Williams Abuse Trial - Hana Alemu/Hannah Williams - Merge

[wild little fox]

This blog is covering the trial in detail

lightofdaystories.wordpress.com/

Jury selection began today (July 22) at 9:30 am for the trial of Larry and Carri Williams, accused of homicide by abuse and manslaughter of Hana Alemu. Since she was a minor at the time of her death in May 2011, Hana was referred to as HGW (for Hannah Grace Williams, her adoptive name) during this morning’s process.

[Want More Babies]

I REALLY hope they are found guilty and spend a significant time in prison.

[gustava]

I REALLY hope they are found guilty and spend a significant time in prison.

And then go to the hell in which I do not believe.

[Tesseract]

And then go to the hell in which I do not believe.

QTF. :evil:

[FreeJosie]

Those horrible people; I hope they get the harshest punishment possible under the law. Every time I think about them starving poor Hana down to half of her former body weight and leaving her outside in the rain until she died, I get angry.

RIP Hana.

[ADoyle90815]

Those horrible people; I hope they get the harshest punishment possible under the law. Every time I think about them starving poor Hana down to half of her former body weight and leaving her outside in the rain until she died, I get angry.

RIP Hana.

This. I also like to think there's a special place in hell for these monsters. :angry-devil: :angry-screaming: :angry-teeth:

[ThisOlGirl]

Shit, why did I go back and read the report on how Hana was treated? :angry-banghead: Every time I look at those two monsters I just want to smack them in the face. With a ball bat. Repeatedly.

[ILoveJellybeans]

I hope they are locked up for a long time. What they did was evil.

[wild little fox]

They makes me wish I believed in Hell.

[starfish]

Hey all my fellow FJites and especially those who live in or near Seattle: the trial of Larry and Carrie Williams for the murder of their adopted daughter, Hana, is now proceeding. The adopted brother has been testifying about the torture he received at the hands of these monsters. There is a facebook group "In Remembrance of Hana Williams" that tracks the trial. They have put out a call for folks to attend the trial to support Hana's memory and to ensure everyone in the media know that this child has not been forgotten.

It would be so great if some of our members in the area could attend and give ole Larry and Carrie the stink eye up close and personal.

Larry and Carrie, to me, represent all the dangers that FreeJinger exists to warn about.

[splork]

That blog linked at the top is an excellent account of the trial. Really thankful that she's covering it. Her background has given her a grasp of the issues with international adoption that's just completely missing from most of the formal coverage I've seen.

Even though it's a local trial, the coverage here has been kind of sparse. I'm just one county away and my local paper hasn't covered it at all. The bridge that collapsed in that same county was front page news on the local paper for days and weeks. At work, some people are talking about the case and even seem to know details about the abuse that the kids endured (down to knowing that they were beaten with plumbing line). I don't think a lot of people I've heard talking about it get that the kids were homeschooled or how little oversight there is with some international adoptions. I hear a lot of "But where were the teachers and DSHS!?" The Seattle Times has at least mentioned the Lydia Schatz/Michael Pearl connection in some of their stories.

This news story startled me when I first came across it. Really? That's the angle you want to pursue on your story about a murdered child? That maybe she brought it on herself? (The comments are a whole other thing...) If you watch the video they make it clear that it's written from the perspective of the "defense telling it's story for the first time". I ran across it without that context and was horrified that it spent the first couple of paragraphs talking about how rebellious Hana Williams was.

http://www.king5.com/news/crime/Opening ... 78901.html (not broken because its a tv station story)

[Peas n carrots]

Why would you adopt children without A) understanding that their experiences growing up in Ethiopia are vastly different and will affect them moving to this country as older children and B) not taking the time to learn any tools (other than Pearls) to deal with your children's adjustment. It's pretty clear that Carri despised Hana, and felt the same of Immanuel. I just can't imagine, it makes me feel so sad knowing Hana never really knew happiness.

[starfish]

I'm still hoping some stalwart FJites with some time available go over and watch the trial.

The defense theory is just ridiculous. She was rebellious?

[splork]

I'm still hoping some stalwart FJites with some time available go over and watch the trial.

The defense theory is just ridiculous. She was rebellious?

Yeah, the mother's excuse for leaving her out in the rain to die was that she just thought Hana was too rebellious to come in. So far, the defense has maybe hinted that they will try to argue that Hana's other medical problems weakened her and contributed to her death. During the medical examiner's testimony, they asked some questions about her symptoms of malnutrition and starvation that might mean they intend to argue that she had some sort of eating disorder and was refusing to eat rather than being starved by her family.

