January 26, 1998

This issue featured a shocking custody case in which Latrena D. Pixley, a District of Columbia woman who killed her 6-week-old daughter by smothering in 1992, was awarded legal custody of her young son by Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Michael D. Mason. The decision to grant custody to the convicted child murderer sparked outrage among child advocacy groups, particularly as the boy had spent most of his life in the care of Laura Blankman, a Montgomery County Police trainee who had sought to adopt him. The cover story, reported by Steve Vogel and Bill Miller of the Washington Post, highlighted the troubling judicial outcome and raised serious questions about child protection in the legal system.