Prosecutors, Defense Make Closing Arguments in Hendrix Trial

Erin Hendrix's future is now in the hands of 12 of her peers.

Her jury is deliberating over whether she repeatedly tried to poison her infant daughter, Hannah.

Her attorney, Steven Bradley, and Lake County prosecutors made their final arguments to the jury this morning, closing out the two-week trial.

Assistant Lake County Prosecutor Lisa Neroda told jurors that Hendrix, 29, of Mentor, because she could not deal with the pressures of raising a child with special needs.

Hannah has a genetic disorder called CHARGE syndrome. Neroda said that Hannah's medical problems interfered with Hendrix's life plans.

"The financial stress was not part of the plan," Neroda said. "Quitting her job wasn't part of the plan. It wasn't part of the plan.

"Why else would you inject lead into your child's system?" she asked.

Neroda also noted that police found lead nitrate in Hendrix's book bag at her home.

During his closing argument, Bradley said that Hendrix did buy and have lead nitrate, but only because she had worked as a science teacher at Bellaire High School.

Bradley said that while there is plenty of evidence that Hannah was poisoned, there is not any meaningful evidence as to who poisoned her. He said that Hendrix's husband, her in-laws or Hannah's medical caretakers had equal opportunity to do it.

"Anyone who had access to the Hendrix house would realistically have to be considered a suspect," Bradley said.

Bradley added that Hannah's lead levels also increased on two occasions when she was in protective care and her parents did not have access to her.

Bradley also pointed to a where the lead found from Hendrix's book bag was found to be "clearly different" than the lead in Hannah's body.

Lake County Assistant Prosecutor Paul Kaplan said that Bradley was misrepresenting the study, going so far as to call Bradley's tactics "intellectually dishonest."

Kaplan said that CDC scientists testified that they could not confirm or deny if lead found at Hendrix's house and former job was the same lead used to poison her child.

"The study was inconclusive," Kaplan said.

Hendrix was indicted on 22 charges, including attempted aggravated murder, endangering children and contaminating a substance for human consumption or use. According to the indictment, Hendrix started poisoning her daughter when she was 5 months old and continued to do so for 17 months.

The victim is now 3 years old and has been in the custody of Lake County Job and Family Services since July 2009.