Current:Home > InvestNo involuntary manslaughter charges in boy’s death at nature therapy camp -Visionary Growth Labs
No involuntary manslaughter charges in boy’s death at nature therapy camp
View
Date:2025-04-13 00:01:42
LAKE TOXAWAY, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina prosecutor announced Wednesday that he will not pursue involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of a 12-year-old boy at a nature therapy camp.
The death of Clark Harman in February was tragic but didn’t involve sufficient criminal intent or recklessness to warrant involuntary manslaughter charges, District Attorney Andrew Murray said in a statement.
Counselors stationed in the cabin that night understood that Harman was agitated about being required to sleep in a small camping enclosure called a bivy, but didn’t think he was suffering any medical distress until they tried to wake him, Murray said. Neither the counselors, nor the other children in the cabin reported hearing Harman in distress, Murray said.
“The law requires us to meet a high threshold when considering charges of involuntary manslaughter,” Murray said. “While we are deeply saddened by this tragedy, we must follow the law and make decisions based on the evidence and our legal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”
An autopsy released in June found that the boy died from an inability to breathe in the mostly plastic tentlike structure he was sleeping in. The report from the North Carolina chief medical examiner’s office focused on the damaged bivy and determined the boy died of asphyxia.
The boy had a history of anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and migraines, according to the autopsy report. He was brought from his home in New York to the Trails Carolina wilderness program at the request of his family. He died less than 24 hours after arriving.
A counselor told detectives from the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office that the boy refused to eat dinner and was “loud and irate,” but later calmed down and ate snacks, according to an affidavit filed with a search warrant that was released in February. The counselor said the boy had a panic attack around midnight and was checked on at 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., the affidavit stated. He was stiff and cold to the touch when he was found dead at 7:45 a.m.
When the boy was found dead, his body was turned away from the entrance and his feet were near the opening, which meant the camping enclosure’s waterproof material could fall onto his face, the autopsy report stated.
In a February news release, Trails Carolina said they grieved with the boy’s family and that “everything points to an accidental death.” Trails Carolina did not immediately comment when contacted about the prosecutor’s announcement on Wednesday.
Two weeks after the boy died, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said it was removing all children from the program’s care for two months “to ensure the health and safety of the children.” The department later revoked the program’s license, citing several deficiencies, and the owner of the property where Trails Carolina operated has listed it for sale, The Charlotte Observer reported.
veryGood! (9126)
Related
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Campus carry weapons law debuts in West Virginia, joins 11 other states
- Maine man who confessed to killing parents, 2 others will enter pleas to settle case, lawyer says
- Simone Biles and Suni Lee Share Why 2024 Paris Olympics Are a Redemption Tour
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Blake Lively Shares Peek Into Her Italian Vacation—And the Friends She Made Along the Way
- I grew up without LGBTQ+ role models. These elders paved the way for us to be ourselves.
- See Travis Kelce Celebrate Taylor Swift Backstage at the Eras Tour in Dublin
- Sam Taylor
- NHL teams cut ties with four players charged in 2018 sexual assault case
Ranking
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Aquarium Confirms Charlotte the Stingray, of Viral Pregnancy Fame, Is Dead
- After 32 years as a progressive voice for LGBTQ Jews, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum heads into retirement
- Police officer fatally shoots man at homeless shelter in northwest Minnesota city of Crookston
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Trump seeks to set aside New York verdict hours after Supreme Court ruling
- New Georgia laws regulate hemp products, set standards for rental property and cut income taxes
- Pregnant Hailey Bieber Reveals Her Simple Hack for Staying Cool in the Summer
Recommendation
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
Napa Valley Wine Train uses new technology to revitalize a classic ride
Democrat Elissa Slotkin makes massive ad buy in Michigan Senate race in flex of fundraising
Small plane with 5 on board crashes in upstate New York. No word on fate of passengers
Could your smelly farts help science?
Family of 13-year-old killed in shooting by police in Utica, New York, demands accountability
What is Hurricane Beryl's trajectory and where will it first make landfall?
Atlanta City Council approves settlement of $2M for students pulled from car during 2020 protests