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Subscribe to RSSVerna McClain appears before a Texas judge on Thursday while being accused of killing a mother and stealing her newborn baby. NBC's Chris Clackum reports.
Updated at 4:30 p.m. ET: MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas -- Texas nurse Verna McClain, charged with capital murder in the shooting death of a mother and the snatching of her 3-day-old baby, made her first court appearance Thursday morning, NBC station KPRC reported.
Asked by a judge if she understood the capital murder charge against her, McClain, 30, quietly replied: "Yes, sir."
McClain was assigned an attorney and ordered held without bail, KPRC said. A bail hearing is scheduled Monday.
McClain is accused of shooting Kala Marie Golden Schuchardt, 28, numerous times in the chest and kidnapping Keegan Schuchardt Tuesday outside a Montgomery County pediatrician's office about 20 miles north of Houston.
She is being held in a single-inmate cell and is not on suicide watch.
Her court-appointed attorney, E. Tay Bond, said McClain plans to plead not guilty.
He told Reuters that he will pursue an evaluation of her mental state. She was visibly upset and mumbling when he met her for the first time Wednesday night and by the next day her mental state appeared to have deteriorated, Bond said.
See the KPRC story on Click2Houston.com
David J. Phillip / AP
Verna McClain is escorted into the courtroom for a hearing Thursday in Conroe, Texas.
"She does appear remorseful," Detective John Schmitt said Wednesday at a news conference.
Montgomery County sheriff's deputies said McClain had planned to present the child to her fiance as their own after having a miscarriage. A May wedding was planned. Investigators said the fiance, who was questioned but not identified publicly, hadn’t seen the kidnapped baby.
McClain has two children of her own with her estranged husband, Theo McClain of San Diego, and also raise his child from a previous relationship, officials said.
Records showed that McClain, a licensed vocational nurse working through a staffing agency, admitted shooting Schuchardt and taking her son. After taking the newborn, McClain told her sister that she now had the child and was ready to start the paperwork to adopt him, according to court records.
Earlier story: Deputies: Texas mother-shooter snatched baby to hide miscarriage
The healthy 3-day-old infant was found around 8 p.m. Tuesday. Investigators said McClain took Keegan to her sister's home in Harris County.
The baby’s father, Keith Schuchardt, was briefly reunited with Keegan. But the child and the Schuchardts' two other children are staying with other relatives while Child Protective Services makes sure the Schuchardt home environment is safe, the Houston Chronicle reported. Schuchardt has a criminal record including felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and burglary of a coin-operated machine, The Associated Press reported.
This article includes reported by The Associated Press and Reuters.
Verna McClain faces charges after being accused of killing a young mother and abducting her newborn baby. Investigative reporter Michelle Sigona discusses.
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Some nurse she was.
How f--king stupid was this woman? She wanted to steal a baby to pretend it's hers, and she steals a white baby? What a retard.
Well the story also relates that she was telling people than she planned to adopt, so that may have been her plan. But, yeah, stupid... and cruel and evil.
Chris- I was thinking the same thing. Guess this case has the makings of an insanity plea.
No doubt!
Though we don't have all of the details yet & may never have them, it wouldn't surprise me if this woman was involved in the baby black market. There is said to be considerable money to be made from this terrible trade. It would make a whole heck of a lot more sense than using the excuse of covering for a miscarriage by trying to pass off a white baby as the offspring of a black couple.
In any case, I feel very bad for the innocent husband, children & other family & friends over the loss of this poor lady's life.
Chris-629698
How f--king stupid was this woman? She wanted to steal a baby to pretend it's hers, and she steals a white baby?
I agree chris, sooner or later even if she were not caught people would have asked, where or how did she get a pail face white kid, when she is as dark as the ace of spades. (not a raciist, just a realist)
Sounds like a "hate crime" to me. I mean, if it's a violent crime and colors are opposite, isn't it always? end-sarcasm
What's even sadder is how the baby cannot be returned to its father because: "Schuchardt has a criminal record including felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and burglary of a coin-operated machine"
No one is completely innocent, are they?
This child was headed to the Black Market!
Somehow, I do not believe this story.
Somehow, there was money involved. Selling babies in the Market, for those who cannot have them.---
We do not know the details. Always wait for further reports.
She does not look capable of pulling this Hoax off. She was used by others who are in this business..
This is one of the saddest stories I have ever heard. The thought of the poor mother bleeding to death and crying out for her baby, when she left home seeking to ensure the baby's health and well being at the clinic is heartbreaking.
