Bellevue parents plead not guilty to starving infant

By BELLEVUE REPORTER

The young Bellevue parents accused of starving their baby to keep the girl from getting fat pleaded not guilty to criminal mistreatment.

Sam Labberton, 24, and Brittainy Labberton, 21, were arraigned Monday in King County Superior Court.

A judge reportedly ordered the couple not to contact the infant and their other daughter, 2 years old, except for supervised visits.

The younger daughter was hospitalized in October for failure to gain sufficient weight, and charging papers allege that the couple admitted to ignoring a pediatrician's advice to feed the child more.

Brittainy described the baby to investigators as "the exorcist," saying she was a fussy eater and often threw up her food, according to prosecutors.

Doctors determined there were no medical factors for the infant's gaunt condition after she ate readily and gained weight at the hospital.

Brittainy and Samuel both told investigators that they thought the baby was getting fat after the girl started gaining weight under foster care, according to charging papers.

Child protective services eventually took the couple's 2-year-old and placed her in foster care after Brittainy talked about killing herself and the child, according to charging documents.

This article was originally published in the Bellevue Reporter on February 2, 2010.