I don't think that they are going to try to minimize the abuse that took place or deny it by attacking the credibility of the witnesses. A lot of the most damning statements were given by their other kids and I don't think there's any way they'll be able to argue the kids were coerced or intimidated into saying things that weren't true or were exaggerated. It sounds like, at least until the police heard what the kids had to say, that they were pretty sympathetic to the parents. They were allowed to be present while the kids were questioned (can you imagine that happening to a non-white family?) The way the kids casually told the police what their parents had been up to really speaks to the depths of their isolation and fundie arrogance. These kids remind me a lot of the Michael Pearl story where his little daughter went over to the neighbors and advised her to hit her baby to make him behave.

The only thing I'm worried about is that they might be able to prove Hana was older than previously thought. Her age will determine what kind of charges the parents can be convicted of. They were charged with homicide by abuse (a more serious charge that can only be used if she is, I think, under sixteen) AND manslaughter.

[Koala]

And then go to the hell in which I do not believe.

Amen.

And by "a significant amount of time in prison" I mean forfreakingever.

[chaotic life]

Hanna's torturous death hits very close to home for me. What Hanna and Immanuel endured mirrors what my newest son endured in his first adoptive home. He got out with his life, but his trauma will stay with him for the rest of his life. Even 15 months after he got away and got safe, he will start to talk about what he endured and is only now grasping how deviant and horrific his abuse was at their hands.

Also, if you read the police reports, Hanna's defiant behavior? What caused the escalation of her torture and abuse that led to her death? She started her period and because she was Hep B positive, she did not clean up her blood in a manner Carri Williams felt was acceptable. That started the spiral of abuse that killed her.

Yeah, I think about someone treating my Hep B positive child in the manner Hanna was treated and it makes me see RED. Vaccinate the rest of the family, easy peasy and EXACTLY what that vaccine was developed for!

[starfish]

Big Lar and pinched-faced Carrie seem like the archetype of control freak fundies.

I'd like to see the state charge the older boys who also beat Hana. Apparently, the

immunity for them has become an issue.

The defense needs to re-think their strategy of blaming the victim. It's 2013 and that doesn't

play all the well anymore. Especially with a child.

[copper]

Has HSLDA ever made a statement regarding this case? Just curious.

[docmom]

The defense needs to re-think their strategy of blaming the victim. It's 2013 and that doesn't

play all the well anymore. Especially with a child.

Unfortunately in 2013 blaming the victim is alive and well- Trayvon Martin, Steubenville rape victim, etc

In contrast to this story about killing a child who was "out of control" I heard a wonderful "Storycorps" piece on NPR last week. The mother who wrote "My son is Adam Lanza" went to the storycorps booth with her son. Her son has severe bipolar disorder. He threatened her with a knife when she asked him to return his library books. She did not try to beat him into submission, starve him or leave him in the rain to die. She found help for him, loves him and tells him so a lot, and he's doing much better. It's a neat interview if you haven't heard it.

[PrincessOfSiam]

To Train Up A Child is being blamed for some of the abuse Hanna and her brother suffered. It was shown and referred to during testimony today. Is this the first time Pearl's teaching has been credited in court for the harm/death of a child? I'm just so happy that this awful "training" system is being brought to light. Our local news report actually showed the cover of the book. Could Michael Pearl ever find himself indicted for any of this? I would be concerned if I were him, given the national attention to this trial.

[starfish]

Vaccinate the rest of the family, easy peasy and EXACTLY what that vaccine was developed for!

I'm pretty sure NONE of those Williams' kids have ever received a vaccination in their lives....hopefully their foster parents will rectify that, so they can enroll them in public school. OOH, what a blow that would be to Carrie and

Larry.

Anyone heard if Larry, the supreme Patriarch, is still employed by Boeing?

[thoughtful]

To Train Up A Child is being blamed for some of the abuse Hanna and her brother suffered. It was shown and referred to during testimony today.

I'm glad to hear that. I hope that both further exposure of the book and shady adoption practices come from this. Not to mention a hefty sentence for the perpetrators.

[starfish]

I do wish someone would subpoena the Pearls and make them sit outside during the entire trial. I'm not sure which side would want them and their crazy rantings, but it would be interesting to make them leave their lair and hang around during the trial.

[Lillybee]

I am sure that if the parents of Lydia Schatz (another African child who was beaten to death by her parents) hadn't copped a plea that DA Ramsey of Butte Co. would have bought up the Pearls and their methods.

[RosyDaisy]

To Train Up A Child is being blamed for some of the abuse Hanna and her brother suffered. It was shown and referred to during testimony today. Is this the first time Pearl's teaching has been credited in court for the harm/death of a child? I'm just so happy that this awful "training" system is being brought to light. Our local news report actually showed the cover of the book. Could Michael Pearl ever find himself indicted for any of this? I would be concerned if I were him, given the national attention to this trial.

HALLEUJAH!! FINALLY!! Sadly though, I don't think think Mike Pearl will ever be indicted for for what he writes. People who write shit like that never are. But I would love to see him have his ass handed to him and outed and exposed on a global scale for the horrible human being he is.