Marybeth Davis (born ) is an American former nurse who was convicted of the murders of her two children in 1997, although she had maintained her innocence for several years. Davis was released from

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

in 2007 after accepting a

plea deal A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or ''nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendant ...

and confessing to the crimes.

Case history

In September 1981 in

Lewisburg, West Virginia Lewisburg is a city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,930 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Greenbrier County. Geography Lewisburg is located approximately one mile north of the Greenbrier River. ...

, Davis's infant son, Seth, had suffered massive damage to his brain, which prosecutors believed was caused by an injection of a large amount of

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...

. He was later moved to a mental institution where he spent the rest of his life. Several months after the incident with Seth, on 11 March 1982, Davis's three-year-old daughter, Tegan, died of a

caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is mainly used recreationally as a cognitive enhancer, increasing alertness and attentional performance. Caffeine acts by blocking binding of adenosine t ...

pill overdose. Dr. Anne Hooper, who performed the

autopsy An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any di ...

on the girl, found hundreds of capsules inside of the digestive tract, where she then concluded that the manner of death was likely a homicide.

Trial

In 1997, Davis was placed on trial for the murder of Tegan and the injury to Seth. It was reported that prosecutors believed that Davis suffered from

Münchausen syndrome by proxy Factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA), also known as fabricated or induced illness by carers (FII), and first named as Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP), is a condition in which a caregiver creates the appearance of health problems in a ...

, which is a condition where an individual would falsify sickness of their children to gain attention and sympathy. Although it was believed that Davis had caused the

overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.

of her son, she had previously stated that he suffered from

Leigh syndrome Leigh syndrome (also called Leigh disease and subacute necrotizing encephalomyelopathy) is an inherited neurometabolic disorder that affects the central nervous system. It is named after Archibald Denis Leigh, a British neuropsychiatrist who fir ...

or an unspecified growth hormone deficiency. Apart from this, Dr. Barry Wolfe believed that Tegan had suffered from the same genetic disorder. Tegan had been diagnosed with

Reye's Syndrome Reye syndrome is a rapidly worsening brain disease. Symptoms of Reye syndrome may include vomiting, personality changes, confusion, seizures, and loss of consciousness. While liver toxicity typically occurs in the syndrome, jaundice usually d ...

shortly after her death in 1982, in Marybeth's defense, these details contradicted Dr. Hooper's report that Tegan was murdered. Although these details were present, Davis received a

life sentence Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

without the possibility of

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

. Seth Davis died on 10 October 2002 at the age of 21; his death was recorded as a homicide. After signing a plea deal and giving a one-word confession in 2007, the then 55-year-old Marybeth Davis was released from prison.

In media

*In 1999, A&E series ''

Cold Case Files ''Cold Case Files'' is a reality legal show/ documentary on the cable channel A&E Network and the rebooted series on Netflix. It is hosted by Bill Kurtis and the original series produced by Tom Golden. The show documents the investigation o ...

'' featured the case on their episode, "Maternal Instinct." *In 2005, television series ''Guilty or Innocent?'' detailed the events on an episode titled "The Mary Beth Davis Case."

References

External links

Tegan Davis Autopsy Report (1982)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Marybeth American female murderers American murderers of children American female criminals American people convicted of murder Filicides in the United States Living people 1950s births People from Lewisburg, West Virginia Criminals from West Virginia People convicted of murder by West Virginia Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by West Virginia Nurses from West Virginia American women nurses