Christina White sentenced to 25 years for burning death of Baby Wayne

By Ra’Vae Edwards - Midmoreporter.com

Thursday, September 6, 2012

LEBANON, Mo. – The Miller County woman charged with burning her baby to death was sentenced today to 25 years in prison.

Judge Michael Cordonnier sentenced Christina Louise White at 2:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 6, to 25 years for second-degree murder, 25 years for first-degree arson and seven years for first-degree child endangerment.

Judge Cordonnier has allowed all sentences to run concurrent. White has already served five years in jail.

The sentencing came three months after White entered an Open Alford Plea of guilty to the amended charges.

White originally faced a first-degree murder charge for allegedly setting her baby’s blanket on fire and leaving 6-month-old Wayne Anderson Jr. in a crib to burn on July 11, 2007. Baby Wayne died weeks later on July 31, 2007, from the burns.

Two years later, Miller County Prosecutor Matt Howard announced his intention to seek the death penalty in the case, but a ruling from the Missouri Supreme Court found White’s mental status met the definition of retardation making her ineligible for lethal injection.

White, also charged with child endangerment and arson, told Judge Cordonnier in court on May 31, 2012, that she had limited memories of the burning, but agreed to enter an Alford Plea, noting the State of Missouri held enough evidence to convict her of the charges. As part of the plea agreement, the prosecuting attorney agreed to amend the charges and allow the charges of second-degree murder and first-degree arson to run concurrent, giving the court the option to determine if the felony charge of first-degree child endangerment would run concurrent or consecutive with the other sentences.

In issuing the final sentence allowing all punishment to run concurrent, Judge Cordonnier explained reasons behind White’s actions, describing a woman of low mental capacity, bi-polar disorder and a victim of sexual abuse, illegal drugs and no employment. “Three kids, no job, no home, no hope. These are reasons, not excuses,” Judge Cordonnier said. He further expressed his hope that White may find rehabilitation and education before being released from prison.

Through the entire sentencing, White’s parents, Gayle and Water White, sat somber in the courtroom. It was the first time they had seen their daughter since her arrest in 2007.

Christina White pleads guilty to murder

By Ra’Vae Edwards/LakeExpo.com

Thursday, May 31, 2012

LEBANON, Mo. – The Miller County woman charged with the burning death of her infant son nearly five years ago will not face a jury of her peers.

In a pre-trial conference Thursday, Christina Louise White, present with her attorneys, entered an Open Alford Plea of Guilty to an amended charge of second-degree murder, first-degree arson and first-degree child endangerment.

White told Judge Michael Cordonnier she has limited memories about the burning death of her son, but agreed the evidence held by the State of Missouri is likely enough to warrant a conviction by a jury of her peers.

As part of the amended charge agreement, White agreed to plead guilty on the basis that the court, when sentencing, would allow for the Class A felonies of second-degree murder and first-degree arson to run concurrent and the court will have the option to determine if the Class C felony charge of first-degree child endangerment would run concurrent or consecutive with the other sentences.

Additionally, the pleas of guilty were subject to the plea agreement consolidating the allegations of child endangerment involving three other children who were present in the home at the time of the fire.

The range of punishment for both Class A felonies is 10 to 30 years to life in prison and the range of punishment for the Class C felony charge is up to seven years in prison, one year in the county jail and up to a $5,000 fine.

Judge Cordonnier ordered a pre-sentence investigation to be completed before the sentencing hearing.

White was arrested on July 12, 2007, and charged with arson and child endangerment after allegedly setting her baby’s blanket on fire and leaving Wayne Anderson Jr. in a crib to burn. On July 31, 2007, the 6-month old died as a result of the injuries sustained in the fire. Miller County Prosecutor Matt Howard charged White with first-degree murder immediately following the child’s death.

Two years later, Howard announced he would seek the death penalty in the case, but a ruling from the Missouri Supreme Court found White’s mental status met the definition of retardation making her ineligible for lethal injection.

