Walter Small looked back at the rest of Judge Rebecca Stern’s courtroom during his trial at the City-County Courts building. Small was originally charged with criminally negligent homicide as well as filing false reports in connection with the death of Robert Young. Prosecutors later dropped the charge of criminally negligent homicide and Small was on trial only for filing false reports.A Hamilton County jury will try to decide today if a former health care worker lied to police about events surrounding the death of a patient.
Walter Small, 43, faces three counts of giving false reports to police during an investigation the year after the Nov. 12, 2007, death of Robbie Young, whom Small cared for at The Health Care Center at Standifer Place.
The charges carry a prison sentence of two to 12 years.
Assistant District Attorney Boyd Patterson has said that Small changed his story about what happened on the day Young was taken to the hospital after apparent seizures. Young, 31, died six days later.
A 60-pound cerebral palsy patient, Young could not physically care for himself. Small and other nurses’ aides had to bathe, clean, bed and feed him.