Doctors Said Haleigh Poutre Would Never Recover; Two Years Later, She May Testify in Court
More than two years after Haleigh Poutre was so brutally beaten she was left in a coma from which she was never expected to revive, the 14-year-old girl may be well enough to testify against the man accused of abusing her.
Haleigh, who was once thought to be so irreversibly brain damaged that doctors planned to remove her from life support, has spent the last two years recovering at the Franciscan Hospital for Children near Boston.
She began breathing on her own and showing other signs of brain activity in January 2006, just days before doctors planned to remove her ventilator.
Now, she is reportedly able to communicate and recall her alleged attack.
Her recovery may set up a dramatic confrontation if she takes the witness stand and testifies against her stepfather, Jason Strickland, who is accused of beating her into a coma in September 2005.
clipped from: abcnews.go.com 