Jury selection under way in murder trial for parents of boy left in overheated SUV

By Dave Toplikar

Published Monday, Feb. 14, 2011 | 11 a.m.

Updated Monday, Feb. 14, 2011 | 3:13 p.m.

The process of selecting a jury was continuing Monday afternoon in the trial of the parents of a 4-year-old boy who died after being left in the family's SUV in June 2008.

Stanley and Colleen Rimer are to stand trial on charges of second-degree murder and multiple counts of child abuse, neglect and endangerment.

A court official said the jury selection process might continue into Tuesday. The trial is expected to last about two weeks before Clark County District Judge Douglas Herndon.

The attempted murder charge stems from a June 8, 2008, incident at the family's home near Sahara Avenue and Nellis Boulevard.

Police responded to the home after a report at about 8:30 a.m. that Jason Rimer, 4, was found not moving in the family's vehicle. That vehicle had been parked at the home since about 3 p.m. the previous day, when family members returned from church.

Colleen Rimer told Metro investigators she had driven several of her children home from church services the previous morning and apparently forgot Jason was in the car. He was found by his 14-year-old brother, who was loading camping gear into the car the following morning.

Jason was pronounced dead. He was still dressed for church, wearing a white shirt and tie, court records show.

The coroner's office determined the boy died from heat exposure.

The family told police that Jason suffered from a medical condition known as myotonic dystrophy — a form of muscular dystrophy characterized by the wasting away of muscles. He had a limited vocabulary and was physically weak, unable to dress himself or to open doors, records indicate.

According to Stanley Rimer's attorney, at the time Jason was left in the vehicle, Stanley Rimer hadn't been in charge of him. Stanley Rimer claimed he had been ill and, after returning from church before the rest of the family, had remained in his room.

Colleen Rimer told investigators she asked another child to take Jason out of the car after church, but speculated that child may not have heard her because a cold had compromised her voice.

Inside the home, Colleen said she asked her children if anyone had seen Jason. The children didn't know where he was, and assumed he was sleeping. She looked for Jason, but then got distracted with bringing her husband dinner and picking up another child who had remained at church after the family left.

When she went back to church, Colleen drove her husband's truck, and left the Excursion, with Jason inside, parked.

Several of the charges against the Rimers stem from the conditions related to their other children. Records show the family had come to the attention of Child Protective Services multiple times in recent years.

Reports from the time of Jason's death and previous records indicate the Rimers' home was unkempt and their five children had lice on occasion.

Court records show that the Rimers have each been released on $20,000 bail and have been under house arrest for more than a year, with the condition that they were to have no contact with their remaining four children or with each other.