White was initially scheduled for jury trial in September.

After Thursdays’ hearing, White was returned to the Miller County Jail where she will remain until the sentencing hearing in approximately two months.

White has remained in custody since she was arrested in July of 2007.

The burning of Baby Wayne: The investigation before the horror

By J.B. Simpson - LakeExpo.com

Monday, January 9, 2012

MILLER COUNTY, Mo. – It has been more than four years since Christina White was arrested, accused of wrapping her baby in a blanket and setting it on fire on July 11, 2007. Six-month-old Wayne Earl Anderson Jr. died almost three weeks later of his wounds on July 31, 2007, at University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia, Mo.

A judge last week decided Christina White would not face the death penalty for allegedly burning the infant to death.

Public defender Keith Halcomb of Jefferson City, Mo., won at least one legal battle by convincing Senior Judge Miles Sweeney of White’s alleged mental retardation making her ineligible to receive the death penalty, a punishment Miller County Prosecutor Matt Howard has sought since filing murder charges on Aug. 1, 2007.

The most severe sentence would now be life in prison for the charges of murder, first-degree arson and three counts of felony child endangerment.

Halcomb laid out, in part, his strategy for defending White in an interview after waving her preliminary hearing on Sept. 19, 2007.

“Miss White is a person with severe psychiatric problems. She has twice been committed to mental hospitals and is very mentally fragile,” Halcomb said. “Miss White continues to maintain her innocence in this terrible case… She states she is innocent of all charges and any statements she may have given to police were coerced. Miss White maintains that the police lied to her and made false promises in order to get statements from her. They told her that if she would just tell them the story - the story the police wanted to hear - that they would let her go. Any statements Miss White made she claims were coerced by the police and are not factually true.”

After White pleaded not guilty during arraignment on Oct. 15, 2007, Halcomb was critical of the Missouri Department of Social Services Children's Division.

"This is a terribly tragic case, by all accounts none of this would have happened if the Children’s Division of Social Services had just done its job," Halcomb said.

Halcomb's comments referred to an investigation by the Children's Division that began after the Iberia Police took emergency custody of Wayne Anderson Jr. and one of his sisters from the home of Christina White's parents on June 23, 2007, almost three weeks before the baby’s burning. Police described children neglected, piled trash, septic issues, pet feces and a teenager seen smoking marijuana inside the home.

That evening, as the children were treated at Lake Regional Hospital, the Chief Juvenile Officer of the 26th Judicial Court, site unseen, ordered the return of Baby Wayne to the custody of Christina White, against the pleas of the Iberia Police and a recommendation from a Children’s Division investigator and her supervisor to take temporary foster custody of the children until they could further investigate the suitability of Christina White and her residence.

The next day, June 24, 2007, the investigator from Children’s Division found unacceptable the garage in which Christina White and the children were living. Children’s Division allowed them to move temporarily into a home with Christina White’s sister.

A day later, June 25, 2007, the lead investigator received a report via fax from the Iberia Police Department that stated the following in reference to the night of June 23: "The mother of the two young children (Christina White) arrived on scene and when asked why the children were here… she advised that the State of Illinois had taken custody of the four-year-old daughter and given it to her mother."

The investigator was also informed on June 23 that Christina White had recently moved from Illinois to Missouri, according to Children’s Division reports.

The investigator did not contact the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

If the investigator had contacted Illinois DCFS through the open line of communication made possible by the Missouri-Illinois Interstate Compact, she would have received a letter sent by Illinois DCFS to Christina White on Feb. 20, 2007, that states: "You were previously notified by a Child Protection Investigator that the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) was investigating a report of child abuse or neglect. After thorough investigation, DCFS has determined that you have abused or neglected a child…. DCFS' investigation found credible evidence of child abuse/neglect."

Based on the date of this letter from Illinois DCFS, it could have only been written in reference to Baby Wayne and/or one older sister.

After Baby Wayne's death, the Children's Division issued a statement saying the agency had "limited involvement" with the White family prior to the burning incident.

