{"id":1562,"date":"2009-07-24T16:15:19","date_gmt":"2009-07-24T16:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/news\/2009\/07\/ore-parents-acquitted-in-daugh.php"},"modified":"2009-07-24T16:15:19","modified_gmt":"2009-07-24T16:15:19","slug":"ore-parents-acquitted-in-daugh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2009\/07\/ore-parents-acquitted-in-daugh","title":{"rendered":"Ore. Parents Acquitted in Daughter’s Faith-Healing Death"},"content":{"rendered":"

OREGON CITY, Ore. — Jurors on Thursday (July 23) acquitted two parents
\naccused in the faith-healing death of their infant daughter on all but
\none count, a stunning legal victory in a case that pitted religious
\nfreedom against parental responsibility.
\nCarl and Raylene Worthington were charged with second-degree
\nmanslaughter and criminal mistreatment after their 15-month-old
\ndaughter, Ava, died on March 2, 2008 when the couple chose faith-healing
\nover conventional medicine.
\nProsecutors claimed the girl died a “needless death” caused by
\npneumonia and a blood infection that could have been easily treated with
\nroutine antibiotics. Defense lawyers said the parents genuinely believed
\ntheir daughter was on her way to recovery.
\nRaylene Worthington was acquitted of both charges, while her husband
\nwas convicted on the lesser charge of criminal mistreatment, a
\nmisdemeanor. He will be sentenced July 31.
\nJurors broke a three-day stalemate after Clackamas County Circuit
\nJudge Steven Maurer sent them home to get away from the process for a
\nwhile. When they returned, jurors started discussing the case in more
\npersonal terms and found common ground, jury foreman Ashlee Santos
\nexplained.
\n“Granted, they didn’t take her (Ava) to the hospital, but it was
\ntruly because they thought she was getting better,” Santos said. “That
\nwas the best epiphany moment.”
\nSuch thoughtful deliberation, and consideration of the Worthingtons’
\npoint of view, was exactly what defense attorneys sought. Lawyers
\ncomplained of a rapid public rush to judgment by those suspicious of the
\nWorthingtons’ small, isolated church and its beliefs.
\n“There was a lot of misunderstanding about the church,” said John
\nNeidig, Raylene Worthington’s attorney. The public seems “to have gotten
\nthe wrong impression. I hope the community learned something.”
\nSome jurors may have been confused by Oregon’s manslaughter law or
\nfound it inappropriate to the circumstances. “The word itself is not
\npretty,” Santos said of the charge.
\n“We all know they (the Worthingtons) didn’t do it on purpose, that
\nthey had no intention of harming their child,” Santos said.
\nUnder Oregon law, manslaughter is defined as an accidental death
\nthat the defendant has a legal responsibility to prevent. The criminal
\nmistreatment charge is clearer, requiring parents to provide adequate
\nmedical care.
\nThat failure to act was the basis for the Carl Worthington’s
\ncriminal mistreatment conviction.
\nAlthough Oregon law prohibited the Worthingtons from offering a
\nreligious defense, talk of faith and spiritual belief wove through their
\ntrial.
\nSeveral church members testified that in a Followers of Christ
\nhousehold, the husband is the leader, which the jury seemed to consider,
\nalthough state laws clearly state that both parents have a legal duty to
\nprovide adequate medical care.
\n“In a marriage, most people are partners,” Santos said. “But a lot
\nof times, it comes down to a deciding person in the house.”
\nDuring the trial, Raylene Worthington testified that “when it comes
\ndown to it for major decisions, they are his to make.” She said she did
\nnot dispute him.
\nAfter the verdict was announced, the Followers of Christ church
\nissued a short statement through their attorney:
\n“The Board of Directors of the Followers of Christ Church accepts
\nthe jury’s verdict and expresses its appreciation to the members of the
\njury for doing their duty as citizens of this State. The Board is
\nrelieved and grateful that the Worthingtons were acquitted of
\nmanslaughter and that Raylene was acquitted of both charges filed
\nagainst her.”
\nClackamas County District Attorney John Foote also released a short
\nstatement:
\n“We accept the verdict in this case. The jury’s decision is final.
\nHowever, we are saddened and disappointed by this result. We continue to
\nbelieve that the facts are clear in this case and that it is our duty as
\nan office to enforce the law firmly and consistently, particularly when
\nit comes to protecting our children.”
\nThe church and prosecutors will meet again in court early next year.
\nRaylene Worthington’s parents, Jeff and Marci Beagley, go on trial
\nin January. They are charged with criminally negligent homicide in the
\ndeath of their 16-year-old son, Neil Beagley, who died last June of an
\nuntreated urinary tract blockage.
\n“In light of our responsibilities to protect everyone’s right to a
\nfair trial, we will not make any further comments,” Foote said without
\nnaming the Beagleys.
\n By STEVE MAYES
\nc. 2009 Religion News Service
\n(Steve Mayes writes for The Oregonian in Portland, Ore. Rick Bella,
\nNicole Dungca, Su Yim, Dana Tims and Yuxing Zheng contributed to this
\nstory.)
\nCopyright 2009 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of
\nthis transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written
\npermission. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OREGON CITY, Ore. — Jurors on Thursday (July 23) acquitted two parents accused in the faith-healing death of their infant daughter on all but one count, a stunning legal victory in a case that pitted religious freedom against parental responsibility. Carl and Raylene Worthington were charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminal mistreatment after their 15-month-old…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nOre. 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