A 55-year-old Douglas, Wyoming, woman was sentenced Wednesday to between 14 and 23 years in prison for abusing her elderly mother and fatally injuring her.
Converse County District Court Judge F. Scott Peasley handed the sentence down to Edwina Leman after watching about an hour’s worth of videos her son had taken in their home that showed Leman berating, taunting and being rough with her mother Mary Davis.
The videos were difficult to watch, both prosecutor and defense attorney agreed.
In one, Leman was complaining that her mother wouldn’t engage with the family and tried to “stay out of the way,” but would still take hours to eat a meal.
“Thank you for staying out of the way,” said Leman in a sarcastic and shrill tone, in one of multiple videos that the prosecutor, Converse County Deputy Attorney Nathan Shumway, played in the Converse County District Court Wednesday. “Not sharing, not caring, not interacting – have nothing to share. Just 81 years of f***ing waste. Big fat f***ing zero.”
Leman continued to rant in the video.
“When you die I’m going to invite (people)… and they’ll say this is why. This is why your grandma didn’t want to share. Because she was a hussy. Right, Mary? That’s why you don’t want to share,” she said in the video.
Other videos showed Davis crying out in pain or pleading for help and Leman giving indifferent responses like.
“I need some help, could you call me some help, please?” begged Davis in one of the videos.
“Nope,” answered Leman.
“I’ll pay for it,” Davis protested.
‘Worse Than An Animal’
In addition to all the emotional abuse, Leman broke Davis’ femur Dec. 28, 2023, when removing her clothing too roughly. The break led to complications that killed Davis.
“She treated her worse than an animal,” Shumway told the court. He said that elder abuse is especially egregious, because old age can rob people of many of the vestiges of their identity, and leave them with nothing but the choice to die with dignity.
Leman robbed Davis of that, Shumway argued.
Leman’s attorney Denny Harts countered, noting that the death investigator’s report ultimately called Davis’ manner of death an “accident.”
“And truthfully nobody saw what happened,” said Harts.
Peasley cautioned Harts not to make an argument for Leman’s innocence when she’s already admitted to abusing her mother and agreed to be convicted in her death. But the judge said Harts could argue for “mitigating factors” on Leman’s behalf.
Those mitigating factors, Peasley said later, include Leman’s lack of criminal history; her productivity in society; her homeschooling of her two boys and her willingness to take Davis into her home in the first place.
Harts indicated that Leman was suffering from caregiver burnout and had no time for basic self care.
The defender argued for a term of probation, while Shumway argued for between 20.5 and 35 years in prison on the two counts together.
So Sorry
Leman gave a morose, barely-audible statement in her own defense, and asked the judge to settle on any sentence that’s appropriate.
“They were the worst days of my life. If I could change it I would,” she said, between wracking sobs. “And I’m so sorry to my family. And to my community. I should have sought help for myself. I was more focused on help for Mom. I couldn’t see myself.”
Leman’s husband, John, who has filed for divorce, testified on behalf of the victim. He said he has forgiven Leman but doesn’t condone what she did.
Complications From A Broken Femur
Converse County Sheriff’s Lt. Ben Peech started investigating the case after he learned Jan. 2 that Mary Davis had just days to live, after suffering a break to her femur five days prior, says the case affidavit.
Davis had been living with Leman. Family members told him Leman was frustrated with Davis and would scream at her and call her names. She’d strike Davis on the head at times and would push her when she was walking with her walker, family members told the investigator.
Leman admitted to pushing her mother down. She admitted to being frustrated with Davis and calling her “Mary-gina.”
While Davis was in the bathroom the day of the femur fracture, Dec. 28, 2023, Leman removed her clothing more forcibly than she needed to, the affidavit says.
The son walked into the bathroom to find Leman tugging at her mother’s leg while Davis screamed in pain.
Leman said she swatted her mother on the head at times. She admitted to police that she had a bad temper.
Davis died of complications from a compound femur fracture.
Leman ultimately pleaded no contest to manslaughter, and guilty to elder abuse on July 8.
Leman hesitated during her change-of-plea hearing, when it was time for her to confess to the elder abuse charge.
She also showed a lack of remorse when discussing her life with an agent compiling a pre-sentence investigation report, Peasley noted in court Wednesday.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