The woman who shot her is going to have to deal with a lot of guilt for a long time. She should be allowed to work through it by spending the rest of her life in prison.
Did anyone know that this woman was sick. PLEASE post anything that you know.
What's so "wrong" with having a miscarriage that this whack-job had to find a substitute living newborn to please her.... fiancee??
In most cases like this, the woman is using the pregnancy/child to "hold onto their man" - if they lose the baby, they lose the man (in their mind) so they have to perpetuate the idea of the pregnancy and come up with a way to produce a baby at the end of it.
Perhaps she was in an abusive relationship. We don't know the whole thing.
Maybe she was in an abusive relationship - and well deserved if it was. Who cares if this piece of garbage was abused or not? She is still a worthless hunk of sh!t and should be put down like a bad dog.
Maybe she was in an abusive relationship - and well deserved if it was. Who cares if this piece of garbage was abused or not? She is still a worthless hunk of sh!t and should be put down like a bad dog.
No she should not. You obviously don't know what it is like to be in an abusive relationship. Maybe you need to be put down like a bad dog. You are a worthless sack of skin. Only when you have been in this woman's shoes can you judge her. I am not condoning what she did and it was certainly wrong in every way. She knows what she did was wrong and is showing remorse and probably will get the death penalty if she doesn't plead out. Her children will have to grow up without a mother, much like this child. I feel sorry for all the children involved.
Nobody deserves to be abused.
Well I for one believe that we should just go ahead and kill her and be finished with this. She took those childrens mother from them and more then likely never gave it a second thought. It doesn't matter if she was abused or not. I believe in you Reap what you sow. Give all these killers exactly what they gave their victims... I hate how people can murder somebody, torture somebody... Then they go to prison "find god" and talk about how sorry they are, get 3 hot meals and a place to lay their head and people scream to treat them good! because they are still humans... I don't feel sorry for these people... no matter their outcome, their situationw ill be 100x better than what they gave their victims.
If the facts are proven in court. This case crys out for the death penalty.
*cries
The facts won't be hard to prove, the killer admits what she's done and, according to the police, seems to be remorseful.
But the death penalty is hardly needed here. We can safely keep her locked up for the rest of her life and she'll never be able to hurt another person.
It's not about revenge, and it isn't even about justice, because there's no way to bring that poor mother back to life. It's about protecting society, and we can accomplish that with a life sentence.
So much for all the "she's selling the baby on the black market" comments on an earlier article. People and their conspiracy theories. Nutjobs! Is the murderer sick? Defintely! Should she be spared because of that? No!
Lastly, please do not embarrass yourself by bring Al Sharpton's and Jesse Jackson's names into this tragedy. They have no bearing on this matter.
They would if it would have been a white woman taking out a black woman for the baby.
So it is a one way street???
Um Sandie, you just did....
Right!!?? Black america would be marching on the white house if the races were reversed.
I think it's about time white america marched on the White House. After all, whites are the new lower class with fewer rights and priviledges than other races.
I seriously doubt that.
But I do believe that Al Sharpton would speak out if a white women killed a black woman and he believed (correctly or incorrectly) that the District Attorney's office refused to investigate or prosecute simply BECAUSE the victim was black and the killer was white.
In this case the killer appears to have acted because she was nuts, and the police have arrested her, and the District Attorney's office will prosecute.
See the difference?
Wow. Your life must really stink if you feel sorry for yourself for being a "white American".
Maybe you should try to get a job as a Saudi Arabian prince or the next Sultan of Brunei.
At least no one is burning a cross on your front lawn or trying to make your life so miserable you'll go into self-imposed exile. Or is there something you're not telling us?
Maybe she was so messed up by the miscarriage that she thought this was a feasible plan. Losing a baby will do horrible things to you. Not that I am excusing her at all, it just could be a huge factor in her horrific decision.
Don't want to sound callous but, who cares. The end result is a life was taken randomly with total disregard for ramifications. Trying to place blame anywhere but middle of the perp is like painting a condemned building. It changes nothing but the outward appearance.
Women suffering from serious post-pardum depression can do bizarre and insane things. Wonder what the post-miscarriage equivalent is? Raging hormones, depression, desperation...who knows what all was at play here? The only thing we do know is that one boy is now an orphan and three more will likely grow up without their mother. Oh, and Harris County (Houston area) sends more people to death row than any other jurisdiction in Texas - where the death penalty is not just a possibility, it's practically a requirement.
