy, a New York judge sentencing a paranoid schizophrenic woman to 50 years to life for killing one son and trying to kill another.
Our Gary Tuchman was at today's hearing, where the boy's bitter and tearful father had to say this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thirty-nine-year-old Christine Wilhelm, convicted of drowning one of her sons and trying to drown her other son, came to this courtroom today for a sentencing hearing very quietly, wearing a green prison jacket, wearing blue jeans, wearing, holding Rosary beads. She sat down at the table behind me and listened impassively to most of the proceedings.
But after the judge gave her the maximum penalty, 50 years to life, she got very angry. As she was leaving the courthouse, a police officer was holding her arm and she yelled, "Don't take my arm! Don't take my arm!" and flung her elbow at the police officer. She then left the courtroom and shouted at everyone in the courtroom, "Liars! You all lie!"
Earlier in the proceedings her husband stood up and talked before the judge about what happened.
KEN WILHEM, FATHER OF VICTIM: He was a boy who was full of life, energy, love and a big heart for many people whom he had met only a few times. He used to run to me when I would get home from work and say, "Dad, I was worried about you." I know when it's my time to meet up with him again, he'll come running to me and say exactly that to me.
TUCHMAN: Ken Wilhelm has filed for divorce from his wife.
One of the toughest parts of this trial was hearing his surviving son, Peter, who is now 6 years old, testify as to what happened that night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mom tried to drowned me cause she had a sickness in her mind and she didn't take her whole medication, so she had that problem and she tried to drown me, but instead she drowned my brother two times. TUCHMAN: In addition to the prison sentence, the judges ordered that Christine Wilhelm have no contact with her son Peter until the year 2056. She would be 92 years old.
This is Gary Tuchman, CNN, in Troy, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
