Fayette County mom charged with beating infant with crib part

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June 24, 2009

Anonymous The Tribune-Democrat Wed Jun 24, 2009, 09:51 AM EDT

UNIONTOWN — A Fayette County woman will stand trial on charges she fatally beat her 3-month-old son with pieces of railing while assembling his crib in August.

Uniontown police testified Tuesday that 25-year-old Lori Beth Workman confessed to hitting her son, Homer, with two different rail pieces because he wouldn’t stop crying.

Coroner Dr. Phillip Reilly at first investigated whether the boy suffocated after learning his parents sometimes taped a pacifier in his mouth to keep him quiet. But months of testing revealed he had a skull fracture and died of head trauma, and police say Workman confessed earlier this month.

Workman and her public defender aren’t commenting, nor is the boy’s father – who is not charged.

Workman was pregnant when her son died. Her new baby is in county custody.

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