May 8, 2002 3 min read

MERIDEN, Conn. (AP) – A mother was arraigned Tuesday on charges she contributed to the suicide of her 12-year-old son, who hanged himself in his closet after being teased by his schoolmates about his body odor. Police said that Judith Scruggs refused to get her son, Daniel, the counseling he needed, and that the boy lived in an appallingly filthy home where the bathtub looked as if it had not been used in some time.

Scruggs, 51, pleaded innocent to a charge of risk of injury to a minor, which carries up to 10 years in prison, and was free on bail.

She and her supporters have claimed Daniel’s death on Jan. 2 was the result of bullying in school.

Daniel missed 74 of 78 days of school leading up to his death because of the constant abuse he received at Washington Middle School, his mother told authorities.

In court papers, police said school officials confirmed that Daniel was teased because of extremely poor hygiene, strong body odor and bad breath. Police also said the boy soiled his pants in school; his mother said he did that to get sent home.

The court papers describe a home filled with dirty dishes, piles of debris, and a bathtub filled with toys and clothes.

“Mrs. Scruggs could have done a lot more to help her son and possibly avoid the end result,” Sgt. Lenny Caponigro said. “She was offered numerous problem-solving ideas which she failed to take advantage of.”

In court, Scruggs said nothing and only nodded when asked if she had had a good relationship with Daniel.

Defense attorney M. Hatcher Norris told reporters the charges were “the legal equivalent of (adding) insult to injury.”

“She was a good mother and she mourns the loss of her son like everyone else,” Norris said. The lawyer said Scruggs tried to set up counseling sessions for her son at school. Police said she never called.

Meriden School Superintendent Elizabeth Ruocco told the Meriden Record-Journal that the public would be “amazed at the amount of time we spent assisting this child.”

The state Department of Children and Families received a report that Daniel was being neglected in October but found no evidence of neglect during a home visit Dec. 4, said spokesman Gary Kleeblatt.

Last week, the state House passed a bill introduced after Daniel’s death that would require schools to develop a system for reporting bullying.

The suicide also led to formation of an advocacy group.

“This whole case is indicative of the fact that the adults in the school community are not aware of the seriousness of this issue,” said Lisa Toomey, co-founder of the Advocacy Group for Parents of Bullied Children.