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Could you forgive a family member for causing irrecovable damage to your child (because of abuse)

  • yes

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • no

    Votes: 29 100.0%

  • Total voters
    29

Sugar Cookie

Veteran Member
Bold Member!
My heart goes out to Lelia Burke, the mother of this beautiful little girl. I doubt that I would be able to forgive or have compassion for the person that destroyed my child's ability to live a happy, healthy and full life.

Oct. 10, 2014

Savannah Humphrey, 26, was convicted of aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect against her infant cousin.

She was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday in Judge Mike R. Jones' court.

According to evidence at trial, Humphrey was babysitting her 3-month-old cousin, Evianna Burke, on June 12, 2013. She abused her and caused severe neurological damage, retinal hemorrhaging and bleeding to the brain. The baby had to be resuscitated on the day of her injuries.

Evianna, now 20 months old, suffers from cerebral palsy, is blind and cannot sit up, crawl or speak. She is bottle fed and will require 24-hour care for the rest of her life as a result of the abuse.

At the sentencing hearing, Lelia Burke, Evianna's mother, wept and read a letter about how her daughter's injuries have impacted their lives.

" ... I will never get to see my child get married or have kids because Savannah took that from us. My child will never see me or her sister. I pray one day she will walk, talk or sit up on her own. At this time, all I can do is hold her," she said. "The past 15 months have been the worst of our lives. I struggle every day to deal with what has happened to my child, and it hurts past my soul. I cry every night to sleep. I have to look at my baby in the face every day and be reminded of what happened on June 12, 2013. It tore my heart up to see my family get torn apart even more."

Burke turned her attention to Humphrey, and her family wept as she offered her forgiveness.

"Savannah, you are my cousin and I love you very much. We grew up together and I trusted you, and you broke that trust," Burke said. "I hope one day you will be able to tell what happened, or at least see it from Evianna's view. Her life has changed, as well as mine, in so many ways. I don't know how much time I have with her. I thank God for every day she wakes up. I always said my kids would bury me first, but in this case, it may not happen this way ... I would like to tell Savannah I love you and forgive you, but cannot forget what happened on June 12, 2013."

Humphrey later made a statement in her own defense and apologized.

"I'm sorry for everything that's happened. I can't change it," Humphrey said through tears. "I pray for everyone that's involved. Thank you to my family for the support and love during this time. Lelia, I'm sorry you trusted me and I broke that trust. It's something I can never take back and I'm sorry. I pray for Evianna and you every day. I'm sorry."

Jeffery Grimes, Humphrey's lawyer, asked for a concurrent sentence since Humphrey had no criminal history. Kimberly Lund, assistant district attorney, asked for a sentence to meet the severity of the crime. She said Humphrey never admitted to her actions and forever altered Evianna and her family's lives.

Evianna attends therapy four days a week and is constantly at doctors' offices for her blindness, seizure disorder and developmental issues.

"Our weeks are pretty full," Burke said. "She stays sick a lot and just got over bronchitis and pneumonia. Her (immune) system is not like ours. We went to the Vanderbilt emergency room four times in one week. It's very challenging, very hard. I struggle every day and try to make the best of it."

Burke has worked eight different jobs to provide for her two daughters, but has met many roadblocks and ultimately has lost jobs because of the level of care Evianna needs.

Going through the trial and sentencing of her cousin was bittersweet, splitting her family.

"She is still family and I love her, but what she's done is really bad," Burke said. "I thought before we went to trial I wanted her to pay for what she's done, but it's difficult when it's your family.

"I was happy she was found guilty, but at the same time had to see my family torn apart. It hurt my heart a lot. It destroyed me. I can't explain how bad it hurt me...

"I forgive her because it brings peace to me, and that's what God wants me to do. But it stares me in the face each day."
https://www.theleafchronicle.com/st...-woman-sentenced-years-infant-abuse/17037125/
635485439785110883-Evianna.jpg

[doublepost=1524424378,1524424255][/doublepost]In the link is the appeal
https://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/humphrey_savannah.pdf
 
I would no longer love someone who did that to my child. Even if I forgave them.
I don't understand why people do that.
To forgive is necessary to move forward. You forgive someone for your own self interest if nothing else. But that doesn't mean you still need to love the other person or have any kind of contact.
 
Actually I would publically forgive them wish them some kind of life but not want them in mine or near my child.
I would make a huge show of not looking like I was carrying a grudge.
But then the moment my child died ahead of me, I would end them.
It would be violent and long suffering.
It would not bring my loved one back, but it would pay part of the bill that would be due.
I would then go to the police tell them what I had done and take punishment like a man.

If by chance they had died before me or my child, I would piss on their grave every week.
 
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