Madison (WKOW) - A Madison double homicide suspect is still recovering from a medical scare that led to his treatment in an intensive care unit.
"It was frightening," says Alice Larrue, mother of Ali'jah Larrue.
Larrue, 18, and fellow teen Khari Sanford are charged with two counts of first degree intentional homicide in last March's killings of prominent Madison physician Beth Potter and her husband Robin Carre. Authorities allege Sanford shot the couple and Larrue helped with the killings.
Alice Larrue maintains her son did not help carry out the homicides.
Larrue says she feared her son would die when he was hospitalized, had surgery and was placed on a ventilator.
Dane County Court records indicate Larrue was hospitalized Jan. 17, with Larrue undergoing surgery the next day. The records state Larrue required oxygen on Jan. 19. They say by Jan. 21, Larrue was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and on the ventilator.
Alice Larrue says her son tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this winter. She says a doctor believes her son - an asthmatic - deteriorated last month in connection with his previous, positive status for the infection.
Ali'jah Larrue was discharged from the hospital, with records showing he met with his attorney, Michael Covey, Jan. 28. Records state Larrue was in a wheelchair and told Covey he believed his hospital discharge was hasty.
Alice Larrue blames jail medical staff for failing to properly diagnose the extent of the teenager's illness. Larrue says her son called her for help prior to his hospitalization. "He could barely talk," Larrue says.
Alice Larrue also says it took the lobbying of a state lawmaker to escalate Ali'jah Larrue's health care from the jail setting to the hospital.
"We reached out to a few people in the community where they ended up getting in contact with Sheila Stubbs," Alice Larrue says. "And Sheila Stubbs ended up contacting the sheriff directly to assist Ali'jah out of the jail to the hospital."
Rep. Stubbs (D-Madison) has yet to comment on her intervention in the jail inmate's health emergency.
During a court hearing last week, jail personnel defended the care and treatment of Larrue. A Sheriff's spokesperson has yet to comment on the situation.
Larrue is being held in jail with bail at $1 million. Authorities say Sanford and Larrue took the victims from their Madison home to a location in the Arboretum, where Sanford shot them. Authorities say prior to the killings, the victims told Sanford and the victims' teenage daughter they could no longer live in the home of Potter and Carre because of the teens unwillingness to heed COVID-19 precautions. Authorities say Potter and Carre provided the teens with an apartment and a van to use.
In connection to Ali'jah Larrue's deteriorating health in January, Alice Larrue raised $50,000. Covey argued to a judge for a reduction in Ali'jah Larrue's bail to that amount, but the judge rejected the proposed bail modification.
Alice Larrue says she remains on edge over the treatment of her son in jail.
"What Ali'jah went through to get to the hospital was ridiculous," she says.