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Faith-healing dad's bid for bail was rejected

Catherine Schaible may get bail but her husband will be held until trial for letting their son die without medical care.

Holding hands, Catherine and Herbert Schaible leave the Criminal Justice Center after a probation hearing May 6, 2013. The very religious couple, who were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of a 2-year-old son because they denied him medical care, were in court because their 8-month-old son Brandon died recently under similar circumstances. ( CLEM MURRAY / Staff Photographer )
Holding hands, Catherine and Herbert Schaible leave the Criminal Justice Center after a probation hearing May 6, 2013. The very religious couple, who were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of a 2-year-old son because they denied him medical care, were in court because their 8-month-old son Brandon died recently under similar circumstances. ( CLEM MURRAY / Staff Photographer )Read more
    by BY MENSAH M. DEAN, Daily News Staff Writer <a href="mailto:deanm@phillynews.com">deanm@phillynews.com</a>, 215-568-8278
    Published 

CATHERINE SCHAIBLE, the "faith-healing" mom accused of murder for praying for her bacterial pneumonia-stricken baby son Brandon instead of taking him to a doctor, may be allowed to bail herself out of jail today.

Schaible, 43, who has a detention hearing scheduled in front of Common Pleas Judge Benjamin Lerner, has the money to post 10 percent of her $250,000 bail, her attorney, Mythri Jayaraman, told Lerner on Tuesday.

This morning, Lerner will hear arguments from Jayaraman and Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore before deciding whether to lift a detainer that would allow Schaible to post bail. She and husband Herbert have been in custody since May 22.

Sources told the Daily News that Lerner is leaning toward releasing the mother of seven surviving children, but yesterday he refused to lift a detainer on Herbert, 45, which means he will remain in jail for now.

Lerner blocked the Rhawnhurst couple's ability to post bail because they violated probation terms of their 2011 involuntary manslaughter convictions in the death of another son, Kent, 2, who also succumbed to bacterial pneumonia without medical care. Their sentence required them to get regular medical care for their children.

Brandon was 7 months old when he died at the family's home in April. The couple told detectives their religious beliefs led them to pray for Brandon instead of getting him to a doctor.

Both Schaibles are facing charges of third-degree murder and related offenses in the boy's death.

Like his wife, Herbert had the money to post 10 percent of his $250,000 bail, which had been raised by family and members of the couple's church, said attorney Bobby Hoof, who represents Herbert.

"He's grieving," Hoof said of his client, who turned 45 behind bars on Saturday. "He said that he wished that he could change places with those two children. He's mourning."

Hoof added: "In terms of his feelings right now, he's trying to accept responsibility for what happened and maintain being the head of his household."