Abuse was result of combat stress, defense attorney says

A man charged with starving his ex-girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter was suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome from his military service in Iraq and struggling with a drinking problem when he tried to care for the child, his defense attorney said Tuesday.

Michael John Bowden, 26, was charged with second-degree felony child abuse in connection with what prosecutors say was deliberate neglect and abuse of the girl, who has cerebral palsy and needs special care.

They also believe Bowden ran through the ex-girlfriend's bank account and squandered $14,000 of her money.

The mother, Anahi Ferrando, joined the U.S. Army, left the child legally in Bowden's care and was subsequently deployed to Iraq. Her daughter, Jade, weighed 30 pounds when her mom left but weighed about 13 pounds when the girl was taken to a hospital months later.

Defense attorney Erin Eliason said Bowden had been traumatized by his own service in Iraq, was not getting psychiatric treatment after coming to Utah and also had no experience taking care of children, much less a special needs child.

He was drinking heavily to self-medicate, was incapable of caring for himself or anyone else, and did not intend to hurt the girl, she said.

"For whatever reason, Mike believed he was taking care of Jade," Eliason said, adding that Bowden told a police officer, "Maybe I did screw up, but I did the best I could."

Bowden has already pleaded guilty to third-degree felony child abuse, so the trial is focusing on his state of mind at the time the child was in his care. Bowden has asked to have a bench trial, so there is no jury. Instead, 3rd District Judge Robert Hilder will hear the evidence and decide the verdict.

Ferrando, 26, described a whirlwind courtship after she met Bowden in New York when she was visiting friends. He moved to Utah, they lived together and she decided to enlist in the military, with a goal of the couple living together at a Texas military base.

Ferrando said the two got engaged, and Bowden asked to care for Jade while Ferrando was in the service. She said he told her Jade was fine while Ferrando was in Iraq, but Ferrando's father insisted the child was dying and eventually e-mailed photographs of an emaciated Jade. Once back in Utah, Ferrando found her girl in the hospital and the bank account $800 in debt.

She was depositing her full military paycheck into the account and Jade was getting Social Security money. Their agreement was that Bowden could withdraw $1,200 monthly for living expenses since he was not working.