Nurse charged with murder in killing of abducted baby's mother Tragedy shatters families of the victim and the accused

Kala Golden Schuchardt, slain Wednesday, was married to Keith Schuchardt. The couple cared for his two children, above, and their baby. (Family photo) Kala Golden Schuchardt, slain Wednesday, was married to Keith Schuchardt. The couple cared for his two children, above, and their baby. (Family photo) Photo: Johnny Hanson Photo: Johnny Hanson Image 1 of / 57 Caption Close Nurse charged with murder in killing of abducted baby's mother 1 / 57 Back to Gallery

While Kala Golden Schuchardt's family was struggling to come to terms with her seemingly random slaying in a parking lot outside a doctor's office, authorities Wednesday began piecing together the story of her accused killer, a 30-year-old vocational nurse who inexplicably sought to add to her family by stealing a baby - any baby - and was willing to kill to get it.

Verna McClain, who has three children, was charged with capital murder in the death of Schuchardt, who had just taken her 3-day-old infant for his first medical checkup when she was accosted as she got into her pickup truck to go home. McClain is being held without bail in Montgomery County Jail.

McClain shot Schuchardt multiple times in the chest, placed the baby in her car and sped off, leaving the mortally wounded mother lying on the pavement, authorities said. Schuchardt died later at Memorial Herrmann Hospital in the The Woodlands, where her stunned husband learned not only the details of her shooting, but also of the disappearance of his son, Keegan.

Standing outside his modest home in Spring, Keith Schuchardt said he and Kala had been married for three years. They met in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in 2008 when he was helping her father remove a tree that had fallen in the road near their family's home. He flipped through the pages of a family photo album, his eyes tearing up at image after image.

"She's the best girl I've ever been with," Schuchardt said. "She helped me through a lot."

He said he was able to hold his baby Tuesday night after he was abducted, though the formal handover of the child and two older children of his were withheld pending the results of a drug request ordered by authorities after they learned of a felony drug conviction in his past.

As for McClain, her estranged husband was similarly shaken.

"She's not a violent person, so for her to shoot someone, it was shocking," said Theo McClain, 34. "This is all crazy to me. "

Verna McClain allegedly told her sister that "she now had the child and would be needing to do the adoption," according to her arrest record. Theo McClain, who lives in San Diego, said she had told him nothing of any plan to adopt a child. He described her as someone who loved people, children and the elderly. He said there never has been an indication of mental illness.

An apparent plan

The two spoke about twice a week when he called his children. The last time he talked to his estranged wife was a few days ago, he said, and she told him she was at work and asked him to call back on Tuesday. He said he tried reaching her all day without luck.

"And now I see why," he said.

Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon said McClain's statements appear to indicate the shooting was part of a plan: "There were statements as indicated in the arrest record that were made by Ms. McClain that led us to believe that, in fact, this was an intentional act on her part. Not that Ms. Golden was targeted specifically, but that this was part of a plan to kidnap a child."

McClain was engaged and planned to marry in May, said Lt. Dan Norris of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. She had told her fiance that she had given birth to their baby, but detectives said she had a miscarriage. Authorities said that McClain was looking for a baby to pass off as their child.

McClain's sister, Corina Jackson, lived at the apartment complex where the 2007 Lexus sedan believed to have been used in the killing and kidnapping was found, detectives said. The car's registered owner is Jackson, according to Department of Motor Vehicle records.

When police showed up at the complex, Verna McClain approached them and appeared willing to help. During questioning, however, her story began to unravel. She finally began to disclose her role and revealed the whereabouts of the baby, officers say. Previous reports of an accomplice in the kidnapping and shooting appear to be unfounded, detectives said, though the incident remains under investigation.

Infant not hurt

Police found the boy unharmed at about 8 p.m. Tuesday at a home in northwest Harris County where McClain told detective she had taken him, the arrest record stated. Ligon said the boy was placed briefly in the care of Child Protective Services.

CPS spokeswoman Gwen Carter said the boy has since been reunited with some family members. She said CPS workers assisted police to make sure the family's home environment was safe for the boy. He and his two siblings are with the same relatives, she added.

Verna McClain's mother was distraught upon learning of the killing and kidnapping.

"I don't know what's going on - that's not my kid," McClain's sobbing mother told KHOU-TV news. "But I'm sorry for the family."

The mother asked that her name not be used. She said her daughter has always been a good person.

"Very nice, she'd give you the shirt off her back," she said. "They said my kid did it, but I can't wrap my head around it cause that's my baby. But I grieve for the lady and her baby."

McClain lived on Sugar Pine Circle in a leased two-story home in a small gated community in north Houston. A next-door neighbor, who declined to give her name, described her as a "very articulate, hard-working single mother" who claimed to work more than 60 hours a week. She said McClain told her she was going to cut back on her hours to spend more time with her children.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Compiled by Mike Tolson.

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