Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Jury deliberations continue in case of boy who died in hot vehicle

Rimers

Photos from Metro Police

Colleen Rimer and Stanley Rimer

Rimer trial

KSNV coverage of trial of Stanley and Colleen Rimer, Feb. 24, 2011.

A Clark County jury will resume deliberations Friday in the trial of Stanley and Colleen Rimer, charged in connection with the death of their 4-year-old son who died of heat stress after being left in the family’s SUV in June 2008.

The jury began deliberating Thursday evening but decided to break for the night and come back at 10 a.m. Friday to continue.

The jury spent the afternoon listening to closing arguments in the case, which involves not only second-degree murder charges in the death of their son, Jason, but multiple counts of child abuse, neglect and endangerment regarding their other children.

The jury also received lengthy instructions from Judge Douglas Herndon. He said that if jurors did not find either of the Rimers guilty of second-degree murder, they could also find them guilty of manslaughter.

During the two-week trial, jurors have heard from several of the Rimers’ eight children, from Child Protective Services investigators and a church caregiver about the conditions at the home and the hygiene of the children.

Police said Jason’s body was found June 8, 2008, after 17 hours of being left in the vehicle, where he was strapped in his seat after his mother had driven him and several other members of the family home from church.

Both of the Rimers have said they were ill that day and were staying in their bedroom and had thought that one of the other children had taken Jason out of the vehicle.

According to testimony, the temperature inside the locked car could have climbed to nearly 130 degrees or more.

Prosecutors are trying to demonstrate that the Rimers had a history of neglect and abuse of their eight children, which led to the tragedy of Jason being left in the vehicle.

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