Sickening update on the Barbour case

[Stynjen]

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/regio ... 1406230141

Backstory: Kristen and Doug Barbour are fundies who adopted two kids from Ethiopia - they starved the little boy and violently abused the little girl. The case has been postponed and continued far too many times, and now it looks like they will walk away with little more than a hand slap.

Judge Manning, who isn't typically an idiot said the following: "This started out as a significant act of charity gone awry," he said. "I see no evidence of malice here."

:angry-banghead:

[IReallyAmHopewell]

OMG :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

[ILoveJellybeans]

No evidence of malice????

Oh come on, its not like the fact that children need food is something that they don't know. Surely everyone knows that beating kids is bad as well!

The only people who abuse kids, know they are abusing kids and do it anyway.

[Jana814]

So sad. It's nuts that they would not follow the doctor's advice w/ how to help their son. Does anyone know if the have other kids. (The article didn't say.)

[Mama Mia]

Even if they had some sort of plausible explanation for the little boy losing weight....how on earth could the judge not find "malice" in the little girls multiple injuries that ? Horrible.

[nomoxian]

"They are good people"

Who starve and beat their children! :wtf:

[thoughtful]

Oh, FFS!

:cry: :angry-banghead:

[dianapavelovna]

Motherfucker. This is another devastating effect of the rescue mentality. Since adopting the kids was an "act of charity," beating the shit out of them and starving them was really no big deal because the kids were so tough it was probably their fault anyway. Can you imagine a judge saying that if this couple were accused of doing the same to their biological kids?

I am so tired of US society viewing kids as less than human.

[DGayle]

This is like that "affluenza" case. They didn't meeeeaaaaan it.

Well, drunk drivers don't mean to hit and kill people. People who forget their kids i cars on hot summer days don't mean it. They usually get jail time anyway.

[scc12]

the kids had: broken bones that weren't reported,shaking and or striking on head (thus the retinal bleeding and skull injury),starvation...yes,that's abuse.no matter their intentions at first.

someone has clearly paid the judge off.hiring the 'right' attorney,which parents prolly had a connection to,got them off easy,imo.

[slickcat79]

They'll probably maintain custody of their biological children too. Because they're "good people" :pull-hair:

I can only hope karma comes up and beats them repeatedly in the head, because clearly the justice system can't be relied on to defend innocent children.

[Howl]

So sad. It's nuts that they would not follow the doctor's advice w/ how to help their son. Does anyone know if the have other kids. (The article didn't say.)

"The couple, originally charged in October 2012, have since agreed to terminate their parental rights, and the children remain in foster care. New families might soon adopt them.

The Barbours adopted the boy and girl in March 2012. At the time, the couple already had two young biological children. There were never allegations of abuse to the two natural children, and they remain in their parents’ custody."

These people are walking because they are high status white parents -- the father was a state deputy attorney general -- and no one thinks they are capable of being this evil, because, hey, they look so good on the outside. This story has many parallels with the Hana Williams case in Washington state, where the older adopted daughter (of two adopted Ethiopian children) died of starvation and exposure in the family's back yard. The children were described repeatedly as "rebellious".

Those parents are in prison, both of them. Had the Barbour's been in Susan Cook's course, the outcome would have been very, very different.

I cannot believe these two will be walking away with NO prison time (although there is still some possibility that the wife will serve minimal time). Nothing, NOTHING, can explain away broken bones.

Fortunately Mr. Barbour has lost his job.

Was there any implication that the Barbour's used the Pearls' methods of child disciplinetorture.

[Chowder Head]

if a stranger did that to those kids or just what they did to the girl , they would be put away forever. There is no difference between a "loving" parent or a stranger hurting a child. :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

[Palimpsest]

"The couple, originally charged in October 2012, have since agreed to terminate their parental rights, and the children remain in foster care. New families might soon adopt them.

The Barbours adopted the boy and girl in March 2012. At the time, the couple already had two young biological children. There were never allegations of abuse to the two natural children, and they remain in their parents’ custody."

These people are walking because they are high status white parents -- the father was a state deputy attorney general -- and no one thinks they are capable of being this evil, because, hey, they look so good on the outside. This story has many parallels with the Hana Williams case in Washington state, where the older adopted daughter (of two adopted Ethiopian children) died of starvation and exposure in the family's back yard. The children were described repeatedly as "rebellious".

Those parents are in prison, both of them. Had the Barbour's been in Susan Cook's course, the outcome would have been very, very different.

