(Oct 6, 2011, MOUNT VERNON Wash)--The parents of an adopted girl who died of exposure in her own backyard after she had been starved and abused for months pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday.
Larry P. Williams and Carri D. Williams of Sedro Woolley were arrested last week and later charged with homicide by abuse and assault of a child in the first degree in Skagit County Superior Court. Each was ordered held Thursday on $150,000 bail.
According to court documents, the couple's adopted daughter, Hana Williams, 13, was systematically starved, beaten, forced to use an outdoor toilet and sometimes locked in a dark closet for days by the Williams.
According to court documents, the couple's adopted daughter, Hana Williams, 13, was systematically starved, beaten, forced to use an outdoor toilet and sometimes locked in a dark closet for days by the Williams.
Hana Williams was found dead in May - naked, face-down in the mud in her own backyard - after she had spent much of a cold, rainy day outside as a punishment, according to court documents. Although she died of hypothermia, there were other contributing causes to her death, including severe malnutrition and chronic gastritis, doctors said.
The Williams had adopted Hana from Ethiopia in 2008 as a diseased little girl to begin a new life in America. Instead, according to court records, she was beaten, starved, forced to sleep in a barn at times and deprived of love and basic necessities.
The Williams had adopted Hana from Ethiopia in 2008 as a diseased little girl to begin a new life in America. Instead, according to court records, she was beaten, starved, forced to sleep in a barn at times and deprived of love and basic necessities.
Child Protective Services said there are reports that Hana had lost a significant amount of weight before her death. And the night she died, she was out in the yard naked on a rainy evening, with temperatures in the low 40s.
Further investigation revealed that Hana had a number of injuries on the night she died, including a large lump on the head, bloody marks and injuries "consistent with disciplinary impacts with a switch," according to court documents released Friday.
Those same documents describe the hellish life that Hana endured in the months before her death - which included systematic withholding of food, forced times outdoors in the cold or locked in a dark closet, interspersed with regular spankings or beatings with a plumbing tool.
In interviews with the parents and other children in the household, investigators determined that the Williams withheld food from Hana as a punishment for being "rebellious," court documents say.
In addition, Hana was forced to use an outdoor portable toilet behind the barn instead of the home's indoor bathroom, and she sometimes was made to take cold showers while naked outdoors under a garden hose, the case file says.
The Williams told investigators that they made Hana use the outdoor toilet because she had hepatitis and they didn't want any of their other children to become infected with the disease.
Other punishments included locking Hana inside a dark closet for hours or days without food while the parents played the Bible on tape and Christian music for her while she was locked inside, according to court documents.
Hana also was forced to sleep in the barn on some nights or kept outside for hours in the cold without adequate clothing or shoes, court documents say - but she was allowed to wear shoes if there was snow on the ground.
The Williams also confirmed that they used a flexible plumbing tool as a switch to punish Hana and some of the other children in their household. The children told investigators that Hana sometimes was beaten with a switch for standing more than 12 inches away from where she was told to stand or for speaking without permission. FULL ARTICLE AT Komo News »
Further investigation revealed that Hana had a number of injuries on the night she died, including a large lump on the head, bloody marks and injuries "consistent with disciplinary impacts with a switch," according to court documents released Friday.
Those same documents describe the hellish life that Hana endured in the months before her death - which included systematic withholding of food, forced times outdoors in the cold or locked in a dark closet, interspersed with regular spankings or beatings with a plumbing tool.
In interviews with the parents and other children in the household, investigators determined that the Williams withheld food from Hana as a punishment for being "rebellious," court documents say.
In addition, Hana was forced to use an outdoor portable toilet behind the barn instead of the home's indoor bathroom, and she sometimes was made to take cold showers while naked outdoors under a garden hose, the case file says.
The Williams told investigators that they made Hana use the outdoor toilet because she had hepatitis and they didn't want any of their other children to become infected with the disease.
Other punishments included locking Hana inside a dark closet for hours or days without food while the parents played the Bible on tape and Christian music for her while she was locked inside, according to court documents.
Hana also was forced to sleep in the barn on some nights or kept outside for hours in the cold without adequate clothing or shoes, court documents say - but she was allowed to wear shoes if there was snow on the ground.
The Williams also confirmed that they used a flexible plumbing tool as a switch to punish Hana and some of the other children in their household. The children told investigators that Hana sometimes was beaten with a switch for standing more than 12 inches away from where she was told to stand or for speaking without permission. FULL ARTICLE AT Komo News »
Related topics:
Coroner: Adopted Ethiopian teen died of hypothermia in backyard
Coroner: Adopted Ethiopian teen died of hypothermia in backyard
3 comments:
What sort of Bible are you reading? and how dare you call yourself a Christian. Christ the one who gave His life for others, but you take life away. Christ said let the children come to me, but you push and panish a child. May the Lord have mercy for your soul.
These evil couple have the never to plead not guilty. How can someone be so cruel to a helpless child? Look at their face, they both look like mean monsters. Where were the social workers and psychiatrists who had assessed these two savages? Christianity is LOVE and these two savages are nothing less than Satanists. Out of all those loving adoptive parents this beautiful Ethiopian girl had to be chosen by these two monsters. As a God fearing Ethiopian Christian my prayers will be with Hanna, she will be with Jesus for ever.
What the hell is that! some ppl just don't deserve to have children adopted or not. They get these children from other countries, use and abuse them, they should've just left them where they were. They've already obtained enough abuse, starvation and whatever else they suffer through in this countries, brought here only to be abused more. These parents or should I say evil beings need to be locked up, never to see the light of day again....rest in paradise Hanna!!! rot in JAIL to the parents/evil beings......smdh
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