Nurse accused in baby theft denies being a 'monster'

CONROE, Texas (AP) — A Texas woman accused of kidnapping a newborn boy after fatally shooting his mother said she is not "some sort of monster" and people should not judge her until they know the facts.

Verna McClain, 30, has been charged with shooting Kala Golden-Schuchardt, 28, in the parking lot of a pediatric clinic in the Houston suburb of Spring and snatching her 3-day-old son on April 17. The baby was later found safe.

Investigators have said McClain had recently had a miscarriage and was desperate to find a child she could present to her fiancée as his.

McClain told Houston television station KHOU during a jailhouse meeting Sunday that she was "a law abiding citizen, a mother who's never done anything wrong," not the person people think.

"I'm the same person everybody knows and loves," she said. "Don't sit and look at me as if I'm some sort of monster. I'm not. Until you know the facts, don't sit and judge."

But, she also said she felt paranoid, doesn't know who to trust and that "mentally, I'm borderline."

The television station sat in on a visit between McClain, her fiancé and a Houston community activist. It was not allowed to ask questions.

McClain remains jailed without bond. She faces a capital murder charge, which could carry a death sentence, though prosecutors haven't decided yet whether to seek the death penalty. McClain's attorneys have said she intends to plead not guilty and that they are reviewing her mental state.

Authorities have said McClain initially told investigators she found the baby on her doorstep, but later confessed.

Her fiancé, Kevin Carter, has said the couple planned to marry on May 5, and he intends to stand by her.

Golden-Schuchardt was buried last week at a cemetery near her home in Spring about 25 miles north of Houston.

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Information from: KHOU-TV, http://www.khou.com