Las Vegas couple plead not guilty to child abuse charges in connection with a 13-year-old’s death

By DAVID FERRARA LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

8 years ago

Kristin Bush, center, and James Bush, right, finish their initial arraignment, both charged with child abuse after Kristin Bush’s 13-year-old son died, weighing 22 pounds, Regional Justice Center, Las Vegas, Monday, March 6, 2017. (Elizabeth Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @EliPagePhoto

Attorney Robert Lueck, right, speaks on behalf of James and Kristin Bush, who were charged with child abuse after Kristin Bush’s 13-year-old son died, weighing 22 pounds, Regional Justice Center, Las Vegas, Monday, March 6, 2017. (Elizabeth Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @EliPagePhoto

Kristin Bush exits the court room after the initial arraignment with James Bush, both charged with child abuse after Kristin Bush’s 13-year-old son died, weighing 22 pounds, Regional Justice Center, Las Vegas, Monday, March 6, 2017. (Elizabeth Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @EliPagePhoto

Kristin Bush, center, and James Bush, left, wait to begin their initial arraignment for charges of child abuse after Kristin Bush’s 13-year-old son died, weighing 22 pounds, Regional Justice Center, Las Vegas, Monday, March 6, 2017. (Elizabeth Brumley/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @EliPagePhoto

Biloxi firefighters assist injured passengers after their charter bus collided with a train in Biloxi, Miss., Tuesday, March 7, 2017. Biloxi city spokesman Vincent Creel says emergency responders were still removing injured people from the bus more than 30 minutes after the crash. (John Fitzhugh/Sun Herald via AP)

A Las Vegas couple entered not guilty pleas Monday to child abuse charges in connection with a 13-year-old boy’s death.

Kristin Denise Bush and James Bush each face two counts of child abuse neglect or endangerment with substantial bodily harm. The couple’s son, Evan, suffered from a brain abnormality known as Joubert syndrome and died in December 2015, weighing 22 pounds.

The boy’s manner of death was undetermined, but prosecutors said he was malnourished and his parents failed to seek appropriate medical care.

The second count relates to the couple’s other son, who is 16 and weighed 70 pounds when they were charged early last month, Rinetti said.

Defense attorney Robert Lueck rebutted the criminal allegations, saying the children suffered from severe disabilities.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.