Fine imposed on couple who concealed body of child

And a couple who concealed the body of their child was spared jail time today. More than five years ago, Therese Watlow, and her common-law husband, Michael Tesecum were arguing and Tesecum reportedly hit the child against a wall. At the time of his arrest, in a caution statement, he confessed that he hit the child and the mother said that Tesecum wrapped the child in a floral sheet, placed him in a bucket and buried him in their backyard. The baby’s body was retrieved in 2008 and the couple was charged with Concealment. This past Wednesday, they pleaded guilty and this morning, two character witnesses on behalf of Watlow told the court tales of domestic abuse in the relationship. No character witnesses appeared on Tesecum’s behalf but he told the court that he had been forced by the police to admit that he hit the child. The couple is now separated and Watlow is tending to her five children. Justice Michelle Arana imposed a non-custodial sentence of two thousand, five hundred dollars each to be paid within a year. In her ruling, Justice Arana said that in making her decision, she took into consideration, that the couple had pleaded guilty and saved the court’s time, statements from character witnesses, and that the couple had shown remorse. In June 2008, acting upon information, the cops visited the couple’s home on Riverside Street in the St. Martin’s de Pores area where they found the remains of Jermaine Cattouse who had been buried on August seventeenth 2004. The grave was located some fifty feet from the street side.