Another post pardum blah, blah, blah. Stop making excuses for her actions. You have now opened up the "post miscarriage defense"! Consider birth control.
And if I read the story correctly, didn't this crazy b!tch shoot the victim several times and run her over? Sounds to me like a sane person did an extremely insane thing!
It doesn't actually matter why she did it. She did it, bottom line!
Ok I'll bite, so how was she going to explain to her fiance the white baby boy she dragged home?
Another miraculous birth? Anybody as crazy as she appears to be, nothing is too far out. And for those questoining the baby selling angle, just because she has a man doesn't rule out the sales option. They could have been planning to split the proceeds.
Good god wat the hell was this woman thinking frist of all she had a miscarriage yes i understand that much but atlease she should of told her famliy n love ones about it before doing all she has done that wasn fair to the baby or the famliy god i got three babies and if anything would ever happen to them i couldnt live wit myself n i hoe she seees that lyin and doing wrong gets ya in trouble n in jail my my her poor kids got to go see her in jail id ever do that
How is she explaining looking like she's 50 when she's 30?
It doesn't make any sense at all. The suspect is black, the baby's mother white, and the baby looks white. How would she be able to pass off the baby as her own?
So incredibly sad. Poor baby Keegan never gets to know his mother.
Lie and say someone in her family was white. I knew someone whose girlfriend cheated on him with a black man. When she became pregnant, she told him and they got married (him thinking that it was his baby). She gave birth to a black baby and lied, saying someone in her family was black. Some time passes and he demands a dna test. She keeps lying. Test gets done: he was NOT the father! And then he got a divorce. End.
Sounds like you ripped this story off from a Maury Povich episode.
You are NOT the father!
"Some time passes" and then he requests a DNA test. Come on! I would have walked out 5 minutes after I saw the baby. Who would believe that story? Just like I don't believe that happened at all.
Mrs. B: You know what's even sadder? The baby cannot be returned to its father because: "Schuchardt has a criminal record including felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and burglary of a coin-operated machine"
No one is completely innocent, are they?
Because he was that in love with her. I know that the kid was at least a year old before the test was done (they divorced before the kid turned 4, I remember). I know the kid was at least a year old before the test was done.
When people are 'that' in love, they ignore a lot of things that the other person does/did. This is why you have people that make excuses for cheaters and stick with the cheater. He wanted the perfect girl and didn't want to admit that she wasn't it.
what is behind something like this?
The decay of social structure. It starts with lack of boundries and responsibility.
Ask nothing of a person
and when nothing is what you receive
who's fault is it?
Freedom...fully agree with you! When you look at our society, entitlements, poor education (no failures in schools, no discipline, ect), the promotion of a 'I deserve it' attitude, and the list goes on. Finally, when you have a person like this who will, in my opinion, get off in some way, people just look at these situations and feel helpless. The bottom line is this women is responsible for the death of a young mother for no reason other than her own selfish personality. Put her away for life; or the death penalty and send a message to these types of people.
Agree with you, NJ John. Except sending the message to these types of people is never received. People are still doing these awful things!
I hope they fry her a$$, revive her and fry her again, perhaps 10 times. Rot in hell you disgusting animal!
Like in the airline industry, would that make her a member of a frequent fryers club?
NoObama-
Ditto!
What does Obama have to do with this? My God! You Obama haters will blame him for anything and everything! You really are sick!
To be fair, NoObama is the poster's name, not what he was saying about this case.
Huh unfairunbalanced? NoObama is the first poster's screenname, Barbara was just indicating she was responding to the first poster, as opposed to wytchdoctor. So no one is trying to implicate Obama in anything here. You are the one running around screaming about nothing.
UnfairUnbalanced.....pretty much sums it up. Calm down dude.
NoObamaIn2012
(sorry, I just wanted to say that)
and thank you Astro for pointing out the obvious to the unobservant.
Here's hoping for a quick trial and speedy execution for Verna McClain. May you rot in whatever hell you believe in.
What did obama, and the justice dept. have to say about this?. If a white woman killed a black woman to steal her baby they would be all over it including sharpton and jackson. Nov. can't come soon enough as these racist need to be EVICTED!.
If Kala would have killed Verna Obama would have said "If I had a sister, she would have looked like Verna"..
Hey, suck it - Just saying hi.
Greetings Rick!
