Rebecca Riley murder trial jury begins deliberations

BROCKTON, Mass. (FOX25, myfoxboston) - A jury has begun deliberations in the trial of a Massachusetts woman accused of murder in the fatal prescription drug overdose of her 4-year-old daughter.

Carolyn Riley is accused of overmedicating her daughter, Rebecca, on powerful drugs prescribed by a psychiatrist who diagnosed the girl with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder by the time she was 3. Her husband, Michael, faces a separate trial.

A jury began deliberating about noon Friday.

Defense lawyers say Rebecca Riley died of a fast-moving pneumonia, not a drug overdose.

The case reignited debate in the psychiatric community about whether young children can accurately be diagnosed with bipolar disorder and whether they should be given powerful drugs usually prescribed for adults.