Murder charges for fundie parents

[Black Aliss]

Hana Grace-Rose Williams came to Washington state from Ethiopia in 2008 with ringworm, cold sores, parasites and hepatitis B. But none of those things killed her.

Instead, Skagit County authorities say, 13-year-old Hana died because her adoptive parents chronically starved her, abused her and left her outside on a cold May night with inadequate clothing.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/l ... na30m.html

Yesterday, 4 months after their 13 year old adopted daughter died of hypothermia and malnutrition, the parents of Hana Grace-Rose Williams were arrested and charged with murder.

A report on her death concluded she'd died from "a culmination of chronic starvation caused by a parent's intentional food restriction, severe neglect, physical and emotional abuse and stunning endangerment."

One person told investigators the couple had a book called, "To Train Up A Child," which teaches parents to switch their children with a plastic tube, starting at the age of 1. It also advocates putting children in cold-water baths for toilet training or putting them outside in cold weather, having them miss meals and sleep on the floor as punishment, the affidavit says.

It's probably too much to hope for that one day the Pearls will be charged as acessories to murder.

[starfish]

I feel ill. How many kids have to die before the Pearls are stopped?

It's time for at least a Dateline or 48 Hours special on the Pearls and their

special brand of homicidal crazy.

And then we need a brave local prosecutor to start issuing some Grand Jury subpoenas and some warrants. To begin with.

[Effie]

Uh, fucking monsters! Why would they even adopt her in the first place? She didn't choose to be there.

The couple repeatedly denied her food, locked her in a dark closet and beat her with a long plastic tube, according to an affidavit from the Skagit County sheriff's office.

:evil:

[Austin]

I remember when this case happened and us speculating if there would be charges filed or not. I'm very glad they filed murder charges because I think the charge fits the crime.

Poor little girl.

[Bella99]

It's Lydia Schatz all over again. The truly hideous part is these are the type of people who don't need the Pearls to be monsters. Personally I think it may have been a case of "adopting" their own little slave to indulge their sadism and putting a veneer of righteousness over it. The Pearls just provided the cosmetics to help them cover their own ghastliness. Personally, I believe the Pearls deserve to be prosecuted (or taken out by an enraged bereft sibling) as well, but I wonder how the bio children were really treated.

Poor child, hideously abused, starved, and with no safe person to go to. This is why I think homeschooling should be more highly supervised - because if the child must be presented to authorities twice a year at least the kid has a chance to make a plea. (Please don't take this as a slur on homeschoolers, I have friends who do it very well, but I worry about how much isolation our society allows.)

[maybeizfundie]

I am glad they were charged. So sad to be brought here under the auspices of "noble" adoption, only to be beaten and starved to death.

[Love]

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Ethiopian ... 52443.html

I'm sick to my stomach hearing about how this little girl was treated. :(

[hoipolloi]

This is a horrifying case & I can't imagine what these children -- the Ethiopian boy is deaf! -- must have gone through. Ethiopia should stop all further adoptions to US citizens affiliated with a fundie Christian church or denomination or belief (e.g., home church).

Re: the Pearls & NGJ. Maybe this will be the case where they are finally hauled into court or at least into depositions, with NGJ's records sub poena'd.

[apple1]

Unbelievably horrible. How can this kind of thing be allowed to happen?

[Koala]

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Ethiopian-adoptee-starved-to-death-in-WA-home-130852443.html

I'm sick to my stomach hearing about how this little girl was treated. :(

Jesus Christ....my heart just aches for those babies. Seeing her sweet little face, I just can't fathom how anyone could have hurt her...

It's just unthinkable.

[MerryHappy]

Jesus Christ....my heart just aches for those babies. Seeing her sweet little face, I just can't fathom how anyone could have hurt her...

It's just unthinkable.

This. :(

[JesusFightClub]

A wee adorable face. What a tragedy.

The Pearls have more and more innocent blood on their hands. "Surely the day is coming: it will burn like a furnace."

[starfish]

The really sad thing is that they appeared to be a typical fundie family that we so often snark on. Homeschoolers, secluded, mom didn't leave the house, super-controlling wife, deluded by the Pearls, etc.

This excerpt from a FOX story struck me as funny:

At the Williams’ home on September 29, an angry man believed to be the children’s grandfather refused to comment about the arrest of Larry and Carrie.

And you know those kids were never vaccinated.

I wonder how the kids are doing in foster care.

[starfish]

The arrest affidavit attached to the OP's linking story is really interesting.

[Kelsey]

How exactly would a cold-water bath aide potty training? :?

This is horrible. We have looked into international adoption (along with domestic) and many, many agencies require that you produce proof of Christianity beliefs before they will work with you.

[Austin]

After reading this article completely, it seems that this is definitely another child dead by murder due in part to the Pearls' teachings.

Hana Grace-Rose Williams

Lydia Schatz

Sean Paddock

My heart aches. How many more will there be?

[starfish]

I can't wait to see if Voddie Baucham defends them....

[oscar]

Here is a direct link to the arrest affidavit. It's awful.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/66907264/Probable-Cause

[BravaAmica]

I don't give a shit how jugemental this sounds: I hope the parents burn in hell. FOREVER. Starting now.

I live south of Skagit County and people here are outraged and disgusted and sad. This family had a reputation for isolating themselves so there was no way for any "outsiders" to notice how poorly the child(ren) were being treated and report to the authorities.

[starfish]

LauraElle, was this family affiliated with any church in the area?

I'm also wondering what has happened to all of their other children and how they are doing in foster care. I sort of hope they are not with any extended family, IF the extended family shares the crackpot beliefs.

[Terrie]

We have looked into international adoption (along with domestic) and many, many agencies require that you produce proof of Christianity beliefs before they will work with you.

Ugh. That's awful. At least you know up front that they're a bunch of nuts, before you give them any money.

[Bella99]

One thing I found really disturbing was the older children administering beatings to the younger children, both bio and adopted. I think beating is bad enough, but that is not a duty that should be handed off to other children.

[hoipolloi]

The arrest affidavit is horrifying. That poor girl seems to have undergone unrelenting, systematic abuse for YEARS.

FWIW, while the family lived in an isolated situation, Mrs. Williams' knitting club (which she attended regularly) also listened to her complain non-stop about her adopted Ethiopian children for months if not years before the girl's death. So, some people in the community knew there were problems.

[oscar]

LauraElle, was this family affiliated with any church in the area?

I'm also wondering what has happened to all of their other children and how they are doing in foster care. I sort of hope they are not with any extended family, IF the extended family shares the crackpot beliefs.

From page 16 of the affidavit:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/66907264/Probable-Cause

"Since the children have been in State's care, they have all gained weight and appear to be happy. Foster parents report that they have never seen such sheltered children with no information or experience outside their home life. One of the children was amazed at such tall buildings in a nearby large city. Other children were unsure if watching TV would be appropriate and many of them questioned whether this would be acceptable to their parents."

[starfish]

Once they start to like television, there's no going back.....

They might actually wear jeans, attend a public school, get some damn vaccinations, and read something else besides the Old Testament.