LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A former Lubbock nurse was found guilty of reckless bodily injury that led to a 4-month-old’s death on Friday morning.
Debra Fraher, 71, a former licensed vocational nurse, was charged with reckless bodily injury to a disabled child.
In January 2023, Fraher was taking care of a 4-month-old special needs child who required a ventilator. Prosecutors say the baby suffered a respiratory emergency while Fraher was changing her diaper.
Investigators say Fraher ignored the ventilator alarms and failed to provide medical care. The baby was taken to the hospital, where she died eight days later.
Fraher will go before Judge Douglas Freitag for sentencing. She faces up to 20 years in prison.
Attorney statements
During closing arguments, prosecutors said Fraher had cared for children who use ventilators since 2006 and was hired to care for the child. Prosecutors said doctor orders detailed what to do if the ventilator alarms went off.
Prosecutors said two machines alarmed, and Fraher reset them. They said the alarms sounded again and she reset them again. They said the child’s mother came into the room and saw that the baby was blue. Prosecutors said Fraher told an investigator that when there is a problem, the tube must be checked from the machine to the patient.
Prosecutors said jurors saw video of the incident.
Defense attorney Charles Blevins said the child was born with a rare disease that kept her muscles from telling her body to breathe. He said Fraher has worked in the medical field for 50 years and has never seen a tracheal tube come out. Blevins said Fraher is heard on video saying she was sorry and that she did not see the tube had fallen out.
Blevins said no one downloaded the ventilator logs. He said the room was lit by a small lamp because the child had seizures. He said a nurse testified it can be difficult to tell if the tube has come out because of the dressing. Blevins said the medical examiner’s report describes the death as natural and an accidental dislodgment.
Prosecution closing arguments
ADA Mandi Saye said:
“Her first vent patient was in 2006. She had been hired to care for Eden Garcia. So how do we know she was aware of what those alarms meant? From documents and other records. There were doctor orders that detailed specifically what to do if the alarms went off. Look, listen and check. These are the things she was supposed to do.
“You cannot sit with a baby on a vent and simply reset the machine when a high-priority alert goes off. Two machines told her there was a problem, but she reset them and they both went off again and she reset them again. She knew these were lifesaving machines and didn’t pay attention when they went off.
“The mother came in and, despite not having any medical background, could see there was a problem and that the baby was blue. Fraher did nothing to prevent this. She said she could do the job. She was hired to do the job, but she did not do her job.”
ADA Cassie Grahm said:
“We all agree that this is a horrible tragedy. She should not have died that way, or that day. Fraher has been caring for vent-assisted children since 2006. She knows what to do, she has had training, and she knows what she was supposed to do.
“She told the investigator that when there is a problem you have to check the tube all the way from the machine to the patient. Common sense tells you that if an alarm goes off, you are going to seek help. She did not. She is trained and knows that when an alarm goes off you need to check what the problem is. She never checked the tube the way she said you should.
“You got something most juries never get. You got to see the crime on video.”
Defense closing argument
Defense attorney Charles Blevins said:
“Eden was born with a disease so rare that most doctors never will see it. Her muscles couldn’t even tell her body to breathe. Debra has been working in the medical field for 50 years and says she has never seen a tracheal come out before.
“Sixteen seconds after they discover the girl is blue, she has the airbag in her hand and is working to fix things. She is heard on camera that she is sorry and that she did not see the tube had fallen out. This was not some story she made up later. She was doing all she could right then.
“In July 2023, ADA Barron Slack said her culpability does not rise to criminal actions. Sgt. Walks in 2025 said it was negligence. That means she had to know the consequences of her actions and chose to make the decisions anyway. Was she aware? We don’t know what the machine said because no one downloaded the logs. Those alarms could have meant anything.
“It would have been hard to tell when the girl started turning blue. All they had on was a small lamp. The girl suffered from seizures, so they had to keep the big light off. You had a nurse testify who said it can be difficult to tell if the tracheal came out because of the dressing.
“No one else in that house was worried about those alarms. They were more worried about the school bus being on time. When they saw the baby was blue, she stayed and did everything she could to save the baby. Look at the ME’s report. It says this was natural and an accidental dislodgment.”
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