Couple to plead guilty in child neglect case

A couple accused of neglecting the woman's 14-year-old disabled nephew waived a preliminary hearing Friday and will plead guilty to the gross misdemeanor charge in district court on Sept. 8.

Christopher Schmerber, the surviving victim of a murder-suicide in Mound House in 2003, was hospitalized in critical condition in April. His Carson City guardians, James and Lorraine Bowers, allegedly failed to properly care for the boy.

They were arrested April 3 on charges of felony child neglect and endangerment.

Assistant District Attorney Gerald Gardner said after the Friday hearing that the lesser gross misdemeanor charge carries a possible sentence of one year in jail.

"This was never a case of intentional abuse," Gardner said. "For five or six years, he (Christopher) was doing OK."

Court records showed that Christopher was taken to Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center on Feb. 17 with at least four severely infected bed sores, and later transferred to a hospital in Oakland, Calif.

Gardner said a school nurse first became aware of the sores in January, but treatment for the boy wasn't sought at the time. The Bowers denied intentionally harming the boy, who will turn 15 on Sept. 14.

Lorraine Bowers, a registered nurse, said in the report that she was the boy's primary caregiver, but had been out of town caring for her sick mother during the period of time when the sores progressed to Stage IV.

Stage IV is the most severe stage of bed sores, with serious skin loss and damage to muscle, bone and joints. Stage IV bed sores are extremely difficult to heal and are often complicated by infection, which can be lethal, according to MayoClinic.com.

Christopher was paralyzed when he was 9 years old after his mother, Tamara Schmerber, shot his father to death and then shot Christopher twice in the back before turning the gun on herself. The family had been struggling with finances in the months leading up to the shootings.

Christopher is back in Carson City now, Gardner said, and living in a group home "doing remarkably well." He is expected to fully recover, and enrolled this week in special classes at Carson High School.

The defendants, who remain out on bail, were represented by Ben Walker.

They are expected to plead guilty to the reduced charges at 9 a.m. Sept. 8. The Department of Parole and Probation will make a sentencing recommendation.