Why did I know that some nutjob would try to tie this to Obama? Why am I not surprised that it was 7.62 who ties everything to Obama?
This is not a presumed hate crime, unless you consider self loathing a crime. And I'm sure that if Obama were to comment at all, and I sincerely hope he doesn't as in America the president is no longer allowed to have an opinion on the crime in the land, he would say that this woman is deranged and should be punished to the full extent of the law as well as offer his condolences to the family of the deceased. This is a tragedy and I fully support the legal system in prosecuting and convicting this sick woman!
Astro, this is the hypocrisy of the Obama presidency. Only speak of crimes when they help you, or to fire up your base.
No, it's the hypocrisy of a blind partisan who will make any stretch to tie any story to the president. One can make legitimate criticisms of Obama, but 7.62 ties any issue to him, whether it's germaine or not.
Hey Suckit? Who is Verna Obama? Try using punctuation. It wouldn't have mattered in this case anyway since what you said, made no sense and has nothing to do with the story.
Astro, Why would Obama say Trayvon would like his son? And would that be the Trayvon with the gold teeth or the 12 year old Lawerence O'Donnell Trayvon?
George: Maybe his alter-ego side; go with the white wife beater t and the gold teeth.
I don't think the full thruth is out there yet! She "claimed" miscarriage to her fiance and then told her sister that she "needed to complete the adoption soon".... Come on! Thank GOD she didnt get away with it and the baby was returned to his family. My condolences to Keegan and his family. These sick, disguisting, repulsive people need to be removed from our planet! I could CARE LESS how remorsefull she is, was or will be!!!! She KILLED a MOTHER and STOLE her 3-day old baby! This is beyond words!!! She admitted it....end her life right now! No need to wait! There is NO excuse for killing someone and stealing their baby, no matter what you've been through in your life!
What "sick, disgusting, repulsive people" are you referring to? There was only one murderer according to the reports.
I am referring to ANYONE who commit these types of crimes!
Anyone a bit sensitive out there?
Should this be investigated as a hate crime?
Of course not. The woman is obviously nuts. The question is whether she's crazy enough to stand trial or does she get put away. Hate crime? You're really reaching. The thing is sad and disgusting on all fronts. I understand some people feel the need to politicize everything.
She can't hate, she is black. Anyone in their right mind knows only whites are racist.
Ridiculous. She killed to steal a baby, not based on a hatred for white people (unless you know something the police are holding back).
Just as ridiculous as assuming Zimmerman was acting out of racial hatred.
I'm not convinced that Zimmerman acted from racial animus, and there is no hate crime charge being attached to his prosecution. There is no evidence at this stage that this is a hate crime and the courts should proceed accordingly. If they find out Verna was acting out of racist motives, then I for one am fine with them adding additional charges.
Now who is this mystery fiance? Does he play mind games, too? (Perhaps he already has a wife, or two?)
steals a white baby... This woman has probably been staving off Darwinism for a long time.
Only the government can stave off natural selection, don't you know?
Previous comment was duplicated here with the code "bubblegum". Maybe, it's DOUBLE Bubble brand bubblegum?
Dafuq are you talking about?
Okay, I will say it. What the hell is wrong with the sister? A quick adoption? How about, where did this baby come from. I am calling the police.
The story is absurd. Where are the daddies of these babies?
What is wrong with the press to pay tribute to the evil monster that did such a horrible thing, and yet there is no picture of the mother? God never mind this wacko's apologies, or husbands account of "oh this is just not like her". Fry this B(&%#&. OMG what an awful thing to do...proud, beautiful loving new mother alive and vibrant one minute, dead after suffering the worst kind of desperation, someone stealing her baby. FRY THIS MONSTER....I'd protest if this wacko doesn't get the harshest penalty available. God bless the baby and God Bless the baby's father. What a hand to be dealt.
agree angsam99
They are "paying tribute?" I must have missed that video, and they did show the mother.
No better definition of The Entitlement Society than this. A word of caution to all you libs out there - be careful of what you wish for.
did I mis-read something or did I understand correctly that she supposedly has an estranged husband AND a fiance?
Why's that so weird? I've been with my girlfriend for three years and she is still married to her ex. She won't divorce him until he gets a job (he's been unemployed for the better part of a decade) because she refuses to pay alimony. Don't judge people.
Hm the problem seems to be that she'd have to pay alimony in a case like that...
