Rita Pangalangan faced accusations of neglect and murder in a trial that began on August 29. The case revolved around the death of her 13-year-old disabled daughter, Cristina Pangalangan, who lost her life to heatstroke on August 5, 2019, after being left inside a parked Volkswagen for an agonizing five hours and 41 minutes.
Who was Rita Pangalangan?
Rita Pangalangan was a woman who found herself at the center of a tragic and heart-wrenching case. She was the mother of Cristina Pangalangan, a disabled 13-year-old girl whose untimely death led to a murder trial that garnered significant attention.
Rita Pangalangan had a noteworthy career as a schoolteacher in Colleton County, where she earned accolades, including Teacher of the Year recognition on two occasions. However, her life took a devastating turn when she was accused of neglecting her daughter, Cristina, who suffered from cerebral palsy. This neglect ultimately resulted in a conviction for the murder of her own child.
The prosecution alleged that Rita Pangalangan and her then-boyfriend, Larry Eugene King Jr., knowingly placed Cristina in the car’s backseat while they were under the influence of methamphetamine. Cristina, who suffered from cerebral palsy, was unable to communicate or seek help. Her heartbreaking condition rendered her helpless, unable to open the car door or cry out for assistance.
During the trial, testimonies from witnesses painted a troubling picture of Rita Pangalangan’s parenting choices. Lindsay Lewis, an 18-year-old aspiring nurse and one of Pangalangan’s students, testified about an incident where she was entrusted with caring for Cristina. Shockingly, Pangalangan left her daughter with Lewis for an entire weekend, claiming she was assisting King in his recovery from food poisoning. This prolonged absence left the 18-year-old student alone with Cristina, raising serious concerns about the mother’s priorities.
Brittney Honeycutt, who had rented a room in the Pangalangan household during the summer of 2019, recounted her experiences of watching over Cristina at the mother’s request. Honeycutt even revealed that she had been instructed to leave Cristina in her car with the windows down while she went to work, suggesting a pattern of neglect.
Prosecutor Duffie Stone painted a damning picture of Rita Pangalangan as a selfish mother who disregarded her daughter’s special needs. He argued that Cristina’s tragic death resulted from the defendants treating her as a burden rather than a beloved child. To secure murder convictions, Stone needed to prove that Pangalangan and King intended to harm Cristina or displayed reckless indifference to human life, leading to her untimely demise.
Defense attorney Dayne Phillips, representing Rita Pangalangan, acknowledged the tragedy but argued against a murder conviction. He recognized mistakes had been made but insisted that the defendants did not intend to kill Cristina. Phillips emphasized that while there were consequences, this was not a murder case.
