Torture or Discipline?
Seemingly ordinary California family, if a bit large.
Six biological children.
Three children adopted from Africa.
Homeschooled.
Fundamentalist Christians.
The folks next door.
Until one of their children, 7 years old, dies of cardiac arrest.
And, it turns out, two of their other children have serious injuries and conditions, including kidney failure.
The dead girl mispronounced a word while reading her lesson aloud.
Parents are arrested on charges of murder, felony torture and misdemeanor cruelty to a child. In other words, child abuse.
Children are taken into protective custody by child welfare agency.
Parents have no prior arrests or child protective services investigations records.
Parents allegedly use a punishment device advocated by a well-known Christian fundamentalist couple holding themselves out as child-rearing experts.
Parents have retained separate counsel.
Read more in this Chico [CA] News Review article: Child-abuse case shines light on Paradise couple.
