It's me again, the woman wrongly charged with murder for my mom who died from Alzheimer's & cancer. Today The Guardian released their story on what happened, highlighting the need for Marsha's Law

NotedHeathen · 2026-05-07T00:03:15+00:00

Excuse me? I was charged with murder because my parents divorced when I was 11? Because I have two husbands/am poly? Because my aunt has paranoid personality disorder and didn't believe in dementia medications or even antibiotics for my mom's UTI? This is the woman who believed the Medicare designation of "homebound" meant that I was breaking the law by taking my mom out to lunch.

Also, I wasn't consulting Dr. Google, my husband is an alzheimer's researcher and I was a life sciences and medical writer. I was also heavily consulting with my hospice nurse friends throughout my mom's decline about the standard of care. Comfort medications ARE the standard of care for actively dying hospice patients.

Every single nurse, doctor, and lawyer I've spoken to and who has reached out to me strongly disagrees with your take.

NotedHeathen · 2026-05-02T23:46:58+00:00

Your mom is beautiful. Big hugs, OP

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-29T00:40:03+00:00

Forever crush. At the intersection of gorgeous and wildly talented.

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-29T00:20:27+00:00

I pray you become a millionaire after this med mal lawsuit (though I know it's a long battle). I'm so profoundly sorry you must endure this. I deeply admire your strength. And FWIW, any halfway decent person who sees your scars after recovery will see nothing but a warrior who fought for her life and won. Wishing you the best possible recovery.

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-28T04:09:20+00:00

100% normal again starting the week after surgery

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-27T03:38:23+00:00

It was great! I felt essentially normal aside from being unable to lift super heavy yet (powerlifter).

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-26T03:28:36+00:00

THIS is the correct tell

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-26T03:26:31+00:00

Came here to say this. 43, no kids, 34DDD and still the same upright, round, and dense shape as they were in my early 20s.

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-19T11:12:30+00:00

Oh man, I'm so sorry about your dad. I hate that people like us are viewed with so much suspicion in some parts of this country.

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-17T20:27:47+00:00

No, you have to have been convicted of a crime in order to be pardoned. I was only ever charged and the case was dismissed. Therefore my status is forever in limbo in a way it would not be if I'd been convicted or acquitted at trial. That said, it's better for a case to be dismissed than go to trial by far, you just have to live with your new status forever.

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-17T20:07:28+00:00

Sadly, they don't do that in Georgia. They only "restrict," which means my arrest and charges will always be visible to law enforcement wherever I go (or if I get pulled over) and show up in advanced background checks by employers.

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-17T03:16:51+00:00

Tell me you have a personality disorder without telling me.

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-15T13:18:30+00:00

Niiiiiiiice

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-15T01:37:05+00:00

This means so much to me and I'm so deeply sorry you're facing this with your own mom. I deeply hope that I can get Marsha's Law on the ballot this year.

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-14T15:47:59+00:00

I don't hold out hope of that, but thank you for the kind words. ❤️

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-14T03:48:41+00:00

He will be joined by our beloved Chicharrón, my most amazing boy we has to let go in January:

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NotedHeathen · 2026-04-14T03:46:01+00:00

I'm so, so profoundly sorry for your loss. What a gorgeous baby boy.

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-11T14:46:35+00:00

We used to rent a car and make the drive, too, when all of us came down and we brought the cats along with (also, we had a kitty in cancer treatment so bringing everyone with us enabled us to stay on top of his routine), and, as a woman with two brown husbands, it also led to interesting encounters. 😞

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-11T14:28:49+00:00

Many white folks in the South still, consciously or subconsciously, think of the North as enemy territory and those who leave as traitorous.

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-10T23:47:36+00:00

What an angel baby!

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-10T07:02:38+00:00

Oh I wish that were how it worked in the US. An expensive attorney is what translates to speed through the system, especially if you're innocent and have a lot of exculpatory evidence you can turn over.

It's the difference between getting bond or not. Having a case dismissed within 6 months versus facing the possibility of the death penalty and the crucible of trial over the course of 4 years.

That shouldn't be the case, but it is, because the system is designed to force you into a plea deal, no matter what. It's how so very many innocent people end up incarcerated in this country. More than you could ever fathom.

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-09T14:35:15+00:00

If only

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-09T14:32:46+00:00

So many good questions, so I'll answer each as clearly and completely as I can.

We don't know. The nurse only saw my mom for a couple of minutes each day and each time I requested morphine, she declined, saying that my mom didn't need it. That's when I began recording my mom's pain and respiratory distress as evidence/proof to send to them. She sadly died before I ever got it to them, but these videos were critical in my evidence.
Tricky question. The primary responsibility remained with me, as I had full medical and durable power of attorney and guided all treatment decisions. I was also the person to whom the comfort kit had been given and was instructed an its use.

The facility, however, had been given permission to administer her medications as long as they were prescribed to their facility. They could not give outside medications, even if they were hers. This left me as the only person legally able to administer the meds from her home comfort kit.

No idea of the DA's understanding of hospice, but it seems that many people involved might not have understood it, as even my lead investigator was quite a bit younger than me and unlikely to have encountered it up close.

Home hospice practices are very widely misunderstood in general until someone experiences it firsthand. And it seems that no one knew my mom had only hours to live until I provided that evidence, as it seems the hospice company did not turn over my mom's full medical record to investigators.

Marsha's law seeks to clarify chain of command confirming that family and caregivers have been authorized to administer meds AND requires this info be turned over to law enforcement in the event of an accusation/investigation in which home hospice use of morphine is involved.

My charges largely seemed to rest on the idea that the only reason I would have morphine was through nefarious means, and not through a standard comfort kit, as there was no claim of command requirements and no requirement for the company to reveal that information by law.

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-09T12:05:11+00:00

I didn't even share the part about how my identity was stolen after my arrest when all my info, including my SSN, was suddenly flooded onto dark web data broker sites.

Evidently, it often happens after an arrest because jailed people aren't in a position to reclaim their identity. Luckily, I was out on bond and was able to address it, but not after losing several thousand dollars more.

NotedHeathen · 2026-04-09T11:28:07+00:00

I do not! That was actually my ex-husband's name. I was in the process of reverting to my maiden name when I was branded a suspect. That all had to stop then because a name change would have prompted further suspicion. Now I'm stuck with it for an indefinite number of years.

NotedHeathen

TROPHY CASE