Judge Wahlberg deciding Meagan Work's fate overnight
The fate of Meagan Work is now in the hands of Travis County Judge David Wahlberg.
After 4 days of testimony the Judge wants to think about his decision overnight.
Work pleaded guilty this summer to charges related to the death of her two-year-old little boy Colton Turner back in 2014. Turner was found in a shallow grave in southeast Austin.
Day 4 of Meagan Work's punishment hearing began with the defense presenting their case. The court heard from a former Leander Middle School principal. She cried through her testimony describing Work's parents as "disengaged" and only coming to talk with faculty when they needed something like gas money or groceries.
The defense also went through pages of CPS reports and called on a forensic pathologist from Fort Worth who disagreed with the Travis County M.E. She says saying Colton died of "blunt force trauma" is a step too far. Because the body was so badly decomposed, she would have labled his cause of death "unknown."
Closing arguments: the prosecution pointed out to Judge Wahlberg that Meagan Work "has been and is a violent ,angry, manipulative and self-centered person."
Prosecutors said you wouldn't bury your son in a remote area unless you've done something terribly wrong. They expressed sympathy for Work's difficult childhood but wanted the court to realize Meagan's behavior was a choice.
They compared Work's life to her sister Sydney. She came from the same broken home but is now thriving with 3 kids.
The defense claimed Meagan's boyfriend Michael Turner was the one steering the ship. Meagan was only following what Michael told her to do. The kidnapping story was his idea. And Work's attorneys believed she never called 911 to get Colton help because Michael had warrants.
The defense referred to the much older Michael as a "sick pervert" for latching onto a 16-year-old pregnant girl -- someone he could control.
Work's attorneys also claim Michael was the abuser...the one who repeatedly lost his temper and hurt Colton.
As for Robert Coe, the man who claims he saw Work slam Colton's head against a truck door -- he's "honest but mistaken."
By the way the charges Work pleaded guilty to are injury to a child by ommission and tampering with evidence. This is not a capital murder case. The prosecution is asking for at least 50 years...the defense is asking for half of that.