Woman, son accused of not helping dying relative

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A Madison woman and her adult son are expected to appear in Dane County Circuit Court Thursday on accusations they failed to help a relative who lay dying in their home.

A criminal complaint says 70-year-old Mary Coleman likely suffered a stroke, then fell out of bed and remained on the floor for two days before she died in August 2009. An attorney for Veronica King, Coleman's sister, argues King had no legal obligation to help Coleman because Coleman, in fact, was King's legal guardian. Attorney Marcus Berghahn argues in court papers that while King may have had a moral imperative to act, she was not legally bound to do so.

The State Journal says King and her 45-year-old son, Steven King, are charged with first-degree reckless homicide and hiding a corpse.