When a LakeExpo.com reporter interviewed a spokeswoman for Children’s Division months after Baby Wayne's death, she said policy would not have required the investigator to have contact Illinois DCFS between June 23 and July 11, 2007. She further said no one indicated on June 23 that Christina White had a child abuse history.

However, the investigator's own report from the night of June 23 says, "I informed Christina and Wayne Sr. it was concerning they found it acceptable to leave Wayne Jr. at their parents' residence in the condition it was in…. I further explained they could be charged with Failure to Protect because they left Wayne Jr. in an unhealthy and unsanitary environment.”

A Children’s Division investigator remained connected to the case in the days that followed, inspecting Christina White’s temporary residence, driving her to appointments and checking on the children. In fact, the investigator was in Christina White’s sister’s home, where Baby Wayne was set on fire, the day before the tragedy.

However, the Children’s Division and the 26th Judicial Court did not communicate about the case between June 23-July 11, 2007, the 18 days from when the Chief Juvenile Officer ordered the return of the children to White’s custody and when Baby Wayne was set on fire.

When interviewed by a LakeExpo.com in 2007, both the Children’s Division and the Chief Juvenile Officer of the 26th Judicial Court said their respective agencies acted appropriately.

"Everyone did everything they could, but a bad thing still happened," Chief Juvenile Officer Tammy Walden said in 2007.

"We just can't predict human behavior," a spokeswoman for the Children’s Division said.

According to witnesses and reports, Christina White allegedly wrapped Baby Wayne in the blanket, lit it on fire and left the room. A witness said she returned to the bedroom after the screaming and crying had subsided. Someone called 911. When emergency responders arrived they found White outside standing in the street with Baby Wayne in her arms.

Christina White has been in jail for the last four and a half years awaiting trial for murder and arson.

White pleads not guilty to all charges

By Mallory McGowin - Connectmidmissouri.com

October 16, 2007

It was another chance for Iberia’s Christina White to proclaim her innocence in front of a judge Monday.

She’s charged with setting her son Wayne’s crib on fire in July.

He died about three weeks later of severe burns.

Judge William Hess would not allow cameras inside the courtroom for her arrainment Monday afternoon.

White pleaded not guilty to all of the charges she faces -- they include first degree murder, arson, and three counts of child endangerment.

White's public defender Keith Halcomb said White is maintaining her innocence and claiming that any statements she made to Miller County deputies were coerced.

Halcomb said, "This is a terribly tragic case. By all accounts none of this would have happened if the Children's Division of Social Services had just done its job. Had the Children's Division done its job, Wayne Jr. would not have even been in the house the night that fire started and my client would not now be charged with murder."

The Missouri Department of Social Services fired back Monday.

Social Services said, "The children's division does not have the authority to remove children from the home and there was no indication that the baby, Wayne Jr. Would have been harmed by his mother."

Halcomb also filed to get the case heard in another county.

That decision could be made in December.

White's parents, Walter and Charleana White also appeared in the same Miller County courtroom this afternoon.

They both pleaded guilty to the three counts of child endangerment.

Police removed baby Wayne and another child from their care after police found unsanitary conditions and a teenager smoking marijuana.

Walter and Charleanea White received five years probation.

White waives preliminary hearing

By Mallory McGowin - Connectmidmissouri.com

September 20, 2007

The Iberia mother accused of setting her baby on fire appeared in a Miller County courtroom again Wednesday.

Seven-month-old Wayne Anderson Jr. died Aug. 1.

KRCG's Mallory McGowin, who has followed the story from the start, was in the courtroom Wednesday and so was our camera.

Christina White came before Judge Kenneth Oswald for a preliminary hearing, but she and her Public Defender Keith Halcomb quickly waived that right.

Halcomb says White is maintaining her innocence and will continue to do so.