I cannot believe these two will be walking away with NO prison time (although there is still some possibility that the wife will serve minimal time). Nothing, NOTHING, can explain away broken bones.

Fortunately Mr. Barbour has lost his job.

Was there any implication that the Barbour's used the Pearls' methods of child disciplinetorture.

I'm up to my neck in work so shouldn't be here on FJ, but I've been following this case for ages and had to comment.

Good synopsis of the Williams case. Basically the Barbours pled out with "no contest" to the lesser crime of child endangerment -- and that explains the slaps on the wrists. The State accepted the plea, as they do in probably 90% of criminal cases to avoid a long and expensive trial. The Williamses fought the charges to the end, if you remember. The Barbours knew they would lose. The Williamses were delusional.

My hope is that Douglas Barbour finds it really hard to get another job and he should have already lost his license to practice as a lawyer in PA after the "no contest" plea. Mrs. B. may not get away without jail time, but who knows? The judge seems to have fallen for the "act of charity that went awry" line -- and that is infuriating.

I'm also annoyed by the State though. They accepted the plea of child endangerment. They should have held out for criminal neglect and abuse penalties. IMO. How you can ignore a broken leg and head injuries, and not notice urine burns and extreme weight loss is just beyond me. :angry-banghead:

To answer your question: Unlike in the Williams case, there was no smoking gun of a copy of TTUAC found in the house, but anyone who has followed the deaths caused by the Pearl teachings can see the similarities in disciplinary torture methods.

It's a freaking epidemic of Fundie abuse of these adopted kids.

[Howl]

The Barbours have no excuse; they were arrogant with their "our house, our rules" attitude.

They also ignored - completely - the advice of numerous competent professionals: doctors, social workers, therapists. Again, total arrogance. How bizarre that on the same day as the boy was taken to the ER, the adopted daughter had a massive seizure. I guess the abuse had maxed out for both children in that time frame.

Although the biological children have been returned to the parents, I can't help but think that they have been "disciplined" to the point of abuse.

In these types of situations where justice is truly not served, I'm also comforted by knowing that the Barbours will be digging out from under their legal bills for a long time.

[scc12]

The Barbours have no excuse; they were arrogant with their "our house, our rules" attitude.

They also ignored - completely - the advice of numerous competent professionals: doctors, social workers, therapists. Again, total arrogance. How bizarre that on the same day as the boy was taken to the ER, the adopted daughter had a massive seizure. I guess the abuse had maxed out for both children in that time frame.

Although the biological children have been returned to the parents, I can't help but think that they have been "disciplined" to the point of abuse.

In these types of situations where justice is truly not served, I'm also comforted by knowing that the Barbours will be digging out from under their legal bills for a long time.

I wonder if they took their anger out on the girl,in response to the boy having to go to the ER?

[Jana814]

Did any article say why they abused the adopted kids.

[Palimpsest]

^^^^

IIRC, they were "overwhelmed" by the medical and emotional requirements of their little foreign special needs "charity" kids, took no time to understand their behaviors, and spent a whole lot of time blaming the victims on their (now deleted) blog. All too common, sadly.

The Barbours are pretty standard Fundie in stubbornly believing that their so-called God-given methods of child-rearing are always right, and in not understanding that beating, humiliation and food deprivation should NEVER be used on probably already traumatized adopted children. Of course, I believe that Pearl methods should not be used on any child but they are particularly destructive when used on previously traumatized children in a brand new culture and environment.

If you want to read from the beginning, Reform Talk has all the back articles and some additional commentary.

http://www.reformtalk.net/2012/10/06/ho ... n-barbour/

(link not broken because Reform Talk will welcome hits)

[LittleOleMe]

The idea that they are basically walking away with no punishment is insane. Sadly, I've been seeing this happening in PA. A few years ago some idiot couple decided it was a good idea for the one who wasn't driving to hold their 13 month old on their lap. The car crashed and of course the baby went through the windshield and splattered on the ground. But hey, let's not charge them with ANYTHING. Having their baby die was punishment enough. :shock:

As sad and disgusting as it sounds, I don't think the two biological are really at that much risk. Yes these people are horrific excuses for parents, but these are the type of people who also tend to abuse the adopted/fostered children while giving their biological children everything. I'm glad the adopted children weren't killed and will be able to live with other people. I can only imagine the long term effects the injuries will have on the baby.