Over 1,000 Reviews for "To Train Up A Child": http://www.amazon.com/Train-Up-Chil...iewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
http://www.nwcn.com/home/?fId=130822743&fPath=/news/local&fDomain=10212The parents of 13-year-old Hanna Williams are in custody Thursday evening accused of starving their daughter and keeping her locked outside.
Hanna Williams was found dead in her backyard on May 12, naked and wrapped in a sheet. She had been living with her adoptive parents since coming to America from Ethiopia in 2008. After months of investigation, her adopted parents are now charged in connection with her death.
Skagit County Prosecutor Richard Weyrich says this ranks right up there for one of the worst cases he's ever prosecuted. Larry and Carri Williams are inside the Skagit County jail Thursday, charged with homicide by abuse.
In the charging documents, Carri Williams talked about how much she disliked her two adopted Ethiopian children. A 10-year-old boy and Hanna.
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According to charging documents her adopted parents, Carri and Larry Williams starved her for days, put her in a locked closet, shower room and forced her to sleep outside in the barn in the cold. She wasn't allowed to use the bathroom in the house, instead a porta-potty behind the barn. In addition, Hanna was struck daily with a plumbing tool, a tube with a round ball on the end.
"The constant striking and not speaking to her would have different effects on a person," said Weyrich.
Specifically, last Christmas when Hanna was forced to watch the family celebrate Christmas from outside and only let in when her parents had guests.
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In the documents, a book entitled "To Train Up A Child," was referenced. Weyrich says it includes punishment techniques the Williams' mimicked. There have been other child abuse cases linked to the book across the country.
http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Sedro-Woolley-couple-charged-with-child-death-2196403.phpEarly May 12, Carri Williams called 911 and reported Hana was not breathing, saying the girl had refused to come into the house. She was found face down in the backyard with mud in her mouth. An autopsy found she died of hypothermia, but malnutrition and a stomach infection were contributing factors.
In July, the Williams' remaining seven children were placed into foster homes.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016361753_hana30m.htmlHana lost nearly 30 pounds in the last two years of her life, and her thinness meant her body wasn't able to retain enough heat that night in May, according to an autopsy report. Hana died May 12 when the temperature dipped to 42 degrees.
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."
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Prosecutors on Thursday also charged the adoptive parents with assault of a child in the first degree in connection with their treatment of the 10-year-old boy. The boy is deaf, according to court documents.
Both children were treated differently from the couple's six biological children, who ranged in age from 7 to 17, documents allege.
For instance, both were disciplined for being "rebellious," one family member told investigators. The punishment included eating outside, away from the family, and having cold leftovers topped with frozen vegetables.
Another person told investigators that Carri Williams locked up the food and served only small portions, at times withholding food from her adopted children.
The children were all home-schooled in a gated community on about 5.6 acres, court papers say.
"The house is exceptionally clean and organized and did not have the appearance that eight children lived in this house," Detective Theresa Luvera wrote in the affidavit.
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.
The book, written by Michael and Debbie Pearl, is offered on Amazon.com for $7.95 but receives many negative reviews, such as, "I can't believe Amazon.com is allowing this book to be sold on their website. It encourages child abuse! This book teaches parents to treat their children worse than dogs!"
When Hana was locked in the closet, one person told authorities, the parents played the Bible on tape and Christian music.
The Williamses told detectives that Hana had become increasingly rebellious and on the night of her death refused to come inside the house. She began throwing herself on the ground and pretending she couldn't walk, they said.
The mother told authorities she found her daughter face down with mud in her mouth, not breathing.
Other sources told investigators that Carri Williams complained about her adopted daughter and seemed happier after she died.
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If convicted, the Williamses face potential life sentences, court papers say.
Statement of Probable Cause: http://www.scribd.com/doc/66907264/Probable-Cause
http://www.komonews.com/obits/121864644.htmlHana Grace-Rose Williams, age 13, passed away unexpectedly at her home in Sedro-Woolley on Thursday, May 12, 2011.
Hana was born on July 19, 1997 in Ethiopia and came to join the Larry & Carri Williams family on August 16, 2008 at the age of 11.
Hana was a very pleasant young girl with a great personality and a beautiful smile.
She enjoyed knitting and crocheting, reading, drawing and various crafts, playing soccer and riding her bicycle.
Hana is survived by her parents, Larry & Carri Williams and her siblings, Joshua, Jacob, Joseph, Cara, Sarah, Jonathan, Immanuel and Rachel at the family home in Sedro-Woolley. Her grandparents, George & Charlotte Miller of Nooksack and Pat & Dorothy Parson of Sagle, Idaho and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
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