Halcomb said, "Ms. White is a person with severe psychiatric problems. She has twice been committed to mental hospitals and is very mentally fragile. Ms. White continues to maintain her innocence in this terrible case. She states she is innocent of all charges and any statement she may have given to police were coerced. Ms. White maintains that the police lied to her and made false promises in order to get statements from her. They told her that if she would just tell them the story -- the story the police wanted to hear -- that they would let her go. Any statements Ms. White made, she claims were coerced by the police, they are not actually true."

But Miller County Prosecutor Matt Howard says that is news to him.

Howard said, "Well, I've not received any specific information about allegations of coercion by the police, and if that comes up we will review and respond to it."

And Miller County Sheriff Bill Abbott told me on the phone me he is positive the video tape recordings of the law enforcement interviews with Christina White will prove she was not coerced.

Judge Oswald set a $250,000 bond for each set of charges -- the first degree murder charge along with the arson and multiple counts of child endangerment. Christina will appear in court again Oct. 15 for her arraignment.

A memorial service for Wayne Anderson Jr. is being held Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Iberia City Cemetery off Highway 42.

Family and friends of baby Wayne tell us the ceremony is open to the public.

New Baby Wayne case details

By Mallory McGowin - Connectmidmissouri.com

September 5, 2007

It's been over a month since the death of baby Wayne Anderson of Iberia. Wednesday, we received a report from the Missouri Department of Social Services Children's Division detailing the course of events that took place before the crib fire that resulted in Wayne's death. KRCG's Mallory McGowin has covered this story from the start. She sat down with state officials to set the record straight. It is part one of a special FactFinder report.

Our dealings with the Department of Social Services began with a "Sunshine" request on July 18th. We wanted any and all information pertaining to baby Wayne's mother, Christina White, and her family.

We received a number of reports about what happened the night of June 23rd, when Iberia Police officers removed two of Christina White's children from the home of Walter and Charleana White, their grandparents. citing filthy living conditions and marijuana in the home.

We have received a number of viewer phone calls and e-mails asking us if state agencies allowed baby Wayne and his family situation to slip through the cracks from the June 23rd incident at the grandparents' house and the day of the fire.

"We have reviewed this case and reviewed this case and I don't believe anybody...not the Children's Division, not the Juvenile Office, not anybody in terms of any agency, did anything wrong," says Tammy Walden, the 26th Circuit Chief Juvenile Officer.

"The Children's Division role is to ensure that children are safe. That's our primary role and function as an agency. In this particular case, Wayne was in an unsanitary household and our staff ensured that he did not return to a household that was unsanitary. We made every effort that night to ensure that Wayne and his family went somewhere that was safe and sanitary," says Social Services Children's Division representative Celesta Hartgraves.

"So, from your position, you don't feel like your department dropped the ball in any way?" I asked Hartgraves.

"Our agency had not had any history of reports of physical abuse by Christina White of Wayne," she replied.

The documents included in the state file reflect that. Officials had no reason to believe Christina White was a threat to her children.

And despite the baby's tragic death, Hartgraves stands by the department's actions.

"In hindsight, we can all have a clearer view of things and it makes you question those decisions that we made initially. But I think that everybody makes the best decisions they can at the time," says Hartgraves.

Walden agrees.

"I think this is one of these horrible situations where everybody did everything right and a bad thing still happened. I sincerely do not believe that this child died because of anything that anybody did or didn't do, I believe this child died in spite of what everybody did," says Walden.

The state report we obtained sheds new light on the sequence of events leading up to the fire that killed Wayne Anderson Jr., a fire the prosecutor says was deliberately set by his mother. We'll have those details Thursday night on KRCG News Nightside.

A month after his death, funeral services for baby Wayne Anderson of Iberia were held this week in Sullivan, Illinois. This week we learned more about the events that lead up to the baby's death. In the second part of our FactFinder report, KRCG's Mallory McGowin brings us new details about June 23, the day authorities removed Wayne from his grandparent's care, and the days leading up to July 11, the day police believe Wayne's mother Christina White set his crib on fire.

