Wheaton child abandonment case delayed again
A trial on the parental rights of a woman who abandoned her newborn son in Wheaton has been delayed until Friday.
DuPage County Judge C. Stanley Austin recused himself Wednesday from the case of imprisoned mother Nunu Sung, saying it was clear the trial would not conclude by the end of the month.
Austin was set to begin hearing testimony in the case this week, with the trial expected to last about three weeks. But it now appears the proceedings could go into January, at which point Austin is scheduled for courtroom reassignment.
“I will not be able to take the case with me,” Austin said.
The case was transferred to Judge Robert Anderson, who will begin proceedings Friday. Anderson said the trial would unfold somewhat intermittently through mid-January, with as many as 49 witnesses expected to take the stand.
At issue is whether Sung, 27, is a fit mother and, if not, whether her parental rights should be terminated.
The Burmese refugee, who abandoned her son at birth in June 2009, is slated for parole in January after serving more than a year in prison for obstructing justice. Her attorneys say she desperately wants to raise the child, now 2.
The guardian for Sung’s son asked Austin Tuesday to bar the media from covering the case, citing concerns for the child’s privacy, but there was no further discussion of such a move at Wednesday’s proceedings.