Trial begins for Longmont woman charged with foster child’s death

Lemmon is facing three charges of child abuse resulting in death after 1-year-old Thomas Boyles died under her care died as a result of numerous head and internal injuries, according to a 2019 affidavit.

Lemmon’s partner and co-foster parent Vincent Ray Johnson, 29, was also arrested in connection to the death and faced the same charges as Lemmon.

Johnson pleaded guilty in October 2021 to child abuse — negligence resulting in death, a Class 3 felony. He is required to testify against Lemmon and received a stipulated 12 year prison sentence as part of the plea deal.

In the affidavit, the charges are listed as knowing or recklessly causing injury, permitting a child to be unreasonably placed in a situation that posed a threat to the child’s health, and continued pattern of conduct that resulted in mistreatment or an accumulation of injuries that results in death.

At 5:47 p.m. April 22, 2019, Lemmon called 911 and said Boyles was unconscious and not breathing, according to the affidavit. When first responders arrived on scene, Lemmon was performing CPR on Boyles on his lower torso that was described by some as “a little deep,” the affidavit said.

Boyles was taken to Longmont United Hospital and later airlifted to the Children’s Hospital in Aurora, according to the affidavit.

He was pronounced dead on April 24, 2019.

According to the affidavit, forensic pathologist Dr. Meredith Frank determined the boy died as a result of blunt force injuries to the head and trunk. In addition, Frank noted the presence of some healed rib fractures.

While CPR was performed, Frank said the injuries were not consistent with damage caused solely by CPR, and said, “There is not a sufficient explanation for the severity of the head injuries or healing rib fractures.

Noting the death was “highly suspicious in nature,” Frank ruled the manner of death a homicide.

In opening statements, Lemmon’s defense attorney argued that Johnson has anger issues and also claimed police fed Johnson words to help defend himself.

Defense attorneys also claimed experts did not take into account how sick the child was during the autopsy and investigation and did not note the EMT’s harm to the child during a failed intubation attempt.

The trial is scheduled to take at least a week.