A South Carolina couple is on trial for allegedly leaving the woman’s developmentally disabled daughter to die in a car amid sweltering summer temperatures.
The victim, 13-year-old Cristina Pangalangan was non-verbal and wheelchair-bound, leaving her not physically able to get out of the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta.
Rita Pangalangan, who was a teacher for the local school district, and Larry King are both charged with murder, unlawful conduct towards a child, and criminal conspiracy.
The incident happened at King’s home, about 10 miles outside the city of Walterboro, on Aug. 5, 2019. The day that featured a high in the upper 80s, according to WPDE.
Defendant Pangalangan allegedly claimed she had briefly stepped into the residence to grab a pack of cigarettes, and she left her daughter in the 2012 Volkswagen Jetta.
According to authorities, she claimed to return to find Cristina and the car keys locked inside. It was too late to save the young teen by the time defendant Pangalangan and King got spare keys to unlock the vehicle.
First responders reportedly arrived to find Cristina out of the vehicle but not breathing and “beyond help.”
Investigators said that Cristina was trapped there for five hours. Temperatures in the Jetta possibly exceeded 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
Contrary to the couple’s story, detectives claimed to have found surveillance footage that showed defendant Pangalangan and King putting Cristina in the vehicle at 11:15 a.m., shutting the door, and leaving her there.
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The couple was absent for an hour, briefly returned to check on the girl, then went back into the home, authorities reportedly said.
They allegedly did not step out for three hours, and even when they did, they simply drove off in King’s truck, leaving Cristina alone for another hour.
Rita Pangalangan and Larry left Cristina Pangalangan, a developmentally disabled 13-year-old, to die in a vehicle amid summer temperatures, authorities said. (Mugshots: Colleton County Sheriff’s Office)
Defendant Pangalangan resigned from teaching later that month.
Those who spoke to the local station, who were only identified as the teenager’s “loved ones,” said they don’t think the South Carolina Department of Social Services appropriately handled the neglect complaints against defendant Pangalangan, WPDE reported. Lawyers reportedly said there were five such complaints.
The most recent happened in March 2019. School officials called DSS, saying that the mother brought the daughter to school with a severe, untreated burn across her face, neck, and chest.
Defendant Pangalangan failed to take care of the injury, which ended up draining on the child’s shirt and emitting an odor, according to a lawsuit against DSS. The lawsuit claims the agency failed to properly follow through on the case.
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