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August 7th, 2013
10:37 PM ET

Faith healing couple charged with murder in son's death

A Pennsylvania judge refuses to drop murder charges against a fundamentalist Christian couple, whose infant son died of untreated pneumonia.They tried to cure him through prayer, rather than calling a doctor or seeking medical attention of any kind. This isn't the first time these parents have been charged in the death of one of their children. 360's Gary Tuchman has the story.

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  1. Bob

    Its a tragedy the kids died, and I understand the press vilifying them for that, and yet if she had an abortion and killed the kids before they were born, she would be considered innocent. Weird world we live in.

    August 26, 2013 at 6:46 pm |
    • Denise

      SO you think abortion is worse than this? In legal abortion the child has no brain and is not fully formed. Plus you can't see the child and don't even know for sure if it would reach full term. (Besides the whole issue about a woman having the right to NOT have a living being attached to her body). They are absolutely not comparable. This is COMPLETELY different. These parenst HELD their child, they looked into their eyes, they fed the child, changed and bathed the child. This was a fully formed person they held in their arms. And they let it slowly cough and wheeze itself to DEATH. I have had pneumonia and it is awful. The fever, difficulty breathing... as an adult it was horrible, but for a baby... Those parents TORTURED their child and should go to prison for the REST of their LIVES!

      September 5, 2013 at 9:47 am |
  2. Gupta

    Interesting.. Failure to seek medical care results in murder charge. Are doctors and hospitals charged with murder for failing to treat someone without insurance? If the parents could not afford the antibiotics can pharmacy be charged for failing to provide the medicine? Is faith in a broken healthcare system going to result in a different outcome?

    August 12, 2013 at 8:10 am |
    • Paul

      Actually hospitals can't legally refuse to treat someone if that person's like is in danger. The parents looked on while their daughter suffered and died without getting help for her. No hospital could have refused treating her. So how is that not murder or at least homicide? It's time these kind of people are getting punished for these kind of crimes. Maybe that will make other "parents" think twice before putting their faith into gods.

      August 17, 2013 at 4:53 am |
    • kdallmer

      @ Gupta Hospitals cant refuse to treat you, it's against the law.. so if they do, yes they can be charged. This was the couple's second time they let one of their children die. Blinded by extremist faith, they were unable to see, or refused to see that they were neglecting their child.. the bible says nothing about not seeking medical care.. They should go to jail for a very long time

      August 22, 2013 at 7:59 am |
  3. kateslate

    Dying of pneumonia is a long drawn-out extremely painful death as the lungs fill with mucous and the child drowns fighting for his/her life. These parents belong in prison for putting a child through that. They are not fit to have children in their care.

    August 11, 2013 at 11:33 pm |
  4. Bill

    Danielle...it is most certainly not great that they have faith in god. This is precisely the reason the child died. Every single person who prays and believes in a non existing deity is partially responsible for this tragedy.

    August 10, 2013 at 7:50 pm |
  5. Jason

    These parents must be extremely naive since they think the same approach will have a different outcome.
    Most likely, they would do it again. These parents are death traps for their children.

    August 9, 2013 at 8:54 pm |
  6. Danielle

    It's great that they have faith in God, however He put doctors on this earth for a reason!

    August 9, 2013 at 9:35 am |
    • Tumaini

      Amen to that!!! God gave people skills to be able to help each other. Do they pray for the engine of their car to be healed or do they go to a mechanic? I hope the rest of their kids will never be under their deadly care again.

      September 5, 2013 at 8:56 am |
  7. James D

    Good, its about time people start to realize that there is no higher power. It can't be God's help and prayer that one person survives cancer, and sciences fault if they die. Time to realize that some people aren't fit to be parents. If you think your childrend shouldn't be taught evolution, then I don't think your children will be a good fit into the actual world where we live in where we have to deal with facts and proof.

    August 8, 2013 at 7:08 pm |
  8. vicky

    apparently there faith heeling god dos-not have any faith in them as parents.my concern is how are the other children and the other children of there church.in this case murder charges are justified.

    August 8, 2013 at 6:40 pm |
  9. Michelle

    Why? I do not understand how this can happen twice? Considering the first child' death, why weren't these people being monitored by DFACS? I understand faith, but to watch your child die? It is criminal and these people deserve the maximum penalty!!!Negligence is accountable in our society!! Those poor children must of suffered horribly.

    August 8, 2013 at 5:22 pm |

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