Murder suspect's baby to go to N.Y.
Patty
By Mary Anne Clancy, Of the NEWS Staff
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
MACHIAS - A Washington County probate judge ruled Tuesday that the paternal grandparents
of 6-month-old Logan Ingraham will be the child's guardians while his mother stands trial
for murdering his father.
Judge Lyman Holmes determined that both Patricia and Christopher Ingraham Sr. and Ellen
Bridges - the baby's maternal grandmother - would be fit guardians. But he concluded that
it would be in the best interest of the child for Logan to live with the Ingrahams in
Bath, N.Y.
The couple's son - 24-year-old Christopher Ingraham Jr.- died Jan. 4, the day after
20-year-old Katrina Bridges told police she had shot him in the back of the head because
he'd asked her to do so.
Bridges left the couple's Jonesboro home after the early morning shooting and drove around
for almost 12 hours before going to her mother's home in Whitneyville. She said the couple
had been the victims of a home invasion.
Police responded to that initial report and found Ingraham unconscious in the couple's
bedroom. He died early the next morning at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
Bridges changed her story several times before acknowledging she had shot Ingraham,
according to an affidavit by Maine State Police Detective Brian Smith. She has been in the
Washington County Jail since the night of Jan. 3 and is awaiting trial on a murder charge.
On Jan. 4, the day Ingraham died, Bridges consented to her mother becoming the guardian
for her then-4-month-old son.
The Ingrahams - who'd had a falling out with their son last summer and had never seen
their grandchild - came to Machias on Jan. 19. They filed a petition to remove Ellen
Bridges as the child's guardian and petitioned the court for guardianship.
Holmes described the circumstances of the case as "very sad and distressing" in the
14-page document outlining his decision.
Holmes wrote that the hostility between the Ingrahams and Ellen Bridges was evident
throughout the four-day hearing and the lengthy closing arguments in the case.
The judge said the Ingrahams believe that Ellen Bridges did not report the shooting of
their son as promptly as she might have, and that "she has not been forthcoming with them
on information concerning Logan."
Holmes wrote that Ellen Bridges appeared to the court to be hostile toward the Ingrahams
because she believes their son physically abused her daughter. Ellen Bridges may also feel
some hostility toward the couple because of their attempt to become the child's guardians
despite their lack of involvement with him during the first four months of his life,
Holmes wrote.
"Of the principal parties involved, only Teddy Bridges seemed to be remarkably free of
hostility," Holmes wrote.
The relationship between Ellen and Teddy Bridges was one factor Holmes cited in his
decision to award guardianship to the Ingrahams.
The couple has been married for 27 years, but just recently moved back together after
maintaining separate homes since 1993, the judge said. The Bridgeses spent several nights
of the week together, but the judge said he did not find them to have "a close
relationship," despite testimony to the contrary.
Holmes said they did not see each other in person the night that their daughter was
arrested and there was no indication that Teddy helped his wife during the five days it
took her to move Katrina's belongings out of the Jonesboro residence.
Holmes also questioned the level of communication between the couple, citing several
examples of testimony that indicated they weren't aware of significant actions on the part
of the other.
In contrast, evidence indicates that the Ingrahams have a stable, close relationship and
participate in many social and community activities together, Holmes wrote.
The issue of marital stability is critical because of the testimony of Barbara Sirken, a
family therapist who works primarily with children and families, the judge wrote.
"Ms. Sirken indicated that research had found that the stability of the marital
relationship in which children are raised is the most important factor in raising
well-adjusted children and that this factor is more important than the particular
parenting style," Holmes wrote.
Holmes wrote that Logan would need guidance as he grows older and begins asking about his
parents. The judge cited testimony that the Ingrahams sought counseling concerning their
own son's anger during his teen-age years and that they'd found it to be beneficial.
In contrast, Ellen Bridges did not "effectively address" the issue of her daughter's
stealing, but instead paid restitution from her own funds - failing to hold Katrina
responsible, Holmes wrote.
Holmes said he had a problem with how the Ingrahams cut off communication with their son
when they learned of his marijuana possession charge after he left Maine for New York. The
couple didn't speak with their son from July 1, 2000, to his death, although they sent
some cards and presents, the judge said.
"The Ingrahams were upset and disappointed with their son and his failure to disclose this
charge to them," Holmes wrote. "They decided not to call him and felt he should call them
first to explain this matter."
Noting the testimony of therapists who did not find that response to be "appropriate,"
Holmes wrote that he hoped if the situation ever arose with Logan that the Ingrahams would
maintain communication "even if he is not living up to their expectations or rules."
Holmes also noted testimony indicating that the Ingrahams' home was clean and that they
had a room prepared for the child, while the Bridges' home was described as cluttered and
not cleaned on a regular basis.
The judge addressed the question of bonding, referring to testimony that the Bridgeses had
maintained a relationship with their grandchild from the time of his birth and that
visitors noted how comfortable the child seemed with the couple.
But Sirken's testimony indicates that transitions should be made before a child is 9
months old because babies begin to recognize acute differences in individuals and develop
intense attachment to caregivers between 6 and 9 months, Holmes noted.
The Ingrahams' guardianship will take effect Monday. The Bridgeses will have the right to
visit the child two days a month in New York until Logan is 3 years old, at which time the
guardians must begin returning to Maine with Logan for two three-day periods each year.
The number of visits and the length of time the child can spend with his maternal
grandparents increases as he grows older.
Pending the outcome of the criminal charges against Katrina Bridges, the guardians must
allow Logan to visit with his mother during his visits to Maine as long as those visits
are supervised by the Bridgeses, another relative or a social service agency, Holmes
wrote.