Hannah Overton spent seven years in prison for the death of 4-year-old Andrew Burd, who she and her husband, Larry Overton, were in the process of adopting when the little boy ingested a fatal amount of sodium.
A Texas woman wrongfully convicted in the death of her foster son is expected to receive more than $570,000 from the state for the years she spent in jail, according to reports.
Hannah Overton spent seven years in prison for the death of 4-year-old Andrew Burd, who she and her husband, Larry Overton, were in the process of adopting when the little boy ingested a fatal amount of sodium.
The prosecution alleged that Overton tried to punish the boy by making him drink water that contained seasoning, while the defense speculated Andrew may have had the eating disorder pica, a condition that includes an insatiable appetite.
Overton’s attorneys said the little boy may have accidentally poisoned himself.
The mother of five had no prior trouble with the law, but she was convicted of capital murder in the salt poisoning case and sentenced to life in prison.
In 2014, a Texas appellate court overturned her conviction on the basis of an ineffective counsel and she was released on bond.
She was charged a second time for murder after her release, but former Nueces County District Attorney Mark Skurka dropped the new case against her in 2015.
In May 2017, she was officially declared innocent, making her eligible to grant state funds available to the wrongfully convicted. She will also be protected from facing a trial connected to Andrew's death ever again.
Overton will receive a check for $573,333.33 as compensation for the time she lost in prison, her attorney told ABC News.
She will also receive an annuity and is qualified to receive insurance and education benefits.
"I’m very thankful that this compensation is finally coming through,” Overton, who is pregnant with her sixth child, told ABC News. “No amount of money will ever bring back the years that were taken away, and the seven years of freedom I lost. I could never thank my attorneys enough for fighting endlessly to prove my innocence and bring me home."
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