NASHUA – A young mother charged with hitting and killing her 2-year-old son recanted her confession to police and may argue her son’s death was an accident, according to motions filed in court.

Unique Gould, 22, formerly of 8 Ash St., filed a motion at Hillsborough County Superior Court in Nashua asking for money to depose a Nashua officer who was present at Nashua district court when she claimed to be covering up for someone else and took back her earlier confession to Nashua detectives, according to court documents.

Gould is facing a charge of manslaughter that carries a 20- to 40-year prison sentence for allegedly killing her son, Devon Gould Parr, in April.

Gould spent several weeks in Valley Street jail in Manchester before her bail was lowered from $100,000 cash or $10,000 cash or surety in August, according to court documents.

Nashua police said in May that Gould admitted to striking her son on the buttocks and head on April 25.

In the recent motion, Gould is asking the court for funding to transcribe the depositions of the state’s medical examiner as well as a Nashua detective and police officer.

Gould’s attorneys, public defenders Anthony Sculimbrene and Suzanne Ketteridge, said in the motion that a district court judge revealed to Gould for the first time at her arraignment that her son may die.

Gould collapsed in grief, and while being escorted to a holding cell, told an officer she had not hurt her son, was covering up for someone else and then explained what had happened, contradicting her previous confession.

Gould’s attorneys also want to depose a Nashua detective who told Gould she wouldn’t get in trouble for demonstrating how she had hit her son, according to court documents.

An earlier motion shows Gould may argue at trial that her actions were legal because she was disciplining her child in a reasonable way as protected by state law.

The law, physical force by persons with special responsibilities, allows parents and guardians to use force “to the extent that he reasonably believes it necessary to prevent or punish such minor’s misconduct.”

Specifically, Gould may argue she was legally disciplining her son and that he accidentally hit his head on an “end table or other piece of furniture nearby,” according to court records.

Devon Gould Parr survived in the hospital for several days before being taken off a respirator.

Gould has been offered a plea deal by prosecutors but hasn’t yet responded. She’s scheduled to stand trial in April 2014, according to court documents.

Joseph G. Cote can be reached at 594-6415 or jcote@nashua
telegraph.com. Also follow Cote on Twitter (@Telegraph_JoeC).

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