Defense Wraps Up in Simi Beating Case

Defense attorneys for a Simi Valley woman accused of attempting to kill her husband to collect his insurance money wrapped up their case Tuesday with testimony from an expert on battered-wife syndrome.

Also, for the second consecutive day, Ventura County Superior Court Judge Herbert Curtis III warned attorneys that the case was dragging on too long.

To allow the jury to begin deliberations today, each attorney will be limited to two hours to present his or her closing arguments, the jurist said.

Eileen Childs, 37, and her daughter, Jennifer, 19, are accused of setting fire to Larry Childs’ bed on March 25 and then beating him with a baseball bat when he ran from the room.

Both women are charged with attempted murder and arson.

The prosecution contends that the women planned to kill Larry Childs to collect $1.4 million in life insurance. The money, prosecutors said, could then be used to open a Jiffy Lube franchise and boost Jennifer Childs’ career as a pop singer.

But the defense maintains that Larry Childs has a history of physically abusing his family, and that Eileen and Jennifer Childs were acting in self-defense.

Larry Childs has denied that any abuse occurred.

On Tuesday, defense attorneys called Glenn Lipson, who testified about abusive relationships and domestic violence.

Lipson also testified that Eileen Childs may have suffered “memory fragmentation” after experiencing the trauma of the fire and allegedly being attacked by her husband as he fled from the room where the fire started.

People with memory fragmentation may forget specific details of a traumatic incident and instead only recall their feelings and emotions at the time, Lipson said.

Defense attorneys also questioned Simi Valley Police Det. Jay Carrott in an effort to show that Larry Childs was too quickly dismissed as a suspect in the arson.

Several tense moments occurred during Tuesday’s session. At one point later in the afternoon, Curtis admonished the attorneys for causing the case to run more than a week.

Over the protests of Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Lisa Lee, Curtis ordered both sides to keep their closing arguments to two hours each.

“I think this case has dragged on for far too long,” Curtis said.