Post by angel607 on Oct 7, 2012 23:21:10 GMT -5
A 26-year-old Slatington woman says she was trying to unload a gun she planned to sell for $200 when the weapon fired, striking and killing her 19-month-old son as he lay in a crib late Saturday night, authorities said.
Anthony F. Pallone Jr., 214 N. Walnut Street, was pronounced dead at 12:47 a.m., Lehigh County Corner Scott Grim said. The boy lived in a second-floor apartment at that address, according to Grim.
Grim ruled the boy's death a homicide and scheduled an autopsy for Monday. The apparent cause of death is a gunshot wound to the head, according to court papers.
Holly Pallone, the boy's mother, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment, according to court records. Involuntary manslaughter is a second-degree felony that carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
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Pallone, a slender woman with long, reddish-brown hair and glasses, was arraigned Sunday morning from Lehigh County prison by District Judge Michael D. D'Amore in Allentown.
During the video arraignment, Pallone answered "yes sir" to D'Amore's questions when asked if she understood the charges against her. Pallone showed no expression until D'Amore informed her that bail was being set at $1 million.
"I have no way of making that," Pallone told the judge. "No, they told me that..."
At that point, D'Amore interrupted and finished explaining her options for posting bail.
Slatington police were called to the apartment at 11:53 p.m. Saturday after Holly Pallone called 911 and said, "There was a gun and it went off and it hit my son in the forehead."
When officers arrived inside apartment 2B above Lehigh Valley Auto Parts, they found the boy in the crib with the gunshot wound on his forehead.
According to court records, the gun, a Smith and Wesson .44 caliber, was owned by Lloyd Peters, who rented the apartment.
Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said Peters, 66, was not in the apartment at the time of the shooting. He said investigators have ruled out the possibility that anyone else was in the apartment at the time of the shooting or was otherwise involved in the crime.
"[Pallone] was sitting on the bed and attempted to unload a firearm and discharged it," Martin said. "The bullet went into the mattress. We've seen that. Unfortunately, it traveled through the mattress…and into the baby's [crib]."
Holly Pallone told police that she had planned to sell the gun for $200 to a man she referred to as "Low," from Allentown.
Pallone told police she used to buy drugs from "Low," and that he was coming to the apartment later that night or early Sunday to buy the gun.
Pallone told police she took the gun from the shelf to prepare to sell it, and while sitting on her bed next to the crib, she tried to unload it. As she was trying to remove the bullets, she apparently caught the hammer and the gun discharged, according to court records.
Pallone told police that "she did not know about guns and did not know how to unload" the weapon, court papers say.
The Slatington police, the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force, the district attorney's office and the coroner's office are investigating.
D'Amore tentatively scheduled Pallone's preliminary hearing for Oct. 15.
here is one story where a mother should not be allowed to raise a child. from what I read she unloaded a gun not knowing how and accidently shot her baby in the head. when they told her she would not make bail that was the only time she showed emotion but her baby was dead and she never cried. she was going to sell the gun to the guy she bought drugs from. I don't know if there was something wrong with the girl that she didn't understand what she did or this was done on purpose. it's really sad because it's always kids who have to suffer with parents like these.
Anthony F. Pallone Jr., 214 N. Walnut Street, was pronounced dead at 12:47 a.m., Lehigh County Corner Scott Grim said. The boy lived in a second-floor apartment at that address, according to Grim.
Grim ruled the boy's death a homicide and scheduled an autopsy for Monday. The apparent cause of death is a gunshot wound to the head, according to court papers.
Holly Pallone, the boy's mother, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment, according to court records. Involuntary manslaughter is a second-degree felony that carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
» The latest on traffic, delays and road construction delivered to your mobile phone. Click to sign up to receive text alerts!
Pallone, a slender woman with long, reddish-brown hair and glasses, was arraigned Sunday morning from Lehigh County prison by District Judge Michael D. D'Amore in Allentown.
During the video arraignment, Pallone answered "yes sir" to D'Amore's questions when asked if she understood the charges against her. Pallone showed no expression until D'Amore informed her that bail was being set at $1 million.
"I have no way of making that," Pallone told the judge. "No, they told me that..."
At that point, D'Amore interrupted and finished explaining her options for posting bail.
Slatington police were called to the apartment at 11:53 p.m. Saturday after Holly Pallone called 911 and said, "There was a gun and it went off and it hit my son in the forehead."
When officers arrived inside apartment 2B above Lehigh Valley Auto Parts, they found the boy in the crib with the gunshot wound on his forehead.
According to court records, the gun, a Smith and Wesson .44 caliber, was owned by Lloyd Peters, who rented the apartment.
Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said Peters, 66, was not in the apartment at the time of the shooting. He said investigators have ruled out the possibility that anyone else was in the apartment at the time of the shooting or was otherwise involved in the crime.
"[Pallone] was sitting on the bed and attempted to unload a firearm and discharged it," Martin said. "The bullet went into the mattress. We've seen that. Unfortunately, it traveled through the mattress…and into the baby's [crib]."
Holly Pallone told police that she had planned to sell the gun for $200 to a man she referred to as "Low," from Allentown.
Pallone told police she used to buy drugs from "Low," and that he was coming to the apartment later that night or early Sunday to buy the gun.
Pallone told police she took the gun from the shelf to prepare to sell it, and while sitting on her bed next to the crib, she tried to unload it. As she was trying to remove the bullets, she apparently caught the hammer and the gun discharged, according to court records.
Pallone told police that "she did not know about guns and did not know how to unload" the weapon, court papers say.
The Slatington police, the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force, the district attorney's office and the coroner's office are investigating.
D'Amore tentatively scheduled Pallone's preliminary hearing for Oct. 15.
here is one story where a mother should not be allowed to raise a child. from what I read she unloaded a gun not knowing how and accidently shot her baby in the head. when they told her she would not make bail that was the only time she showed emotion but her baby was dead and she never cried. she was going to sell the gun to the guy she bought drugs from. I don't know if there was something wrong with the girl that she didn't understand what she did or this was done on purpose. it's really sad because it's always kids who have to suffer with parents like these.
