O.C. mother charged with murder

An Anaheim woman was charged with murder Wednesday in the drowning death of her 13-month-old son after toxicology tests confirmed she had been drunk at the time.

Paige Elizabeth Looney also was charged with two counts of child abuse and endangerment with a sentencing enhancement for death due to child neglect. She faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life if convicted.

Orange County Deputy Dist. Atty. Howard Gundy declined to disclose her blood-alcohol level, saying only that the toxicology report “wasn’t good.”

Gundy said the murder charge stemmed from “implied malice” on Looney’s part. She had a “conscious disregard” for Eric, the toddler who drowned Feb. 21, and his 4-year-old brother, Tanner, the prosecutor said.

“She showed extreme indifference for the health and welfare of those children,” Gundy said.

Looney, 34, was in court Wednesday to be arraigned on the charges, but the hearing was postponed until March 14 so she could be assigned a court-appointed lawyer. She is being held on $1-million bond.

During the hearing, the public defender who appeared for Looney’s initial appearance, Donald T. Barkemeyer, asked the court for a bail review hearing and for a gag order, arguing that Anaheim police should not be allowed to provide information about the case to the public before discussing it with the defense.

Judge Roger Robbins agreed to a bail review but denied a gag order, saying he had no jurisdiction because Anaheim police were not present in court.

Looney’s cousin and two aunts declined to comment as they left the Fullerton courthouse.

Eric was the youngest of four children born to Looney by two men who are brothers. Mark Looney is the father of a 12-year-old daughter. Steve Looney is now married to Paige Looney and is the father of Eric, Tanner and another son who died in 2005 at age 2.

Eric drowned Feb. 21 in the family’s unfenced backyard pool in Anaheim. His sister called 911 when she arrived home from school.

When police arrived, Paige Looney had pulled her son from the water and was attempting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, according to police. The boy’s father, who lives at the residence part time, was not home when the drowning occurred, police said.

Looney showed signs of intoxication and empty beer cans were found about the house and backyard, according to police. It was unclear how the boy had gotten into the pool, which did not have a fence or barricade surrounding it. Under state law, new pools are required to be fenced.

Police are investigating whether the pool was “grandfathered” in before the law went into effect. They also are reviewing the 2005 death of her 2-year-old son. The cause of death was listed as undetermined, police said, but was linked to a preexisting heart condition.

According to police, the family on the fathers’ side repeatedly complained to Orange County Child Protective Services about the way Looney treated her children. Terry Fisher, a spokeswoman for the agency, maintained Wednesday that state confidentiality laws prevented her from confirming or denying abuse reports.

Reached by telephone after Wednesday’s hearing, Eric’s paternal grandmother said her son and other relatives on her side of the family would not be commenting on the case until Looney was arraigned on the charges.

The Looney children are in protective custody.

christine.hanley@latimes.com