A Colorado mother charged with killing her seven-year-old daughter after allegedly pretending the girl was terminally ill and seeking ...
A Colorado mother charged with killing her seven-year-old daughter after allegedly pretending the girl was terminally ill and seeking donations to cover her medical care has pleaded not guilty.
Kelly Turner's lawyer entered the plea on her behalf on Wednesday during a virtual court hearing in suburban Denver.
Turner, 42, appeared by video from jail but only spoke to tell the judge she did not have any questions about the proceedings.
The mom was indicted last year on murder, child abuse, theft and charitable fraud charges in the 2017 death of Olivia Gant.
Olivia was originally thought to have died as a result of her illnesses after Turner claimed the little girl suffered from a rare and fatal disease, seizures, autism, severe allergies, and intestinal failure.
However, authorities began investigating her death after doctors became suspicious when Turner allegedly began claiming that her other daughter also had medical problems, according to the indictment.
Turner (pictured at a charity event) is charged with defrauding the Medicaid system of more than $538,000 and ripping off the Make-a-Wish Foundation and several charities after allegedly pretending Olivia was terminally ill
Olivia was originally thought to have died as a result of her illnesses after Turner claimed the little girl suffered from a rare and fatal disease. Authorities later grew suspicious when Turner allegedly began claiming that her other daughter also had medical problems
Turner created a GoFundMe page for Olivia in 2015 which raised more than $22,000
Olivia's actual cause of death has not been revealed. It was originally attributed to intestinal failure but was later changed to undetermined after her body was exhumed and an autopsy was conducted as part of the investigation.
It found no physical evidence of that illness or other conditions that Turner claimed the girl suffered.
The indictment also claimed that Gant, also known as Kelly Renee Turner, withdrew all of Olivia's medical care, arguing that the humane thing to do was to stop care and allow her daughter to die because her quality of life was so poor.
Olivia died a few weeks later in August 2017 and her cause of death was determined to be intestinal failure.
Turner's efforts to fulfill her daughter's 'bucket list' of dreams before she died drew publicity and donations, including an $11,000 'bat princess' costume party provided by the Make-A-Wish-Foundation.
News of Olivia's illness gained the sympathy of multiple charity organizations and was the 'Bat Princess' for a day, a Denver cop and spent the day as a firefighter as one of her final wishes
Turner's efforts to fulfill her daughter's 'bucket list' of dreams before she died drew publicity and donations
One of Olivia's 'bucket list' wishes was to be a police officer for the day, so before she died cops took her on a patrol
She is accused of defrauding the Medicaid system of more than $538,000 and ripping off several other charities and fundraising platforms, including a GoFundMe page which raised $22,000.
There was also a bake sale that was held for the little girl and a Night for the Gant Girls at Chick-Fil-A.
Turner created the GoFundMe page in 2015 and updated it regularly with news of Olivia's 'illnesses'.
There she claimed that Olivia started having medical issues at nine months old and as of November 2014, had 'endured numerous hospital stays, surgeries, treatments, invasive testing just to sustain living.'
'A few months ago, Olivia added a new diagnosis to her already long list. Which includes hydrocephalus, autism, seizure disorder, motility issues, sensory processing disorder, AV vascular malformation, focal cortico dysplasia, tumor on the paratiod gland and developmental delays,' Turner wrote.
'This diagnosis however doesn't come with a cure, with treatments to prevent or a promise of life. This diagnosis Neurogastrointestinal Encephalomyopathy.'
According to the indictment, Turner spontaneously brought up Munchausen Syndrome by proxy - a psychological disorder in which parents or caregivers seek attention from the illness of their children or dependents and sometimes cause them injuries that require treatment - while being questioned by investigators but denied that she had it.
The disorder was made infamous by the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case in 2015 - which has been turned into several films and TV shows - in which Dee Dee Blanchard claimed her daughter Gypsy Rose suffered from leukemia and kept her confined to a wheelchair, despite not actually being ill.
Olivia's cause of death was determined as intestinal failure, but her body was exhumed and a forensic pathologist found no evidence of intestinal failure
An indictment claimed Turner argued that the humane thing to do was to stop care and allow her daughter to die because her quality of life was so poor
Turner said during questioning: 'That has never been my case, like at all, whatsoever. You can talk to anyone that stood by my side through … all of this.'
Investigators say Olivia had been using a feeding tube and was admitted in July 2017 to Children's Hospital Colorado, where doctors said her nutrition was deficient.
One doctor told investigators that Turner wanted to withdraw all medical care and artificial feeding for her daughter because her quality of life was so bad.
He said she insisted that he sign a 'do not resuscitate' order for her daughter.
Doctors had said Olivia wouldn't be able to survive on IV nutrition, and Turner was given the option of taking her home on hospice care, according to the indictment. Olivia died a few weeks later.
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