Mass. Mom Who Withheld Meds Denied New Trial

A Massachusetts woman sentenced to as many as 10 years in prison for withholding potentially life-saving medication from her autistic, cancer-stricken son has had her request for a new trial rejected.

Kristen LaBrie's new attorney told a judge this week that her trial lawyer was ineffective and had no experience presenting the "diminished capacity" defense.

The Salem News reports that a judge wrote in a decision released Thursday that while not perfect, the work of LaBrie's attorney was "very good." The judge says the lawyer pursued the only viable defense - that LaBrie was overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for a sick child.

LaBrie was convicted in 2011 of attempted murder for withholding at least five months of chemotherapy treatments for her son, Jeremy Fraser. He died at age 9 in 2009.