This report we obtained through the Freedom of Information Act offers vivid detail of what officers found on the night of June 23, when by chance they went to the home of Walter and Charleana White.

They arrived after a four year old ran into the road, right in front an Iberia Police officer. They found the White's babysitting their grandson, six-month-old Wayne Anderson, Junior. They also found the home had no running water, there were dog and cat feces on the floor along with rotting garbage. There was a hole in the backyard that appeared to be used as a toilet. Officers also found marijuana.

Authorities took baby Wayne and his four year old sister to the hospital to be checked. Police contacted authorities from Social Services Children's Division and the Juvenile Office.

While a Children's Division supervisor and caseworker originally recommended the children be placed in an emergency foster home, the Juvenile Office told the caseworker to run the proper checks on the parents, Christina White and Wayne Anderson Senior, and return the children to them.

"Based on the information that was given to us at the time, and based on the law...we followed the law, we followed our protocol and it did not appear at the time that there was any reason for the children to have been removed from their mother's custody," says Tammy Walden, Chief Juvenile Officer for the 26th District.

But these documents show baby Wayne's parents didn't have a safe place to call home. They were living with Christina's aunt and Iberia Police officers believed the aunt's home was as unsanitary as Walter and Charleana White's. The Social Services caseworker told the parents to stay in a hotel for the night.

"In this case, when that decision was made not to remove the children from their parents' custody, our staff ensured that Wayne was not returned to a household that was unsanitary," says Social Services Children's Division representative Celesta Hartgraves.

By 4:30 p.m. the next day, the caseworker determined Christina's aunt's home was not suitable for the children so Christina suggested they could stay at her sister Danna's home, the house at 432 Lombar St. The caseworker assessed that house, ran criminal checks on Danna White and her boyfriend, and approved the house that evening.

In the following days, the Social Services caseworker had contact with Christina White, helping her to find financial assistance for an apartment deposit. They met the morning of July 10th. The next morning, Social Services received the news, baby Wayne had been severly burned.

"Our Children's Division worker did have ongoing contact once this report was initiated and at no time during those contacts did she have any indication that Christina was abusive to her children or would have been abusive," says Hartgraves.

Aside from a custody meeting the next day, this is where the Social Services report ends. Further reports regarding the crib fire and the events that have taken place since have not been released.

Christina White is scheduled to appear before Judge Kenneth Oswald in a Miller County courtroom Wednesday, Sept. 19. She faces arson , child endangerment and first degree muder charges. Christina's parents Walter and Charleana White will be in the same courtroom before the same judge Monday, Sept. 10. They're charged with child endangerment.

Iberia police say mistakes made

By Mallory McGowin - Connectmidmissouri.com

August 9, 2007

IBERIA -- New information has come to light about the case involving the burned baby in Miller County. Two Iberia Police officers are speaking out about the decisions made by juvenile authorities in the weeks prior to Christina White's arrest for murder. KRCG's Mallory McGowin tells us why these officers want the whole story out.

Iberia Police Officers Anthony Williams and Tracy Pfaff believe critical mistakes were made the night of June 23, when they were called to the home of Walter and Charleana White, the maternal grandparents of Wayne Anderson Jr., mistakes that could have saved the baby's life.

Neither officer would go on camera. They say the infant's death has taken too much of an emotional toll. But both told me that, after removing the baby and his older sister from their grandparents home, which they found to be unsanitary, a juvenile court officer instructed them to return the children to the custody of their mother, Christina White.

The officers told me they didn't think that was the right move, and that case workers from the Department of Social Services agreed with them. But the juvenile officer insisted.

Williams and Pfaff suspected the living conditions Christina White had to offer were no better than those provided by her parents. They now believe that, had the court taken custody of the kids that night, the fire that Christina White says she started in her son's crib never would have happened.

Miller County Prosecutor Matt Howard has charged Walter and Charleana White with both felony and misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Christina White stands charged with murder.

