Tampabay: Mother arrested in son's death

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Mother arrested in son's death

The Land O'Lakes woman is indicted on first-degree murder charges.

By AMY ELLIS and JAMES THORNER

Three weeks after 6-year-old Mathew Rotell was found dead in his family's minivan, his mother, a home health nurse known to neighbors as "Supermom," has been accused of killing him.

Less than two hours after a grand jury indicted her on charges of first-degree murder, Kristina Gaime, 34, was taken into custody at University Community Hospital in Tampa, where she has remained since her son's death April 12.

Late Tuesday, sheriff's deputies took Gaime's fingerprints at the hospital and prepared to transfer her from the intensive care unit to the Pasco County Jail in Land O'Lakes.

The arrest, less than a month after Mathew Rotell's body was found in Gaime's minivan in Land O'Lakes, came after seven hours of grand jury testimony.

Twenty-one jurors heard from 11 witnesses, including Gaime's parents, Gary and Kathleen McDuffie.

The McDuffies, through their attorney, made their first public comments on the case minutes before the indictment was handed up, saying they were cooperating with authorities and hoping for the best.

The McDuffies, accused by investigators of orchestrating a coverup for their daughter, could not be reached after Gaime's arrest. Gaime's attorney, Angelo Ferlita, did not return phone calls.

The arrest of Gaime, a home health nurse who had worked at University Community Hospital and Hospice of Hillsborough, brought no comfort to Stephen Rotell, Mathew's father and Gaime's ex-husband.

"All throughout this, Steve has not wanted to believe that this was possible," said Rotell's attorney, Jim Kramer. "This is the mother of his two children. This is certainly not something he relishes knowing about his ex-wife."

Rotell and Gaime had been embroiled in a bitter custody battle for Mathew and his brother, Adam, 8. The feud continued after Mathew's death, with family members squabbling about where the boy was to be buried and what he would wear in his casket.

Still unclear is how Mathew, a first-grader who loved Tweety Bird and roller hockey, died. Autopsy results have not been released, and Gaime's indictment was sealed early Tuesday, pending her arrest.

Pasco sheriff's Detective Brett Landsberg, the lead investigator on the case, left for Tampa immediately after the grand jury was released.

The jurors, 13 women and eight men, were empaneled early Tuesday and heard two other murder cases before moving on to Gaime.

The McDuffies, the only family members called to testify, arrived at the courthouse about 11 a.m. and left about 6 p.m., shortly before the grand jury returned from deliberation.

The bizarre case has generated a flurry of media attention and Internet discussion, and many have likened Mathew's death to the similarly mysterious killing of JonBenet Ramsey.

A day after Mathew and his family returned home from a Caribbean cruise, he was found dead by his grandmother in the family minivan, which was parked in the garage of their Lake Heron town home.

Attorneys for Gaime suggested during the investigation that someone broke into Gaime's house and attacked her and may have killed Mathew.

Investigators gave that theory little credence.

In fact, they complained that the McDuffies were interfering with their investigation and had possibly tampered with evidence.

Kathleen McDuffie gave conflicting versions of what had happened to her daughter, including the account that an intruder had attacked Gaime.

On Tuesday, the McDuffies' attorney repeated those claims, saying they were never fully investigated. Gaime has been in the hospital with multiple injuries to her back, buttocks, feet and head. "It is obvious that these injuries, based on their location, could not have been self-inflicted," Hershock said. "We are not really able to say what happened to her."

Neighbors, who had described Gaime as the "Supermom" of their street, were saddened by her arrest, but not surprised.

"There were just too many fingers pointing that way," said Joan Jacobs, whose grandson played with Mathew and Adam. "It's not what anyone wanted to hear nor what they expected to hear. I just feel so sorry for Adam."

Back to Tampa Bay area news

Click for TampaBay.com, your entertainment section and more