You read correctly: She has a husband and 'maybe' a fiancé. Nowhere in this article, which is very low on facts, did they mention a real person who might be engaged to this married woman. Since she was deluded enough to think she could 'adopt' a white baby, whose picture had been plastered across the Internet, she might be deluded enough to make up a fiancé and a miscarriage.
Yeah, you're right Chris. We shouldn't judge someone who stays married while nailing someone else to avoid her legal obligation to pay spousal support. Morally beyond reproach. ???
Legal obligations can go f--k themselves. If someone told me I had to give a drunk unemployed cheating ex a percentage of my income for no other reason than I have a job and they don't, I'd do the same thing.
Happster: May as well jump into the handbasket with us. Our society is down the crapper. No wonder aliens have not made contact with us. Time for an ice age or something so we can try again.
"If that were my baby, it would have looked like me!"
TC.... She never heard that line. She's too self absorbed.
I was actually referring to Obama's statement on Trayvon
I know.... but I still don't think she ever heard it.
My Thoughts: I am going to give my point of view and what a point it is.: This morning on the News: The Young Mother in Texas that was gunned down and her baby was stolen. The News Media and Psychiatrist of course wants to know the mental stability of the criminal. Ok lets take a look, first she has a gun (check), she drives (check), not to a restaurant, a shopping center, but to a Pediatrics Offi...ce (baby doctor) (check), and sits and waits for a young mother to walk out with a baby (check), waits for the mother to walk to her vehicle, gets out with the weapon stands and shoots this young mother not one time seven times (check), takes the baby out of her arms while this mother is bleeding and yelling for help gets in her car drives away and leaves a mother to die in the parking lot like an animal and they want to question her mental stability. To me she knew exactly what she was doing. It’s time to stop cradling the criminals and serve justice when justice needs to be served. If you do a brutal crime then my choice is the death penalty within thirty days. Harsh some say think about the victims and their families. Some seem to forget about the innocent and want to say oh whoa is me its their upbringing, the financial situation, no its not, everyone has the right to choose what road they want, rich or poor, no matter your circumstance or race. It’s the choice you make and you should have to be accountable for it.
uscsouthernbelle1....
tsk, tsk, you're not being politically correct there my dear!!
Now that I've spouted the liberal line. I totally agree.
In conformance with the Constitution, a speedy trial... Monday is a good day to start. Conviction on Tuesday. Execution on Wedsneday, Thursday or Friday.. predicated on weather. Execution by firing squad, and leave the remains for the buzzrads. (That was my weather part!)
Well you can't do that because another part of our due process provides for appeals and we all know how long those can take...
suck it..
Got me... OK.. amended schedule.. conviction Tuesday, APPEAL Wednesday, execution Thursday or Friday predicated on weather.
Is that better?
In this case...I'd vote for it.
Great!! It's a plan then.
Unfortuantely, some dirtbag will crawl out of the woodwork and ruin all of our work!
*enter dirtbag, stage right*
Why question her mental stability? She's nuts...obviously...and will never be a positive contributing factor to society. Just lock her up.
Dear Mr. Rossen,
"after hiding a hiding a miscarriage form him, according to police." should read
"after hiding a hiding a miscarriage from him, according to police."
I am a terrible speller myself and only bring this to your attention to make us all better spellers.
Really? "Form" is what is wrong with that sentence?
Chris.... shhhhhh... grammar isn't his strong suit either.
This is so incredibly sad for the family of the slain mother. To go from the extreme joy of welcoming a new baby into the family to dealing with a murdered mother and a kidnapped baby must be the ultimate horror for them. Thank goodness the baby was returned to the father and rightful family safely.
Stealing babies by slaughtering the mother seems to be getting more common. There should be very harsh treatment for the murderer. Undoubted she'll try the temporary insanity crap, or blame hormones or some such equally feeble excuse and want to just go home and forget about it all. This looks like first degree murder to me and should be dealt with as such.
Marty: You know what's even worse?
The poor motherless baby cannot be returned to its father because: "Schuchardt has a criminal record including felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance and burglary of a coin-operated machine"
No one is completely innocent, are they?
I've seen in a couple of articles and heard on the TV news that Keegan has been returned to his father.
Dear Mr. Rossen,
"after hiding a hiding a miscarriage form him, according to police." should read
"after hiding a hiding a miscarriage from him, according to police."
Don.... you might want to edit your own edits. (hiding a hiding a ????)
Public education, eh?
Government schools.