Christina White's next court appearance on the murder charge is Monday. She returns to court later in the month to face charges of arson and child endangerment.

Mother faces murder charge

By Ladd Egan - Connectmidmissouri.com

August 1, 2007

Christina White has been charged with first-degree murder for burning her baby.

he Iberia baby burned in his crib last month has died, and his mother now faces a first-degree murder charge.

Miller County Sheriff Bill Abbott is holding a news conference at 11 a.m. about the case.

University hospital officials tell us Wayne Anderson Jr. died after suffering from second- and third-degree burns over 60 percent of his body.

His mother Christina White was charged three weeks ago with first-degree arson and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

The probable cause statement tells us white confessed to setting the fire.

She told them she used a cigarette lighter to set fire to the blanket covering her baby as he slept in his crib.

Miller County prosecutor Matt Howard had warned that any changes in the baby's condition could mean the charges against white could change.

Update: Iberia mother returns to court

By Mallory McGowin - Connectmidmissouri.com

July 18, 2007

MILLER COUNTY -- Christina L. White, the 24-year-old Iberia mother who authorities say confessed to setting her baby on fire, made her second court appearance in Miller County Wednesday. KRCG's Mallory McGowin has the updated details surrounding the case.

Christina L. White is now being represented by a public defender who Wednesday requested bond. White has been held without bond since her arrest last Friday. Miller County Prosecutor Matt Howard disagreed, but Judge Kenneth Oswald set a $250,000 bail for White.

Members of White's family were not at her court appearance, but I went to Iberia and spoke with her mother, Gail, afterwards. Off camera, Gail said she loves her daughter, but cannot forgive her for what she's been accused.

White's parents are trying to regain custody of Christina's oldest child after she was taken from their care June 23rd. They are also trying to have their daughter's other children placed in their care.

Christina White is scheduled to appear before Judge Oswald again on Wednesday, August 29th for a preliminary hearing.

White's six-month-old son remains in critical condition at University Hospital in Columbia, suffering second and third degree burns over 60 percent of his body.

Iberia mother sets baby on fire

By Mallory McGowin - Connectmidmissouri.com

July 16, 2007

MILLER COUNTY -- The Miller County mother who confessed to setting her baby on fire appeared before Miller County Judge Ken Oswald Monday. At this time, Christina L. White's baby is still in critical condition at University Hospital in Colombia. KRCG's Mallory Mcgowin has worked on the story since it developed and has the latest information.

Christina L. White came before Judge Oswald around 11:15 Monday morning. White cried as the judge read the four felony charges she now faces, first degree arson and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

We made phone calls throughout the day Monday to learn more about this family's situation. We wanted to get details about alleged events that happened within the family in the weeks prior to the fire Wednesday at 432 Lombar Street. Also, we wanted to know what the plans are for Christina White's other children who are now in protective custody. To do that, we contacted the Missouri Department of Social Service offices in Eldon, Camden County, and Jefferson City. We also called Miller County Juvenile authorities.

Because juveniles are involved and the investigation is ongoing, there is little information authorities can tell us. But Tammy Walden, the Chief Juvenile Officer for the 26th District, which includes Miller County, did talk to me by phone about what process the Juvenile Court follows.

She told me that within 24 hours of the children being taken into protective custody, a judge must sign a court order to maintain that placement. Then, within 72 hours, the children are entitled to a protective custody hearing in front of a judge. That hearing took place Monday morning.

"Following that, within 60 days, allegations and the petition must be ajudicated in court. So it moves quickly," says Walden.

Authorities who arrived at the scene of this Iberia house fire first thought it was set by one of the other kids there. Christina White's children were taken from her care then because authorities suspected there was a lack of supervision in the house.

But the probable cause statement tells us White later confessed to setting the fire. She told them she used a cigarette lighter to set the blanket covering her six-month-old son on fire as he slept in his crib. She said she was under stress and did want her son to die.

White will appear in court again Wednesday. She is applying for a public defender and will learn then if she qualifies.