Parents withhold water from son for 5 days-boy dies

[Witsec5]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... 594da2bf32

And the boy was being punished for wetting the bed! Wonder if the bedwetting occurred in the first place because he was afraid of hie psycho parents. Five days in his room in 100+ degree Houston weather with no air conditioning. Pearl fans?

The siblings (including the twin) are in good condition. Guess he was the evil twin!

[Guest Anonymous]

I have no words.

That poor child, and his poor siblings.

Michael Ray James and Tina Alberson are charged with injury to a child causing serious bodily injury in the July 25 death of their son Johnathan James. Both parents are 42.

I'm surprised that they aren't being charged with some form of murder - this seems insufficient considering what they did.

[Witsec5]

Is this something the Pearls would advocate or is this beyond even their level of sadism?

[Guest Anonymous]

I have no words.

That poor child, and his poor siblings.

I'm surprised that they aren't being charged with some form of murder - this seems insufficient considering what they did.

What? Not even homicide??!

[Lillybee]

This is unbelievable.

[Lillian]

WTF is wrong with people??

[Jencendiary]

There is not a punishment in our legal system severe enough for what these people deserve.

. . .the needle is too good for these people, and the chair as well.

[Maggie Mae]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/he ... ng-bed.ece

What assholes. That's so terrible. That boy was only staying there because the court ordered him to for a month long visitation. If you didn't want visitation or custody, why take it? It looks like, from the article, that he had other family members who would let him have water and not force him to stand in the texas heat.

[Feberin]

That is so messed up!

[Witsec5]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/headlines/20110826-boy-who-died-of-dehydration-was-punished-for-wetting-bed.ece

What assholes. That's so terrible. That boy was only staying there because the court ordered him to for a month long visitation. If you didn't want visitation or custody, why take it? It looks like, from the article, that he had other family members who would let him have water and not force him to stand in the texas heat.

Thanks for that second article. That explains why both boys were kind-hearted, honor students. They didn't live with the "parents" on a regular basis.

I was reluctant to post this under "snark" because there is no evidence that the abuse was motived by a legalistic misinterpretation of the bible. Yet, even if this was not Pearl-sanctioned child training based on their doctrine, I find one striking similarity in that torture was committed "a deux." One of the parents deferred to the other, was brainwashed enough by the other, (or was afraid enough of the other) to let this happen for five days.

Just as with Pearl methods, had the boy had survived without brain damage, there would have been no bruises to show CPS, and it might well have been a case of the police and the courts believing the adults concluding that kids were making something up to get out of staying with their dad.

[MamaJunebug]

Nothing seems to indicate they were Pearlites, but from their mugshots one might guess they are self-indulgent and lazy to boot. Locking a weakened child in a room is guaranteed to get oneself a little more peace and quiet on the couch/in the recliner while the teevee's on.

I hope Mrs. Shotwell can take the surviving brother.

RIP, Johnathon.

My message to the couple? Not printable.

[Deleted02]

WTF??

There are no words. Bastards.

[Austin]

I hope this is just the charge they were booked on and maybe it will be upgraded to murder.

[Kitty]

I hope this is just the charge they were booked on and maybe it will be upgraded to murder.

I frequent a blog called Bad Breeders, which calls out parents who abuse and neglect their children. Texas has had a fairly consistent record of dealing with horrible breeders properly, so I have faith.

Speaking of which, I'm going to go and submit this to BB if someone here hasn't done so already.

[Sweetpea1]

WTF is wrong with people??

Sigh.... this. Just can't figure out people.

[Kitty]

He had been a strong, healthy boy too.

This is not how you deal with bed-wetting. From what Mrs. Shotwell said, she sure as hell did not make this poor boy's sperm donor suffer this way- I bet the step-monster had something to do with this. Evil, horrible cunt. I hope they both die of dehydration in prison.

I'm against the death penalty, but I'll make an exception for child abusers and rapists, and sadistic fucks like these two. No needle, no electric chair, not even hanging from the nearest tree. Just put them against a wall and shoot them, to put them out of our misery.

[starfish]

One article mentioned that, when police arrested the couple, the stepmom left out food and water for her pitbull before she was hauled away. She also called a friend to arrange for care for the pitbull while she is incarcerated.

She has a felony record, so her bond is higher than the crappy excuse for a dad.

I guess they didn't have a phone, b/c the brother ran around the neighborhood begging for help and yelling for someone to call 911. Or maybe he knew his parents would not lift a finger to help.

[maybeizfundie]

Horrific.

The part about her concern for the dog puts and even more grotesque twist on it.

:(

[Mommy22alyns]

One article mentioned that, when police arrested the couple, the stepmom left out food and water for her pitbull before she was hauled away. She also called a friend to arrange for care for the pitbull while she is incarcerated.

She has a felony record, so her bond is higher than the crappy excuse for a dad.

I guess they didn't have a phone, b/c the brother ran around the neighborhood begging for help and yelling for someone to call 911. Or maybe he knew his parents would not lift a finger to help.

Oh my gosh. :evil: I have no words. None.

[CanadianHippie]

The siblings (including the twin) are in good condition. Guess he was the evil twin!

Unfortunately it's not uncommon for one child to become the scapegoat. The other kids get treated just treated just fine, but the one child gets the brunt of the abuse. It can make it harder to identify abuse because the other children don't show obvious signs.

[GenerationCedarchip]

This is just heartbreaking. I hope they throw the book at those parents!

[starfish]

This is just a real sad story. The grandmother, who sounds like a decent person, made some comments that make me want to weep. The part about the little boy not wanting to go over there b/c he "always got in trouble" at their house just makes my heart hurt. He sounded like such a lovable, sweet-natured child. The other poster was right, he had been scapegoated.

I wished someone had been able to check on the boys while they were at the dad's.

I think it would be a good idea to make it standard for child custody orders that if, one spouse re-marries someone with a felony record, they only get supervised visitation. Just a few hours a week at some kind of supervised setting. Something like that.